Games

Game Review: Halo 4

Game Review: Halo 4
Again the Chief stands alone
Again the Chief stands alone
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Some great lighting effects help bring your enemies to life
1/23
Some great lighting effects help bring your enemies to life
Superb animation brings everything to life
2/23
Superb animation brings everything to life
Multiplayer is also looking promising
3/23
Multiplayer is also looking promising
Warthogs are never boring
4/23
Warthogs are never boring
Favorites like the UNSC tank return
5/23
Favorites like the UNSC tank return
A new alien race, with new abilities
6/23
A new alien race, with new abilities
The Mammoth lives up to its name
7/23
The Mammoth lives up to its name
Again the Chief stands alone
8/23
Again the Chief stands alone
The Promethean Knight can be deadly
9/23
The Promethean Knight can be deadly
New enemies, new technology
10/23
New enemies, new technology
The Prometheans, a new foes to keep you on your toes
11/23
The Prometheans, a new foes to keep you on your toes
The warthog returns
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The warthog returns
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Mantis walker packs a punch
14/23
Mantis walker packs a punch
He stands alone, again
15/23
He stands alone, again
Big ships and big battles serve as a backdrop for the action
16/23
Big ships and big battles serve as a backdrop for the action
Great facial animation really adds to the presentation
17/23
Great facial animation really adds to the presentation
Mantis in action
18/23
Mantis in action
It all begins quietly on a ruined ship
19/23
It all begins quietly on a ruined ship
Old foes return
20/23
Old foes return
Minor characters add to the mix
21/23
Minor characters add to the mix
Close quarter action
22/23
Close quarter action
Cortana, will she make it?
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Cortana, will she make it?
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It has been a while, but the Master Chief is back. Halo 4 has finally been released and any concerns about the franchise being handled by a new developer have been dashed in a very big way. The latest game brings a superb ensemble of features to the table and delivers a tour de force of great Halo-style moments fans will truly love. We reviewed the game on the Xbox 360.

When you first fire up Halo 4, you aren't sure what to expect. Do developers 343 Industries have what it takes to continue where the folks from Bungie left off? How can this well worn franchise feel fresh, and what new enemies will assault the Master Chief? The game starts almost pensively, as you are brought back to life after a cryo sleep and find that you and Cortana, your holographic assistant, are alone on a wrecked UNSC spaceship.

Cortana, will she make it?
Cortana, will she make it?

Things fire up pretty quickly though, as a weird transmission sets you on a quest that ultimately sees you battling a malevolent new threat to mankind. Halo 4 is a delightfully accomplished game for a first time studio with one of the hardest acts to follow in the industry. Bungie have created such a brilliant body of work that their Halo games would intimidate many charged with taking over the reigns. Thankfully 343 Industries has proved more than up to the task.

Impressively, this time around each element we have come to know and love has been given even more polish. The narrative in particular has been tweaked so the focus is sharper, and the story feels more closely wedded to your actions. One of the criticisms of past games is at times the narrative has verged on being almost ancillary, as the action was always so simple you didn't need to know why you were shooting, you just had to keep that trigger finger primed.

This time around there are coiled narrative threads, with a number of parallel plot lines being explored simultaneously. Most importantly they “mean” something. The story carries weight and you will be drawn in by what is happening, not just be happy to blast wave after wave of irrelevant aliens.

Without spoiling the surprises, the core tale sees you uncovering a totally new alien force, the Prometheans, and this new evil is lead by an ugly and intensely hateful monster called the Didact. You'll get to know and be hunted by him over time, and this menace really adds something Halo has needed for a long time, a truly horrible villain for you to focus your energies on.

A new alien race, with new abilities
A new alien race, with new abilities

On top of this there is plenty of interplay between the Master Chief and Cortana. All is not well in this relationship, as your holographic companion faces her own technological mortality. We won't spoil it by saying too much, but this more introspective and at times deeply personal narrative thread really adds to the tension, as the big picture unfolds and you battle Didact. There is also plenty of chatter with lesser characters and even this is well fleshed out, so that consistent and entertaining personalities add to the picture. Simply put, Halo 4 tells a complex story with style and some great voice acting, and just like in the real world, there are several things happening to several people, all at the same time. This makes the game far more believable.

The narrative is also aided by some superbly slick segues that dovetail action stages and are complemented by first rate facial animation and solid voice-over work.

Halo 4 delivers some massive places to play and the environments are everything Halo fans have come to expect. There are pressure cooker firefights inside close-packed environments, long range sniper stages that let you enjoy a good dose of scoping, and everything in between. The game also lets you loose with a enviable selection of tanks, guns and other destructive hardware, with plenty of new toys and some great favorites of old returning as well.

Favorites like the UNSC tank return
Favorites like the UNSC tank return

There are Warthogs, Jeeps and the massive UNSC tank. These are complimented by the Mantis biped walker armed with a salvo of rockets, and the gargantuan Mammoth assault vehicle. This isn't so much a vehicle as a gigantic rolling base stocked to the gills with UNSC soldiers, vehicles and guns. You'll always be happy to see the Mammoth blotting out the horizon, just don't get caught in front of its stupidly large wheels.

The Mammoth lives up to its name
The Mammoth lives up to its name

The new kids on the block, the Prometheans, also bring a fresh range of weapons to the table and in keeping with Halo tradition, all of them happen to work perfectly in your capable hands. What a coincidence! These weapons assemble themselves from thin air, much like magnetic Lego. This looks pretty cool even if the Promethean weapon categories pretty much ape those available from both the Covenant the UNSC arsenals.

The Promethean Knight can be deadly
The Promethean Knight can be deadly

The Prometheans are also an intriguing lot. Apparently, they exist as half real, half digital “data constructs”, which is why they seemingly dematerialize into thin air when blasted. No matter what they are, they are fun to fight, with some great attack patterns and cool innovations, like supporting fliers that hover over heavy foot soldiers, “beaming down” impenetrable shields. The Promethean Knights are also lethal when they employ their instant teleport assaults and materialize right in front of you, ready to do some serious melee damage.

The game is masterfully paced. There are intense battles followed by a lull for you to regain your composure and then all hell breaks loose anew, as a planet blows itself to pieces under your feet. The one phrase that kept running through my mind when playing the game, especially during the first few missions that felt the most traditional, was that this was, “another welcome dose of familiar fun.” While there is plenty of challenge and some riveting set piece battles, you feel like you are still working within that brilliantly balanced formula that epitomizes Halo's gameplay. That said, because the action is so engrossing, you won't mind this familiarity one bit.

Mantis in action
Mantis in action

Halo 4 will keep you on your toes. The environments have all been built to both look good, but also provide a perfect playpen for the superbly scripted combat set pieces that are so much a part of the Halo experience. There are interdiction sorties, base defenses, pursuits and straight out head-to-head firefights and if you're anything like me, you'll love every minute of it. Ammunition is always just scarce enough to make you ensure that every shot counts as the last alien drops and your health bar is at critical.

The Prometheans, a new foes to keep you on your toes
The Prometheans, a new foes to keep you on your toes

What we are looking at is almost the perfect Halo 4 campaign experience. There are a few moments when you aren't sure where you should be heading or what your objective is, but most of the time Cortana chimes in with a timely prompt. The game also sometimes sees you stuck in the scenery if you explore the fringes of an area. This is at its worst in the jungle stages. However, the compensation for this is the sheer beauty of this stage, it is breathtaking.

Halo 4 also provides a co-op mode which we are yet to sample and a multiplayer experience which is looking every bit as brilliant as fans would expect.

Verdict

A solid candidate for game of the year and another “must buy” experience that will keep the Halo name at the top of many wish lists.

Gizmag Rating 9/10

Images provided courtesy of Microsoft

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6 comments
6 comments
Avi Patel
excellent review. great read, thanks!
John Routledge
Not a single bad thing to say? At all? Usually that's not a good sign about the quality of a review, or the author, or the game in question.
Steve Polak
These were critical comments, perhaps you missed them:
"There are a few moments when you aren't sure where you should be heading or what your objective is, but most of the time Cortana chimes in with a timely prompt. The game also sometimes sees you stuck in the scenery if you explore the fringes of an area. This is at its worst in the jungle stages."
Peter Roe
As a die hard Halo fan I was anxiously awaiting the release of Halo 4. Had it on pre-order and it arrived as promised on release date. I agree with Steve's review 100 percent... There were a couple of points where I missed what Cortana said and was unsure what to do so I just shot at the enemy till she reminded me. 11 Days in and I have played the campaign through on Easy... Two more passes for Hard and Insane... But that will take time. Meantime the Infinity Multiplayer option and Spartan Ops will keep me busy and the first 5 missions have got me hooked.
Crits? Back in the day... 10 years ago when Halo was released there was one level that really annoyed me. That one where you are racing through the exploding ship trying to get out before it crashes into the Halo... I hated it. It required a particular route, particular timing and there was no room for errors... The 'Death Star' homage in Halo 4 reminds me of that... Fortunately it doesn't go on as long, isn't quite as critical and has a good mission to wrap that level up.
But here's the kicker... I remember thinking halfway through that "They have done it all over again..." I think I meant an annoyingly frustrating level, but it isn't. What 'THEY' have done all over again is get their hooks into me with the latest volume in the Halo franchise..
'THEY' being 343 Industries... New kids on the block? Really? This is a game that is lovingly crafted. These people care about the Master-Chief and Cortana. The storyline gets better and better...
Oh and when the titles roll at the end it isn't all over. Stick around, sit tight and listen up. Keep your eyes on the screen and listen and maybe you will see that 343 are only just getting started.
Welcome back Chief!
Steve Polak
Very good call Peter. I think the game is more refined than recent outings. The post script is both humble and yet inspiring and the gameworld feels as solid and believable as ever, probably more so. Halo 4 certainly grabs your attention more than ODST or reach for me. What did you think of the Prometheans, their story and their weapons. Lots of room there for the blanks to be filled in over successive instalments and clearly there is room for both more Promethan weapons and units. I dare say a Promethean homeworld visit will also bob up on the agenda and could be quite exciting. How did you feel about using the auto turret to conserve ammo? I kinda like it, but felt I was taking advantage of the game design when I did.
Racqia Dvorak
Honestly, I was really disappointed with the story telling. There is no real "oh sh*t, a forerunner world!" moment. Cortana and the Chief just seem to magically know what the heck a Didact is. When they meet up with the new Spartan IV's, there is no moment of wondering if they're one of his old colleagues, because she has her helmet off to reveal her perfect hair.
Really? Because I thought Spartans were super-soldiers, trained and disciplined. Taking your helmet off in a battle zone? It's like someone decided after ODST that Halo needed to have cartoon characters.
Halo 3 was a disappointment to me because of its short campaign and weak narrative and every game since has continued to fail. Halo 4 makes it look positively inspired.
I've heard the argument that story doesn't matter in a shooter. That's crap. Halo 2 had a fantastic story line that changed the faceless enemy into a complex, impressive foe that might, under the right circumstances, find itself not wanting to obliterate humanity. It was a sequel done right.
I'm sure that the multiplayer will continue to satisfy, but I fail to see anything new or innovative in it. The gameplay overall is just hit button, shoot things, hit button, repeat. The levels have none of the spread out feel of Halo 3 or Reach. You're pushed through a narrow, linear hallway yet again. It's like the only new thing that Halo manages to do is steal from Modern Warfare... which takes away from the inherit reason you continue to play Halo for its own multiplayer feel.
Also, duel wielding is still absent. I've never understood why removing features that provide definition in a crowded shooter market is considered a good move.
What can I say good about it? It is pretty. For a console. Compared to PC games, it looks like what you might expect out of a AAA title 2 or 3 years ago or something from a smaller studio today. That is to say, I'm impressed at what they managed to squeeze out of that old hardware, but I can't look at this like it's a market-defining game.
Halo, you've fallen so far.