by M4d Ski11z
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Halo 4
Developed by: 343 Studios
Published by: Microsoft
Available: NOW
Price: $59.99 Standard edition, $99.99 Limited Edition
Platform: Xbox 360 exclusive
When I unboxed “Halo 4″ two weeks ago, I knew I had something that was special. Not that I was hyped by seeing 343′s labor of love in front of me. Not that I was moved by the Limited Edition of the game with avatar and multiplayer perks. No, I knew “Halo 4″ was going to be special because if it wasn’t, 343 could kiss the Halo fanbase goodbye if it was anything less than stellar. And with that, they have accomplished a delicate yet difficult mission in style.
Developed by 343 Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios, “Halo 4″ follows the popular Bungie Studios tradition and lets players assume the role of John-117, known as Master Chief. You have two choices – to play the single player or delve into the multiplayer modes. For most folks, the multiplayer modes, including Forge, War Games and Spartan Ops, that’s the main draw for buying “Halo 4.” From creating your own map variations, to the steady flow of map packs available (9 total maps via 3 packs if you splurge for the Limited Edition of “Halo 4″), the game is perfect for online players who love multiplayer. I didn’t spend much time online with multiplayer – finding online matches at times I was reviewing was tough, but I can report the games weren’t hard to find when you find players. Also integrated in the online mode, again, is Halo Waypoint, a program that is a hub of sorts. You can access videos, downloadable content and avatar items with Waypoint. If you have played around with Waypoint in the past, it’s updated and moves much faster and is more streamlined.
For the gamers who prefer the single player campaign, “Halo 4″ offers one of the strongest of the “Halo 4″ series. Though I didn’t realize it when I first watched the live-action Halo Web series, “Forward Unto Dawn,” but I highly recommend watching the series BEFORE playing the game. I watched every episode (I believe 4) before I played the game and it helped answer several lingering questions throughout the game. The game starts with Master Chief in cryosleep – Cortana, his companion AI, wakes him out of his sleep after the ship comes under attack. If you didn’t watch “Forward Unto Dawn,” you wouldn’t understand what’s going on. However, where “Forward Unto Dawn” ends, “Halo 4″ immediately picks up.
The action is standard Halo. If you are familiar with the series, you will recognize most of your enemies. The Covenant makes their return, but a few new enemies – lead by this mysterious character called the Didact and Prometheans, a digital enemies that feature interesting defensive weapons. Some of the weapons include arm shields – you carry it like Captain America does his shield, an infrared visor that allows players to see through midst and a deploy UAV that fires on enemies.
The story is by far the best of the Halo series. 343 Studios took the reins and made Halo theirs. The story ends with a clear nod to more Halos and fans should be pleased. The narrative moves quickly and is even. It is a truly memorable experience.
Also new to the series is the ability to FLY aircraft in the game. I think I had more fun flying in the game than doing anything else in the game. Are you listening, 343 Studios?
The graphics are absolutely stunning. The attention to detail will leave gamers who crave eye candy in awe. The cutscenes – especially the initial intro for the game – will leave gamers on the verge of wondering if it is CGI or actual live action.
The audio is great. The soundtrack is as impressive as “Combat Evolved” and flows perfectly. The voice acting is funny but Master Chief sounds like he’s been smoking a few packs a day.
There are two ways to experience “Halo 4.” Gamers can get the standard version – priced at $59.99 with includes the game and online multiplayer (some versions come with a 14-day Xbox LIVE trial) and the Limited Edition (Microsoft sent this for review) is $99.99. The Limited Edition includes three future map packs (9 total maps), a code for streaming ‘Forward Unto Dawn’ Halo Web series, a schematic for the Spartan armor, a photo album complete with letters, in-game weapon skins, multiplayer perks and a couple avatar items. The Limited Edition appears to be sold out, so you may be able to just buy the standard edition.
My recommendation? BUY. If you own an Xbox 360, love shooters, you NEED to get this game. Is the game perfect? No. The game does suffer from the Halo stutters – whenever there’s a loading screen, the game temporarily freeze – but that is minor compared to the chance to play one of the best video games of 2012. If you haven’t bought it, what in the world are you waiting for?
Source: http://blog.chron.com/houstongamer/2...off-in-halo-4/
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