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Post by crankiestseeker on Apr 13, 2013 20:47:10 GMT -5
I personally think it should get a 6/10 for being a slightly below average game. The campaign, while perhaps being interesting for its graphics or story, quickly loses its flavor. It is a very short game, taking only around 9 hours to beat through even on Legendary, and not leaving much to come back to. There are plenty of options in the game, but the new Spartan Ops is very much like a chore. While the cut scenes before the Ops are a pleasure (no surprise there - considering this is the same studio that did Halo Wars) the gameplay is very bland, usually consisting of go to x and kill y amount of z, which we get enough of in the full campaign. Spartan Ops feels much like a waste of time, like a bunch of mini installments that goes far enough to make you want to play, but doesn't have enough time devoted to make you enjoy it.
Of course what saves the game from being both repetitive and boring is multiplayer and forge, which is pretty fun and different. The gameplay is faster than in other Halos, which is always a plus for a shooter. But there's nothing really too different that is a plus for Halo 4. Sure, there are new vehicles and weapons, but there's also all the prior weapons and vehicles that were taken out to consider as well. Halo 4 provides mostly substitutes to what prior Halo titles had featured. The most glaring difference is the killstreak system, which is up for controversy in the gaming community whether good or bad. The Halo 4 mutliplayer aspect ultimately passes the bar on expectations - albeit only slightly.
Overall, I'd argue that in many ways Halo 4 is an average game that doesn't introduce anything new to games or does anything particularly well (other than graphics). Granted, Halo 4 is fun with friends; but it suffers from being only fun with friends.
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Post by Blade Runner 07 on Apr 15, 2013 11:57:18 GMT -5
I gave it such a generous score of 8/10 because at it's best, it's that good and you can still have a blast with friends.
The campaign is at it's best when it keeps the focus on the two characters that came from the original trilogy and incedently have the most personallity. Let's face it, the person who has played every Halo leading up to this cares about these two characters and doesnt care about anyone else. Frankly, anyone else in this games story could die and I would never care. There hasnt been a single deep or meaningful experience with any of these characters except the MC and Cortana and if the next 2 games are anything like this one then there won't ever be.
Halo is over for me. The Master Chief is the only character I care about in the series now. With him safe at home finding his humanity through having felt the loss of war and finally taking off that armor makes me feel like I'm stepping down at the right time. He should too.
I just wish I knew how to quit. I still find myself playing it once an awhile to see if anything has changed, been patched, or if I just feel like cheevo hunting or messing around in forge.
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Post by DeepThroat0 on Oct 18, 2013 13:51:56 GMT -5
Spoilers
I finally got around to opening up and playing Halo 4 over the past two days... yea, almost a year after I bought it.
I was a little skeptical about 343, but since a lot of the team worked for Bungie and was involved with the series already it did not seem like that big of a deal.
After playing the game I have to say that 343 put together the best Halo narrative thus far. It was a creative approach that flipped the whole story's perspective on its head. The previous games are about rivaling factions in an intergalactic network of cultures. It is about peril, constant threat of extinction, and humanities last ditch efforts to stay alive. Enter Master Chief, the faceless, obedient soldier.
Now we come to Halo 4, a game that hardly focuses on the main enemy or the intergalactic conflict. Although these elements are present, they take a backseat and unlike the first 3 games, are resolved by the end. This is the first installment of the “Reclaimer Trilogy” or Saga. However, it is not about humanity’s reclamation. This game was about the reclamation of John’s humanity. He is not just some faceless super solider, or as the game’s dialogue puts it, machine. The name is important; this isn’t about “Master Chief”, it is a game about John.
Halo 4 presents a lot of spoken dialogue by John, mostly between him and Cortana. This is odd for the series as he is normally a man of, well fewer words. This game also shows us his disconnect with people and flat out disobedience when he refuses the order of a ship Captain; a Captain who half believes that the Didact threat is a hallucination caused by the rampancy within Cortana.
Cortana; the other essential ingredient to this game’s narrative. She and John create an ironically similar dichotomy. One is a machine programmed to be human and the other a human programmed to be a machine. However they are both human, alive, and treated by others as objects or tools for some gain. John does not want to let her go because she is the closest person to him. They understand one another. This game is all about the metaphorical unmasking of John as a person and the loss of Cortana is the final catalyst. This is echoed by Lasky’s words at the end:
John: "Our duty, as soldiers, is to protect humanity. Whatever the cost."
Lasky: "You say that like soldiers and humanity are two different things. Soldiers aren't machines. We're just people."
John attempts to justify Cortana’s sacrifice and his loss like he has with everything in his life. Lasky literally exclaims the point the entire game was making. The unmasking at the end and the dialogue of the Didact (presumably from his trail millennia ago) further echo the change that has taken place with John. It is symbolic of his transformation from obedient war machine to human; reclamation.
John is no longer a soldier, at least not one that follows the orders of others. He is presented as a wanderer in the trailer for Halo 5.
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MMCC0203
Deepthroat
Posts: 658
Now Playing: Fallout 4
Favorite Game: LoZ: Majora's Mask
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Post by MMCC0203 on Oct 18, 2013 21:20:45 GMT -5
Spoilers I finally got around to opening up and playing Halo 4 over the past two days... yea, almost a year after I bought it. I was a little skeptical about 343, but since a lot of the team worked for Bungie and was involved with the series already it did not seem like that big of a deal. After playing the game I have to say that 343 put together the best Halo narrative thus far. It was a creative approach that flipped the whole story's perspective on its head. The previous games are about rivaling factions in an intergalactic network of cultures. It is about peril, constant threat of extinction, and humanities last ditch efforts to stay alive. Enter Master Chief, the faceless, obedient soldier. Now we come to Halo 4, a game that hardly focuses on the main enemy or the intergalactic conflict. Although these elements are present, they take a backseat and unlike the first 3 games, are resolved by the end. This is the first installment of the “Reclaimer Trilogy” or Saga. However, it is not about humanity’s reclamation. This game was about the reclamation of John’s humanity. He is not just some faceless super solider, or as the game’s dialogue puts it, machine. The name is important; this isn’t about “Master Chief”, it is a game about John. Halo 4 presents a lot of spoken dialogue by John, mostly between him and Cortana. This is odd for the series as he is normally a man of, well fewer words. This game also shows us his disconnect with people and flat out disobedience when he refuses the order of a ship Captain; a Captain who half believes that the Didact threat is a hallucination caused by the rampancy within Cortana. Cortana; the other essential ingredient to this game’s narrative. She and John create an ironically similar dichotomy. One is a machine programmed to be human and the other a human programmed to be a machine. However they are both human, alive, and treated by others as objects or tools for some gain. John does not want to let her go because she is the closest person to him. They understand one another. This game is all about the metaphorical unmasking of John as a person and the loss of Cortana is the final catalyst. This is echoed by Lasky’s words at the end: John: "Our duty, as soldiers, is to protect humanity. Whatever the cost." Lasky: "You say that like soldiers and humanity are two different things. Soldiers aren't machines. We're just people." John attempts to justify Cortana’s sacrifice and his loss like he has with everything in his life. Lasky literally exclaims the point the entire game was making. The unmasking at the end and the dialogue of the Didact (presumably from his trail millennia ago) further echo the change that has taken place with John. It is symbolic of his transformation from obedient war machine to human; reclamation. John is no longer a soldier, at least not one that follows the orders of others. He is presented as a wanderer in the trailer for Halo 5. Great analysis. Also, dat username...
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Post by JMMREVIEW on Oct 19, 2013 6:07:03 GMT -5
That username is one of the Metal Gear Solid ranks on here
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Xargen
Metal Gear
Kickin' names, taking ass.
Posts: 1,651
Now Playing: I PLAY THA VIDJA GAMES!
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Post by Xargen on Oct 19, 2013 11:35:38 GMT -5
I should be upon that rank in no time
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Xargen
Metal Gear
Kickin' names, taking ass.
Posts: 1,651
Now Playing: I PLAY THA VIDJA GAMES!
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Post by Xargen on Oct 19, 2013 11:36:28 GMT -5
Oh wait, I've already passed it lol
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Xargen
Metal Gear
Kickin' names, taking ass.
Posts: 1,651
Now Playing: I PLAY THA VIDJA GAMES!
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Post by Xargen on Oct 19, 2013 13:55:57 GMT -5
Yeah, reading that review pretty much opened my eyes to the story a bit too, I hadn't even thought of it in that sense...
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Lenrat117
A Hind D!?
I may have the body of a weak and feeble man but I have the Heart and Stomach of a Queen.
Posts: 557
Now Playing: probably Fallout New Vegas
Favorite Game: probably Europa Universalis 4
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Post by Lenrat117 on Oct 20, 2013 9:16:46 GMT -5
In my opinion Halo 4 completely negates the point of Halo 3: that not all soldiers come back from war. I didn't even like the legendary ending but at least that didn't guaranty a sequel. It doesn't matter how courageous you are and how invincible you seem there is no certainty that you will come back. I would write more and go into more detail but I can't be bothered at the moment.
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Post by Blade Runner 07 on Oct 20, 2013 10:41:51 GMT -5
Yeah in that sense I still wish halo 4 never existed. I saw that legendary ending in halo 3 and never expected a sequel.
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Lenrat117
A Hind D!?
I may have the body of a weak and feeble man but I have the Heart and Stomach of a Queen.
Posts: 557
Now Playing: probably Fallout New Vegas
Favorite Game: probably Europa Universalis 4
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Post by Lenrat117 on Oct 20, 2013 13:44:22 GMT -5
Bungie should've kept the rights to make sure that a stake (Reach) stayed buried deep in the heart of the franchise. Reach was excellent, 3 was excellent but the greed of the publishers and pressure from fans always wins in the end and we get stuff like Halo 4. Tell you what, since most of Pandemic are hired at 343 why don't they make a sequel to The Saboteur instead of a new Halo trilogy that we don't need?
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Xargen
Metal Gear
Kickin' names, taking ass.
Posts: 1,651
Now Playing: I PLAY THA VIDJA GAMES!
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Post by Xargen on Oct 20, 2013 14:16:38 GMT -5
I still feel 4 could be redeemed with 5, depending on how it goes... If we look at 4 as a completely new game and not an extension of the Halo series (I know it is, but it's also kinda a new beginning for a new company) then it's a pretty good game I guess, and it could lead to a nice trilogy imo, as long as it's done right
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Lenrat117
A Hind D!?
I may have the body of a weak and feeble man but I have the Heart and Stomach of a Queen.
Posts: 557
Now Playing: probably Fallout New Vegas
Favorite Game: probably Europa Universalis 4
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Post by Lenrat117 on Oct 20, 2013 14:31:28 GMT -5
I'd still want to see a Saboteur 2 Berlin.
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Post by shabbycat on Oct 21, 2013 23:30:21 GMT -5
Eh... I can't agree with you when it comes to sound... It's a good game, there's no denying, but the guns are certainly not it's strong point. In comparison to many other shooty shooty bang bang games, Halo (Any Halo) can't really hold up. Maybe it's the nature of the guns; The fact that all you're shooting is essentially light and chemicals. The guns can't really be called 'Powerful' when you can't tell the difference between shooting a plasma rifle and a bubble gun.
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Xargen
Metal Gear
Kickin' names, taking ass.
Posts: 1,651
Now Playing: I PLAY THA VIDJA GAMES!
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Post by Xargen on Oct 22, 2013 2:31:26 GMT -5
The USMC weapons in Halo 4 sounded a LOT more powerful than they had done in previous Halo's I felt...
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