Video Game Review #10 · 7:35pm Jun 8th, 2014
Halo 4
Haven't done one of these in a while. Thought I'd continue them – and a good way to start is by reviewing the newest Halo game to date.
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When I first got my hands on a copy of Halo 4—the first day it came out—I screamed like a little girl. That's how happy I was to be playing as the Master Chief again. But my thoughts are ominous to the game. I remain skeptical by the additions I love, like several of the new game-modes, and a few things I disliked, like Spartan Ops. This game, however, holds a special place in my heart as one of my favorite video games of all time. While it's nowhere near the sheer caliber Halo 3 offered, Halo 4 is a grand entrance into the Halo Franchise itself.
Campaign: Halo 4 had the best campaign in the series. While level design wasn't the best—many linear corridors and button pressing were present—what shines is the story. Master Chief, once again, has to save humanity; but it's from a much more powerful threat than the Covenant. The Forerunners; Prometheans; they were all badasses. But let's discuss them later on. What's harder than saving the world from being destroyed, is saving Cortana. Her life-limit is running short: she's only supposed to live for 7 years, but has been alive for 8. There are several moments throughout Halo 4's phenomenal story where she breaks out into complete madness, causing Master Chief to think harder, taking him out of his comfort zone. The story was emotional, dark, and really was at heart with the characters. By the end, I was happy, confused, sad, and I just couldn't wait for Halo 5.
Now, about the new enemies: they were incredibly done. From the quick Crawlers who are deadly in packs, to the supportive Watchers who offer shields and healing to their fellow companions, all the way to the ultra deadly Knights—the bane of Master Chief on Legendary difficulty. The A.I. is smart, fast, and ruthless. These enemy-types are what Halo is truly made out of.
The pacing is, of course, incredible. You never do the same thing twice; you are always on the run: reaching new objectives, flying pelicans, and taking down alien bad guys with the plethora of guns the game offers you. Heck, this game was better paced than Half-Life 2.
Multiplayer: This was very tough for me; whether I liked it or not, I couldn't decide. Don't get me wrong. Playing with friends on Custom Games was as fun as ever, but the overall package adds too many unnecessary formulas to the tables.
The Game-modes were some of the best in recent years. You got everything: from Slayer to Oddball, Flood mode to Regicide; it was all very creative. The maps were amazing as well. Each had its own flavor to it; each with its own paths, hideouts and weapons. Halo 4 had some of the best in the franchise. I also loved playing with friends. Teamwork is essential in modes like Big Team Battle, so hopping on Warthogs and taking off brought me back to my childhood. But unfortunately, most of the vehicles became stale and uninteresting. The Mantis was great, but Banshee, Ghost and Mongoose really felt out of place. The problem was that there were barely any new vehicles. No human flying vehicles; a major downgrade from Halo 3; it was disappointing.
Now about the many upgrades and features the game left you with. While I thought some of the Efficiency Upgrades, Tactical Packages, and Armor Abilities were definitely a nice touch, such as Speed Boost and Regenerating Shield, the rest were terrible. Extra Shields? Quick Reload? Promethean Vision? JET PACK!? Are you serious? These additions took away the skill needed to play Halo, and added many cheap uses in the online play. I feel as if 343 were trying to attract little kids to play. Isn't that why COD exists?
Also, the ranking system made me want to punch my TV screen. After Halo Reach's God-awful ranking system, they continued it, and made it even worse in Halo 4! You can suck at the game and still rank up. The armors you unlock are all terribly designed with only few standing out, and the number of ranks there are is just pushing it. This destroyed the skill in Halo 4—a very clear reason why Halo 3 is superior in every way when it comes to the online play.
Spartan Ops: This mode sucked. Nothing original. All missions were stale and repetitive; and the story was forgettable with no flair to it, unlike Halo 4's campaign. Next!
Graphics: Now a days, I'm sure some games looked better. But back then in 2012, it was a revolution. Halo 4 pushed the boundaries of the 360 in every way. Character models were great, with living eyes, realistic expressions, and spot on motion capture. Even the levels looked stunning; and the landscapes made my jaw drop. The CGI cutscenes were in fact so well done, I could have sworn it was real life.
Replay Value: Halo 4 can be played for years on end. The campaign should definitely be played more than once with friends, and the multiplayer will get you hooked for many months. But Halo 4 began to bore me with how easy everything was online, and nothing special was given to you for beating the Campaign more than once. Halo 3 had a point: more achievements and Skulls, as well as plenty of Easter Eggs. Halo 4 became stale to me after the first few months of play. I unlocked everything the online had to offer, beat the campaign several types, including Legendary, and messed around in Custom Games.
The other features, such as Forge, Replay Editor and Custom Games were fun, but only by a little. Forge was a huge downgrade from Reach, Replay Editor was something nobody used, and Custom Games wasn't as top-tiered as Halo 3 or even Reach. That was such a disappointment for me.
Verdict: Halo 4 was great! I enjoyed the story, the multiplayer was quite new and interesting for a while, and I stayed busy with friends on everything else, and the online. But with such a high-quality cover, inside, you'll find an easy, downgraded game which could have been so much more. The extra features were lackluster, and while I enjoyed the online play, there were so many additions which took skill away – and Halo is supposed to be all about skill!
Pros
-Emotional, dark and memorable story
-Flawlessly paced
-Fantastic graphics
-Addictive multiplayer
-Unbeatable game modes
Cons
-Terrible new online features
-Awful ranking system
-New additions were stale
-Bad customization
7/10
If it's good MP you want, nothing can touch Titanfall.
I wish there was more to the Didact boss fight then just to plant a grenade in his chest
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I've already played Titanfall. It was alright; and nothing can touch Halo 3's MP.
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I know. While I liked the Didact and think he could be a great villain in Halo 5, just a cutscene at the end was pretty dumb.
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Yeah; but who knows if the Didact is still alive after falling into that slipspace void