Welcome Back to Halo

Halo 4

• + Jaw-dropping visuals; can’t tell sometimes whether characters are cg or live-actors.
• + The flowing orchestra and epic rock scores do not disappoint.
• + Superb additions and revisions of the weapon roster.
• + Gameplay is fast and intense; battles are both grand and intimate.
• - The campaign’s too short.
• A fix: Use some of the content tucked-away in undisclosed Halo lore to extend the story (only if the team is confident).
• - Quick-time events; they can get in the way of game immersion.
• A fix: Allow the player to sit-back and relax during some of the climactic scenes.

Halo 4 is back!  It is under new management, has a slightly new look, but expounds on the game experience that has made the Halo franchise one-of-a-kind.

At the start of the game through the final scenes, I was down-right distracted at how good the game looked.  This isn’t a bad thing – such an amazing look is a winning demonstration to what games are capable of (on 7 year old technology no less!).  Epic vistas are well served by Halo 4’s rendering, making the game one of the best looking titles of our time.

Know what goes well with a pleasant view?  Good sound.  The orchestral rock plays well, changing with however the in-game situation evolves.  Classic Halo pieces are there alongside moving new scores.

Speaking of sound, weapon blasts rock the speakers with empowering ‘booms’ and ‘zips’.  The entire arsenal of Halo 4 brings new favorites and familiar classics back to equip the player.  An entire new category of Promethean (a race in the game) weapons is added to redefine, but keep balanced, the in-game experience.

Using Halo 4’s gear is a must; action hit me fast and brutally.  Some of the best combat scenarios call this game home.  Though, at times, the game dragged me out of the action for quick-time events – the things that seem to populate most FPS games these days.  Are quick-time events a plague or a necessity?  I’ll let you be the judge.

Despite the excellence of engagement, it all goes by too quickly; combat comes and goes, the story is told, and the adventure had in only a handful of hours.  Even on the hardest difficulty, Halo 4 flies by.  The game is packed with content, but that is a lot to take-in for such a short time.

All-in-all, Halo 4 is not just a solid FPS, but a pinnacle of great gaming.  It proudly inherits the mantle of the Halo universe, delivering a well-played experience.  Take care to give Halo 4 a try; save humanity with the Master Chief one more time.