Halo 4 Xbox 360
User Score
6.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2265 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,545 out of 2265
  2. Mixed: 148 out of 2265
  3. Negative: 572 out of 2265

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  1. wesker2012
    Nov 9, 2012
    6
    I was hoping this halo would get me back into the franchise, but its just more of the same. So if you are a halo fan you'll love it. But if your not, this probably won't change your mind. Still a solid game though.
  2. sinadoom
    Feb 24, 2013
    8
    Generally a solid game. It's what you would expect from Halo; high quality, good variety, well-balanced, insanely accurate hit detection in multiplayer and game modes to suit everyone. There are some new weapons to play with, and the cutscnes display the best facial detail imaginable in a video game. From a multiplayer point of view, it's become more like Call of Duty. You have custom classes with perks and guns (so not over-complicated) and ordnance (basically an instant care package for getting points without dying). There is also a sprint function at all times. From a controls point of view, it's fantastic. The game runs very smooth and looks polished (even though actual gameplay graphics quality aren't far different from Reach). Another CoDifying feature is the pacing. No longer does it take a clip to kill someone; you can move fast, shoot fast and kill fast. This makes the game feel more satisfying and intense; something missing from Halo 3. While the 'CoDification' isn't a bad thing, it does mean that it's not as unique as Reach. It doesn't make many major advancements in general mechanics or graphics (I'm sorry but those textures are hardly top-notch). If you're looking for a solid shooter or a Halo game you can't go wrong. But if you're looking for innovation you'll be stretched to find it here. Highly recommend to Halo fans, but if you're after a shooter generally this should only be one of the games that makes it onto the shortlist of the many great FPS games on the market.… Expand
  3. drlowdon
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    Following the highly publicised change of developer the gaming world was rightly curious as to how one of its biggest selling franchises would fare following the departure of its creators Bungie. Despite now being developed by 343 industries however this is still, for better or worse, the same Halo we've all seen before and those that criticise the series for not really evolving since its Xbox debut over a decade ago certainly make a fair point. As a result this fourth 'mainline' title is not really going to be of any interest to those that didn't like previous installments.

    Having said all that Halo 4 is still undeniably a great package and certainly offers better value for money than many modern video games. The main campaign itself will last most players somewhere around the 10 hour mark depending on the difficulty setting and their level of skill and can be played either solo or with up to three other players. As with every previous game it is at its best when offering open areas in which to fight the array of enemies and their vehicles and to this day there are few better experiences in the FPS genre than when Halo gets the balance just right. For me the game forces players to spend a little too long inside long thin corridors and smaller indoor areas as in these instances the freedom to tackle the battle the way you want to is removed and it simply is not as much fun to play, hopefully this is something that can be addressed in the inevitable sequels.

    On top of the campaign Halo 4 also provides a series of 'Spartan Op' missions. Each of these lasts between 15 and 30 minutes and can again be tackled either alone or in multi-player. The idea seems to have been taken from the special ops missions featured in the Call of Duty series and provide the player with various tasks such as clearing an area of enemies or destroying set objectives. Admittedly maps are reused throughout these ops but it is hard to complain when they can all be downloaded for free.

    The final part of this generous package is the competitive multi-player. All the usual modes, as well as a few surprises, are present and correct and the solid gunplay still translates well. Controversially Halo 4 has again taken a page out of the Call of Duty handbook with weapons and perks now being unlocked as the player levels up. I was never a huge fan of the online multi-player in the previous installments anyway but purists will understandable be disappointed and it is certainly a shame to see yet another game attempt to imitate Activisions all conquering behemoth.

    All in all then this is a safe but promising start for 343 industries and the wealth of options and modes will provide most with hour upon hour of gameplay.    … Expand
  4. watithink123
    Jan 19, 2013
    9
    I was hoping this would be my GOTY 2012 but just a few games were a little better. Okay this may not be the best Halo, but 343 you have didn't let this game crash and burn, you are pushing the series to the next generation of Halos. Campaigns really good but is not as gripping as other Halo campaigns and got a bit too serious on the story. But its their first Halo so they will learn like Bungie did. Multiplayer is a bit of a copy of CoD, but probally the biggest pushes to the multiplayer since Halo 2 and love custom loadouts idea. Spartan Ops is a great new feature and a nice change to firefight. Overall Campaign really good but 2 issus stop it from becoming like Halo campaign good. Multiplayer is amazing step to the multiplayer for a very exiting future for Halo. Spartan Ops is great change to Firefight. Halo may not be GOTY for me but its in my top 3 games this year. Halo 4 9.0/10… Expand
  5. potatoes351
    Nov 9, 2012
    10
    *Stands up and claps* As a fan of Halo from the very first game back in 2001 for the original Xbox the formula was becoming tired, the levels bland and the action becoming recycled. After Bungie leave the Halo franchise behind 343 Industries has picked up the IP and made a masterpiece.
    Set 4 years after the finale of Halo 3, Cortana wakes Chief after the Dawn is attacked by a Covenant fle    et for them then to crash land on a Forerunner planet named Requiem. After Chief accidentally awakens a Forerunner warrior, The Didact, it becomes a race against time to save Earth, get off Requiem and save the dying Cortana. A touching, well written and amazingly pieced together story with mind blowing graphical standard for a 7 year old console.
    The replacement of Firefight with Spartan Ops was a good swap with what will total to a free weekly download side campaign alongside the standard Multiplayer, Forge and Theatre makes Halo 4 a package well worth the pricetag with many months, maybe even years of re-playability in one £40 package.    … Expand
  6. dharma
    Nov 7, 2012
    8
    The critics seemed to fall head over heels over this game; the fact of the matter is that it is a GOOD game, but not a GREAT one. I feel that it is a 'safe' sequel, one that doesn't deviate from anybody's expectations. Here lies the problem, FPS has evolved exponentially in the last couple of years. Sure, HALO 4 has the best graphics since UNCHARTED 3, but heck, it's no different from COD with its scripted events, and fast paced gun play. If you want innovation, try DISHONORED instead. Still a good buy though; but don't expect anything more.… Expand
  7. TheWalrus2000
    Mar 25, 2013
    9
    Halo 4 brings back the ultimate Halo game experience with awesomeness and intensity. Halo fans will be pleased.
  8. gregthreet
    Jan 1, 2013
    8
    What do you expect from a Halo game? If you expect a rock solid Sci-fi shooter then your in for a treat. Halo 4 is one of the best shooters of the year, hands down. Overall, if you don't want a lengthy review, it excels in everything it does. Sound feels realistic and adds to the atmosphere. Guns sound like they should. Its something you don't expect, to be wowed by a games sound, but its something that really stands out and adds to the impact you feel when you fire a gun. Visually its stunning. The graphics are vibrant and often make you feel like you have to stop and appreciate the landscape in front of you. It especially shows when you look at the games guns. When you pick up the games guns they flick into life, bending and clicking into place on their own. Its amazing. The noise and style of these guns sends me back to my times playing Star Wars Battlefront, which certainly isn't a bad thing. The multiplayer is excellent. Matchs are perfectly paced due to the size of the maps and guns you possess. Much better than the unfair chaos of CoD. Co-op(i'll get to the story in a second) is so very, very fun. Plenty of laughs to be had here. But I had one problem with this though. We started from the beginning. Master chief is woken by Cortana. He gets out the cryo sleep and has a chat with her. "Jameson", as I was called, woke up just after chief and opens up his pod. WHO IS HE(/them if more than one)? They aren't ever talked to by chief or Cortana. I would have like it if 343 put the effort in to give this/these sidekicks a back story. I mean, in the cut-scenes where do they go? Is "Jameson" a forgotten hero? I remember you "Jameson". The story is a bit too much like Portal for my liking. Baring in mind that Portal is one of my favorite games. Cortana has over done her stay as a computer and is slowly turning crazy. Making things harder for you on your than they should be. But the story is still good, none the less. What you do in the story however occasionally lacks the innovation of the other Halo's held. It follows your generic FPS fashion in 2/3 of what you'll be doing. You know the drill? Walk down a corridor, in Halos case a very wide corridor, and shoot the baddies. But due to everything I previously said, it doesn't get as repetitive as I have previously seen. So overall is a consistent package which is definitely worth your buck.… Expand
  9. WhovianFantatic
    May 2, 2013
    9
    This is a fantastic story.. Co op is amazing and the game makes way more sense then the last few.. It is defiantly the best story yet and I enjoyed the crap out of this game.. every cutscene looks beautiful! Masterchief had a really good presense in this story. The story is very serious and Cortana is the main point of this game.. its hearbreaking what happens and it takes us on an emotional journey with masterchief..… Expand
  10. VidsRule
    Feb 22, 2013
    10
    Copy/Paste to all Halo reviews after all these years: I didn't have a 360 for a few years (played 3 and ODST). In the meantime I played all sorts of fps- COD, BF, Killzone (which is awesome), Resistance, and every single other one. And coming back to Halo when I rebought a 360 was like the greatest homecoming ever. Unlike those other games, every Halo battle is like a chess match waiting to happen. And once you truly know every enemy and every weapon, you fall into a sweet spot of gaming that is possibly the best of all action games ever made. It's just the best. Great now I have to copy and paste this 4 more times.… Expand
  11. man
    Jan 27, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a review from someone who is truly a fan of Halo and has stuck by the franchise ever since Combat Evolved was released back in 2001. I was rather skeptical after I discovered that Reach would be Bungie's final Halo game and that a game company I had never heard of by the name of 343 Industries would be taking over. However, after playing Combat Evolved Anniversary, 343's remastering of the original a year ago, I definitely saw some potential for this game to come after all. And after beating the campaign and trying my absolute hardest to become more immersed to the story, I have to say...(sigh) this was in all honesty disappointing as a Halo game. If i had never played another Halo game before and this just so happened to be the very first one I would ever play, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more! This game has many great things about it. However, the drawbacks sadly outweigh the good. I loved the enhanced graphics and better detail of the weapons. I also liked some of the concepts in some of the missions. The game started out very promising story-wise as well as gameplay-wise. But the thing that ruined it for me was the mission that introduces the new deadly enemies known as the Prometheans. The game provided a much more challenging experience with the addition of these new characters. However, I think that it was a bit TOO challenging, because the Prometheans and the Promethean knights were a HUGE pain in the ass to fight even on the normal difficulty!!! I was honestly relieved whenever I would see the Covenant instead, because not only have I been so used to fighting them in the past three games, but they are sooo much easier to fight! Back to the graphics, which like I said were updated and looked visually great. However, when I first saw Cortana appear, I wanted to THROW UP!!! SHE looked sooo damn ugly and it looked NOTHING like her from Bungie's games! And I thought the Cortana from the 2001 Combat Evolved was ugly! Other than her, the graphics were great! The story in all honesty kind of felt like the first game all over again with some minor changes. Master Chief crash landing on a planet and fighting enemies. Sounds almost EXACTLY like the first game doesn't it? Like I said before, I HATED the Prometheans. Visually they looked cool, but combat-wise, they SUCKED!!! After four or five missions, the game finally picks up when Chief reunites with Lasky and his crew. The story becomes more interesting at this point and the gameplay even becomes funner. Why couldn't this be the case for the first half of the game? In the story, the villain, and ugly-lookin fella by the name of Didact appears about halfway through the game. And let me be the first to say that he only appears twice in the whole entire game!!! Once at the halfway point and once near the end. Not only that, but his character is sooo poorly developed, um scratch that! He's not even developed at all and his character is barely explained with no detail at all! You don't even get to fight him in the end! He's killed in a very long cutscene! Seriously?!?!?! Where's the fun in that?! And last, but certainly not least, the ending. Here we go: Cortana stays behind and dies using her energy in order to help get Chief back home. I had mixed feeling about this. It was sad to see her go, because I really enjoyed her character throughout the franchise. However, I would like to point out a pretty big plothole in this area. Earlier in the game, Cortana reveals to Chief that her time is running short and that A.I.s think themselves to death. This led me to believe that Cortana would die as a result of this. However, it seems like the game completely forgot about this at one point, because it's never brought up again! She dies by staying behind instead of how we thought she was going to die! And that is what I call weak and flawed storytelling! After that, the game just ends basically. We aren't really left with a whole lot in the end, which honestly disappoints me. It makes me wonder what 343 is going to do with Halo 5. Hopefully it will be much better than this game, because there truly was MUCH more potential that could have been used to make this game all the more greater. In my honest opinion, I feel that 343 was not as dedicated to making Halo as great as Bungie did. It will no doubt in my mind be memorable in many areas, but not in as near as many areas that Bungie's games were. Here's hoping that the next game will improve on the areas that disappointed me the most. The most disappointing Halo game since ODST.… Expand
  12. Justinavery7074
    Dec 4, 2012
    9
    It's a great game but nothing like the previous excluding Halo Wars and Halo 3: ODST. the graphics kill in this game. It's go **** beautiful to look at. I really like this game and want to love it but there's not the same feeling as with the other 4
  13. Bruce722
    Nov 16, 2012
    7
    This is a tough game to review because there are so many different elements to it so it really depends on perspective and priority. I'll explain. There are essentially three parts of the game, the campaign, the Spartan Ops, and the multiplayer. If I were to great them separately, I would have to give the campaign an 8, the Spartan Ops a 4, and the multiplayer a 5. The Campaign has great plot and character development, which I love. The dynamic between Chief and Cortana is fascinating and is what moves the story along. However, it's ridiculously short, the gameplay is very fluid but repetitive and full of busy work, the enemy weaponry is scaled horribly, the AI is pathetic, and the ending is anti-climactic. The Spartan Ops has absolutely no story whatsoever and isn't at all what 343 made it sound like. As for the multiplayer, 343 ruined this experience. They essentially copied CoD in every way they could, which is also something they did with the ending of the campaign. All of that being said, I am more of a single player gamer so I can't judge each element of the game equally. The campaign takes priority.… Expand
  14. Garian
    Feb 1, 2013
    7
    I liked Halo 4, the campaign and multiplayer is fun, however again, it cannot compete with the levels of fun games like call of duty or battlefield gives me.
  15. Speed4Runs
    Dec 24, 2012
    1
    Always the same game. There are only 2 weapons, slow gameplay, same graphics level, boring game and overall bad done. Not recommended.
  16. Necrotaur
    Dec 25, 2012
    7
    Single player wise, Halo 4 fails to deliver. I always appreciated the backstory for the Halo universe, and the concept of humanity being on the edge of extinction due to war with the technologically superior Covenant. Now, you're not only fighting Covenant for some reason but also Forerunner dudes (all 3 types) because of... a prophecy? I guess? I don't know. Apparently if I had read Glasslands it would have made more sense, but I'm not going to buy a book just to get the backstory for an FPS. The campaign is at times pretty, until you set foot into a Forerunner level and your eyes are burned from their sockets by the overwhelming blue/orange contrast. Fortunately single player ends fairly quickly, but not before you see Cortana become Master Chief's crazy emo girlfriend. The multiplayer manages to make up for the single player, and ironically seems to be where 343 focused most of the story. You've got the standard Halo MP fare, with a few modes that have been more fleshed out. The biggest addition is Spartan Ops, which replaces Firefight from previous titles. It's pretty decent on it's own, and plays a bit like the standalone co-op missions found in other titles like BF3, though the loss of Firefight does kind of suck. Maybe it'll be re-introduced? We can always hope. Anyway Halo 4 is a solid game if you're looking for just MP stuff, but I'm a bit worried about the direction 343 is taking the storyline.… Expand
  17. Sceptic
    Jan 5, 2013
    7
    343 has done a fine job with this title,adding a great deal of polish,but little more.It's still just Halo.Nothing more,nothing less.At least it's not a yearly title yet.
  18. aadms
    Dec 8, 2012
    6
    This game plays very similiar to the other Halo games with its face paced combat, excessive dying, same enemies and an addition to a few knew ones. In fact, the game plays out so "the same" that it seems like the Halo series is now "the never ending story". And I think this is the disappoint that I have with the game in the underwhelming adversary that follows the same potline as the first three games. There is a deeper interaction with Master Chief and Cortana, however, that alone is not enough to make the game really interesting. When a game is only six hours long, you need a story to compensate the short game play. This one wasn't as bad as O.D.S.T, but not much better.… Expand
  19. Larux18
    Nov 24, 2012
    10
    Personally I thought Halo would die with Bungie, after a not-so-good remake of the first game by the hand of 343 I doubted the potential that this game would have, but I am happy to say, I was completely wrong. The first thing that stands out when you play Halo 4 are the visuals, this is by far the best looking game for the 360, it can even compete with PC graphics to a certain point since the level of detail is amazing. The first thing I covered was the campaign, it was entertaining with a story now focused on Cortana and the forrunner awakening instead of Chief and the Halo rings. Prometheans stand out as the new enemies with some new challenges and badass weapons. Overall the campaign was great but it was a little short with only eight missions. However the next part makes up for it. Multiplayer is the star of this franchise since Halo 2, and it does not disappoint. There are various multiplayer modes, both old and new, which have excellent, faster, and more aggressive combat. Load-outs can now be created and selected and there are now powerful weapon drops, or ordinances, that are rewarded with kill streaks. One new vehicle has been added called the Mantis, which is a mech that is balanced enough to be badass yet destroyable. There are some great maps present such as the remake of Halo 3's Valhalla called Ragnarok, which is amazing. Also, there are now more than a single map for forge, and since most of the big team maps are massive there are good spots to be creative. The other multiplayer mode apart from the competitive modes is Spartan Ops. This mode is basically co-op missions with a unique story and with new episodes being released with time, the only problem I have with spartan ops is that with a few players I've had a great delay, making the game unplayable. Again, forge is better than ever, with some awesome maps, great new tools, and new options promoting creativity. This game has so much that I assure it will be completely worth whatever price it is where you live, 343 has done an amazing job and created one of my game of the year candidates.… Expand
  20. Mattyice
    Dec 4, 2012
    10
    Game of the Year...This Halo is by far the best of the series. Stunning graphics, a great story, the usual amazing Halo Multiplayer, and Spartan Ops is a good addition. If you have an Xbox, you MUST buy this game! An instant classic. My choice for best game of 2012.
  21. SchroederRock
    Nov 7, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 presents the most polished and engaging Halo to date. 343 took Halo's core and added vulnerability. Master Chief has never been so humanized, and it makes for fantastic cut scenes. Not only is the story the best of the series, but the boring Covenant aren't the main enemy anymore. The new Promethean Knight is every bit as vicious as the Elite, but varies in its combat methods. Many times I was surprised by how I was wailed on by these very formidable opponents. I can go on and on about how great this game is. But to sum it all up, I've been playing Halo since the beginning. Every game has been fun and worthwhile, but none of the games invoked the emotion and investment Halo 4 has out of me. Add a splendidly varied campaign in terms of encounters and vehicle play to the mix, more than even Reach. I loved the story, and it's only getting better with the promised 5th & 6th games. Composer Neil Davidge also brought the score of Halo to a new high. The sounds and music of Halo 4 are phenomenal. Best game of the series. 343 have set their own bar, and to surpass it would be to make perhaps the greatest game ever.… Expand
  22. Jacob
    Jan 20, 2013
    8
    Overall, I really enjoyed Halo 4. While I did not enjoy as much as Halo 3 it was still a great game. It had its problems but it was a lot of fun. The single player was finally good. The multiplayer was fun and Spartan Ops adds legs to the game. While there are things I would have liked the game there is a lot of good stuff in here. Halo 4 is the best Halo since Halo 3 and hopefully 343 can keep it up with Halo 5 & 6.… Expand
  23. Oxcart
    Mar 24, 2013
    7
    So, the sixth Halo game. I've been through Halo 1-3, ODST, and Reach. I've done my tours of duty with the UNSC, from the low-end low-budget beginning through the slick and polished latest. But this is different; Bungie has slipped its reins off the Halo horse, and MGS has taken over. How did they do? Very well, better than I expected. Let's take a look. Graphics are outstanding, with well-built levels that benefit from good artwork. Enemies (and allies) are correspondingly high-res, meaning that even on console, you won't have your immersion in the game wrecked by something on-camera that looks like a digital camera threw up on screen (we've all seen that...are you listening, Jurassic Park?). Weapon design has undergone a major overhaul, and one for the positive. I've previously had an intense dislike for non-human weapons in Halo, but this installment is different; Forerunner weapons are pretty sweet. Gameplay is well above average. Two missteps mar the game, though. First, the campaign is short. As in "we got it done on Legendary in six hours" short. Second, the storytelling, while not bad, is much thinner than previous Halo games. It's clear that Microsoft Game Studios wasn't as interested in telling an epic story as their predecessors. Even so, it's an enjoyable game that really is a must-play for Halo fans. Everybody else, it's a good shooter with challenge and finesse...just not a lot of single-player mileage in the tank. A fair 7 to Halo 4, and a "good job" to the folks at MGS responsible for it.… Expand
  24. SniperFish
    May 13, 2013
    3
    Complete wreck. Single player: fantastic story, very good for John, fantastic direction, new enemy and the perfect start, but Halo 4 is embarrassingly short, I don't understand why 3 years of development and they did not put much into it, the story and the whole trilogy is wrecked if Halo 5's campaign isn't big and it probably won't be, I wonder so much about Halo 5 and I think it would be a big story that should have aleast 20 big levels, you do have to bear in mind that 343 were focusing on Halo Anniversary and that this is their first game. Interrogation scene: do the ONI suddenly despise SPARTANS now? Dr. Halsey kidnapped children and turned them into SPARTANS, which were originally used to crush rebels or something, so? why does it matter now? they would've died anyway since what ever their home planet was, got burned to ash by an alien invasion and that happened to billions of other people, this doesn't make sense, who cares cares that kids were taken away? they became heroes later on, other kids died during the process of becoming SPARTANS though. I don't understand this. The Elites are enemies again, they are rebels and turned allies by Halo 3, so why? do they not recognize the truce? Spartan Ops is good, but there is no Firefight, again, 3 years of production and even that's missing. There are 3 Forge World maps, unfortunately they are small and have very limited boundaries even a space map with stupidly limited boundaries and STILL no proper custom map matchmaking. You can buy weapons and perk sort of things which is good, and good that it's assault/precision guns only, but loads of missing game modes no Stockpile no Head Hunter no Assault no Race, and bad maps. What makes the multiplayer far worse is that weapons now don't respawn and 343 only seem to care about human weapons; at a base, instead of a Beam Rifle it would have a Sniper Rifle, predictable. There is no Beam Rifle playlist, no Carbine or Light Rifle in SWAT and with that "Shotty Snipers" you get shotgun, but not Scattershot. This is a science fiction game, 343 made it, they designed the weapons and then they FORGET that there are alien and Forerunner counterparts to the human weapons. They need to upper the score limit, the games don't go on long enough. I also hate the way you earn armor now, by hard commendation challenges (the community probably wanted that) especially that they are too hard to keep track of. I don't know for sure why they've taken out weapon respawn. Apparently weapon respawn was "bad," apparently it would make Halo 4 less competitive. I've never seen any complaints about weapon respawn, it makes Halo more unique. It's stupid and boring, playing with just assault rifles and precision guns now, some weapons are placed across the maps at start, but they don't respawn. "Ordnance ready!" it'll be a weapon or temporary power-up, but it gets harder to get and is not enough to keep you playing a game without just using carbine weapons. As a good player, you will earn average 4-5 drops in a game. I don't know how many fans like this change or whether they do or not, but you don't earn enough ordnance to justify it and you should have selection of 2 weapons, completely ruined the game for me. With that Flood Mode, it's stupid that you can use Promethean Vision and why can't things be as if their real? the multiplayer is actually SPARTANS training in a high-tech virtual simulation, is 343 trying to be more realistic and state that SPARTANS wouldn't actually kill each other? and I suppose the Flood Mode is just SPARTANS dressing up and pretending? I guess this explains why Elites aren't playable now. Reach has lots of problems and a terrible campaign, they screwed up Halo CE Anniversary by making the multiplayer a map-pack for Reach and now Halo 4 is a bad game... I enjoyed Halo 4's campaign but I was very annoyed at the end for it's short length. Halo means a lot to me and had a big influence on me getting the Xbox 360 3 years ago. Again, I wait 18 months desperately for a game and it's bad. 3 years of development and +awesome new Promethean enemies, +better graphics and sound effects, +Spartan Ops, -VERY short campaign. -Multiplayer falls apart; weapons don't respawn for stupid reasons, missing game modes, small Forge World boundaries, bad maps, not enough maps, no big maps and a stupid setup, -no Firefight, -unlock armor by commendations. -Why not let us play vs our friends in matchmaking? it makes the game more fun. -And why not let us carry more weapons? oh I get it, because in reality, people can't? Halo should NOT be taken seriously. Would that make the game less competitive in multiplayer? would it cause bad balancing? I don't think so, I totally agree it would make Halo better, more unique and more away from typical shooters. Halo 4 took 3 years of development, this review took me 3 hours. To me, Halo means a lot. To me, Halo 4 is just a wreckage, not a package. To me, Halo 4 is the biggest disappointment of 2012.… Expand
  25. theoffice
    Nov 25, 2012
    6
    Overall a strong entry into the series (6.5/10). Regarding the campaign: Definitely a significant improvement over Halo: Reach as you simply do not sit back and fight wave after wave of enemies. Harkens back to Halo CE to me, but without the sense of exploration and wonder. Here you actually make forward progress most of the time. Problem is that if you go off the beaten path you'll die quickly from the astounding increase in enemies and return far back as checkpoints aren't common. The covenant enemies are interesting and fun to fight as always but the new Promethean foes lack interesting characters and often stick to certain areas until you attack. There's also only 3 different types. Furthermore you're going to find yourself using mostly their weapons exclusively as there is no way you'll have ammo otherwise (get used to the lightrifle). Next, I felt the design and gameplay were decent, though it mostly revolves around moving from one button to the next to advance the story. Speaking of which... the story is weak. Very weak. And very difficult to understand if you have only played the games. It's just... strange. I felt the story in the previous 4 main games were good but this one was just kinda dumb and odd. I like the Chief but his relationship with the computer, Cortana, was weird and this new "threat"/ backstory (not explained in game at all though everyone seems to know it in the game) is dumb. This is obviously just my opinion......................... Regarding multiplayer: This is Halo 4's strong suit and will give it staying power. It's a strong experience with solid gameplay and options. Lots of character customization. Not much else to say. It's fun though still, imo, is not as good a Halo 2............................................. Regarding graphics and sound: graphics are fantastic. Best I've seen on xbox. The sound for some guns is great such as the DMR and sniper rifle. However on others it is totally horrendous such as the battle rifle............................... So overall a 6.5 as the campaign was an improvement but the lack of exploration/wonderment feeling, design mostly involving moving from one waypoint marker to the next, CG cutscenes used extensively, and the very weird, weak story really took away from the potential. The multiplayer is strong but I don't think it'll be something I keep going back to like Halo 2, a game I still find extremely satisfying. Personally recommend a rent.… Expand
  26. niconline
    Nov 9, 2012
    9
    Halo 4 represents a bold step forward for the franchise that feels both fresh and familiar. Boasting Halo's trademark multiplayer, a gripping campaign, an experimental co-op mode and the usual gubbins, Halo 4 like all the other Halos that have come and gone, represents incredible value for money.
  27. Ordish
    Apr 16, 2013
    10
    Let me first start by saying that I have never been a Halo fan having only played Halo 1 on the PC and not being very impressed with it. I also finished Halo 3 ODST on the Xbox and wasn't particularly impressed with that either.. Until now I haven't seen anything from the Halo universe that was particularly impressive. I haven't played the multiplayer yet so this review is on the campaign. The storyline was intriguing and well adapted. Actually one of the best single player storylines I have played in quite a few years. The controls were a bit awkward at first, straying from the typical FPS control scheme but after some play they are manageable. The graphics and dynamic environments were simply beautiful. Overall the game provided an epic story with great game mechanics. I don't know if this studio has produced other titles in the Halo world but they knocked this one out of the park.… Expand
  28. lilkillpappy
    Dec 4, 2012
    2
    doesn't matter what we say on here, they sold millions and made millions, they could give a **** less if they create **** games, as long as they make money. The Xbox 360 is extremely under powered, and has been showing its age for a very long time now. The art in this game was the only reason it looked good, otherwise the low res textures, jagged lines, and horrible fade distance just destroyed the graphics on this game. If you like games for combat and no other reason then this game will be perfect for you. If you like depth to the gameplay, and a story that is not serialized, and actually makes sense then this game will be VERY boring. And thats what this game is. Despite the things that it does well with the combat, sound effects, and art, the game in the end lacks an interesting story that makes sense, and has very shallow gameplay. Plus the main story is extremely short. This game can be beaten in a day. Why do they keep making this crap? And now that it has become serialized, its just going to get worse and worse.… Expand
  29. Coeco
    Feb 3, 2013
    0
    Doggy-chew for the fanboys. Don't expect any originality or new content for that matter here. Don't believe me? Look at the 10's. Save your money and go buy a quality FPS, like Half Life. Anything beat this turd of a game, really.
  30. Captiosus
    Nov 7, 2012
    6
    I've only gotten about 4 and a half hours of gameplay under my belt in the single player campaign of Halo 4 but I've come away with several early - and mostly negative - impressions. Remember these are just impressions and NOT designed to be a full review which means my score may change at a later date. Also, this will be long and Metacritic's lack of carriage returns may make it difficult to read - as usual, I will delineate paragraphs with several pipe characters. |||| First, it's clear Halo 4 uses a modified version of Unreal Engine 3. This doesn't come as a surprise to me as I seem to recall that the engine, itself, was one of the few things Bungie got to keep when they broke off from Microsoft. However, typical Unreal Engine issues like texture pop in and terrible in game text overlays are prevalent throughout the game, often to the detriment of gameplay. |||| Graphically, the game looks nice except for the fact they went crazy with lens flares and bloom effects. I read one user review who made a similar complaint by stating that "if you try to scope in to snipe, your eyeballs will get burned out of your sockets". It may sound like an exaggeration but it is not. The game is heavy on in your face lighting effects which often blind you even when brightness is turned down to its lowest setting in the game options. The best way I can describe it is the same kind of effect you get if you're facing east as the sun comes up over the horizon or if you're driving east into the early morning sun. The glare blinds and washes everything out. |||| The music is decent but it lacks the punch and significance of the scores of the previous Halo titles. A lot of that is because the composer replaced orchestral arrangements with electronic ones. It's a better score than most games but it just doesn't live up to the quality we became accustomed to by the former musical masters of Halo, Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. Sound effects are disappointing overall. Guns, especially the human/UNSC ones, sound like toys rather than weapons and vehicles sound "off", for lack of a better way to describe them. |||| Speaking of weapons and vehicles, what a disappointment! The Forerunner weapons absolutely suck when you use them but they can two shot you when the enemy AI uses them. This is undoubtedly a byproduct of playing on Legendary difficulty, but that still doesn't excuse the fact that I feel as though I'd be more effective throwing stones than using a boltshot pistol or the lightrifle. Human weapons are vastly underpowered (except the Battle Rifle, which you don't find often) while Covenant weapons are quite powerful (remember, this is regarding campaign, not multiplayer). The Covenant Carbine, which has always been a single shot assault rifle (think of the M1 Garand), can double as a sniper rifle in this iteration of the game. Vehicles, by contrast, handle much differently than in past titles. The Covenant's Banshee and Ghost feel slow and sluggish while the UNSC's Warthog is quick to lose control and go flipping down the path. |||| I haven't really messed with multiplayer much but, so far, it looks like they've tried cloning Call of Duty's "loadout" style with Halo's sci-fi trappings. This doesn't surprise me too much as we started to see this with Halo: Reach while it was still under Bungie's leadership but multiplayer now feels like 343 simply cloned Modern Warfare and called it a day. Even Spartan Ops is basically just a copy of Call of Duty's Spec Ops mode. |||| As a self-confessed Halo fanboy (it's one of the few franchises that I have every single title for), I'm growing increasingly disappointed with Halo 4 as I play it. 343 Industries didn't take any real risks with the franchise nor did they attempt to make it their own. They merely copied elements of what made Halo popular, copied other popular shooter elements for multiplayer, then covered the game in high gloss. |||| Hopefully it gets better. Hopefully I won't run into more quick time events (which have no place in this franchise). At this point, hope is all I have.… Expand
  31. Human
    Jan 17, 2013
    7
    The Master Chef returns with all new recipes and cooking supplies. I had an okay time with this game. The story was easily the worst part (but that's nothing new for Halo), but it looked great and played perfectly. The Multiplayer is very good as well, not much more to say about that. It's good. The score was a bit of a letdown and you can definitely tell this was not made by Bungie. It's lacking a certain Halo feel, which it makes up for in all new sounds for the guns (all sorts of pew-pews in this game, all sorts). Nothing revolutionary and will be quickly forgotten once Halo 5 comes out, but it's still fun.… Expand
  32. Makaveli
    Dec 7, 2012
    9
    I liked Halo 1, didn't care for Halo 2 and Halo 3 was okay. It's actually really refreshing to see a shooter other than Call of Duty. The game is leagues ahead of any CoD game, and what I don't understand is that the overall "Professional" scores of this game is on par with Black Ops 2??? That doesn't make any sense considering CoD has been the same since MW2. Halo 4 is in somewhat the same as Halo 3 was but also a lot different. I liked how they gave MC more character development which was lacking in the previous titles. The game looks great, the sounds are awesome, the multiplayer is even better than the previous games, even though it's always been pretty good anyways. If you give this game a low score but give any Call of Duty game a good score then there's something wrong with you. Even Halo 1 still has more things you can do with than any CoD game. I own a PS3 and a 360 and I usually play my PS3 more, but I have to give this game my recommendation, it's probably the only shooter that is different than the others and is one of the best to date IMO. Keep in mind that this franchaise is what made the original Xbox and without this franchaise we might not even have the Xbox 360 today :)… Expand
  33. gordofredito
    Nov 6, 2012
    9
    well, looks like all CoD and BF3 fanboys have joined at a bigger threat than Call of Duty and Battlefield will never be able to defeat. Halo 4 goes back to basics and takes a new route, it's good. Worth buying
  34. guest1321
    Nov 21, 2012
    10
    I think I must have overhyped myself because I didn't feel stunned by the visuals when I first popped it in. Yes, they looks great but I think I had seen to many screen shots that I really expected to be blown away but when I popped it in it was what I had already seen. Having read the two Forerunner trilogy books prior to playing this I was excited to see how the forerunner, given there history with the human race, would be poised in this game. For those of you have read both and then played the game you were certainly understand when I say that the game does a fantastic job of lightly tying into the books and then making major pieces of the game way better. Bottom line, the campaign was great and music made it epic, and it no way let me down which was a bit of a concern the month before launch. The online was quite a shock. It didn't feel like Halo, borrowed a lot from Call of Duty but it still felt true to its nature. It took some getting used to but now I love it. The various changes they made felt forced at first but once I though about it I felt like they fit better in the Halo universe than anything else I could imagine them doing and another online like 3 or reach was not an option so it was a good compromise. I dabbled in the first episode of Spartan Ops and I like that it was a fairly smooth experience and other than the occasionally crappy teammate who just killed everyone else, it was actually a lot of fun. Halo is definitely in my top 3 this year and with the amount I keep going back to it I expect it will continue to move up. As I know some people are Halo-adverse I can't say I would recommend it to everyone, but if you are the kind of person that has ever had the slightest interest in Halo, this is an awesome point to jump in.… Expand
  35. H360
    May 15, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4 is a masterstroke everyone can and should celebrate, and its two guaranteed sequels instantly make the next-generation Xbox a must-own system, with Halo 5 its most anticipated title. Halo has been rebuilt. It has been redefined. And it has been reinvigorated. The Xbox's original king has returned to his rightful place on the throne.… Expand
  36. Ghoster
    Dec 28, 2012
    0
    What a waste of time and money! This game is nothing else than walking from room to room and killing something. Everything except good gfx for a console is just terrible!
  37. gorelequint
    Apr 24, 2013
    7
    While Halo 4 (Xbox 360) is a fantastic, enjoyable game with amazing graphics, it could have been so much more. I have loved the halo franchise from the original Combat Evolved to Halo Reach, but Halo 4 just didn't have the full package I was hoping for. The campaign was short, repetitive and linear. When I say linear, I mean canyons and corridors. You will know exactly what I mean if you have played the previous games. There is simply not enough open, widespread areas that make you gasp in awe at the size of them.

    There was one particular sequence that I loved, which involved riding on a giant tank (very similar to the sequence in Gears of War 2) while defending it but it didn't last long enough, and guess what?...The tank was driving through yet another linear canyon The sequence could have had so much more added to it to make it worthy of the Halo franchise. An example of a worthy Halo chapter was the epic final battle in Halo 3, where you are battling infantry, scarabs, ghosts, wraiths etc. That battle just made me jump for joy while I was playing it. Sadly there is no, i repeat, NO epic battles in this game at all.

    I got the feeling that the new makers, 343 Industries were too busy trying to put everything from the old halo games in that they forgot that the fans also want something new. The new enemies (rogue covenant and the prometheans) are boring and have absolutely zero personality compared to the Covenant in Halo 3, who I began to have respect for towards the end of the game. The new weapons aren't new they are just the same old weapons turned orange, with different sound effects
    The storyline was very vague in explaining what the enemies actually want which is, in my opinion a very important factor to take into account. Why are they doing what they are doing? The most disappointing part of the campaign is the boss battle. I was hoping for a showdown that would take me loads of attemps to beat but......no.....It lasted 3 seconds and most of it was a cutscene.

    The multiplayer is pretty much the same. The maps are uninspiring and I can't pick out anything new or innovative apart from changing the NAMES of some of the game types. Not very exciting....i mean...come on...game NAMES??? Who cares?? However, there is one new game type that I love: Dominion. It involves capturing bases, fortifying them with shields and turrets, and then defending them from the enemy. This involves tactic and teamwork, which is something that I think the previous halo game types didn't have enough of. But...This does not make up for the disappointment of the rest of the game.

    The fact is, halo has so much potential. The halo universe is a brilliant creation and there is so much that can be added to it. It's practically limitless...... so why didn't they add anything?? Beats me??!    … Expand
  38. darkcerb
    Nov 8, 2012
    8
    Terrific graphics, sound - standard AAA game fair there, story was compelling a rare case of a games story that made me want to keep playing to see it unfold. The problems are many here but they're par for the course for AAA fps games these days, linear level design, tiny multiplayer maps (thank you consoles, your pathetic hardware continues to hamstring us) and while compelling at the end I came away realizing that it was the characters I cared about and to try to avoid spoiling specifics here that's going to be a huge problem going forward. The ending left me dissapointed and a bit confused as all the build up around Master chief and whether he is in fact "broken" (emotionally/socially) and if so whether that's why he's so effective is left un-resolved. the plot is paper thin your enemies also lack any real motivation but that's par for the course for the series let alone the genre...so to wrap up why have I given this a higher score then it sounds like it deserves? Because it's better then it's predecessors in every way, but it's still the same old AAA fps. And I'm feeling sympathetic reading people complaining about the games ease while admitting to playing on normal or easy and all the jaded crap about paid reviewers. It's worth the box price for what it is, but also for what it might become there's a chance for a real story in an awesome world here, admittedly not with master chief after the events of the game...… Expand
  39. TheMaximalist
    Nov 7, 2012
    10
    The Halo series returns with a lot of new and a lot of old. Be prepared for sandbox firefight shenanigans all over again. Newbies are filled in one the experience straight up luckily, but only loosely because this is a brand new trilogy. The Master Chief returns along with his AI companion Cortana in their most thought out adventure yet. The duo first crash land into a Forerunner planet, Requiem after the Chief is woken up from Cryo but Cortana is descending into rampancy, a process where AI… Expand
  40. Mako5
    Nov 7, 2012
    10
    This game was nothing short of amazing. Musical score, graphics, weapons, story, characters, voice acting, facial animations, sound design, level and map design, enemy AI, vehicles...oh God EVERYTHING in this game is BEYOND excellent!! I had a fantastic time playing through the campaign...which is a VERY emotional story! I was left awed by the realistic CGI, and the theatrical quality of the scenes and dialogue. Halo 4 is the BEST installment in the series, and is by far the BEST console exclusive this year...if not for the past few years!! No game can compare to this game. Not even close. I'm STOKED for Halo 5!! If you don't own an Xbox 360....now is the time to get one :p… Expand
  41. Kermie
    Nov 11, 2012
    9
    Simply put, it's outstanding. The campaign is an emotional roller-coaster ride that firmly embraces the deep and rich lore of the Halo universe, Multiplayer makes the right adjustments to keep up with the Joneses but more than maintains that classic halo feel, Forge is better than ever, and the new addition, Spartan Ops, is an absolute blast to play with friends! Tons of game and content here, and it is all firmly planted in classic Halo style. Sound design is absolutely fantastic, with a stirring score (although no where near Marty's mastery at Bungie) incredible gun sounds, and bar to none the best virtual performances I have ever witnessed in a shooter. The graphics are stellar, and the mechanics feel perfect. There are a couple moments during the campaign where the AI has a brain fart, or some weird graphical issue pops up, but aside from that this is an incredibly well polished presentation and package. Please don't listen to the trolls, Halo 4 is fantastic and the series is in good hands.… Expand
  42. PatrykG
    Nov 23, 2012
    7
    So after many spin-offs on Halo we finally got a 4th. Now the graphics are alot more impressive than the other Halos but the gameplay has not changed and the storyline I mean why did a fourth one have to come out so now we have a Quadrilogy and then probably a 5th and a 6th and a 7th, but in the end I will say that Halo 4 is the best Halo since Halo 3 and probably the best FPS game of the year.
  43. partyintheback
    Nov 7, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 is by all accounts an exceptional game. 343 Industries first internally developed Halo game impresses on pretty much every front. From high quality production values, to a buttery smooth framerate 99.999% of the time, to the best graphics the series has ever seen, to a more interesting story between Chief and Cortana, etc. Halo 4 is Halo at its best.

    Firstly, Halo 4 plays like a     dream. Similar to previous Halo's, gun combat is very satisfying, but now it's more visceral and impactful than ever before. If anyone says this is Call of Duty, that's hogwash. Other than the inclusion of sprinting, this very much feels like Halo, just improved and more polished than ever. The action is much more buttery smooth than Reach was, which makes playing a complete pleasure.

    Secondly, the graphics are a massive upgrade from previous Halo's. Previous Halo's lacked quite a bit when it came to character models and animations, but Halo 4 has some of the best looking character models and animations in all of gaming. It's shocking just how much of a leap these two things are from the Halo's that came before it. Going from Halo 3 to Halo 4 shows almost a full generational leap in things like lighting, character models, and animations. In addition, Halo 4 runs in native 720p resolution, which is a first for the Halo franchise, as Halo 3, ODST, and Reach all ran at upscaled 720p. To get that full native 720p resolution, Halo 4 is locked at 30 frames-per-second, and it's a wise choice. Unlike Reach, which had a framerate that varied wildly at times, Halo 4 is pretty much consistent and performs beautifully, even when under pressure from a lot of on-screen action. 343 Industries should be commended for such a technological feat as their first project. It's very impressive.

    Thirdly, the story's actually incredibly compelling. While some things aren't always crystal clear, it's mostly smooth and cohesive the majority of the time. The relationship between Master Chief and Cortana will hook you from the beginning of the game and until you reach the credits at the finale. Halo 4 is a tightly knit production that offers excellence in story, visual quality, and sound quality. It's truly a masterful game from a first time studio.

    As someone who has enjoyed the other Halo games this generation, I didn't fall in love with them, so it's shocking to me that Halo 4 has hit the nail on the head in pretty much everything it set out to do. Halo 4 is the best Halo since Halo: Combat Evolved. 343 Industries has made their mark on the industry, so I truly can't wait to see what they do next.    … Expand
  44. emoney
    Nov 28, 2012
    9
    Overall great game and i love the weapons although the campagin is short who gives a damn the multiplayer matters the most in games today its more like a 8.5
  45. Locimento
    Nov 12, 2012
    9
    Excellent addition to the halo series, Halo 4 boasts great graphics, awesome looking cut scenes, voice acting, and classic Halo gameplay. If your a fan on halo you will not be let down. The Prometheans are fairly cool and their wepons are pretty sweet too. As far as the story goes it was pretty good, but not once did i feel like i had a grip on what was going on, its never super clear on what is happening or why your in a specific location and so on. Multiplayer is what youd expect from halo, great. Overall Halo 4 is an awesome game that any fan should go out and buy.… Expand
  46. timbers_WSU
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    343 out Bungie'd Bungie!
    Let's make this short and sweet. If you like Halo you are gonna get it anyway either because you love the series or wanna see if it was butchered. Yeah that did not happen. Instead you got production values through the roof, new enemy types in the Promethians that are worthy of the series, a large selection of weapons that are a blast to use, the best multiplayer     maps since Halo 2, changes to the multiplayer that was needed but did not take from what Halo is about, more varriety than any shooter to date, unlimited replay with Spartan Ops, A.I. that is at the top of the class, and last but not least, my GOTY so far.
    343 knocked it out of the park. And those graphics and the music and gun sounds........This may just be the new production values king on any console. It looks and sounds that good.
    If I have any complaints the lighting is a little overdone, and there is not much in the way of big team battles in multiplayer. Also only a few maps are used for each type of game mode's unless you create it yourself. But those are small complaints to be honest.
    I do not give 10's out often. But this game is amazing.    … Expand
  47. glacier777
    Nov 24, 2012
    9
    It had a lot to live up to didn't it? I loved Halo:Reach and I give it a 10. I am giving Halo 4 a 9 and here's why:

    Campaign: The campaign in reach was its weakest feature but it is one of the strongest in Halo 4. 4's campaign is more imaginative, longer and is much more fun to play. The Campaign is up to the CE's standard and will not disapoint fans. 10/10

    Spartan-Ops: I will over    look the fact that it is a rip off from COD. S-O replaced firefight which really annoyed me because firefight was fun. S-O is not as bad as I thought it would be because it ties in with the campaign and the missions are short. The only issue is that you re-spawn, no checkpoints etc.. This makes S-O slightly pointless, however I would not get rid of S-O, I would just bring back firefight as well. 9/10

    Multiplayer: 343 said that there were going to be changes and they were right., However, almost every change has made it worse. On reach less was more. 343 have thrown that out of the window and created gameplay that is too fast and frankly just boring and repetitive. On reach it felt like every game had a story and every game game slowly developed, where as now games are boring and too fast. There have been too many new features and too many classic features have been removed. 6/10

    Forge and Custom Games - There are three forge world's - great idea. However none of them are big enough! This also means that custom games is not as fun. Also where did the race game type go? I have given it a 7 because these are still unique parts of halo and forge is really good. There's just not enough space.
    7/10

    Other features and website: Waypoint is still good, the armour is as good as reach's, the commendations have improved the theater and file share are still good. The new website isn't as good as bungie.net though. 9/10

    Overall halo 4 retains many features that make halo amazing and also the campaign is second to none. Unfortunately 342 have included too many new things which have ruined parts of the game.
    All of my scores added together and divided by 5 equal 8 but this game deserves a 9 because it is still an amazing game. There are just too many annoying features that detract from the beauty of halo.    … Expand
  48. Snipestrifer
    Dec 14, 2012
    7
    First let me get this out of the way. I don't hate Halo, I gave Halo 3 a 9 and Halo Reach an 8. The problem with this game was that it was very clearly rushed to meet BLOPS for release. The reason I say this is because it not only rips off ideas from COD and implements them poorly (Not always, mainly multiplayer) but that there are many positive aspects from the old Halo games that don't appear in Halo 4. That said, the campaign was terrific. We had a much more personal adventure with Chief this time around, and to see his friendship and desperation to save Cortana as she devolves into rampancy is heartwarming. This works even better because you are constantly reminded of Cortana's rampancy throughout the narrative. Every few minutes her voice will change a little, she will have an angry outburst or blue lights will flicker around the edge of your visor. You really do want to help Cortana in ths campaign. Unfortunately, there are a couple of plotholes that bothered me, but it was never really an issue. The music was also outstanding and it has really become a trademark of the series at this point. Grass grows, the sun shines and Halo has fantastic music. The problems start with Multiplayer and Spartan Ops, which are really not as polished as they could've been. Multplayer has some balance issues. Melee doesn't work properly, DMR sniping and Ordenance (Although Ordenance does have some upsides) dis-courages map movement, and while most of the maps are good or even great maps, there are almost none at all for each game mode. In fact, the amount of maps available is tiny for each gamemode. The boltshot is OP, everyone already knows why, it is a sidearm shotgun. DMR's are still as OP as always, and there is almost no reason to use anything else as a primary weapon. As for the new Mantis it's... well... Just kinda annoying rather than an actual threat. I feel that Halo has lost some of its competitiveness while regainiing some of it at the same time (Reach did hit competitive gamers a lot harder), especially considering a skill system no longer exists but power weapons now hae to be earned rather than just. Yes you can go onto waypoint to findout, but going onto waypoint after almost every match is annoying as hell, and you're skill having no effect on your rank makes it irrelevant. As for joining mid-game, yay! But why didn't you improve it so we wouldn't enter games that are almost done? Lazy work just ripping out a feature of one game and shoehorning it in another 343. The progress system kinda sucks really. The biggest issue is it feels like a GRIND. Grinding for armour unlocks, for f***ing emblems and poses is beyond stupid. At least in Reach I generally could buy what I wanted and it didn't feel like a grind until General and onward. As for forge mode, I'm sad to say it has been butchered, and is one of the main reasons why I think this game was rushed. There are few options when compared to the last forge mode, and there is no forge world. WHY? I had no idea they could mess it up this badly. It's quite sad really. Finally there is Spartan Ops. It's... fun, but rehashing maps and just saying "Defend this, attack this"... I'd expect more for the removal of firefight, and the lack of story is disappointing considering they seem to want to do one, but never really do anything with the characters or setting. They do a bit, and they are doing more wuth each new episod they release, which is good. Overall, this game had (And still has) a ton of potential, but only really delivered in the campaign and on the Spartan OPs, which is a real shame.… Expand
  49. mustard_tiger
    Nov 9, 2012
    10
    Thanks to no stop nerd complaining the user review for yet another large release is ruined. I know for so many people a catty internet complaint fest is a one way ticket to fame it makes the score pointless. In this case the game is great, go buy it. Don't know why people do the lame buy/rent it when most rental places are long gone. If you are one of those I don't like halo just get over yourself and play a cool game.… Expand
  50. TheGamer31
    Mar 12, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I had originally given this game a 10, but then after I played this one, I played back through the original Halo games. After I played them, I said to myself "How is this even a Halo game? The campaign is practically the same just with different level designs, and the ending "boss" is awful! You just press ONE button to kill him... ONE. BUTTON! And the way the grenade explodes in his death isn't even the way the grenade explodes earlier in the game! Now, let;s look at multiplayer. The multiplayer is fun, but only because it's basically a CoD ripoff, and I hate CoD. You have like your 10 points for kills, double kills, triple kills. revenge, headshot and other stuff that was in Reach. But the way it is presented as you get a kill is just like in CoD. I mean, you even have perks for multiplayer. PERKS... Halo is not a game for perks! I mean it is just ridiculous of how much this game wanted to be like CoD. When I went to school, all my friends were telling me it was o,ne of the greatest games of all time, when I finally played it, yes I liked it like I said at the beginning of the review. But if you haven't played the original Halo games, you will like this one, at least until you play the originals. But if you have played the originals, you will hate this game. So, 343, PLEASE don't make another Halo game, you will fail at it like you did in this game. And if you do, please make it more true to the original Halo games! The forerunner robot things are fine to keep, but make it have more of a Halo feel. Add more Covenant to fight please? The thing that saves this game from a negative score is that I am a fan of the original Halo games, not this CoD ripoff garbage. 5/10… Expand
  51. Sh0dan
    Nov 22, 2012
    7
    This game is over hyped in my honest opinion. Not that its a bad game, its a solid shooter polished to a high sheen over numerous iterations since the original Halo: Combat Evolved. The problem for me is that it doesn't do anything new, fresh or innovative. Even the levels feel like they have been stripped directly from previous Halo games. Really, its just the same old Halo FPS many of us used to love, but are perhaps a bit jaded on and tired of now. The story doesn't do anything to reinvigorate the universe either. IMO some mysteries like the "who are the Forerunner?" should never have been answered. Pulling back the curtain reveals how poor the writers really are at science fiction. It really is an unnecessary addition to the universe and has thoroughly put me off the Halo universe for a lifetime. I'm not even interested in seeing a Halo movie after playing poor man Star Wars wannabe.... The levels and missions are some of the most linear and narrow of the entire Halo series, even worse than some of the horrendous railway tracks of Halo 2. There is only one level that stood out as expansive, choice driven mission, but after replaying it a second time that is actually a clever illusion and in fact you are kept on the critical path just as strictly as the first level. Add to that the inability to play the coop mode 'Spartan Ops' offline without a gold membership and the fact they only made the single player, secret terminal videos accessible via Halo Waypoint (which also requires a paid for membership - fu M$!) and unless your a Halo multiplayer PvP junky, then there isn't much to enjoy here.… Expand
  52. iloveFFC
    Feb 15, 2013
    0
    The worst installment in the series ever! A major disgrace to Halo! This game sucks! Bungie should have stayed as the developers! I hope 343 abandons the series now! They ruined Halo!
  53. FatherDoom
    Nov 7, 2012
    10
    Incredible game. It's a shame such an obvious smear campaign is marring a great game's review. The value of this game is amazing. The story is more involved and the cinematics are Hollywood quality. 343 do please keep up the phenomenal work.
  54. yolandivisser
    Dec 11, 2012
    10
    I hate halo! but this one is a lot of fun for online play. I normally can't stand generic FPS shooters but let's be honest: where are you going to find the best online play? Halo pretty much...
  55. matroycem
    Apr 26, 2013
    7
    I have never really felt the love for Halo that has been going around since its inception on the original Xbox. Yes it was modern but it never really gripped me. The Halo games of Bungie never really seem to have much of a plot of me and it bored me going from point A on a map, into a building to point B and then going back to point A again. It seemed lazy level design.
    Halo 4 however see    ms to be a big step forward. 343 have made a few changes and brought in some decent new weapons and enemies and it did grip me more than other games. Gone has the annoying drop out of scope when you are shot and SOME of the jumps to checkpoints when a team mate passes into a new area. There is also very little back tracking in the main campaign.
    The story of the game is still very similar and doesn't really go anywhere for me but its not completely missing like it was in Halo 3 ODST. I still think that Halo need to remove the respawn trick on COOP when you can have one person hang back and if the other dies they respawn next to their fellow. Mean that some of the difficulty is sapped from the game.
    I am not much of an Online Multiplayer so I cannot give much of a review of this area but the little I did play was enjoyable enough. I think there are modes for all different abilities and the learning curve is not completely stupid like i found in the COD games.
    Its worth a purchase in my opinion.    … Expand
  56. lionalio
    Dec 12, 2012
    10
    the first time you play the game, all you can say is: awesome. Not only the addicted shooting and action throughout the game, but also the very memorable story, and plus, the almost-unbeatable outstanding visual. You cannot help but falling in the famous multiplayer of the game. Without a doubt this game is the killer application, a genuine signature game of XBOX 360. If you intend to buy a XBOX just for playing Halo 4, it's a good reason… Expand
  57. Lordeldar
    Jan 5, 2013
    9
    Woah, just woah. I was expecting a pretty good campaign but no where near as good as it was. The story was amazing. Graphics are amazing, especially the scenery. There is nothing wrong with it all. For me, multiplayer was a slight step down from Reach. It's still great fun, if not better in areas. However, one thing I really was looking forward too that I didn't get was Firefight, which was one of my favourite game modes which I would love to have seen brought into Halo 4. Other then that, 343 Industries have done a great job taking over where Bungie left.… Expand
  58. nightsharks23
    Jan 29, 2013
    9
    Before I played Halo 4, I was a big Call of Duty fan. I fell like ever since Modern Warfare 2, the series has been going down ever since. I couldn't stand Black Ops 2 anymore and I decided to try something different. I can honestly say Halo 4 is the first Halo game I have ever played, and the best FPS I have ever played. The story was remarkable, the guns were great, the sound was great, everything to me was great. 343 Industries did a great job of creating their first Halo game. If I have to nit pick certain stuff, Spartan Ops to me is kinda boring and really has no replay value compared to the campaign. Another criticism I would have is since Halo's multiplayer has taken a Call of Duty approach, I expected there to be more maps to choose from. I usually find myself playing the same maps over and over again like exile. Last is the music, don't get me wrong I love the music in Halo 4, but I found it a little disappointing that they didn't input some of the original music in the game. Nevertheless, Halo 4 is great! I really recommend this game anyone!… Expand
  59. Enforcer122
    Apr 16, 2013
    6
    What can I say about this game? I have mixed feelings... Playing halo from day one, I was already in love with the series no matter what. But when this 4th Halo came out, I was a little disappointed. This game is so massively multiplayer it's almost impossible to get any achievements or progress in the game without someone playing with you! Multiplayer is a great as ever and the campaign is good, although a little short.… Expand
  60. L0stR3negade
    Nov 12, 2012
    8
    This game is not bad at all. No it does not revolutionize gaming but for a 60 dollar price point you will not be disappointed. Graphics are one of the best on this aging console and the music and sound is spectacular. The campaign is a bit on the short side but the multiplater really shines and you will be playing it for hours on end especially if you have a good group of friends to play with.
  61. Rice303
    Nov 6, 2012
    5
    Genearlly an average game, it does have pretty graphics and an okay story, but in the end I was dissapointed with most of the games aspects, I wasn't a fan of the story or of the multiplayer and I found that the game was lacking in some areas during the campagin, but despite these problems of course fans are going to like it, but if you're not a fan, don't buy it, a waste of time and money.
  62. MasterOfMetroid
    Nov 12, 2012
    1
    I bought this game anticipating a great multiplayer experience, but what I got was a tired formula of a series that just isn't fun anymore. It just felt like a prettier, less fun halo game compared to the original, on xbox. Never have I ever felt so ripped off until now. If you're looking for a fresh new shooter, this isn't the place to look. Microsoft needs to do more than just Halo and Kinect if they want their next console to be a success.… Expand
  63. Jerik02
    Feb 3, 2013
    6
    tldr: single player good. Multiplayer bad. I really wanted to like this game, I love the story but the multiplayer is awful. The spartan ops an extenuation that lets your spartan be a part of the greater Halo story is great! However, the true multiplayer or pvp is just awful. The maps are too small and are horribly unbalanced. Bungie did a much better job with multiplayer, whereas 343 did better with the overall story.… Expand
  64. VonSeux
    Dec 28, 2012
    4
    Not for a single moment I had any idea what my objectives meant or where I was. The story makes no sense at all, or at least the presentation is very broken. The game is VERY repetitive and level designs can't hold a candle for games like Metroid Prime. Graphics are good but overrated, since the levels have nothing to see. Controls work fine but the jump mechanics are still ridiculous.
  65. frugal_frogger
    Nov 27, 2012
    9
    OK, to be honest I've never been a Halo fan. These titles are the most generic FPS you can play. However, for the MP value alone, they are worth it. Like COD, you can ALWAYS find a good MP scene online. You will ALWAYS find an arsenal of weapons and maps that will keep you addicted to your online gaming fix like nothing else. Outstanding online gameplay.
  66. StarlessBB
    Nov 6, 2012
    6
    The campaign seems to be a mixed bag. On one end the enemy AI is great and the difficulty is just right. On the other end there are weird QTE esque Call of Duty like segments that are slow and take me out of the game. This back-and-forth between these elements persists throughout the relatively short campaign.
    Multiplayer, like the campaign, is a mixed bag. New modes are fun, new armors l    ook very cool, new weapons are great, but it's all undermined by the HORRIBLE weapon spawning system. I won't even describe it but it's so **** compared to how it was in the other game.
    Visually the game looks good, not great but it's definitely nice looking.
    The music and sound effects are great as always in Halo.    … Expand
  67. bradtheman123
    Mar 2, 2013
    10
    Halo has always been one of my favorite game series always fun and exciting. If you are a Halo fan you have probably already pre-ordered the game or have already bought it great GAME JUST AS usual Halo's.
  68. lgnburris
    Nov 8, 2012
    4
    Halo 2 is probably my favorite shooter ever, I played Halo 2's multi-player for far more hours than I would ever want to count. This game does not live up to Halo's reputation, the graphics are the best they have ever been but in just about every other aspect this game comes up short. The campaign is weak but my real problem is with the multi-player. The matchmaking system is probably the worst in any game I have ever played, games regularly start with 4 or 5 players on one team and only 1 or 2 on the other. Taking a cue from Call of Duty they have decided to include kill cams. These kill cams frequently show me getting killed by people shooting 3 or 4 feet to the side of my character or getting splattered by a vehicle which quite clearly didn't touch me at all. The music which defined Halo is also gone. 343 Industries wont see any more of my money, I'm sorry to say that I am done with what was my favorite franchise growing up.… Expand
  69. MDG397
    Jan 15, 2013
    9
    This is a very good game, great multiplayer and great sound design and graphics. The only complaint I have about it is the length of the campaign, it's not as long as the other Halo games and you could finish it in a couple of days. Multiplayer should keep you busy for a long time though, and spartan ops is a good new mode that was added. Spartan ops is like a new mini campaign, the missions aren't long but they aren't meant to be long so I like it. Any Xbox player should pick this up.… Expand
  70. yrcrazy
    Jan 12, 2013
    5
    halo but without the ability to download custom games on console. great visuals and better competitive play than reach but misses out on the key aspect of halo ... fun . A big dissapointment in hindsight but good in its own right.
  71. PulseEnder
    Nov 24, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 is an outstanding game and is a direct sequel to Halo 4 and is the first Halo game in the new Reclaimer saga and is the first original Halo game made by 343 industries and is backed up behind the recent Halo live action web series Forward Unto Dawn. Plot: after Halo 3, Master Chief has remained in cryogenic sleep upon the vessel known as Forward Unto Dawn, and has requested to Cortana to be re-awakened when needed. Cortana realizes that their vessel is under attack by the Covenant who have broken their truce with the humans. When she awakens chief she warns him that they are orbited an ancient Forerunner planet, Requiem. The planet's Gravity Well intiates and brings the Covenant and as well as Chief, Cortana, and The Dawn into a collision course with the planet. On Requiem, Cortana reveals she is rampant and should be dead and will eventually think herself to death. They attempt to re-establish communications with the Infinity, a massive vessel that is home to the new spartan 4 program led by Commander Del Rio. In an attempt to clear communications lines they accidently free the ancient forerunner, Diadect, who is hell bent on eliminating humanity, and whose power manipulates the Covenant and the Prometheans into becoming his army. Comparison to Halo 3: Chief sports a new look in his mark 7 armor and is a bigger and better badass then he already was. Also their is more insight into Chief's legacy, Cortana's emotions, and the Spartan program itself. the Battle Rifle returns as well as the Covenant Carbine, the option to duel wield does not return. Comparison to Halo Reach: graphics are crispier, goes back to classic Halo 3 HUD, sprint is a default part of the experience as it is now not an armor ability, the DMR returns, and the infection game mode has evolved into the more gripping Flood game mode, Firefight mode does not return. New elements for the Halo experience: A new enemy known as the Prometheans are an interesting species that weild guns that shoot light and build right into your hands. Also the oppurtunity to pilot a Pelican is now here. Multiplayer: All multiplayer matches take place on the Infinity as training simulations for the Spartan 4s. Also Spartan Ops gives you 5 new missions for 10 weeks after Halo 4's original release as long as you have an Xbox Live Gold account which you get 2 weeks free for purchasing Halo 4. This game uses create a load out customization options which make for a customized experience as well as ordanance which gives the player random killstreaks in the form of a choice of weapon, grenade, or amor ability. My opinion: Halo 4 is a must play game that will be remembered as the most revolutionary Halo title since the original Combat Evolved itself. It reminds me of Call of Duty in terms of its easy to jump into play style, and its more interactive campaign, and killstreak like create a class like system. Even the Spartan Ops remind the player of Special Ops from Modern Warfare. I would reccomend this to anyone who wants to begin gaming or to anyone who owns an Xbox 360, even so I would find a way to try out this great game.… Expand
  72. emcoffey3
    Nov 14, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So how did 343i do with Bungie's baby? Here are my thoughts... GENERAL GAMEPLAY: - The core gameplay (95% of the game) is the Halo you know and love. - There is a cool "getaway" sequence similar to the end of Halo:CE and Halo 3, but in a Ghost. - There are a few quicktime sequences that are rather underwhelming. They should have either been more polished (and fun) or turned into cutscenes.
    - The flying sequences are a major letdown (more below). ENEMIES: - Grunts and Jackals remain unchanged. - Elites don't seem as tough as Reach, but they're basically the same. - Hunters seem the same, but there are very few of them. I complained about this in Reach, and it hasn't improved in Halo 4. - Sadly, there are no Brutes, Drones, or Skirmishers. Also no Flood, but I'm actually okay with that.
    - The new enemies (Prometheans) are fun to fight and offer some nice, new variety.
    - No Scarabs or boss battles.... boo. WEAPONS: - There are a LOT of guns. Most of the old classics are back, along with some great additions. - No dual-wielding, but most of those guns have been replaced, so you don't really miss it. - Grenades feel a bit underpowered, but not to the point of being useless. ARMOR ABILITIES: - Good mix of old and new. The much-hated Armor Lock is, of course, gone. - Running is no longer an Armor Ability and is always available, which makes sense. VEHICLES: - The Ghost, Warthog, and Scorpion all feel familiar and control smoothly. - The Banshee doesn't feel as polished as previous games, but it's passable. - MAJOR LETDOWN #1: You finally get to fly the Pelican, and she feels great, for all of 2 minutes. It goes: fly straight towards marker, take out Phantoms with extreme ease, enter building, repeat. 343i made flying the Pelican about as fun as my morning commute to work. Lamest flying sequence in a Halo game until... - MAJOR LETDOWN #2: Remember the mission in Reach that put you in a dogfight in space? Imagine the polar opposite of how awesome that was, and you have the Broadsword sequence in the final mission. The first part of this mess is basically an obstacle course where you die repeatedly until you figure it out and get the timing right. The second part involves flying around in a circle and shooting at stationary markers that you can't tell if you're doing any damage to. Eventually you figure out which angle to hit them from and this miserable sequence ends. This is officially my least favorite thing ever put in a Halo game. - The Mantis is a cool addition. The animation makes it seem rickety, but it ends up being pretty powerful. I knew they'd put a mech in Halo sooner or later... - No Falcon or Hornet... boo. VISUALS: - Amazing. This is the best Halo has ever looked. - MINOR GRIPE: The HUD is a bit difficult to read. It's a very light shade of blue, and can clash against some of the bright glowing environments (which there are a lot of). AUDIO
    - The music is very good, but doesn't surpass the classic O'Donnell score. It excels during the dark, emotional moments, but lacks the grand-sounding pieces that made for "big moments" in the original trilogy. - The sound effects are terrific. Guns sound amazing (even the Beam Rifle finally!). - The voice-acting is top-notch. STORY:
    - It goes in a new, interesting direction. - Dialogue is great. However, there are a few scenes between the Chief and Cortana that do feel a bit... uncomfortable. - I liked the ending, but it didn't really feel like the beginning of a new trilogy... CONCLUSION: Overall, Halo 4 is a great shooter. I liked it, but I'm not sure I loved it. It gets almost all of the big things right. The core gameplay is solid. Visuals, audio, and story are all top-notch. But the little things are what keep Halo 4 from perfection. Some suggestions for improvement next time: 1. The HUD should be crisp and easy to read. 2. Quicktime sequences should be polished, changed into cutscenes, or removed entirely. 3. Give me bigger stuff to kill. More Hunters, and maybe a Scarab or something similar. A boss battle or two wouldn't hurt. Also consider bringing back older enemy classes. 4. Bring back the Pelican, but give me a full-fledged mission! 5. If you're going to put me in space, give me a dogfight and leave out the obstacle courses.    … Expand
  73. David_wayne
    Nov 19, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 is the best Halo game in the whole entire series,I
    I wasn't completely sure how 343 studios would make this game,and I must admit I had my doubts.but after finally breaking down and going out to buy the limited edition halo 4 console,I must say it was worth ever penny.Halo 4 is a ground breaking marvel in the fps genre.and 343 studios did an amazing job with halo 4.the graphics are     some of the best yet on the xbox 360 (I wasn't sure if I was seeing animated charecters or live real people on cutscenes)everything was sooo realistic and even the sound track and gun fire explosions sound FANTASTIC.343 in my opinion beat Bungie's halo hands down.great job 343 I won't doubt you again in the halo franchise.TAKE THAT CALL OF DUTY, YOU'VE BEEN SERVED.… Expand
  74. mikeachu7
    Dec 24, 2012
    10
    Such an amazing game can't stress that enough, great physics, color, detail, lighting, vehicles, weapons, I could go on and on..........................................................................................................................................................
  75. BradySmith
    Jan 20, 2013
    9
    An extremely good game with superb level design. Its storytelling and gameplay are also great with improved gunplay and movement mechanics. However, it doesn't match the original trilogy's quality. It's not as long and doesn't have nearly the same lasting impact those games left behind. You'll also miss the original trilogy's musical score because although this game's is good it's not nearly as masterful. It also doesn't have as much epic grandeur as those games even if it has more than most others. The bottom line: An excellent game living in the shadows of its predecessors.… Expand
  76. ZombieFan281
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    Best Single Player and Multilayer Experience ever. This game deserves Game Of The Year by every means. Great Graphics, Physics, Engine, Controls and Sound. Really engaging story and the Cenamatics are so close to the real game play. I was blown away. Give this game a try before judging. Much better than Halo 3.
  77. Tommy758
    Nov 6, 2012
    7
    Halo 4 is a pretty big disappointment. It is not a bad game by any means. The production values are high, the graphics are fantastic and the score is amazing. Where Halo 4 falls short on is gameplay that's too familiar and multiplayer that's too different. The campaign while it has an interesting story, the gameplay is far too keen to older Halo's. While some might think that's not a bad thing because this is a Halo game. That is true, but you would think 343 would've taken more risks. The multiplayer fairs worse. While I admit it is fully playable and it's quite the bit of fun. It takes way too many queues from a certain other FPS franchise. Create a class, perks and kill streaks. While they have their own Halo style to them, it's just something 343 didn't need to implement just to appeal to the mass. Spartan Ops is 343's Firefight. Which is something I wished they'd put in instead because it would've kept me playing even longer. Halo 4 is a good FPS and is worth a purchase. However, they're is just disappointment after disappointment. I think my favourite FPS franchise is finally ending.… Expand
  78. SpazzBrozz
    Jan 14, 2013
    5
    This is my Halo 3 review. THE BEST Halo game i have played so far. Campaign AWESOME. Multiplayer AMAZING. Forge INCREDIBLE. Theater BRILLIANT. Easy 10 in my mind and a lot of others. HALO FTW!

    This is my Halo 4 review.

    This game sucks. 343 took out the good and added crap. I have written enough negative stuff about this game on Halo Waypoint so i'm not about to write a whole paragrap    h on here. 5/10… Expand
  79. Geoffory2
    Nov 8, 2012
    10
    This game is incredible, Im a die hard halo fan and playing through this game was just amazing. The graphics and sound design are impeccable. So many people doubted 343 but they have delivered.
  80. Invader-Nik
    Nov 7, 2012
    6
    The Halo Series was already in a downward spiral ever since ODST. I've been a halo fan for five years now, and I remember the hype that Halo 3 had produced. However Halo 3 and 4 are two different games.
    Amazing graphics, good sounds and the shading is good. I still remember how much I wanted to see what a forerunner looked like, and I do. The game is lacking the Bungie spirit, the very s    oul that turned the first three halos into a masterpiece. To me, Halo 3 is the best Halo game produced of all time. Halo 4 is alright, but it will never be as good as the first three Halo games… Expand
  81. Fullmetal
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    I didn't expect to like this game so much. I love it how all of the trolls on here who are not really Halo fans have given the game 474 negative reviews. Good job guys, you had no sway over sales of the game. Regardless, I am having a lot of fun with this one. Reach and ODST were lame compared. The multiplayer in this title is as frenetic as Halo 3 with the fun gametypes of Halo 2. If you are a Halo fan, pick this up.… Expand
  82. Oceanicus
    Nov 20, 2012
    5
    A bad case of too much hype, I must say it's beyond great compared to Halo Odst and legends, however that's not saying much. And for the name this game represents it could ' ve been a lot, and I mean it, better. I only recommend it to die-hard fans or to people who will only play on-line.
  83. Blahguy126
    Feb 27, 2013
    6
    Sure the graphics are shiny and the gunplay is smooth, but other than that, this game has little appeal to me. The multiplayer is unforgiving to newcomers, the campaign is short (Heroic with no skulls on took me only about six hours for the first playthrough), and although the story is emotional at times, the plot was overall rather dull and uncaptivating. Don't buy this game, just rent it or play it at your friend's house. Still worth a playthrough, though.… Expand
  84. azgoodaz
    Mar 18, 2013
    10
    Campaign was long and hard, but it was good and awesome how it finished. Legendary mode got 10x harder since Bungie on Halo Reach. Multilayer is fun, and they keep adding new game modes so players wont get bored. File Sharing was a issue but 4 or so months later they fixed and made sure it worked.. and now it does both on the game and website. The Halo way point app hasn't been updated yet to track stats in which it is sad but thats another thing. Overall its a good game, and we can now see that 343 is not just a Microsoft company but the future for Halo Series to come.… Expand
  85. RMW_Critic
    Nov 9, 2012
    8
    To be honest, I went into this game with a very skeptical mindset. Since 343 had also made Halo Wars, i thought it would have this problem, and this problem and this problem. To my amazement, however, it didn't. At all. The game is balanced, graphically superior to almost anything, definitely to anything on the Xbox. The dialogue can get a bit on the B-Grade side, but other than that there's not much to complain about. The multiplayer is fast, but not too fast, the weapon system is different, but not overpowered. Its not perfect however. While it is hard to pinpoint these problems, they are noticeable when playing. So if you enjoy Halo, and halo, this is your game. If not, then not. 81%. (P.S. Why does everyone use the battle rifles? They aren't that good o.O)… Expand
  86. coolinb123
    Nov 14, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Surprisingly 343 delivered well, i enjoyed the story, the new gun sounds or different gun sounds, a new enemy, new death animations (the fading out) the story is still a bit holed on a lot of ends, but none of it is major enough to effect the game. I would've loved to here more about the "Librarian", the "didact"(hope i spelled that right), and more about lasky as well as the characters. Del Rio can go to HE double hockey sticks. Great voice acting, from the action series lasky looks very different in game. The AI is still pretty much useless as always. And your really doing everything on your own. Overall i am surprised. Graphics-..., Gameplay-7, New stuff-10, Acting out-10 i haven't played any multiplayer or tried any custom games yet so yea...… Expand
  87. DarrkHawk
    Nov 15, 2012
    9
    It' been a while since I actually played a video game that got me stuck to my seat. Halo 4 has everything that a game needs to work. Outstanding graphics and cinematic, a fitting soundtrack and a solid story with strong emotion as a bonus. Sure, the story is short at around 7 - 8 hours of playtime on the hardest setting but what the game offers in game play and story definitely makes up for this. 343 industries are certainly a worthy successor to the great Bungie and I am certainly excited about what is to come from this company.
    I do however feel that this game does focus way too strongly on the online multiplayer feature but today, that's a given with any game of this genre. I would have liked the story to be longer but for what we are given, it is definitely a worthy sequel.    … Expand
  88. dragonbillz
    Dec 31, 2012
    10
    I must admit that this game had me worried. A new studio taking over a successful franchise. Well I think they have successfully justified the franchise. The first thing i noticed was that the graphics seem to have improved significantly. The controls seem even tighter and the game play fully intact. The next chapter seems to be well written and I can't wait to continue with this new trilogy. The soundtrack is also as good as it could be. This fits perfectly into the Halo universe and should be recognized for it's detail. An incredible tribute to the entire Halo universe.… Expand
  89. Gomez
    Mar 28, 2013
    7
    Halo 4 is just another Halo out there, not much has changed from any of the others apart from updated graphics. I’m quite disappointed with 343 industries they need to step up and make it better game play. Not just updating the graphics then throwing it out there into the market, they need to make something original to draw us back into playing Halo. Don’t get me wrong I think that Halo 4 o 4 is okay to play but it is certainly nothing special in the gaming industry. I rember playing the old classic Halo and not alot has changed looking back to it. Halo 4 would be for people in their teenage lives such as people at college and universities. I would like it if 343 industries would make more new content into the game which will bring over the serious gamers from Call of duty and other well known games. So that more people will play it and so that I could have a challenge on there! I would rate the game of around 6.5 out of 10.… Expand
  90. MellerYeller
    Nov 15, 2012
    9
    It feels a little lacking in the campaign area compared to Bungie additions, however, the campaign is still fun, varied, and looks amazing. Topped with more brilliant writing and voice acting, the campaign is still a solid area of the game. My main issue is that it feels a little more repetitive at times. The multiplayer is a MASSIVE improvement over Reach though. Instead of being lazy forge edits, all the maps are unique and interesting to navigate. I was originally skeptical about more armor abilities and loadouts, but the loadouts are limited and balanced and the stars of the game are still equipment you find on the map or call in as ordinance. A simple loadout system doesn't make this game CoD when the core gameplay is still Halo. Ignore any reviews on here attempting to make that point because it's just stupid.… Expand
  91. JBo796
    Nov 17, 2012
    9
    Opening:
    )most of my comments are based on the multiplayer, as I have not played the campaign through yet). I could, for some reason, simply never 'get into' the Halo franchise. I wanted too, believe me. It had everything I want in a game; Sci-fi story, sweet armor, awesome guns, but something just didn't stick for me. Now, with Halo 4, I have realized the genius behind this franchise.     The controls are so simple, anyone could play it; and if that's the case, then why was I always getting pwn'd in multiplayer so horribly? Halo 4 takes skill, where as other shooters do not. This game is about getting headshots, not just about getting a shot off sooner than someone else (who chances are has a faster connection than you). While this isn't the most fun game I've ever played, it is a wonderful change of pace from what I'm used to.

    Pros:
    - The graphics look better than any other Halo game before it. Textures look and FEEL great.
    - It's simple. There aren't any over complex menus or settings here, but there is enough depth in customization and unlocks to keep you coming back for more.
    - Halo Waypoint is awesome. I can check real time data at halowaypoint.com for my stats (Time played, games won/loss, most used weapon, kill/death ratio, etc.) across not only Halo 4, but the whole franchise...for FREE.
    - Winability: Yes, I just made that word up, but it applies well. If you take your time in matches and play right, rarely will you get worked over so much to the extent that you need to rage quit every match for half your afternoon/evening. This seems to be a much more fair and realistic game than other online shooters. I never find myself asking "How did i just get killed? This is BS!". When I die, I know it wasn't someone "hacking".

    Cons:
    - Having not played previous Halo games, there is a bit of a learning curve to catch up to the rest of the community in terms of skill. This however, could be viewed as a plus however, since it may extend the playability with some hard work and dedication.
    - The weapon variation for multiplayer could be greater. There is a minimal amount of weapons to initially choose from and most of the others are available only as power ups mid-match. This also, could be a positive though, as it most likely keeps the player base fairly neutral in terms of unfair advantages between the n00bs and higher level players.

    Overall, I am enjoying Halo 4 and looking forward to playing it for quite some time. This game is definitely worth purchasing.    … Expand
  92. tototototo
    Nov 6, 2012
    3
    It's basically the same Halo as always, the only apparant innovation seems to be a copy of features found in CoD. If you loved Bungie's Halo, stick to the sweet memories, there is nothing here you'll like.
  93. modshroom128
    Nov 15, 2012
    0
    Lacks the sheer brilliance of the past halo games. the campaign is horribly linear and extra sci-fiy for the sake of being sci-fi. There is literally no reason as to why they made the campaign revolve around master chief's character and cortana, it makes no sense and detracts from the epicness of the actual halo story. The whole campaigns story feels nothing like a halo game. For some reason grunts and elites don't speak which was 343's way of trying to make them "MORE SPOOKY" which is the complete opposite of previous halo's charm. There is no reason as to why 343 made the game dark and edgier than past halos, it detracts from the brilliance of bungie's past halo games with their vibrant weird purple and blue colors. 343 just didn't put in that spark of subtle genius and creativity that old halo's had and it shows. Most of the "new guns" are just laser versions of standard human weapons which was a huge disappointing. The fact that 343 took out most of the custom game options, and 6 vehicles including a human flying vehicle just shows that they don't realize that halo was supposed to feel like a big open sandbox of fun. All of the multiplayer maps (except for Ragnarock) are horrible because 343 doesn't realize that big open spaces make maps good. Even the huge maps feel like cramped tiny maps because of the ridiculous amount of walls and lack of open spaces. It's like they took the worst elements from the past halo games and turned them into a new game.

    TLDR: Although it might have the best graphics Halo 4 lacks the subtle brilliance and charm of the old halos.    … Expand
  94. Vandral007
    Nov 25, 2012
    9
    I hate Halo. I've hated Halo for a long time. For me, Halo represents the beginning of mainstream gaming. As more and more people line up for their Halo or CoD releases, a piece of orginiality dies within the gaming industry, which is now dominated by megacorps out to make as much money as possible. (nothing wrong with trying to make money, but they don't seem to care about the quality of the game.)

    I could never attatched to Master Cheif, and I didnt' care about the overarching story. Just hated it. Didn't even play ODST or Reach. Halo 4 gets released, and I'm given a copy by a friend. For a laugh, I load it up, thinking I'll hate it like I hated all the others. 7 hours later I put down the controller having finished the campaign. I may have to go back and give the other games in the series a chance, because Halo 4 has blown me away! Graphically it is gorgeous, the sound design is probably the best of the year. The gameplay is quick and intuitive, but the story.... oh man the story is what has guaranteed a purchase of Halo 5 for me. 343 Studios should be commended for taking a faceless soldier lacking any basic personality, and using sublte (yes subtle in a Halo game) story telling, allowing the player to actually connect to Master Cheif and Cortana. It was brilliant... probably the best story in a game this year, barring maybe The Last Story. Multiplayer is great fun, and Spartan Ops are also great. Don't listen to Halo haters. I know... I used to be one.    … Expand
  95. numaiios
    Feb 24, 2013
    4
    Como ocurre en esta saga, nuevamente tenemos un pésimo game overrateado hasta el infinito.
    O yo no sé de juegos o la gente es anormal.
    Malísimo como las entregas anteriores, una historia que me la suda y un exasperante manejo con los manditos de consola.
    Hay que ser estúpido para jugar a un shooter con un pad.
    Básicamente es como los otros, con los mismos enemigos y el mismo agónico de    ico desarrollo.
    Aburrido, soso, y en definitiva, despreciable.
    Me terminé el 1, el 2 y el 3 por pena. Este no jugué ni una hora, me sobrepasaba.
    Reconozco que el multijugador del 3 fue divertido durante los dos primeros minutos.    … Expand
  96. Rhapsody
    Apr 25, 2013
    8
    I am not a really big fan of the halo series, but I feel that 343 industries has taken the game to a new level, since I really believe the series needed to take a step forward. I feel that the single player could have been put more effort into, but other than that, the multiplayer is great, and it is the one aspect that kept me from giving it a mixed score.

    I suggest that people should     wait a little bit until the prices decrease a little bit, so lots of people can have the same amount of fun for a low cost.… Expand
  97. norse
    Dec 2, 2012
    5
    Distinct sense of "Meh" - the Halo storylines have become weaker and weaker since the original. The single-player campaign is of course graphically gorgeous, but boring and unmotivated as all heck. The enemy AI is seriously dumb; the one redeeming quality is the ability to play coop.
  98. logan35
    Nov 6, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 is an amazing game and 343 did a great job bringing master chief back. The story, graphics, sound design, level design, and multiplayer are all the best of any shooter I've played this year. The gameplay still feels like classic halo but, brings new guns and mechanics into the game to still make it feel fresh. The campaign isn't very long but, it isn't too short either, just the right length without growing tiresome. The multiplayer is a whole different beast, definitely reminds me of halo 2, which in my opinion had the best multiplayer in the series until now. 343 did an amazing job on this game and I can't wait to get my hands on halo 5 for the next gen Xbox.… Expand
  99. p360assassin
    Feb 27, 2013
    4
    Master chief has returned and now the game has switched devs. The game is an astounding drop in quality from its predecessors and 343 should be ashamed. Story: The campaign is much shorter then its predeccesors (aside from ODST, which had the bonus of being quality over quanitity) and puts Master Chief against a new enemy. But because they couldn't be creative, the elites and co. are back with a barely explained sentence explaining why the previously turned allies are trying to kill him again. The writing has dropped off and feels like a mediocre fan fiction. It ends with a HIGHELY predictable scene that exactly 0 people were shocked by who don't have mental difficulties and was about as sad as Dom dying in Gears of War 3 (as in everyone who enjoyed the terrible sequel found it crushingly sad, but everyone who likes quality gaming found predictable and not sad at all). Story gets a 3/10 Gameplay: Sprinting has now been introduced, making the game feel less unique compared to other shooters and adding something that was never introduced (except as a armour ability in reach, but it prevented you getting another ability just so you could sprint, so it was balanced) for a reason. Elites now no longer have the absurd shields they had in Halo Reach, which I find a positive thing, as it just was not fun to spend 2 assault rifle clips on 1 enemy just to take down shields in Normal difficulty (not even an exaggeration). The multiplayer has added in killstreaks, which negativly impact the game, but not massively since they are not as OP as in CoD and are can get you killed while you drop it as it likes to ignore where you target and place it more into the open (which I assume is intended, to make it more risky, which is ALWAYS a good thing). The loadout system I was going to insult, but a recent update fixed my one gripe with the adition which allowed guests to use host players unlocked weapons to make temp loadouts (which obviously disapear once they log off). Weapons are unlocked extremely easily due ot the much faster leveling system of the multiplayer, and all the decent weapons you literally will get within 90 minutes of gameplay. Item unlock points are also quickly gained. The armour abilities are all much much worse then the perfectly balanced ones in Halo Reach. All of them are either OP or useless, especially the CLEAR Blacklight Retribution rip off Prothean Vision. Perks seem kind of OP, but as send before, you get the good ones within like 20 minutes of gameplay, so not a huge loss. Gameplay gets a 6/10. Graphics: Graphics ARE an improvement over previous games, which you would assume would be a good thing, but alas, it means heavily frame rate drops if you want to play co-op (even on just two players) and clearly shows the aging consoles wrinkles. They should of returned Halo to the PC but sadly Microsoft are the same they always have been. Graphics even then don't look that good and honestly should not lag the console as badly as they do. There is plenty of games with superior graphics on console that don't lag and this seems to be a pathetic failure in the optimization department. I would rather a steady framerate then better graphics. The art design has also been changed at some points, but nothing to radical (except grunts and jackels now look way stupider, but they were already pretty stupid). So art design isn't worse or better. 4/10 on graphics. Sound: COLLOSAL drop in quality compared to preceeding games. Name ONE halo game with a worse soundtrack then Halo 4, you simply can't do it. The guns now sound different and more realistic, but Halo had a feel to it which was part of the old gun sounds, they gave the game less realism, but had their own charm which is now completely gone in exchange for mediocre realistic sounds. 3/10 for sound. Overall, I give the game a 4/10. Seeing as I love the Halo series, I love the lore and storyline of all the predecesing games and have read multiple of the books, this game is a huge disapointment. It feels to me what others felt ODST was (which I honestly found to be a fantastic adition to the game, although it still should of had a multiplayer mode aside from firefight). A sad drop in quality and completely turns me off Halo 5 and 6.

    Oh and on a side note, multiplayer is way to noob friendly. You may be thinking "Oh, he is a just noob who thinks he is good and is he is dying too much" its actually the opposite. I am AWFUL at shooters, especially on console. If I am able to get the amount of kills I do, mainly due to the badly concieved loadout system, the skill cap has lowered massively. I simply should not be doing this well, that is not stroking my ego. This is mainly due to giving sticky grenades in loadouts, which means I can just spam them at warthogs with no danger.    … Expand
  100. TheSquirrel
    Nov 24, 2012
    7
    While every other game in the series is saving with world with some character secondary story, the campaign in Halo 4 is flipped. Saving the world seems to take a back seat to the Master Chief's quest to solve Cortana's rampancy. This makes for a more emotional story, but a less intense one as well. The saving the world story which I will not spoil doesn't seem to be given the attention it deserves. This is easily the most amped up storyline Halo series has seen, what with numerous leading up books and movies, yet the story in the game itself doesn't feel alive and fleshed out.

    That is my largest complaint in a game that I like very much. The music is incredible, the environments are beautifully detailed, and the facial CG is beyond incredible. I cannot wait to play more Infinity so that I can write a follow-up to this review.

    My final complaint is the complete stripped down content you get if you are not online. Never have I been so disappointed with offline content. It was an inevitability that the days of offline gaming were coming to an end, but I never imagined not even having access to a campaign scoring system, the elimination of offline firefight, just stripped down. Were it not for the lack of offline content, this game would have been a 9 for me. The lack of out-of-box value, however, has shown that 343 has largely abandoned the offline gamer, and considering that Reach, ODST, and Halo3 had plenty to keep one occupied unconnected, this step back has tarnished my view of this series;

    Until the Internet guy makes it to my house...    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 87
  3. Negative: 1 out of 87
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 17, 2012
    90
    Halo 4 eschews esoteric delivery for a sledgehammer story with a blockbuster aesthetic. Epic, engaging and sensorially awesome. [Jan 2013, p.60]
  2. Eurogamer Portugal
    Dec 5, 2012
    90
    In the end, this game is still a fairly conservative and faithful to the original spirit, even with some significant changes.
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  3. DailyGame
    Dec 3, 2012
    75
    The narrative is outstanding, even in spite of a few plot-point missteps, and the character evolution of Master Chief and Cortana deserves to be further explored with these wonderful storytellers (well, maybe one of them can't happen, but I'll avoid spoilers). However, the gameplay feels jilted, awkward and unrefined, three unforgivable sins in a landscape populated with other quite-capable FPS franchises. As a result, I'm going to average everything out: great story plus bad gameplay equals an average experience. And in this overcrowded FPS genre, "average" is isn't something I'd recommend buying.
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