Simply the finest entry into the series. By a country mile.
Soul is something I feared that the series would lose, after Bungie's departure from it's development. I feared that, upon Halo 4's release, we would be faced with a cookie cutter Halo 3 clone with a slightly advanced story timeline.
But how wrong my gut was. 343 and Microsoft have achieved landmark progress for the series and genre here. As well as pushing the envelope in storytelling for a First Person Shooter. This is true high end magnificence.
From the soaring vistas, the quiet little moments between Chief and Cortana, the rising orchestrals and the fascinating characters; this is one Shooter than transcends. It goes beyond what is merely "neccessary" in both budgetary spend and scale of reach. It. Is. Beautiful.
Perhaps a quiet star of the performance is Neil Davidge's work on the soundtrack. Born close to my home turf, this previously somewhat-known composer shone through in this rendition. His work fits exactly with the tonal values of the game production and drama. He manages to make it new, invigorating and fresh, without standing all over Martin O'Donnell's similarly fantastic work. He pays homage to what is, without doubt, a game series that has phenomenal orchestral soundtracks. One thing I have long proposed to people, is the value of the games industry to modern, progressive classical music. Halo 4 progresses further than any other in that regard. The music is worth owning on it's own, not just as fan material. It's lovely in almost every track.
Never, not once, has a Halo game since the very first made me this excited and this involved with the Franchise.
I am aware of how gushy this review is, but then...sometimes if a game puts that much feeling of happiness in you, it deserves what few others do. A perfect score.