12.6.2013

After finally getting round to buying Halo 4, I decided to go for the limited edition, since it's still hanging around. However, one of my main reasons for going for it was that it "includes" the special edition of Forward Unto Dawn, which I watched online a while ago and enjoyed. However, what is really "included" is a code to unlock Forward Unto Dawn for streaming online, which is a huge disappointment. Although the quality when watching via Halo Waypoint or in a web browser cannot be faulted, it is a far cry from what I had expected which was a hard-copy of the live action film on DVD; I wouldn't mind an HD streaming feed in addition, but I had hoped to have a copy I could hold,or even better one that I could load onto an iPad or my phone to watch on the move. So for anyone else thinking that by buying this version of Halo 4 that you'll be getting a Forward Unto Dawn disk bundled with it, then please don't make the mistake I did; it's just an unlock code to stream it, so keep that in mind in case you'd rather just buy the regular edition Halo 4 and a separated Forward Unto Dawn DVD or Blu-Ray.Now, that aside; the limited edition is very nicely presented, themed around a UNSC mission briefing packet with a mini dossier, orders envelope, spartan armour blue print and a two-disc game tin. It's all very novel but not hugely exciting. This edition also includes further unlock codes (I REALLY hate entering these now) for all the released map packs, plus spartan armour and a cryo tube for your stupid XBox Mii rip-off avatar; however, the armour looks stupid on an XBox avatar so I only really consider the Forward Unto Dawn and map pack unlock codes to be the real bonus features; you also receive a unique skin for the stock assault rifle and spartan recruit armour, note though that these are just skins, the unique armour only includes one new armour piece (different, but cool, greaves/legs).Onto the game itself; 343 industries have a hell of a mantle to take from Bungie, but it's good to see that the Halo franchise is in good hands. The game has received some graphical updates, and looks truly stunning from sweeping alien vistas, UNSC ships under siege and strange forerunner constructs, with a very noteworthy improvement in character animations. A handful of cutscenes are also staggeringly detailed, though not many of these are in the single-player/co-op campaign (I believe most are in Spartan Ops, but I haven't got far into that yet).The audio design has also taken a bit step up; weapons sound much more dangerous, giving them a sense of weight and power beyond the previous games, with Warthogs having a throaty rumbling engine, you can hear shells dropping from UNSC weaponry, hissing heat discharge from Covenant guns and the reconfiguring animations and sounds of the Promethean weapons lend them a very unique feel. The music (what there is of it, there is quite a lot of silence in the main campaign) is beautifully designed, though it is also a large departure from previous games with only a handful of cues borrowed from the previous titles to serve as tie-ins; the score is however a joy to hear and when it does kick in it only adds to the sense of wonder and alien beauty of the forerunner constructs, sinister Prometheans and so-on. This kind of attention to detail is huge feature of Halo 4's visuals and sound, and it shows that 343 industries can easily excel in this area; what they're going to do with the XBox One's graphical capabilities is going to be very interesting to see!However, I can't help but feel that when it comes to the gameplay of the campaign that 343 decided to play it safe and it really shows. The story also suffers a similar fate, with many missed opportunities and too much focus on elements that didn't really feel necessary.Let me explain; some of my favourite moments in the Halo series are when the Master Chief gets to fight alongside regular UNSC soldiers, showing them how it's done or rescuing them from situations where only a super-human Spartan can turn the tide, it's the interplay between the chief and other soldiers where things are interesting as many hold him in awe, but that only serves to increase his distance from humanity. Don't get me wrong, there is some fantastic development, particularly between the chief and Cortana which is possibly some of the best character interaction in the entire series; who'd have thought it would take an AI to make the chief feel human?But at the same time there is a lot of wasted opportunity; after seeing Forward Unto Dawn and the character of Lasky, I was looking forward to some interesting interplay between him and the chief, but instead their past is barely referenced in the game itself, and this isn't helped by his in-game character's lack of any similarity with the Commander Lasky actor Ty Olsson (I think) who looks every bit the seasoned soldier Lasky is supposed to be; instead he just becomes the plucky soldier that helps the chief out. The bulk of the UNSC forces from Infinity also seem to serve more as decoration than actual allies for the chief, as he rarely fights alongside any of them. Even the Spartan IV's don't see much time in the game. There are some good moments, such as the chief stumbling upon a research outpost under siege, and rushing to save as many people as he could.The problem as I see it is that 343 decided to push too hard to some galactic evil in the game, and pushed it even further into a threat against Earth. It all felt too synthetic, with too much escalation; while the Halo series has had a history of grand space opera theatrics, the antics of the Didact (Promethean leader) feels more like a back-drop to the story of chief and Cortana. The UNSC Infinity also feels very much forgotten as a result of the game's events, rather than being the focal point of the game as was implied before release; I just can't help but feel that a game with a bit more focus could have served the story a lot better, with more events around Infinity and its escape from a hostile forerunner planet, leaving the nature of the Prometheans a mystery to solve in a later game while the chief focuses on saving actual people (as opposed to just the whole galaxy, yet again). This is where games like Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach really excelled, as they told a much more personal story and to great effect, which is something Halo 4 hasn't really learned from, as the grand elements sit more in the way of the story rather than adding to it. Although the Didact is an interesting villain, and superbly voiced, he just doesn't get the time he needed to fully establish himself, which again could have been addressed by having him across a multi-game arc rather than being introduced early on and becoming a default bad guy; indeed, the after-credits cutscene is perhaps the most significant story coverage he gets, which is a bit bewildering.In terms of gameplay, Halo 4's campaign is fun, and it's never really boring, but it also doesn't do anything especially interesting. Almost all of the objectives are about getting to a switch or interface, with groups of enemies just being in the way. This is another area where more interplay with other people could have served to give more of the objectives some weight and purpose, other than "Press X to flip off bad guy". I expect many people (myself included) had hoped Halo 4 would have seen an end, or at least significant reduction, in the Covenant involvement, but they manage to be involved throughout. Although their initial conflict with the Prometheans was fun, they quickly (and all) sided with the Didact, in a change that isn't explained, and just means that the rest of the game involves waves of baddies that are either Prometheans or Covenant; it would have been nice to see some of the Covenant having doubts or changing sides when they realise what the Didact is doing, but instead they're all just fodder for your battle rifle. Unfortunately this means there are lots of occasions where you are fighting groups of Covenant alone, and massively outgunned; as usual on higher difficulties a plucky Grunt can kill you if you aren't careful, and there are often enemy vehicles with few good ways of eliminating them. One memorable sequence is the advance of the Mammoth; a giant and supposedly heavily armed tank, but aside from a pair of easily destroyed turrets you as the player don't get a whole lot of mileage out of it, but still have to face Covenant tanks and hover bikes in alarming numbers; although it's definitely doable on your own, it does feel very much like co-op is almost a requirement, as a pair of players can much more easily perform the running and gunning warfare that Spartans are built for, where a single player will be forced to sneak around scouring for weapons on the periphery while thinning enemy groups.Fortunately the AI hasn't advanced much; grunts will still wander towards your position, giving you easy head-shots, and even though you haven't moved and the enemies have seen you, you are rarely in danger of being flanked. The main threat of enemies comes from their weapons being just as good at killing you as yours are at killing them, and enemy grenades can be very hard to dodge at times.But, Halo has never been about regular single-player, so it's good to note that co-op and multiplayer are as strong as ever. The new feel of the weapons alone makes multiplayer feel completely different, but with interesting new armour powers and the fun new Dominion game type things feel very fresh, and 343 have really outdone themselves in these areas. Maps are detailed and varied, but with good flow that keeps the action fierce and competitive. A levelling mechanic to unlock weapons for your load outs feels a bit tacked on, as it means that a player's early career is very much focused on getting a different weapon (usually a battle rifle or DMR) as quickly as possible so they can do away with the assault rifle as their standard weapon. It's not a bad idea, but it doesn't really add enough to justify it, and it quickly falls by the way-side.To summarise though; this is a solid title in the Halo franchise, with great graphics, great sound, great multiplayer, but only a fairly average campaign. It'd be nice to see a more personal storyline for the chief in a future game; now that he's back at Earth it would be especially interesting to see him struggling to integrate with units of Spartan IVs who, unlike the chief, are simply augmented soldiers rather than children kidnapped into a life of augmentation and military service.

9.12.2012

E3 2011 announced one of the most anticipated sequels of all time. Halo 4. Some people despised the idea of continuing the story of Master Chief, believing that the saga was concluded and continuing it would just be an excuse to suck every last cent of the franchise. I at first shared the skepticism, only to be proved wrong in November.Multiplayer - Anyone who has played Halo 2 or Halo 3 will immediately pick up how the game plays, with speed and jump height matching that of Halo 3. Halo: Reach was in my opinion, a screw-up of how Halo worked and with the utilization of Armor Abilities made it slow down gameplay and led to its main flaw.However,Halo 4 brought back the same multiplayer of the earlier Halo games as well as mixing in the new content of Halo: Reach. The result is a satisfying and extremely fun to play multiplayer mode. Right now my K/D rests at a positive 1.8 and I have not seen any issues with any of the new weapons besides the Plasma Pistol/DMR "noob" tactic that I rarely run into during matches.A main game-changer in War Games (what they call matchmaking now) is the ability to call in Ordnance drops. These seemed absolutely stupid to me when I heard about them around September, and I was even more pissed off when they talked about choosing your own weapons to spawn with. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not at all like it seems.You only get the option to call in a drop after earning enough points in a game, leading to you gettng a personal weapon drop from the UNSC Infinity. Choosing quickly with the D-Pad, the user then has their choice (from three possible choices) drop down almost immediately in front of them via some sort of very small pod. The choices are random, so there is no unfair choices here. Apart from when it gives you grenades. Really, Grenades?ALL OF THE STARTING WEAPONS ARE BALANCED. The Battle Rifle attains the same power of the DMR at mid range with more difficulty at long range. However it wins at close range most of the time (Vice-Versa for the DMR). The Assault Rifle owns the short range and is matched with Forerunner and Covenant equivalents (the Suppressor and the Storm Rifle). There is also a Forerunner DMR-like Light Rifle and also the Covenant Carbine makes its return in Halo 4.- 130 Ranks to cover, with specializations starting at Level 50. Im at SR44 right now after having nearly a day of playtime. It takes a LONG time to reach max rank, the highest I've seen is a level 94. So expect a good bang for your buck when you progress, unlocking new things with almost every rank to the top.Overall, the best multiplayer that the Halo series has seen to date.There is way too much to say about Forge, so I will just list the attributes it has now:- 3 MASSIVE Forge maps; in Space (Impact) in a Cave/Research Facility (Erosion) and a Forge World-like Island (Ravine).- Magnets make forging exponentially easier.- Duplicating objects.- Gravity/Trait Zones make you change different parts of the map, from gravity/movement to damage and weapons.- Hundreds of objects, returning from Reach and Halo 3 alongside new objects too.- No weather effects (I cried)- Locking objects so you don't mess up your map by picking up the wrong thing- Delete Everything Button/Delete by Palette- Dynamic Lighting gives forge objects shadows for the first time. Pretty kickass.- All the objects look different on each map, so none of the objects are repetitive. (I think we all got bored of Forerunner Grey in Halo:Reach...) Now all of the objects are colored differently and it has really been done well.- Just try out the Dominion options when you get this game. Just do it.Forge. Its amazing.Campaign - CHAMPAGNE MODE IS AWESOME!!!1! This is possibly the best campaign mode of the entire series yet, introducing new enemies and allies that actually have character and humor. Master Chief now speaks a lot more than he did in the past games (whether that is a good this or not is up to you) and makes him seem more human overall. I played the campaign Solo on Heroic difficulty and took me a solid 7 and a half hours to complete. Thats coming from a Halo vet, so you know that this foshizzle is challenging. The missions are INSANELY fun, including the a mission where you even fly the Pelican.With Spartan Ops having a story as well that takes place 6 months after Halo 4, the adventure continues after you have exhausted the campaign (I've played the final mission about 4 times, its astronomically epic).Spartan Ops - Replaced Firefight with a 4 player story-based Co-Op mode that formulates the story of the UNSC Infinity. Don't worry, Halo 4 Campaign also hosts 4 Player Co-Op, so youre not missing anything. Episodes contain 5 chapters each and there is one released every week. As of December 10, there are 6 episodes out. Thats 30 chapters that all have unique missions that can last to up to 30 minutes long. Some names come up that you may remember such as Catherine Halsey and others from Campaign. Alongside each episode, there is a very well done CGI movie that develops the story of the Infinity and its crew. Unbelievable quality that is undisputed by any other Co-Op shooter.This game truly deserves a 5 Star rating and 343 Industries made a seriously excellent impression on how the Reclaimer Saga is going to be made. I cant wait for Halo 5 and 6, anyone who owns an Xbox 360 should own this game. Hit "Add to Basket". Do it now.

19.11.2012

I have to start by saying that while this is my favourite Halo in the series, it is not without its flaws. There are some issues with weapon balance (more detail later) and the campaign still leaves a lot to be cleared up in subsequent games. Onto the review though.Campaign (spoiler free):Simply put, the campaign is spectacular. It would have been hard for 343 to make any significant improvements this time round. Without spoiling anything, what the campaign fails to do is introduce any kind of origin story for several significant characters, as well as forgetting to mention how the Spartan IVs came to be. These problems are easily outweighed by the deep story telling the relationship between the Chief and Cortana,coupled with the parallel story of the giant UNSC starship Infinity. The campaign has fairly similar pacing to the other Halo games (at least those centered around Chief), with a "mini-climax" about half-way through, and a final climax at the end of the game, across the stunningly well designed forerunner ship. Now would be an appropriate time to mention that the quality of the graphics of Halo 4 is higher than nearly every game on this gen of consoles. 343 have managed to tweak the engine to run at native 720p, with a solid 30 fps. These graphics carry into War Games and Spartan Ops. I do have a few wishes for the campaign, namely skulls are all unlocked at the beginning (like reach), scoring is no longer in the campaign, and as of the time of writing (343 may add this in a TU), theatre doesn't record campaign gameplay. Other than that though, the campaign is everything I expected and more.Spartan Ops:At the time of writing, only 2 of the 10 weeks (of season 1) have been released, so I can't really comment on the quality of the story yet. However, in terms of gameplay, I'm finding Spartan Ops to be a welcome replacement to firefight (I know this is highly opinion based, I just didn't enjoy firefight). The same concept of wave after wave of enemies exists, but there is structure, reason and a story behind it all. So far, the story has involved a lot of saving scientists and cleaning up after them, but there is some variety. e.g. when being extracted your pelican gets shot down and you have to clear the area of AA-guns. As with campaign I have my complaints. I would like campaign skulls to be implemented, which would help with replay value (the one thing SO lacks) and I would like the SO matchmaking to be a bit quicker, though this might just be location based.War Games:For most players, this will be the meat and potatoes of Halo 4. It will be the thing they play until Halo 5 comes out. 343 have brought back Halo's competitive multiplayer with several welcome additions. Loadouts make their return from Reach, in a system which, while needing a few tweaks, is balanced almost to perfection. You can actually customise your loadouts in a similar way to most modern shooters. A loadout consists of a Primary weapon, a Secondary weapon, an armour ability, a grenade type, a support package and a tactical upgrade. I won't make excuses; this system is very similar to call of duty's. However, it differs in that you don't get weapons that are considerably more powerful just for being a higher level. The support package and tactical upgrade are similar to perks, but unlike CoD, there isn't a 'will-win' combination. The only problems with balance for me are that the DMR feels OP (it is by go to weapon though) and thruster pack feels like it doesn't actually provide any thrust. I won't discuss ordinance as it isn't in all game modes, and becomes pretty self explanatory in game; medals = rewards.Limited edition bonuses:The limited edition comes with several things, which for me, more than make up for the extra cost when compared with the standard edition. Included is the war games map pass which grants access to the first 3 DLCs to be released, early access to all specialisations, access to the extended edition of Forward Unto Dawn, a really cool poster describing individual armour pieces in detail, a briefing packet, containing some of the missing information about the Spartan IVs (why they are on Infinity), and some cool avatar stuff. For me, the most important part of this is a map pass, though the briefing packet is a nice read and Forward Unto Dawn, while not perfect, is definitely a step in the right direction for Halo live action.All in all, I am extremely pleased with the quality of this product. The game is stellar, and the limited edition bonuses are something that should be added to any Halo fan's collection. 5/5.

30.11.2012

As most people should know, Halo 4 was handed over to 343 Industries, from Bungie. When I heard this, I was a bit sceptical on whether or not this sequel would still have that same Halo feel.The Halo style of fps is very unique, it just has a different feel to it, you need to play, react and act differently from any other fps. 343 Industries worked very well to maintain this. Infact, I would say that 343 managed to hold that style of play better than in Halo: Reach. Very impressive work here.Next, I'd like to mention the graphics. Once again, I was not left feeling let down. The lighting effects in all areas of the game are visually stunning, whether on the surface or interior of Requiem.There is a real depth to all the surroundings, not focusing just on what it immediately infront of you. Taking a moment to look around your world will reveal a lot of work and time.The new weapon skins are fantastic. The new skins for the UNSC arsenal reveal a really industrial, juggernaut type of look to the Humans. Hard steel, angular and strong, giving a good representation of the new Human race. The same can be said for the Covenant weapons, the smooth curves, glowing and strobing lights, and intricate dials, give the Covenant the futuristic and very alien symbol. And of course, there is the whole new race with the new weapons..... But I'll leave that for you to discover yourself.The templates for the AI units is very impressive. All the units are very fluid, each given a very natural movement. HOWEVER, 343 have obviously wanted to make this new Halo game, their own. It wouldn't make sense for them to just copy Bungie. And so, a few things have been changed to make this clear. From the Masterchief himself, to the vehicles and enemy units. I must that say that the Chief still looks badass, he has different, but still awesome looking armour. Secondly, the vehicles. My only complaint with the vehicles in this re-vamped Halo universe, is the Pelican. They have changed it in the wrong direction in my opinion. You'll see for yourself, some people may like it, but it doesn't have the same symbol of strength and brute force that the older Pelican had. And thirdly, the enemy units. Biggest complaint are the Grunts. I think everyone remembers the Grunts as being the cannonfodder and joke of the Covenant. With their ungainly breathing tanks, which you could actually shoot off (and explode I think?) in a previous Halo. They have changed alot, visually, and in the way they act. It is not a downside to the game, just a difference I didn't think was great.OK, the Gameplay.The campaign is truly epic. I have never experienced a story line for a videogame quite like this. It was amazing. At several points, I was succumbing to shivers and goosebumps from the suspense and awe introduced by this story line. It will definitely engage you, pull you in,and certainly make you care. I'm obviously not going to go into the details of the story.... YOU NEED TO PLAY IT.The online gameplay is also brilliant. Its has kept the customisable parts of Halo Reach, with the various armour pieces that you can chop and change. There is also loadouts to build, to use online. And leveling up gives you credits to purchase different weapons. I enjoyed the Matchmaking in the other Halos, but never LOVED it. Ha, this is the exception.Basically, if you are even looking at this page, then you should KNOW that you need to get this game.

4.12.2012

Thanks Amazon for a very good price and quick delivery. The box set is nice, but the amount of extra things is not quite as good as REACH's special edition set, still, on to the game! So far, the campaign is as usual just fantastic. I am not interested in LIVE or online play, never have been...for me, HALO is about the story, the people, the universe. I was (quite) worried about Bunjie passing the HALO franchise onto a new studio, but so far, all my expectations have been met or exceeded. 343 have done a fantastic job. The campaign is so far brilliant, not quite as refined or thrilling as HALO 3 or REACH, but very very close...but that is because it has a slightly different feel...a more steady pace and many new weapons,new enemies, new music (!). The visuals are just outstanding...beautiful, beautiful lighting and massive environments and stunning forerunner tech and architecture. Now, REACH was a really great looking game...but in HALO 4, everything is so fluid, so detailed, no slow-down. The game engine is truly impressive and blows all other FPS games out of the water. The detail and formation of things such as rocks in the scenery and the swamps in the earlier levels are nothing short of stunning. a LOT of work has gone into this. Cut scenes are great, with superbly detailed characters and some tension in the story too, especially between JOHN 117 and the rampant Cortana. The Mantis Mech is great fun to control too and is a fresh addition to the many superbly crafted vehicles of HALO. I do miss the old HALO music though, although the new music is very well suited to the game, it just doesn't quite create that same HALO atmosphere some have come to love over the course of ten years of HALO. For me, the only real gripe is Waypoint. Now, Waypoint used to work just fine on my 360, but after MS forced me to download an update, it now no longer works, meaning I have to buy LIVE GOLD to get all the features up and running again...which is simply a con. I WILL NOT be buying LIVE GOLD, as Waypoint works just fine on my PC. Having to unlock in-game terminals and then having to go to Waypoint on my pc to view them is just not right. This content should have been included IN the game, not as internet content. Also, having to enter a code on Waypoint to watch Forward Unto Dawn is not fair. Once again, this content should have been included on the second disc. Overall, I am immensely pleased with 343's labor of love. They have done both HALO fans and Bunjie proud in creating a new and even fresh (!) HALO game. I cannot wait to finish the campaign and absolutely cannot wait for the other installments in this new and exciting trilogy. Having read a lot of bad reviews on Black Op's 2 (I didn't even like the first one) and having heard 3 people now saying to me that game is a real rushed, regurgitated hype-machine let-down, I am VERY glad to have invested my money in HALO 4. If HALO 4 was a film, it would be James Cameron's Avatar, and Black Op's 2 it seems would be Pearl Harbor. HALO is not a churn-out-a-year hype machine like the Call of Duty franchise-(the last one I played was Modern Warfare 3 and that was not a good game compared to the excellent COD MW 1 & 2). Go figure. HALO games will always be a the pinnacle of the FPS sector, having a game-play fluidity and feel like no other. Chief, you have been away too long!

8.11.2012

Firstly, 343 Industries have done an EXTREMELY good job on Halo 4 with superb graphics and semi-intelligent enemies on Legendary difficulty. Heroic on Halo4 is probably comparable to Legendary on Halo Reach.I don't think anyone can doubt that the Halo franchise is safe with them, and we won't suffer the debacle of a Mass effect 3 on Microsoft's watch!One SEVERELY missed playlist from Reach, and my reason for only giving it 4 stars, is my beloved FireFight, both in single and 4 player mode, and even the promised Grifball only seems available for local play at the moment. Instead, it is very heavily focused on multi-player, with only a small sop of "Spartan Ops" challenges on a weekly basis (for 10 weeks in the first 'season',after which I fully expect them to ask more money for the next season of 10!).I think this is a real backwards step, and I can see me only playing the first season and then dropping it, whereas I've played Reach virtually daily since it was released. True MP is just about unplayable for me due to the severe lag I seem to always suffer: I can just about manage Grifball by guessing where the player will be in 1/4 to 1/2 a seconds time, but, even there, I've only managed a 0.81 K/D ratio. Some sort of lag balancing is desperately needed!It is however a BRILLIANT game, with superb graphics and sound, and you can even hear the Chief's armour plates clanking as he moves. The weapons also sound much more realistic! Legendary takes the difficulty to new level.Regarding the Limited Collectors Edition, and the review by "Kennedy", I think he got a MUCH more 'limited Edition' than the one I received from Amazon :(Mine has a textured cardboard box with magnetic closure, the field guide has a perspex back not rubber, and has very little information (doesn't compare in content to the Halo Reach version), and the spartan design schematic is basically slightly treated paper. The steel tin IS nice, but, overall, this is the most disappointing LCE or better that I've received and doesn't even come close to the most expensive version of Halo Reach I bought complete with Statue of the Noble team and a LOT of useful information.So.. all you really get in the LCE is nicer packaging, a few freebies in armours and skins, and, the only thing that makes it just about worthwhile is the Season Pass.I'd recommend not worrying about the LCE and just picking up the basic version and buying the Season Pass online. It certainly isn't worth the £85 that various rip-off merchants are trying to charge now, and I'm not even sure it was worth the £60 I paid from Amazon.Having said that, there's no doubt this is a huge leap forward in the Halo franchise. If only they would add back a Firefight mode with daily as well as weekly challenges then I'd give it 5 stars and play it for a long long time!

6.11.2012

I've played every Halo there is, I even bought Halo 1 and 2 on PC even though i had them on xbox. But in all fairness the new developers (343i) didn't let me down in the slightest.Graphics - Incredible, out of this world, on the second level when you walk out into the open, will give you Goosebumps!Game play - Fantastic, I don't like the controls as much personally, but you can change them easily. You feel like you're shooting enemies and annihilating anything and everything, and when you do the special assassinations you can hear their bones break and the knife make that gruesome noise.Multiplayer - Great, hard at some points, everyone has their bad games.

4.12.2012

My biggest concern for Halo 4 was that it was being made by a different developer but I can safely say that this is by far the best Halo made to date. 343 have done an excellent job, the game is awesome and feels like Halo all the way through.After playing Halo Reach I did not think that the graphics of can be improved any further but boy was I wrong. The game looks beautiful, its like a work of art.Halo 4 manages to feel fresh and new but also feels very familiar, I'm sure all Halo fans will know what I mean. I loved every part of the campaign, its enjoyable both alone and playing with friends.Multiplayer has been tweaked but feels like Halo Reach,

22.11.2012

Halo 4 returns and and it returns big.The first part is the Campaign/Story mode. Halo 4 begins four years after the events of Halo 3, Master Chief has woken up from cryosleep by his AI companion Cortana to deal with a new threat. That's as far as I'll go with the plot, I don't wanna ruin the game for anyone.343 industries have put a lot of effort into this game and it has paid off big time. The artwork, design, animations, script and voice acting are some of the best I have ever seen. They really help sell the story and the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana. Not only that, but the game is filled with epic moments that only Halo can do.Multiplayer is another core component of the Halo franchise and it's back in a similar,

3.2.2013

This game is amazing.The first addition into the Reclaimer Trilogy and 343 Industries first attempt of the Halo game is epic.The graphics look amazing, when showing the opening cutscene to a friend who had no idea of the franchise, he thought it was acted out. The amount of attention to detail 343 have put into the game is simply stunning. The game itself plays very well, and I found it to be action packed, with constant concentration needed in the harder difficulties.The Campaign story is structured around Master Chief and Cortana's relationship, but still with a 'save the Earth' style still there. I would say why to that and all the next statements in this review but I will not due to spoilers.The new enemies have a very smart A.I.

8.11.2012

Excellent, exquisit design and materials for the LE of Halo 4. Admittedly this is the first time i've ever bought a limited edition of a Halo game. I've been a day-1 fan of the series and followed it intently ever since. I'm very glad i made this splurge as you get a lot for you money.Lovely game box, materials and fan-service, plus the finest brushed steel Game Case i've ever held. Extremely happy with the quantity of DLC/Passes given, very generous from Microsoft. You get the Forward Unto Dawn movie edition, you get the Wargames Map Packs Pass for all future map DLC releases. You also get a bundle load of free avatar items, and addition in-game weapons and armour sets. On top of all that,

6.11.2012

This isn't a review of the game, just the limited edition content if you're interested.First thing to be said is, this is an extraordinarily well made product. The box is made of a solid and nicely textured vinyl plastic, and has a magnetic lock on it which gives it a very 'deluxe' feeling. The game inside comes in a steel box, which is also unlike any I've seen before - it is finely textured and ridged along the contours of the art design. It's really, really cool.Also inside is a metal-punched faux-military field guide, which has a fantastic thick rubber back plate, making it feel like something designed to last. When I held it I thought, wow - these guys were serious about their design!There are 2 further packets to open,

15.11.2012

The game is exceptional! Cinematics that leave you wondering whether or not its real people, a campaign that will keep you hooked for hours upon end with an excellent amount of detail (for new people, you may want to look into the Halo background, otherwise I can see the story becoming a bit complex), enough armour customisation to keep you busy, a multiplayer that plays like a dream (mostly, though I think vehicles are underpowered but its still great so who cares). Oh, and not to mention spartan-ops, much better than firefight and a good laugh with friends - despite the currently limited number of maps for it, the storys and objectives are always a bit different, and we have to be realistic,

29.11.2012

First this is the best halo game that I play ever, the graphics are the best! The game play is very good, the multiplayer and campaign are so good that this is the best game that I played for now. Maybe you will think that the multiplayer is look like COD BO 2 or any other cod but this is not true, but if you think that is the same I have thing to tell you-give me one known multiplayer game that hasn't customization or classes! The "kill strikes" are so cool so I forgive to 343 that "copy" it from COD but again crysis, Medal of Honor, and other games have kill strikes (or something like kill strikes) so this is not copying from COD this is only upgrade. And if you still think that is like COD,

5.12.2012

I've been a halo player since back in the day and I cant explain the awesomness of Halo 4. Sure it lacks some major features at the moment - no screenshot integration with their website like bungie had and no major improvments on forge. But it's AMAZING.The graphics are over hauled and the gameplay is stunning. Some parts are annoying but pair up with a friend and it's hours of fun!So is the Limited Edition worth it?Yes and no. While you can buy most of the things supplied sepratley - digital content / DLC Pass, it's better to get it all at once. The packaging of the Game looks very, very nice! No expense spared and I'd pay 25£ just for the game case(s)! Very nice thing to have.

Halo 4: Limited Edition (Xbox 360) - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail