I have been a long time fan of the Halo series, and every one has been a slam dunk...except for the newest title, and maybe the forgotten Halo Wars. Don't get me wrong, Halo 4 is a great game and deserves the acclaim that it has garnered, but it isn't the ground breaking next installment of a game that always outdoes its predecessors.
Let us start with a little history. Halo: Combat Evolved was so revolutionary in the scope of the world and the fluid feeling of the games controls. The vehicles controls were smooth. The bad guys, though always in the same place could be fought in many different ways and seemed intelligent. The good guys were useful. The graphics were some of the best ever seen. The story was epic and not as predictable as others.
Halo 2 lived up to the hype as well. The campaign picked up where Master Chief left off in the first installment and the epic story continued. The biggest change to the game that kept people hooked to Halo 2 was the online multiplayer. No longer did friends have to connect four Xbox consoles together to be able to have chaotic 16 player wars. It was a real game changer. The title also boasted new lighting effects, guns, dual wielding, and baddies. It would be the last of the series to be designed for the Xbox.
Halo 3, the last of the first trilogy was, again, a major step up from the last title. It was on the new 360 system which allowed higher graphics, better performance and all the other capabilities nobody really cares about when I'm writing about Halo. It was just great. The multiplayer maps were large, the physics just felt great and the graphics were to die for. Players could play for days online for the next unlock and not realize it.
The next release in the first person shooter series was Halo: ODST. Nothing big changed with this game, in fact it was a stand alone expansion of the previous title. It was still worthwhile because you got to see the Covenant in the eyes of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. The players abilities in the campaign, though still seeming more than human, were much less powerful in comparison to Master Chief. Sneaking around was important for the weaker protagonist when compared to Master Chief always jumping in, guns blazing. The player also had a totally different hub, and planning routes played a role in the game.
Following ODST was the release of Halo Reach. Which was in reality a granny step up from the previous titles, but again the campaign was grand, focusing on a doomed planet, and for the first time the player gets to join other Spartans in the quest to destroy the Covenant. Improvements to the multiplayer helped level the playing field, and make it more enjoyable for players who had less skill. This title still rode the epic wave that Bungie created when it released the first title. It would be their last title.
As Bungie exited the Halo franchise, 343 Industries entered. Responsible for the 10th anniversary release of Halo: Combat Evolved, 343 Industries showed much promise polishing and updating the original title. New maps were released, new firefight locations were released. It was completely addicting, just as past titles were.
Halo 4 falls short of what was expected in the newest installment in all areas. Though it introduces new baddies, guns, vehicles and multiplayer functions, some of the most fun aspects of the Halo series are missing. The campaign, though good, seems to be less epic than past titles and some areas don't seem finished. The initial map, as an example, out of nowhere, throws Crysis/Call of Duty button pushing to climb, then immediately makes the player sidestep to climb again. It was just awkward and took me two minutes hanging in the shaft to figure out I needed to side step. The vehicles didn't seem as fluid. The enemies weren't a step up in intelligence as I expected. The grunts didn't look..right, and the campaign just seemed to end out of nowhere.
After ending the campaign feeling half fulfilled, I jumped into the life sucking, addicting multiplayer...or so I thought. After playing an hour or so of team battles, free for all, and other game modes I came to realize that I missed armor lock and some of the other abilities. The maps are large, competitive, and fun, but they don't have a new feeling. It has a digressed, re hashed feeling, with a few changed toys. The loadouts are an interesting addition, but it hinders beginning players. It's more reminiscent of Call of Duty. The shield and sentry are useful, but nowhere near as fun as the older armor abilities. It creates a frustrating gap between seasoned high ranking Reach players that waited to buy Halo 4, and the guys that bought Halo 4 the first night and played for a week without sleeping.
Getting frustrated with trying to build a loadout, I switched to the replacement for firefight, Spartan Ops. It is an interesting twist on firefight, but more than five levels should have been released with the title. Though 343 says more are coming, it is frustrating not being able to build, customize, or randomize firefight as in past titles. You are given what they give you.
Resistance to change and overfed expectations are the death of the "WOW" factor. That is pretty much what happened in this case. The ability for Bungie to create such great games, the ability for 343 Industries to polish old titles up so well and design great multiplayer maps, and the weekly release of the live action videos brought great expectations of an EPIC next installment. Though not the epic Halo title that I expected it is still good, and worth buying. My opinion of the campaign will stand, but as time goes on, and new miltiplayer content is added, I will most likely forget my favorite aspects of the past titles, and grow to love the change that 343 brought to the Halo franchise.
I give it an 8/10
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