Halo 4 Xbox 360
User Score
6.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2261 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,545 out of 2261
  2. Mixed: 145 out of 2261
  3. Negative: 571 out of 2261

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  1. columz
    Nov 11, 2012
    10
    This is a amazing game, I've been playing it practically non-stop since I got it on the 6th of November. It saddens me that there are so many trolls that probably haven't even played the game reviewing it. A 0/10 is for unplayable, broken games. Halo 4 is definitely not unplayable and it is a truly fun experience. 343i have done a fantastic job on this game and I am already looking forward to Halo 5/6 in the reclaimer trilogy. I highly recommend you get this game if you are thinking about it. The campaign was a little bit short but it was fun nevertheless (I did play it through on normal difficulty so if you were trying on heroic or legendary it would be a lot longer, also if you searched for the easter eggs and terminals) lasting about 6 hours in total. The multiplayer is brilliant, the teams are matched and the scores are always close, I've yet to be in a game in which one side dominates the other. Overall a great game.… Expand
  2. drizzti90
    Nov 11, 2012
    10
    I have had a blast with Halo 4 sofar. After beating the campaign and playing multiplayer extensively I can safely say that this is the best Halo since 3. My favorite new additions to the game would be the abundance of weapons (love the binary rifle), the style of the Promethean architecture and weapons, the diversity of the different enemy types, the diversity of the environments which both the campaign and multiplayer traverse, the final level of the campaign (can you say 'A New Hope'), the mantis, and then the ordinance drops for multiplayer. My biggest con with the game is the lack of ammo in the muliplayer environments- this is something I think they need to fix pronto, ordinance drops are great but this do sent excuse a total lack of static ammunition in the level... In response to the major criticism that has been leveled against the game (too much like COD), I would point out that the implemented gameplay elements spoken of (ordinance drops/load outs) are all done in a very haloesque manner that fits within the overall themes and feel of the original games game. You will not pick up this game and think it feels like COD, it simply dosent- unless you have preconceived notions that its going to, then it might.....lol. BTW this game gets a 10 from me beacuse this sites user review system is so messed up that trolls can just come in here and spam post a hundred different (0) reviews in ten seconds. In a fair system I would give this game bewteen an 8.5 and a 9- just like its critic score (which is the only score you should consider valid on this site....).… Expand
  3. darksam644
    Nov 11, 2012
    9
    I am a long, long time halo fan, got evey single game, finished legendary on all of them countless times (people who say this is a short game obviously have not bothered to challenge themselves) and read all novels and comic books. IMO Halo CE was brilliant and Halo 2 was and is gaming perfection. All other titles since have been attempted to be close to this level, and they are, but none have the depth of story that halo 4 offers. everything is so new and unfamilliar, all the other halos feel kind of kiddy compared to this. The first true halo for adults. Halo 3's forge was novel, Reach, was great, but this is another step up in ease of use and effectiveness. Graphics are amazing. Sound is breathtaking. This is the best Halo in a long long time.… Expand
  4. Kerwin
    Nov 11, 2012
    10
    This is the best halo game to date great story, graphics, charters, weapons, sound, and enemies I don't care what any body says. people who give this game a bad rate is a ps3 fanboy or a cod fanboy
  5. FizzlePanda
    Nov 11, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 is a masterpiece, even if it's quite a tear-jerker, by quite I mean a massively emotional sea of unending sadness and tears... Halo 4 brought the "magic" of Halo back to life. Good job 343!
  6. derekrosenberg
    Nov 11, 2012
    10
    The game is absolutely outstanding!!!! Visually maybe the best game in consoles. High quality sounds, it feels like you are in the real battlefield, excellent gameplay, jawdropping lightning effects, unbelievable music, awesome story. The campaign was amazing. The emotional connection between Chief and Cortana was a central highlight of the plot. The villain was something Halo needed, and he is a worthy adversary for John. Everything from sound design, graphics, gameplay, map design, was amazing! There were so many details, and the lighting was fantastic, I was blown away! The multiplayer is addicting as everWhat else do you need?… Expand
  7. ToxicDumptaker
    Nov 11, 2012
    9
    I don't honestly understand why this game would be getting such a low user score? More than half of the negative user scores give very few if any reasons why they didn't like the game. But anyway, this game is amazing. Every bit of the game from the campaign down to the multiplayer is amazing. The campaign has an great musical score and a great story. The only issue I had with the story is that is was a bit short. Now to the multiplayer, the multiplayer is the best Halo multiplayer since Halo 3 for me. Many people are whining that some of the aspects of the multiplayer are stolen from CoD. Maybe if people would open their eyes and maybe do research for the game they are bashing on they would see that some people from CoD 4 worked on it and brought some of the things that made CoD 4 great into Halo 4. Every playlist in multiplayer is downright fun and there will be weekly updates made to playlists every week based on community feedback. However some of the weapons given to you in loadouts may be slightly overpowered but it's not too much to worry about. The maps in this game are great but not instant classics like maps from previous Halo games. Spartan Ops is an interesting co-op mode that has replaced firefight that follows a story taking place after the main story. I didn't take me too long to beat every mission at launch but this is coupled with the fact they will be releasing 5 more missions every week for 10 weeks. In conclusion, 343 has brought Halo back and it is better than ever.… Expand
  8. Katama
    Nov 11, 2012
    10
    Alright, here I go.

    Halo 4 is incredible. I have absolutely NO idea why the heck its getting these reviews, and honestly, it's making me a little mad, but here's my two cents.

    The campaign is intense and has opened a new door to the halo storyline. The ending made me cry, and I was amazed by what great storytellers 343 are. 10/10, totally. Sure, I was left hanging a little, but halo     5 will fix that right up. The only con is that I was EXPECTING it to be longer, but 8-9 hours is alright.

    The multiplayer is incredibly balanced and has great maps. Haven has all the CQB I love and exile is like blood gulch and sidewinder had a baby. I also cannot tell you how close the matches I have had are. I love that the grenades are nerfed and everything is more like halo 3, and the armor abilities are perfect and none are OP. If people don't like them, just play a different playlist. Problem solved.

    Spartan ops is fun, but lacks replay value, but aside from that, it makes me happy to see it as an extension of the campaign, making the campaign longer. I think I'll stick to multiplayer though.

    I can't wait to make machinimas, laugh with friends and blow people up. Thank you, 343, for showing how amazing you guys are. Cant wait for halo 5.    … Expand
  9. Armataan
    Nov 18, 2012
    10
    My scores up to this point for reference follow: Halo 1 - 10 Halo 2 - 8 Halo 3 - 9 Halo ODST - 7 Halo Reach - 8 Halo Anniversary - 7 (lots of flaws the original didn't have, and artistic direction was just awkward) Halo 4 - 10 This is the single best Halo experience I have ever had. It may not be as revolutionary compared to what had come before it as Halo 1 (how could it be?) but it is the most fun I have had at Halo, the most enthralled I have been at Halo, and the most passionate I have been about it.

    On to the grit.

    Graphics: The graphics are beautiful. The artistic design is delightful, the character designs border on the inspired. In certain moments, these are the best in game graphics I have ever seen on the system, in others though, graphical artifacting and glitching mar the experience. Misloaded textures take away from the experience and suspend disbelief. These may be the fault of my aging system (same box I have owned since the month of launch), but regardless of where the fault lies, It damages an otherwise flawless visible presentation.

    Sound - The sound library is improved in several ways, with the gun, grenade, and terrain sounds all minorly boosted. The biggest aspect of sound, and by far the most notable, is the change of musical direction. I'll be honest, I wish they could have retained the composers from the original, because they help identify the world, even in the face of Bungie's departure. That said, the songs are beautiful, and capture the feel of the game very well. Gone are the days of the music track defining the level, and it is replaced by music that helps focus the environment. While the raw talent may not be as high now as it was, the skill with which each level has its song composed and matched, is superior.

    Balance - Gun balance is the most important part of Halo's overall balance in design, for me. And this game wins in a big way. Everything is useful here. The Assault Rifle has finally figured out its balance. It being the default gun for most missions over the course of the game finally makes sense in story, as the gun is ridiculously useful for mid and close range engagement, an does not fully lose itself in long range. The pulse rifle, which was overpowered in campaign, is gone as is the terrible Reach equivalent, and in its place we find a far better balanced weapon in the storm rifle. The storm rifle is getting a lot of flack online as terrible, but it is because people do not understand it. This gun is probably the single best support weapon in the game, when used along with your allies' battle rifles and DMRs. All of the new [race redacted to avoid spoilers] weapons find their balance, except the boltshot which would be perfectly functional if it had its magazine size doubled but finds itself hampered by its required reload. The new grenade balance has boosted the game, with the frag grenade more lethal but with a smaller area of effect. The new pulse grenade is getting a lot of hate online, but as an area denial tool, and against vehicles it is very useful. If you have the grenade skills and timing you can also kill a fully charged enemy with a single shot. Overall, the balance functions to lessen the domination of the br/dmr, and open up better representation for the close support, as well as the true long distance, weapons. Grenade play is vastly improved in my opinion and heavily rewards precision, the pistol has finally found its balance, and all that is left is the sniper rifle. I am disappointed with the sniper rifle, as it retains all of its benefits from past versions and picks up far greater 'shoot from the hip' precision, making open-shot sniper rifle dominant when it shouldn't be. Hopefully they address this in a future patch by returning the imprecision to open sight shot with the sniper rifle.

    Emotional affect - I cared more about this campaign than I have cared about anything but 3, and I care about the two main characters more than I ever have. Brilliant success. The script writing is better, the acting is better, the emotion conveyed to the voice is better. Heartbreaking, and 'real'. I cannot overstate how much impact the story had compared to everything else out there. This game shows the fullest potential of what video games should be, in every area but social conscience, and as a philosophic journey, I think it outpaces Bioshock in its final question.

    AI - This is the best AI in the history of the game. Organic AI is improved, and the new race has the best AI I have ever played against. Pathfinding is sometimes predictable, and could benefit from more randomization.

    Glitches - A few graphical glitches mar the experience. One or two sound glitches threw me off, Cortana whispering more quietly than the background music at one point was bad. Wall artifacting at one point. Nothing game-ruining.

    Overall - Arguably the best game I have ever played on the xbox. At the very least in my top 5.    … Expand
  10. oldguy
    Nov 11, 2012
    6
    Sorry Halo Fans but the only game I like to play for the most part did'nt show up this time ! . I only play at Heroic level and found a lot of the game play sluggish, especially the flight segments. The flight controls
    are insulting and downright boring. Pretty disappointed I am but the story line was ok but left me questioning the logic of it all. The Diadec at the end changes it's apper    ance rather crudely. The graphics were pretty good at times but lacked depth overall. I hoped for more sadly not happily as a Halo fan should.

    Where's the firefight for the people that don't play xbox live.....really!!!    … Expand
  11. MarquisBlack
    Nov 11, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Allow me to just say this: I've bought and played every single Halo game released since Halo:CE. I have also played the CoD and MoH series, and yet I can say this about Halo 4: it is by far one of the most amazing first-person shooter games I've seen. And that's saying something. In a genre where the basic aim of the game is "point and shoot," it can be amazingly difficult to have the game portray any sort of substance beyond the passing thrill of shooting the enemy in the face or performing trick shots. So when I played through the campaign (admittedly on Normal difficulty), I was absolutely stunned by how magnificent the story they chose to portray shone through. The love story, tragic and moving without being sexualized: brilliant. The graphical display of the rich environment of Requiem: stunning. The suspense, which after the Flood would have had a high bar to surpass: thrilling. Even just the fact that 343 Industries decided to so deeply entangle the game with the novels being published (a concerted effort, if I recall correctly, between the authors and 343 Industries to expand the Halo canon ala Star Wars) made the game so much more interesting and intriguing.

    Now then, what about the similarities, one might ask, with CoD? Now, I don't personally understand the hate between CoD and Halo fans (thinking as I do that it is just plainly stupid, since both series are great in their own separate story frames), but I can also recognize that some of the complaints of long-time Halo players regarding similar motifs is true. The rotating UNSC shield is very reminiscent of the CoD loading screens. A few other things did remind me of CoD, but is that why my score is not a 10? No.

    These complaints are, at heart, irrevelant. FPS games, we must realize, run on the same generic platform framework. You have a gun, there are enemies, so shoot them in the face. Or anywhere else you want to shoot them. Everything else is just polish. Is your radar to the left or right, bottom or top, how the shield bar works, whether you have quicktime events or not...that's all just extras, so the idea that a game is inferior because similarities have cropped up with another game is ridiculous, as they all share the same basic idea.

    So why is the score 9/10 rather than 10/10? For me, it was the end boss. It wasn't the quicktime event, however. If done right, a quicktime event can become just as thrilling as an actual boss fight, particularly as it means the story requires that the boss die in a certain way (usually to later explain how he/she/it survived and is coming back to bite you in the rear for not finishing him off properly). Rather, it was that the entire sequence was so short. Even then, it melded so well with the campaign's story that it didn't even bother me all that much. That's my only real gripe with the campaign, and I've yet to see a problem with the Multiplayer, so I won't even go there.

    In short, 343 Industries have created a resounding success in their first foray into the Halo world. I can't wait to see what they'll come up with next. Hopefully, the 2nd Forerunner-Human War!    … Expand
  12. BadmanFaust
    Nov 11, 2012
    2
    Best Call of Duty Game Ever! ... wait.... Halo? are you sure? I'm pretty sure that useless loadouts and button mashing 'kill the bad guy' cut-scenes are a call of duty thing. Those bastards!!! Don't get me wrong the cinematics were great, the sound quality was eerily near realistic, and the musical score made me feel warm and fuzzy. But that does not give 343 industries license to pull a George Lucas and mess with something that was perfect. So this goes into the cannon of pop culture which i will convince myself don't exist like the last three episodes of Star Wars, AC/DC's Black Ice album, the last Indiana Jones movie and Spider Man 3. Seriously if I wanted my Multi-player experience to be like Call of Duty I would have stood outside in line for two hours for the midnight release and shelled out $60 for COD.… Expand
  13. Jonnyblond
    Nov 11, 2012
    7
    Wow...is all I can say. 343 did a freaking fantastic job on this game. Goodbye bungie hello beautiful. The campaign was a riot. I had a lot of fun with the chief and that half naked robo-babe. The story was short but it includes spartan ops which is a fine addition to the game. Then there's the meat and bones of the game. The multiplayer is truly awesome. I tried getting into 3, odst, and reach and they just didn't do it for me. They were great games but the multiplayer was made to cater to basement dwellers. This game I have jumped right in and have totally destroyed all. There's nothing better than hearing a hardcore teen scream in the mic how sucky the game is cause the battle rifle isn't the all end. It feels like 343 did the multiplayer right weapon wise. It seems all the guns have their own uses for different situations but the dmr and br are truly the killers. Whatever 343 did to stop the stupid bunny hopping players gets true nods from me. I love seeing someone jump all around to only get destroyed by me now. In the past if you bunny hopped, it seemed king. But no more. Anyways if your looking to get a truly awesome multiplayer game for the 360, then put your trust in 343. They eclipsed bungie. It's been a long while since I liked a halo multiplayer and I don't see me walking away from this one. I don't even think the new call of duty will get me away from this unless activistion does something truly great with black ops 2. But most likely it will all be nothing but hiding in buildings the whole game cause the sky is littered with helicopters, bombers, etc.… Expand
  14. Mystery19x
    Nov 11, 2012
    9
    At first I didn't really like the game but after playing for many hours and days, I LOVE IT. The campaign was fantastic and is an emotional roller-coaster. The story between Cortana and Master Chief is told very well and IMO this campaign is one of the best in the Halo series. The graphics and sound effects are AMAZING and for a game that runs at 30fps this game is SMOOTH. The enemies in this game are smart, clever and very well done. They actually have a mind of their own and don't run and hide like in previous halo games. Voice acting and the sound tracks for Halo are outstanding. The Multiplayer PLAYS AND FEELS LIKE HALO unlike halo reach (which I hated IMO ) Everything is perfectly balanced this time. The level design is very good and the maps are all well thought-out. The armor abilities and the weapon drops give a fresh new look to Halo 4 and makes the game fell less repetitive compared to previous Halo games. If you like old school Halo then there is a special playlist called Team slayer pro which removes all armor abilities and weapon drops and makes the game just like Halo 3. However, since I am giving a fair review there are SOME things which I really didn't like in this game. The respawns in multiplayer aren't as bad as COD but they get quite annoying and i always end up being spawned in front of a warthog and then being run over immediately. I was also hoping that the campaign could have been a bit longer since it is only 6 hours on normal difficulty. Other than those reasons, this game is VERY GOOD and I highly recommend it. No game is perfect :)… Expand
  15. raihan007
    Nov 11, 2012
    10
    One word truly awesome game. I mean a clear refresh from the old good Halo days. games need to innovate not stay like it was five years back. thats what 343 did and they did it superbly. those who are scoring low I think didnt even bother to judge the whole package. come on its Halo and it needs to innovative. this game has all what was missing in a games like this. yes there are few lackings but as a whole package its superb.… Expand
  16. d0mesplitter
    Nov 11, 2012
    9
    As a longtime halo fan I was very skeptical of this new game, not because of the new studio behind it 343, but because of the new "call of duty-like" things being added to multiplayer. After finishing the campaign on heroic and getting to rank 36 here is the good and bad. If you don't want to read, just know that overall it is an excellent game, especially compared to most games these days, and is worth buying.

    The good:
    -join in progress multiplayer games. Now when someone rage quits your team isn't permanently down players for the entire match. I have come into several matches in progress where my team was losing slightly and helped them come back to win. -controls still feel like halo. The jumping, the melee, the movement, the headshots, it all feels just like a halo game. I have heard complaints to the new controls but I use bumper jumper which is more traditional.
    -graphics. I thought Halo: Reach was easily the best looking xbox game, but where it had really crisp textures and almost no shadows, Halo 4 outdoes reach with amazing lighting and shadows. Easily the best looking console game today. -balance. Right off the bat the game feels nicely balanced in terms of weapon power. There is no clear winner with the dmr vs br, and even the carbine and light rifle are on par. None of the weapons feel weak, with even the assault rifle and plasma pistol being formidable weapons.
    -ordinance. I feel it's a great chance of pace to slayer and if you don't like it it's only in slayer
    -dominion. Amazing! A next-gen version of domination or capture and hold control points. The longer you hold a base, the more defenses it builds and resupplies your team with weapons and vehicles.
    -maps. Miles ahead of Halo: Reach in terms of maps on release. Each map is unique and I really love them all except Haven.

    Now some of the bad you should know about
    -the killcam. Great idea even if it's ripped off of call of duty. In my experience it doesn't work 95% of the time, instead showing you a weird replay of someone shooting into the sky.
    -Spartan Ops: not nearly as good as firefight in my opinion. The missions are bland and don't really compare to the amazing campaign missions. Though to be honest, I wouldn't want to fight waves of prometheans anyway.
    -slowing down when shot. This is a double edged sword. It stops nooby double melee rushing, but it also makes it even harder to stay alive in a game that is already beefing up the speed of kills. -No small weapons on maps. I like how power weapons can drop randomly anywhere, but in an objective game where you don't call in ordinance, the only way to pick up a different gun is to kill an enemy. There are no longer grenades and non-power weapons on the map to pick up and resupply you with ammo.

    Overall this game is definitely worth getting. It has changed a bit but I believe for the better. Halo was originally called "combat evolved" and I think they need to keep evolving the halo formula.    … Expand
  17. blowme343
    Nov 11, 2012
    4
    If you were expecting it to be as good as the Halo 3 or Reach, then I've got bad news for you. The campaign was enjoyable with exciting graphics, but the online play is something entirely different. 343 industries completely butchered the online play to the point where I felt the need to make an account on here and warn you. I have no idea what the were thinking, but 343 took out the traditional spawning of weapons in certain locations throughout each map. Instead they implement the use of load outs and supply drops which sounds cool, but in reality sucks major D. It's like 343 was trying to make it into a battle field game but instead turned it into a retarded and dysfunctional mutant-hybrid game.… Expand
  18. 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..........................................................................................................................................................
  19. Danface
    Nov 12, 2012
    9
    Undoubtedly the best Halo title yet, and the first to make major changes to the multiplayer game dynamic. The campaign is graphically spectacular, with the increasing rampancy of Cortana a very engaging plot device. The Flood are thankfully absent, the Prometheans are awesome, there are some excellent set pieces, and a great spaceship level made it a memorable experience. It does have its flaws though. As all FPS campaigns it is almost insultingly short, taking around 7 hours on normal. The game also struggles to tell the story as each level progress, and while the cut scenes are glorious they skimp on details. My biggest issue was the final boss fight, which was a clumsy quick time event and made for a very unsatisfying conclusion. However, overall it was an enjoyable romp as any Halo campaign should be. Spartan Ops is an interesting edition, good fun with friends or alone. Free episodic story content is a really innovative idea and should give the game a longer life expectancy. I have high hopes for it. The main gameplay changes come in multiplayer. Borrowing from the call of duty games, you now have loadouts. Unlike COD however, these do not spoil the game for new players, as they are more to do with personal preference than raw power. Heavy weapons no longer have spawn points on the maps, but instead are dropped/teleported into random locations than then appear on everyone… Expand
  20. baldbull
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    Finally Halo is back! Only FPS that actually involves skill. You can shoot me first but if you are not better I will win the battle 9 out of 10 times.
  21. nator1877
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    Halo is back in my opinion. Nothing beats or can compare to the very first Halo which is what I have been chasing fro years now like a drug. I actually enjoyed the campaign and did not skip the cut scenes like every other game in the last few years. I felt invested, I felt it mattered to know what was going on and what my next objective would be. The Spartan Ops definitely adds longevity to this game when you are done with the campaign and you can level up and customize as well. The multiplayer has changed or evolved and is a welcome change for me. Overall this game was a surprise hit for me. I purchased the game off of the Microsoft store with $25 credit. $35 and very well spent, just wow! The new weapons, the new enemies, the new locations, new vehicles. I do feel like I am always finding a new weapon or a way to use it. Must play.… Expand
  22. punchaYoBuns
    Nov 12, 2012
    9
    A lot of gamers are getting on here and saying that this game is not the same Halo game that we have all come to love. I might agree with that statement a little bit but the truth is that in my opinion it has gotten better. Halo is known for having storylines that fall apart at some point and leave you just shooting in the middle of some mission for no reason. Give 343 Industries a chance because Halo needed a reboot. They might have saved Halo from extinction after the Armor-Locking fiasco that was Halo: Reach. So what I am trying to say is that if you are going to judge a game for taking a risk and changing its gameplay some then you probably still believe that we should never come out with a new gaming system either. Halo 4 is pretty awesome too!… Expand
  23. Metallic
    Nov 12, 2012
    2
    As a halo fan I was ready to give 343 industries a chance and looking back now, how wrong I was to even think about buying it. Starting off with the PROS: 1. the game looks very well polished and sleek (a bit too polished) 2. they've brought some old guns back 3. sprint is a standard ability given to everyone 4. master chief talks more That's about it... CONS: 1. the menu screen has been played with too much making it feel odd
    2. possibly the biggest problem, the music. if it's perfect don't change it
    3. boring campaign only consisting of objectives like ' hold the enemy off ' or ' destroy the shields '
    4. forge feels like its been copied and pasted added with a pile of turd stuck on top
    5. boring new maps that are no good for forge and make a bad multiplayer
    6. the mantis is a good concept but the design is terrible
    7. the forerunner weapons look cool but imo aren't good for any situation
    8. people on line are either idiots that camp or people who waste their life devoted to levelling up. It's becoming just like COD is.
    The game is just a let down. Sadly, 343 industries have ruined the halo era.    … Expand
  24. Schembre91
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    I have invested about 40 hours into this game so far. Let me be clear in stating that Halo 4 is a sum of its' parts. Halo is not just the campaign or the MP. It's all of it together (campaign, music, voice acting, cut scenes, MP, spartan ops, ranking, unlocking, etc.) and it's an experience, not a game. I have been an avid halo fan for the last 12 years of my life and can say with certainty that, in my opinion, Halo 4 is the best Halo yet. I have noticed that many reviewers are comparing the game to bungie's halos and something occurred to me. Many players may be waiting for the next Bungie game, not the next Halo game. For those are waiting for the next Bungie game you're not going to get it. What you're going to get is the next element of Halo. Let's start with the good. Halo 4 as everyone has said is gorgeous...the graphics will put even the most sophisticated games out there to shame. Some cut scenes are pre-rendered which adds just that much more realism to the series. If you've ever played the other games you'll notice that 343 has stepped out of a Halo comfort zone and tested the waters with an all new, more serious approach to the game in terms of character animations, voice acting, and dialogue. Secondly, Halo 4 feels like halo...let me repeat that for all the CoD fans...HALO 4 FEELS LIKE HALO!!!Halo 3 had given me some of the most memorable moments in my gaming career. It was my favorite game of all time. When Halo: Reach came out, Bungie had started experimenting but doing it in all the wrong ways. To many, including myself, Reach felt foreign. It felt different and most importantly it didn't feel like Halo. Halo 4 takes all of the things that Reach did right and mixed it with Halo 3 while casting aside all of Reach's short comings. (No spoilers, don't worry) In campaign Halo 4 goes back to its roots and gives us options on how to tackle engagements. What I mean by this is that when you turn the corner and find yourself in a big valley with a pulsating forerunner structure and hordes of baddies you can bum rush them with all of your Spartan might, hop behind the wheel of a near by vehicle (which are no longer made of DMR vulnerable paper machet) or covert-ops your way up to the nearest elite or knight and go into an stunning performance of grace and death with a combat knife....or brutally ripping arms off. But I digress. Choices are what has made the game so much fun to play for players in the past and it's back with a vengeance in Halo 4 which is something that was sorely missed in all the tight quarter engagements in Reach. The next great thing about this game is the Chief probably has more lines in this game than the last 3 games combined. The relationship between the Chief and Cortana is nothing short of spectacular! Finally the fans who have dedicated hours of their lives to reading the books have finally been able to see that expanded universe of Chief's personality mixed with the quirks that are Cortana. Mixed with her increasing rampancy it gives us loyal zombie fans something more than the previous campaigns ever did.Multiplayer is back baby! And it's better than ever! Halo 4 has taken all of the good things from every game and put it into the multiplayer experience. It learned from the mistakes that came from Halo 3 and Reach and pulled together to create a multiplayer experience that is fun and adds to Halo 4's list of ever growing Pro's. Movement is back to where it was, no more decreased strafing speed like Reach. You're back to usual spartan strength as well so grenades aren't mini nukes landing at your feet. Loadouts are relatively newer as you have to unlock certain items for use but don't worry you unlock the important weapons after the first couple of games. And the magic of Halo is that all the weapons are balanced. (minus the power weapons) meaning that even though you start with an AR and magnum you still have just as good a chance as anyone else for victory. Reticle Bloom is severely decreased to a point of almost non existence so skilled players are no longer taken down by lucky spammings of the trigger. Vehicle friendly maps are now more abundant than ever and feel fun to play! Briefly, Spartan Ops is a great replacement for the monotonous firefighting. Now you have purpose and a goal instead of mindless shooting. Spartan Ops takes place 6 months after the events of Halo 4 and is a whole new story in its own right. As mentioned before the whole game in itself is an experience. It's not just one thing over another and if you truly want to enjoy a game you should consider all it has to offer. Not beating the campaign in one sitting then taking it back.Small cons: Ammo isn't abundant in campaign, constantly switching to promethean and covy weapons.No saved films feature for campaign or s-ops yet.
    and the campaign ending leaves nothing to the imagination or eludes to what Halo 5 could be about. 343 outstanding job! Halo is in good hands.    … Expand
  25. LiveMau5
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 is probably one of the most innovative games that has been made for a long time. Unfortunately the rise of call of duty fans giving this bad reviews have gone up, so dont listen to the 0's. They dont know what a good game is if they play call of duty. This halo has changed a lot since the last, and the multiplayer is new and addictive, goes back to halo 3 when i used to play non stop for hours. It brings friends together again to play as a group, having a laugh, something games have lost for a long time. But halo 4 brings it back to the good old days. And the campaign is probably one of the most action packed, new, and somehow emotional in a halo game to date. Definitely buy: 10/10.… Expand
  26. Fabtech23
    Nov 12, 2012
    9
    Halo 4. Apparently we didnt finish the fight afterall. But you know what, I'm ok with that. Ignore the negative scores on this site. These are the same trolls that complained about Diablo and Mass Effect. These are the same trolls that complain about how things changed too much, but would also complain if nothing changed. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery they say. There is no denying the multi-player comparisons to Call of Duty. Hell, some of the changes are clearly blatant ripoffs. But this is still Halo. Its still the fast paced, twitch firing, map memorizing game weve been playing since the LAN parties of 2001. Multiplayer is fine, and when BLOPS2 comes out, all the COD fan boys will leave and Halo's MP experience can only strengthen. However, MP is only part of the game. Spartan Ops add a fresh co-op experience, and 343 is pumping it full of maps every week...for free. The single player is more lore driven than previous entries, and personally i learned more about the Halo universe from H4, than any game before. I play single player in one of two ways, "Easy" - i like to play for the story, i want that to progress smoothly and fluidly with no frustrations. However, "legendary" with a friend is a must, i still want a challenge. But i need to get that story out of the way first, this is a lore centric series now (something i feel Bungie missed out on) and you owe it to yourself to see the single player game through. I gave this game a 9 because it isnt perfect. The mission objectives in SP are repetitive, their only saving grace is the level variety. But really, other than that, this game is amazing. Matchmaking in MP is fluid, smooth, quick, and i rarely get dumped into a random losing game. The guns are amazingly balanced for an initial release (really guys, the DMR kills at long range, but doesnt stand a chance vs a BR at mid, learn to aim) As someone who has routinely sucked at past Halo MP offerings, i can say that i am having an absolute blast with H4, the changes have allowed me to become a "better" player, thus making the game more enjoyable. 343 took a huge risk with a beloved franchise, and came out on top. Halo can only go up from here!… Expand
  27. dndandrea
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    The negative comments are so silly. I went out and bought a xbox 360 primarily just to play this game and it was definitely worth it. The campaign storyline is great and I felt connected with the characters. The addition of all these new weapons was really nice. The game is challenging if you play it on heroic or legendary mode but very rewarding. I honestly can't complain about much, if I had to i'd say the campaign was short. 6 hours, 3 minutes, and 30 seconds for me on heroic mode and I died a lot! Still, the campaign was solid. I like the addition of spartan ops but I hope 343 adds some more interesting levels for it soon. If you have an xbox 360 there should be no questions of whether or not to buy this game!… Expand
  28. Spawnofstumpy
    Nov 12, 2012
    4
    Graphics are pretty good, best for Xbox. Alien AI is awful, they dance about from side to side & trying to aim on them is a complete joke. I expect this on legendary, NOT normal. Guns are boring & totally useless. U often get a close range gun for distant enemy's, & a meaty slow loading one for cqc. Constant running out of ammo hence dying lots. Very repetitive levels & generally boring. You will destroy a controller playing this game! Nice music tho, none of that guitar crap from previous games.
    The infuriating end to halo 2 is what this game is. Over & over & over again. Big disappointment & my last Xbox game. Had enough of shooter games now. Halo ce was the best the. Series went down the pan
    4/10    … Expand
  29. Anson
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    Everything in this game was absolutely spectacular. Multiplayer is better than ever and campaign is just as interesting as previous installments. The only think that I can complain with is the menus that leave a bit to be desired, but you get use to them very quickly,
  30. popje
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    Best campaign since Halo: Combat Evolved and best multiplayer experience since Halo 2. The graphics are amazing, the story is really good and there a ton of awesome moments worthy of the first Halo. My hopes were low for the multiplayer after the disaster that is Halo: Reach, but Halo 4 multiplayer is more than awesome, it really feels like Halo 2, the gameplay is fast and action packed, the maps are awesome and flawless. People who say the game have been CODified, its not entirely false, but what make halo, halo and cod, cod ? its definitely not the small perks here and here. The ordinances push players to rush and not to camp like killstreaks are in Call of duty, perks are a small bonus and are nowhere near mandatory. The scoring system is well made and really reflect players skills. What else can I say ?… Expand
  31. Pepperoni3000
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    Best Halo campaign I've played in a long time. Greatest graphics in the series and the most emotional story line I've seen since the Gears of War series. The music, while not Marty's, definitely fits the Halo universe. 343i definitely did this franchise some good!! Love the multiplayer too, new and a step up from Reach's unbalanced mess.
  32. 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
  33. jfrankie
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    It's more of the same, but why is that a bad thing?? Halo 4 is large a bowl of ice cream. Absolutely delicious. I want more! I can't wait to see what they'll add for halo 5!
  34. Azazel1911
    Nov 13, 2012
    0
    The game is completely boring. The singleplayer is simply not fun at all, the multiplayer is dull and the mechanics can be seen in pretty much any other shooter out there.
  35. KevowOfRice
    Nov 13, 2012
    7
    I think out of all the Halo titles, this "Almost" falls as bad as Reach was. The biggest mistake developers of video games make is trying to add in new things that NOBODY (that loves halo) wanted in the game in the first place. You start with a single game that everyone loves, add in improvements and separate features (such as forge, skulls) in. But when you start to add in new things that were NEVER asked for, well than you are going to have a bad time! Spartan Ops was literally a disappointment. It could be a big time waster for new players, but lack the freshness of diversity compared to the campaign. It was literally just firefight but with an ending and location movement, but you can't change what enemies there are and the play-style like firefight. You just spawn, leaving out the challenge of beating it with ease and its just plain crap for people who actually try not to get any deaths, not that it even matters anymore.

    Graphics are amazing, very rarely do I see any graphic clippings, and that was ONLY in the cutscenes in campaign. The lighting is amazing. But the generating lighting feature in Forge is so annoying I wish you had the option of turning it off!

    Multiplier is fast paced and I like it. But when you get over the fact of graphics, lighting, and features in-game, it starts to turn into **** Ordinance was the worst feature of all. Some players got rockets and shotguns, while unlucky players received mere needlers that need to be fired directly for a long time before getting a kill. Weapon balancing is a HUGE issue in this game! DMR is a 4 head-shot kill while the rest of the weapons take 6-10 shots. ALL of the forerunner weapons are **** like the Boltshot which is like a charged up shotgun capable of overtaking a primary weapon at close-mid range any day.

    Forge was amazing. The new interface made it 10x as easy and faster to build new structures. Needless to say, anybody can take the time now to create anything they want.

    The menu/lobby is to unorganized and clunky. It takes time to find other players and counting how many players takes effort. You can't find your buddy as easily as the ones in Halo Reach or 3. '

    The idea of prestiging in Halo just wants to make me burn down 343 for ALL of this **** they are copying from COD. I'm so disappointed how desperate they are to getting COD players to join in, they don't even care about the loyal fans out there whole love the HALO mechanics over COD and just makes everything less fun for everyone and makes everyone mad.

    The campaign was repetitive and boring like Gears of War 3. All you did was go somewhere, kill the enemies and move on. Just so many fillers that needed to be fixed.

    The armors in H4 were impressive looking but the idea of letting people unlock them and giving them out for free makes wearing those armors feel like you didn't even worked for it. No matter how cool that armor looks it just feels like you didn't earn it and that everyone has it. Id personally would of liked it if they did the opposite with spartan points to the load outs and put it on armor instead.    … Expand
  36. LmTz
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    There is no doubt that 343 Industries handled one the most famous FPS game of the history almost impeccably as soon as you play the first campaign missions. At the core it's still the same old great Halo we've been playing for years, yet at times, the game can deliver that same freshness the first one delivered as you're thrown in a completely new world against a whole new enemy even more threatening than the Covenant. The sound is still one of the finest you'd find, only this time, the same can be said in regard to the graphics. How beautiful this game looks! The gameplay, in spite of the default sprint, has changed very little and been kept as good as the past games. Last but not least, the multiplayer; well, in a nutshell: EXTREMELY addictive. Beware. Unfortunately, many Halo fans' favorite playlists were not shipped with the game, but it is nothing a patch can't fix. Fan of Halo? MUST buy. Not a fan? Why not join us now? It's a new trilogy, and 343i has proved itself to be more than capable of carrying on the legacy of the series.… Expand
  37. Hiffchakka
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 has taken a new direction in regards of storytelling, and in my opinion it makes the best single player so far since we not only get MC and Cortana back but they have become something more than just a puppet we control. The campaign has some epic set pieces with beautiful graphics and music. Spartan Ops make for a valid replacement for Firefight though could need a scoring system. Multiplayer has changed a lot though, some will like it and some might not. Personally I'm having a blast and probably will be the first in queue for Halo 5.… Expand
  38. Viperspider
    Nov 25, 2012
    1
    This is my second review. Unlike my first this will be quick and to the point. ||||| Halo 4 is a horrible pathetic disappointment. I have had this game for maybe 3 weeks and I've already shelved it for good. It is my brothers game so i cant return it, but i wish i could. Keep in mind that i only played the multiplayer on the weekends and i played the campaign through while i had a week off from college with a little MP here and there. So i havent even been playing this game extensively, and it still bored me to tears in just 3 weeks. |||| The campaign is horribly written, boring and theres nothing compelling you to keep playing, The ending is the worst i've ever seen, instead of a nice cut scene we get a horrible "Press LT to ***" which was the most pathetic excuse for a climax i've ever seen. The multiplayer is stale, unbalanced, laggy and the maps and playlists are horribly designed. The only good map is a Halo 3 remake. |||| The latest Halo title is just another addition to the stagnant pool of FPS genre titles that have come out in the last 3 years or so. Dont buy this game people, save your money for toilet paper because you'll only end up wiping your ass with this game anyway.… Expand
  39. SithLordMike
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    I love this game to death! Sadly, I wish COD did not get so boring to me. Happily, Halo did not become boring to me. The story is an A+, the online A+, the S.O. is an A+. Only thing that is bad, the fact that I wish I have more time to play. :)
  40. 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
  41. Resilenced
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    Halo is, at its core, a game of immense drama, thrill and excitement. Halo 4 does little to disappoint in the way of returning to its roots while also adding new experiences and features. The campaign is an emotional roller coaster ensuring that fans new to the lore outside the games are able to follow the changing directions that certainly knod their head towards the dedicated fanbase that love the vast backstory of the Halo Universe. The story is further compelled by amazing musical scores that really shine towards the climax and adds an incredible atmosphere to the newly discovered Forerunner planet, Requiem. Needless to say, the graphics and design of the game is seemingly flawless. With absolutely no loss of frame rate, the game looks and feels more beautiful than anything else currently on the Xbox360. The vibrant colour scheme chosen for Halo 4 certainly doesn't detract from the multiplayer scene, as the brand new rendered lighting system enhances the appearance of user-created maps in Forge. Changes to the multiplayer formula haven't been without concern to many fans afraid that a change in formula means a change in the game they know and love. But rest assured that the newly revised multiplayer loadout system and perk upgrades have been carefully implemented to retain the classic Halo gameplay. Once you have finished Halo 4's campaign, you will have your chance to experience more of the stunning Halo universe through Spartan OPs, a new feature replacing the Firefight modes of Halo: Reach and Halo 3: ODST. Once a week for ten weeks an episode featuring five separate chapters of Spartan OPs gameplay will be released along with an expansion of the Halo 4 story. 343 Industries went above and beyond in their efforts to ensure that both the campaign and the multiplayer modes were simply stunning, bridging the gap between the two through short but incredibly detailed CGI cut-scenes. This is a game done for the fans with the door open for more to join, with new features and refined old ones, there is little to not love about this game.… Expand
  42. manofdust
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    Im going to make this short and sweet .Im a 28 year old gamer,I've had every system, I have a life outside of games. I'm a singer for a alternative band,I get plenty women and I've got an 10 year old who idolizes me. This is the best halo yet.From graphics to gameplay, from story to multi player. I had doubts about 343 but from the moment I started campaign, my faith was renewed. I finished it on legendary last night. And I'm currently a level 13 on live.. I finish in the top 2 every match.go buy this game. Peace… Expand
  43. LudicrousGamer
    Nov 15, 2012
    10
    This game is just outstanding! The multiplayer is fun to play (even though it has a call of duty feel to it) and they keep adding new game types every week. Just like spartin ops you get new missions every week and its fun to play with others. Oh and the campain was a bit short but the story is just awesome. Forge mode is the basically the same but hey if it ain't broke don't fix it. Overall everyone that has an Xbox should get this game. You won't regret it ;)… Expand
  44. Keeds
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    i can't say anymore than this is an amazing game. the Campaign is STELLAR and i cant say anything else because of spoilers and finally halo has really great graphics the first time i go out of darkness of requiem into sunlight it was the same feeling of being on halo for the first time.

    Multiplayer is SO FUN and even though its diffrent its still halo :)
  45. ARMISTICErj
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    First off I am a long time halo fan and I actually wasn't going to buy it after hearing some interviews with the designers. Reviews started pouring in and it got me excited enough to pick it up. Long story short, if your a halo fan or a fan of sci fi you will probably like this.

    The music while not as epic or memorable as Marty o Donnels scores still easily surpass almost all other gam    es. It is a welcome change of tone for me and feels like it could be right at home in a mass effect game, also a big fan of the mass effect music. If you have ever seen the movie Sunshine, 28 days later, or snatch which the soundtracks for those were all done by a guy named John Murphy. It feels like his style mixed with some mass effect. Which again are great because im a big fan of all this. So enough about the music, I loved it.

    The gameplay is what you'd exspect from halo and if you are a fan of the others than you will feel right at home with this one.

    The storyline is great minus 2 chapters which didn't serve any purpose but as filler. There's 2 chase scenes and they both are very glitchy but they are over quickly and don't ruin the experience.

    I did have a problem unlocking a avatar award but after I cleared my cache and tied again it popped the second time. Not a big deal but when I am useto bungies extremely high quality little touches like that make it apparent that bungie had nothing to do with this. Great game, not the best but better than most.

    Ohh and no swat in matchmaking? WTF?    … Expand
  46. Tobykenobi88
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    I purchased Halo 4 mainly for the story. I've played and own all the games, and read many of the books so to me the biggest point of the game was the storyline. Thankfully, the story was great! As has been stated in other reviews, lots of character development and intense moments between Master Chief and Cortana. The gameplay was good as well, but felt very similar to previous Halo games (not necessarily a bad thing.) A few cool new weapons and abilities as well as the returning "veterans." I had a few minor gripes with some of the changes, like the updated Covenant for example, but that is totally a personal complaint and nothing major. Overall, a fun game which takes proven game mechanics with some small adjustments and puts it with an intriguing story line. I'd say a must buy for fans of the Halo series in general, and maybe a try before you buy for everyone else.… Expand
  47. nerdG
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    Friends I used to play Halo with but have shunned recent releases are coming out to play again. This game feels like a huge evolutionary step in all of the right places and established a new era for the Halo universe.
  48. BetaVudkovlak
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    Halo 4 itself has managed to give me many feelings towards 343i and the franchise they will continue to create. These feelings are excitement, blissfulness, tolerance, prejudice, rage, anger, hatred, and despair. YOU WILL LOVE THIS GAME BUT HATE IT AT THE SAME TIME! There are so many parts that I liked. Now the people below me are probably CoD **** stating that the game sucks so bad cuz there is no innovation, claiming that they copied from CoD when in reality the things they added came from a plethora of shooters. The game is innovative by adding in Spartan Ops and especially Spartan Ops. While I would like to strangle Spartan Jared Miller to death in the game, it allows me to have fun with my pals without having the ease of jet-packing around with rockets as how you would in Matchmaking firefight on Reach. Another innovative thing they added in was the Prometheans and the Forerunner weapons. Come on guys, they added a fifth faction into the game, the bad Forerunners.

    So right about now you're thinking if I'm a noob or if I am biased. I am level 42 in the game so I've played a lot of Halo 4 since its release.

    Forge is disappointing due to the removal of crouching in monitor (Really helps when not using Coordinates or Magnets) and the lack of terrain and space in the 3 maps. While that is disappointing, that doesn't mean that the innovative approach forgers have is obliterated. I've seen many good games that TheHaloForgeEpidemic has created. For example 5 levels.

    Campaign is good for those who have read the books especially the Forerunner saga section. It will give you an inside look at people like the Didact, Master Builder, and the Librarian in the saga. So do the terminals in the game.

    Many are saying that the DMR is OP but in reality it's that the other rifles are just underpowered in the game while the Boltshot pistol is in my opinion too powerful for a sidearm.

    The Matchmaking are small but are lot's of fun. My favorite mode is Dominion while I hate Infinity slayer with a passion on BTB maps.

    Overall this game should not be hated as much as the 474 people giving negative reviews are saying it should be. This game is a worthy successor to the franchise and 343i should continue their job tending to the franchise.


    8.8/10 (Rounded to 9)    … Expand
  49. KenshinBatousai
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    The Best. from being a very avid player of the series. i'm glad they incorporated a lot from the books. a good example would be the relationship between the didact and librarian. It seems that 343i has been doing research on the story. the best part would be the graphics overall since Halo has never seen the daylight of true 1080p Resolution . OVERALL It Is AMAZING. Bungie. the legendary corporation that made Halo handed over there baby to another company no one has ever heard of and improved it beyond reason. Must get? Yes. and it's a must try for any. good investment… Expand
  50. Hamburglar
    Nov 20, 2012
    8
    The game has incredible graphics, something I long wanted form a Halo game, the campaign is entertaining but feels short. The story is filled with potential but is lacks proper detail. The new enemies pose a new challenge and fun to kill just as much as the covenant, but some weapons feel useless against them. The sound is impressively good! The soundtracks are decent, a few stand out but don't compare to the classics. 343 did a really good job in half the game, but the other half is disappointing. Multiplayer is great, and people complain about not being able to pick grenades from ground without the perk but I've found them placed on maps, still better to pick them from dead bodies tho. What I have to complain is, that Spartan Ops is a good idea, and better than Firefight in some ways, it does not have the customizable options or sense of possible failure that drove Firefight to be fun and even intense at times. Another bad thing about Spartan Ops is it would have been better of as downloadable adds, or playable on disc like firefight so that I can still play and enjoy it EVEN OFFLINE, but no, instead i MUST have xbox life with a GOLD account just to play it, so i wouldn't be able to access it at all if I had no Live or internet. WHich for me is just terrible, not to mention that Theater mode only works only multiplayer and no campaign or Spartan Ops, and there appears to be no way to save an entire film. So so long for my proud no death legendary campaign runs I would save and later review on Theater lobby. Over all the game is a leap forward in Halo, but a step down in overall features. My review score would be 8.75.… Expand
  51. Kennist
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    Wow. I'm surprised. I was not expecting it to be this good. When 343 took over I can't lie I was little curious on if they were the right people to take it over, and if it is even worth continuing the Halo series without Bungie. But after Halo 4 I'm sold and completely convinced. For starters the story was amazing. Going more personal with Master Chief and Cortana was very clever, since it's not something I thought about before about them two having this relationship. Plus the voice acting was very, very good. The most shocking I think though is the sound and graphics. I mean wow. They blew me away. Those departments really nailed it. I truly thought the first cut scene was live action for a good minute. And the guns now sound powerful as if you are really firing that gun. Now the multiplayer. Still fun as always. I'm glad they added some of the nowaday modern shooter features that have been popular like loadouts, and sprinting as not just an armor ability. I think 343 used the features to the perfect extent. They made it so it did not feel too much like other shooters and still as the Halo we love. Obviously there is a lot of hate for the loadouts and sprint comparing it to COD, but I don't think 343 had much of choice. It's what people has come to except nowadays in shooters, and it's the first time Halo is really changing their multiplayer format and hey, I welcome the change. And if I were to compare it to anything, I would compare it to the Battlefield series more, especially when playing big team battle. Overall the games amazing, and it's a must play. Of course it's not perfect, but with 2 more games left, they are sure to hit that mark.… Expand
  52. TheFarLeft
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    This is a fantastic game. However, it is a step in an entirely new direction. The campaign is awesome, the setting, characters, and story is great. Graphics are fantastic. Weapons and vehicles sound great and feel powerful. You get to know the Chief and Cortana better, since they actually have a personality in this game. The cutscenes look amazing. 343 has really captured that feel of a new alien world, just like Bungie did with Halo 1. Campaign is a bit short though, it ran me about 7 hours on Heroic. Neon lights EVERYWHERE.

    The multiplayer is great, it is a completely new experience but it still plays like classic Halo. Surprisingly, the perks and abilities are all perfectly balanced. They are each useful in certain situations, but if you rely on them too much you will be at a disadvantage.

    I've seen a lot of people comparing it with COD because of the loadouts. First of all, COD did not invent the system of loadouts; Battlefield, Team Fortress 2, Red faction: Guerrilla, and many other games have classes/loadouts/perks. Just because the two games have something in common does not mean that one copied the other. Loadouts and perks are becoming a standard part of FPS's, and Halo included them so that it could keep up with the pack. Personally, I think that they are a fantastic addition. If I wanted a game that played just like Halo 1, I would go play Halo 1. There is nothing wrong with revolutionizing a franchise, and 343 has done it well. I don't like everyone being on equal footing at the start of the match, it's boring to me. Each person you come against is unpredictable because you don't know what armor ability they have equipped, and I find that really fun. You have to constantly adjust your tactics in order to keep the upper hand. Halo used to be about rushing to power weapons and camping them all game, something that I absolutely hated. Halo 4 takes the focus off of power weapons, and focuses more on player skill.

    A lot of people (myself included) were worried about the Mantis being overpowered, but after having used it for a few hours in MP I can tell you it isn't. If you bring it out into the middle of a firefight, you will die very quickly, unless your team is covering you.

    Spartan Ops is a great addition. You get a new 'episode' of 5 missions every week, which will run you about an hour of gameplay on Legendary. They've only had 2 episodes but they're great so far.

    I kind of miss Firefight, but not that much.

    I personally believe that 343 has out-Bungied Bungie. This a fantastic game, but it is not like the previous Halo's. It is an entirely new trilogy from an entirely new company. If you can adapt to the franchise's new direction then you will have a blast. If you cannot, then I'm sorry for your loss.    … Expand
  53. dj32milli
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    I really was worried for Halo 4 when Bungie stepped down but 343 pulled it off.

    Pros

    Great story
    Amazing graphics
    Multiplayer is good, slightly different but very fun
    Spartan ops are cool but short
    Cortana's **** and ass-LOL

    Cons

    No halo 5 for a while

    Buy this now!
  54. Impulse
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    As a long-time Halo fan, I was admittedly a bit weary that 343 wouldn't be able to handle the Halo franchise. I thought it would be like Halo Wars; big-budget, and well-polished, but just overall lacking in real quality; 343 just didn't have the experience to get it right, especially on their first try.

    Well I'll be damned, they did it. Is it a perfect game? No. But Halo 4 is a labor of     love, and every corner of this game has been loving crafted by some people who obviously wouldn't give up what they're doing for anything else in the world.

    Graphically, right out of the box, this game blows away anything else that has ever appeared on the Xbox 360. Bungie made leaps and bounds with an amazing graphical engine for Halo's latest installment, but Reach never really had any BEAUTIFUL moments that really took advantage of just what they could do, and Halo 4 really steps up to the plate, combining a brilliant graphics engine with just amazing art direction. There's never a dull environment.

    And as a long-time fan of Marty O'Donnell (heck, I practically worship the guy), I would have to say that by-and-large, Neil Davidge does a pretty damn good job of filling some large shoes for this game's soundtrack. Though he has perhaps fewer pieces that stand out as truly enjoyable stand-alone ones, with a large number simply being atmospheric pieces, and many of his melodies aren't quite as inspired as Marty's, his sound production skills are in a league of his own, with even the most basic pieces made enjoyable by some amazing layering of multiple melodies and rhythms.

    And speaking of sound, this game is almost as much of a step forward as it is graphically. Every gun is an absolute treat to shoot, reload, and bash people's (and ancient dormant alien defense AI's) faces in with. Explosions are beefy, vehicles sound great, and combat is as visceral and intense as ever.

    The written story, however, is likely one of the weaker parts of the game. While it gets the job done, by setting up some amazing gameplay moments and with cutscenes that are brought to life by facial animation easily on par with LA Noire and some fantastic voice acting, especially by Jen Taylor and Steve Downes's interactions, it can be somewhat sketchy and hard to follow at a few points, especially if you haven't read any of the books leading up to this game. But the underlying motif of Chief's (and Cortana's) humanity is a touching, thought-provoking, and emotional one.

    What it all comes down to, however, is the gameplay, and man, did 343 really put some thought into it. As somebody who wanted to love Reach so badly but just never really clicked with it, Halo 4 puts some oil on the gears and gets them turning again. The campaign is chock-full of some amazing moments (the Mammoth ride had me drooling the entire time) and while it can have some repetitive moments inside of the Forerunner structures, it's overall well-paced and plenty of fun. The covenant are their usual selves but feel more responsive and coherent. If you start dropping grunts, elites will duck in and out to draw your fire. Kill high-ranking leaders, and enemies will flee and regroup to take you down.

    And then there's the Prometheans. While there are only three enemy types (the pack-minded crawlers, the floating support-oriented watchers, and the commanding Knights), they all work off of each other to outwit and destroy you. Lone Crawlers will draw you into ambushes where they overwhelm and snipe you, Watchers will put barriers over enemies you are attacking, throw grenades back, and resurrect its fallen comrades, and Knights will do everything they can to obliterate you, teleporting in to slash at you when their heavy armaments don't do the trick. The enemy AI is fantastic, and creates diverse and interesting dynamic encounters where a single enemy can make a world of a difference on higher difficulties.

    And multiplayer is a whole new fare. I was more than skeptical about loadouts, but among every weapon, everything feels balanced. This is nothing like Call of Duty, where you have 30 guns that do the same thing, with everybody racing to unlock the overpowered one that requires you to play a ridiculous amount of time to reach. Here, you have a small amount of distinct but equal weapons, and have to play a minimal amount of time to unlock them. Perks are also a neat addition, taking as little time to unlock as the minimal but neat difference they make. I never lost a gunfight because somebody else could carry an extra clip into the battlefield, and anybody complaining about them wrecking the game has obviously not bothered giving them a chance.

    Overall, Halo 4 is a shining example of a game. 343 has blown away every single expectation for this game, and there's plenty of content to appreciate, from its somewhat short but oh-so-sweet Campaign, to its Multiplayer rich with too many features to list to weekly, episodic, and FREE spartan ops missions.

    Buy Halo 4.    … Expand
  55. Criminai
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 is a great game. It's my favorite Halo campaign and its multiplayer is much than Reach's online. The graphics and sound are spectacular and very innovative. This game pushes the Xbox 360 to its graphical limit and it show very well. This game is most certainly worth your money especially if you're a fan of the other halo games. And for all you reach haters like myself, no armor lock :)
  56. Lap
    Nov 16, 2012
    9
    This game is phenomenal, it has truly pushed the limits for the Xbox 360 and gameplay alike. It's graphics are astounding while the scenery can be jaw dropping. You feel amazingly small and that is a great feel for everything to be of an incredible size. The story is more in depth look at master chief and cortona. It was a nice change of pace to be fighting a new enemy and to see new types of structures. The multiplayer was perfect, the weapons are all balanced in proportion for their use. Some maps feel a little sloppy in areas but for the most part are astounding and play well and leave no room for sitting around, which is fantastic. The change in loadouts, and passive/active skills have added whole new play styles to this already amazing game and will fit to any users liking.… Expand
  57. guildleader117
    Nov 14, 2012
    9
    This game is truly astonishing! The visuals are like nothing I've ever seen before in any game on the market. 343 Industries did the halo universe a solid by keeping the legend alive. The campaign is extremely immersive and level design keeps you coming back for more. Its filled with hero moments that will make your heart race and emotional moments that will leave you with a tear in your eye. Overall this heroic story is a must for any console gamer.… Expand
  58. FishOnHook
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    Let me start off by saying that This is the best halo sense halo 2. Not only was i blown away by the direction 343 took halo but was very impressed by the campaign. Let me start off by saying that the graphics in this game are beautiful. The campaign felt so alive, Master cheif feels like more than a faceless hero, The games La nourish facial movement and the once again mind blowing graphics make this my favorite halo campaign yet. In fact if a halo movie is to be released in the next couple of years i would rather prefer it be animated with these graphics than live action. So big plus on campaign. Now to multiplayer/ spartan ops. The multiplayer is brilliant. Its better than ever introducing new armor abilities and a lot of options to add to your load out such as quick re-load, extra ammo, unlimited sprint, exct. Now i know this sounds a lot like COD but it feels nothing of the sort. This game is still very much halo even with all of its new features (note there is no weapon customization). The spartan ops in this game is very fun, with each week introducing a new episode you will always be introduced to something new and fresh. Now lets talk about the sound. The game sounds amazing!!! 343 has remastered all of the sounds. from the sound of your armor moving as you move to the sound of the vehicles/ weapons, and i gotta say the new sounds are amazing. it makes everything feel more powerful. if you cant tell already i loved this game from the campaign to the multiplayer there is plenty in this game to keep you buisy for months if not years. i Am angry at all the negative reviews on this game. Many have said they liked it but still gave it zeros. If this is you stop reviewing games on here your not a good reviewer. If you like a game but think it could be improved or if you simply just didn't like a part about the game then give it an actually score. Don't give a game a zero just because of one flaw (which i found none). So if any one reads my review understand that the bad reviews are from people who dont know how to give a review. Every other website with people ratings say that they loved the game. It seems like all the idiots come here. Oh and lastly custom games along with forge are still here but ten times better. Forging things together has gotten a lot easier. eve people who usually don't forge will easily beadle to make a decent map now.… Expand
  59. Chris141516
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    Beast of a game! Multiplier is hard. But im a beast so it's fun. If you suck then you will hate the multiplier for it just like battlefield 3. I haven't passed the story yet but so far it's beast also. Spartan Ops is an awesome add. The way to earn Weapons, armors etc is awesome! Best Halo since Halo 3. Worth every penny!
  60. alexk1682
    Nov 13, 2012
    1
    I have been a hardcore Halo fan since the beginning (except for Reach of course). I followed Halo 4 news and updates since they announced that the game would be coming out. Now that it is finally here, I am beyond disappointed. I've tried so hard to like this game but every time I play it I want to spike my controller in frustration. There is so much wrong with this game I can't even think of a decent place to begin. How about the campaign. For starters why the hell is chief suddenly so talkative, did anyone else notice this? Throughout the ENTIRE halo franchise Master Chief has been a man of few words, a mysterious, silent, badass. Now its like there is a differnt person inside the suit. Throughout the Halo 4 campaign he is unbelievably uncharacteristic asking question after question to Cortana and saying things that the REAL Chief would NEVER say. Also, his voice is different, they used the exact same voice actor (Steve Downes) but for whatever reason his pitch is off and his voice lost that serious badass tone. I could continue to go on about the campaign but this review would run out of characters so I better get on with 343's disastrous multiplayer. Well for the first week or so I enjoyed it until I realized all the bullsh*t I was being fed. Lately i've found myself changing the gametype after every game. I figure out why I was doing this so often until I came to the conclusion that I was simply bored. I was hoping to find something exciting, fair, and fun but simply could not because 343 did not deliver. When in game I should not have to stick a banshee or ghost twice to destroy it, not only does that make absolutely zero sense but it's almost impossible to do. Like all the Halo's in the past, sticking a vehicle should almost always guarantee a kill. In addition to the complete failure of the grenade's function in Halo 4, they are absolutely useless when it comes to combat. By the time I throw my grenade, I am already almost dead and if i do have a good throw it will at most take half their shield down, the grenades are nerfed beyond belief. Next would be how the power weapons disappear. Being a huge sniper fan, i'm always looking to get my hands on one, so when I do I am for once enjoying playing the game. Only problem is when I die and go back 10 seconds later to retrieve my favorite weapon it is gone. What good does setting fun weapons like the shotgun, sniper, and fuelrod with a 10 second respawn do? It's like they don't want us to use them, its already hard enough to find a good gun with the COD style load outs. Now the dreaded medals. Why the hell are there so many medals!? Getting a medal used to be for something you did that was for a unique way of killing someone like getting a headshot with a sniper or getting a perfection (may I add that both of these classic metals are completely removed from Halo 4). Now we see people getting up to 60 medals a game making a metal just another little stat instead of something that you could marvel over after a good game. There is even a medal for a "generic kill" "assist" and "distraction", honestly who cares about earning something like this? Next is the ranking system which is one of my biggest issues. The new system gives you your "rank" based off of how much experience you have or in other words how much you play. Since when does how much you play show off your skill/rank? Honestly 343, how could you create such pathetic ranking system. It's the most inaccurate representation of skill for a ranking system I have ever came across. Halo 3 had it down perfectly and no one complained so why would you mess with perfection. Speaking of perfection, Halo Reach did managed to create an excellent playlist called infection. It was fun, fair, and simple. It was one shot to the head or one close blast of a shotgun to kill an infected. In addition it was nice seeing the cool medals you could receive for sprees correlating with the classic killing spree, frenzy, and running riot (at 5, 10, 15 kills). Now in Halo 4 Flood Mode we get sprees at strange increments that don't match at 4, 6, and 10 and it takes 4 headshots to get a flood kill! On top of that they got rid of the sprees for weapons like the sniper and sword as well as splatter sprees, which I used to enjoy getting. To conclude my endless rant about the medals, it appears that they hired a 5th grade class to redesign them because apparently they didn't look good in the past and we now have bizarre and confusing designs. I didn't like the sharp, clean-cut ones in the past, thanks 343. Lastly don't bring back the battle rifle and call it the battle rifle. That thing in Halo 4 is not even close to feeling or resembling the battle rifle. How could they take one of the most symbolic weapons in Halo and change everything about it, it sounds strange, shoots too fast, and now has a rectangular scope..WHY. Wow 5,000 words, they must have really screwed up for somebody to type this much for a video game review. BAD.… Expand
  61. Truthtealler
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    I won't lie, although I knew it wouldn't suck I didn't expect it to anywhere near as good as bungies games. But they proved me wrong this is probably tied with halo 2 for 1st place to me. This games campaign is insane smooth and very VERY fun. Spartan ops is fun but I think the story was lacking however we still have 4 episodes left. The multiplayers probably the best of the series. And the graphics are stunning, forge is awesome and more creative then before. The reason it's a 9 is because I didn't like the music and miss Marty and the campaign only took around 5 hours which was too short for me. Other then that this games worth the 60 bucks no doubt. This is THE SHOOTER OF 2012 (but not quite game of the year)… Expand
  62. saucyninja007
    Nov 14, 2012
    2
    Halo used to distance itself from other shooters like COD and Battlefield. It wasn't necessarily better, just different. However, Halo 4 ruins that tradition. Halo 4 borrows too many mechanics from COD and Battlefield and loses sight of what made the previous Halo games so great. Halo 4 has a campaign that looks great but is simple, predictable, tedious, and ultimately too short. The campaign tries to create a story that the player can get emotionally invested in, but it just doesn't work. That being said, most people play Halo for the multiplayer. Is the multiplayer fun? No, not really. It no longer means anything to have a BR because now everyone can spawn with a BR if they so choose. That is not Halo. Players can customize their starting loadout for matches, which seems like a good idea at first.... then you realize that this makes the game inherently unfair; people will start the game with advantages that others do not have. That is not Halo. If you are doing better in a game, you get rewarded with weapon drops. This may make sense to those who are familiar with COD, but, once again, this is not Halo. But what about the graphics in Halo 4? Aren't they amazing? No, not really. I don't understand why people are gushing about them. First of all, graphics take the back seat behind story and gameplay. Second of all, what game isn't good looking nowadays? Third of all, the new look to Halo 4 is... well... annoying. Everything is all bright and reflective, just for the sake of showcasing the graphics, but I think most people will agree with me when I say I want to be able to SEE my radar and the people I am shooting. Finally, the controls for Halo 4 are very annoying. Did you use the "recon" configuration in Halo Reach like I did? Well, have fun using X to sprint instead of left bumper. In conclusion, I was very disapointed with Halo 4. I wouldn't buy it. Maybe rent it.… Expand
  63. brick623
    Nov 14, 2012
    9
    This is the best xbox360 game since Mass Effect 2 and the best Halo since Halo 2.

    9/10 Gameplay Feels like an improved version of previous Halos - exactly what I wanted, with a wider range of weaponry but with the classic balance the series is renowned for.

    8/10 Campaign Great way to kick start a new trilogy with a new faction of enemies, my only criticism is that the plot was     a bit meandering but still was very entertaining. 10/10 Graphics The best graphics ever displayed by my xbox360 so has to be a perfect score.

    9/10 Soundtrack As always the music appropriate for the scenes in the campaign, theyve also updated the gun sounds and battlefield ambience which is real improvement (just compare sound of assault rifle in Halo 3 to Halo 4 to get what I mean).

    10/10 Multiplayer Perhaps the most important aspect of Halo 4. I can only compare it to other first person shooters out there so here goes: I own MW3, BF3, it is much better than these. Camping is punished and like in all previous Halos you cant just repeatedly run around a corner and auto aim no scope someone with a souped-up AWP for an insta-kill like on some other FPS's out there. Hence if you are smart your life expectancy will be much much longer than the average of 7 seconds you can expect from MW3 or any other CoD for that matter. The maps are great, allow for a good range of combat, if you want you can go for up close melee tactics or use rifles against anyone foolish enough to run across an open battlefield without cover. Also, vehicles arent overpowered and are vulnerable if the pilot/driver makes a mistake like flying a banshee too low or crashing a tank into a rock that has 3 Spartans waiting to pounce from behind, it whereas a skilled player will rack up kills with it before the opposing team has had enough and banzai attacks them or finds a suitable weapon (hello mr railgun) to eliminate the threat. I would say that the multiplayer aspect is on a par with Bad Company 2 for entertainment value so it gets a 10.

    Definitely worth £40 I would highly recommend this game to anyone interested in gaming.    … Expand
  64. MasterChef234
    Nov 14, 2012
    8
    Halo 4 is another great addition to our collection. But it fails on multiplayer. Even though everything else is enjoyable I mostly prefer the multiplayer i think it gives soul to the game.
  65. PSDLOGiC
    Nov 14, 2012
    10
    To all the Halo fans since Halo CE. Favorited game of all time is still Halo. Although Bungie did veer off with ODST and Reach with the game engine and game play it was still an OK spin off but not the best. 343 has blown away the creators of HALO period! 343 are people with passion to provide the best quality and gaming experience possible. Gaming has changed after COD So evolving what Halo 4 stood for was inevitable. Glad it was for the Best. Cheers 343!… Expand
  66. RottenGameTacos
    Nov 14, 2012
    4
    Do you love Halo multiplayer? Are you looking for a challenge? Well, this is not the game for you. With no ranking system Halo 4 kicks competitiveness to the curb. The load-outs and ordnance packages make the experience feel generic. It is infinitely disappointing.

    As for the campaign, players will find the same well-grounded fundamentals of game-play they've come to expect from the ser    ies. However, the storytelling is bland and the level designs look to have been pulled from previous episodes, leaving little desire to be replayed.… Expand
  67. Faith12
    Nov 18, 2012
    9
    Halo 4 offers something new and something old both in the best of ways.The campaign, for the most part, feels like a well thought-out and well-weaved story in the huge Halo universe.
    The level design is fantastic, and varied, the last time a Halo game had this kind of variety in its campaign it was 2001 and Halo:CE was starting a FPS revolution on consoles. You are playing as Master Chief     of course and there are plenty plot lines being weaved in this campaign of which I won't spoil for you here, but its particularly amazing if, like me, you are a generally a big fan of great science-fiction. The campaigns variety in level design greatly benefits from the game-engine, which is arguably 343 industries greatest accomplishment in Halo 4. The lighting and textures in this game are the best to-date of any Halo game before it, and quite possibly the most beautiful looking game on the Xbox 360 console. Of course, the engine is not only responsible for the eye-candy but also for the game physics and the sandbox dynamics Halo games are well-known for by the hard-core Halo fans. The physics in the game are great, the game always makes you feel like you weigh a figurative ton, the weapons have the signature diversity to them as well as their place in the sandbox. Halo games have always had varied weapons of which nearly all must be mastered to escape tight situations in campaign and most importantly, in multi-player. The sniper rifle, Rail gun, and sticky detonator come to mind when talking about this, it absolutely feels like nearly every weapon in Halo 4 was included to fit a definitive role while also being flexible enough to be used in not-so ideal scenarios for said weapons. Which could not really be said about every Bungie-made Halo game, with Halo 2, Halo 3, and even Reach, there were a few weapons that were pretty much ignored by the player due to not having a role in the sandbox that could be more effective than another weapon, Not in Halo 4, from the fully automatic weapons, to the pistols, to the precision weapons and power weapons, every single one of them feels like it serves a purpose in the sandbox and that is impressive. The same could also be said for the vehicles in Halo 4, they all have a role, and they all feel properly balanced, no one vehicle feels over-powered, if you know how to identify its role in the sandbox you can be very effective with it. It all really is quite a testament to 343s abilities, but there are bits and pieces, campaign-wise, that feel out of sync with the rest of the generally fantastic story, there was a certain point in the campaign where I pressed a total of 3 different buttons on my controller to get through a scenario where I felt like I wasn't actually in control of anything. I was simply playing through a scripted event where hitting a single button would perform actions that could be enjoyed more-so if simply viewed. Any and all events like the one above have always been handled by a cutscene where you would see the chief (not in first-person) perform his bad-assery, to "play" through something like that felt quite unnecessary and also felt a bit out of place when considering how the rest of the campaign plays out, if you're going to make a cut-scene the best thing to do is not give the player mediocre control, either he absolutely controls the character or he doesn't, that idea is what creates great pacing. Another example of a stumbling is when I found myself watching a cut-scene that lead to a level, I walked about 30 feet forward and then was presented another cut-scene, that also kills pacing, good thing is it only happened that one time, but it's there nonetheless to show us that this is a development team still trying to master that Halo signature pacing Halo games have been known for as well as trying to place their own stamp on a franchise that they clearly love. Aside from those small gripes, the campaign is fantastic and should be a memorable one, some will undoubtedly find some of the dialogue strange and different but after playing through it a second time, you really start to understand what 343i was trying to do with these characters. The Multiplayer in Halo 4 is nothing short of a great advancement in the franchise, considering all I've talked about in the previous section, the weapon balance and roles in the multiplayer side of things is even more obvious, and (again) the same can be said for the vehicles. The map designs are also well rounded from the small-medium-large. The multiplayer is where the games balance absolutely shines. Of course there are a few things you will notice off the bat that will have you question 343s decision making, like removing friendly fire from 4v4 slayer on-line but after quite a bit of time playing through all of its game types, those concerns fade due to the fact that the game plays so well as-is. Add the weekly Spartan Ops episodic content and Forge and you get one of the most complete game packages.… Expand
  68. thephotobug
    Nov 14, 2012
    9
    weak story mode drives the whole package down but spartan ops is a neat side mode and the mutiplayer. is very good the weapons make for intease battles and are more skill based then reaches they feel more like halo 3s gunplay
    the maps are fun and regicde is a great twist on ffa and the fleshed out zombie mode is very cool
    the graphics are some of the best on the. xbox to date also and th    e combat feels so much more balanced. the lucky unskilled kills of reach are gone love it so far… Expand
  69. WhistleBlower
    Nov 14, 2012
    10
    This game is as much as you can ask for from a revamp in the Halo series. The campaign is about as pleasant any multiplayer focused game can be expected. The Chief is back and on another epic adventure, yet the formula is mixed a little more this time around. Upon playing Halo 3 and Halo Reach's campaign, you can tell there was a clear formula Bungie Studios was sticking to to stay safe. The 4th mission always had heavy weapons and a run through with the Scorpion tank, as does Halo 4. The 3rd mission was always a Sniper mission, etc. It got boring.

    This game actually re-assembles the formula by simply creating a brand new game while throwing a little extra care into the batch. Prerendered cutscenes are used as well as some that use in-game graphics. A slew of new Forerunner weapons have been included, yet most are just rehashes of current Covenant and UNSC weapons. But what's most important to focus when reviewing this game is the multiplayer because that is what most players will spend most of their time with. The game now includes Specializations which include new armor, support upgrades (perks), and weapon skins as they become available when players rank up. This does take some of the CoD flare, yet it is done in a respectable way. The game still maintains much more balance than CoD. After all, we don't have to worry about killstreak rewards giving players free unearned kills, etc.

    The graphics have had a major rehaul and look amazing. The only thing slightly annoying is when the announcer says 'Control the hill to earn points!' or other obvious stuff that makes me feel like I'm in kindergarten. An increased amount of medals may be an issue now, although it's nice they included a Hail Mary medal (killing someone from across the map with a grenade) and a Snapshot medal (a no-scope kill with a Sniper). Another complaint may also be that Team Snipers and Double Team weren't included as default playlists for matchmaking, but I can't mark the game down because I'm sure 343 Studios is just withholding these playlists to give players more to look forward to. I can't wait to play Doubles on the new Impact map!

    As always, Forge has also received an upgrade and it's much easier to build, duplicate items, and snap objects together to form a crisp looking structure. I will not say much more because I've not had much chance to experiment in Forge because the mutliplayer is too fun.

    What's also great about the multiplayer is that players get to unlock the ability to customize their own loadouts. You can unlock 5 and unlock a 5th option for loadouts after reaching level 41, although I don't believe it's too necessary to have 5. I keep a primary loadout and an alternate for the 4v4 and 5v5 gametypes with more close quarters combat, and another for Big Team Battle (8v8). Users are able to choose their primary and secondary weapon, their grenade type (which can be frags, plasmas, or the new Forerunner grenade type, pulse), a Tactical Package and Support Upgrade.

    There are an array of Tactical Packages and Support Upgrades to choose from, but you can only use one per Loadout. Loadouts can be switched after you die so you can switch to another before you respawn.

    Tactical Packages include Mobility, which allows for infinite sprinting. Shield increases your shield recharge speed. Resupply allows you to pickup grenades from fallen friends and foes. Firepower allows you to have a primary type of weapon (such as the DMR and Battle Rifle) in your secondary weapon slot. AA Efficiency increases the rate at which your Armor Ability recharges and Grenadier increases the amount of grenades you can hold. I use Mobility.

    Support Upgrades include Dexterity, which allows you to reload faster. Ammo increases the amount of ammo you carry when you spawn and what's included in an ordnance package. There are others. And new support upgrades are unlocked as you rank up and unlock new Specializations. To be honest, the game has taken the best from CoD and made it its own, and done better. But it's still managed to birth a fresh new love for its campaign.

    What's always been great about Halo, though, is that even if the game turns out to rear its head as a very unbalanced game sometime in the future when people learn how to exploit certain aspects of the game, there is always an enormously intricate customization option if you prefer to play as you wish. And this also goes for map customization, not just for creating gametypes. Halo is back and at least as good as it once was.

    The series took a dive with the release of Halo 3 and slightly improved for Halo Reach, but with the latest installment of Halo 4, the series is as exciting as it once was during the era of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. I love this game. But one more thing, if you like your shooters fast paced, this game may be for you because it is definitely the fastest Halo multiplayer of the franchise.

    I love this game. Thank you 343 Studios.    … Expand
  70. sindronian
    Nov 14, 2012
    7
    If I have never played Halo before I would give this game a 9 or even 10/10. However since I am a longtime halo fan and now that I've reached rank SR-41 I can say that the multiplayer is pretty disappointing. The campaign is well deserving of a 9/10, spartan ops is trash online and threatre only works for multiplayer currently. So a 7/10 is pretty generous. The multiplayer does matter more than campaign to me because it's the multiplayer that I will invest most time into and get my moneys worth. The multiplayer is does not have separated social and ranked playlists. This means that people who try so hard with a coordinated team to kick your ass are going to be matched up with people who are for the most part screwing around. Halo 3 had the most lasting appeal because it separated these types of players. In halo 4 you are matched by skill and rank. So when I started to get higher rank, games got more and more frustrating. Every time I get in a gunfight now I have to perform a song and dance just to get out alive and wipe the sweat off my balls from trying so damn hard, but I can't actually have time to wipe off my balls because this game has instant respawn. So unlike the Halo 3 social playlist, almost every single game in Halo 4 is stressful as **** I rarely have close games usually I get **** taken onto me. I'm by no means a bad player. I'm quite good but there are many better than me and because I played more than most at launch I got matched up with a lot of the best players. Because there is no separation of the highly competitive players and the casual players this game will get so frustrating no one will play it I guarantee. I already stopped. If you think $60 is worth a good campaign, Halo 4 has one of the best campaigns you'll ever play. The campaign does have one big issue though. It's hard to follow and in order to understand it you'll need to do research before or after it. The story is not very clear but the cutscenes are great and the gameplay is fun! Great game overall but multiplayer sucks right now. Check out my full war games (multiplayer) review here: http://www.343industries.org/forum/topic/17780-my-honest-review-of-halo-4-war-games-rank-sr-38/… Expand
  71. heatguy
    Nov 14, 2012
    9
    The Halo franchise is in good hands. 343 industries did what many thought it could not be done, make a Halo game that surpasses in many areas what Bungie created with Combat Evolved. The art style is amazing, pushing a 7 year old machine to produce incredible vistas that are accompanied by an amazing sound design. As great as it sounds I really think they played it too safe. Some different gameplay scenarios that did not involve pushing a button or shooting everything in sight would have been welcomed. Still, a great campaign, the addictive as ever multiplayer and the spartan ops cooperative missions make this a must play for anyone.… Expand
  72. Ghosthacker
    Mar 10, 2013
    9
    This game is excellent. The Campaign is outstanding, continuing from the end of Halo 3 while refreshing it with some of the features from Reach. The graphics in Halo 4 look beautiful and the new sounds are much better than past games.

    The Multiplayer is much more fast pace and the whole new Forerunner weapons are very fun to shoot. it is a excellent Halo game and a much better improveme    nt to Halo: Reach.… Expand
  73. MrTostados
    Nov 14, 2012
    6
    Within 12 hours of buying my copy of Halo 4, I was already rather bored and quite disappointed. The campaign begins with the Master Chief and Cortana aboard the surprisingly intact UNSC cruiser, Forward Unto Dawn. The player's first battles are against Covenant forces, and are rather simple. From there, you are teleported to a forerunner world infested with "Prometheans". The Prometheans glow orange and like to teleport. Otherwise, they're the covenant. The campaign is extremely repetitive and is simply the same two objectives one after another. It's either "Go hold X on this orange thingy" or "kill all the enemies in the vicinity. After a little while, the player learns that Cortana's AI is deteriorating. Despite the obvious scientific inaccuracy, the player is expected to believe this. Cortana's body looks far less clothed, and far more... Developed than it has in her other appearances in the series. On the other hand, her face looks more like that of a six year old. The health system included in the past two games has been completely dropped, as 343 opted for the tried and true system that utilizes only the shield, and doesn't display your health. After about two hours of the campaign, the gameplay becomes extremely tedious, even when playing co-op. Now, on to the multiplayer. The multiplayer system now includes "Spartan-Ops," 343's answer to Infinity Ward's "Spec-Ops" game mode. The first "chapter" of Spartan-Ops is easily completed within 30 minutes. The mode is simple and boring. It is simply the campaign, but with slightly more variation and constant updates. There is currently only one extemely boring "chapter" of Spartan-Ops available, and the mode doesn't really deserve a second look. Multiplayer follows the same general rule as all of the other games in the series, except for the addition of an official "Griffball" game mode (anyone smell money?) and progressive loadout unlocks. The loadout unlocks are somewhat interesting, but considering the amount of weapons that you can pick up, and the amount of game types that have preset loadouts, the progressive weapon/armor ability unlocks are almost a total waste of time. As for Forge Mode, Forge has been stripped of many of its key components and items. For instance, all of the new vehicles added to the series from Halo 3, Halo: ODST, and Halo: Reach have been removed, all except for the Mongoose and the Rocket Warthog. The only new vehicle is the "Mantis" a "James Cameron's Avatar"-style mech-suit. The Mantis has a machine gun and fires rockets. It's pretty much just a Hornet that's stuck to the ground and moves extremely slowly. It also has a completely useless "stomp" capability. A recap of all of the vehicles dropped: The Hornet, Falcon, Revenant, as well as a few other vehicles. There are many new weapons added to the game, including: The SAW, light rifle, binary rifle, scattershot, and boltshot, just to name a few. The new grenade introduced in the game, the "pulse grenade" is totally useless. I attempted to use the grenade multiple times to absolutely no avail. Forge mode is extremely lacking, and the vast majority of the available maps are bland and small. Last but not least, Firefight. Oh, wait... THERE IS NO FIREFIGHT. 343 decided to take one of the more recent games' biggest selling points and simply **** DROP THE WHOLE MODE. Firefight is gone altogether. It seems as though 343 hasn't learned from any of the previous Halo games' mistakes and successes, and simply attempted to make a Call of Duty game that somewhat follows the storyline of the Halo Series. This is just a repetitive on-rails shooter hiding behind the facade of the Halo storyline.… Expand
  74. happyorangejuce
    Nov 14, 2012
    9
    The graphics are amazing, I'm surprised they could have such beautiful graphics on a 7 year-old console.The campaign wasn't too long, it was a decent length, but it was truly beautiful with an amazing story. Spartan ops is neat but suffers from major lag when played online. The multiplayer adds in some ways additions to make it like COD, but it is kind of a good thing. They've made changes to keep Halo fresh and the game is Extremely fun.… Expand
  75. Hotaru99
    Nov 14, 2012
    10
    Hands down the game of the year. Phenomenal graphics, fun and easy to grasp gameplay and sharp new visual design, yet it is absolutely Halo.

    Hail to the Chief
  76. K4RNES
    Nov 14, 2012
    9
    After playing for almost 2 weeks now I can say with confidence that this is the Halo game I've been waiting for.

    The campaign is the best campaign since H1, and really opens the universe even further than before. I though bungie nailed the Forerunner theme, but 343 just brings it to a whole another level. The difficulty seems to be easier compared to past Halo's so i would recommended     going a difficulty higher than what you would usually play in past halos. After beating this campaign I'm very excited to read the all the book and expand my knowledge of this vast, deep and beautifully crafted universe.

    The multilayer is as good as H1 and H3 multilayer, but not as good as H2 though far better than Reach. There are a few bugs with the technical aspects of the game (networking, unlocks, challenges, stats, ui) but the gameplay itself is polished. There are a few glitches so far, but non that break the game. I feel that they did a great job at implementing the call of duty format of multilayer with the classes, weapons, perks and ordinance. The reason this game did not get 10 is because of the lack for some deep features that all Halo fans would immediately notice. Most of it being the lack of customization compared to the rest of the games, and the uninspired gametypes. These are flaws i can live with, although there is word of patches in the coming future.

    All in all, amazing game    … Expand
  77. Abr0ham
    Nov 14, 2012
    8
    Some say it is wise to end on a high note. 343 Industries says otherwise. This game is not Halo 3, but it is another opportunity to once again step into the shoes of Master Chief. If that's what you're looking for, you've found it. If you're looking for the epic space opera you remember, I've got bad news. When Master Chief's last words in Halo 3 were "Wake me when you need me", he wasn't talking to Microsoft's marketing department. The image of Master Chief, at peace floating somewhere out there in space had found its place in our minds for the last 5 years. It was a beautiful image. Unfortunately, Microsoft is willing to disturb that to make a quick but very large buck. Halo 4 is not a bad game, but it can't escape the air that it is a product more than a work of art as its predecessors were. I want to call it uninspired, but that is too narrow a definition of inspiration. A cattle prod can be inspiring if you happen to be cattle and so can a multi-billion dollar company breathing down your neck when you are a video game developer. "This game needs drama" says Microsoft; 343 adds a commander who's only character trait is getting pissed off. "This game needs conflict"; so fabricates an entirely new villain with motives no more complicated than "destroy all humans". Most elements of the story seem to have been thought up in this manner, right down to the whole "Cortana is dying" subplot, I assume the though process to this was "This story needs to engage the player emotionally" "Alright, lets threaten to kill off a character established by much more skilled writers". This is the only aspect of the story that really connects with you and it only works because they glom off character development done by Bungie for the better part of a decade. As for the multiplayer; it's still Halo, but they seem to have spilled some "Call of Duty" on it. If you like either of those games you'll have fun. This may be were you find your entertainment if the story falls short. This is Halo 4's redeeming quality; it's an all you can eat buffet. You don't like the story? Try war games. Bad at war games? Play spartan ops. Still not entertained? Build something in forge. Have no imagination? Join 343 Industries.… Expand
  78. AnEpicMan
    Nov 14, 2012
    10
    Let me start by saying ignore the user score, it is mostly from butthurt CoD/PS3 fanboys. Now, onto the game, when 343i took over the Halo franchise I expected more of the same but what I got was something much better, see unlike Bungie before them 343 actually developed the Master Chief and Cortana something that was missing from the original trilogy and delivered one hell of a story with an awesome villain who kind of reminded me of Darth Vader unmasked. Now for the visuals, the character and gun models may not look as great as something like Crysis 2 but the backgrounds are truly unmatched by any game out there and will have you staring in wonderment with each new outdoor level. The sound is much improved from Reach making guns specifically from the UNSC sound more powerful and Forerunner/Covenant sound very unusual as alien weaponry should. Fortunately, Firefight was replaced for something more meaningful which is Spartan Ops that actually give more to the story and you even get a great CGI episode which each entry. Lastly, the multiplayer, there are a few unbalances specifically with the DMR but overall it's a fair game and the maps are fantastic unlike Reach where it looks like a Hobo got a hold of forge and sold maps to Bungie, now with Halo 4 the maps actually feel like time went into them, like something you would of expected from Halo 2 or 3. Overall best shooter I've played in a long time and I think you would love it.… Expand
  79. CodBall
    Nov 15, 2012
    8
    Although fairly short, I thought the campaign for this latest installment of the Halo franchise was absolutely brilliant - compared to some 'modern shooters' of today, I felt that there was a far deeper narrative throughout and unlike previous installments there was a far richer and interesting dialog between Chief and Cortana giving us what could 'perhaps' be seen as a sort of love story. Needless to say, at the very end of the game I was left wanting to know more and carry on the story, but I guess I'll have to wait a few more years for that.

    The game is also an amazing technical feat, managing to pull off some really rich and gratifying worlds for you to play in - it's amazing what power they've been able to squeeze out of a 7 year old console like they have. Combined with the musical score which was as per usual immersive, emotion stirring and adrenaline pumping as you'd expect for a Halo game made for this a brilliant package. Take into account the weekly content being released and this should keep you going for a while.

    I will admit, I'm not the biggest fan of the multiplayer as I find it too much of a 'run and gun' scenario as apposed to team based work.

    That said, all in all I think Halo 4 was a brilliant last hurrah for the 360!    … Expand
  80. mongz79
    Nov 17, 2012
    9
    This is a great game, but it is not perfect. First, the cons. The weakest part of this game is the campaign. Although I liked the fact that they are trying to change things up, the story is confusing. I own, and have beaten, all of the previous FPS Halo games. 343 Industries put terminals in the game that you have to find to understand the story properly. Unfortunately, they are not easy to find, so you end up being a little confused about the story plot. Also, you end up either doing "three things" to beat a certain area, or beat a bunch of enemies down a long corridor, hallway, or trench. The level design could have been fleshed out more. The Spartan Ops, are a nice addition, but consist of "kill bad guys, move forward, beat bad guys, and move forward." Some of them are fun, but not at the cost of replacing Firefight. Now the pros. Graphically, this is the best looking game on the 360. The opening cinematic is jaw-dropping. I was amazed that this was a 360 game. The sound is AMAZING. Generally you expect a game to have good sound design. I've never had a game have such good weapon sounds, that it made me feel like it was real. 343 Industries did a masterful job with the weapon sounds. Also, the music is new and refreshing. Some complain that they didn't use the old music. I don't. It sounds appropriate, and has wonderful tracks. Multiplayer. Multiplayer is refined and, unlike previous Halo iterations, fast-paced. Some, again, complain about the change. Halo needed a shot in the arm, and 343i handled it splendidly. I think the only thing I want is more maps, which will be coming down the pipes in a few months. All in all, this is a great new Halo. I think 343i did a wonderful job, will tweak some of the mechanics, and make Halo 5 perfect.… Expand
  81. Throwmetheus
    Nov 15, 2012
    9
    343 has managed to bring back the huge scale and epic feeling of Halo 2. They have also managed to make some modern multilayer tweaks to pander to gamers who need innovation and change with new games to make them worth buying. Halo 3 didn't have enough new elements, while Reach had too many and was unbalanced. Here they have managed to strike a good balance between old and new, with how the game feels and the added running, abilities etc. Some would say they are making it like Call of Duty but I would say they are showing a little humility and just taking the best (and most obvious) elements from other popular and successful modern shooters and building on their core gameplay with them. It's still hard to say why I have a 'Halo 2' vibe from this, but I do.

    I'm halfway through the campaign and I'm only level 24 on multi player, but I can already tell I will continue to play for months to come. Fighting the covenant still feels largely the same with the mediocre a.i and same vehicles, but the new Promethean race feels fresh. They are challenging to fight and not mindless like the flood. Multiplayer maps feel instantly better than Reach. They are well designed. They're don't seem to be a lot of them, but Haven among others already feel like instant classics with awesome site lines to explore. This takes cues from all Halo games and builds on them. It's exciting that this is the first game in a new trilogy. When they start doing something really innovative with the match making and have MMO elements included like trading, interplanetary travel etc. I will give it a ten. Nine for now. The real chief is back.    … Expand
  82. pjams76
    Nov 15, 2012
    10
    Amazing Game! Best story and game play ever in a Halo game and I've played them all. Graphics and sound are truly awesome. Simply put this is the best shooter I have ever played hands down. Weapons, vehicles, enemies everything just pops and handles wonderfully. Forget wanting to fight a modern war in a shooter, the futuristic feel is awesome! welcome back Master Chief.
  83. CameronEric898
    Nov 15, 2012
    10
    When I first found out that Bungie was leaving my favorite franchise behind, I was a bit apprehensive. I've played every Halo game, and with the exception of Halo 2 I've loved them all. In the first weeks following the announcement of Halo 4, I scoured the Internet for concept art, gameplay, anything to give me insight as to what 343i was doing with my beloved Halo. I'm delighted to say that the game is everything a true fan could have wanted out of a Halo game: the Chief is a badass, the bad guy is REALLY bad, and Cortana has her best performance to date. And that's in the first three levels. 343i absolutely nailed the facial animations, and the actors all do a spectacular job with their voice work. The regular Marines you fight alongside are as sarcastic and humorous as ever, and at no point in the campaign did any individual stand out to me as being annoying. On the multiplayer side, this is Halo perfection. Every map is distinct and beautiful, and they all play like a dream. Each weapon has its own unique strengths and weaknesses and no weapon completely outclasses another. The new Forerunner weapons, while different, are in no way overpowered; your BR skills from Halo 3 will still be serving you well. Your DMR skills from Halo: Reach will net you as many kills here as they did there. The addition to "Call-of-Duty-like" perks is surprisingly natural and is so well-balanced you'll probably only notice your own personal perks. At no point have I been killed and though "if only he wasn't using THAT perk". The in-game map editor, Forge, is in rare form in this game: it looks very similar to its Reach counterpart, but has been streamlined and altered to something much more usable and ergonomic. No longer will countless hours be spent mucking through coordinate sheets and menus, thanks to magnets and the duplicate option, respectively. If you liked Forge before, you'll love it now. If you hated it before, there's nothing new here.
    In all, Halo 4 is a triumphant achievement for a newly-formed company. In this case, they get the absolute highest praise: not only does this game not fall into the trap of simply reiterating the "Bungie-feel", they also don't alienate the things that make this franchise beautiful. 343 has succeeded in creating a game with an identity of its own, and that is the real wonder here. I would highly recommend this game to any video game player.    … Expand
  84. adrenilinmatt
    Nov 15, 2012
    10
    Well what can I say. Halo 4 has come along and absolutely blown me away. It's truly amazing. Graphically the best game I've seen on any console and emotionally gorgeous.. Touching
    . Sure people are trying to bring it,down all over the internet, but there are just as many if not more telling you how amazing it is. I've played every halo game since ce. and played halo 3 almost every day sin    ce ltd release in 2007. In my opinion halo reach was the worst. and halo 4 brings it back to the classic halo feel. Sound effects are beautiful. 20k games of halo 3 and I loved every one. Halo 4 is gonna be the same. Ignore the trolling critics on here as well! Halo 4 has best black ops 2. Sorry trolls. Even your trolling can't bring this game down. Haha cyan… Expand
  85. 1urch
    Nov 15, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I dont always play xbox 360. But when I do I play Halo 4. **** I didnt realize this had to be at least 150 characters or the first two sentences would have been my review. But seriously Halo 4 does not disappoint at the slightest bit. Both multiplayer and campaign deliver what every (for the most part) Halo fan desires. This game helps one remember why he/she loves video games in the first place: Its ****ing fun, it looks amazing, and it transports you into another world where you stay until turn your console off and leave the room. with all **** talking and dumb comparisons to other games aside this game is a must buy/rent/borrow (just ****ing play it) if you enjoy having fun.… Expand
  86. Smashsoul
    Nov 29, 2012
    10
    Halo may not be the king it once was nearly a decade ago. But I think it is safe to say that under the excellent supervision of 343, it
  87. Dragonred1700
    Nov 15, 2012
    10
    Story wise this is the most ambitious Halo game to date. Bungie had a rule that the gameplay came before the story but 343 has taken down that rule and instead made the gameplay and story even better. The multiplayer is amazing and the spartan ops is more fun that firefight. All the load outs feel natural as if halo has had them forever. Only down side, the story is a bit convoluted if you dont watch all the terminals. Great way to return to Halo and can't wait for Halo 5!10/10… Expand
  88. 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
  89. crazyc9
    Nov 30, 2012
    10
    Honestly one of the best Halo games yet. The only things i don't really like is that the Prometheans are crazy powerful and the DMR is also CRAZY POWERFUL
  90. LAB200
    Jan 18, 2013
    9
    I started to play Halo in this game, so my opinion isn't of a big fan. But I loved it, the graphics are excelent, but most important: The multiplayer is the best FPS I've ever played. Campaign isn't pretty good, but isn't bad.
  91. BelgianTofu
    Nov 16, 2012
    8
    The story is quite good, it has stellar sound and looks, character development has increased tenfold over it's predecessors, and can be challenging due to decently smart AI. A little on the short side though.

    The multiplayer is somewhat derivative and hectic by Halo standards, but stellar by any other measure. (No pun intended)

    Verdict: Much better than Halo Reach, but this title doe    sn't quite match the glory days of Halo 3.… Expand
  92. TheBestReview
    Nov 16, 2012
    7
    This is the best review for this game: Halo 4. The Good: brilliant visuals, balanced multiplayer, weekly content (spartan ops) and it feels like a halo game... except it isn't. The Bad: Campaign has missing levels, (You feel as you play through it that important introductions and information is missing) I hate to say it but the first-person "action sequences" that happen feel way too CoD, (not that CoD is bad mind you, but this is Halo.) The ending... as soon as Chief is crawling on a light bridge you will know what I mean... and I feel that 343i "left out" content that are stables in Halo as of this point. (Firefight, Theater Mode for Campaign, etc...) All in all, I'd say that if you are a Halo fan, you may have some reservations about lost content or lack of campaign varity (not in the vehicle mission but in all the others it feels like all you do is go to objectives and activate things...) but if you are a shooter fan and enjoy the fun of challenging enemies and the variety of very well-balanced weapons then this could be your cup of tea. The addition of CoD-like gameplay to the Halo franchise feels like the addition of the Arbiter missions in Halo 2; some people dig it, some people don't. Final Verdict: Halo 4 is beautiful game riddled with missing content, but if you can get past what could have been you will pick up this game with one thought: "I need a weapon." - The Best Review… Expand
  93. johnspartan
    Nov 30, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4 is a good game in my opinion, although many do not seem very good, but to me, this is one of the best in the series. The story is very compelling from start to finish, with an introduction you see Dr. Catherine Halsey talking about the Spartans. It then shows that reactive Cortana Master Chief to see who made ​​contact, was the Covenant that apparently were at war with humans again. Then they arrived to Requiem, known the Didact, the antagonist of the game. In the end, he dies, and what surprised most is the death of Cortana, very tragic. The game has excellent graphics, good gameplay, good multiplayer. In conclusion, a great game.… Expand
  94. GungaChunga
    Nov 16, 2012
    8
    The plot can be a bit confusing but the cutscenes are generally well executed, though the levels can be a bit repetitive, especially the grind of fighting Prometheans. Tying the new campaign to other events such as the Flood was well done and made this feel like a Halo game. On top of this free weekly updates with a few story elements thrown in can't be complained about in the era of pre-release DLC. Multiplayer can be a bit hectic, though every starting weapon is well balanced for its role (AR for close etc.) and as it should, comes down to skill of the user to be able to win a duel. Some of the weapons don't feel like their tried and true precursors, an example being the rocket launcher, though the pace of combat is consistent with the franchise's history. Overall a good investment, and seems to have a good play life, just as a Halo game should.… Expand
  95. NOOBTrollsHALO4
    Nov 16, 2012
    10
    0...0.....0....0.0....0, NOOBS TROLLING AND RUINING A REPUTABLE SITE.... HALO 4 is amazing and i guarantee half of you Trolls are playing the game right now.
  96. jinsei888
    Nov 16, 2012
    10
    343 keeps retains the torch that Bungie handed them a year ago. In fact the torch burns even brighter. Halo 4 is a fantastic following to the lore-abundant atmosphere that is the Halo series. Fans of the original CE, 2, 3, ODST, and Reach will be wholey impressed with the updated gameplay and story development. Campaign brings to light a closer connection to emotion and humanity, while the online Spartan Ops, weekly episodes, add a significant level of value and longevity to the game. 343 shows they care about their fans and have evolved Halo to the next level. The gameplay is familiar and refined. Buy it as it will become an instant classic as all the previous games have been.… Expand
  97. silver6kraid
    Nov 16, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4 is a truly great addition to the Halo series. The story is emotional and well told, the gameplay is as solid as ever, graphically it is amazing and the mutliplayer is top notch. It is a triumph for 343 industries. The fact that they so bravely took the mantle of this universe and managed to delivered something truly wonderful is to be commended. Most developers would botch such an endeavor, but it is clear that Microsoft and 343 truly care about this franchise. The return of Master Chief is not just one of the best Halo games in the series, or even arguably the best, but it is also one of the best games I've played all year. Its problems are all so minor and often just personal preferences rather than legitimate issues. Halo 4 is a front runner for game of the year and if you are a fan of the series, or just a fan of shooters, you owe it to yourself to get this game. Pros
    -Amazingly well told and emotional story
    -Great voice work
    -Fantasic sound
    -Possibly the best Graphics on the Xbox
    -Great enemy AI -Vast and diverse array of weapons and equipment
    -Major improvements on several gameplay mechanics
    -Modernized Multiplayer that stands out -Unlockables are within reach and easy to obtain
    -Customization is vast and fun
    -Spartan Ops is a great addition

    Cons
    -Forge could have used more improvements and additions
    -The absence of firefight is disappointing
    -Spartan Ops maps could use more variety so's to not feel recycled.    … Expand
  98. Vyse
    Nov 16, 2012
    5
    Halo of Duty. Anyone who doesn't think otherwise isn't a true fan of Halo. The campaign is what it is, and I'm not here to write a review about that. I'm talking about multiplayer. Seriously, 343? You're going to **** create a mulitplayer system with loadouts and kill rewards? How does anyone in the game industry NOT see the flaw of this system? Why reward players doing well with equipment to allow them to do even better? Why allow players to spawn with a weapon they are proficient and comfortable with? Does anyone else notice that deaths come MUCH quicker than any other Halo game? How often can you survive an encounter with 2+ enemies in Halo 4? Not at all. In Reach, at least you could pull some magic out of nowhere and survive on occasion. This game borrows from Call of Duty in all of the worst ways. Why does every single developer feel the need to try to emulate that series? We play games outside of Call of Duty when you're just going to get the same experience anyway? I cannot STAND how multiplayer is anymore. Death comes quicker than you can blink, and rewarding dominant players with better equipment is just flawed in itself. If people keep supporting games in this manner, there will be NO variety in 5 years. The genre will stagnant and people will wonder what happened. All I know is that this game was a huge letdown for a fan of the first 4 Halo games. Shame on your 343.… Expand
  99. Carbombgun
    Nov 17, 2012
    10
    Halo 4 is an enjoyable experience everyone should take part in.

    Campaign. 8 missions of good times. Don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it's definitely worth playing all the way through. More action scenes from the Chief's POV make it seem like you're doing it. Only complaint is Chief talks more in this installment.

    Multiplayer. Insane. The maps are balanced and quite enjoya    ble. You can now have loadouts, meaning you can choose to start with an automatic or precision rifle from UNSC, Covenant, or Forerunner. Different armor abilities and perks make multiple possibilities so you can play Halo the way you want to.

    Spartan Ops. Short, little missions you can play solo or with a friend. Only complaint is it's too easy as you have infinite lives, even on solo legendary. Luckily, 343 Industries is releasing new episodes which each contain 5 more missions.

    Customization is better here than in Reach. You can change helmets, torso, shoulders, forearms, legs, and visor. Completing different challenges nets you a different variant of most of the armor so you can choose your favorite design. 343 Industries, you did an amazing job with Halo 4 and I'll be patiently waiting for the next installment.    … Expand
  100. CODisFAIL
    Nov 17, 2012
    10
    halo 4 is the best game ive seen until now, its got probably the best multiplayer in my opinion and its the funest game.!........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................… Expand
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Critic Reviews

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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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