How far did you get: One completion
After my incredibly disappointing romp through Halo 3's campaign, I certainly wasn't expecting much out of Halo 4. If it weren't for the fact that Bungie didn't make it, I probably wouldn't have bothered playing it at all. As it turns out, handing the Halo franchise to 343 Industries was the right move.
First and foremost, Halo 4 is a very nice looking game. This is coming from a guy with a pretty nice gaming rig for PC games. It's not the best looking console game of the generation, but it probably lands a spot in the top 10. There's a nice variety of scenery, which is a big improvement over Halo 3. The game runs very smooth and it gets all of it's loading done before you start missions.
The controls are a lot tighter this time around, as well. Using the right analog stick to move your reticule around doesn't feel super loose like it did in it's prequel. It's still not as tight as many other modern first person shooters, but it was serviceable.
Halo 4 tells a much better tale than Halo 3. It's told in a way that makes sense the entire time, and it's pretty fun to follow as well. I think it's kind of weird how attached Master Chief is to his AI, but to each his own I guess. Cortana is an interesting character and watching her deteriorate as the story goes is pretty heartbreaking, even if she is just an AI.
Easily the biggest improvement Halo 4 has made is that strategy becomes important in the firefights. Unlike many first person shooters, you can't just pick your favorite weapon and blast your way through everything. Certain weapons are more effective against certain enemies, and if you choose the wrong one, it could be disastrous. The enemy AI is quite good most of the time. Some of the enemies are meant to be dumb, but the ones that aren't are a legitimate challenge, and a swarm of dumb enemies in tandem with some smarter ones can really keep you on your toes.
343 Industries didn't fix every problem with Halo, however. The floaty jumping mechanics are still there and they still suck. The enemies still take a ridiculous amount of shots to take down, and it's still difficult to tell if you're hitting your enemies or not, particularly if you're using an automatic weapon. Some of the alien guns are still completely useless, and usually they're the most abundant. There isn't much variety in the enemy types. There's 2 races you fight in the game, but each only has about 5 different baddies.
Halo 4 is a game that is fun despite itself. Thanks to a really good story, nice visuals and improved strategic combat, the games flaws are far easier to overlook. As long as Halo remains in the hands of 343 Industries, I'm willing to give Halo another a shot.
Rating: 74/100
