Halo 4

[The 1 2 P]

I was excited and curious to see what 343 was going to do with the formerly Bungie controlled series and I'm liking what I've played so far. But I have a few small issues. First, the music isn't that good. I didn't expect it to be as good as Marty's was from the previous games but this version just seems like it's lacking something. Maybe it will grow on me. Second, the story is slow to progress. I'm not talking about the fire fights but the actual narrative itself. It takes several levels before you fully understand whats going on and I'm still not finished the campaign yet. Finally, there is only one new weapon that I have grown fond of so far. The rest seem pretty pointless.

The multiplayer is unsurprisingly awesome, although there are several key modes missing but they will probably be added in later. And Spartan Ops mode is also a nice little addition. I've only played one of the five new episodes but new ones will be added every week for the next 10 weeks so I look forward to those as well. They also did a nice job of updating the visuals on the seven year old 360. So what does everyone else think of this non-Bungie made Halo?

[Nebagram]

Shamefully, I've never finished a Halo game- I got halfway through 1, about a quarter of the way through 2 and only a couple of hours into 3 and Reach (and Halo Wars, if you count that), but already what I've played of 4 has me hooked more than the previous games. Never mind the fact that the graphics are simply gorgeous for the- as you say- 7 year old 360- the gameplay is tight and precise, and paced just right to feel exciting throughout without becoming overwhelming. Definitely the best FPS I've played since Bioshock 2 last year.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

how much does this one tie in to halo 3?


thats the only halo campaign i didnt finish because i found it so god awful boring, played maybe 3 or 4 levels in that shit before i just said fuck it and threw in the towel.

will me not having played that to completion affect my enjoyment of 4?

to be clear i only care about the campaign, i have no intention of going online, im thinking about picking this up from redbox just to see how it looks and plays

[kedawa]

You're not missing anything.
It's pretty obvious what needs killin'.
The plot is superfluous.

[PapaStu]

how much does this one tie in to halo 3?


thats the only halo campaign i didnt finish because i found it so god awful boring, played maybe 3 or 4 levels in that shit before i just said fuck it and threw in the towel.

will me not having played that to completion affect my enjoyment of 4?

to be clear i only care about the campaign, i have no intention of going online, im thinking about picking this up from redbox just to see how it looks and plays


Halo 4 picks up 4 years after the end of Halo 3. You'll only be missing out why Master Chief is in cryo-stasis on a ship that is basically destroyed. You'll understand much more the backstory to Halo 4, if you've kept up with the last few Halo novels that have come out. Glasslands and Thursday War deal with the Human side of things (and the ship that Multiplayer takes place on) and Glasslands makes more sense if you've read Ghosts Of Onyx (which is the lead in to Glasslands). While the Forerunner Saga which is 2 books in (it's a trilogy) explains well... the bad guys you'll be facing in Halo 4, but the game also gives you enough to understand why you're killing what you're killing.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

Halo 4 picks up 4 years after the end of Halo 3. You'll only be missing out why Master Chief is in cryo-stasis on a ship that is basically destroyed. You'll understand much more the backstory to Halo 4, if you've kept up with the last few Halo novels that have come out. Glasslands and Thursday War deal with the Human side of things (and the ship that Multiplayer takes place on) and Glasslands makes more sense if you've read Ghosts Of Onyx (which is the lead in to Glasslands). While the Forerunner Saga which is 2 books in (it's a trilogy) explains well... the bad guys you'll be facing in Halo 4, but the game also gives you enough to understand why you're killing what you're killing.


i vaguely remember watching the ending of halo 3 on youtube (i may be confusing it with the halo 2 ending now that i think about it) and i've only read the first 3 halo novels and ghost of onyx, but if halo 4 at least attempts to explain what i missed then i guess i can deal, thanks for the input

[G-Boobie]

i vaguely remember watching the ending of halo 3 on youtube (i may be confusing it with the halo 2 ending now that i think about it) and i've only read the first 3 halo novels and ghost of onyx, but if halo 4 at least attempts to explain what i missed then i guess i can deal, thanks for the input

Watch the "Legendary Ending" of Halo 3 on YouTube, and understand that the planet you're doing business on in Halo 4 is a Forerunner structure, and you'll be good to go.

I haven't picked it up myself yet, but I played through the first three missions at a friends house, and decided to buy it myself in a week or two. It's pretty good.

[Dobie]

I've played Halo 4 quite a lot since it came out. I'm just wrapping up my 2nd playthrough of campaign, this time on Legendary. Overall, I'm pleased with the direction 343 took the game. They made some decisions knowing that many longtime fans may not like the changes... and many do not. But I think its a better game for going in a new direction. I can appreciate what 343 is trying to do. The sound design, visuals, enemies, weapons--everything had to change for the series to move forward. The covenant had gotten stale and predictable to fight for many Halo players; another run-through against covies would have been a routine and thoughtless affair. In come the the Prometheans, a smart, challenging, and fresh opponent. The setting is new, its fun to explore again. 343 could have easily set the game on yet another ring world infested with Flood for players to slog through, but they did the difficult thing and went a different direction.

Now, the game isn't perfect. There are fair criticisms one can make. Campaign and Spec Ops is a bit too "button pushy." The weapons are new, but essentially similar in function. The UI is a bit of a hot mess. Locking every little thing CoD-style is kind of a bummer.

As a package, I'm pretty happy with Halo 4. I'm not sure it has its hooks in me as deep as some of the earlier games, but I am very much enjoying the new direction and looking forward to the future of the Halo franchise--something I wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about when the game was first announced at E3 2011.

[RCM]

This is the first FPS I'm excited about since Timesplitters 3. I was given a copy the other day and really enjoyed what I've played so far. Digging it far more than the other game I got this week, Assassin's Creed III.

[PapaStu]

I've played Halo 4 quite a lot since it came out. I'm just wrapping up my 2nd playthrough of campaign, this time on Legendary. Overall, I'm pleased with the direction 343 took the game. They made some decisions knowing that many longtime fans may not like the changes... and many do not. But I think its a better game for going in a new direction. I can appreciate what 343 is trying to do. The sound design, visuals, enemies, weapons--everything had to change for the series to move forward. The covenant had gotten stale and predictable to fight for many Halo players; another run-through against covies would have been a routine and thoughtless affair. In come the the Prometheans, a smart, challenging, and fresh opponent. The setting is new, its fun to explore again. 343 could have easily set the game on yet another ring world infested with Flood for players to slog through, but they did the difficult thing and went a different direction.

Now, the game isn't perfect. There are fair criticisms one can make. Campaign and Spec Ops is a bit too "button pushy." The weapons are new, but essentially similar in function. The UI is a bit of a hot mess. Locking every little thing CoD-style is kind of a bummer.

As a package, I'm pretty happy with Halo 4. I'm not sure it has its hooks in me as deep as some of the earlier games, but I am very much enjoying the new direction and looking forward to the future of the Halo franchise--something I wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about when the game was first announced at E3 2011.

Pretty much all of this.

Just finished 4 on Normal. I'll go back and do a Hard/Legendary run next after I clear up some of the straggling achievements (terminals etc) in regular play. I liked the angle and since i'm one of those who has been deeply immersed in the verse (all novels, the ILB H2 and the H3 AR games) I have been pretty happy that they've delved deep into the expanded verse, brought the Forerunners into it and given us a new angle. Not sure I love the ending, but it was powerful and I respect it.

[The 1 2 P]

So I beat the game a few days ago and while the story got better the ending was pretty meh. I'm also not sure why 343 was so determined to make this game Call of Halo. I like Halo and I like COD but for different reasons and don't really feel they should be so closely merged. Some things worked though, like the kill cam(we can finally see where we were sniped from) but the ordinance drops in certain modes is too much like killstreak care package rewards. I like killstreak awards but hate waiting around for care packages to drop(and potentially get sabotaged). I like Spartan Ops mode but it appears this will permenantly take the place of Fire Fight in this game. Not sure how I feel about that yet. And then theres multiplayer. Despite a lack of modes(that they continue to slowly add in) I like it. The character models are larger than the previos games, making it easier to make headshots. I also love how they sped up assasinations although I would have rather they taken them out all together. All in all this was a nice first effort by 343 for their first original Halo game. I'm now going back to finish my legendary playthru and grab all the missing achievements.

[RCM]

I sampled this just after I snagged a copy and actually played through it this weekend. This is the first traditional game I HAD to keep playing until I conquered it in almost 10 years. Panzer Dragoon Orta was the last game. I wouldn't describe myself as an FPS fan, but I really, really enjoyed this. I can't wait to play it again.