Haloes Aren't Always Divine

I have never been a huge Halo fan.  I liked the first game, it was a fun and interesting title for the first Xbox (didn't really shine until it's PC release later on).  Many gamers considered it a crowning accomplishment for the platform and some would dare say it revolutionized the FPS genre for console gaming.  I cannot say the same for its sequels.  I basically hated Halo 2, it wasn't as fun despite the addition of duel wielding.  I couldn't deny the online multiplayer, but I did not enjoy playing it and the story was not something I had been craving.  Halo 3 had even less of an impact on my appreciation for the franchise.  The multiplayer felt stale, and the story meant nothing to me already so I wasn't surprised by the flop ending.  Halo had always cast a dim shadow for me as a gamer.  Even after the 73 spin-off titles released ranging from RTS to squad-based shooters, I never felt myself interested in what the universe had to offer.

Of course, things change with time.  With 343 industries picking up the dropped license from Bungie, I was willing to forgo my previous detachment from the series to see what new might be in store for this franchise that remains loved by the world over (whether or not I was included).  I wasn't really surprised by what got...well...let me just explain.

Forward Unto Story:

I had never really been a fan of the Halo story arc.  The first game seemed simple enough, futuristic war between human and aliens, end up on some god forsaken relic built by space cavemen.  Unleash unholy plague that wipes out all life unless you can shoot the fuck out of them all.  Halo 4 of course has a lot more back story to work with, so you can expect a bit more depth out of this title.  That doesn't of course mean that you'll get any.  

You start things off with the good ol' MC awaking from cryo-sleep (seems familiar) where Cortana awaits you.  You find yourself being the only inhabitant of the Forward Unto Dawn ship that is being pulled into a forerunner planet.  Following yet?  There isn't much to work with as it sort of just seems cobbled together to not have to rely on too many events of the previous game.  But of course, I wouldn't know of all that, since I never played 2 or 3.  Some huge doucher tricks you into setting him free and it is your job as Johnathon Spartan to fix your mistake while simultaneously curing Cortana of a space computer disease (cause ya know, that seems legit).  

Essentially, the storyline is pretty balls.  It draws a lot of focus off of the previous titles and tries to establish itself as a stand alone telling of Halo lore.  A perfectly valid plan and they don't really fail at it, but I personally can't find my self enchanted by the tale.  But it makes sense, I mean Halo was never really about the story, it was about shooting aliens in the dick and fanboys dreaming about virtual "relations" with a purpley-blue AI hologram.  Even still, it is a nice enough distraction from the online multiplayer modes.  And you can never really not have fun when going through the campaign with up to 3 friends online or off.  So the tale might bust it in the wrong places, but the experience it self isn't the worst I've played.

 The Ever-Infinite Infinity:

The Infinity warship as dubbed by the game is both relevant plot development and the all-purpose hub for your multiplayer needs.  In the storyline, it's just a big ass ship with a bunch of cool shit, Master Chief gets help from friendlies and a dickload of vehicles.  In the menu however, Infinity stands for everything you could possibly want for your multiplayer dreams.  Halo 4 comes stacked to the nines with tons of multiplayer features.  You have your standard team deathmatches, horde style flood fights, capture the flag, king of the hill variants, etc., along with new co-op missions that follow their own story, fashioned with fully rendered cutscenes and fun objectives all under the moniker of "Spartan Ops."  You can still save replays of all your matches and you can create your own variations of the levels in forge mode.  Its pretty much a one stop shop for all of your non campaign needs.  

I can say this for sure, the multiplayer is why you would purchase the game. Story takes about 5 hours to complete, so for the rest of your miserable life on the game, you better be connected and killing the shit out of other terrible shots on the internet.  The multiplayer isn't too far from the established systems of Halo 3, but there are a few tweaks.  Aside from a few spawning weapons (I.E. sniper rifles and the like) all additional weapons are provided by ordinances which are awarded for getting a certain amount of points during the round.  So if you start kicking enough ass, you are awarded with tools to kick more ass.  Weapons like the Needler, rocket launcher, new guns like the rail gun, and binary rifle are pretty much ordinance only, so if you want to blow some serious shit up, you need to get some kills to do it.  You can customize your default load out with different machine guns or battle rifles (nothing spectacular) and you get your choice of pistols, grenades, armor abilities like cloak and thrusters and also supporting abilities like faster reloads and motion sensors during scope.  This can help customize your experience, but ultimately, the gameplay is going to feel repetitive.  Vehicles await you for constant annoyance or joy in the big team slayer mode (the only mode I play).  Vehicles aren't as overpowered as they have been in previous installments.  More content is already available via DLC and undoubtedly more is on the way, the cost of the packs are ridiculous but it will grant you more variety so if you love the game it'll be something for you to look into.

Personally, I am not a fan of Halo 4's multiplayer.  It does have local split-screen guest capabilities so you and local buddies can storm it up online (and may be the only reason I still play it) but eventually your are going to notice that people suck at shooters.  It doesn't feel fun killing people in Halo.  It probably isn't even their fault, because of the shield system, people feel invincible and so they is very little tactical forethought to their game.  They just run and shoot, and for some reason feel surprised when they themselves are shot.  I prefer games like Battlefield 3, nothing gives you more satisfaction than getting a headshot from 500+ m away in that game.  You feel like real skill was involved, where as in Halo, your sniper is practically a machine gun in comparison and it shoots in a straight line for 73 miles.  However, I know that these alone are my personal feelings for the game, I can understand why others like it so much and thus I cannot deny it's success.

The Moment of Truth:

Let me take a moment and just tell you, this is the most beautiful Halo ever released, it looks fan-fucking-tastic.  The detail, the textures, backdrop, bloom effects, even the soundtrack is very well organized and executed.  It is a pleasure to see the game running at full capability.  Unfortunately it is on the Xbox 360, which means there will be tons of non-rendered textures, framerate drops, and load times.

Taking into account it's gorgeous presentations, shit campaign, and seemingly adored multiplayer, it is hard to discount Halo 4 as an achievement.  I mean, it is hard to fail with a franchise as big as Halo is when you don't divert from the formula, but in truth, that is what had been happening to Halo with all of it's previous installments.  Halo had been trying to evolve at a bit too rapid of a pace.  343 decided to bring it back a notch and re-establish why fans fell in love with it the first time.  There are still two things wrong with that way of thinking though. 

1) There doesn't leave any real room for innovation, meaning that a lot of gamers aren't going to like the fact that it didn't change.
2) They are cheesing it, which doesn't say a lot for them as a company.  But hey, if you are like me and none of that matters to you, then pick up your copy today and enjoy Halo 4.


77%
My mark on Halo 4 is a 77%.  Despite it's massive multiplayer potential, the levels are stale and the modes are not diverse enough to create a truly unique experience.  The campaign was shit-tier at most, and the effect the storyline had on the universe is unfeeling to my unforgiving mind.  But that does not make it a bad game.  It still seems worth the look into and thus still receives a passing grade.  Also, since I don't like the multiplayer as much as probably ever other gamer out there, you may want to take that into consideration.