Halo 4 Company: Microsoft / 343 Website: Official Site Estimated Street Price: $59.99 Review By: Brian Kvalheim

Introduction

Bungie out, 343 in. Master Chief is back from his space odyssey and eventually frozen for preserve, leading to a new Halo reprise. Microsoft kept John on ice while the new team at the helm took over the story line. The shoes to fill were not just big, but they were probably the largest shoe size in the industry. Arguably the largest gaming success in the history of all gaming, 343 would need to pull out all stops to satisfy the hungry Halo fan base. Starting and continuing where Bungie left off is just the beginning for Master Chief and the Halo committed fans.

Standing in an airtight coffin on a ship, counting sheep, Master Chief is reunited with his AI (artificial intelligence) girlfriend, Cortana. We would be remiss if the kindle wasn’t lit, as Halo 3 separated the two love birds to infinity and beyond. The question always lingers in every fan’s mind. Who is John? What does that mask hide, and will we see the human side of John? The friendship he carries with Cortana clearly has emotions of human, and we would all like to see them in the flesh.

Features

“Halo 4” marks the beginning of a new saga in the blockbuster franchise that has shaped entertainment history and defined a generation of gamers. Developed by 343 Industries exclusively for Xbox 360, “Halo 4” ushers in the return of mankind’s greatest hero, the Master Chief, in a newly envisioned, epic sci-fi adventure.

Set nearly five years after the events of “Halo 3,” “Halo 4” follows the Master Chief and his faithful artificial intelligence (AI) companion Cortana as they venture into a mysterious new world and discover an overpowering ancient evil that threatens to annihilate mankind. With humanity’s fate hanging in the balance, the Master Chief and Cortana are thrust into a desperate mission against overwhelming odds to save mankind from the threat of imminent extinction.

As one of the biggest video game franchises in history, the “Halo” series has sold more than 46 million games to date, generating more than $3 billion in total franchise sales. “Halo 4” takes the award-winning series in a bold new direction, delivering its most epic and explorative campaign yet, together with a groundbreaking multiplayer offering rooted in “Halo” fiction — setting the stage for an epic new sci-fi saga.

• New Halo Saga Begins

• Powerful and riveting campaign

• Revolutionairy new multiplayer experience

• Birth of your Spartan: Infinity

• Spartan Ops

• War Games

• Forge

• Total combat freedom and player progression

• Redefining the Halo game engine

• Gripping music and audio

• Halo Waypoint

• Building on the Halo LegacyOnly on Xbox 360.

• Players: 1-4, Players Co-op: 1-4, System Link: 2-16

• Dolby 5.1 Surround, HDTV 1080p

• Live: Players 2-16, Co-op: 1-4, Marketplace Downloads, Leaderboards, Voice Support

Story & Gameplay

A lot can happen in the world of gaming between Halo 3 and Halo 4. It’s hard to believe that 5 years have passed without a true follow up to the Halo 3 trilogy. Gameplay was carried through releases such as Halo Reach and Halo ODST. But the fans want Master Chief, and the fans want Halo game play. That is precisely what 343 set out to do.

Prometheans, Covenant and dogs are the goal of Halo 4. A goal to eliminate them with numerous weapons and canned melee attacks. The ingredients of Halo success at its finest. Just as the desires to save the galaxy, the species the reside on them…if there were any. While there isn’t much to save, does the fan base care? We were given a job to do, and 343 has given us the best tools to do it.

Approaching each mission, you will find familiar territory. Battles and wars being fought with and without you. You will find yourself entering a battle of enemy on enemy, while you pop out that all too powered energy sword and take them both down with one flick of the wrist. Welcome back Halo, how we have missed you. Don’t want to use the energy sword? From the Battle Rifle to the Bolt Shot, you will find the addition and improvement of weapons to be mind boggling, in a good way.

The game puts you right into the action, putting you into a forest with fellow marines. First look as you pan around, you will see that the environment looks downright amazing. This is PC territory here folks. This is running on a machine that is nearly 8 years old? 343 has pulled out some serious tricks. As per the norm, you are given what appears to be a sandbox sized environment in scale, but in reality, you are given 2 or 3 routes to the same end. This is what we have seen with previous Halo’s, and this will continue. We are being told a story, we are not controlling the story.

During gameplay, one of the first things you will notice right away is the overhaul of AI complexity. Drastically improved by 343 (which was already impressive), the AI will take every chance that they can to avoid being destroyed by Master Chief and his fellow marines. Leaping, jumping and running away or even off cliffs to avoid your onslaught. While there still seems to be an invisible wall that you need to penetrate in order for them to come after you, that is not an issue. The game encourages you to go in guns blazing and getting your face right in the fight. This isn’t Battlefield 3, and camping in this game will not reward you.

The battle of Halo 4 was won on normal difficulty. My skills are not honed, and my desire to re-spawn every 5 minutes, or sit back and have my health regenerate convinced me that lower difficulty is the way to go. With the choice of running around with shields, invisibility and health regeneration along with check points, anyone could really choose a higher level.

The incentive might seem low with all those lifesaving options, but you will find that health, shields and the other choices are fast to deplete. You need to combine those features along with taking as much cover as you can muster up. Something you are finding in more and more shooters is the ability to “enhance” gameplay (for the casual gamer) with the ability to see through objects, when running with that armor. I will be honest, it helped me through one of the missions (and 343 clearly encouraged its use in that mission).

When all else fails, Cortana will be there. Cortana plays an even larger role in the Halo universe, and it’s a welcome improvement. She helps carry the story. She is the story. It’s time to save Cortana, as she is dying.   

343 has taken a page from the Call of Duty and Heavy Rain titles, and offered up some interactive (minimal) cinematic that have some QTE controls. Quick Time Events, or hitting buttons in the proper sequence or timing, make a very small but entertaining introduction. Involving the gamer in the cut scene sequence is no profound, but it’s a welcome change.

Multiplayer

There will be no shortage of Call of Duty similarities here. 343 has stated that any likeness is coincidental, or is substantially enhanced by comparison.

Care packages have found their way into the Halo multiplayer arena. They are in the form of tactical packages. They are obtained once you have made that score/kill streak as set forth by 343. From perks to the weapon control, those familiar with Call of Duty will feel at home with these newly added features. The features are a welcome addition, but have not given the game a Call of Duty feel when it comes to game play. This is entirely Halo, and this is what the fans have come to expect.

Running to the middle to find the best weapon? That won’t happen in Halo 4. AKA, COD, you have custom classes, unlocks and armor. You will need to decide wisely though. Do you want that Battle Rifle with your camo armor, or did you want the Sniper with the Jet Pack. You can’t have it all. Speaking of the jet pack, fans have asked for the jet pack to have less charge, which is evident. But the pace of the recharge appears to be quicker, allowing you to prevent hard falls. The multiplayer is an evolution of Halo, not a revolution. It is what made Halo successful, and this is what will make Halo successful going forward.

Looking at the game from the co-op confines, we find a new Spartan Ops (similar to Spec Ops in Call of Duty). Find 3 other friends for a weekly release of 15 minute missions and story lines. 343 has thrown us a bone and has given us a few freebies. Be prepared to dish out some of those ever lingering Microsoft points for future episodes however.

Graphics & Sound

While Bungie has washed their hands clean of Halo, Bungie is still ever present in Halo 4. The game play feel is still there, that Bungie introduced. But graphically, it feels and looks like you are playing a tried and true (yet substantially improved and enhanced) Bungie game. The backdrops, the AI, the environments are all art, beautiful art that will make you stop and look. While Halo CE Anniversary addition gave us a taste of the graphical improvements we would see, Halo 4 excels so much more. The lush forests found in Halo 4 would make Nathan Drake green with envy.

The 5.1 Digital Surround is substantially improved over Halo 3. You will notice this not only in the improved weapon sounds, but in the crispness and clarity of every step, every weapons discharge and the often overhead aircrafts whizzing by. In comparison, Halo 3, sounds muffled, yet it was marveled 5 years ago when it debuted. It’s amazing what time does to technology and experience.

Final Comments

Has 343 shown Halo fans that they can take the reign of the Halo franchise? In spades. 343 is everything Bungie was and is, and more. By more, I mean they are also working with Certain Affinity (also worked on Halo CE Anniversary). The combination of these two teams have given us the best Halo release to date. Their hard work over the past 4 years have also given us the best looking title on console to date. The Xbox 360 is the machine that keeps on giving. The Halo franchise will keep on giving with forthcoming releases of Halo 5 and Halo 6 over the next half decade. Are you up for it?

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