Halo 4 Xbox 360
User Score
6.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2264 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,545 out of 2264
  2. Mixed: 147 out of 2264
  3. Negative: 572 out of 2264

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  1. VinDeagle
    May 23, 2013
    3
    343 butchered the hell out of a great franchise. This game is basically Call of Duty with the Halo atmosphere. You can call in ordinance from kill streaks(Call of Duty), custom classes with perks to choose from(Call of Duty), get put into games that have already started(Call of Duty). The community is just as bad as the game mechanics. You will find many people who abuse perks like active camo and promethean vision and truly ruin the entire match. The ghost is severely overpowered, you can't join a single game that doesn't have kids spamming the ghost plasma shot(which does way to much damage). The maps are horrendous. You will end up playing Exile over and over again and watch as your teammates race to the Gaus-Hog and destroy it when they don't get it every damn match. Terrible game, terrible community, don't buy this and wait for Bungie's new game.… Expand
  2. MaxGayLord
    May 16, 2013
    5
    Lets be honest, although the campaign was fun up until the last few levels, the narrative was absolutely bollocks. The story was as vanilla as it could get. Thankfully multiplayer makes up for that. The combat isn't traditionally what you would find in a Halo game, but it is a fun experience none the less. It is a pity that only a third of the maps are utilized in multiplayer and even then some playlists a plagued with garbage community forge maps.… Expand
  3. H360
    May 15, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4 is a masterstroke everyone can and should celebrate, and its two guaranteed sequels instantly make the next-generation Xbox a must-own system, with Halo 5 its most anticipated title. Halo has been rebuilt. It has been redefined. And it has been reinvigorated. The Xbox's original king has returned to his rightful place on the throne.… Expand
  4. SniperFish
    May 13, 2013
    3
    Complete wreck. Single player: fantastic story, very good for John, fantastic direction, new enemy and the perfect start, but Halo 4 is embarrassingly short, I don't understand why 3 years of development and they did not put much into it, the story and the whole trilogy is wrecked if Halo 5's campaign isn't big and it probably won't be, I wonder so much about Halo 5 and I think it would be a big story that should have aleast 20 big levels, you do have to bear in mind that 343 were focusing on Halo Anniversary and that this is their first game. Interrogation scene: do the ONI suddenly despise SPARTANS now? Dr. Halsey kidnapped children and turned them into SPARTANS, which were originally used to crush rebels or something, so? why does it matter now? they would've died anyway since what ever their home planet was, got burned to ash by an alien invasion and that happened to billions of other people, this doesn't make sense, who cares cares that kids were taken away? they became heroes later on, other kids died during the process of becoming SPARTANS though. I don't understand this. The Elites are enemies again, they are rebels and turned allies by Halo 3, so why? do they not recognize the truce? Spartan Ops is good, but there is no Firefight, again, 3 years of production and even that's missing. There are 3 Forge World maps, unfortunately they are small and have very limited boundaries even a space map with stupidly limited boundaries and STILL no proper custom map matchmaking. You can buy weapons and perk sort of things which is good, and good that it's assault/precision guns only, but loads of missing game modes no Stockpile no Head Hunter no Assault no Race, and bad maps. What makes the multiplayer far worse is that weapons now don't respawn and 343 only seem to care about human weapons; at a base, instead of a Beam Rifle it would have a Sniper Rifle, predictable. There is no Beam Rifle playlist, no Carbine or Light Rifle in SWAT and with that "Shotty Snipers" you get shotgun, but not Scattershot. This is a science fiction game, 343 made it, they designed the weapons and then they FORGET that there are alien and Forerunner counterparts to the human weapons. They need to upper the score limit, the games don't go on long enough. I also hate the way you earn armor now, by hard commendation challenges (the community probably wanted that) especially that they are too hard to keep track of. I don't know for sure why they've taken out weapon respawn. Apparently weapon respawn was "bad," apparently it would make Halo 4 less competitive. I've never seen any complaints about weapon respawn, it makes Halo more unique. It's stupid and boring, playing with just assault rifles and precision guns now, some weapons are placed across the maps at start, but they don't respawn. "Ordnance ready!" it'll be a weapon or temporary power-up, but it gets harder to get and is not enough to keep you playing a game without just using carbine weapons. As a good player, you will earn average 4-5 drops in a game. I don't know how many fans like this change or whether they do or not, but you don't earn enough ordnance to justify it and you should have selection of 2 weapons, completely ruined the game for me. With that Flood Mode, it's stupid that you can use Promethean Vision and why can't things be as if their real? the multiplayer is actually SPARTANS training in a high-tech virtual simulation, is 343 trying to be more realistic and state that SPARTANS wouldn't actually kill each other? and I suppose the Flood Mode is just SPARTANS dressing up and pretending? I guess this explains why Elites aren't playable now. Reach has lots of problems and a terrible campaign, they screwed up Halo CE Anniversary by making the multiplayer a map-pack for Reach and now Halo 4 is a bad game... I enjoyed Halo 4's campaign but I was very annoyed at the end for it's short length. Halo means a lot to me and had a big influence on me getting the Xbox 360 3 years ago. Again, I wait 18 months desperately for a game and it's bad. 3 years of development and +awesome new Promethean enemies, +better graphics and sound effects, +Spartan Ops, -VERY short campaign. -Multiplayer falls apart; weapons don't respawn for stupid reasons, missing game modes, small Forge World boundaries, bad maps, not enough maps, no big maps and a stupid setup, -no Firefight, -unlock armor by commendations. -Why not let us play vs our friends in matchmaking? it makes the game more fun. -And why not let us carry more weapons? oh I get it, because in reality, people can't? Halo should NOT be taken seriously. Would that make the game less competitive in multiplayer? would it cause bad balancing? I don't think so, I totally agree it would make Halo better, more unique and more away from typical shooters. Halo 4 took 3 years of development, this review took me 3 hours. To me, Halo means a lot. To me, Halo 4 is just a wreckage, not a package. To me, Halo 4 is the biggest disappointment of 2012.… Expand
  5. mrgeebaby
    May 12, 2013
    1
    343 are armatures they have never made a AAA game yet, and it is something that still needs ticking off their 'To Do' list. Matchmaking (ignoring all the gimmicks and broken mechanics) is a laggy mess! It is broken simple as that. They sold me a game that does not work. Campaign Pathetic Patronising button push sequences stolen from CoD Why? Whole levels based around pushing a button at the end of a map and then going back to the start.
    A Boss you don't fight.
    Stupid enemy AI new Prometheans have no tactical manoeuvres like the covenant.

    Online population has seen a massive drop which makes finding a MM game even more difficult!

    Avoid this game!

    Destiny Awaits!    … Expand
  6. BremBird
    May 11, 2013
    10
    Possibly one of the best games i have ever played!
    Should be much higher than 6.9
    Enjoyable and rewarding combat
    great story
    Great Multiplayer and modes
    What is not to love!
  7. Benti86
    May 8, 2013
    6
    I was so let down by this game. I watched all the trailer and listened to 343 say it would take Halo back to its roots and how it would be like Halo 3. the final product ends up being a Halo, CoD mashup which just dilutes the traditional Halo experience to near worthlessness and doesn't have the addictive arcade/CoD gameplay. Yes graphically it's beautiful, but the story is ehh, forge and customs were gutted, and matchmaking is a shell of what Halo once was. Halo 4 would not have been too bad as its own IP, but it is a dreadful Halo game. On the bright side, 343 seems to be listening and are implementing some changes and hopefully will fix Halo 4's issues for Halo 5.… Expand
  8. Funksatron
    May 5, 2013
    4
    I was excited to play this game. I had watched the Forward Until Dawn series and several of the other CG webisodes that had to do with special ops. It looked like they really wanted to take Halo to the next level and advance the plot. All of the marketing for this game was top notch, however the game was not. I was amazed at how little the game felt like it had evolved from the very first incarnation of Halo. The in game plot did not live up to the standard set by all the marketing. As far as I could tell there were only 3 cutscenes that were rendered at cinema quality, the rest seemed to be rendered with the in-game engine. I played the campaign co-op, and repeatedly had to deal with being respawned over empty space or in front of walls on vehicle levels. The AI was unimpressive for the current generation of FPS games. This is the Halo game that will make me stop playing Halo.… Expand
  9. Cdn1234
    May 2, 2013
    8
    "Halo 4: the epic start of the reclaimer saga" I'm thinking they have lost their zest throughout the games. its a good game, don't get me wrong, but the campaign is a little to repetitive, and (for once) Master Cheif seems a little under powered. That, or the enemies are over powered. I recall having to do the same thing over and over again, multiple times. Kind of defeated the purpose of a FPS game: to kill the enemies and then move! however, multiplayer is great! They often add new game types and the suit customization is great! the specializations aren't anything special, and you need to be something around lvl. 60 (i think) to unlock them. Spartan ops are fun, but, like the campaign, get boring after a little while.

    I would also recommend CoD games (even though you probably already have them)    … Expand
  10. WhovianFantatic
    May 2, 2013
    9
    This is a fantastic story.. Co op is amazing and the game makes way more sense then the last few.. It is defiantly the best story yet and I enjoyed the crap out of this game.. every cutscene looks beautiful! Masterchief had a really good presense in this story. The story is very serious and Cortana is the main point of this game.. its hearbreaking what happens and it takes us on an emotional journey with masterchief..… Expand
  11. Fatspud
    May 1, 2013
    5
    The main problem with this game is the convoluted story, and the repetitive game play; so little change since Reach. The graphics are dated, and the new dialogue between the Chief and Cortana is cringey. The new enemies are also poorly designed and boring to fight- the flood was way more fun. Multiplayer is fun though, best yet in the series.
  12. SirMauz
    Apr 30, 2013
    4
    Do YOU love Call of Duty? Do YOU paly Halo? Well, then 343 has news for YOU! Call of Duty: Master Chief! Congratulations 343, you successfully took the best of two worlds, and FAILED to combine them. Wow. The story is mediocre, very much a Deus Ex Machina. The Spartan Ops are fun, but hey, we're only giving you 10, wait till Halo 5 comes out. Ok. The Multiplayer is seriously unbalanced, even with the "new" CSR. Which is BS. The group I play with CONSISTENTLY STILL gets put with players who are either pushovers or MLG bosses. WTF. Balance means EVEN 343, not screw with it till folks give up. Personal Ordnance has a lot to do with this, as you may get rockets in a map and the enemy just sees 'nades. Great plan. OR you get on games like Valhalla and all and the other team ALL pulls Snipes/Beams whilst YOUR team gets Needlers/Shotties. Ok. Smart. If you're going to COPY CoD, at least let US choose our ordnance! Personal loadouts are another big BS thing. Hey new kid, you get any points to level up? No? Ok, enjoy your Assault Rifle while I Stealth Active Camo Plas Nade and DMR you. Really 343? If you continue this crap into Halo 5, expect me to NOT buy it, or any other product you make.… Expand
  13. greg6781
    Apr 28, 2013
    10
    343 has definitly taken care of microsofts baby.They followed bungies system and expanded on it to make it there own. The story is the best part of the game though by making smaller and more personal, this is cortonas story just as much as it is chiefs, and lets face it shes just as important as chief with out her chief wouldn't survive
  14. SuperFloorMat
    Apr 28, 2013
    8
    I expected a lot more. You can't just shine a person that was so hyped with new guns and fancy armor and expect them to smile. The story of Halo 4 was a disappointment with the ending experience, I would of just skipped the campaign and wen't straight to multiplayer where the real fun begins. For a person who has played the other Halos, Halo 4s multiplayer doesn't feel like Halo anymore. It's not based on skill often, It's based on who gets the bigger weapon the fastest and kills the most people with it. Though some times multiplayer could be a blast in war games with exciting explosions and rapid fire fights, Mostly if you die, It's your fault. Spartan Ops feels like a filler and the moment I tried it it didn't receive to be much fun, I deleted it afterwards because you have to download it when it should be in the CD. I'm not sure about this one, i'm better off playing Halo 3 because FORGE was 10 times better. I can barely get any fun custom games with Halo 4 because the ability to make maps in FORGE can be more stressful than playing Dark Souls. Even though the chief is back. Is Halo Back?… Expand
  15. AndJustice4U
    Apr 28, 2013
    10
    theres nothing i can say that hasn't been said already been said. the multi-player works flawlessly, you never have bull moments, ever. if you die its you're fault, not the games, as in for example gears of war.
  16. matroycem
    Apr 26, 2013
    7
    I have never really felt the love for Halo that has been going around since its inception on the original Xbox. Yes it was modern but it never really gripped me. The Halo games of Bungie never really seem to have much of a plot of me and it bored me going from point A on a map, into a building to point B and then going back to point A again. It seemed lazy level design.
    Halo 4 however see    ms to be a big step forward. 343 have made a few changes and brought in some decent new weapons and enemies and it did grip me more than other games. Gone has the annoying drop out of scope when you are shot and SOME of the jumps to checkpoints when a team mate passes into a new area. There is also very little back tracking in the main campaign.
    The story of the game is still very similar and doesn't really go anywhere for me but its not completely missing like it was in Halo 3 ODST. I still think that Halo need to remove the respawn trick on COOP when you can have one person hang back and if the other dies they respawn next to their fellow. Mean that some of the difficulty is sapped from the game.
    I am not much of an Online Multiplayer so I cannot give much of a review of this area but the little I did play was enjoyable enough. I think there are modes for all different abilities and the learning curve is not completely stupid like i found in the COD games.
    Its worth a purchase in my opinion.    … Expand
  17. Rhapsody
    Apr 25, 2013
    8
    I am not a really big fan of the halo series, but I feel that 343 industries has taken the game to a new level, since I really believe the series needed to take a step forward. I feel that the single player could have been put more effort into, but other than that, the multiplayer is great, and it is the one aspect that kept me from giving it a mixed score.

    I suggest that people should     wait a little bit until the prices decrease a little bit, so lots of people can have the same amount of fun for a low cost.… Expand
  18. FelixGuzman117
    Apr 25, 2013
    10
    I am a very big halo fan and let me tell you this game has passed all my expectation the graphics for this game are beautiful The story is about 8 hours for the average player Some people are giving this game negative reviews maybe its because of the new intro of amour ability Don't allow other players thought about this game change your thought about this I gave this gamer a ten of ten for the soul reason the story blows my mind People can say no game is perfect but this game is worth every penny Its a must buy for me… Expand
  19. defanual
    Apr 25, 2013
    5
    I won't go into a heavy review here because it's pretty much done and dusted by my overall experience of the game is if your a hardcore Halo fan your probably gonna absolutely love this game. The Good: -Amazing cinematics and visual facial animation -Solid overall polish, performance and story campaign-wise -Varied and reasonable length campaign especially when you include Spartan ops.

    The Bad:
    (For me, all the below stems from the multiplayer, which is the meat these days of these kinda games)

    -Semi sniper orientated game in that most of your battles well involve everyone using the same gun (DMR which scopes in like a sniper rifle and can kill with 4 quick headshots) shooting at range
    -Lack of maps out the box and an unhealthy level (bordering on pathological) selection the same map(s) namely a certain 'Exile', sometimes being voted 7, 8+ times in a row
    -Map playlist voting system is hideous and promotes the behavioural problems the community seems to have regarding a will for a distinct lack for variety repetition
    -Poor overall map design for me, most encounters involve people hiding in caves sniping or being shot from above or underneath you since many maps contain multi-level
    -Weapon drops mix random ordinances make the game a bit of a lottery as a team landing 2-3 real sniper rifles heavy weapons at once can be hugely unbalanced
    -Points system is just odd, you often get the worst score in a typical multiplayer game when you think you've done your best work, very frustrating
    -Customizations system is mostly pointless outside of colours and the menu system character cards.
    -Friendly fire, huuuge problem in this game, you'll hear countless stories of people killing destroying team-mates for vehicles or just to grief, no thanks!
    -Levelling up at the base play level is slow
    -Gameplay becomes very repetitive very quickly as you'll have a very limited arsenal of guns you can actually use successfully, have little control of the ordinances and often be playing the same map for the 15th time in one session

    In closing, it seems that a lot of the problems this game has many of it's most beloved fans community as a whole actually enjoy?! So bear this in mind when you take this review into account.    … Expand
  20. chubbydudu
    Apr 24, 2013
    10
    Game is amazing, was very skeptical. Campaign was consistent brilliance, and multiplayer is fantastic! I just wish the maps were more memorable. I give this a 10/10. A little bias but its because I love Halo
  21. HALFY236
    Apr 24, 2013
    10
    Es un gran juego 343 INDUSTRIES hiso este epico juego de la epica saga de HALO al principio no me gusto para nada pero luego de unas semanas jugandolo me di cuenta de lo genial que era el mejor juego del 2012 de seguro
  22. gorelequint
    Apr 24, 2013
    7
    While Halo 4 (Xbox 360) is a fantastic, enjoyable game with amazing graphics, it could have been so much more. I have loved the halo franchise from the original Combat Evolved to Halo Reach, but Halo 4 just didn't have the full package I was hoping for. The campaign was short, repetitive and linear. When I say linear, I mean canyons and corridors. You will know exactly what I mean if you have played the previous games. There is simply not enough open, widespread areas that make you gasp in awe at the size of them.

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

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

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

    The fact is, halo has so much potential. The halo universe is a brilliant creation and there is so much that can be added to it. It's practically limitless...... so why didn't they add anything?? Beats me??!    … Expand
  23. Newman
    Apr 23, 2013
    9
    The ending. Enough said. Halo 4 was saved by the incredibly emotional ending. MP is usual Halo so no real problems there. The game is overall probably the weakest Halo game in terms of varied gameplay, however the ending is so strong that it makes it quite memorable.
  24. dbzwarrior117
    Apr 22, 2013
    8
    When I first played Halo 4 I was star struck! However this feeling only stuck with me until I heard the music. Don't get me wrong the soundtrack sounded good, it's just that the music wasn't Halo, no matter how hard I tried to get used to this amazing game the music would just shut me down. When I hear the music from the previous Halo games, my memories playing those Halo games automatically just pop up in my head because that style of music symbolized Halo for me and defined the game. However when I hear Halo 4's music being played I can't help but feel like 343i is force feeding me food I have no taste for. At some points in space in the game it felt like I was playing star wars because the music was so similar to the music from star wars. Also at very few points the music was too loud I couldn't properly hear the dialogue.
    The graphics of this game were outstanding, especially during the cutscenes where the characters almost looked real, however there were few times in the game where the graphics wern't all that great like the first time you see requiem where it looks dodgy and unfinished compared to the ship you were standing on but to most gamers that doesn't matter anyway, but 343i need to remember that there are gamers out there that do care about those things.
    Gameplay wise could of been so much better if the right music was properly fitted to the game, but other than that fact the gameplay was amzaing and felt like you were actually in the game because of how smooth it runs and how well it works, the games ai's were very intelligent and work well with all the beautiful maps on this game.
    The dialogue in this game was supurb and was in synchronisation with the mouths of the characters. At times master chiefs dialogue felt odd but was slowly introducing an entire new aspect of how we see him which isn't necessarily such a bad thing.
    The story of Halo 4 was a bit hard for some new players to interprete but if it was interpreted correctly by the player, they would be thrilled by how amazing it works and would feel all sorts of emotions when playing playing the game and watching the cutscenes.
    The multiplayer of Halo 4 is fun and the maps are well suited to fit the gametype's. Ordnance drops are also fun to use as they are a new feature to the multiplayer of this game. The vehicles and weapons were also placed correctly around the maps and helped make the maps function more smoothly.
    Forge is a heep load of fun but could be further improved by letting the players move more freely across the maps by lessening the boundaries. It could also be improved by giving the players more items to use because the less items there are, the less things players are going to be able to do with those items. But on the bright side forge has gained new features such as locking and duplicating items, not to forget being able to delete by pallete or simply being able delete all objects which is extremly helpful.
    Spartan Ops is also a new feature added to Halo 4 however it does replace firefight. Spartan Ops offers players (with gold membership the ability to play threw another story as a spartan 4 on fireteam Crimson. Usually a new episode comes out every week (unless the season is finsihed or a break occurs) which allows players to watch a 5 minute cutscene and play 5 missions with their friends or solo. There are 10 episodes per season and usually a break in the middle which seperates the first 5 episodes from the last 5 episodes and in my opinion this is great practice for 343i to improve on their skills and i think the last 5 episodes of spartan ops prove that they have improved a great deal.
    As much as I didn't want to write about some of negative things about this game I really want to help 343i improve on what they are doing for future Halo titles.

    Soundtrack: 3.5/10
    graphics: 9.5/10
    gameplay: 8/10
    dialogue: 9/10
    story: 9/10
    multiplayer: 8.5/10
    forge: 8/10
    spartan ops: 8.5/10
    overall: 8/10

    conclussion: It is evident that 343i have done a great job with Halo 4 but it could be imroved in some areas like the soundtrack for example, but other than that cheers to you 343i, and thank you for producing an incredible game.     … Expand
  25. Arizeen
    Apr 22, 2013
    10
    Halo 4 is definately the best exclusive game on the xbox 360 and thats no easy feat. the single player campaign is pretty good, i dont hink as good as halo 2 or 3 but a good start to a new trillogy staring the one and only master chief. the graphics in the game are quite amazing with lighting that is the true showcase for the game. halo has finnaly come out on top with the graphics are concerned compaired to cod of battlefield. the controls have been tweeked yet again from halo reach where u can now run by default which is very nice and overall i think the contols are quite tight. they did replace the firefight game mode with a new mode called spartan ops which is a nice addition as it has a story in it that goes beyond the campaign as well as letting you use your own spartan. but what really shines is the multiplayer which as been the case for as long as halo has been around. the new perk and armor abilities really spice it up and make the game stand on its own as far as fps games go. the maps both on the cd and dlc are amazing as well with some sure classics in the group such as haven and complex. if you are a halo fan, fps fan, multiplayer fan, or just want a good game this is where it is at. i have over 5 days put into the multiplayer alone. dont think about it just buy it. nuff said.… Expand
  26. kylesar
    Apr 21, 2013
    8
    Excellent gameplay and nice guns make me love this game. The graphics are the best in the Halo series. The thing that keeps this from the 10 is the loss of Firefight. It was Firefight that made Halo Reach and ODST as addicting as they were
  27. Sesse
    Apr 19, 2013
    9
    I have all the halo games and this one is a bit different but still attach to the original game play, it has a lot CoD but i don't see that like a bad thing, for me this game is a 1 year online game to play.
  28. omgodslayer
    Apr 19, 2013
    4
    It is better than Reach but, what isn't better than Reach? The gameplay dynamics feel more refined than Halo Reach. The hit-scan weapons reduce multiplayer lag online. The load-outs still make the game feel like a watered down CoD rather than Halo. The lack of an in-game true skill ranking system really irks me as well. Over all I would give this a 4 out of 10 because it was a visible improvement over Reach but still nothing close to Halo 2 or Halo 3.… Expand
  29. VibroKnife
    Apr 16, 2013
    10
    10/10. Amazing game. One of the best I've played. Introduces new and fresh ideas to it's franchise and stays true to it's skill based gameplay. people who claim it's bad because of it's new features in the multiplayer. Those people are stupid and every thing could be explained in 1 sentence. For example people really hate the ordnance drops. Claiming that they are kill streak rewards. They're f*cking idiots. It is a not a killstreak reward you can get these ordnance drops only in one game mode and you don't even have to go on a streak you just get them over time by accumulating points. Not kills. And even at that the ordnance drops are seriously just a way to drop power weapons that you can already find on the map to your position. Heck, often time's their only grenades and stuff. Everything else is top notch.… Expand
  30. Enforcer122
    Apr 16, 2013
    6
    What can I say about this game? I have mixed feelings... Playing halo from day one, I was already in love with the series no matter what. But when this 4th Halo came out, I was a little disappointed. This game is so massively multiplayer it's almost impossible to get any achievements or progress in the game without someone playing with you! Multiplayer is a great as ever and the campaign is good, although a little short.… Expand
  31. DarkKnightG4
    Apr 16, 2013
    9
    I was never a die-hard Halo fan. I came onto the Halo scene a year or two after it was originally released and respected how technically sound it was. As the later installments came out I never bought into the story or characters and I never thought they were the best looking games at the times of their release (due to art style). I would go to LAN parties with friends and have a great time playing with them, but outside of that, I rarely would touch those old Halos. That is until Halo 4. Halo 4 was a "changing of the guard" from the other installments, and in my opinion, for the better. More effort was put into giving the characters more depth through cinematic sequences and dialogue. I found this to be a great improvement over previous installments. The graphic level of Halo 4 actually met my standards for being one of the best looking games released at its time. The sound is also top notch, and the guns feel more powerful than ever thanks to the amped up sounds. The AI is smart and provides a challenge and the level designs provide decent variety in play-style. Multi-player runs smooth and the nasty "host powers" that plague these P2P games is marginalized well. I also enjoyed the new control schemes ,as I always preferred the COD style scheme with my play-style, and the customization/load-out options. There is a good balance between feeling that you have a unique character and having any load-out be viable. The new game mode, Spartan-ops is a decent addition however, like the game itself, the story is still pretty ho-hum. Now I haven't read any of the books for the added lore, but I don't believe I should have to in order to enjoy the stories of the games. This is an area that still could use some improvement. Overall, this is an excellent, high-production value game, and one of the best games on the Xbox 360. VERDICT: Must buy! You'll get you're bang for your buck quite easily with this game.… Expand
  32. BillzHere
    Apr 16, 2013
    3
    In my honest opinion, this game has to be one of the worst FPS's I have ever played. In more simpler terms, this game is a colossal disaster. The story itself wasn't my main concern, it was the multiplayer. I really did not care much for the story in this game because, it really got boring and just plain stupid after playing the first hour or two. Granted, the campaign has some very beautiful scenery at points, the soundtrack is okay, and the guns sounds decent. But the story itself is nothing to get completely hyped up about.
    Now fore the real meat and bone, the multiplayer A.K.A. what made the game terrible I can see what 343 Industries were trying to do by incorporating all these new mechanics like default sprint, armor abilities, and loadouts. Basic terms, they were simply attempting to mimic Call of Duty to gather a bigger audience from that fan base. But the end result ended in a complete disaster. First off, my major pet peeve was the customization in this game. Instead of building off of Halo: Reach's amazing armor Customization, 343 Industries decides to rip off Halo 3's customization. That's right. HALO 3, a game made 5 YEARS AGO. My next concern is the feel of the game. This game has 0% Halo feel to it. In previous Halo multiplayers, teamwork was vital, you had to work with your team. But in this game, everyone is a lone wolf, fighting for themselves and not working co-operatively. The weapons in this game are terrible, some weapons I feel need to be stronger, like the assault rifle, and some weapons feel way too over powered to the point it's ridiculous. And some weapons that shouldn't be there in the first place. The game modes, are practically the same as Reach's Excluding the few new modes This game was not improved. It was turned into Call of Halo: Future Warfare 4. As a side note, if you leave too many games, you get banned for an hour. No warning what so ever. Just straight up banned. At least in Reach you got a warning and you only got banned for 15 minutes. I bet in that hour of being banned, you could get in a car bus, bike or walk to your nearest Gamestop, get a full refund, and Buy Halo: Reach.
    My overall score for the garbage game is a three out of ten. Those perfect scores are incorrect and dishonest, they are only reviewed by people who don't see the real errors that are right in their faces. 343 Industries won't be seeing another dime from me any time soon.    … Expand
  33. Ordish
    Apr 16, 2013
    10
    Let me first start by saying that I have never been a Halo fan having only played Halo 1 on the PC and not being very impressed with it. I also finished Halo 3 ODST on the Xbox and wasn't particularly impressed with that either.. Until now I haven't seen anything from the Halo universe that was particularly impressive. I haven't played the multiplayer yet so this review is on the campaign. The storyline was intriguing and well adapted. Actually one of the best single player storylines I have played in quite a few years. The controls were a bit awkward at first, straying from the typical FPS control scheme but after some play they are manageable. The graphics and dynamic environments were simply beautiful. Overall the game provided an epic story with great game mechanics. I don't know if this studio has produced other titles in the Halo world but they knocked this one out of the park.… Expand
  34. matadorred
    Apr 12, 2013
    1
    bad multiplayer, no weapon balance, they give the user the option to customize their loadouts with the various amounts of guns, but there's only 1 viable loadout and its DMR boltshot. they focused less on core halo multiplayer and more on their stupid spartan ops which gets an update every week while multiplayer has yet to get a balance patch, and they took out core halo playlists like KOTH, Lone wolves FFA, in favor of their own dying playlists like Dominion and Regicide. For most of the start, there was no competitive playlist so most of the old halo fans left. 2 map packs were BTB, while only 1 had 3 small maps. On top of that, they released a puny amount of on-disc maps, with only 4 being small maps and catering only to BTB players. so theyve aliented half their playerbase, most of the old halo fans have left, so good luck with halo 5 and good riddance… Expand
  35. gstiker5
    Apr 9, 2013
    10
    Awesome Game which must be played.
    Good: Graphics are amazing, controls are different but good,great multiplayer modes, split-screen is great, variety of modes, new enemies are interesting, the story can be understood without reading the books, tons of customization, Bad A Steep Learning Curve if you're new to Halo, Campaign is sometimes a bit too chaotic
    10/10 Just Buy It Seriously
  36. insanem0nk
    Apr 9, 2013
    1
    inherited a golden franchise and huge fanbase from bungie, and 343 squandered it by trying to make halo into their own. well guess what, people bought halo 4 for bungie, and stopped playing because of 343. they won't be tricked into buying halo 5, in hopes that 343 will be bringing it back to "halo roots" like they said. the only people that continue playing are the BTB scrubs, who've changed halo into 8v8 into the traditional 4v4 arena shooter it is known for. A lot of false promises backed by nonresponsive PR rankings promised on day 1, comes 6 months after, fileshare promised day 1, comes 3 months after. 343 is a bad studio, and being a new studio doesn't give them some leeway, why did they give a new studio the reins to 360's best exclusive? and its not like those developers are new, theyve all worked on tripleA titles… Expand
  37. SuperSaiyan10
    Apr 8, 2013
    10
    I know this review is really late. I got Halo 4 on launch (Nov 6) but since I am new to Metacritic I am writing the review now because I recently just went through the game again. I have beaten the game on every difficulty level and can honestly say they ramp up the difficulty perfectly. The game is tough but fair. You need to be extremely tactical in Legendary mode. The Master Chief story continues in Halo 4 and I have to say, I think it's the best yet. I have played through every Halo game but I think this one stands above the rest. 343 has done an excellent job taking over from Bungie which isn't an easy thing to do. The story is truly epic, and you get to see a different side to the Chief, his human side. It's nice to see under all that armour that there is a living, thinking person under there. He talks a lot in this game, I would say more than the 3 previous Halo games combined. In terms of multiplayer, again very well done. Combat and maps feel fresh. This is a must own game for any 360 user.… Expand
  38. Geracritic
    Apr 7, 2013
    3
    the graphics are amazing and the sound is very realistic, but it is not the only thing to attract attention; levels are boring, really thought it would be something far grander.
  39. Shadownerd45
    Apr 5, 2013
    10
    This is the Halo you have been waiting for, With plenty of new weapons and a new race of enemies, The Promethean's, This game does not disappoint. The campaign is more interested in Master Chiefs and Cortana's relationship as Cortana is quickly deteriorating due to Rampancy. As Master Chief fights to get back to Earth to save Cortana he must fend off the Didact who wants to destroy Humanity. The Multiplayer has been completely redesigned, Now with new matchmaking, More player customization, And maps made specifically for Multiplayer. The multiplayer is brilliantly balanced, Every gun is different yet the same. Spartan Ops is replacing Firefight though. But is is well worth the trade off, Being able to play as a Spartan-IV in a completely free weekly DLC that expands after the main campaign makes you feel more alive than any other game. You feel like you make a difference in these missions. The game looks astounding and sounds astounding. The graphics are the most outstanding in the series and the musical score fits the tone of the game. If you enjoy Halo then this is the game for you.… Expand
  40. kroople
    Apr 4, 2013
    9
    If you're a Halo fan, this game will make a fine addition to your collection. Fantastic campaign, even better multiplayer, and Spartan Ops is a welcome co-op addition that adds another element to the story. For forge lovers, like myself, there are some things they left out that might disappoint you, but it's still solid, especially with the recent addition of "Forge Islands". Overall, the best arcade FPS game on the Xbox 360 right now. If you're a Halo fan, you will not regret purchasing this.… Expand
  41. CurryLord114045
    Apr 2, 2013
    9
    Halo 4 is a fantastic FPS. It is far better than Halo Reach and outclasses it in every way. The campaign is slightly better with awesome enemies and a good storyline. The online multiplayer is far better than Halo Reach with good maps and some from older games. However, it wasn't as good as the classic Halo 3. I still highly recommend, but I still don't feel it was as classic and simple as Halo 3.
  42. Blueshift
    Apr 2, 2013
    6
    Being the big Halo fan I am, I bought Halo 4 despite my doubts that 343 could make a good Halo game. After 5 months of playing the game, I can say that Halo 4 was a massive disappointment, with the campaign being the only bright spot in my opinion. The multiplayer is an utter insult to the franchise, particularly because Halo's multiplayer was based on the idea that everybody was equal and that is definitely no the case in Halo 4. Power weapons no longer have static spawns and just drop down randomly on the map in almost all of the playlists (who was the moron who thought that was a good idea?) Players could also spawn with the boltshot, a weapon that is essentially a mini shotgun (though they did nerf it a bit). Moving on from multiplayer, custom games and forge both have been incredibly watered down compared to Reach and drives away even more of the fanbase. Unfortunately i don't think 343 will draw back the fans they drove away; maybe they should have tried sticking to Halo's roots instead of ripping off other franchises.… Expand
  43. JonnyLoker
    Mar 31, 2013
    8
    As for Halo campaigns, this game's was the least epic. You don't in the least bit feel like Master Chief, and the pretty lack-lustre soundtrack is part of the reason why. The storyline was making Cortana and the Chief something that they never were previously, and tried to stir emotions in gamers where none can be found. They tried hard and failed hard at making it sad. Why is my score so high? Because after months of gaming I'm still on the multiplayer. That being said, the lags and cutouts are far from good. It is obvious that 343 is not keeping up with their stuff like they should be. 8/10 In no way a bad game.… Expand
  44. mk7khatrj
    Mar 31, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have been a COD and a battlefield player and i decided to switch to Halo 4 because of all of its hype. But to be very honest it doesnot live up to its hype The graphics are good but the storyline is boring. The objectives are too repetitive. The guns are awesome but not the enemies. Repetitive enemies and poor objectives spoil all the good features such as amazing graphics. Poor expeirience and m now switching back to Bf3.… Expand
  45. Defender_X
    Mar 31, 2013
    6
    Halo's campaign is known for its simplicity,but in Halo 4,the story is just confusing and at points,boring.Even the flashbacks in Halo 3:ODST were easier to follow than Halo 4's storyline. The gameplay is uninteresting as most of the missions either ask you to defend an area or go to 3 areas and push buttons.At least they finally let you fly a Pelican Dropship. Multiplayer is a blast! Although they took a couple things from the COD series,the multiplayer is still engaging and fun.With new maps,new weapons,new abilities and others,this is great for anyone looking for online play.Spartan Ops is,well,pretty "meh". It can be fun at times but playing it with friends is the only way to experience it fully.New items have been added to Forge,making it better than ever. If you want a good single player game,sorry,no such luck here.If you want a good multiplayer and co-op play,this is pretty much it.… Expand
  46. thewastedyouth
    Mar 30, 2013
    6
    (after watching Halo 4 Postmortem on gamespot) This is just a big insult to any long time Halo fan. I don't know why I bought H4. I played for less than 7 hours. It's a disgrace. And what made Halo amazing was not only the campaign, but how accessible the multiplayer is. No one talked about how "difficult" mp was (even though there was no online). Halo mp became a success was because you can play it casually or if you really wanted to play serious, you can get to the meat and bones of the game by learning power weapons timing, grenade tossing techniques, spawns, and all that make an FPS an FPS.

    Same thing applies with 2 and 3.

    But now... this whole ordnance drop and default sprint makes the game only accessible for casual play. All that strafing and timing and positioning doesn't matter. Sprint doesn't fit in the Halo games because unlike other games you don't die in 3 bullets to the toe. The kill time doesn't mix with sprint.


    screw you 343... SCREW YOU.    … Expand
  47. bioadam
    Mar 29, 2013
    8
    Halo 4 sits somewhere between Halo 3 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. While Halo 4 is clearly a good game, it is not great game. Despite the flourish of new graphics, the series has lost some of its trademark character. The new enemies, the Promotheans, are mute tanks that flitter, scurry, and teleport. They do not, however, flank, retreat, or do anything memorable. The Promothean weapons are even more boring: every Promothean weapon is a futuristic looking version of one of today's weapons. The only new kind of weapons are a rail gun and a sticky detonator, and each shows up sparingly in the campaign. A prime opportunity to add some interesting new ideas to Halo has been squandered. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In terms of progressing the series, I found it odd that "Halo 4" explicitly tells players to scavenge weapons from fallen combatants. In later levels, when combatants are many and dropped weapons are few, the game compensates by giving you crate upon crate of grenades and weapons. Placing the strategic choice of weapons in the hands of the player is a staple of Halo games, but those choices are meaningless if the game gives players an inexhaustible armory of the same kinds of weapons. At least 343 returned the health system pioneered in Halo 2. After your shields fall, you can take a few hits while you duck for cover. This system works and keeps the flow of the game moving. Halo 4 has a constant momentum to the point of providing dialogue and backstory through driving sequences rather than non-playable cut scenes. 343 did not entirely understand Bungie's snippets of fun mojo, and Halo's musical staple, the dun-dun-dun-dun guitar riff, was completely absent. In fact, pulse pounding music of any kind was absent, giving a sense of emptiness to many of the early levels. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The game also abuses the mechanic of go to several places on the same level and press several buttons. I prefer the old challenges of figuring out how to fit a Warthog into a doorway. Nevertheless, Halo 4 provides several opportunities to run, drive, or fly past past enemies to the next check point.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The story of Halo 4 is quite epic. As Master Chief, you relentlessly fight against the Covenant, the Prometheans, your human ally's incompetence, and the story driven failure of your A.I. pal Cortana. When mission failure is required, and it is required quite a bit in this story, the failure is never that of the player. We are never burdened with the awful cutscene of the player character cluelessly and impotently watching the action unfold and not participating. Master Chief is as competent as ever. By the way, the graphics in Halo 4 are the best ever on the Xbox 350 and the cutscenes are photorealistic. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Multiplayer on Halo 4 has been a mixed bag. 343 failed to provide popular game types and decent maps at launch, and exacerbated their launch failures with a lack of support for a good three to four months. In late March of 2013, 343 finally started fixing the multi-player experience, but the popularity of Halo has suffered. One of the positive changes 343 has made is leveraging the players' ability to make their own maps and adding the best of the communiy's maps to the on-line playlists. Few games provide map making tools and this is a stand-out feature for Halo 4 on the Xbox.    … Expand
  48. Gomez
    Mar 28, 2013
    7
    Halo 4 is just another Halo out there, not much has changed from any of the others apart from updated graphics. I’m quite disappointed with 343 industries they need to step up and make it better game play. Not just updating the graphics then throwing it out there into the market, they need to make something original to draw us back into playing Halo. Don’t get me wrong I think that Halo 4 o 4 is okay to play but it is certainly nothing special in the gaming industry. I rember playing the old classic Halo and not alot has changed looking back to it. Halo 4 would be for people in their teenage lives such as people at college and universities. I would like it if 343 industries would make more new content into the game which will bring over the serious gamers from Call of duty and other well known games. So that more people will play it and so that I could have a challenge on there! I would rate the game of around 6.5 out of 10.… Expand
  49. adkenna
    Mar 26, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4 is a good start for 343 Industries in not just Halo but in gaming. Sure they did a good job with Halo: CEA however that was what I'd class as half a job, they polished an already great game and did a good job to make it look and somewhat feel like a modern game. However Halo 4 is 343's first full blown game.

    343 have already proven they can do a great job writing the story in Halo with its books, cartoons and many other productions they have created and I personally was very excited to see how they would take the Master Chiefs story and progress it further. A safe move to play would have been to just throw in a random reason that the covenant plan to restart the war with Humanity however 343 do a great job making Halo 4 feel bigger than the covenant, sure there is the storm faction (Poorly explained in the game) but they never feel like the main threat throughout the story and only feel like they are there to keep the Halo feeling we've all grown to love fighting them. 343 take the focus away from the Covenant with the Prometheans, a challenging but somewhat irritating new enemy in the campaign. At first the feeling that you are fighting something new and unpredictable gives you a great feeling, however there just always feels like there is something missing from them, that makes them feel fun to fight, that makes you feel like you are playing Halo and if you play the game on Legendary they become far less of a challenging enemy and become a bullet sponging monster that you just wish you could avoid instead of challenge it. However story-wise with the return of the Forerunners in particular the only one you see throughout the game; The Didact, if following the story makes you feel like you are dealing with something completely unknown, the first encounter with this Enhanced forerunner (Explained throughout Terminals in game) he makes our unstoppable Master Chief look like a pushover and throws him to the other side of the room with a simple flick installing the fear of him instantly. Although the end of the game is somewhat satisfying especially the speech from the Didact is still leaves you with not many hints of what could be coming next, sure people don't like cliffhangers but I can't help but feel this game would have befitted from one, when I finished the game although I know it's far from over, I jus felt like well... that's that dealt with. The story is great in this game even with it's underwhelming ending it defiantly leaves Halo with many different paths it could follow in Halo 5. Now the multiplayer of Halo 4 is also a mixture of goof and bad, as a long time Halo fan I'd love to be able to say yeah, it's amazing it's perfect but I can't, I personally have stopped playing it that often only a few months after release, it's not because it's bad but it just seems to bore me a lot more than any other Halo game has. I love the customization in this game with classes and your spartan is gives you many, many different options to customize your spartan in the way you want to, the only downside to this is the only real mode that makes you feel like your spartan is slightly important is Spartan Ops however although this mode is enjoyable and has a good story to it, it feels very respective and you just seem to be completing objevtives that add nothing to the actual story of Spartan Ops. Versus side of multiplayer is a blast to play at first but it doesn't take long for you to feel like something is missing that makes it feel again, less like Halo. The shear amount of playlists in the mutliplayer I personally find makes the game that much more repetitive as you can mostly chose the exact mode you want to play with very few playlists offering different modes within them. The DLC for this game sticks to traditional Halo DLC... Map Packs. Map Packs I can't help but feel are outdated DLC, yeah they can be good here and there but when the only DLC a entire franchise has ever revived is map packs then it kind of does become predicable, with the multiplayer already boring the player fast the map packs bring a few more hours of fun and then the same issues kick in with the game just feeling less and less fun over time, yeah every game eventually may feel like that but this one in particular suffers from it more than other games. I can't help but feel Halo needs some kind of great DLC like a full blown expansion such as what ODST was planned to be.

    Over-all Halo 4 is a good start for 343 and one can hope that they will learn from mistakes made in the game and improve with Halo 5. There are a lot of other things I could go into with the game however most are just small things such as the new gun sounds and the whole new soundtrack. A great story, fun in short bursts gameplay and leaves the Halo franchise with some good options this game earns a 8/10 from me even if I'd love to give the game a 10/10 because I love the Halo Universe I just can't.

    8/10    … Expand
  50. CheekyChief
    Mar 26, 2013
    9
    Wow. That's how you would sum up Halo 4 in one word. Great story, addicting multiplayer,and great ending. Probably the only complaint would be the DMR being over powered. But if playing everything else in the game you won't care. Please if you're a halo fan stop reading this review and buy this game. You won't be disappointed.
  51. Lemelak
    Mar 26, 2013
    3
    Although 343 did all they could to keep up with the outstanding string of games that Bungie has been putting out for over 10 years I felt the fell short on many aspects of the game. The campaign was boring and repetitive not to mention absurdly short. I beat it within 5 hours, for a 60$ game it felt hardly worth it. The multi-player was significantly more interesting. The mechanics where easy to grasp and the game felt more balanced than anything I've ever seen. There were no rushing for the rocket launchers and shotguns. Everyone had the weapons they needed at start and where rewarded for their outstanding gameplay with something other than points and icons with weapons to give them a bit of an edge but not over powered. All in all the game is only good for multi-player and COMPLETELY not worth 60$.… Expand
  52. TheWalrus2000
    Mar 25, 2013
    9
    Halo 4 brings back the ultimate Halo game experience with awesomeness and intensity. Halo fans will be pleased.
  53. Oxcart
    Mar 24, 2013
    7
    So, the sixth Halo game. I've been through Halo 1-3, ODST, and Reach. I've done my tours of duty with the UNSC, from the low-end low-budget beginning through the slick and polished latest. But this is different; Bungie has slipped its reins off the Halo horse, and MGS has taken over. How did they do? Very well, better than I expected. Let's take a look. Graphics are outstanding, with well-built levels that benefit from good artwork. Enemies (and allies) are correspondingly high-res, meaning that even on console, you won't have your immersion in the game wrecked by something on-camera that looks like a digital camera threw up on screen (we've all seen that...are you listening, Jurassic Park?). Weapon design has undergone a major overhaul, and one for the positive. I've previously had an intense dislike for non-human weapons in Halo, but this installment is different; Forerunner weapons are pretty sweet. Gameplay is well above average. Two missteps mar the game, though. First, the campaign is short. As in "we got it done on Legendary in six hours" short. Second, the storytelling, while not bad, is much thinner than previous Halo games. It's clear that Microsoft Game Studios wasn't as interested in telling an epic story as their predecessors. Even so, it's an enjoyable game that really is a must-play for Halo fans. Everybody else, it's a good shooter with challenge and finesse...just not a lot of single-player mileage in the tank. A fair 7 to Halo 4, and a "good job" to the folks at MGS responsible for it.… Expand
  54. Gamezillabrodud
    Mar 23, 2013
    10
    Halo 4 is by far one of the best games of all time. The story is more personal, dark, and rewarding than previous halo entries and ends on an all out high note. The graphics are a revolution in gaming, with detailed environments, superb lighting, ridiculously high res textures, and incredible facial animation and motion capture. The sweeping spectacle and breath taking views of distant forerunner structures reminisce to when people first saw halo combat evolved. Also, the cinematics are so incredible when I first saw them I thought they were live action. They really are that good. As for the gameplay, they keep to the series' main roots, straight up runnin and gunnin like a baller. It is incrediblely satisfying to just run out and desimate enemies. The weapons not only look and sound great but are all unique and perfectly balanced. Speaking of sound, it's epic, from the crack of an assault rifle, to the all new beautiful score by Neil davidge, to the simple hum of a warthog halo 4 stays true to the awesome sound design we've come to expect from halo games. Themu,tip layer has been redone and is incredibly fun and addicting, with the new loadout system, halo 4 adds much more customization that is nice change to halo. Spartan ops is since bit of narrative based arcade style killing feet that can be a real blast to play. While the sequences are over in minutes and aren't that challenging even on legendary and you won't get hold of much of the story during combat,they still feel epic and the weekly cinematics they bring are a treat to watch. As for forge, it's just as awesome as ever but, allowing you to make the map of your dreams, but as been refined to the point that does away with the annoying issues it used to have. So overall, halo 4 is one of the best of the series, an incredible start to the new trilogy, and one of the best looking, best sounding, best playing, straight up BEST game of all time.… Expand
  55. Coletrain128
    Mar 21, 2013
    8
    343 has proved that they can create a product just as good as Bungie's time spent with Halo. However, it's important to address the certain factors that hold this back from being and outstanding title. The campaign is shorter compared to most Halo game's and there are very few moments throughout the experience that can be considered as memorable. I will say that the story and the overall atmosphere of the planet requiem save it from being a forgettable campaign. Spartan Ops could of also been a welcomed addition if it wasn't for the use of repeated environments. When you are trying to tell a story over the use of a competitive multiplayer map (Ragnarok) it doesn't really work. The fmc cutscenes are impressing to watch, but the whole experience suffers due to doing the same trivial objectives such as pressing three buttons to open a door or clear a room of enemies. Multiplayer is a mixed bag. On one hand you get great additions such as Haven and Adrift but majority of the maps suffer from similar design, they are either too massive or are either a giant circle (Longbow, Exile, Meltdown, Wreckage, Complex). The overall product is good, but it certainly isn't game of the year material or deserving of a 10/10.… Expand
  56. GFreeman
    Mar 21, 2013
    4
    Now I had high hopes for Halo 4. But these hopes were shot down when I was playing the Campaign. The enemy's are defiantly not as smart as people say them to be, and the missions are usually very bland and boring. After beating the game on Normal it then attempted to say me into buying Xbox Live so I can keep playing Halo 4. Now I don't play on the Xbox Live so the multiplayer was out of the question. Once I beat the main game, I went to the Infinity lobby to try Spartan Ops only to be shot down and slapped in the face by another wall blocking my way to more Halo 4. That wall was a few sentences that said "Xbox Live Gold membership and permission to play online required for Spartan Ops". I immediately turned off my console after that. I went back into the game however a few months later and played the campaign again. It was fun, but afterwards I check my custom created Spartan. I got nothing for playing the campaign. Absolutely nothing except for a helmet for my Avatar. Heck the game didn't even say what difficulty I completed the game on. In my personal opinion Halo 4 could have been a great game, but was shot down by the Xbox Live requirements. You need Xbox Live to look at over 80% of the games content. I'm sorry to say it, but 343 has really ruined Halo for me.… Expand
  57. Aisforawsome
    Mar 20, 2013
    10
    This game is absolutely beautiful! I have been a long-time fan of the Halo series, and when I heard that Halo 4 was finally coming out, I was extremely excited! Now that I have had the chance to play through all the content available, I must say it is hard to find a problem with this game. For an ageing console, the graphics are simply stunning. Controls are still tight, so that is still not broken. Enemy and friendly AI is more challenging then ever, especially on harder difficulties. The story in the campaign was well-written, and touching at times. Spartan Ops started off slow, but recently has truly turned into a good story. The biggest beef that people keep bringing up is '343 stole from CoD'. I will tell you that the multiplayer in Halo 4 is nothing like Call of Duty's. Nothing at all! The supposed things ripped of the competition were used in countless games before CoD, and are used in ways that still provide balance and keep the game feeling like Halo. This game is worth the buy, 100%!… Expand
  58. diz30
    Mar 20, 2013
    8
    Good game. From a gamers perspective, the game was shipped before it was complete. Understandably though as the game needed to be sold that early in order to get a high amount of sales. The campaign is fun but short. Great graphics for a console. The multiplayer is ok. The randomness of all the power weapons gets annoying after a while and makes it hard to keep playing. Spartan Ops was fun if you had friends to play with. The first 5 episodes all feel the same. Even using a lot of maps multiple times. Other than challenges to increase your SR rank (which means nothing) there is no real reason to go back and play spartan ops after you've done it. 8/10, fun game but gets boring after you've tried everything.… Expand
  59. punkandglamour
    Mar 19, 2013
    10
    I can remember the days when I hated FPS and then I discovered Halo. Loved the new weapons and new race to fight. Loved the graphics. I can say that I had so much fun playing through the campaign with my brother in law and making jokes. If the walking dead hadn't destroyed my heart before I played this, I might have even cried when one of my beloved characters died. I think the beauty here is that they didn't try to teach an old dog any tricks. They just tweaked the same stuff we've been loving for years.… Expand
  60. azgoodaz
    Mar 18, 2013
    10
    Campaign was long and hard, but it was good and awesome how it finished. Legendary mode got 10x harder since Bungie on Halo Reach. Multilayer is fun, and they keep adding new game modes so players wont get bored. File Sharing was a issue but 4 or so months later they fixed and made sure it worked.. and now it does both on the game and website. The Halo way point app hasn't been updated yet to track stats in which it is sad but thats another thing. Overall its a good game, and we can now see that 343 is not just a Microsoft company but the future for Halo Series to come.… Expand
  61. Undernage
    Mar 17, 2013
    8
    THE GAME IS GREAT AND ALL! The multiplayer is splendid! Campaign is the best! But too bad bungie was busy on other projects. So i will give this game a 8/10!
  62. sharksfan98
    Mar 17, 2013
    8
    Amazing. There are a few flaws in the programming, like the heath and stamina being depleted easily. It stands out from the other Halo games easily, almost giving it a unique touch. The campaign has an amazing story line and plot, which follows an odd pursuit never seen before in the Halo series. Multiplayer follows suit with a pimped-out GUI and exceptional game modes. Favorable, minus some flaws that appears that the developers were eager to dish out a sequel too soon.… Expand
  63. WaffleFox
    Mar 14, 2013
    6
    The game is pretty much the same as any other Halo. You go through a short campaign and shoot covenant, flood, and whatever else stands in your way. This game introduces a new enemy faction: the Prometheans. The weapons they use are really cool looking and handle just like any other weapon. For the most part though, I'd rather use the old weapons rather than the new ones. Once you beat the campaign there isn't much of anything else to do. You could play online which takes up 3GB of your hard drive to download the stuff needed to play, but that's an additional feature which requires XBOX LIVE paid membership. Seeing as you have to pay seperately for this, I don't consider it part of the game. The game is what it comes with, not what you have to pay extra for. That's what it is to me anyway. Anyway the game is good and there is a decent amount of new things in it. But doesn't stand out as anything amazing or different from previous Halo shooters.… Expand
  64. TheGamer31
    Mar 12, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I had originally given this game a 10, but then after I played this one, I played back through the original Halo games. After I played them, I said to myself "How is this even a Halo game? The campaign is practically the same just with different level designs, and the ending "boss" is awful! You just press ONE button to kill him... ONE. BUTTON! And the way the grenade explodes in his death isn't even the way the grenade explodes earlier in the game! Now, let;s look at multiplayer. The multiplayer is fun, but only because it's basically a CoD ripoff, and I hate CoD. You have like your 10 points for kills, double kills, triple kills. revenge, headshot and other stuff that was in Reach. But the way it is presented as you get a kill is just like in CoD. I mean, you even have perks for multiplayer. PERKS... Halo is not a game for perks! I mean it is just ridiculous of how much this game wanted to be like CoD. When I went to school, all my friends were telling me it was o,ne of the greatest games of all time, when I finally played it, yes I liked it like I said at the beginning of the review. But if you haven't played the original Halo games, you will like this one, at least until you play the originals. But if you have played the originals, you will hate this game. So, 343, PLEASE don't make another Halo game, you will fail at it like you did in this game. And if you do, please make it more true to the original Halo games! The forerunner robot things are fine to keep, but make it have more of a Halo feel. Add more Covenant to fight please? The thing that saves this game from a negative score is that I am a fan of the original Halo games, not this CoD ripoff garbage. 5/10… Expand
  65. SimonSaysRage
    Mar 11, 2013
    10
    The greatest game ever made? Yes. Hands down the best game I have ever played since I first shot a Nazi in Wolfenstein 3D. The story is epic; even emotional if you're at all attached to the Chief Cortana. If you're not...you will be. Without a doubt the best graphics I've seen on the 360. The gameplay is intense, varied, and enthralling. Thankfully the new multiplayer system doesn't disappoint either. Matches seem to be better balanced and the customization of your Spartan and your loadouts is very well thought out. I've played the game all the way through twice on Heroic Legendary and will play it again it's that good. Not one complaint about this game. It has set the bar for all future first-person shooters.… Expand
  66. 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
  67. BoredEasily
    Mar 10, 2013
    10
    10/10 probably a 9.5 really but this, in my opinion, is the best Halo since the first 2. I completed 3 and bought both Reach ODST but never managed to complete them as i got to bored too quickly...
  68. Silentwalker
    Mar 9, 2013
    2
    Halo 4, the campaign... For me was utterly terrible. I'll start with something that I think plays a major part in Halo and that is the Music. Music within the halo games have been excellent in portraying the feelings between the master cheif and cortana. Marty was excellent at giving feeling and depth to situations within halo.

    Unfortunately within halo 4 it's more like white noise. The     sounds and music are repetitive and god awe full, they give no depth nor feeling to the game or any of the situations you're in.

    The campaign felt like a long walk with button pushes along the way, the writing was terrible along with the level design. They created a game that looks good but only to take your eye away from the poor design. In comparison to Halo 3, there were many memorable moments and quotes that I'll remember forever, such as.

    "You are, all of you, vermin. Cowering in the dirt, thinking…what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No. Your world will burn until its surface is but glass, and not even your Demon will live to creep, blackened from its hole, to mar the reflection of our passage. The culmination of our Journey, for your destruction is the will of the gods! And I? I am their instrument!"

    The emotion between the cheif and cortana was not there at all where as in Halo 3 you could really feel it. 2 words 343, Body Language. "You know me when I make a promise"

    Multiplayer on the other hand yet still is not as good as the previous games but I can understand why they went in the direction they did with games like cod and needing to keep up with any new fanbase.

    The multilayer for me is a 4/10 yet is still playable and good. The level design is 'OK' with new map packs improving on design slightly. The skill gap has been narrowed by a lot and they have made it so almost anyone can pick up and play if they have played fps's before. Where as the previous Halo's (minus reach) were on a more competitive scale.

    Hopefully with Halo 5 they will do a better job, as for now I think I may be going over to the Dark side next gen.    … Expand
  69. TheBeast666
    Mar 9, 2013
    0
    numaiios es retrasado mental
  70. magician369
    Mar 8, 2013
    9
    Graphics:10///GAMEPLAY:10///Story:7///Soundtracks:10
    ----------9 masterpiece---------------
    a must have game for the Xbox,if you did not play the series before(like me),i highly recommend to watch all the cut scenes on YouTube to be familiar with the universe of Halo.
    the guns are absolotly amazing,vihcels are a little bit buggy,but also cool.best graphics for a seven generation consol     ,especially the faces of the characters are so real.the music is fantastic...
    there is only one big PROBLEM in this game,be sure to read this:NO AUTO SAVE IN CAMPAIGN,not even a save menu,checkpoints are not saved unless you press start and choose save and quit,i lost three missions when i shutdown my Xbox.
    also the story plot is not up to the game,but it is good.    … Expand
  71. drlowdon
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    Following the highly publicised change of developer the gaming world was rightly curious as to how one of its biggest selling franchises would fare following the departure of its creators Bungie. Despite now being developed by 343 industries however this is still, for better or worse, the same Halo we've all seen before and those that criticise the series for not really evolving since its Xbox debut over a decade ago certainly make a fair point. As a result this fourth 'mainline' title is not really going to be of any interest to those that didn't like previous installments.

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

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

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

    All in all then this is a safe but promising start for 343 industries and the wealth of options and modes will provide most with hour upon hour of gameplay.    … Expand
  72. Bass_Clef
    Mar 6, 2013
    6
    Visually, this game is amazing. In every other aspect, the game is severely lacking. From a frustratingly short campaign with a terrible QTE final boss to a multiplayer, this game just isn't the epic adventure 343 promised. I was so excited for this game and I loved what 343 did with Halo: CEA but this game is effectively raping a dead horse. I hope 343 will improve with 5, but it's better to assume that 5 as well as 6 will simply be half assed games designed to milk every cent out of an already dead series. One positive note I would like to make is that even though the campaign is short (it was about 6 hours for me) it was actually not that bad, but it has so little replay value that after I finished the campaign I just stopped playing it until my friend nagged me to do multiplayer with him. Spartan Ops was also pretty fun, but once again not the epic endeavor that 343 had us believe it would be, and it was mainly only fun because I played with a good friend. I would recommend renting it if you REALLY want to play it.… Expand
  73. NIntendoFan94
    Mar 6, 2013
    10
    Halo 4 is such stellar and the epic chapter of the new Reclaimer trilogy had finally begun! The multiplayer is absolute win. Campaign is still a thrill ride and it gotten soo much better!
  74. LunaRaven7
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    There are too many plot holes and inconsistencies in the campaign, and the game really takes the "Halo" feel out of the combat, and shifts it more towards another generic Call of Duty spinoff. With predetermined loadouts, instant respawn, faster kills, and almost no map weapons, multiplayer aims to become a fast-paced experience, but really just ends up as a frantic mess of disorganized chaos. The few redeeming qualities of this game are brought down by the overall negative experience.… Expand
  75. Tywin
    Mar 5, 2013
    3
    Halo 4 really was a disappointment. After Halo Reach's bad story and ODST's general awfulness, Halo really needed a booster shot to get it back in the game. The matchmaking was a big improvement over previous version, I must admit. However, the campaign was extremely boring, it really did drag. The terminals were actually better than the campaign, but then you can just watch those on YouTube rather than wasting £40. The fact that the matchmaking kept me playing for about a week at most is telling of the games quality, in my opinion.
    Also, people talk about the superb graphics? I have seen no such thing. Just try to tell me that MC's new visor looks better than the old one.    … Expand
  76. ironskyd
    Mar 4, 2013
    9
    The game is very good and spartan ops and Online are great but the campaign should be longer and tell more of a story plus have more main characters but you should be able to freely roam the infinity
  77. bradtheman123
    Mar 2, 2013
    10
    Halo has always been one of my favorite game series always fun and exciting. If you are a Halo fan you have probably already pre-ordered the game or have already bought it great GAME JUST AS usual Halo's.
  78. TragicShow
    Mar 1, 2013
    6
    First off, the graphics in this game are amazing, the visuals, explosions, and sound are all spectacular. But that isn't what makes a game great. The campaign is only about 4-5 hours long on normal with all of the cool stuff like space battles removed. I loved the space battle in Halo: Reach and I was really disappointed that there wasn't one here. While it does offer new guns and enemies, they're pretty much just the same guns but they look different. For example, the scattershot and bionary rifle are exactly the same as the shotgun and sniper rifle except they look different. The levels look very similar and much less diverse then in the last game. The multiplayer is the best part of the game, even though they've pretty much turned it into "Call of Halo". The multiplayer is very similar to Call of Duty with small mas where you can't roam around much. They added a pretty cool vehicle addition which is an awesome mech, but it is only in one of the multiplayer maps, so don't expect to use it much. The game is pretty fun, but disappointing if you've played Halo: Reach. Minus the disappointing aspect, I would rate it a 7.… Expand
  79. pmroks4life
    Mar 1, 2013
    10
    I personally, being a halo fan-boy think that this is the second best of all the halo games! I loved the campaign, with drawback on the extremely long missions. The best halo game i think is halo 2. This game is mainly focused for online game play since after the campaign there is nothing to do unless you have xbox live. Other than that this is one of the best games i have ever played!
  80. p360assassin
    Feb 27, 2013
    4
    Master chief has returned and now the game has switched devs. The game is an astounding drop in quality from its predecessors and 343 should be ashamed. Story: The campaign is much shorter then its predeccesors (aside from ODST, which had the bonus of being quality over quanitity) and puts Master Chief against a new enemy. But because they couldn't be creative, the elites and co. are back with a barely explained sentence explaining why the previously turned allies are trying to kill him again. The writing has dropped off and feels like a mediocre fan fiction. It ends with a HIGHELY predictable scene that exactly 0 people were shocked by who don't have mental difficulties and was about as sad as Dom dying in Gears of War 3 (as in everyone who enjoyed the terrible sequel found it crushingly sad, but everyone who likes quality gaming found predictable and not sad at all). Story gets a 3/10 Gameplay: Sprinting has now been introduced, making the game feel less unique compared to other shooters and adding something that was never introduced (except as a armour ability in reach, but it prevented you getting another ability just so you could sprint, so it was balanced) for a reason. Elites now no longer have the absurd shields they had in Halo Reach, which I find a positive thing, as it just was not fun to spend 2 assault rifle clips on 1 enemy just to take down shields in Normal difficulty (not even an exaggeration). The multiplayer has added in killstreaks, which negativly impact the game, but not massively since they are not as OP as in CoD and are can get you killed while you drop it as it likes to ignore where you target and place it more into the open (which I assume is intended, to make it more risky, which is ALWAYS a good thing). The loadout system I was going to insult, but a recent update fixed my one gripe with the adition which allowed guests to use host players unlocked weapons to make temp loadouts (which obviously disapear once they log off). Weapons are unlocked extremely easily due ot the much faster leveling system of the multiplayer, and all the decent weapons you literally will get within 90 minutes of gameplay. Item unlock points are also quickly gained. The armour abilities are all much much worse then the perfectly balanced ones in Halo Reach. All of them are either OP or useless, especially the CLEAR Blacklight Retribution rip off Prothean Vision. Perks seem kind of OP, but as send before, you get the good ones within like 20 minutes of gameplay, so not a huge loss. Gameplay gets a 6/10. Graphics: Graphics ARE an improvement over previous games, which you would assume would be a good thing, but alas, it means heavily frame rate drops if you want to play co-op (even on just two players) and clearly shows the aging consoles wrinkles. They should of returned Halo to the PC but sadly Microsoft are the same they always have been. Graphics even then don't look that good and honestly should not lag the console as badly as they do. There is plenty of games with superior graphics on console that don't lag and this seems to be a pathetic failure in the optimization department. I would rather a steady framerate then better graphics. The art design has also been changed at some points, but nothing to radical (except grunts and jackels now look way stupider, but they were already pretty stupid). So art design isn't worse or better. 4/10 on graphics. Sound: COLLOSAL drop in quality compared to preceeding games. Name ONE halo game with a worse soundtrack then Halo 4, you simply can't do it. The guns now sound different and more realistic, but Halo had a feel to it which was part of the old gun sounds, they gave the game less realism, but had their own charm which is now completely gone in exchange for mediocre realistic sounds. 3/10 for sound. Overall, I give the game a 4/10. Seeing as I love the Halo series, I love the lore and storyline of all the predecesing games and have read multiple of the books, this game is a huge disapointment. It feels to me what others felt ODST was (which I honestly found to be a fantastic adition to the game, although it still should of had a multiplayer mode aside from firefight). A sad drop in quality and completely turns me off Halo 5 and 6.

    Oh and on a side note, multiplayer is way to noob friendly. You may be thinking "Oh, he is a just noob who thinks he is good and is he is dying too much" its actually the opposite. I am AWFUL at shooters, especially on console. If I am able to get the amount of kills I do, mainly due to the badly concieved loadout system, the skill cap has lowered massively. I simply should not be doing this well, that is not stroking my ego. This is mainly due to giving sticky grenades in loadouts, which means I can just spam them at warthogs with no danger.    … Expand
  81. lox
    Feb 27, 2013
    6
    I loved this game at first, I really did, but then I unclouded my ignorant fascination for it and realized that Halo 4 is only good for its graphics. They are beautiful, and have some epic set pieces, but when I thought outside the Halo, I realized that was really all it had. Amazing graphics, very short campaign and a multiplayer that is fun for a few hours but then gets old rather quickly no matter how many game modes and Spartan Ops chapters they throw at your face. It felt like 343 spent 3/4th's of their time on the graphics, and 1/4th on the campaign. The only characters I was attached to were the usual ones, M. Chief and Cortana. The boss in my opinion was rather linear and not very memorable, he was like an Alien Darth Vader. One other pro the game has is its weapons, they have amazing sound in my opinion and the detail is rich, but the Promethean weapons felt like knock-offs of Metroid Prime weapons. Not to mention the Promethean's themselves got repetitive after a while. At first I was like "wow new Halo enemies", but as the campaign progressed they started to feel more like a chore rather then a challenge. So yeah, 5 stars for the graphics, 1.5 stars for the campaign because it is rather linear and after beating it on heroic and legendary, there really isn't any incentive to beat it again because the story isn't very innovative, and 3 stars for the MP. It's fun, but not enough to play on a daily basis, better to play sporadically. Halo 4 over all is fun, but it is nowhere near as memorable and groundbreaking as Halo 1 and 2 were.… Expand
  82. Blahguy126
    Feb 27, 2013
    6
    Sure the graphics are shiny and the gunplay is smooth, but other than that, this game has little appeal to me. The multiplayer is unforgiving to newcomers, the campaign is short (Heroic with no skulls on took me only about six hours for the first playthrough), and although the story is emotional at times, the plot was overall rather dull and uncaptivating. Don't buy this game, just rent it or play it at your friend's house. Still worth a playthrough, though.… Expand
  83. sportsaddict009
    Feb 26, 2013
    2
    This game ruined halo. Like many have said, it's such a copy of MW, and they dont even try to hide it. 5 Classes, you pick a primary and secondary weapon and perks. You get something comparable to scorestreaks. The armor abilities have been weakened considerably, jetpack may get you 5 feet off the ground and then take 30 seconds to recharge. The maps arew poorly designed as well, old maps had at least 3 outs to any battle anywhere on the map. These maps you run into a corridor and are committed, if you meet anyone in it you win, or you die, no escape. Terrible game.… Expand
  84. MelkorMorgoth
    Feb 25, 2013
    4
    I really hoped that bungies absence in a Halo game wouldn't be that big of a deal...but i was very wrong. Halo 4, despite its graphical superiority is a very poor Halo game. the Campaign is a bit of mixed bag, the antagonist and his plans feels rushed and is very bland, but the interactions between John 117 and Cortana are very well done. the campaign also briefly delves into John's sociopathic side which is very interesting despite the fact that its extremely brief. The campaigns weakest link is its criminally anti climatic QTE boss fight. it may be very short but it makes the villain even more worthless than he was in the first place. The multiplayer is also a complete disaster.... the spartan IV's armors look absolutely ridiculous and resemble power rangers more than the traditional realistic and badass looking Spartan II and III's. Rather then the addictive firefight from REACH and ODST 343 added a mode called Spartan Ops, an episodic series of missions that take place after the campaign...while this seemed like a decent idea, it ultimately fails due to the missions being painfully repetitive constantly recycling areas from campaign and having little to no story at all. the weekly cinematics also seemed nice but they are way too short to make anyone give a about the characters or story. Matchmaking rather then being a refined but familiar Halo experience, takes more hints from the appalling CoD series in its inclusion of perks, custom classes, Killcams, and zero spawn time. This ultimately rapes the Halo experience that people have come to know and love and makes it a COD game with a Halo color palette... in the end Halo 4 is an extremely weak Halo game with the only appeal being the ability to gawk at the games gorgeous visuals.… Expand
  85. sinadoom
    Feb 24, 2013
    8
    Generally a solid game. It's what you would expect from Halo; high quality, good variety, well-balanced, insanely accurate hit detection in multiplayer and game modes to suit everyone. There are some new weapons to play with, and the cutscnes display the best facial detail imaginable in a video game. From a multiplayer point of view, it's become more like Call of Duty. You have custom classes with perks and guns (so not over-complicated) and ordnance (basically an instant care package for getting points without dying). There is also a sprint function at all times. From a controls point of view, it's fantastic. The game runs very smooth and looks polished (even though actual gameplay graphics quality aren't far different from Reach). Another CoDifying feature is the pacing. No longer does it take a clip to kill someone; you can move fast, shoot fast and kill fast. This makes the game feel more satisfying and intense; something missing from Halo 3. While the 'CoDification' isn't a bad thing, it does mean that it's not as unique as Reach. It doesn't make many major advancements in general mechanics or graphics (I'm sorry but those textures are hardly top-notch). If you're looking for a solid shooter or a Halo game you can't go wrong. But if you're looking for innovation you'll be stretched to find it here. Highly recommend to Halo fans, but if you're after a shooter generally this should only be one of the games that makes it onto the shortlist of the many great FPS games on the market.… Expand
  86. sheesh91
    Feb 24, 2013
    0
    I had high expectations for this game, as any fan of Halo would. However, quite a bit of those expectations went down the drain when I found out there was no theater for campaign. But, I got the game anyway. Started the campaign, liked the scenery and all that, but was still disappointed that I would not be able to take my traditional campaign scenery screenshots.
    But nonetheless, I pl    ayed on...or until the game decided to freeze on me and return me to the main menu at a certain point in the second mission. So, after a bit of frustration with being unable to get it to work(even tried installing the game on my harddrive), I was forced to return the game for a new one. New disc worked after that certain point. Campaign gameplay was alright, IMO. BUT...the game decides to freeze on me again and return me to the main menu after Cortana reveals something about the Promethean Knights. Next two campaign missions don't work, but eight campaign mission did work...to a point. So, in essence, I couldn't enjoy the campaign because for some reason, it seems to have been incompatible with my XBox.
    Whatever. I said screw it, I'm still angry that I can't take screenshots in campaign, so never gonna play campaign anyway. Onto multiplayer.
    I really have no idea why 343 even bothered to rename Matchmaking to War Games, or Slayer to "INFINITY SLAYER!" Just seemed quite...nonsensical, if you ask me. Made no sense. Whatever.
    Multiplayer has been nerfed to ridiculously low levels. Now, beginners can play a game and go on par with MLG players(legit MLG players). I'm not even joking. The BR and DMR are rendered useless now that the AR is so overpowered. Not only that, but with custom loadouts, the DMR and BR are rendered even more useless as a result of the AR being the favorite choice among beginners. 3 hits from an AR will take your shields down halfway, compared to just a quarter in Reach and Halo 3.
    Pulse grenades...absolutely useless, because anyone and everyone can avoid the implosion before it detonates.
    Ordnance...worst thing they could have added to the game, because now anyone can get a superweapon at any given moment in the match. Or powerup at that, rather than having to wait until it spawns on the map, WHICH MAKES MUCH MORE SENSE. I mean, rather than having players wait to get a chance at one superweapon, 343 goes and gives players the opportunity to become juggernauts with their powerups at any given moment, or like most often it occurs, the opportunity to become absolute camping warriors with their Incinerator Cannon's.
    Shotgun has been nerfed as well. Sword lunging seems to been reduced to only two feet. Plasma grenades can completely miss you by a large distance, and then whip back and stick you in the back of the head, after you watch it fly harmlessly by you.
    343 stated that they would make matchmaking in this game JUST AS fun as Halo 3's matchmaking was...fattest lie ever told. They have not lived up to that expectation. They said they would deliver, and they delivered alright. They delivered the most incomplete game of the quarter century.
    Now, let's go onto Forge.
    343 said they were going to improve on Reach's Forge system and mechanics. The ONLY thing that they managed to implement was the useful magnets and delete palette options. That's it. Seems they spent TOO much time on those two functions to even give any attention to the forge mechanics. Atrocious forge mechanics. It is no longer possible to create a symmetrical map like you could in Reach. Not even with using the little unit nudging tool, or even magnets. And they got rid of the finite nudging you could do by zooming in while holding an object, and lightly tapping on the right or left analog sticks. That was perhaps 343's biggest mistake with Forge.
    Also, on the subject of symmetry, you can try to make a symmetrical map. Good luck trying to line up matching pieces together on opposite sides of the map. Take one side of a custom map for example. Now, keep building on until you reach the side that mirrors the spot where you started. Build a little further after that until you reach back where you started. Now, see if you can make the pieces fit together properly without having a gap between the last two pieces. Because that's how broken Forge is in this game.
    Basically, 343 promised to deliver us a fun and innovative new Forging system Halo 4. Not only did they not do that, but they seemed to have managed to take 3 MASSIVE steps back in the evolution of Forge. 343 ACTUALLY managed to make H4's Forge WORSE than Reach's forge. Hell, it's broken beyond hope.
    And those "Forge" maps they promised would make us all happy? Yeah...utter jokes. Can't even be compared to Forge World. No even close. That, and there's huge gaps in every maps textures.
    So, what did I do?
    I sold Halo 4.
    Best decision I ever made.
    Halo 4 worst game ever. And I'm a Halo fan.    … Expand
  87. Unreal_300
    Feb 24, 2013
    4
    Halo 4 soap hallway Kinto. In terms of multiplayer game plays very KIllzone 3, and then there is the second best part. Graphically, the game finally reached for Resistance: Fall of Man (even brought 720p) and thus the potential of Xbox 360 over. Gameplay Haltsa-Myltsa sucks the most innovative generation shooter Killzone 2.
    So the drain on all fronts.
    Billiboi comrades, I advise you to b    uy a PS3 and play it in best games.… Expand
  88. TheReal_UnreaL
    Feb 24, 2013
    0
    huylo 4 is fakin shet mazefaka vatafack? Sak mai bols fack! Kelzon 3 iz way beter than zis no kideng. grafiks in zis is soooooooo fakin ugly and huyagli camon gays geim saks
  89. numaiios
    Feb 24, 2013
    4
    Como ocurre en esta saga, nuevamente tenemos un pésimo game overrateado hasta el infinito.
    O yo no sé de juegos o la gente es anormal.
    Malísimo como las entregas anteriores, una historia que me la suda y un exasperante manejo con los manditos de consola.
    Hay que ser estúpido para jugar a un shooter con un pad.
    Básicamente es como los otros, con los mismos enemigos y el mismo agónico de    ico desarrollo.
    Aburrido, soso, y en definitiva, despreciable.
    Me terminé el 1, el 2 y el 3 por pena. Este no jugué ni una hora, me sobrepasaba.
    Reconozco que el multijugador del 3 fue divertido durante los dos primeros minutos.    … Expand
  90. VidsRule
    Feb 22, 2013
    10
    Copy/Paste to all Halo reviews after all these years: I didn't have a 360 for a few years (played 3 and ODST). In the meantime I played all sorts of fps- COD, BF, Killzone (which is awesome), Resistance, and every single other one. And coming back to Halo when I rebought a 360 was like the greatest homecoming ever. Unlike those other games, every Halo battle is like a chess match waiting to happen. And once you truly know every enemy and every weapon, you fall into a sweet spot of gaming that is possibly the best of all action games ever made. It's just the best. Great now I have to copy and paste this 4 more times.… Expand
  91. PlaySphereDE
    Feb 21, 2013
    8
    Since Halo 4 is the beginning of a new trilogy one got to view it from different angles. If you compare it as a single game and not part of a franchise, it's simply outstanding! It looks awesome, has fluent gameplay and one hell of a soundtrack and if the campaign is to short: There is a carnage waiting online! But if we see it as the newest part of a series Halo 4 is mediocre. Nothing in Halo 4 is neither very good nor very bad. Just the tuned visuals and "Spartan Ops" make it somewhat special in the franchise. The soundtrack and gameplay though are compared to the other Halo games about average. This does not mean it's bad, there was just something missing though.… Expand
  92. flavio360
    Feb 20, 2013
    10
    Adoro Halo 4 um game completo, não tem nada a vê com aquele lixo do killzone!
    Tenho pena da sony querendo matar o Halo...kkkkkkkk
    Na boa, a sony tem uma dor de cotovelo do inferno!
    na verdade, eles devem adorar Halo!
    kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
    shuashuashuas
  93. WuTu_Phantom
    Feb 17, 2013
    7
    Halo 4 as a game isn't exactly what I was expecting from the series, with a poor campaign that doesn't stand up to the previous 3. Graphics are incredible, I will say, better than any of the previous games. Multiplayer gameplay is dominated by the DMR, an overpowered weapon that has no downsides, the Boltshot, a pistol that doubles as a shotgun, and grenade spam, players enjoy picking the same maps over and over until they don't have that choice anymore, and this gets very boring, very fast. Overall, the game isn't worthy of the title of Halo, maybe Call of Spartan 4 would have been a better title, because it seems like they attempted to CoDify it as much as possible without completely changing the game, speeding up gameplay wherever they could, sacrificing quality in many cases. Spartan ops, as an honorable mention, is disappointing and boring, recycled maps and stale gameplay make for a dull gameplay experience that doesn't cut it.… Expand
  94. Caged_Sephiroth
    Feb 17, 2013
    5
    A good game but the multiplayer and a lot of the campaign feels too dejavu. Fantastic, there's a new enemy, an awesome soundtrack, and little tweaks that are much appreciated, but the overall feel is too familiar. Halo 3.5, not Halo 4.
  95. JGogan
    Feb 16, 2013
    10
    The best Halo since 1 in my opinion. While the story is a bit incoherent at times, and leaves me not caring most of the time honestly, this is still the most fun I've had playing a Halo game since 1. The weapons are fun to use, and the integration of CoD-esque multiplayer formats are a warm welcome for Halo. Can't wait to see how 343 handles the rest of the trilogy.
  96. ConnorAherne
    Feb 16, 2013
    5
    Halo 4 does little to help the franchise, whilst the game itself is enjoyable in the single player mode, the multiplayer is ruined. Halo reach's multiplayer was unique and fun, making gamemodes fun and fair, Halo 4 on the other hand feel too much like the fast paced multiplayer of a call of duty game. Halo reach had you work as a team in most gamemode, searching for weapon around the various maps that were different in their own way, not all of them taken from the campaign and having maps made by the developers themselves, Halo 4 has none of that, there is no heart to this game, 343 Industries has ruined the multiplayer. Forge mode is not much better, there is NO massive open world sandbox, just a collection of small, cramped and just down right badly made maps to be creative in, it saddens me to say this but Halo is now on a slippery slope down hill, unless 343 changes these problems, Halo will be like Call of Duty, old, senseless and just basically a bad game.… Expand
  97. iloveFFC
    Feb 15, 2013
    0
    The worst installment in the series ever! A major disgrace to Halo! This game sucks! Bungie should have stayed as the developers! I hope 343 abandons the series now! They ruined Halo!
  98. BIazekien
    Feb 14, 2013
    10
    another masterpiece of a halo game the story,music, game play and visuals are astounding and of the same high standard as the bungie halo games.the multiplier is the best on console with spartan ops as a interesting add-on to the single player. 343 keep up the good work
  99. zatch32
    Feb 13, 2013
    9
    Halo 4's campaign is right up there with the Combat Evolved campaign in terms of greatness. Spartan Ops is a fun new co-op mode that has only gotten better as time went on. Multiplayer introduces fresh new features to the Halo experience and will only get better and more polished.

    Overall, amazing game that is deserving of the hype. Haters gonna hate.
  100. L0rdStyx
    Feb 12, 2013
    10
    All the people who have given Halo 4 less than an extremely positive review need to stop talking right now. Go home, relax, because honestly, no one cares what you have to say. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in this case, I ask you, did you even play the fricking game? "Easy to beat on Legendary?" Yeah right. The campaign is set and paced perfectly, with systematic events popping up at times you'd least expect. It gets a little frustrating on Legendary, so I'd highly recommend starting on Normal for all newbies to see everything Halo 4 has to offer. Halo 4 is officially the first time a game's sound has ever made me step back and say "Whoa." Every bullet fired sounds like it means something, and exemplary tracks provide the perfect backdrop to one of the most anticipated games of all time. Visually, Halo 4 has no equal. You may need to get your eyes checked if you can't see very wrinkle, every scar, every pore on every single character's face. Occasionally, little details like crumbs on the chin or a very minor bloodstain has me reeling, but it looks the most realistic I have ever seen. For most, Halo 4's stunning campaign arc will be second only to 4's multiplayer. A host of new gametypes and beautiful maps provide the perfect atmosphere for the hectic Spartan IV battles you are about to jump in to. I would like to commend 4 because of the fact that blood is spilled increasingly sparingly. Voice chat, game chat and players can all be blocked, turned off, or booted, if you'd just like a (relatively) silent alone gaming time. In FPS game of the year, Halo 4 definitely outranks its rival Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 in every way, so if you happen to be looking for a perfect futuristic FPS, I can say to look no further. Halo 4 was a hell of a game, and easily jumps to my top 10 games of all time. Peace.… 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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