Halo 4

[Sassafrass]

Notes before I begin
All images taken from Google/Bing.
Any TL;DR posts will be reported and the poster will be hunted down by me with a spoon, talcum powder and many cacti.

So I continue with my march through all the FPS titles I own, this time bringing you a review, or a poor excuse for one anyway, of Halo 4, the recently released FPS from 343i. I swear this will be the last FPS review from me in a long time, unless I finally get the desire to review Borderlands 2 or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Not that I will get the urge to review Black Ops 2 soon, as this means I?d have to head back into the online MP to get a better grip on its flaws and issues. And, frankly, it is time I?d rather spend here with you, talking about Halo 4 and the things that does well, as well as the things that it doesn?t do quite so well. So, without further ado, I present you my opinion on Halo 4. And no, I won?t be removing my bias for this review because, unlike some of the people out there in internet land, I?m not an idiot.

Halo 4 takes place 5 years after the ending of Halo 3, joining the action as Cortana, the AI from previous Halo games, desperately tries to wake up Master Chief. The ship they?ve been drifting on for so long, Forward unto Dawn, has been found. However, as you can guess, it?s not the people they wanted to find them. It?s the Covenant and they?re still pretty annoyed about something. However, as you?re busy fighting your way through a horde of very angry Covenant , Cortana notices that you?re drifting towards a planet. It?s here that you discover that this planet is named Requiem and that it?s also home to the Prometheans. You also learn that Cortana is becoming Rampant, which means that she?s been in active service for too long and is beginning to think herself to death. Eventually, the UNSC Infinity picks up on the distress signal sent out by Cortana and is itself pulled into Requiem. All warnings fall on garbled ears though, and you?re sent off to take out what Cortana believes are two transmission jammers.

[Img_Inline width="325" Caption="Well, this might scratch the paintwork." Align="right"]http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad25/Sasquacth99/GARME%20REVIEW%20SCREENS/oie_244382rpb8FzTH_zps62bccaa1.jpg[/Img_Inline]

It?s when you?re trying to turn off the jammers that things get a lot worse for everyone involved. Instead of disabling jammers, you?ve actually been releasing the Didact, the big bad of Halo 4, from his prison. After this, all hell breaks loose. The Didact assumes control of the Covenant, attacks the Infinity and generally proceeds to try and kill you in as many ways as he possibly can. Oh, and he?s trying to activate something called the Composer, which is a bad thing you should probably stop. Really, the main story of ?Stopping the ancient evil? isn?t anything to talk about really. It?s your usual Halo story with the odd plot twist now and then. If you?re a fan of the series, you?ll click with it right away. However, the side story that focuses on Cortana?s rapidly declining mental state throughout the campaign and her relationship with the Chief is a very welcone addition. Again, while it?s not going to astound players, but it?s a closer look into the characters of Cortana and the Chief, fleshing out their characters a bit more and explaining their relationship in a little more detail. It helps add a bit more personality to their characters, so that Cortana seems a little more human and it also helps the Chief seem a little more human, a little less walking silent killing machine.

That all said, I wouldn?t say I was pleased with the campaign. Don?t get me wrong, it was a fun afternoon and I enjoyed it, but the fact is nothing really memorable about it springs to mind. It?s not bad, but it wasn?t good either. Yes, the story about Cortana?s decent into Rampancy was a good arc but that was only focused on when it helped advance the main plot line, so it didn?t really get brought up that often. But apart from that, you could have easily taken another Halo?s story and put in Halo 4 and no real difference would have been made. Well, maybe it would have added a couple more hours to the 5 I got playing on Normal but that?s neither here nor there. I just found the story a little bland, a little boring and pretty forgettable, apart from the mentioned bits about Cortana. It does what it needs to do to get the job done but, unlike the Halo?s before it, it lacks the passion to get me interested in what was unfolding on my screen.

[Img_Inline width="325" Caption="So shiny. So very shiny." Align="left"]http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad25/Sasquacth99/GARME%20REVIEW%20SCREENS/oie_24443576DGKkIgM_zpsf598ec89.jpg[/Img_Inline]

It?s at this point that I should mention the multi-player, both competitive and the co-op Spartan Ops. Spartan Ops is a nice little episodic side story, separate from the main story completely, that follows your custom made Spartan through various missions set 6 months after the events of the campaign. The UNSC Infinity returns to Requiem, interested in finding out some of the hidden secrets of the planet. These missions are a fun little distraction and add a little more play time to Halo 4, plus it helps that they are pretty good fun to play with a friend on the couch or via Xbox LIVE. The main multi-player though, in my 8 hours with it, will not be receiving the same praise. In fact, the only praise it gets is the fact you can now create custom load outs, very much like in Call of Duty, and the ordinance drops. The custom load outs allow you to tailor your own playing style a lot quicker, so you don?t have to fumble around with a gun you don?t like using and the ordinance drops help you control the battlefield easier, allowing you to spawn in power weapons or a power up to help you in the next fire fight you get into. They are nice touches that help you tailor your online experience into the one you want to be from the get go and it hardly makes any difference to the balance of the online matches. Yes, skilled players will begin to pummel you into the ground if you?re not careful but that has always been the Halo way. If someone with skill gets a hold of the power weaponry, you?re going to have a tough time getting him away from it.

However, with that said, my overall experience with Halo 4?s MP can be described like this. A laggy, bug riddled experience that frustrates me if I play for more than 30 minutes. Some games, I?d be lag free and have a smooth game, no rubber-banding or anything. But then in the next two games, I?d be lagging everywhere. My armour ability wouldn?t load for a good 15 seconds after spawning, the host would change to an even worse host, I?d betray people without ever firing a shot and vehicles would rubber band back and forth like they were tied to the environment with bungie cords. On top of that, they still haven?t got a betrayal system that works properly. I was team-killed by one guy 5 times in a row without being offered the chance to kick him. I kill him to exact some pathetic revenge, he was given the option and he took it without a seconds thought. Not really a good system you have there, 343i, it?s kind of inconsistent. This made me time with the multi-player an unplayable mess for a good eighty percent of the time I played it. It was a frustrating mess that had potential to be the best Halo multi-player yet. The maps are great, although the rotation could be fixed a bit, it has a wealth of game types that are expanding slowly over time and it finds games a lot quicker than Halo: Reach did. However, when I?m lagging everywhere eight percent of the time and a dodgy kicking system, I can?t honestly say that the multi-player is a good distraction. It only annoyed me and I can?t give a glowing recommendation based off of my experiences.

[Img_Inline width="325" Caption="It?s also very blue and orange. So very blue and orange." Align="right"]http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad25/Sasquacth99/GARME%20REVIEW%20SCREENS/oie_244515SoInWBL9_zps5833adfa.jpg[/Img_Inline]

I was a little disappointed with Halo 4. It?s certainly the weakest Halo game from the main series I?ve played by a long shot in terms of both campaign and multi-player but that doesn?t mean it?s a terrible game. The gameplay is still as solid as it ever was, the gunplay of old Halo games is still there and works well and it looks absolutely stunning, although they do go a little overboard on the blue and orange at some points. It?s certianly one of the prettiest games I?ve played in 2012 and the only game I?ve played that can come close to it in terms of looks is Far Cry 3. However, none of this can shake the feeling that 343i could?ve done a bit better with Halo 4. The single player felt a little shoe-horned in, with Cortana?s story line being the exception, the multi-player is bug riddled and frustrating to play and they seem to have spent time tweaking the visuals, when they could?ve spent that time tweaking the campaign and multi-player to deliver to its full potential. If you?re a Halo fan, chances are you?ve picked this up already. If you?re not though, I?d give Halo 4 a miss. The older Halo games are more fun and a lot less frustrating, especially Halo 3 and Reach.

[small]Why is the villain called the Didact? Oh...oooooooooh, I see what they did there. Very clever.[/small]​

Spoiler: Previous reviews

Films and TV: Hot Fuzz (First and original review) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.163840] - UK Big Brother and Celeb Big Brother [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.167121] - Scrubs (Sassafrass, VaudevillianVeteran and Pimppeter2) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.167644] - Black Sheep [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.174430] - Dave, a TV channel [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.181712] - Twilight: Eclipse [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.213377] - The X-Factor (Sassafrass and VaudevillianVeteran) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.250859] - Predators [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.268805] - Hot Fuzz (Rewrite) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.270265]

Sassafrass to the YT Movies series: SK3: Battle For Redemption [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.375545-Sassafrass-to-the-YT-Movies-Scorpion-King-3-Battle-For-Redemption] - The Last Man On Earth [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.380367-Poll-Sassafrass-to-the-YT-Movies-The-Last-Man-on-Earth-1964] - Kung Fu Hustle [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.386443-Poll-Sassafrass-Reviews-Kung-Fu-Hustle-2004]

Games: Final Fantasy X [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.166262] - Borderlands [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.180755] - Colin McRaeiRT 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.187935] - Final Fantasy 13, plus guide review [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.203989] - Viva Pinata [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.234884] - Fallout: New Vegas [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.246820] - Fable III [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.255418-Sassafrass-Reviews-Fable-III] - Final Fantasy X-2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.291553-Sassafrass-Reviews-Final-Fantasy-X-2] - WWE 2011 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.312693.12667178] - Saints Row 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.328405-Sassafrass-Reviews-Saints-Row-2] - Final Fantasy 13-2 Demo [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.337944-Sassafrass-Reviews-The-Final-Fantasy-13-2-Demo] - Angry Birds [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.339912-Sassafrass-Reviews-Angry-Birds-Review-Wars-V-entry] - Halo: Reach [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.352160-Sassafrass-Reviews-Halo-Reach] - Battlefield 3 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.381973-Sassafrass-Reviews-Battlefield-3-Xbox-360] - Modern Warfare 3 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.393441] ? The Walking Dead: Episodes 1 ? 5 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.396114-The-Walking-Dead-Episodes-1-5] - Halo 4

Music: Full Fathom Five by Clutch [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.206062] - Press X To Rock: Miracle of Sound [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.316714-Sassafrass-Reviews-Miracle-Of-Sound-Press-X-To-Rock]

Random reviews: Friends list review, no 4. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.170076] Friends list review 1, 2, 3 lost.

Game previews: Final Fantasy 13 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.178502]

[hr]

[small]For notifications about future reviews, reviews being written, various other things or if you simply wish to fanboy over my work, visit my user group here. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Sassafrass-Reviews][/small]​

 

[ShinyCharizard]

In terms of the campaign I felt that it was a bit lazy (for the most part every objective is basically just "go here and flick the switch to proceed"). And the story is poorly explained throughout the game. You should not have to read the extended lore just to understand it.

However the Multiplayer is really good fun but it needs more maps. Also the voting system needs to be removed in favour of the old veto system from Halo 3. You just end up playing the same maps over and over because everyone votes for the same one.

 

[Nouw]

Great review, I share the same thoughts as you for the campaign. It didn't really leave a lasting impression on me. The multiplayer is quite fun, I can't say I've faced that many problems, but my only gripe is map variation. Solace, Haven, Adrift, Harvest and Abandon all share the same core design of having 3 paths to each side of the map.

 

[Fijiman]

I have to agree here. If you're not a Halo fan already this is definitely not the game to make you become one. As far as multiplayer goes, 343 really needs to get their shit together. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a match that stared with severely unbalanced teams, and that's if there's even another team to play against. That and things like the file browser are still broken with no sign of being fixed.

 

[Magicman10893]

I can't stand playing the Spartan Ops or Campaign online with friends. It lags HORRIBLY. There is literally a full second delay between button presses and actions on screen. This even occurs when I'm the host! It only happens in Campaign and Spartan Ops for some reason. I play the competitive multiplayer with the same exact people and there is virtually no lag for me.

Also, as a long time Halo fan, I hate Ordinance and Loadouts. The armor abilities in Reach where fine, but giving people the option of spawning with a Plasma Pistol and a DMR/Battle Rifle, or a freaking shotgun/pistol is just beyond ridiculous. Every time I get a vehicle I am instantly EMP'd by three or four people in Big Team Slayer and my Ghost/Mantis/Scorpion is destroyed before I get a chance to kill one person (or get a single shot off). Then there's the common "Noob-Combo" that has infuriated people ever since Halo 2 that has been balanced and re-balanced in nearly every game. This time the Plasma Pistol burns through the battery extremely quickly, but being able to spawn with another one or pick up a fresh one off any given corpse makes this combo incredibly potent.

And Ordinance throws off the balance of the game too much. Halo has always been about controlling the power weapons and the maps where balanced around this fact. Being able to call in power weapons anywhere just destroys this balance, especially when the weapons on the map and the ones called in are practically random. When an enemy team can grab the one or two power weapons and then continually spawn in more power weapons and camp an area, the game is pretty much over.

 

[Sassafrass]

In terms of the campaign I felt that it was a bit lazy (for the most part every objective is basically just "go here and flick the switch to proceed"). And the story is poorly explained throughout the game. You should not have to read the extended lore just to understand it.

However the Multiplayer is really good fun but it needs more maps. Also the voting system needs to be removed in favour of the old veto system from Halo 3. You just end up playing the same maps over and over because everyone votes for the same one.

They need to add more maps into the rotation too.
With my time with it, I swear I played Ragnarok and Exile at least 2 out of every three games. I mean, yeah, they're pretty good maps but come on, let me try the others on Infinity Slayer. I don't really fancy playing Infection or FFA to get other maps.

 

[Irridium]

I've been enjoying Halo 4 so far, but... eh, just doesn't have that same style. I guess it's to be expected what with Bungie not developing it, but still. What happened to the colorful series I loved? Halo 4 is ridiculously de-saturated and uses blue and orange waaaaay too much. There were moments where the colors shown through, but those were rare. At least they're rare up to the point I'm at in the story

Spoiler

I'm at the part with the Mammoth, where I have to destory the particle cannons so Infinity can move up

Maybe there's more colorful stuff later, I don't know.

Multiplayer is alright though, I guess. I don't know, feels like they've "Call of Duty-fied" the game by taking out weapon placements and adding loadouts. Not a bad thing, but it kind of lost a bit of that Halo charm by doing that.

Also, why the crap does Infinity Slayer only have like five maps in the rotation? And all of them seem to be very similarly built. Center point, three ways through the map (front, left, center). Just makes it feel samey.

 

[Sassafrass]

I've been enjoying Halo 4 so far, but... eh, just doesn't have that same style. I guess it's to be expected what with Bungie not developing it, but still. What happened to the colorful series I loved? Halo 4 is ridiculously de-saturated and uses blue and orange waaaaay too much. There were moments where the colors shown through, but those were rare. At least they're rare up to the point I'm at in the story

Spoiler

I'm at the part with the Mammoth, where I have to destory the particle cannons so Infinity can move up

Maybe there's more colorful stuff later, I don't know.

Multiplayer is alright though, I guess. I don't know, feels like they've "Call of Duty-fied" the game by taking out weapon placements and adding loadouts. Not a bad thing, but it kind of lost a bit of that Halo charm by doing that.

Also, why the crap does Infinity Slayer only have like five maps in the rotation? And all of them seem to be very similarly built. Center point, three ways through the map (front, left, center). Just makes it feel samey.

It's only going to get more blue and orange the further you go, sorry to say. I think they might throw in a few more colours later on but it's mostly blue and orange. And don't try BTB, unless you want to be stuck in an endless loop that is the Valhalla remake and Exile. I swear I only ever played BTB on those two maps.

 

[Irridium]

I've been enjoying Halo 4 so far, but... eh, just doesn't have that same style. I guess it's to be expected what with Bungie not developing it, but still. What happened to the colorful series I loved? Halo 4 is ridiculously de-saturated and uses blue and orange waaaaay too much. There were moments where the colors shown through, but those were rare. At least they're rare up to the point I'm at in the story

Spoiler

I'm at the part with the Mammoth, where I have to destory the particle cannons so Infinity can move up

Maybe there's more colorful stuff later, I don't know.

Multiplayer is alright though, I guess. I don't know, feels like they've "Call of Duty-fied" the game by taking out weapon placements and adding loadouts. Not a bad thing, but it kind of lost a bit of that Halo charm by doing that.

Also, why the crap does Infinity Slayer only have like five maps in the rotation? And all of them seem to be very similarly built. Center point, three ways through the map (front, left, center). Just makes it feel samey.

It's only going to get more blue and orange the further you go, sorry to say. I think they might throw in a few more colours later on but it's mostly blue and orange. And don't try BTB, unless you want to be stuck in an endless loop that is the Valhalla remake and Exile. I swear I only ever played BTB on those two maps.

Yeah, beat it today. I really hope the next two aren't so blue and orange.

And why aren't they putting the Valhalla remake in slayer? Or any of the larger maps? The larger maps worked just fine for 4v4 slayer in Halo 3 and Reach.

 

[Lionsfan]

I've been enjoying Halo 4 so far, but... eh, just doesn't have that same style. I guess it's to be expected what with Bungie not developing it, but still. What happened to the colorful series I loved? Halo 4 is ridiculously de-saturated and uses blue and orange waaaaay too much. There were moments where the colors shown through, but those were rare. At least they're rare up to the point I'm at in the story

Spoiler

I'm at the part with the Mammoth, where I have to destory the particle cannons so Infinity can move up

Maybe there's more colorful stuff later, I don't know.

Multiplayer is alright though, I guess. I don't know, feels like they've "Call of Duty-fied" the game by taking out weapon placements and adding loadouts. Not a bad thing, but it kind of lost a bit of that Halo charm by doing that.

Also, why the crap does Infinity Slayer only have like five maps in the rotation? And all of them seem to be very similarly built. Center point, three ways through the map (front, left, center). Just makes it feel samey.

It's only going to get more blue and orange the further you go, sorry to say. I think they might throw in a few more colours later on but it's mostly blue and orange. And don't try BTB, unless you want to be stuck in an endless loop that is the Valhalla remake and Exile. I swear I only ever played BTB on those two maps.

Did you have the same BTB experience I did, in joining way too many games mid-session?

 

[Sassafrass]

I've been enjoying Halo 4 so far, but... eh, just doesn't have that same style. I guess it's to be expected what with Bungie not developing it, but still. What happened to the colorful series I loved? Halo 4 is ridiculously de-saturated and uses blue and orange waaaaay too much. There were moments where the colors shown through, but those were rare. At least they're rare up to the point I'm at in the story

Spoiler

I'm at the part with the Mammoth, where I have to destory the particle cannons so Infinity can move up

Maybe there's more colorful stuff later, I don't know.

Multiplayer is alright though, I guess. I don't know, feels like they've "Call of Duty-fied" the game by taking out weapon placements and adding loadouts. Not a bad thing, but it kind of lost a bit of that Halo charm by doing that.

Also, why the crap does Infinity Slayer only have like five maps in the rotation? And all of them seem to be very similarly built. Center point, three ways through the map (front, left, center). Just makes it feel samey.

It's only going to get more blue and orange the further you go, sorry to say. I think they might throw in a few more colours later on but it's mostly blue and orange. And don't try BTB, unless you want to be stuck in an endless loop that is the Valhalla remake and Exile. I swear I only ever played BTB on those two maps.

Did you have the same BTB experience I did, in joining way too many games mid-session?

50/50 really. Joined some mid session, others I was there from the start. Exile or Ragnarok always got the popular vote, with one other map (The name escapes me, it was a snowy one with Mantis on either side) sometimes popping up when Exile and Ragnarok weren't in the rotation.

 

[Bvenged]

Nice review. I have a few contrasting opinions to yours though, but I understand where you were coming from on all points.

I thought it was the best narrative for a Halo game yet, on par with Reach, but Reach was slightly more fun to play through. The way the chief was humanised, shown to actually fail at 2 or 3 things when he's so used to succeeding; it was done really well.

The Spartan Ops were fun to play for the first episode, but have gotten progressively more repetitive and boring as time's gone one. I haven't even bothered with episode 5 because it bores me that much now - and considering 50% of the UK is on less than 6mbps broadband, for most people it's can be a pretty laggy experience too.

The multiplayer is terrible. It's a terrible multiplayer without the Halo namesake, but when you consider the fact that it's a HALO game and yet honours nothing from a competitive standpoint,let alone fell anything like a Halo game either, it's a massive disappointment. The custom load-outs were a good idea (if balanced, which they aren't), and I like Spartan 4's and the new AAs, but the infinity drops were an awful idea and have slaughtered any skill-based competitive play in the game. Another flaw is not shooting someone out of scope (which paired with summoning power-weapons to your location has negated any reasons NOT to camp in this game) and the excessive bullet magnetism that has been applied to scoped weapons in Halo 4, far in excess of any previous Halo title anyway.

I am appalled at 343s decision making when it comes to the design of Halo 4's multiplayer. That amongst other things at least. The lead multiplayer designer needs to take a long, hard look at what he's done. I know game developers work hard on games, sometimes pumping 60 hours weeks, but that doesn't excuse bad decision-making. If you're gonna' pump those kind of hours, don't let them go to waste by making piss-poor decisions that are going to alienate the core Halo fans. That's a Ubisoft/Tom Clancy move.

In summary:
Campaign is best/second best; Spartan Ops is boring; Forge is more restrained; Custom games customisability is limited; File Share servers still not working well over a month after launch; and the multiplayer is crap and absolutely abysmal when you remember it was supposed to be a Halo game's multiplayer.

Well, what started off as my opinion has blown up into a mini-review, so I'll give it a score too

For me, it was a [HEADING=3]4.5/10[/HEADING]

Final Note
As a decade-fan who has enjoyed each and every Halo title to date, I regret buying Halo 4. Nice moves, 343. If you didn't have the community interaction skills of a fucking brick wall I might have a slightly more positive opinion - and yes, I do frequent your forums and Waypoint community pages (weekly updates, news feeds, twitter, etc.).

 

[ShinyCharizard]

In terms of the campaign I felt that it was a bit lazy (for the most part every objective is basically just "go here and flick the switch to proceed"). And the story is poorly explained throughout the game. You should not have to read the extended lore just to understand it.

However the Multiplayer is really good fun but it needs more maps. Also the voting system needs to be removed in favour of the old veto system from Halo 3. You just end up playing the same maps over and over because everyone votes for the same one.

They need to add more maps into the rotation too.
With my time with it, I swear I played Ragnarok and Exile at least 2 out of every three games. I mean, yeah, they're pretty good maps but come on, let me try the others on Infinity Slayer. I don't really fancy playing Infection or FFA to get other maps.

Yeah that pretty much sums up my experience with it. Still great fun despite that though.

 

[Sassafrass]

Well, what started off as my opinion has blown up into a mini-review, so I'll give it a score too

For me, it was a [HEADING=3]4.5/10[/HEADING]

Nooooooooooooooooooo, not a score! I'm melting, oh what a world. XD
Still, nice mini review. Perhaps you should take a stab at writing a full review some when.

And Forge is gimped and Fileshare still isn't working? I'll admit, I never touched Forge as I'm not into map making but the fact the Fileshare is still fucked this long after launch is kinda unforgivable, seeing as Halo has always had great stuff and funny game modes put up on that like Jenga Tower, Dodgeball and Speed Halo.

 

[Bvenged]

Well, what started off as my opinion has blown up into a mini-review, so I'll give it a score too

For me, it was a [HEADING=3]4.5/10[/HEADING]

Nooooooooooooooooooo, not a score! I'm melting, oh what a world. XD
Still, nice mini review. Perhaps you should take a stab at writing a full review some when.

And Forge is gimped and Fileshare still isn't working? I'll admit, I never touched Forge as I'm not into map making but the fact the Fileshare is still fucked this long after launch is kinda unforgivable, seeing as Halo has always had great stuff and funny game modes put up on that like Jenga Tower, Dodgeball and Speed Halo.

Thanks, but yours was more detailed and way better formatted and anything I say has been said before.

I've been forging since the early days of Halo 3, and I can safely say Halo 4's is the worst - A notion I do not understand because they only had to add to Reach, but they cut back instead. Sure they added trait-zones (which hardly even make up for the missing custom-game options) and gravity-volumes, but that's about it.

There's no flat terrain other than the grif-ball arena, maybe 20 new item in total across all forge environments (specific to map), and you can't go anywhere near the water, which is disappointing as the varied environments of the maps are very nice. To top that off: dynamic shading doesn't work once you hit the half-way mark for the object limit; there's STILL a pointless limit to how many blocks in a type you can place - a pointless sub-limit within an mandatory overarching limit; and there's a stupid safety-net that Forge never used to have (and never needed) preventing objects with spawn-timers from appearing when a player is nearby, coupled with a silly restriction to how many objects can appear in the same second (they're buffered to 1 object per second).

Loose objects on normal physics still glue in place once they stabilise themselves (like Reach) so you still can't make Halo 3-esque gametypes like Jenga, Race is awkward to engineer, and most classic zombie games are impossible to recreate, let alone create new ones, as zombies can't use weapons or vehicles and the alpha zombie become a regular zombie after they die once (which never used to happen). All Flood allows you to do is just that, play bland Flood. Flood zombies can't even be customised beyond movement speed and health, really. You can turn their AA's off, or leave ProVis, Booster and Camo on, but there's no control over any other details other than an on-off switch for AA's.

It's has been royally watered down. Halo 4 is awful. I play competitively to sweat it out in a well-oiled team or as an individual, casually in Action sack and more social playlists for less-serious competitive play, I have a blast in arbitrary customs and I love spending hours and hours making tight and glorious custom games on levels I designed and built for friends, family and the world to play on (dodgems, Jenga variants, trick-jump maps, a bouncy castle on Reach where you fight for a hill with concussion rifles - even a thriller-horror zombie game).

Halo 4 is the worst Halo game of all for that. It's also just a pretty crap game in general. The only thing that holds any prestige about it was the plot and the music. Even the graphics sucked because everything was bathed in bloom lighting to drown out the fading "distant" objects of 10ft away (flora, high-res textures, characters, etc), likely so that Microsoft can try and milk a little more out of their pickled and freeze-dried system. Reach looks far superior because it was graphically GOOD looking, not well lit with lens-flares and bloom. I loved Halo, and my Xbox, but Halo 4 is an embarrassment and an insult.