I’d been eagerly anticipating Episode 10 and when it finally arrived, I was greeted with a 2 minute cinematic. 
There was hardly anything interesting about it, save for a few scenes already seen in the trailer.
So I assumed that the missions would make up for it.
They did not. There was not one mission that impressed me for it’s entirety, I really wanted there to be. I had high hopes in Chapter 3 particularly.
Note: I’ve only played on Easy. If I found it worthwhile on Easy, then I’ll find it worthwhile on Legendary.
Chapter 1: Artifact - pretty good opening, I enjoyed the alternate cutscene (the one with the Jackal sniper in it) which had Covies firing on their comrades. Probably a glitch but humorous. Also, nice to have some support from the fully functioning Pelican before it leaves. But the gameplay felt disconnected from the story not to mention it felt like Episode 1-5 all over again. Spartan Ops always had this kill all enemies feel but the recent episodes managed to make it subtle. How did this episode manage to make it so obvious? Also, how did Science Team get captured? During the Infinity boarding? Lastly, why does it seem like every Elite General in this level is a fuel rod gun wielder? This pattern is evident in later mission as well.
Chapter 2: In One Way - As soon as I saw Warrens, I knew this was going to be another pointless mission. I was right. The level structure plays out nearly the same way it did in it’s introduction in Episode 6. Except this time, there was barely any enemy opposition, save for an army of Watchers. There was also a lack of vehicle combat, which made the previous reused Warrens much more enjoyable IMO.
But what about the opening start?
That… that was a massive tease, a horribly botched invasion mission. What could have been Halo 4’s first beach landing (which is a Halo tradition in itself) turned into another Tip of the Spear, minus the vehicle combat. I should also point out the Grunt that is usually alerted by the incoming Pelican in these moments was in Chapter 1 instead.
The only thing I appreciated was having Pelican support again.
Needless to say, I did not bother finishing this mission. Haphazardly thrown, it felt like a filler mission. I’ve also noticed that most buttons just push themselves. What happened to that button pushing animation that has noticeably improved the quality of button pushing?
Chapter 3: Seize the Power - possibly the only mission in this entire game mode that had the potential to redeem Spartan Ops. Yet it too utterly failed. There’s a lot of things about this level that just crushes my enthusiasm.
Set pieces were pretty convincing and the new map section of Apex had a Halo (CE level) vibe with Halo 2’s aesthetics.
But the kill all enemies requirement made combat extremely stale. I did not get any of that wild crazy feeling when there were only 2 Mongooses accompanying me compared to Halo 3’s spectacular 5-6. There was also the lack of vehicle variety. Ghosts, Mongooses, Hogs, on a map suitable for BTB. Wow… This would have been a good opportunity to throw in the <mark>Troop Transport Hog</mark>, I noticed there were several rocket launchers on the map. What a blast it’d have been to have this again.
When it came time to push a button, the Spartans in my Hog needlessly exited it and I had to dispatch the kamikaze Grunts to save their skins. Only then did they get back in. There was a pathetic attempt at stopping me from driving the Hog to the button but it was easy to get past it.
When the Lich arrived accompanied by Banshees, I was really excited… only to find the Banshees were leaving the map. The Lich seemed like it had been used to it’s full capacity (they finally got Hunters dropped from it) but when I finally got up there, there were only a few Grunts and a General up there. There was no pilot at the cockpit. You’d think the brain dead Covies would leave it (and the engine) well guarded.
<mark>One thing I’d like to point out</mark> is that the enemies should have kept coming from the Lich, instead of having to kill the ones on the ground for more to arrive. Whatever happened to those encounters in the trilogy where the enemies would spawn regardless of how many you killed? Those wave battles could get intense (even on Easy) and enemy numbers could be extremely high. The Lich wave battle felt more like a chore.
Due to loadouts, particularly the Jetpack, the invisible ceiling was placed much lower, crippling any exploration potential. I’d have preferred a forced loadout that did not come with the Jetpack. When I stood on the Lich when it was about to explode, instead of dying a glorious, needless death or encountering a soft kill zone, I just died and the camera reset itself. And of course, driving a Hog into the Lich was problematic.
Escaping was pretty lame. Not much resistance, though I did embrace the lack of kill all enemies requirement. I also noticed weapon crates would have 2 pistols, an obvious and cruel reference to Palmer dual wielding them. The ending switch was there from the start, right in plain sight, so there was no new area to explore, just a mere backtrack.
Lastly, I felt the tremors but where are the changes in the sky? Requiem didn’t seem to be moving to the sun at all. I did not feel like I was in imminent danger. Roland’s little joke didn’t help at all, it made it worse. There was not one bit of seriousness or urgency in this Episode.
I haven’t even bothered with the last two missions. All my hopes have gone down the drain with this episode.
