Now I just want to say that this forum post is intended to be a platform for rating halo 4 for what it is, and not what it has omitted.
I know many people are upset about the glaring omissions in multiplayer features and options. I see lots of threads pointing out issues to 343 and I’m sure they will read them and address them
The point I want to make is that I had a very awkward and unfamiliar way of trying to put down in words how I felt about halo 4.
Since release I have beaten the campaign on legendary, played some multiplayer and done some forging. I greatly enjoyed the game and welcome it to my collection of halo games (been playing since halo 1)
the question I want to tackle is:
Is Halo 4 the best in the series?
As fans I think we’ve come to expect that each installment of halo is supposed to improve on the last. very little is omitted in terms of weapons, enemies, game modes and vehicles. Halo 2 vastly expanded the foundation of halo games and introduced features still present in halo 4. Halo 3 even gave us forge, theater and terminals. ODST, belittled as nothing more than an expansion to 3, gave us the ever popular firefight. Reach ultimately condensed as much as these defining elements as possible in one final send-off from bungie.
Now what happened with Halo 4?
well the most obvious was that we had a change in studio. Given lots of manpower, tons of investment from Microsoft and a couple years, 343 took on the challenge of giving us the next Halo and the game is beautiful
When this game shines, it shines a hell of a bright light.
The game looks good, plays well and remains familiar apart from some changes in multiplayer.
BUT! I want to make these things clear.
I accept and believe Halo is in good hands with 343. They can deliver a fantastic game and Halo 4 may have stumbled a bit here and there but it can definitely pick up with halo 5.
Halo 5 can be an awesome game if it picks up on the progression I spoke about.
1.some iconic multiplayer modes are missing,
2. The new enemies are good but the covenant offers nothing new
Yes, there was that new flying vehicle but it barely has a presence. We also don’t see any brutes, prophets, drones, engineers, scarabs or new species.
This game seems to have this habit that anything that showed up in previous games and not this one didn’t exist and is not relevant.
3.Pushing buttons
Halo is about situations, not objectives. Assault on the control room and silent cartographer were key moments in the halo games because they gave you a bunch of toys and lets us go at it. The majority of halo 4 had masterchief ferrying cortana because she was the one who could actually do anything and this meant a lot of usb ports and buttons.
4. The pelican in halo 4 was a huge missed opportunity in my opinion.
Imagine a large battlefield powered by the next xbox. You are given a pelican that you can use to ferry marines and spartan 4’s as well as vehicles to locations that have mammoths and elephant vehicles. maybe hijackable liches and phantoms as well?
Give us more missions that entice us to play them again and again.
Now I know this list is incomplete and terribly composed but I am in a rush for time. Halo 4 is a great game but there are some things missing that leave an uncanny feeling.