Halo 4 is an abomination

IBlackKiteI

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Damn man, might wanna take a chill pill, though for the most part I agree, just not with the same...zealous fury.

The aesthetics are all screwy. Seems like every part of it belongs somewhere else and not to Halo. None of it really combines to create a unique, pleasing, functional feel.
The Prometheans look like they're lifted from Metroid and their environments are boring and sterile, and get old very quickly (Forerunner environments have arguably always been like that, yet they don't become quite that boring as you don't see them all that much in the other games. When they're pretty much everywhere, it gets old fast).
The Covenant have lost practically all of their unique visual appeal and sense of culture, perhaps going into full blown regular dumb enemy monster territory. I used to wonder what the different species were really like, where they came from and what they used to be before the whole Covie gig. I wanted to know more about them. Now I don't.
The Spartans and marines, rather than having rather unique yet functional and practical equipment in a genre that's filled to the brim with hilariously overdesigned BS now look more like they're geared out with schizophrenically designed teched up, overdesigned versions of things pulled from Crysis and Dead Space. This goes for the human environments too, they just look overly teched up and 'futurized' for the hell of it. One of my favourite things about the setting was that they rarely overdid the human tech, now it just looks unfunctional, silly and rather indistinct.
Despite these changes it was still a rather enjoyable game. There was nothing in the campaign mode that was really all that bad, and definitely nothing that was so far as a dealbreaker. The dealbreaker is the multiplayer.

The vast majority of changes to the multiplayer gameplay seem to have been made just for the hell of it with no real reasoning behind them, other than perhaps 'It'll be different and cool', paradoxically intertwined with the other reasoning which seems to be along the lines of 'Other games do this, lets do it too'. Basically every decision made here is a bad one, from bigger things like the imbalanced weapons and flawed create a class system, to the smaller ones like no longer being hit out of scope view and the fact that the Infec-...Flood can no longer use regular weapons due to the changes in the new mode.
There's actually quite a lot more stuff that's now different, and I really don't feel any of it is positive. Getting into matches with essentially the same mode each time (cos everyone now plays every mode like a deathmatch even more than they used to, probably because of the new challenges and slow levelling) where everyone uses the same guns because nothing else is worth using on what are likely the most camper friendly maps in the franchise has basically ruined this game for me. The maps no longer have any real significant features, thanks to the random weapon spawns and the fact that many of the default guns effectively eliminate the need to move around regularly to get kills.
There is not a single thing I feel Halo 4's multiplayer does better than any Halo game before it. It isn't an 'abomination', it just isn't fun to play and isn't memorable.

Since multiplayer is where the replay value is primarily at and I see the multiplayer as valueless, I'll probably trade Halo 4 in towards the upcoming Gears game. Funny thing is this was the other way around a couple years ago when Reach came out.
 

Lunar Templar

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Sep 20, 2009
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nice to see some non DmC related bitching for a change.

though word of advice, using terms like 'pure educated opinion' and a review score with less worth then the ant you stepped on earlier, doesn't really lend credit to your argument
 

gamerguy20097

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The super cult that FPS games in general have become is an abomination. Seems like every new I.P has to be a shooter.
 

fishy42

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Well despite the trouble I had understanding the OP....

I agree - the game is complete shit. Finished it in 3 hours (legendary) and just sat there thinking "thank god that crap's over, anyway back to far cry..."

The whole game felt pointless and moved too fast. I get that it was a desperate OMG CORTANA'S CR4ZY race to save his friend but the result was a spiral of "why am I doing this?"
WAKE UP KILL KILL KILL
FAAAAAAAALLLIING
OH LOOK A SHINY RELIC CHIEF NO LIKE SHINY RELICS KABOOM!! game over.

Also, replacing Firefight with copy/paste recycled maps of full dumbshit enemies or "sparton blops" as 343 calls it was a terrible idea. And you need a gold subscription just to PLAY that trash!!?? Getting ahead of yourselves 343.

Not to mention the blatant CoD rips in the form of more loadouts than you could even possibly need and care package drops.
I would say change was not for the better in the case of h4. Just can't dig it.
 

Extra-Ordinary

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Mar 17, 2010
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Vrex360 said:
Frankly I'm still just pissed off that 343 removed the Elites from multiplayer, that was a boneheaded decision that helped them earn my never ending hatred for them before the game even came out.

343:
"Hey, you know that elite player model that you have had since 2004? The one that has been a part of the Halo multiplayer experience and actually one of the few things that made Halo stand out from other multiplayer games? Well we're removing it because of a retarded decision to make multiplayer have a 'story' which is the same reason we've removed Firefight and pretty much screwed over anyone who doesn't have an online connection of half the content of the game!"

Me:
"FUUUUUCK YOUUU! FUUUUUCK YOUUUU! FUUUUCK YOUUU!"
I agree with this SO HARD.
Seriously 343, I get that if I don't have a gold account, I can't play with other people over Xbox but to take away Spartan Ops entirely?! And if I simply want to play split-screen Spartan Ops with my sister why does she need gold too?!
Fuming aside, I really like the game, what little I can play of it anyway.
 

Nathan Robe

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Jan 29, 2013
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Seems to me like someone needs a couple of cookies, a glass of milk, and a hug from a loved one. I think if we all had that on a regular basis, then a lot of this "I'm gonna deuce on your hobbies" stuff will go away.
 

Sniper Team 4

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I liked Halo 4. Not the best in the series (I still feel that Halo is the best) but it was certainly a worthy successor. I'm just glad John and Cortana aren't going to spend the rest of their lives floating out in space. I'm looking forward to seeing how things go in Halo 5 and 6. After that though, I would prefer the series be properly put to rest.
 

TakeshiLive

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Nice rant you've got there, friend!

For me, Halo 4 was a bit disappointing but it's still okay. One thing that I kept noticing was how much less metal Chief had on his armor and more of that black rubber connecting bits. I just couldn't stop noticing it...
 

Zetatrain

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Sep 8, 2010
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Should have changed the title to "Halo 4 looks like an abomination" since this is mostly just one giant rant about the aesthetics and is pretty vague about the other stuff.

I will admit I still think the previous aesthetics for Halo were better (at least for the Spartan armors), though that may be just because after a decade it can be hard to accept a new aesthetic. I will admit the spartan armor designs look more futuristic and remind me a little bit of Crysis. Supposedly after the human covenant war, the humans began to incorporate forerunner technology with their own technology, hence the more futuristic look.

I don't think the Covenant look radically different. Vehicles look the same. Jackals and Hunter are exactly the same, and grunts just have a different breathing mask. The Elites now seem to wear less armor (particularly around the arms and legs)and the helmet is a slightly different shape but nothing radically different. Overall, the Elites look a bit more "rag tag" than before, but it makes sense since this not the well organized Covenant military you fought in the previous installments and are more akin to nomads and/or scavengers. Without their armor the elites look pretty much the same.

Despite my preference for the older Halo aesthetics, I still like the new aesthetics and have no major issues with them.

Your comments about the Forerunner environments is puzzling since in my opinion they always looked like that in the previous games. I'm also confused about your comment about the Covenant's motivation in the second paragraph.

As for you issue with the Spartan armor in the opening cinema...to be honest I think it's trivial. Aesthetic retcons, as I like to call them, bother me very little unless its a major departure from the original design or there was something about how the original design looked that was essential to the plot and/or theme of the game. If I remember correctly battle rifles first appeared in Halo 2, but then appeared in Halo Wars which was set before the events of Halo 1 and 2.

Gameplay wise

The only major change to the gameplay in my opinion is the fact that sprint is now always on which increases the speed of the gameplay. Overall I'm still on the fence about his change. Loadouts aren't a bother to me since they were in Reach (granted they were predetermined). Ordnance drops are similar to kill streaks, but unlike in COD the weapons available to choose from are random and you don't need to get kills since anything that grants you points contributes to the ordnance drop. I do however wish that they added something like a classic Halo multiplayer mode were all the weapons are scattered across the map and everyone started with the same weapons, but its not a major issue for me. While Spartan Ops does reuse levels from the campaign, but it seems the newer episodes (starting with episode 6) use new levels. I don't know much about Forge since I never used it much before, but custom games are available. I will admit that cutting out firefight was bullshit.

Overall I had and still have a lot of fun with Halo 4 and I look forward to the next installment.

Vrex360 said:
Frankly I'm still just pissed off that 343 removed the Elites from multiplayer, that was a boneheaded decision that helped them earn my never ending hatred for them before the game even came out.

343:
"Hey, you know that elite player model that you have had since 2004? The one that has been a part of the Halo multiplayer experience and actually one of the few things that made Halo stand out from other multiplayer games? Well we're removing it because of a retarded decision to make multiplayer have a 'story' which is the same reason we've removed Firefight and pretty much screwed over anyone who doesn't have an online connection of half the content of the game!"

Me:
"FUUUUUCK YOUUU! FUUUUUCK YOUUUU! FUUUUCK YOUUU!"
Oh Vrew360, it wouldn't be a Halo 4 thread without you bringing up Halo 4's lack of Elites.
 

Snotnarok

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I don't know I think that the Halos aliens were all stupid minus the Brutes ironically. All of the Elites wearing neon colors and then the midget guys who scream like muppets. How does one take an army seriously when they're composed of all that stuff?

I haven't played a Halo since 2, after that I had skipped 3 and the releases after, didn't think they were worth the new price ...then my 360 died for the billionth time so I never got a chance to play ODST and the like
 

Ascend

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Mar 14, 2012
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Didn't get Halo 4 ,don't intend to.Halo was the first science fiction universe I personally really got into and I would rather remember it well with Halo 3 being the last canon Halo. Everything was resolved,the flood was dead, the Covenant was scattered and John went off a hero,as we all know,spartans never die.Then they just had to pull a "but wait there's more!".Was that really necessary?The multi player looks good ,but I just don't like the canon.Halo is by no means a stellar sci-fi universe but it still is one I like and would like to respect.
 

Vrex360

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Mar 2, 2009
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Zetatrain said:
Oh Vrew360, it wouldn't be a Halo 4 thread without you bringing up Halo 4's lack of Elites.
Hey, 'tis my schtick!

Besides someone needs to speak on the behalf of the Sangheili and it might as well be me.
 

Bvenged

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Sep 4, 2009
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Well, I thought the story was fantastic. the only downside to the singleplayer was how monotonous it felt still pushing buttons, walking forward and shooting right up 'till the end, and how short it felt after I finished.

Disc 1 was good IMO, short and sweet. Not worth the £40 I paid for it on its own, however.

Disc 2, with custom games, Spartan Ops, Forge and War Games, is nothing short of disappointing. Water-down features, unnecessary safety nets in forge, bland gameplay - and in War Games' situation, a wholly disgusting abomination. They have spoiled the Halo multiplayer experience, and it's not a hard one to get right either; a methodical and balanced FPS. NOPE! 343 had to bowl that down shit-street, didn't they? Now it's campers galore and skill-less, uncompetitive and generally unappealing piece of fan-insulting shit.

I've played Halo religiously for nearly 6 years and I've thoroughly enjoyed each and every title. I'm more-than competent but by no means Pro, and I've play with many different people over the years whose skills have ranged from "MLG-like" to "can't move and shoot at once"; I've only played Halo 4 twice in the past 2 months because it's so damn awful. It seems to me that my friends and I, and a whole load of other people who have been following the series simply aren't the target audience anymore. Apparently if you desire fair, fun, competitive, varied, team-focused, tactical, skill demanding, intelligent and generally balanced multiplayer - Halo 4 is not for you.
 

Soviet Heavy

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torno said:
Vrex360 said:
Frankly I'm still just pissed off that 343 removed the Elites from multiplayer, that was a boneheaded decision that helped them earn my never ending hatred for them before the game even came out.

343:
"Hey, you know that elite player model that you have had since 2004? The one that has been a part of the Halo multiplayer experience and actually one of the few things that made Halo stand out from other multiplayer games? Well we're removing it because of a retarded decision to make multiplayer have a 'story' which is the same reason we've removed Firefight and pretty much screwed over anyone who doesn't have an online connection of half the content of the game!"

Me:
"FUUUUUCK YOUUU! FUUUUUCK YOUUUU! FUUUUCK YOUUU!"
I agree with this SO HARD.
Seriously 343, I get that if I don't have a gold account, I can't play with other people over Xbox but to take away Spartan Ops entirely?! And if I simply want to play split-screen Spartan Ops with my sister why does she need gold too?!
Fuming aside, I really like the game, what little I can play of it anyway.
That particular nitpick makes me think that Microsoft had a hand in all this. I don't see why 343 would willingly fuck over people who want to play offline, but I can easily see Microsoft doing it. They need a reason to justify their increasingly ridiculous "Pay for Online" mode that everybody else has abandoned. I mean, at least PS3's online paid mode gives you benefits, and it is not necessary to play online in the slightest.
 

SnakeCL

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Probably tied for my favorite Halo game with Reach. I liked that Chief actually started to show some emotion in this one, some character development.

I absolutely LOVE the idea of Spartan Ops. While its execution does leave a bit to be desired, I'd much prefer a Halo game where I play as my OWN Spartan instead of living vicariously through Chief all the time. That's one of the things I enjoyed most about Reach, Noble 6 was my character.

I definitely don't understand all the hate for the game though.