So it has landed and with a massive retail entourage in the form of that trusty steed, the Warthog and even the chief himself turning up to impress the eagerly awaiting crowds… But does the game itself pull through and offer anything worth dying for? Let me run through just a couple of its amazing attributes!
Well, 343 Industries, I can safely say, has delivered a fine and solid Halo experience for fans and newcomers to enjoy, and that’s what I really like about Halo. It’s always had its proverbial arms open to the public just like most big hitter titles but Halo sets up this atmosphere of bravery, commitment and community really well in the fourth installment to the main series.
You’re looking at a healthy campaign, not too short, not too overly long or drawn out either. Cinematics which move you due to the new emotion being portrayed through the characters you may or may not know and love, that never mattered as you do really fall in love with the two; Cortana and John. There’s also the new weapons, new vehicles and new enemies as you’d expect but most of all it offers a more intense ride through the Halo universe and brings you to an amazing close you won’t forget… One I cannot give away either! (Over my dead body!). You can co-op in the campaign and up to four players (all play as chief) to take on Halo’s infamous Legendary difficulty where one misplaced tactical move can cost you your little spartan life. Co-op is always great fun really, Halo 4 is no different but the whole four player split-screen in the campaign mode can get a bit hard to focus on, one would propose linking over Xbox Live to be a much better idea.
There are secrets to look for in the campaign, I guess 343 Industry’s picked up on the whole Skull collecting phase from Halo 3 and carried it a little bit further (Try to find all the Terminals, they’ll hold some juicy knowledge!). There’s also the fact that you can add your long (Or short) running spartan career to Halo 4 using the Halo Waypoint feature which also coughs up some extra rewards for Halo fans and users. This will push you to polish off the campaign, it usually does! Then it’s onto the Multilplayer and 343’s new shiny offering in the form of Spartan Ops!
Halo Multiplayer… A place where many of us grew up, fighting each other with Plasma Swords and sticking grenades to each other… Those were the days! And they’re back and packing some interesting additions like the new Perks addition. This pops up in campaign but truly comes optimizable in the multiplayer elements of Halo. They really can liven things up on the battlefield a bit… Spray and pray is right out the window when you deploy a Hologram, tactics are shaken up and brought together because of the perks. I think this is a fifty fifty feature for previous fans, it brings the dimension further forward which creates better combat but not all will agree… Until you find YOUR favourite that is, then you’re laughing!
There are the new Multiplayer modes and some oldies to get stuck right into and you also level up your spartan using the Multiplayer element and the Spartan Ops modes. There’s a pile of armor to unlock which just looks so bad-ass when you equip it, you can colour your spartan too and create a flashy logo for yourself. The customisation is superb this time around and the different sets of armor can give you a little sense of individualism to top it all off with. Overall I really enjoyed the Multiplayer, you can get some crazy set-ups and insane fights… You can also record all of the fun and upload it thanks to the fantastic Theatre feature Halo has built in. Theatre mode lets you upload your favourite spartan fuelled moments to the internet, where you can then share them with internet goers. There’s a ton of great films and screenshots so if you’re browsing… Take a look at someone else’s moment of glory or in fact, failure (Both are just as hilarious as each other!).
Right, Spartan Ops! This is a new element that has been added to the overall Halo experience and has been referred to being a little like CoD’s Special Ops missions. These are paced differently from the other two elements, and it shows. Though this pace isn’t a bad thing, I’m just not sure how to evaluate it apart from it being right smack bang in the middle of the other two elements which brings them together rather well! You get an objective, you then complete said objective… Sounds simple right? Well I’d kick the difficulty up a bit and invite some friends… It goes from quiet small time mission to knees up spartan bash! It really flexes well like that and can fill some gaps if you’re feeling weary of the other players or the campaign itself.
Overall it really is well polished off with the faster mechanics and combat speed along with the crisp new look it’s sporting. It’s energised with new perks and filled with maps, weapons and more than one element to explore multiplayer-wise which was a massive fear of mine and probably to other fans. It offers you everything you’d want plus a couple of surprises and even gives you the option to record your experiences and cut them, giving everyone a chance to share the best moments to go on to make more.
I am a Halo fan, I do favour this installment above the third but not because of the flashy advertising that came before its launch but because it does deliver and it does deliver all of the above well. I just wish the story never had to end… Till next time I guess!