Please note that this is a copy and paste from my review on the 343 Community site as well as compilation from my own personal community forums. It will be broken down into multi-posts due to character limits so, enjoy.
Well, here is my input - which won’t really grab the attention of any important ears (AHEM343AHEM)
1 : Gameplay - The Gameplay of Halo 4, I feel, was on par with what it should have evolved into after over a decade of living the dream. The controls are smooth, walking was enhanced, being inside of the helmet gave me an immerse feel that I have not had since Halo 2. The feeling of firing the weapons I had grown to love made me feel like I was holding them - all save for the Magnum which felt a bit more like a pea shooter. The changes to the Warthog were different but welcome as they included a more realistic feel to them as to what they would actually need with the extra fuel, mounting room, and the sound of the engine. It felt beefier. Implementing more up-to-date looking weapons to match the technological triumph of the MJOLNIR armor was also a welcome change. Cheif moved and maneuvered the same as ever to me and thats’ what mattered. Including the short button-mashing or dropping out of the way sequences was a bit different but again, welcomed.
2 : Aesthetics/Atmosphere - I feel like they -tried- to give us that Halo feel that we’re used to : An ever expanding environment, filled with harsh terrain, different alloys, gleeming surfaces, and stunning visuals… but they fell short when it came to delivering it. I found myself staring at the Forerunner Pillar when you first walk out of the wreckage thinking " That’s really nice! But… it could certainly have a little more looming feel to it. " I wanted to look up at it and feel fear that it was going to topple over ontop of me. They gave us air combat, vehicle combat, a MAC cannon, and phenomenally animated cut-scenes… but it was just lacking. There was too much emphasis on Drama and not enough on what John (MC) is good at - Blowing **** up. Going through we take note that the Sentinals are ‘friendly’. Where was the coursing interaction where one floats up to John and he draws his Gun, only to realize that it’s not fired and nor should he and accept that it’s attempting to assit him? We needed action. We needed thrill. We needed the music with that single guitar rift going insane in the background like in Halo : CE while fighting Hunters. Speaking of fighting~
3 : Combat - Combat was very up and down. I felt alive when I ran into the enemy. I always play every first playthrough on Heroic and then on Legendary. There were moments through my first (and so far only) playthrough where I thought " -Yoink!-! These Knights are beastly. " Then there were others where I pee’d a little as two hunters plummeted down in front of me from a Grav-Lift…but then there were the lack-luster contacts with the enemy where I just stood back, fired off rounds, and thought " Huh… this could be more interesting." The Elites seemed…dumber. The Jackles were not as tenacious. Grunts were dead on, however. They were all for running up and unloading their rounds until the Elite dropped - then they scattered. Perfect to Lore. As for the Promethians…what? That was a pathetic attempt, 343. I mean THEY were neat. Their abilities and such were neat… but don’t you think they should have been a little more sparse, tactical, and overwhelming? We ARE talking about the FORERUNNERS here.
4 : Lore-Friendliness - I was disappointed… sorely. My butt hurts so badly from how butt hurt the game hurt my butt. Leaving this fact out as well as the one following this one… I think the game was an accomplishment. But really, 343? You picked up a UNIVERSE full of lore and branches and endless tethers and just kind of skimmed over it. It’s like you knew the terms and some facts here and there but you have the HALO BIBLE. We have the books - and from the books we are left thinking " What the hell were they doing? Why write a game plot-outline drunk? " because we just assume you were drunk. We have spent over a decade talking up the Forerunners. Admiring their technology. Stressing how much more advanced the Covenant is and that Covenant technology is no where near Forerunners… and we’re killing them with basic bullets? Hacking their software? Interpreting their transmissions? KILLING THEIR DIDACT?! Look, I’ve been a huge fan of the Novels as there is so much depth and I’ve become connected with every single spartan and from the Forerunner trilogy which has not been completed yet, connected with the Forerunners, the Didact (Bornsteller), Chakas, The Librarian, etc. WE WERE IN THE DIDACTS’ HEAD. Now, everyone wants to say " It’s the Ur-Didact" and not Bornsteller and while I stand to see that as true I don’t quite think 343 did. We go from the lore we having with the Didact befriending, trusting, and assisting humans while preserving their race to “I’m going to blow you all up, kill you, and transfer you into the digital realm.” Even Ur-Didact would be beyond this. The way the Didact looked? Off. Entirely off description. “Patches of Fur.” turned into thick catfish hairs from the top of his head. I cried in my heart when he was shown. The armor? Awesome. Accurate enough. Showing his face? You’re kidding me. Then you potentially killed him off? Wha-… I’m stopping. This could go on forever. I’ll move along, but just know that you absolutely need to pick those books up and read instead of trying to make something your own. You picked up a Universe already created - Do NOT try to restructure the Universe.
5 : Audio - … There’s stuff blowing up left and right…I’m in a Mantis firing off rockets with my shields sounding off…and what’s that I hear in the background? A piano? … What more can I say? The guns, environmental sounds, creature sounds… all awesome. But that music… terrible.
6 : AI - … Again… what? We have ALWAYS known to never let the AI drive while you’re gunning. You will be driven off of a cliff. It happens. But when the AI hops in a Banshee and slams into a mountain and just sits there… or all of your Spartan IV’s hop in a Warthog and just drive back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…and the Combat Assistance? Come on now…Even the Enemies weren’t that much better. I felt like the Elites were childs-play. I want to FEAR them again, like I did in Halo 1. I want to see a Hunter and get a sinking feeling in my gut. I want to kill Hunter #1 and see it’s linked brother roar in rage and become stronger and more brutal! Come on!
7 : Game Length - Shorter than what I was used to, but I was alright with the length. There was quite a bit of content