Just a few bullet points I want to share my opinion on on all the recent (and some not-so-recent) elements of Halo 4, for those who enjoy reading constructive feedback (I know I do, so please feel free to respond in kind):
<mark>New maps:</mark> I think they look great! They very much remind me of Halo 2/Halo 3 more than they do Reach. The only thing I see that they share with Reach is a slightly similar graphic style. From what I’ve seen, they visually have some similarity in terms of detail and such, but in overall look, they remind me more of Halo 3, due to the fact that they look more futuristic; more Forerunner and such (Think Construct, Epitaph, Orbital, Narrows, etc.). “Solace”, while structurally similar in setup to Lockout, visually reminds me more of an unkempt Narrows (more foliage, etc., but similar features/look). They look like they play really well, look like they’re designed very well and have been tested to fit well with the sandbox. I can’t wait to see the rest!
<mark>Ragnarok (Valhalla map remake):</mark> It looks stunning. Period. The only thing that worries me (and I have yet to play it, so it’s just conjecture at this point) is that it suffers from Reach’s issue of visibility. By that I mean this: in Halo 2 & 3 (and CE for that matter), it was always really easy to spot an enemy, because the level of detail of the map and characters wasn’t as high as Reach (or Halo 4, it seems, at this point). With Ragnarok, it seems like the more highly detailed grass/rock textures as well as the highly detailed Spartans makes it a bit tougher to distinguish the players from the map itself. Of course, it’s not impossible, but it’s definitely more difficult compared to past Halo games. This is to be expected with newer, better looking games. However it’s one thing that really annoyed me about the Asylum remake, for example, in Reach. Sure, you could spot enemies and all, but it was much more difficult than it was with Sanctuary (which is the Halo 2 map that Asylum was remade from, for those who might not know or have played Halo 2). I hope it’s just an issue from watching videos and is much less of a problem when you actually play the game. Perhaps someone who’s played Halo 4 can weigh in on this?
<mark>Mantis:</mark> It looks baus. I think it needs to be nerfed slightly, but not much. It is SUPPOSED to be a wrecking ball of a vehicle. Why introduce a lame, weak new vehicle that nobody will want to use? However, I think it shouldn’t take 2 full Spartan Laser shots to take it down. That’s a bit much. Spartan Laser is supposed to be an all-out anti-vehicle weapon. Instead, it’s rendered fairly useless against the Mantis, as it takes 2 full charges to take it down. With all the action going on, and the power of the Mantis itself to absolutely lay waste to everything in it’s path, 2 full Laser charges is asking quite a bit; it’s tough enough to get the Laser and get ONE good shot off. Other than that though, I’m stoked for it and think it will add some great new gameplay to a classic, favourite map!
<mark>Sprint by default:</mark> This just makes sense. I’ve heard a bit of criticism on this front, but it just makes sense. One of Halo 3’s major downfalls as far as I’m concerned was that some maps were so large and it took forever to get across them. Now, by no means do I think you should be able to trek and entire map in 15 seconds flat, but it comes down to this: either smaller maps with no sprint at all, or slightly larger maps with sprint. It’s all relative, and it adds a new strategy/gameplay element to master. It’s like reloading: you have to know when to do it, and when not to. Same with sprint: it could greatly help you or, if used incorrectly, greatly harm you and make you vulnerable (just like reloading). I like it, and I enjoy having more “roomy” maps as a result.
<mark>Armour Abilities:</mark> I think they’re finally balanced. There are no “game-breaking” AA’s, and they’re all more of “slight helpers” rather than gameplay-breaking features. They’re a “P.S.” to your gameplay strategy, not a complete role changer. They compliment more than they drastically change someone’s skill set. If you suck, you’re not going to instantly get better just because you whip out the Hardlight Shield; a smart player will be able to counter that easily, and it’s not as big of a slow-down as Armour Lock was (where you had to literally just sit and wait for it to be over, or just turn and run away somewhere else and hope they don’t follow you).
<mark>Specializations… and such:</mark> Like AA’s, I think they’re more just compliments to one’s play style. They’re not anything that’s going to turn a n00b into a pro; you still have to know which one to choose that fits your style, and know how to properly use them. Are you someone who constantly gets killed while reloading because you always seem to run into someone right when you reload? Use the feature that lets you reload twice as quick. It’s not going to change how you play, per se, but it’ll help you focus more on actual combat rather than “ah crap, I absolutely HAD to reload just then, and now I’m dead, what more could I have done?” Again, they seem more like compliments rather than skill-changing effects, and I think those kind of compliments needed to be infused into Halo to keep it current, to keep it interesting and fresh. Nobody, despite what they think, wants Halo 3 released every 3 or 4 years over and over. 343i definitely found a bit of balance between new & old; between going back to Halo 3 and keeping some elements of Reach and refining them a bit better.
<mark>Random weapon drops/spawns:</mark> The “ordinance” system isn’t in every playlist, which is cool; variety is the spice of life, right? And neither are the randomized weapon spawns, both of which are features I think are actually refreshing. I like map control as much as the next guy, but it’s not impossible to accomplish with these features. Sure, it’s different, but good players will still find the balance and strategy to effectively control a map. It’s just different, which is always met with skepticism at first. And besides, there have been “Classic” playlists confirmed to not have these features, and will likely not have things like “Specializations” or Armour Abilities either. And there’s Custom games as well. So everyone wins. Again: variety, right?
<mark>New gameplay/gametype changes:</mark> Ah, not being able to drop the flag & auto pick-up. I see their point for doing it, I really do. I don’t play CTF that much, so I’m not as bothered as some people. But being that classic type CTF exists in a plethora of other Halo games, I think they are fine to add their own style to Halo 4’s CTF. Especially since I’m sure it’ll be customizable later, and may even be modified in a “Classic” playlist as well. Until then, I’ll try it, and reserve judgement until doing so. As for being It makes complete sense, and will make for awesome gameplay, I’m sure.
All in all, I’m more excited for this game than I have been for almost any other Halo game (barring maybe Halo 2; not sure yet). And that’s saying a lot; I hope the Halo community gets back to how it was 4 to 6 years ago 