Halo. When asked to think of a game that defines Xbox as a brand I would imagine the majority would say Halo. It has been the prominent game from the start for Microsoft, and thank to Bungie has become one of the most successful game franchises of all time. There isn’t much to say about it that hasn’t already been said. We’ve already had 5 games from Bungie, and they have now handed the mantle over to 343 Industries. Halo fans, me included have been apprehensive ever since. What would 343i do with our beloved game? Would it be butchered and the resulting product being unrecognisable? Would they play it safe and make little changes? But mainly would it be any good? After all this time of worry, the time has come to find out the answer.
It’s fair to say, in the build up to Halo 4, I had 100% jumped on the Halo bandwagon again. What I had been seeing, and had played pre launch had got me excited for a game again. I have fond memories of Halo’s gone of late night system link sessions with friends, beers and snacks, memories that have never been replicated by any other game. In the week before launch, I had turned into a giddy school girl, I wanted the game, and I wanted it now.
As usual, after booting up the game, I had a look through the menus and what was on offer; I was soon prompted to install the second disk. And while this was a slight annoyance at the time, this is a onetime only event, and is needed if you have any desire to play any of the multiplayer features. As soon as it was installed I was good to go. I went to my first port of call - the Campaign. This wouldn’t necessarily be everyone’s first choice, but I always find the Campaign to be the warm up, the opening act for the multiplayer to come.
The first thing to note, is how absolutely gorgeous Halo 4 is. It really pushes the 360’s technical capabilities. It is up there with the best looking game on the console, if not the best. There are some jaw dropping moments when looking out into the distance, or onto an alien structure, or onto a battlefield full on enemies, deployed shields and vehicles. It is truly a sight to behold at times. From lush forest settings to deserts to the classic Halo style building interiors, the environment changes all the time to keep everything fresh for the player. The facial animations are second only to LA Noire, and the CGI cutscenes are breath-taking, so much so, I thought I was watching a live action piece on many occasions.
Coupled with the great graphics comes an overhaul to the game sounds. The guns sound meatier and more powerful, and each one, be they human, covenant or promethean sound unique. The only disappointed in sound comes from the Shotgun which lacks a bit of…ooompf if you will, and the Ghost which just doesn’t sound quite right. Other than that, the new composed stuff for the menu’s, cutscenes and dramatic moments within the game fit perfectly for that atmospheric and epic feel the series is known for.
As soon as you begin playing, you realise that this really is a Halo game. Everything feels right. And shortly after you reintroduce yourself to a familiar control system, you’ll be jumping about the battlefield, shooting down enemies, throwing grenades, meleeing, destroying vehicles the lot. Add to that the addition of being able to sprint whenever you like now, it all feel brilliant. Some will disapprove of the sprinting, but to them I will say this…You’re a Spartan, meant to be a super soldier of sorts, surely it makes less sense to not be able to sprint?
There are new enemies introduced for the first time since Halo was first released - The Prometheans. These are the guardians of the forerunner planet of Requiem. They fit into the Halo universe perfectly. And of course they bring their own set of weapons along for the ride. They balance nicely with the weapons already available in the Halo world (don’t worry; all your favourites are still present). From the bolt shot pistol up to the incinerator canon, each weapon type has been catered for. There are also new human and covenant weapons aswell. The new enemies will introduce new ways for you to play Halo, and require different tactics to the (still present) Covenant. It would have been nice for another one or two new enemy type within the Promethean race, but the ones available do differentiate greatly in their style of fighting.
The story is all about Master Chief’s AI Cortana, and her struggles dealing with rampancy (AI deterioration). It looks at the relationship the Chief has with her, and makes him question his own humanity. It’s not a mind-blowing story by any means, but it keeps the story chugging along nicely and I wanted to know the conclusion. But the conclusion left me disappointed. While story wise, it tied things up ok, it was actually a fairly emotional ending, even if some parts didn’t really make sense to me. It was the way the culmination of the game was handled gameplay wise which disappointed me most. I had just enjoyed my return as the Master Chief, playing my way through level after level, only to have the ‘playing’ taken away from me at the last second. It was such a shame, and a letdown to what was overall an enjoyable Campaign stint.
The campaign is playable with up to 3 others, either locally, via system link, or over Xbox Live. 343i have decided to play it easy with all 4 players controlling Master Chief, rather than attempting to introduce new characters, which they may have felt the need to expand on with extra stories for each. It also cuts any bickering between friends over who gets to control Chief. Co-op has always been the most enjoyable way to play Halo for me, and after playing through the majority of the game with a couple of friends, the same is true for Halo 4. Skulls have been included, but with no scoring system it’s hard to see why anyone would feel the need to use them. With the score there is always something to aim to beat, without it; there is nothing to encourage players to use them.
And now we move on to the main part of Halo for most – the multiplayer. Selecting ‘Infinity’ from the main menu gives you 4 options. Forge is the now ever present map editor for Halo. It’s not an option that I regularly use due to having the creativity of a spoon. But it is a great mode for level making enthusiasts out there, and I’m sure in the weeks and months to come we’ll see loads of great creations. There are more options in this Forge than in any other version beforehand and only time will tell how much people will make of it.
Theatre is also available again, for you to watch your previous games, edit parts of videos, and find the right camera angle for the perfect view of the headshot you managed from the other side of the map, and the subsequent traditional teabag to the face of the dead enemy. These can they be uploads to Halo Waypoint for the whole world to view at leisure.
Spartan Ops is a new mode for Halo 4 and replaces the previously successful Firefight mode. It is arguably the most ambitious part of the game. It plays out like a like a television series with different episodes, each episode split into 5 parts. With the games release comes one episode, with more being released weekly all for free. You play through each part either on your own or with friends to complete objectives of the squad you are controlling to drive the story of the episode forward. These are very brief missions though, obviously taking longer on the harder difficulties. They are fun for what they are, but as with Forge time will tell how much of a success Spartan Ops will be. With another 45 free missions to come from the first series, it’s hard to see how it’s not going to be anything but a success, and of the 5 missions currently available I have had fun, even if there isn’t a huge amount of replay ability for them. It all depends on how varied each one will be, and I’m sure if it starts getting overly repetitive, fans will voice their frustration.
War Games is the final option. And this is new name for Halo 4’s multiplayer mode. And it is absolutely brilliant, making me all kinds of happy every time I play. The game has no right to feel as fresh at it does, while staying true to its roots. Halo Reach, got a bit boring after a short while, I never really understood why I felt this way about it, but it didn’t grab me in the way Halo 3 did. What 343i have done here is bring Halo back into contention to reclaim its throne as the best online multiplayer shooter. They have brought their own ideas to the table (even if they have been ‘inspired’ but another hugely popular online game), and also listened to what the fans want. And it has paid dividends. What they have done is built on what Bungie have created. By listening to the fans there have been guns like the battle rifle, DMR and magnum included. Other guns have been balanced nicely, for example the plasma pistol now feels a bit more equal to the magnum. And the promethean weapons such as the scattershot and the incineration cannon can bring devastation to the battlefield.
Customisation is present in Halo 4. Armour is customisable again; new armour items are unlocked by hitting certain ranks and completing different challenges within the game. You can change the colour of your armour along with changing your emblem and Spartan ID. Weapon loadouts make their first appearance in a Halo game. You can choose your primary and secondary weapon, grenades, armour ability (thruster pack, active camo etc.), tactical package (mobility, shielding etc.) and support upgrade (ammo, dexterity, sensor etc.). I was at first concerned about this, but the new ability and support upgrades and stuff have been implemented well and don’t feel over powered for whatever their use is, and only seem to give a small boost to the user. Ordnance can be called in after a few kills. There is a random selection of 3 items, be they weapons or armour abilities. These work sort of in the same vein as killstreaks I guess, but with the random allocation of items it’s not possible to someone to hog a certain reward more than others. Again, this is a welcome addition which freshens the game up. Weapon spawns and drops are now on show for everyone to see on their HUD, which evens up the game for people who aren’t as familiar with maps. They create great little mini battles for the most sought after weapons.
There are a good variety of maps included with the game, with 343i already confirming future map pack DLC. Every map is strong with a good mixture between small medium and large varieties. Ragnorak the remake of Valhalla is an unsurprisingly popular choice for the large map games, and homes the new Mantis vehicle. I’m quite a fan of the Complex level, another large map with outdoor areas coupled with a few indoor spaces for close combat, and plenty of sniper vantage points, and Haven, a smaller double tiered level circular level with plenty of potential for messy battles in its central area. Game type wise, most of it is pretty standard, there is a reimagining of the Infection mode called flood, which is very fun, despite the horrible noises the flood make. Bit of a weird inclusion though considering the flood make no appearance in the main game.
So are 343i the right people to have taken the Halo mantle? Absolutely! There is no other game on the market that gives me the same happy feeling that Halo does. Nothing else can recreate the feeling or pure joy when jumping over an oncoming Warthog, sticking the driver in the face with a sticky grenade and watching him and his two buddies go up in a ball of plasma for a glorious triple kill. It is full of these moments. If you are buying a game for a single player campaign then I would probably suggest you look elsewhere. But if you are looking at a Halo game it is unlikely that you’d be doing that. What 343i have created is superb. Despite the slight annoyances with the campaign, the whole package is well worth your money. Multiplayer is not as fun on any other game. Co-op through the campaign or the Spartan Ops is a delight. Halo is back and with a massive bang. Now it’s time for me to jump back on and create some new memories. 9/10