I loved Halo 4 and was sorely disappointed by it at the same time. To rate Halo 4 on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a 6.5. The graphics were beautiful, and for the first time I actually felt like the Master Chief. But there were a few problems with the writing that I couldn’t help but be perturbed by.
- The campaign was short, too short. The story in the Halo games have never been very long and it was very evident with this game. Playing on normal I banged the campaign out in 5 hours. The 1st and 2nd acts of the game were great but the 3rd felt rushed and disjointed.
The characters, oh boy, where do I start. I never felt like I got to know Lasky, Palmer, or Del Rio on a very deep level. Starting with Del Rio, the impression I got from him was -Yoink- Del Rio. I never understood his antagonism towards Master Chief. It seems like he was there to be the obstructive bureaucrat. Lasky felt flat, a very static character. Honestly I’ma little biased, I couldn’t stand him in FUD. Moving on to Palmer, eh. What little see saw of Palmer was relegated to saying a few lines then disappearing into the background.
Last but not least, the representation of gender. I can’t imagine how many white guys I’m gonna put off with this one. Did every woman in the UNSC suddenly vanish save for three? An unnamed pelican pilot, an unnamed crew member on the bridge, and Palmer. (Not counting Cortana, I’ll get to that later) C’MON SON. Don’t pull my pud with, MALES ARE STRONGER THEY HAVE MORE MUSCLE. The setting is 2557, plus it’s a videogame. I’m not saying 343 is sexist, but I’m not saying they’re not. The gaming industry is very problematic in this regard, you know what I’m talking about, the token female team member on the otherwise all male team. It’s a nightmare honestly, but I digress. I was more than a little surprised by the lack of women in Halo 4, especially with the Spartans. In the book series they were several female characters doing cool stuff while looking cool. In the games? Sort of, kind of. Not so much with this entry in the series. With a franchise that has “borrowed” liberally from Aliens, you’d think 343 would have taken a hint. But then again, most games are made by white guys for white guys.
Oh Cortana, how I can’t help but loathe you. Cortana has always been a thorn in my side, right from the start of Combat Evolved. Her relationship with the Chief has always been unsettling in a vaguely romantic way. Her constant redesign with each game has always bothered me. With each new iteration of Cortana, it seems like Bungie was pandering to the male masses with a “HOTTER AND SEXIER CORTANA!!!111!”. Halo 4 is no exception to that. I could go on and on about Cortana but I’ll save it all for another day.
What I’m saying is this, 343 Industries, C’MON SON. You have a lot of potential with this franchise and I’d hate to see it be wasted.