Halo 4 is the 8th game in the series and returns the series to the story of the original protagonist, Master Chief. It’s also the first Halo game developed by 343 Industries and 5 years after Halo 3 was released. The story picks up right where it left with Master Chief in cryonic sleep and his ship, the Forward Unto Dawn, transmitting a distress signal and drifting in space. However 4 years have passed since Master Chief was put in cryonic sleep and Cortana, his A.I. companion, wakes him due to intrusion alerts on the ship and to brace for a crash landing on the planet Requiem. It’s up to you once again as Master Chief to defeat the Covenant and a new, more dangerous enemy that will be unleashed from the planet below.

Multiplayer Section
Spartan Ops

GAMEPLAY

If you’ve ever played a Halo game before this one will be familiar to you however the first thing you’ll notice is the beautiful graphics. The HUD is slightly tweaked from Halo: Reach and considering the design of the helmet it fits perfectly for what you would see as Master Chief. It’s simple yet informative and nothing on the HUD is distracting. As minor as it may seem, as far as first impressions go it gave me the sense that this game wasn’t going to be more of the same and it never let me down in that assumption. The controls are like other Halo games and just feel updated but that’s not a complaint. There’s still no built in cover system and if you’re a veteran of the halo series you know how to survive. If you’re new it might seem tempting to run in the middle of a battle recklessly seeing as how you’re a genetically modified supersoldier but you won’t last long. You’ll have to use the environment, your speed and your shields wisely.

Since the game starts off with you dealing with an intrusion on your ship you’re thrown immediately into action. The first enemies you face are standard Covenant and the best strategy is to know your enemy. (So for example, Grunts still scatter for a period of time if you kill the leader). They use their numbers and the environment effectively so in the first encounter you’re tested right off the bat being surrounded. And the game doesn’t let up with the action. So you’re fighting through hoards of Covenant forces on your ship before you even make contact with the UNSC. And with the smooth controls and beautiful graphics it’s a lot of fun. One of the many things this game gets right is its pacing. Even though you’re a super soldier you never get the feeling the game is on rails and you’re an unstoppable force of destruction. There are cut scenes but no scripted action scenes. The game is not on auto-pilot. The areas are well designed for you to navigate without feeling claustrophobic. And although the game starts off action packed I never felt “ok this is fun but um, what the heck is going on?”

New Weapons, New Armor Abilities, New Foes

After the initial levels to get your Spartan legs back you’re introduced to the new foes, new weapons and new armor abilities and that adds another level of enjoyment. The new light weapons are powerful and crafted so well I found myself reloading the weapon I had just to see the reload animation. But these weapons aren’t just for show they pack some serious power. And it’s necessary because the new foes, the Prometheans, are tougher, smarter and faster than the Covenant factions. They work together as well so you have to know which ones provide support and which ones attack or else you’ll waste all your ammo with no damage to show for it. There are also new armor abilities and naturally they’re similar to the abilities of the Prometheans. All of this combined with well-designed stages gives this Halo a fresh feel.

I just want to talk

The story holds up very well from beginning to end. I never lost my interest in the story and even newcomers to the series will be able to follow and in my view will be intrigued. It reveals more about the Forerunners and how the human race was once a powerful interstellar civilization hundreds of thousands of years before the current era until they were defeated by the Forerunners and stripped of their previous status and technology (fall from grace?) The Didact, an imprisoned Forerunner, is the new antagonist and even though you’re the one who releases him from his prison he shows no gratitude for that still wants to destroy you (wouldn’t be much of a story otherwise I would imagine). This history is revealed throughout the game and the story unfolds at the perfect pace.  One problem I did have with the story was the characterization of Cortana. She reveals that she’s becoming rampant, which basically means she’s undergoing a slow “death” and this happens to all AI’s past their operating period. This was an interesting aspect of the story and had the potential to give more depth to the characters and their relationship. It succeeded in that for the most part but there were a couple of crucial times when she came off as extremely unhinged and it felt more like an annoyance than anything else. Aside from that she was once again essential to the game.

There are 8 chapters and each one is better than the last. After coming in contact with the UNSC you’re able to use a variety of vehicles, weapons and ships appropriate for the following chapters so it’s not just all run and gun (I loved the Mammoth). Controlling the vehicles feels smooth as well. There are occasions you work alongside Marines until you come in conflict with the captain of the UNSC Infinity who feels they shouldn’t pursue the Didact once the Infinity is free from Requiem’s gravity well but you’re Master Chief so you know better and know the Didact is a bigger threat than the Covenant. (It helps the Didact specifically told you that but you’re still Master Chief). Also the captain wants to destroy Cortana when he finds out she’s rampant and of course that’s unacceptable. So after working alongside the forces from the Infinity for a few chapters you have to stake out on your own once again with just Cortana. This story was perfect for giving you a variety of objectives throughout the game that didn’t feel the same and accomplishing each objective was satisfying. The ending was executed very well and didn’t disappoint in the least. This was the best overall Halo campaign in my opinion.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer offers a variety of playlists and they’re all enjoyable. Multiplayer is deep and offers enough for those who only play it occasionally as well as for those who get deep in the system and want to advance past level 50. There are over 10 maps and each map is well-designed and fairly accommodates different styles of play. So if you like to remain at a distance sniping opponents you’ll be able to find plenty of spots in all the maps to do so. If you prefer close combat you can use the environment effectively as cover to get from one area of a map to another. To put it another way, there’s very good balance. All the new weapons and armor abilities in the campaign eventually become available in multiplayer as you level up. You get the standard 2 weapons, armor ability and perks to customize your character as you see fit.

Flanking only works if they’re not waiting for you

There are also ordnance drops and this is new to the Halo series. There are weapons scattered throughout each map that goes to whoever gets to it first and additional drops occur during the match. There are also personal ordnance drops you can request once your meter fills up from kills, assists and other actions and you choose between 3 items or weapons. Choose the location carefully because it can cause damage if it lands too closely or be dropped in a location where you’re picked off by an opponent trying to retrieve it. This is basically Halo’s version of kill streak rewards and it works effectively.

For the hardcore enthusiasts of multiplayer you can choose one of 8 specializations once you reach level 50. You’ll be able to select another specialization every 10 levels after so you would have to reach level 130 to master all the specializations. The specializations are the Engineer, Operator, Pathfinder, Pioneer, Rogue, Stalker, Tracker and Wetwork. I can’t write about all the specializations individually because I have not reached level 130. (There will be updates periodically so be sure to check back). Every specialization unlocks unique weapon skins, armors, visors and a perk mod. It’s the perk mod you receive at the end of those 10 levels that gives you the unique ability from that specialization.

The multiplayer playlists contain the usual playlists such as Infinity Slayer (Team Deathmatch), Dominion, Flood, etc. Some playlists and maps contain vehicles to use and it’s fairly easy to navigate in vehicles because the maps are so well done and there’s also enough cover if you’re the unfortunate person without a vehicle. You can still create custom matches with your own objectives and rules. And there’s always the Forge, which is the map editor mode. For newcomers this mode allows you to design your own maps (with a budget) and design everything from spawn points to weapons and abilities available to every single structure on the map. So the only limitations are your imagination and the budget. (I admit it’s a little easy for me to get sidetracked thinking of how I can drop a tower on an unsuspecting player while designing a map just for kicks).

All in all multiplayer mode has something for everyone. If you usually play only the campaign mode for games I would suggest giving multiplayer a try. With the maps available (and new ones available through DLC) and the various modes you’re likely to find your niche. Even if you don’t like to play competitively against other players due to a high death rate there are modes such as Flood where you work alongside other players. You can even design your own levels and objectives or download from the community user-created levels and modes to work alongside other players.  For the experienced players there’s more than enough to enjoy in multiplayer and it definitely feels fresh and not as if it’s just additional DLC that could’ve been added to Halo: Reach. One of the more frustrating things about multiplayer is the infamous spawn killings (getting killed as soon as you respawn) and in all my time playing multiplayer I can say I’ve never been killed once immediately after respawning. It’s a relief. There are also daily challenges and weekly challenges to keep you coming back for more

Teamwork

Spartan Ops

Spartan Ops is the cooperative mode that you can play with up to 4 players and is story driven with new seasons being available for free as DLC periodically. Each season has 10 episodes (a new episode is released every week) and takes place months after the story in the campaign ends. The story revolves around a team of Spartan IVs called the Fireteam Crimson. If you enjoyed the campaign and haven’t been able to get into multiplayer then this might be for you. Each episode comes complete with its own cutscenes and chapters. You do earn experience in missions that carry over to multiplayer so there are benefits to completing them. The objectives are simple enough with you being required to either kill all the enemies, secure a location or activating consoles. Although the episodes are story driven they are not on the same level as the campaign but they have been entertaining in their own ways. I am hoping the episodes improve as the seasons go along but I love the concept especially through free DLC. It’s something for the fans. And if you’re a fan of co-op play this is definitely worth trying. I played with someone who used to play videogames regularly and was also a fan of the series. Even though she didn’t play a Halo game in years she enjoyed it and was looking forward to more. So if you’re thinking of getting someone into Halo 4 try the Spartan Ops first. One big problem I had was if you play split screen from the same console it’s not widescreen so there are black boxes on both sides of the screen. It was distracting because it was so jarring and I felt should have been rectified.

Summary 

If for some strange reason you hate the Halo series I doubt this game will convert you over. If you’ve been on the fence regarding the series I believe you’ll enjoy this game. If you’re a fan of the Halo series in any way, this was the best Halo game in the series in my opinion. The graphics are outstanding, the gameplay is smooth and the new weapons, armor abilities and foes give the game a fresh feel. It takes everything that was right about the previous Halo games and adds an additional level of entertaining elements. The campaign succeeds due to a solid story, pacing and gameplay. There is no letdown even with the ending and so I avoid spoilers I won’t mention any personal preferences. It’s still a well-executed ending.

Multiplayer mode provides countless hours of fun with well-designed maps, good variety of weapons and armor abilities and balance. And with the Forge and user-created maps and custom matches you’ll never run out of gameplay options. And to date, 343 Industries has provided incredible support releasing new updates, challenges, etc. and when a company is behind its product like that they truly want the user to have an enjoyable experience and you can expect to have more as time goes on.

Spartan Ops adds an additional gameplay mode with each episode better than the previous one and provides weekly fun with up to 3 other players and I’ve been enjoying that as well. Not on the same level story wise as the campaign but I expect it to continue to improve. (I will be providing updates for new Spartan Ops episodes as they become available in separate posts.)

After all the hours I’ve put into Halo 4 I say this is a MUST OWN for all Halo fans, the best one in the series and even if you’re just looking for a good game and not the biggest Halo fan I say this is definitely worth a try.

Kareem Ali

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