Halo 4

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3901 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,403 out of 3901
  2. Mixed: 725 out of 3901
  3. Negative: 773 out of 3901
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  1. Banjo_Reviewie
    Sep 8, 2023
    6
    Halo 4 is a decent time, the graphics are beautiful and the machanics are tight.

    But the ugly new designs for old characters, the annoying enemies, and the over dramatic narative keep it from being a truly great game.
  2. ASTR0_J0HN
    Sep 7, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4 was not great for the time, and did not live up to Bungie's line up of Halo games, however, it was not bad. The art style was done somewhat subpar, however you could deal with it in this game. The campaign was alright. The Prometheans were very generic, they were not that amazing, and got pretty old the more that I played the campaign. The Didact for a villain was good, however, did not follow Bungie's original plan to make Forerunners human, which came off a little weird coming from Halo 4, but not horrible. The multiplayer was average, even down to the core gameplay. It did feel a lot more like a Call of Duty game with the way that sprint worked. The Loadouts were not a very good idea, as all they did was allow you to pick the weapons you wanted, but there was kind of no point of getting other weapons that were around as powerful. Ordinance ray was also kind of dumb, and did not make sense being in a Halo game, there was no need for it. Spartan Ops was easily the worst part of this game. Most of the missions felt like repeats, and not only got repetetive, but on legendary, was somehow WORSE than Halo 2 jackal snipers. The story also eventually would lead into the events of Halo 5's campaign, which was a failure of campaign story writing. The Forge mode in this game was also average, and nothing was expanded more than what was already in Halo Reach. Overall this game was average at best, and sometimes lackluster, although, you could find some good times, in Forge and Multiplayer, and Campaign.… Expand
  3. Lelo_Oficial
    Aug 25, 2023
    7
    O jogo teve uma queda considerável de qualidade comparado a seus antecessores, a história eu achei confusa e não MT interessante, os gráficos e a gameplay são bons, mas o jogo é muito linear e não passa o mesmo felling dos outros Halo.
  4. MasterGubbers
    Jul 11, 2023
    7
    While this game certainly has some major flaws, some aspects of the game are truly amazing. The game still looks amazing, and has a great story. The multiplayer is poorly designed, and the Promethean enemies are awful to fight, but many great new weapons and vehicles were introduced, and the game overall is solid.
  5. ZackH25
    Jun 20, 2023
    6
    For me this halo game has the worst campaign of all the halo games. Mainly because in this game you have to fight the sentinels the most. It also made you fight the flying drone sentinels the most and that was so annoying. The missions were more boring than other halo games and the story was also very boring and dull- there were a few fun missions though- the one with the massive vehicle.For me this halo game has the worst campaign of all the halo games. Mainly because in this game you have to fight the sentinels the most. It also made you fight the flying drone sentinels the most and that was so annoying. The missions were more boring than other halo games and the story was also very boring and dull- there were a few fun missions though- the one with the massive vehicle. The multiplayer tried to copy call of duty in some ways and so was quite meh. The maps of the multiplayer were quite solid though. Overall a disappointing halo game.… Expand
  6. freegas
    May 6, 2023
    6
    I give this game a review of six out of ten because it is not particularly fun.
  7. DavidBondy
    Nov 16, 2022
    6
    Halo 4 is simply okay. While elements of the sound design, graphics, voice acting, and overall polish of the game have improved from the previous Halo titles, the game is a significant step down in terms of gameplay. The enemy AI, a long-standing strength of the entire Halo franchise, is one of Halo 4's biggest weaknesses during the campaign. The new faction is also pretty unfun toHalo 4 is simply okay. While elements of the sound design, graphics, voice acting, and overall polish of the game have improved from the previous Halo titles, the game is a significant step down in terms of gameplay. The enemy AI, a long-standing strength of the entire Halo franchise, is one of Halo 4's biggest weaknesses during the campaign. The new faction is also pretty unfun to fight. They're better than the flood, but that's a really low bar. The level design is sub-par by the standards of Bungie's Halo games (but probably average compared to most shooters.) It just feels average on all accounts of gameplay. I think it's telling that out of all the games in the Master Chief Collection, this is the one I would least enjoy replaying.

    I do recommend the Master Chief Collection, which this game is part of. However, if you're looking to only buy some but not all the games in the MCC, then feel free skipping out on this game. You're not going to miss much.    … Expand
  8. BobsityJonesity
    Aug 21, 2022
    6
    Really felt like a departure from the original series. I was never a huge halo fan but even I knew this game didn't feel true to the spirit of the franchise. The game mechanically was decent, the story was decent, and the gameplay sections were decent, ultimately the entire experience felt painfully average. The only thing helping this game is the multiplayer is fun even though it stillReally felt like a departure from the original series. I was never a huge halo fan but even I knew this game didn't feel true to the spirit of the franchise. The game mechanically was decent, the story was decent, and the gameplay sections were decent, ultimately the entire experience felt painfully average. The only thing helping this game is the multiplayer is fun even though it still doesn't feel like traditional halo multiplayer and feels much more washed out.… Expand
  9. memus
    Aug 14, 2022
    6
    Something felt off.

    Pros: + The new machines introduces by 343 are super cool: e.g. Mammoth, Mantis. + In general, the biology-inspired designs work: e.g. electric dogs, Didact's ship as chrysalis. + The retcon for index is kinda cool (though execution suffers). + So the game shines the most when it goes the furthest away from the original trilogy. Cons: - Gunplay feels off.    Something felt off.

    Pros:
    + The new machines introduces by 343 are super cool: e.g. Mammoth, Mantis.
    + In general, the biology-inspired designs work: e.g. electric dogs, Didact's ship as chrysalis.
    + The retcon for index is kinda cool (though execution suffers).
    + So the game shines the most when it goes the furthest away from the original trilogy.

    Cons:
    - Gunplay feels off. There is no punch to guns. Enemies are bullet-spongy.
    - Levels are meh. In a sense, you go through a set of very small rooms and need to kill all enemies to proceed further. Again and again. It makes gameplay feel kinda random, more like Quake 3 Arena or Doom rather than Halo.
    - Enemy AI is meh.
    - The graphics are meh. Some designs are quite cool. But there are many visual glitches (even to this day). Huge ships just disappear in the air after the explosion. Items re-spawn behind you. All this breaks the illusion quite a lot.
    - People look wooden. And the cutscene art direction in general is not up to the standard of previous games. Also, the story between Master Chief and Cortana will make you cringe.    … Expand
  10. Rai-N
    Jun 29, 2022
    7
    A a kid, I really enjoyed the game. It's the first shooter game I've ever played. I loved the the sci-fi action and the characters; however, I realize that the game isn't as good as I remember. The previous games have better gunplay, characters, and multiplayer, and story.
  11. HanTrooper23
    Apr 7, 2022
    5
    I played the hole game and I liked 1 part about it 1 PART but the muliplayer was okay but the spec ops I can rate because i never could but still I would just play Halo Reach.
  12. xavy6389
    Mar 27, 2022
    6
    the game is ok i did not like the story the gun play is good i have not tried the multiplayer but that all i have to say
  13. GamerDadIsBad
    Mar 26, 2022
    7
    When Halo's quality dropped due to 343i taking over it broke my heart as a fan of the first
    three instalments.

    I play it occasionally on The Master Chief Collection, but not as much as the first three.
  14. Diugo
    Mar 18, 2022
    6
    First of all, graphics are gorgeous. Amazing landscapes and very detailed textures. But when you reach the second half of the game it all becomes just grey. Everything is very grey after a while. The story should have been a standalone. Everything felt very pasted on. Like it wasnt meant to be there, but still is. Even tho i still really wanted to finish it to get the full HALO experienceFirst of all, graphics are gorgeous. Amazing landscapes and very detailed textures. But when you reach the second half of the game it all becomes just grey. Everything is very grey after a while. The story should have been a standalone. Everything felt very pasted on. Like it wasnt meant to be there, but still is. Even tho i still really wanted to finish it to get the full HALO experience i became very bored with the gameplay. The convenant are still very fun to fight, but the prometheans not at all. The best part of the game is the first hour or so, after youre done riding the warthog down the mountain is drops off exponentially. The starfox like mission was still a lot of fun tho. Not a bad game, just a bad halo game imho.… Expand
  15. JaySeacliff
    Mar 13, 2022
    7
    Even with it's massive problems what comes to game desing and story writing, Halo 4 is NOT a bad game. Is it flawed? Yes. Is it different from the earlier games? Also yes. But is it bad just because of it being different? No. Halo 4's gameplay is amazing and the graphics aren't bad at all, I'd even say Halo 4 is one of the best-looking Xbox 360 titles to this day. The story may be a littleEven with it's massive problems what comes to game desing and story writing, Halo 4 is NOT a bad game. Is it flawed? Yes. Is it different from the earlier games? Also yes. But is it bad just because of it being different? No. Halo 4's gameplay is amazing and the graphics aren't bad at all, I'd even say Halo 4 is one of the best-looking Xbox 360 titles to this day. The story may be a little lackluster and new enemies may be annoying but the game's still... worthy. Worthy Halo game. Still not entirely good but fine enough to be enjoyed.… Expand
  16. Dperks
    Jan 26, 2022
    6
    I really want to love Halo 4 and I've had to of played this game like a dozen times by this point. But after my most recent playthrough I cant say more then its okay. Halo 4 has a lot of issues that hold it back for me but I will say that my favorite aspect of the game is the story. I love learning more about the forerunners and having that human connection with Cortana developingI really want to love Halo 4 and I've had to of played this game like a dozen times by this point. But after my most recent playthrough I cant say more then its okay. Halo 4 has a lot of issues that hold it back for me but I will say that my favorite aspect of the game is the story. I love learning more about the forerunners and having that human connection with Cortana developing rampancy I thought were all great ideas. Execution wise though was handled kinda rough. Most of the important info about the forerunners is jammed into one exposition filled cutscene so if your not finding the hidden terminals in levels your probably lost. And the Didact as a villain could of been so much more. But the stuff with Cortana is great still think it could of been handled better but I do like the idea of making chief more human and exploring that personal aspect. And I also do like seeing him confront a superior like with what happens in the story even if it does seem kind of dumb for it to happen in the first place. So the story is rough but overall I like it where the game falls pretty flat is the gameplay. This is the least fun to play FPS Halo game to date. Where to begin the weapons for the covenant and these new promethium weapons just feel bad and some weapons are literally useless. Each faction needs to have a weapon equivalent which just makes it feel very redundant. Like you don't need 3 different assault rifle weapons especially when 2 of them are worthless. Enemy AI is also notably bad In this game they will constantly just stand their or get stuck on terrain and when compared to even Halo 1 its just sad. But what really kills me is the Prometheans because their just not fun to fight at all in this game. And theirs no verity in how they fight or how you should approach them its like of course I want to after the flying guys who can revive fallen enemy's and fling grenades back because their so damn annoying. And like previously stated their weapons' are all redundant and not interesting to use. And the grenade they have has to be the most useless grenade in any mainstream shooter cause that thing cant kill anything I swear. Finally I like most everyone else hate the redesigns in this game because well they just look ugly at least the covenant ones do. I don't mind the guns and equipment being redesigned as much but the elites just look wrong in this game. And I wish they didn't change Chiefs armor not only because it wasn't necessary and didn't make sense considering that he was stuck in a broken ship. But it would of made the ending when he goes into that big room with the other Spartans way more impactful if he had the same armor from the last 2 games. With all its battle damage he's received and the fact it would of seemed outdated compared to the other Spartans really showing that he's alone and outdated now I think would of made the ending much more impactful. Overall the stories okay they also had spartan ops which can be fun and gives a narrative after Halo 4 but because they reuse a lot of levels like way to much it gets quickly repetitive and boring. And the multiplayer is also my least favorite of the FPS Halo games and its hard to explain why. But a lot of my complaints about the guns and gameplay do translate to the multiplayer and it just feels the most generic Halo game to play unfortunately. Overall Halo 4 isn't bad but it just falls so short compared to its predecessors. With its more generic feel and plot that needed to get flushed out more and the fact that its probably the glitchiest in the series as well as I've experienced some bad technical problems with this game before. Such as a level being unplayable half way through meaning I had to restart the level.… Expand
  17. Amir7scorpioN
    Dec 11, 2021
    7
    343i really tried its best but...its like an action movie! a Call of Duty game at its best!
    writing is ok i appreciate the effort...but its not a great halo game!
    i hate Forerunners and their Guns,,, the villain is basically a sith lord... no boss fight with the villain? what was the point of him in the game ? but i enjoyed playing this game...although the musics are completely    343i really tried its best but...its like an action movie! a Call of Duty game at its best!
    writing is ok i appreciate the effort...but its not a great halo game!
    i hate Forerunners and their Guns,,, the villain is basically a sith lord... no boss fight with the villain? what was the point of him in the game ?
    but i enjoyed playing this game...although the musics are completely defferent because they are not made by Marty but 117 is good...the others? not so much

    anyway... it was Acceptable!    … Expand
  18. ElCosmoXD
    Nov 25, 2021
    7
    The story is amazing but sometimes the game is just confusing and hard (Even in normal difficult).
  19. churros
    Nov 22, 2021
    6
    Pros:
    + sprint button
    + beautiful graphics
    + hud improvements
    + improved crosshair

    Cons:
    - Prometheans enemies
    - Prometheans weapons
    - indoors section
    - repetitive
    - bad level design
    - convoluted story
    - Master Chief and Cortana dialogues
  20. Kostas101
    Nov 13, 2021
    6
    This was my first Halo game, and even though I enjoyed it, it was a very shallow experience. The gameplay is fun, the graphics are fantastic, the character models look great, and it's a well made game overall, but the story & characters are forgettable.
  21. ProfAmateur
    Aug 28, 2021
    7
    Auf der Xbox Series X spielt es sich wunderbar flüssig.

    + Neue Gegner
    + Neue Waffen
    + Schöne Levels
    - Missionsziele sehr eintönig, immer irgendwelche Konsolen oder Portale aktivieren
    - Missionsziele / manchmal unklar wohin man laufen oder was man machen muss, obwohl es recht linear ist
  22. SuperkenGaming
    Jun 4, 2021
    7
    Halo 4
    Annoying but beautiful
    Halo 4 is a 6 hour long first person shooter and is the first standalone game from 343 studios. And sadly after the great direction halo 3 was taking for the series, halo 4 approves the series and takes some major steps back at the same time.. Visually halo 4 is the most modern looking and beautiful halo game ive played so far.. I love the feeling of level    Halo 4
    Annoying but beautiful
    Halo 4 is a 6 hour long first person shooter and is the first standalone game from 343 studios.
    And sadly after the great direction halo 3 was taking for the series, halo 4 approves the series and takes some major steps back at the same time..
    Visually halo 4 is the most modern looking and beautiful halo game ive played so far.. I love the feeling of level variety here, not something you really get in halo games.. all the way up until reach every level kind of looked and felt the same, with no standouts.. here it felts like an actual world was crafted rather than generic space stations over nd over and over.. at least for the most part.. because the copy paste that the hole series suffers from is here as well… made worse by the fact that halo 4 is too easy to get lost in.. youll be in a new area and have no idea, thinking you went around in circles because again so many assets and layouts are just copy and pasted to new areas… and the progression indactors are just awful hee.. I get the point is to make the game not feel linear, but instead I just feel like a chicken running around with my head cut off, trying to trigger a door opening to move on…
    Halo 4 does attempt to add something new to the series with these robot like enemies and new weapons, but theyre just annoyingly frustrating..
    Ive personallyappreciated tht in every halo game up until this point you could just run through, especially tring to get through the entire series before infinite comes out.. but here in halo 4 there are tons of moments youre forced to clear the room, and the game really doesn’t do much to indicate this is necessary.. which is something that should’ve been done considering, once again.. halo games don’t typically make you clear a room to be able to move on.. . which brings me to the annoying enemies.. these robot enemies ar infurating to deal with.. halo 4 has an awful checkpoint system and in between these awful checkpoints are these enemies that spit bullets at you, or are large power houses followed by drones that not only shield enemies, but they heal them, they can also shoot, and they fold when you shoot at them.. and when you finally do hit them they seem to just absorb all of your bullets.. making th final stretch of this game more infuriating than all of the worst parts of the halo series combined..
    Halo 4 is a good game, it’s a challenging game.. it strays away from halo too much in the end.. which could be a good thing, but isn’t a good thing here…
    Im hoping for more positive change with halo 5, and less frustration.
    I give Halo 4
    a 7/10    … Expand
  23. Dom007
    Mar 14, 2021
    6
    Halo 4 is infinitely better than halo 5 and it has some good concepts, it just executes them poorly. The story isn't by all means dreadful, however it just feels uneventful compared to previous Halo games. The characters aren't by all means bad, they're just not as good as the previous Halo games and some are even unlikeable.
    Halo 4 however falls flat on its gameplay. It's boring, not    Halo 4 is infinitely better than halo 5 and it has some good concepts, it just executes them poorly. The story isn't by all means dreadful, however it just feels uneventful compared to previous Halo games. The characters aren't by all means bad, they're just not as good as the previous Halo games and some are even unlikeable.
    Halo 4 however falls flat on its gameplay. It's boring, not very fun, it's tedious and some of the enemies are just poorly designed. Enemy variety has never been Halo's strong point, but no matter the enemy type they where always fun to fight. Halo 4 is the opposite, the promethians are not fun to fight and the covenant are not fun either.
    So whilst there are some nice concepts with halo 4, like the story for example. It just isn't a fun game to play.    … Expand
  24. Tbrown5
    Jan 15, 2021
    6
    this game is odd however has some good however a lot of bad, this was 343s first attempt to make a halo game and the outcome was moslty bad, this game banks off of alot of highlights, the pretty good story, and being a halo game. the multiplayer is a cheap rip off of call of duty, the forge was a shell of its former glory, the gameplay is horrible, and the story is good however itthis game is odd however has some good however a lot of bad, this was 343s first attempt to make a halo game and the outcome was moslty bad, this game banks off of alot of highlights, the pretty good story, and being a halo game. the multiplayer is a cheap rip off of call of duty, the forge was a shell of its former glory, the gameplay is horrible, and the story is good however it completely drives away from the past halos. this game had alot of shoes to fill and halo 4 had feet that were to small for those shoes, this game is a halo game, however a bad halo game, better than 5 however just a nock off of its competition.… Expand
  25. Skurttish
    Jan 5, 2021
    7
    It’s a mixed bag here, but I think there’s enough good to give it a 7 that should be a 6.

    First off, the gameplay is fun, but ammo is really scarce. I feel like my guns ran out after only a few shots, and that made it feel like I was always in danger of being pinned down in a bad checkpoint with no ammo. Didn’t like this. But, the new enemies were great, especially the buffing class,    It’s a mixed bag here, but I think there’s enough good to give it a 7 that should be a 6.

    First off, the gameplay is fun, but ammo is really scarce. I feel like my guns ran out after only a few shots, and that made it feel like I was always in danger of being pinned down in a bad checkpoint with no ammo. Didn’t like this.

    But, the new enemies were great, especially the buffing class, those stupid little butterflies. They were a pain, in the best possible sense. I liked having to select a priority target at the beginning of a firefight.

    BUT some difficulty spikes were nuts. One example is a level with about 80 jackal snipers chilling on a plateau above you. It was maybe 78 too many, I think.

    Story-wise, here’s a big negative: The story has big gaps that you apparently have to read a book to understand. I won’t give anything away, but this fact alone drops my score significantly. If you can’t explain it in the game, cut it and no one will miss it.

    Otherwise, the beginning is a great breath of fresh air to a franchise that was starting to feel a little stale at the end of Halo 3. The first few missions are great, and the new enemy has new guns that are really fun to use (even if they aren’t super different from the guns previously).

    Then the game gets real slow in the middle, and nothing of interest happens for several more missions. Except, for some reason, a mission is stolen from Titanfall 2. It was weird, but whatever.

    In the fifth mission aboard the Mammoth I hit numerous bugs. Not sure what happened, but my Mammoth kept on floating through non-rendered terrain until everything would just stop. I restarted over and over and it finally fixed itself.

    Then the final mission and the ending of the game was awesome, in my opinion. Really enjoyed the final mission from start to finish.

    And that’s how you get a 7 that should be a 6: Make an okay game with a few great things.    … Expand
  26. wiredspore44
    Dec 28, 2020
    5
    This is definitely the most divisive Halo game. I personally thought the story was pretty weak and i didn't like how they handled the chief's relationship with Cortana. The level design was decent but the new enemies, the 'Prometheans' were pretty bad as there was no strategy when fighting them. I also hated how limited your ammo is and i personally couldn't stand the main villain. AtThis is definitely the most divisive Halo game. I personally thought the story was pretty weak and i didn't like how they handled the chief's relationship with Cortana. The level design was decent but the new enemies, the 'Prometheans' were pretty bad as there was no strategy when fighting them. I also hated how limited your ammo is and i personally couldn't stand the main villain. At least the gameplay and level design is still good.… Expand
  27. trival
    Nov 21, 2020
    6
    campain is ok. BUT i haven't seen such a lazy designed ending in a looong time
  28. houfie
    Nov 17, 2020
    6
    Jogo bom, pudi me divertir muito. Gostei muito do que joguei, me diverti muito
  29. RoninNinjaXL
    Sep 25, 2020
    5
    it went downwards with this game

    Story: 5
    Gameplay: 7
    ost: 7
    Characters: 6
  30. Hellhammer
    Sep 4, 2020
    7
    Halo 4 is a game that really split the community. It looks and sounds amazing and feels good to play. What makes the game feel off to many Halo fans is the plot which now makes Chief into more of a "charcater" rather than the silent ass kicker we are used to. The plot itself is ok, but not too memorable. The online felt fine, but lacked a real lasting impression which made it hard for meHalo 4 is a game that really split the community. It looks and sounds amazing and feels good to play. What makes the game feel off to many Halo fans is the plot which now makes Chief into more of a "charcater" rather than the silent ass kicker we are used to. The plot itself is ok, but not too memorable. The online felt fine, but lacked a real lasting impression which made it hard for me to return to it. The new enemy types are also not satisfying to fight when compared to the covenant, being more comparable to the flood. Overall it is a fine shooter, but alienating for Halo fans.… Expand
  31. Radiationbum
    Jul 24, 2020
    6
    Halo 4 takes the hard work of Bungie and looks to change the core feature that make Halo different from other first person shooters.
    The first issues is the changes to the master chief, his armour no longer looks like it did at the end on halo 3 because apparently nanites change and upgraded his armour while he was in stasis, and it looks worse, the textures are lower resolution the model    Halo 4 takes the hard work of Bungie and looks to change the core feature that make Halo different from other first person shooters.
    The first issues is the changes to the master chief, his armour no longer looks like it did at the end on halo 3 because apparently nanites change and upgraded his armour while he was in stasis, and it looks worse, the textures are lower resolution the model doesn't fit the the game historic art style and even the sound effects of the player punching an enemy sounds like the suit is made of plastic and this overall change in art style, models textures affect every aspect of the game taking away the iconic look that is Halo, if you need a clear example of the misunderstanding 343 had on this aspect just look at the changes to the Elites who are now more like the brutes.

    Story: straight out of the gate we have a cut scene that not only has next to not relevance to the story, but also retcons or blatantly get the history and events in past halo games wrong as it show dozens of Spartans who all look like the master chief dropping from the sky into a battle against the covenant, as the master chief was the last spartan around at the time Halo1-3 take place and each spartan has a unique style of Mjolnir Armor this is a big retcon of established lore.

    The strongest plot point is the relationship of the Chief and Cortana as he tries to save her from rampancy, but the revelation about the forerunners while not totally out of place doesn't make a who lot of sense epically when the main villain has Jedi force abilities effectively and could just throw the chief in to lava but instead goes on a cliché monolog about his plans.

    adding to its issues are characters who seem to lack any respect for the Master Chief despite him being the savour of humanity and indeed the galaxy and seem to do nothing but be **** with no redeemable traits, never the less the story does end with the chief seemingly making a choice to retire as he takes his Armor off and thinks back on the question of is he a just a machine or a human

    Gameplay: Sprinting is added to the game along with the controversial armour abilities added in reach, and the ability to aim down sights, these additions overall hurt the feel and function of the game as the game becomes more like call of duty and opens up challenges for map design that didn't exist before, leading to a overall worse gameplay experience

    Multiplayer is bad and I'm just gunna leave it at that

    6/10    … Expand
  32. Justareviewer21
    Jul 19, 2020
    7
    This game is... the first step in the fall of halo, the story was decent, the levels too linear and the gameplay good
  33. Yaboihasataco
    Jul 18, 2020
    6
    This game is very polarizing for me. I love so much about the story, and the character development that it has. The themes it sets up is great and new for halo. But, the gameplay and multiplayer falls short. The changes made make it not feel like halo. The loss of weapons and the change of art style makes it almost a completely different game. I just wish they had more familiar aspects.
  34. asael24
    Jun 24, 2020
    6
    Nunca conecte con el juego, sentí que nunca hubo innovación en la narrativa y en gráficos. Lo único rescatable eran las partidas con los amigos por las tardes.
  35. ShadowOfThEagle
    Jun 21, 2020
    5
    A decent game but a bad Halo. The level design is not good, the Covenant restyle is terrible, the multiplayer is boring. The story is bad.

    Story - 3
    Characters - 3
    Graphics - 8
    Gameplay - 7
    Sound & Music - 7
    World - 7
    Level Design - 3
    Multiplayer - 3
  36. PalpetineSheev
    Mar 20, 2020
    6
    This is very much the Force Awakens of the series. It's the first new title in a long running series from a new company. They both introduce a new cast of characters that ends up being wasted and has a story with a billion plot holes. But it is very well made for the most part despite its shortcomings.
  37. Voodoo123
    Mar 9, 2020
    7
    Great effort from 343 to continue the journey... there was a lot to enjoy here although some of the later promethean sections dragged their heels a bit.... Overall playing this on my xbox one x in 4k hdr was an absolute joy.
  38. eva3si0n
    Feb 17, 2020
    7
    Halo 4 is the beginning of a new trilogy on one side and the weakest part in the Halo series. Still against Halo 4 is the same fact that the previous game turned out to be Halo Reach, the best game in the series. Yes Halo 4 is beautiful externally (even 720p on the Xbox360 is) and 4K on One X. But the plot is a failure, the gameplay brings nothing new. The player is given the sameHalo 4 is the beginning of a new trilogy on one side and the weakest part in the Halo series. Still against Halo 4 is the same fact that the previous game turned out to be Halo Reach, the best game in the series. Yes Halo 4 is beautiful externally (even 720p on the Xbox360 is) and 4K on One X. But the plot is a failure, the gameplay brings nothing new. The player is given the same gameplay, here is only a new kind of opponents of the same type and boring. 343 Industries unfortunately when creating Halo 4 focused on the first 2 games rather than 3 and Reach. A regular game with a loud name, unfortunately disappointing.… Expand
  39. Broyax
    Oct 2, 2019
    6
    J'ai terminé la campagne en 6h, une durée très respectable pour un jeu de ce genre, du genre à tirer sur des trucs pendant des heures comme tous les jeux de ce type, les jeux de tir en vue subjective. Et comme tous les jeux de cet acabit, heureusement que ce n'est pas plus long, car on en ferait une crise d'épilepsie de Parkinson.

    Tirer sur ces saloperies de cabots, sur ces merdes    J'ai terminé la campagne en 6h, une durée très respectable pour un jeu de ce genre, du genre à tirer sur des trucs pendant des heures comme tous les jeux de ce type, les jeux de tir en vue subjective. Et comme tous les jeux de cet acabit, heureusement que ce n'est pas plus long, car on en ferait une crise d'épilepsie de Parkinson.

    Tirer sur ces saloperies de cabots, sur ces merdes volantes qui se barrent au premier coup de laser pour revenir te soûler, vider des chargeurs sur ces machins aliens (non pas de vrais "aliens", ils ne poussent pas ces cris affreux qui font rire) juste des "Forerunners" ou je sais pas quoi, j'avoue que j'ai pas bien compris le pourquoi du comment de cette histoire... Apparemment la merde volait très bas et on vous a (r)appelé pour nettoyer. Et tout passer au karcher. Encore.

    Sans parler des Convenants, des Covenants pardon, des hordes entières à tuer, mitrailler, grenader, anéantir. Dire que certains pisse-copie osent critiquer la répétition de certains jeux de rôle... quoique, ça dépend desquels il est vrai. Mais tout de même, dans le genre, je tire, je tire, je tire... gnééé boum boum taratata piou piou attention t'as un filet de bave sur le coin de la bouche c'est dégueulasse.

    Y a même un passage Starre Varses genre étoile pas claire où il faut zig-zaguer putain ça m'a cassé mes vieilles burnes, je ne te raconte pas.

    Cela étant, on mesure les progrès accomplis tout en restant fidèle à la licence, des progrès sensibles et tout cela grâce à 343 Industries, le nouveau studio dédié à Halo par Microsoft tandis que Bungie est allé torcher son pay2win fermier avec la bénédiction d'Activitron. Une page se tourne et on ne la regrettera pas à dire vrai.

    343 a donc virilisé Halo et a fait d'un jeu adolescent un jeu un peu plus adulte. Je parlais de "piou piou" plus haut mais c'est inexact : ça c'était chez Bungie. Chez 343, la moindre pétoire (et il y en a beaucoup) est désormais bien plus crédible, comme si tout-à-coup le jeu tout entier et tout ce qui l'accompagne s'était vu pousser des poils sur le torse. Ainsi toute l'ambiance sonore est méconnaissable, les couleurs criardes ont dégagé, le ton général est indéniablement plus mature. Même Cortana est devenue une sex machine euh un sex symbol numérique.

    Et quelle réalisation ! Halo Reach m'avait paru sensiblement plus beau (ou moins laid) que les précédents mais Halo 4 leur a mis quelques années dans la gueule. Bref, une belle baffe graphique qui tient la route, dans la campagne tout du moins. Comme 343 ne fait pas les choses à moitié, de magnifiques scènes cinématiques en remettent encore une couche alors que Bungie est déjà à terre et en terre.

    Autre chose étonnante, le multi-joueurs est devenu plus fréquentable et carrément bien plus agréable qu'un Call of Duty. Le hic, c'est que ça tourne à plus ou moins à 30 im/s (plutôt moins selon l'action à l'écran) et l'absence de serveur dédié (comme les COD d'ailleurs) est vraiment dommageable. En outre, les cartes sont nettement moins belles que dans la campagne...

    Voilà donc, contre toute attente, Halo 4 donne l'impression d'être bon... sans l'être réellement en raison des défauts mentionnés au début de cette critique sans compter ses trop nombreux ennemis "éponges à balles et à lasers" qui vrillent les nerfs. Graphismes mirifiques, excellente VF, temps de chargement réduits mais musique passe-partout. Celle de Bungie était mieux. Quand même.    … Expand
  40. Brub
    Aug 8, 2019
    6
    You want to know the definition of disappointment? Fine gameplay, 7/10 story, music was disappointing.
  41. LuckyDrum
    Jun 10, 2019
    7
    La historia no es de las mejores, se nota el cambio de Bungie a 343I. Sin embargo conserva la esencia de un juego de Halo
  42. CianGargan
    Mar 13, 2019
    5
    It's my least favorite Halo game. The prometheans are not fun to fight against and the story line wasn't great. It's not a bad game overall but compared to Halo 2 and 3 it's awful.
  43. spaceghost1994
    Jan 11, 2019
    7
    Halo 4 finds Master Chief in one of his most engaging stories yet, however he is dragged down by some poor game play choices and restrictive level design as well as the series weakest multiplayer component yet...
  44. jelikey
    Jan 2, 2019
    7
    I made an account just to put this review up. Alot of people are just playing for 10 mins and giving the game a zero without any real thought. I however, played multiplayer from midnight EST to around Noon and can honestly say i enjoy the multiplayer a great and while i haven't turned the campaign on yet i plan to at a later date, as far as multiplayer goes this game is outstanding.
  45. hellsmith117
    Sep 25, 2018
    5
    The first Bungie-less Halo game is very indicative of its founding fathers having not handled it; the nuance of the prior five games is entirely lost, among other things. Flashy graphics and one decent subplot (accompanied by a handful of good lines) cannot and do not elevate the game above its generically restrictive gameplay, uninspiringly contrived story, and disappointing multiplayerThe first Bungie-less Halo game is very indicative of its founding fathers having not handled it; the nuance of the prior five games is entirely lost, among other things. Flashy graphics and one decent subplot (accompanied by a handful of good lines) cannot and do not elevate the game above its generically restrictive gameplay, uninspiringly contrived story, and disappointing multiplayer that, unlike the prior games, chases trends rather than innovates within them. Halo 4 is the first entry in the franchise that leaves me wanting to spend time instead with its competition.… Expand
  46. halo124
    Aug 5, 2018
    5
    i want to love this game so much but its game play is so bad. The art style is decent but was nothing like the other games so it makes the flashback in the beginning really odd which makes the excellent writing be undermined. The vehicle sections are all in one direction for about 5 minutes which is really annoying when the other games had big open sections which were much better thani want to love this game so much but its game play is so bad. The art style is decent but was nothing like the other games so it makes the flashback in the beginning really odd which makes the excellent writing be undermined. The vehicle sections are all in one direction for about 5 minutes which is really annoying when the other games had big open sections which were much better than driving forward. the ammo in the weapons is practically 3 rounds for each weapon and a plasma piston cant kill an elite on legendary difficulty. other than the writing and cut scenes this game is not worth a penny.… Expand
  47. gdmatt
    Apr 1, 2018
    5
    A complete departure from what made Halo games great, focusing on pretty graphics over anything else. If you're a Halo fan, you'll get some enjoyment out of it, but I can't recommend it to newcomers.
  48. iamevilhomer
    May 16, 2017
    6
    A pretty crappy halo game but a decent shooter on it's own I suppose. Compared to the skill and replay value of the bungie halo games.... This one is a joke. But I guess one can have fun with it for a week or so...
  49. v_law
    Dec 8, 2016
    6
    It is just an ordinary 1st person shooter game, nothing more will you ever hope to find out in halo 4.
    I found it difficult to like the storyline of the campaign and the sound effect is poor, therefore i have to admit that it has a very smooth graphic!
  50. sgthombre
    Sep 23, 2016
    5
    I'm just writing at least 150 characters because I wanted to save this review in a more convenient way to look back at scores that I had given stuff as a user.
  51. nightshadou007
    May 6, 2016
    5
    needs more designing done on views, 1st your peripheral vision is narrowed to nill, 2nd your gun blocks your entire view of enemy when melee attack so your odds of being killer are great if in fast action play if you miss your attacker due to lack of seeing his movement
  52. dr4gonkiller
    Apr 17, 2016
    7
    Es un juego bastante bueno. Los gráficos son bastante buenos y su jugabilidad es igual de fácil de acostumbrarse como las anteriores entregas.
    Lo que no me gustó, fue el echo de que los rangos del multi-jugador son pocos y son fáciles de pasar; yo llegué al rango máximo en menos de 6 meses.
    También, lo que me no me gustó principalmente en la campaña. Es que, revivieron a personajes que    Es un juego bastante bueno. Los gráficos son bastante buenos y su jugabilidad es igual de fácil de acostumbrarse como las anteriores entregas.
    Lo que no me gustó, fue el echo de que los rangos del multi-jugador son pocos y son fáciles de pasar; yo llegué al rango máximo en menos de 6 meses.
    También, lo que me no me gustó principalmente en la campaña. Es que, revivieron a personajes que se supone que deberían de estar extintos y esto es con el pretexto de sacar mas entregas.    … Expand
  53. Blindpilot20
    Feb 28, 2016
    7
    Decent campaign nothing special or memorable but it could be worse. The game looks great graphically and the online play was quite similar to Call of Duty with create a class and perks which was a step back when it came to balancing. New weapons and vehicles were a great edition to the game like the rail gun and mantis. Over all Halo 4 was a semi good entry to the Halo series
  54. rdsBR
    Feb 21, 2016
    7
    Bom !
    Teve evolução gráfica porem achei que a maioria do jogo se passa em ambientes mais fechados que se comparado aos jogos anteriores.
    Pode se encontrar o jogo dublado em português .
  55. SpartaReach
    Jan 31, 2016
    7
    halo 4 is already apotheosis. Already how much this universe has been released from games. And halo 4 is very similar to the first part. This remake just scored mountains of pros and shortcomings. The game is insanely beautiful. Best cutscene, good localization, voice over, and plants with animals. However, though promethazi funny, dogs just spoil the gameplay. The music is not too bad,halo 4 is already apotheosis. Already how much this universe has been released from games. And halo 4 is very similar to the first part. This remake just scored mountains of pros and shortcomings. The game is insanely beautiful. Best cutscene, good localization, voice over, and plants with animals. However, though promethazi funny, dogs just spoil the gameplay. The music is not too bad, but sometimes it's annoying. New main enemy is an idiot and moves on a giant red ball the size of a planet. This excuse is senility. Together with prometazine a new weapon and it is by the way very unusual. He has a very cool sight. The arms moved apart and moved when aiming. Also there is a new gun and almost sniper rifle. But now the Covenant are less intelligent and fatter. The only assistant cortana. And the multiplayer was very dynamic and with high system throughput. And he's cool. He played a crucial role in the assessment. Also there will be a cooperative company of several seasons under the name spartan ops.

    halo 4 это уже апофеоз. Уже сколько всего по этой вселенной было выпущено из игр. И halo 4 очень напоминает первую часть. Этот ремейк просто забит горами плюсов и недочётов. В игре безумно всё красиво. Лучшие катсцены, хорошая локализация, озвучка и растения с животными. Однако хоть прометейцы и прикольные, собаки просто портят геймплей. Музыка тоже не плохая, но иногда она бесит. Новый главный враг идиот и перемещается на гигантском красном шаре размером с планету. Это извините маразм. Вместе с прометейцами появилось новое оружие и оно кстати очень необычное. У него очень прикольный прицел. Оружие раздвигается и сдвигается при прицеливании. Также там есть новый пистолет и почти снайперская винтовка. Но теперь Ковенанты менее умные и более жирные. Помощник только Кортана. А мультиплеер оказался очень динамичным и с большой системой прокачки. И он крут. Он и сыграл в решающую роль в оценке. Также появится кооперативная компания из нескольких сезонов под названием spartan ops. От меня 7-8 баллов.    … Expand
  56. TheMasiMan1
    Nov 19, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4, compared to its predecessors, has a darker storyline and improved graphics. But Halo 4 dosent include the Firefight mode, witch is replaced with Spartan Ops, a broken storyline of missions that dont serve any purpose what so ever. Halo 4 dosent have the kick the other Halo gamed had. I played Halo: Reach for 2 years, then Halo 4 came out and I didnt want to play it after a few months. It dosent have any staying power. The storyline is a weird and nothing is explained on why the Covenant is your enemy again.… Expand
  57. RShackleford
    Nov 12, 2015
    5
    If you thought Halo: Reach was a bad game with bad maps, bad vehicles, horrible guns, unbalanced, and doesn't even feel like a halo game, then not to worry, Halo 4 is even worse!

    Yet another designed by committee uncompetitive FPS with seemingly endless unlockable dressup doll parts to deck out your Spartan with to keep the MMO types hooked for a year... Halo is a failed series    If you thought Halo: Reach was a bad game with bad maps, bad vehicles, horrible guns, unbalanced, and doesn't even feel like a halo game, then not to worry, Halo 4 is even worse!

    Yet another designed by committee uncompetitive FPS with seemingly endless unlockable dressup doll parts to deck out your Spartan with to keep the MMO types hooked for a year...

    Halo is a failed series because the developers abandoned everything about the series that made it unique, instead choosing to copy the inferior series Call of Duty, which is exactly why they're unable to compete with the real deal.

    343 Retconned the entire single player story, it is laughably convoluted and silly to the point of being campy.

    If you wanted a game that was a parody of Halo 1-3, here it is!    … Expand
  58. Viddy
    Sep 20, 2015
    6
    You'll get about 2 weeks out of this lackluster experience. That is, if you're a Halo fan who doesn't enjoy wasting their time. Otherwise, you might get about half that at best. This game comes with a plot heavily inspired by the original Halo and action movies, dull characters (even legacy characters are duller than ever), a much-to-be-desired Multiplayer mode even after the "game fixing"You'll get about 2 weeks out of this lackluster experience. That is, if you're a Halo fan who doesn't enjoy wasting their time. Otherwise, you might get about half that at best. This game comes with a plot heavily inspired by the original Halo and action movies, dull characters (even legacy characters are duller than ever), a much-to-be-desired Multiplayer mode even after the "game fixing" update due to, primarily, mediocre map design and a game-breaking extreme amount of sprint, a painfully executed map editor, and nothing you haven't really seen before, if you're a regular to the sci-fi FPS genre.

    So seeing that I totally just shat on this game with my heavily negative opinion, why a 6? Well, unlike most Metacritic users I actually gave this game a fair score and not just pull whatever I was feeling out of my ass and slap it on there. If I was to do that, this would get a 4. It's certainly not worth it's launch price, but hey, if you're in the mood for a mindless action game, and you've got money to spare, buying this isn't a terrible idea.    … Expand
  59. CoNn3r_B
    Aug 5, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I felt a bit let down by Halo 4 story wise, gameplay wise and graphical wise and here's why.
    Story: The story starts good and I am willing to accept the Forerunners return, Cortana's rampancy is an interesting plot device and Master Chief has more personality this time round but (and this is a big but) it looses its traction very quickly, Del Rio is literally a copy and paste **** who is put in because drama, Lasky is the obvious nice guy and the I got sick of Cortana's voice near the end of the game I wanted to tear my ears out. Not to mention that you defeat the Didact with a single button press. And how Cortana (an incorporeal AI) manages to save you from a nuclear bomb that YOU WERE HOLDING. No, no and furthermore no. story 5/10

    The multiplayer is the games second fumble, Halo Reach had the most fun multiplayer around with balanced weapons and pre-set loadouts so it remains balanced yet varied but Halo 4 tosses that unceremoniously out the window and opts for the COD approach where you get "Ordnance drops" which are effectively care packages, instant re-spawns, a killcam that breaks the game, personalised loadouts where you can have TWO primary weapons and perks, it's just a mess a big mess. 2/10

    The look of the game, there is no denying the game looks pretty but the problem I have is with the armour. Again, to call back to Halo: Reach the armour was big and bulky and looked like it could stop a bullet but the armour in Halo 4...there is such a thing as too sleek, I would find myself scrolling through the helmets thinking "These all look crap", the shoulder pads are tiny and the chess pieces look like a bloody jigsaw puzzle.

    I had moments where I enjoyed Halo 4 but ever more moments where I hatted it, it's a perfect example of where a new developer tries to distance themselves from the original creators but ends up screwing it up. Nice going 343.
    5.7/10    … Expand
  60. Muzzle131
    Jul 27, 2015
    7
    Alright before anyone get's their pants in a jiffy, I love halo, my favorite FPS series of all time, but frankly this...
    First off the game looks gorgeous, graphically the best looking xbox 360 game, but I have to stop everyone there and say it's not needed or wanted, looking at other halo's everyone of them is colorful and neat to look at, it has a little cartoony art style that is    Alright before anyone get's their pants in a jiffy, I love halo, my favorite FPS series of all time, but frankly this...
    First off the game looks gorgeous, graphically the best looking xbox 360 game, but I have to stop everyone there and say it's not needed or wanted, looking at other halo's everyone of them is colorful and neat to look at, it has a little cartoony art style that is always nice to look at, but in this case the graphics make the game look rather dull, but that's just graphics which shouldn't matter too much so what about story? You shoot aliens in the face in a linear corridor rinse and repeat, this game is weirdly very linear compared to other Halos and it's kind of boring, but the story is Chief and Cortana are trying to find a way off the planet but release an ancient evil alien called the Didact(?) that's wants to blow up humanity, so it dwindles down to "It's all chief's fault", other aspects of the story is chief no longer being the badass one liner who doesn't ask for orders only receives and get's the job done, for someone trying to have emotion which is troublesome sine he's giant super soldier who can lift tanks. Gameplay has changed dramatically and in my opinion it's worse, Halo was always different where usually FPS's are all generic and same now Halo has joined them, it's got the same control scheme as any other FPS and it's unwanted, and the multiplayer dramatically changed too, before (at least in Halo 3) it was always about skill rather than rank or anything, you had to be smart take your time remember things on the map and use them everyone started the same therefore who ever is the most intelligent wins, but now Halo 4's multiplayer is completely unfair, being high level is all that matters since you get the best loadouts which undermines Halo's entire PvP about being fair and using team work. Halo 4 is basically a generic shooter like Battlefield or CoD which ruins the game since the series was always different making it unique. Halo 4 all in all is average.    … Expand
  61. Termin8ter
    Jun 23, 2015
    7
    If you enjoyed the previous Halo games im pretty sure you will be disappointed with this one. The story in Halo 4 continues freshly from when Halo 3 ended and the gameplay feels smoother and faster, but I couldn't help but just feel disappointed, the game feels linear and bland. The Promethean knights (the new enemy) are just annoying, they are an unwelcome edition to Halo, I enjoyedIf you enjoyed the previous Halo games im pretty sure you will be disappointed with this one. The story in Halo 4 continues freshly from when Halo 3 ended and the gameplay feels smoother and faster, but I couldn't help but just feel disappointed, the game feels linear and bland. The Promethean knights (the new enemy) are just annoying, they are an unwelcome edition to Halo, I enjoyed fighting brutes more. Don't believe those people giving this game 9's and 10's, they are probably working for 343 industries trying to get money off us or Halo 4 is their first Halo game they've ever played.… Expand
  62. Atomic_Flopper
    Jun 22, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Although Halo 4 is great for those just arriving into the series, it didn't live up to expectations. At first, the story line looked amazing with the skillful work of 343 creating amazing cut scenes however, ambitions shortly fell after seeing that a forerunner had actually survived the Halo rings; Even more so after, when the game transitioned into somewhat of a love story between a spartan and a rampant AI. Spartans were built not to show feelings....
    Never before seen enemies that instantly join sides with Elites (which were previously the human's allies) seems to rid the Halo franchise of what it has become. Otherwise, the multiplayer was definitely an improvement.    … Expand
  63. PsychoShane
    Apr 27, 2015
    7
    Halo 4's brilliant campaign, polished multiplayer and the new spartan ops makes this a good value purchase, even if it lacks a bit of innovation that Halo 3 was.
  64. somethingguy912
    Jan 10, 2015
    6
    I'm going to save my opinion on the whole 'necessity' to have a fourth installment of the Halo Franchise for a different time, as it is concurrently different from the opinion of the game in it's own context. Anyhow, before people start flagging my review down before their own sensibilities will bereft them from any kind of review that isn't a 9 or 10, I get why you guys like this game:I'm going to save my opinion on the whole 'necessity' to have a fourth installment of the Halo Franchise for a different time, as it is concurrently different from the opinion of the game in it's own context. Anyhow, before people start flagging my review down before their own sensibilities will bereft them from any kind of review that isn't a 9 or 10, I get why you guys like this game: It's got all this awesome lore to behold that any person with a pencil in hand will draw out soldier stories from the UNSC, I'm glad that you like all these visual graphics that have a huge scope on 'epic', but it's nothing to me. The graphics are just eye candy to hide all the uglier things about the game away. And the lore is only as important as you put your head into it, and if lore requires you to go into different mediums in order to understand anything, than you've failed at making a game worth of narrative, as is what this game does somewhat. Anyhow, as for the story, Master Chief and Cortana, after without any thought decided to go on into interstellar stasis for four years, come across an 'unknown' forerunner planet harvested by a new breed of alien to be feared (OOGA OOGA BOOGA) as the Promethians, which apart from their little surveyor drones and lights affixed like christmas ornaments around their body, work in AI almost the same way as the Covenant forces, meaning, bad. Enemies still go out in the daylight to greet your bullet barrel, which I would understand by the nature of the grunts, but the Elites? The Elites have been not only dumbed down but also lost a lot of their resilience to bullets, often being killable after their short-handed shields get depleted. Brutes are not present, for some reason, and the Promethein forces are not that variable, with nothing but "Knights", Surveyors and what I've been calling hell hounds, the little dog things that drop an infinite load of boltshots if you kill them, which usually takes one hit. Anyhow, for the weapons. A lot of the weapons from Reach and Halo 3 have returned in Halo 4, as you can now equip a DMR and Battle Rifle at the same time, including a touch of new weapons from all three forces, such as the Rail Gun, SAW, Storm Rifle and the famous Promethein weapons. The Promethein weapons are by far the best with the most stopping power and a neat little particle effect when you kill them (they distintegrate!). But other than the dialogue of the characters, which has seen a definite marked improvement, this game is colluded with a lot of confusing buzz words (composer, didact, forerunner, yadda yadda yah) and is not difficult in the slightest. Most of the time my friend and I got killed out of our own stupidity rather than by the difficulty curve (also, yet another QTE kill of the main boss). One small improvement is that the chief can now sprint (rather than being a 'pickable' ability), and some of the new abilities are much more helpful, such as a mobile drop shield and mini surveyor bot. And as I said, the graphic are pretty, but only serve to get you caught up in it so that they can mask away the aforementioned grievances above. I had my doubts about 343, but at least they didn't absolutely disgrace me with a pile of dog crap. They just gave me a rote, by the numbers game that attempts to pump more into it just to keep this aging franchise stagnant rather than dead.… Expand
  65. oDjento
    Jan 4, 2015
    6
    Halo 4 isn't as bad as everyone says it is. It's campaign story is Great at what it does - fleshing out chiefs character - and the multiplayer is different but still reasonably fun. Graphics look good especially baring in mind they're running on Reach's engine! The new set of guns are pretty cool, but AI was in the game was pretty average. Gameplay had a nice variety of stages, but tradingHalo 4 isn't as bad as everyone says it is. It's campaign story is Great at what it does - fleshing out chiefs character - and the multiplayer is different but still reasonably fun. Graphics look good especially baring in mind they're running on Reach's engine! The new set of guns are pretty cool, but AI was in the game was pretty average. Gameplay had a nice variety of stages, but trading the scarab boarding for the Lech boarding, awful move. It was so boring. Now multiplayer was pretty fast paced, but i didn't think it was on par with Reach's. The maps were pretty terrible for the most part too (the only good ones i can think of being are Longshore - i think it was called that, the snowy one - Haven and Ragnarok -a remake). The vehicles handles better though which was good online though, especially for races. However 343 did lie when saying races would be in the game (when they weren't). Forge was pretty decent though, i found it a lot better to create stuff in but i still found Forge World a better place to create maps in albeit being harder. It's still a fun game, but i think the series peaked at Reach.… Expand
  66. DudeUnknown
    Jan 3, 2015
    6
    Meh. It's a good game, but seriously, Call of Duty is actually better. Halo's weapon selection, gameplay, variety of enemies, storyline, graphics (sort of), etc. just make it a shooter that's not necessarily worth the $60.
  67. callumjsouth
    Dec 7, 2014
    7
    All the Halo you expect. This is a solid Halo entry and delivers everywhere a Halo game should. The lack of something significant that is new though limits it. It doesn't seem as addictive as Reach either. Hopefully Halo games aren't rolled out every year just for the sake of it like Call of Duty is (which is becoming increasingly tiring). I would like to see more thought go into the nextAll the Halo you expect. This is a solid Halo entry and delivers everywhere a Halo game should. The lack of something significant that is new though limits it. It doesn't seem as addictive as Reach either. Hopefully Halo games aren't rolled out every year just for the sake of it like Call of Duty is (which is becoming increasingly tiring). I would like to see more thought go into the next game in order to lift Halo back up to the level that Reach has made it's high point. The addition of new modes and features would make for a more enriched experience too.… Expand
  68. herr_rosa88
    Oct 22, 2014
    6
    Halo 4 is a fairly good game, at the same time a massive disappointment. The good aspects is that it brings in new fairly interesting enemies, great cinematic cut-scenes and some really beautiful graphics.

    These are important improvements and this would have been a great game if they had not thrown out what made Halo what it is. The most important aspect of this is the horrible sound    Halo 4 is a fairly good game, at the same time a massive disappointment. The good aspects is that it brings in new fairly interesting enemies, great cinematic cut-scenes and some really beautiful graphics.

    These are important improvements and this would have been a great game if they had not thrown out what made Halo what it is. The most important aspect of this is the horrible sound system. The game doesn't sound like Halo any more, but a cheap call of duty wanna be. For instance the weapons sound like ordinary modern battle rifles (even some of the alien guns), instead of the futuristic sound they had in the previous games. If they had copy and pasted the sound straight from Halo 3 this game would have been vastly better.

    Secondly they have destroyed the unique multiplayer that defined Halo and changed it so that you customize your character (like CoD), which means that players don't have to search for better weapons. That later part was however part of what made Halo fun and made it stand apart from the rest of all generic shooters out there. Not only that but they have marked the location of all the weapons so there is no need to memorize the location of them any more. But that was also what made Halo unique: you don't start with a great arsenal, it is something that you find on the battlefield.

    To summarize it, 343 succeeded with many of the difficult parts such as developing the main characters (Master Chief and Cortana) and creating a good campaign (although not as good as Halo 2 and 3). However they ended up destroying the franchise by throwing out what made Halo the unique and great experience it was and that is a shame.    … Expand
  69. Rem
    Oct 22, 2014
    7
    Halo 4 in many retrospects is a game marred with sighed expectations. The question frequently asked is "Do we really need another one?". While it may sound arbitrary in contrast to how Master Chief's story ends, Halo 4 is a fresh and vivid, if not underwhelming game. To begin, Microsoft sent alot of money towards to the newfound caretakers of the Halo name, 343 Industries, to ensure itHalo 4 in many retrospects is a game marred with sighed expectations. The question frequently asked is "Do we really need another one?". While it may sound arbitrary in contrast to how Master Chief's story ends, Halo 4 is a fresh and vivid, if not underwhelming game. To begin, Microsoft sent alot of money towards to the newfound caretakers of the Halo name, 343 Industries, to ensure it looked its best. And boy it sure did. Halo 4 is stunning even on the aging Xbox 360, it stands as one of the best looking console games out there.
    The story this time around focuses on the human nature of Master Chief rather than the silent protagonist we are used to. His relationship with Cortana is a nuanced, if not an iffy one since I this is the only game with Master Chief saying more than 8 lines of dialogue. The plot moves at a brisk pace, but it reaches a satisfying conclusion that is marred by one of the more anti climatic boss battles in Halo memory. But how does it play? Well, if you consider the usual gun, grenade, and melee mechanics brilliant, then you'll love this game even more. However the weapons pack a better punch, and enemy A.I. is improved. That said it doesn't derail from the fact it's been the same thing we've been doing since 2001 with the first Halo.
    It certainly isn't the best of the series, but when you pack in a newly remastered forge mode. A rather dull Spartan Ops, and a reinvigorated multiplayer, people are bound to come back for more. For others like me, I feel the Halo train should've stopped with Halo: Reach, but who's complaining?    … Expand
  70. Knibbles
    Sep 15, 2014
    5
    Not good enough to keep me playing, unlike the previous instalments Bungie made. Halo 3 was probably the best of the series for me, and hopefully 343i will be able to bring it back to the same level, if not higher, with Halo 5.

    The campaign was fun to play with friends and on solo alike, a decent story, with some cool new enemies and characters, though no single part was really that    Not good enough to keep me playing, unlike the previous instalments Bungie made. Halo 3 was probably the best of the series for me, and hopefully 343i will be able to bring it back to the same level, if not higher, with Halo 5.

    The campaign was fun to play with friends and on solo alike, a decent story, with some cool new enemies and characters, though no single part was really that memorable. The spartan ops missions are also quite interesting, although they do reuse areas from the campaign a lot, and the majority of missions just have you press a button, pick something up, shoot a load of enemies, and that's it. Although a mini-story has been created for this mode, cutscenes included.

    Now the main thing people stay for with Halo is the Multiplayer, and i'm really disappointed and also quite annoyed what they did with the multiplayer. 343i have gone almost full CoD with this game, you can now unlock weapons and create loadouts for mutiplayer, which feels like every FPS ever does that now. Also borrowing from CoD's formula, they have added killstreak rewards in the form of a weapon drop, which takes away from how Halo's multiplayer works, or at least used to work.

    343i have put prominence on the CoD control scheme as well, allowing everyone to sprint as well as moving crouch over to the B button. You look at the top favourite Halo games, which are 1,2 and 3, and what are they? Balanced. Nobody was sprinting around the map, nobody had or could not get something the other players could. Everything the players could have was already on the map, waiting to be picked up. There wasn't any ordnace drops, there wasn't any special abilities or perks, it was a simple system and it worked great.

    The game is also missing firefight, a fun mode, and although it got boring after a while of grinding through it a few dozen times, why is it not in the game? another mode i thought was a great addition was the invasion game type from Reach, that's not in either. To be honest there's a heap of popular gametypes not in the game.

    Now other than all that, aswell as the new armor system being rubbish, the game isn't terrible and new players will find it fun to play for longer than returning Halo players in my opinion, and hopefully 343i will be able to reignite my interest with the next game, and hopefully keep me interested in all the ones after.    … Expand
  71. Artur95
    Sep 10, 2014
    6
    Halo 4 has lack of identity. I really missed master chief but in Halo 4 it doesn't feels like the older versions. Now he has close emotions with Cortana, all story surrounds Cortana's problems and not clearly the story of the Forerunners. Also, the story is too short and enemies are really easy when you play it on Legendary. The covenant's armor is terrible, and the elites are very easy toHalo 4 has lack of identity. I really missed master chief but in Halo 4 it doesn't feels like the older versions. Now he has close emotions with Cortana, all story surrounds Cortana's problems and not clearly the story of the Forerunners. Also, the story is too short and enemies are really easy when you play it on Legendary. The covenant's armor is terrible, and the elites are very easy to kill.

    The good things are that graphics are the best ones on the xbox 360. The spartan ops are quite a challenge and the plot is good, the multiplayer i think it improved a lot, there are some good playlists.    … Expand
  72. TheAscendantOne
    Aug 18, 2014
    5
    When mentioning the word Halo in the video game industry is synonymous with excellence. When you make a game and call it "Halo" you are expected to hold that level of excellence. If you are a long time halo fan, like myself, this game deviates too much from the core of what kept us up for ridiculously long late night sessions and hours of unforgettable fun. I understand pressing the edgeWhen mentioning the word Halo in the video game industry is synonymous with excellence. When you make a game and call it "Halo" you are expected to hold that level of excellence. If you are a long time halo fan, like myself, this game deviates too much from the core of what kept us up for ridiculously long late night sessions and hours of unforgettable fun. I understand pressing the edge to try and uncover the next best thing, but you have to maintain the core of what drove the success in the past.

    Major Pros:
    Graphcs, the game is art, one of the best looking games ever on the console, hands down. Game makers will soon realize this only gets you so far.

    New game types that added some value.

    Major Cons:
    Weapon imbalance: No one should ever make a weapon that cannot be used in the game, some of the weapons are virtually useless. Random weapon spawns make for a more exciting experience perhaps, but no one likes to lose because of bad luck.

    Custom Classes: Having separate classes can have its advantages, but the proper amount of detail was not given to this feature, you really only needed 1 or two classes that you could use virtually for all situations. If you have a class customization ability, it has to be worthwhile to customize with a lot of USEFUL options. BR or DMR, not much else.

    Map designs: One of the best things about past halo titles was the maps. All titles had their memorable maps that fueled the white-knuckle gameplay. This game lacks creative maps designed to facilitate skillful play. It feels like being put into a box half the time to just duke it out. A multitude of skill jumps and shortcuts help with this, and some DLC maps had them but they were lacking throughout.

    Sounds: Some of the sounds of the weapons you shoot were less than impressive, when you have only one or two main weapons that are functional, and are being used 70% of the time, make them sound beastly. The BR sounds like a spring trap fill with stones.

    Campaign Plot and Dialogue: The dialogue in the very linear story line was kind of embarrassing. I was playing co-op with my friend and could finish the sentences before the characters in the story did. And never make a game ending move with the click of a button....actually making it require skill gives the gamer SO much more satisfaction. A monkey can click a button, and that is what you made me feel like when I beat the campaign.

    Overall, this was a VERY average game, you can use it to kill some time and have some fun. However, critically speaking, it doesn't quite hit the mark of high expectations that many have come to expect with its half-hearted attempt at employing a custom class system on poorly designed multiplayer maps and an average campaign.    … Expand
  73. Yerczeys
    Jul 5, 2014
    5
    As an enormous fan of the original Halo, it's difficult to express my disappointment with how this series has been humped into mediocrity. The game-play itself is alright, nothing astounding, and the graphics are really quite impressive. My issues come from the story. I could have come up with a more compelling story with better dialogue, and that's not talking myself up as much as it'sAs an enormous fan of the original Halo, it's difficult to express my disappointment with how this series has been humped into mediocrity. The game-play itself is alright, nothing astounding, and the graphics are really quite impressive. My issues come from the story. I could have come up with a more compelling story with better dialogue, and that's not talking myself up as much as it's putting 343 Studios down. The Didact is a miserable villain, and his goons are bland / annoying along with their weapons. Bah I say.… Expand
  74. Cale
    Jun 24, 2014
    5
    I've only recently become a fan of the Halo franchise (thanks to Red vs Blue), mostly due to the fact that I'm not a big fan of FPS games in general for one reason: I do not enjoy online multiplayer. Co-op is better than competitive, but I still dislike it. One of the major reasons I played WoW for a few years was because I knew people I could play with personally, and I could solo theI've only recently become a fan of the Halo franchise (thanks to Red vs Blue), mostly due to the fact that I'm not a big fan of FPS games in general for one reason: I do not enjoy online multiplayer. Co-op is better than competitive, but I still dislike it. One of the major reasons I played WoW for a few years was because I knew people I could play with personally, and I could solo the game front to back if they weren't around. The loss of Firefight-mode with nothing to replace it that I'm willing to play and don't have to pay more money for is a fatal one, and turns a game that would otherwise be something I'd keep for a long time into one I'll be trading in. Sure, the graphics are nicer, the story is great and it was a total blast to play, I just can't really play it more, as much as I'd like to. I'm just an old fart that likes to play alone, and you just can't do that with this game without playing the campaign over and over.… Expand
  75. Forgewolf
    Mar 23, 2014
    6
    -1 for non-existent custom game matches
    -1 for a lack of detail to the Forge mode
    -1 for a horrible Flood design and limitations to the Flood mode (Flood can't use weapons)
    -1 for obvious attempt to copy CoD

    It's not bad.. but it just seem like the Developers did not put their heart AND soul into their game..
  76. ageofwinter
    Mar 17, 2014
    6
    Whilst the campaign was short and linear compared to past Halo games, the story and emotional attachment was good. The multiplayer is sub-par, and very shallow. Taking cues from Call of Duty whilst still trying to make it it feel like Halo was a tough task and it wasn't a good mix. The graphics (the only really good thing about this) are great for its time, some of the best I've seen onWhilst the campaign was short and linear compared to past Halo games, the story and emotional attachment was good. The multiplayer is sub-par, and very shallow. Taking cues from Call of Duty whilst still trying to make it it feel like Halo was a tough task and it wasn't a good mix. The graphics (the only really good thing about this) are great for its time, some of the best I've seen on Xbox 360, although when you play split-screen with a buddy, the console really shows it's age, having to dial back on the graphics due to having to render the meshes & textures twice on some really old hardware. All in all, the multiplayer gets stale after a few hours of play, and campaign was solid but a tad bit on the short side. As a classic Halo fan, I am disappointed in this project, although some may like it, and it does have some strong aspects.… Expand
  77. jtfl2000
    Mar 14, 2014
    6
    Seriously? Halo 4 is the same game. The story isn't that interesting to the other halo games. The online play is mostly the same thing and, it's HALO. I like halo, but I seriously cannot keep hearing everyone saying it is a new version of halo. ITS THE SAME GAME!
  78. nkanhai
    Mar 14, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. (Minimal spoilers)

    I honestly can't give this game more than a 6 for the simple reason that throughout the entire playthrough, I couldn't help but feel bored and disinterested in the characters, the plot, the chief and Cortana, or the action. Please note, this is a review of the single-player campaign only.

    I've always loved the Halo series, in its prime the game was an incredible showing of what shooters could be. A combination of fun, semi-open field exploration with vehicles of all sizes, battling against untold odds. Halo Reach was a decent addition to a great series, adding important backstory to the Chief's grand adventure. Halo 4, on the other hand, adds little to the mythos of the chief, trying instead to forge a 2-dimensional relationship between the him and the AI Cortana.

    The gameplay felt tedius at times, where I'd often think to myself 'oh great, yet another section of the game that I don't want to complete', and I'd force myself through it because I'm that kind of gamer. That is, hopeful, wishing for this game to pick up the pace and throw some interesting combat at me. Instead, it was rehash after rehash, with repetitive enemy battles throughout. They basically introduce the principle enemies at you near the beginning of the game, and they recycle the same ones over and over and over again.

    As for the story, I still don't know what the hell happened. I'm no slouch when it comes to picking up on complex philosophical implications, but this story was way over my head. Who was the principle enemy? Why do I care? What's his motive for destroying humanity if humanity poses little to no threat to the galaxy? Why does human technology integrate so easily into theirs? This is basically how it goes: Chief wakes up from slumber, **** going down, somehow through the expanse of space he meets up with a human ship, they run into a giant mechanical planet thing, chief **** **** up, casualties of war happen, the chief blows a nuke and doesn't die, humanity wins and the chief loses.

    The one part of the game that kept me engaged was the visuals. I have to hand it to 343, they made a handsome looking game. The fidelity was sharp and the colors bright and vibrant. The enemies were well designed and the worlds felt real. While running through space stations you felt like you were there. The sound design was also top notch, with an excellent musical track to carry through the otherwise sleepy and predictable storyline.

    I bought it used for $15 on amazon. Personally the game didn't resonate with me, but it was worth what I'd paid for it. I don't think I would recommend this game to my friends, so I wouldn't recommend it to you. If you don't mind the lack of a story and gameplay that has regressed from its prior glory in order to play as the chief again, go for it. If you care about progress in gaming, leave this one on the rack.    … Expand
  79. DesNukem
    Mar 13, 2014
    5
    Two things up front. Firstly I’m a long-term Halo fan, having played all the games from the beginning -- not some PS3 fanboy. Secondly, both positive and negative User reviews on this site have been grossly over-exaggerated for dubious reasons. Let’s be realistic folks, few games deserve a zero and no game is worthy of a 10 because no game is perfect!

    I had high hopes for Halo 4 after    Two things up front. Firstly I’m a long-term Halo fan, having played all the games from the beginning -- not some PS3 fanboy. Secondly, both positive and negative User reviews on this site have been grossly over-exaggerated for dubious reasons. Let’s be realistic folks, few games deserve a zero and no game is worthy of a 10 because no game is perfect!

    I had high hopes for Halo 4 after the superb job that 343i did in revamping the original Halo. Perhaps they should have stuck to polishing other people’s games for a while because, sadly, they don’t seem to have the finesse (yet) to create an admirable game from scratch. When I first read the Quarter to Three review by Tom Chick in the Critic section, I felt it was a bit harsh but after playing Halo 4 for myself, I now consider it a tactful understatement.

    As far as I’m concerned, the only real improvements in Halo 4 are the more realistic sound effects and cut scenes. Clearly these two elements are a cut above previous Halo games but just about everything else is a backward step and second-rate for a AAA title. For all the hype from 343i about the game being a labor of love, there is a shocking lack of attention to detail not found in Bungie’s instalments. But of course, most fans won’t be prepared to admit that because a successful continuation of the series means so much to them. It’s an emotional investment – sort of like staying with a bad lover for old time’s sake.

    As others have stated, the Halo 4 story is boring and manipulative with unsympathetic characters and repetitive scenarios. Somehow, it also manages to be confusing and cliche-ridden at the same time – just what you don’t want in a game, particularly a FPS. (Unless it’s satire and this isn’t – it’s overblown seriousness).

    The superlatives being lavished on the graphics by many reviewers are way over the top. For me, good graphics are in the details and many in Halo 4 are noticeably absent. Gone, for example, is the superb purple and bronze pattern detail previously found in Covenant hardware. Some of the alien architecture may look impressive but the backgrounds are often foggy and indistinct. A close inspection of outdoor environments and objects reveals nothing but jagged, blocky and/or blurred textures. Those representing the terrain are muddy and ugly while foliage and fire look like they were rendered in a primary school art class! Decals (projectile damage) look nice but are inconsistent, appearing only on certain surfaces and sometimes they look sharper than those surfaces themselves, which is ludicrous. A useful graphics comparison can be found in some of the beautifully detailed weapons and environments of the Serious Sam HD games and they were made by a much smaller company on a fraction of the budget!

    Another aspect where Halo 4 falls short is the AI. For example, at the beginning of the Campaign chapter, Size Matters, I experienced a fellow Spartan continually running into a rock face. Belting him with a melee attack had absolutely no effect on his mindless course of action so I eventually threw a grenade at him and he jet-packed to the adjacent Mammoth. That glaring faults this basic were allowed through to the final build of a multi-million dollar project is an absolute disgrace and demonstrates a distinct lack of respect for the fan base! In addition, the beloved Covenant species have had many of their personality attributes that made them so interesting to fight, reduced or removed altogether. They now share the stage with generic new enemies which are highly reminiscent of those from other games. Anyone else notice a resemblance between the Promethean Watchers and Crawlers of Halo 4, and the Icarus and Parasite creatures from Quake 2? Or the Promethean Knight and the Bloodletter Daemon from Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine? The appearance and behaviour of these pairs is strikingly similar!

    Enough has been said about the multiplayer aspect by others – obviously a blatant blending of COD features to draw in that crowd. Firefight is sorely missed and Spartan Ops is a thinly-veiled attempt to increase Gold account sales on Xbox Live.

    Other major gripes include: the extremely bland game menus (hate the floating debris image), limited brightness control, rigid corpses, clipping, minor objects that can’t be damaged, invisible walls, and VERY weak grenades.

    I give Halo 4 a score of 5 for retaining a semblance of the enjoyable core combat of the series but if there’s genuine pride in the making of this game, it’s hard to detect from the final result. Perhaps it’s a case of "too many cooks spoil the broth" but it smells more like a money tree to me.

    NOTE: This review was initially posted in Nov. 2012 but somehow it was deleted from Metacritic so I've had to resubmit it.    … Expand
  80. lightbreathing
    Mar 6, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. (First things first: this is a critique of the campaign. I am not a multi-player gamer.)

    I think there is a point when a video game or film franchise goes from being fun and made with enthusiasm and talent to being purely a cash cow.

    Halo 4 is such a game. Bungie rightfully designed, explored and closed their Halo games by incorporating a trilogy, a side-story and a prequel (Halo Wars is in another category). One can only imagine once Microsoft had 343 take over Master Chief's universe, they didn't so much see the mythology evolving and the story going deeper but more dollar signs. And let's face it, that's what the industry is all about, creating great games, making money.

    The trouble is when your audience sees through the ruse and realizes the game is less about them and more about the profit margin, there is a loss of spirit in the actual game playing.

    And that's what Halo 4 is: spiritless. Sure on the surface, the graphics, the sound, the story are all at Halo standards but here again, the game is beautiful while being less fun and the further players explore Planet Requiem and take down the Prometheans, the levels tediously pile on and the enemy onslaught becomes even more tiring.

    With the Covenant, at least there is a comedic character to them. The Prometheans, on the other hand, are rather dull and remind me of long-forgotten Happy Meal toys from the 80s. They are not so much menacing as unavoidable in their combat style. The only strategy in fighting them is perseverance if little else. And as for the Didact and the Librarian and the Composer, it all turns into a convoluted mess at times and you're really trying hard to care and at the same time forgive the operatic hyperbole of the mythology. Halo 4 is what happens when 'epic' becomes closer to ridiculous.

    What kept me playing is the story between Master Chief and Cortana. The voice acting is superb and on-par with the best Hollywood animated movies. With Cortana, especially, from the facial expressions to the gestures, we've come along way from Combat Evolved's clunky cut scenes.

    Yet, despite the small pleasures of the voice acting, this is just a barely-above average FPS. If it didn't have the Halo concept, the story and mythos, the gamer would be just playing any other action shoot-em up.

    It's good, but not great. At times, not even fun. 343 basically replaced The Flood with the Prometheans and took cues from The Flood stages to create similar bland levels to fight the bland waves of enemies. The Covenant levels were the best to play and thankfully there were more than I expected. The story and the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana were the only reasons I carried on. Otherwise, unlike Halo 3 or Reach, I won't bother to revisit this campaign. This game is beautiful to look at but for the most part (again, aside from the dramatic cut scenes), it's quite soulless. Halo fans deserve better and 343 and Microsoft have created their cash cow and will most likely continue to worship it and pump out more of the same. For the record, I probably won't bother with the next one in the series. Halo, from what Halo 4 shows me, rightfully belonged to Bungie and can't be crafted with the same care and passion by any other company.    … Expand
  81. TimeOfTheChimps
    Jan 24, 2014
    5
    The main plot premise is great - The Chief wakes up after four years of cryrosleep, only to find himself stranded on a world full of robots. What is wrong, you ask?
    Story: 5/10
    The story starts off great, but devolves into extreme confusion. After the first level, you rarely know what's going on, so you're forced to run and gun like a madman without knowing half of the story line. You    The main plot premise is great - The Chief wakes up after four years of cryrosleep, only to find himself stranded on a world full of robots. What is wrong, you ask?
    Story: 5/10
    The story starts off great, but devolves into extreme confusion. After the first level, you rarely know what's going on, so you're forced to run and gun like a madman without knowing half of the story line. You literally end the game asking such questions as "Why is the Chief's armour changed?" or "Who was that Del Rio guy?"
    Graphics: 10/10
    Stunning and amazing, as usual with Halo games.
    Gameplay: 4/10
    Classic Halo + Halo: Reach + every COD game = Halo 4. This is a problem, because these are two separate gaming entities that should stay separated. It's just like putting Coke in a Mentos bottle, because it just doesn't mix, and the end result isn't too great. H4 retains the control scheme of classic Halo games with minor changes, but it introduces COD's cinematic sequences, perks, and care packages (called "ordinance" in this game). This in turn ruins the Halo feel of the game.
    Multiplayer: 2/10
    This is what really grinds my gears about Halo 4. Online has become a game of cat and mouse that is not longer fair, nor is it fun. Players can get a mini-shotgun of sorts almost from the beginning of their multiplayer experience, which makes the game very unbalanced. Whenever you try to play a game in the collectively called "War Games", the servers throw you in the middle of a match that you are losing by 40 or more points; you are often pitted up against players that are between SR100 to SR130. This happens so much in normal Slayer that I just play Infection, which is the only gametype to never have this problem. I hope this is fixed in H5, because I'm losing hope in 343.
    Overall: 5/10
    Halo 4 is not a bad game, as it is good in many aspects. However, there's more to hate than there is to like. Test H5 on a diehard Halo fan who doesn't like H4, just to see if they like it more than this game. If they do, test it some more and sell it. If they don't, take the game and throw it in the rubbish bin.    … Expand
  82. WayT101
    Jan 4, 2014
    7
    An all round good game I have thoroughly enjoyed the Campaigns gameplay and really enjoyed the online multiplayer. Highly recommended for any Halo or FPS fan who's mind isn't locked down by the COD effect.
    The graphics are very impressive for a console game making full use of the Xbox 360's ageing hardware and proving what developers can do with practice.
    yes the campaign could have been    An all round good game I have thoroughly enjoyed the Campaigns gameplay and really enjoyed the online multiplayer. Highly recommended for any Halo or FPS fan who's mind isn't locked down by the COD effect.
    The graphics are very impressive for a console game making full use of the Xbox 360's ageing hardware and proving what developers can do with practice.
    yes the campaign could have been better but it is still great fun, my problems with are the awful storyline which is constantly dragged down further by the pathetic love story between a genetically engineered super soldier armed with the best equipment available and an A.I? Occasionally repetitive level design and mediocre chores that are assigned to you to get you from A to B are fortunately compensated by the other aspects of the game such as enemy A.I, variety and well designed weapons. This is nothing new in the Halo franchise though.
    The online multiplayer has a good variety of maps, objectives, weapons and Vehicles that I have enjoyed for hours and is the main reason I still have my Xbox 360 still set up next to my gaming PC which I use most of the time.
    A good game that deserves acknowledgement especially considering that it wasn't made by the original developers, 343 Industries have proven that their future projects are worth keeping in mind.    … Expand
  83. drlowdon
    Dec 27, 2013
    7
    Following the highly publicised change of developer the gaming world was rightly curious as to how one of its biggest selling franchises would fare following the departure of its creators Bungie. Despite now being developed by 343 industries however this is still, for better or worse, the same Halo we've all seen before and those that criticise the series for not really evolving since itsFollowing the highly publicised change of developer the gaming world was rightly curious as to how one of its biggest selling franchises would fare following the departure of its creators Bungie. Despite now being developed by 343 industries however this is still, for better or worse, the same Halo we've all seen before and those that criticise the series for not really evolving since its Xbox debut over a decade ago certainly make a fair point. As a result this fourth 'mainline' title is not really going to be of any interest to those that didn't like previous installments.

    Having said all that Halo 4 is still undeniably a great package and certainly offers better value for money than many modern video games. The main campaign itself will last most players somewhere around the 10 hour mark depending on the difficulty setting and their level of skill and can be played either solo or with up to three other players. As with every previous game it is at its best when offering open areas in which to fight the array of enemies and their vehicles and to this day there are few better experiences in the FPS genre than when Halo gets the balance just right. For me the game forces players to spend a little too long inside long thin corridors and smaller indoor areas as in these instances the freedom to tackle the battle the way you want to is removed and it simply is not as much fun to play, hopefully this is something that can be addressed in the inevitable sequels.

    On top of the campaign Halo 4 also provides a series of 'Spartan Op' missions. Each of these lasts between 15 and 30 minutes and can again be tackled either alone or in multi-player. The idea seems to have been taken from the special ops missions featured in the Call of Duty series and provide the player with various tasks such as clearing an area of enemies or destroying set objectives. Admittedly maps are reused throughout these ops but it is hard to complain when they can all be downloaded for free.
    The final part of this generous package is the competitive multi-player. All the usual modes, as well as a few surprises, are present and correct and the solid gunplay still translates well. Controversially Halo 4 has again taken a page out of the Call of Duty handbook with weapons and perks now being unlocked as the player levels up. I was never a huge fan of the online multi-player in the previous installments anyway but purists will understandable be disappointed and it is certainly a shame to see yet another game attempt to imitate Activisions all conquering behemoth.

    All in all then this is a safe but promising start for 343 industries and the wealth of options and modes will provide most with hour upon hour of gameplay.    … Expand
  84. DaPlayer
    Dec 24, 2013
    5
    I think Halo 4 is good, but boring. The graphics aren't beautiful and the multiplayer is really boring. The spartan ops are funny, but they are all the same. It's so laggy and it needs a very good internet connection.
  85. SonicmanMW3
    Dec 6, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo is Microsoft's best first party series and each game in the series is fun and amazing in story, characters, and gameplay, but Halo 4 feels like a step down from the rest in the series. The campaign is short and forgettable. Halo 4 takes places four years after Halo 3 and the covenant are at war with UNSC (a,k,a earth). You play as Master Chief (John 117) again and plays the same as in the past games, but now he can sprint without a power up like in Halo Reach. The graphics look amazing for the Xbox 360 and the sound effects are great. The campaign would take about five or six hours to complete based on how high the setting is. The multiplayer is better than ever with custom classes and better map design, but there is a catch to it. You see you have to download the multiplayer off a disc, which comes included or download it from the Xbox live market for free and also the Spartan Ops and forge. In the end Halo 4 was a disappointment to me and I wish 343 Industries will get it right in the new Halo for the Xbox One or it will become a disappointment you don't want to do that.… Expand
  86. ForeverFalling
    Nov 20, 2013
    7
    Pretty disappointing. The single player is boring to play through and the multiplayer just isn't as good as 2, 3, or Reach's multiplayer. Graphics are ok, but that doesn't make a game FUN to play. Btw, the end boss fight is a complete cop out and just plain sucks. Its just a slightly interactive cut scene.
  87. Krawbeard
    Nov 19, 2013
    5
    Honestly I will give 2 separate ratings... 5 is just kind of a middle ground for the 2.

    Lets start with the single player Campaign: One thing the Halo universe has always provided is a great story and I honestly though this would be a fail of a story coming from 343 industries, especially considering the first thing you see when starting is a big message from them pretty much saying    Honestly I will give 2 separate ratings... 5 is just kind of a middle ground for the 2.

    Lets start with the single player Campaign:

    One thing the Halo universe has always provided is a great story and I honestly though this would be a fail of a story coming from 343 industries, especially considering the first thing you see when starting is a big message from them pretty much saying "please give us a chance we promise we didn't screw it up, ok so please play and give us great ratings".... So yeah the story was a great direction and if you're familiar with the story then you will see how it kept it real in the universe. However the campaign felt a bit short and legendary difficulty wasn't as hard as the previous titles. The ending with quicktime events was my only disappointment with the campaign because it reminded me too much of how COD MW2's ending with the main villain was. So overall I give the story an 8. fun to play with friends.

    Spartan ops.... Its fun, but the name could've been different especially considering COD has "Spec ops".

    Now on to multiplayer:

    Alot of people want to complain about sprint and loadouts, but you know I actually liked that direction though the loadouts could've had better variety and different stats. The ranking system is poor.. All you got to do is play the game a bunch and not have any skill. MP is very beginner friendly and stays that way rather than giving you a lvl 1-20 type playlist.

    Speaking of playlists, do not buy DLC because I did and was a waste of money. I hardly see my DLC in any to no playlists except for the maps wreckage and shatter which suck and would've been better n 4v4 slayer types.

    Quickspawn and Killcams really killed that one for me as well. Its like a huge slap in the face to the Halo Community. I feel like 343 took all the lame qualities of COD and watered it down into their own thing rather than coming up with a new innovative way of playing shooters like bungie did. I understand the need for quickspawn in COD, but in halo there is no reason... We have shields that recharge so we don't need quickspawn, plus it doesn't punish wannabe rambos of your team in fact it enables them more.

    The forerunner weapons are cool but they need more "zazz" to them because they feel like the A.R. and DMR with forerunner skins on them "whooooooo!!!".

    The thing is though for me even though they did all that COD copying and more I still would've enjoyed the MP if the Lag wasn't so god awful. The game is been out for about a lil over a year now and they still haven't fixed it. Also if you want to splitscreen with a friend you're out of luck because you will lag constantly due to frame rate drop. Another poor quality is that if you have 3 of your friends come over with their own TV, 360, and Halo 4 then no matter how well your connection is and all that wubbajub you will have a hard time connecting with all your friends in that house for a match. Trust me been there and its a waste of time.

    I give multiplayer a 2 because 343 does not listen to the community nor does is care about splitscreen players and/or people connecting on the same internet to have a "halo party". They really lost touch with what playing multiplayer on this game was built on.

    This game dropped online population by 92% in less than a year. That's worse than reach and reach wasn't a bad game at all in fact is way better than this garbage of a multiplayer.

    Though I will say the graphics are good.

    All I have to say is if 343 truly gave up on its fans on Halo 4 and are only working on Halo 5 then they better get a beta out and listen to all feedback because I don't see anybody getting into the new installment due to new games like "destiny" and "titanfall".

    In less than a year the price of this game dropped to about $20 bucks at gamestop if that tells ya anything.

    Lag will kill any game and 343 put the icing on the cake with their incompetence to fix it.

    Also their "halo waypoint" is a joke. I wouldn't waste time on that site.

    343 proved that in 2012 and 2013 they really don't care what you think about the game unless you want to say something like "this game is god"    … Expand
  88. gmr4evr
    Oct 24, 2013
    6
    This game will be mostly known for a few things. First, it was the first halo game made without bungie. Second, it is considered one of the worst and one of the best by many kind. In my opinion, I hated the matchmaking. They did everything right, I truly felt as if im on the battlefield. The only problem was that it did not draw me in. Whether it was the ranking system that made noThis game will be mostly known for a few things. First, it was the first halo game made without bungie. Second, it is considered one of the worst and one of the best by many kind. In my opinion, I hated the matchmaking. They did everything right, I truly felt as if im on the battlefield. The only problem was that it did not draw me in. Whether it was the ranking system that made no sense, or just how it felt to "complicated" (everyone having their own loadouts) it truly didn't appeal to me. The campaign, on the other hand, was what I was looking forward to. The graphics are amazing and I truly enjoyed it. I just didn't like where the storyline went, and it is hard to explain why. It is a truly great game though, but in my mind, I cannot see that fully.… Expand
  89. sinadoom
    Oct 20, 2013
    7
    First of all, I'd like to just say that Halo 4 is perhaps THE BEST MULTIPLAYER SHOOTER on seventh-generation consoles due to the amount of variety. The weapons, game modes, extensive stats tracking, theatre mode, forge mode, awesome matchmaking and perfect pacing. Weapons are not only varied but balanced same with vehicles. The game modes such as SWAT are about barebones skill andFirst of all, I'd like to just say that Halo 4 is perhaps THE BEST MULTIPLAYER SHOOTER on seventh-generation consoles due to the amount of variety. The weapons, game modes, extensive stats tracking, theatre mode, forge mode, awesome matchmaking and perfect pacing. Weapons are not only varied but balanced same with vehicles. The game modes such as SWAT are about barebones skill and accuracy; whilst Griffball is plain fun. 24 player deathmatches with vehicles are hectic without being broken. The class system is not overcomplicated nor does it put players at a disadvantage. Killstreaks simply provide weapon drops not automatic kills. The excitement, health system and "perks" as well as the ability to sprint are all excellent additions to the already complete multiplayer package with a solid progression system. This is as complete as multiplayer shooters get. Not only are the game mechanics and controls perfect, the "menu" stuff such as file share and custom game modes which allow you to fully change every miniscule aspect of the game from health and speed to round system, objective and weapon damage and restrictions etc. However, whilst the multiplayer is a complete and highly refined package, the campaign is hit-and-miss. There are far too many enemies without a break at many points, and despite there being a new faction as well as the Covenant, their weapons feel like bland copies of Covenant weapons but with an orange glow. Furthermore, the new enemies take way too many shots to kill and it's hard to tell when they're about to die, so playing through the first three levels felt like a boring chore rather than exciting and intense. The story was promising but felt under-developed. There was just too much action but not enough explanation the story felt tacked on even though it could have been amazing. I couldn't feel any empathy for Cortana and Master Chief because there just wasn't enough cutscenes and storytelling. Gameplay and level design are a bit cliché compared to Reach, and in some levels I thought I was playing Prey rather than Halo. Sure, there are some good levels and I'm sure die-hard Halo fans will love it, but anyone who's only got a mild or passive interest in Halo should consider Reach instead. Overall Halo 4 is a fantastic shooter and perhaps the best game in the series, but it's not a huge leap from Halo Reach in any department.… Expand
  90. TheGamer31
    Oct 14, 2013
    7
    I would like to fix my review from a 5 to a 2. I played even more of this disappointment and its horrible multiplayer. Do not buy this game, if you want an FPS go pick up CS on Steam.
  91. neleman
    Sep 11, 2013
    7
    The campaign was pretty disappointing, but the multiplayer somewhat makes up for it, although it is the worst of the series. But the problem with the entire game is that they messed with the existing formula too much. Basically, the game feels more like a clone than something distinct.
  92. HONDOMAN
    Sep 9, 2013
    6
    I have been a long time Halo fan and when I heard this was announced I was very eager to play it. Since it was made by a different developer, I was very skeptical. When I first played it I noticed a few things. The new sounds were excellent especially the weapons. The visuals were great as well. The downside is it did not feel right. Especially in the last mission where it puts you on aI have been a long time Halo fan and when I heard this was announced I was very eager to play it. Since it was made by a different developer, I was very skeptical. When I first played it I noticed a few things. The new sounds were excellent especially the weapons. The visuals were great as well. The downside is it did not feel right. Especially in the last mission where it puts you on a rail system like in an arcade-shooter. The story just fell a little short. The multiplier is fun, but the story needed more attention. The menu though! Awful could not stand it.… Expand
  93. DarkWolf1991
    Aug 31, 2013
    5
    The graphics looks beautiful, It is the best looking game on the Xbox 360. Thought I would mention that first.

    However, I wasn't all that pleased with Halo 4, I've been a long time halo fan since Halo: CE. What made the games great was the cut scenes, the soundtrack, the characters and some of the most memorable levels but sadly I just felt Halo 4 did not offer any of that. I am aware    The graphics looks beautiful, It is the best looking game on the Xbox 360. Thought I would mention that first.

    However, I wasn't all that pleased with Halo 4, I've been a long time halo fan since Halo: CE. What made the games great was the cut scenes, the soundtrack, the characters and some of the most memorable levels but sadly I just felt Halo 4 did not offer any of that. I am aware 343 is basically made up of former employee's of Bungie but it just did not feel like a Halo game just because of the things I mentioned. I just felt rather bored of playing through campaign, Nothing got me jumping out of seat when something happened.

    For the multiplayer, I dislike it. Mainly because I feel that 343 had an obsession of trying to compete with Call of Duty and trying to bring in a new audience. I for one dislike perks, kill-streak awards and still get awarded even if you're terrible at the game. I just wish that it had the same classic halo style multiplayer that we all love such as Halo 2 or 3 where it was fun but yet challenging at the same time!

    Overall, It's not a bad game but it's not that good, Just average. Old school Halo fans will most likely feel disappointed with it    … Expand
  94. ClassyDromedary
    Aug 19, 2013
    7
    The story is quite good, it has stellar sound and looks, character development has increased tenfold over it's predecessors, and can be challenging due to decently smart AI. A little on the short side though.

    The multiplayer is somewhat derivative and hectic by Halo standards, but stellar by any other measure. (No pun intended) Verdict: Much better than Halo Reach, but this title    The story is quite good, it has stellar sound and looks, character development has increased tenfold over it's predecessors, and can be challenging due to decently smart AI. A little on the short side though.

    The multiplayer is somewhat derivative and hectic by Halo standards, but stellar by any other measure. (No pun intended)

    Verdict: Much better than Halo Reach, but this title doesn't live up match the glory days of Halo 3.    … Expand
  95. Agent23
    Aug 5, 2013
    6
    Halo 4, to start off with, looks amazing. It has, by far, some of the greatest graphics of all time, breaking the boundaries of human likeness. Even the in-game graphics look spectacular, feeling like cutscenes that never end. The gameplay is also really good; I really enjoyed the new helmet perspective that, like the graphics, really developed the atmosphere and world around me. TheHalo 4, to start off with, looks amazing. It has, by far, some of the greatest graphics of all time, breaking the boundaries of human likeness. Even the in-game graphics look spectacular, feeling like cutscenes that never end. The gameplay is also really good; I really enjoyed the new helmet perspective that, like the graphics, really developed the atmosphere and world around me. The weapons weren't too overpowered, no-one had too much of an advantage and the multiplayer was a really fun experience, however, these were the only good prospects. Halo 4's campaign was just boring, basically just playing out as cutscene, rush of monsters, cutscene, rush of monsters. Because of this the story just wasn't engaging, and I spent most of my time killing the same things over and over again. The multiplayer mode was really unfair thanks to the new random-spawning, with people spawning right in the centre of an enemy base. Overall, Halo 4 was really disappointing thanks to the hype brought up by Microsoft, and it didn't live up to the expectations Halo 3 and Halo Reach brought to the table. The graphics and gameplay are the only things that rescued this game from an under-5 score and I really hope the next Halo game does a lot better.… Expand
  96. Eternal409
    Jul 28, 2013
    6
    I am a big 'Halo' fan, some people have even called me a fan-boy! In anticipation of the release of 'Halo 4' I pre-ordered a my copy of the limited edition of 'Halo 4.'

    Expectations: When I first received my copy of 'Halo 4' I went in with high expectations, but this would prove a massive problem as I went in with the expectations of a 'Halo' game. Scores: Graphics: 9/10 Campaign:    I am a big 'Halo' fan, some people have even called me a fan-boy! In anticipation of the release of 'Halo 4' I pre-ordered a my copy of the limited edition of 'Halo 4.'

    Expectations:
    When I first received my copy of 'Halo 4' I went in with high expectations, but this would prove a massive problem as I went in with the expectations of a 'Halo' game.

    Scores:
    Graphics: 9/10
    Campaign: 6/10
    Soundtrack: 8/10
    Gameplay: 7/10
    Multiplayer: 2/10
    Final Score: 6.4/10

    Final Verdict: This game is good by the standards of a generic FPS, but 'Halo' is not just some other generic FPS it's full of epic moments in the game's campaign and full of the most enjoyable multiplayer, which still needs a good calibre of skill to do well in multiplayer. This is just some the points where 'Halo 4' falls flat sure it's graphics are great but that doesn't make a good game, the multiplayer is despicable by standards set by previous 'Halo' games. Also the soundtrack in this game may be good, but ypu will never be able to beat the original trilogy's signature soundtrack as you race into fight a scarab. Gameplay is decent but lacks that "Halo feel" the default sprinting detracts from the whole experience, the campaign also fell a bit flat after the first 2 missions.    … Expand
  97. colin8166
    Jul 15, 2013
    7
    Good game, but the campaign was way to short. Its 5 hours! It would be okay if the multiplayer had a little more longevity. I really do miss bungie. Halo doesn't feel the same.
  98. slappysfan
    Jul 7, 2013
    5
    I really wish that the Halo 4 we got was different from what we got. I did not enjoy the story nor the multiplayer for this game, which is disappointing because this was a highly anticipated game for me, but once I finished the campaign and got some play time in online... I realized this game is NOT for me. The story is pretty stupid, the new enemies they added are annoying. They changedI really wish that the Halo 4 we got was different from what we got. I did not enjoy the story nor the multiplayer for this game, which is disappointing because this was a highly anticipated game for me, but once I finished the campaign and got some play time in online... I realized this game is NOT for me. The story is pretty stupid, the new enemies they added are annoying. They changed almost everything from the original Halo series. I'm not anticipating Halo 5 or 6 even in the slightest.… Expand
  99. PrometheanSigma
    Jun 19, 2013
    6
    Halo has always been one of my favorite series. I played Halo 2 when I was 4 years old, and as a 14-year old I'm completely emerged into the lore and action of the games, books, and soon to be show. Halo 3 was my all time favorite as I would spend whole days just enjoying custom games or multiplayer. Then Halo: Reach came along. While not as good as its predecessor, it provided aHalo has always been one of my favorite series. I played Halo 2 when I was 4 years old, and as a 14-year old I'm completely emerged into the lore and action of the games, books, and soon to be show. Halo 3 was my all time favorite as I would spend whole days just enjoying custom games or multiplayer. Then Halo: Reach came along. While not as good as its predecessor, it provided a compelling forge experience and brought along my favorite Halo game mode, Invasion. Then came Halo 4. Halo 4 provides a decent game experience, but does not rock the charts like 3 and Reach.

    The campaign was weak, definetly the weakest part of the game. It lacked level design, a soundtrack, and story at that. I would give the campaign a solid 4.

    Multiplayer was decent. The maps were OK. The weapons and ordnance ideas were actually pretty cool, but the lack of playlists is saddening. Overall, I ended up going back to Reach after a while (it had more players, what about that?) Multiplayer 6.

    The graphics were outstanding and made a beautiful, rich, and enhanced game. 10

    Lastly, Spartan Ops took up most of my time. I frankly enjoyed these small levels way more than the campaign. They were fun and had the whole "just kill things" mist with a side of objective. However, the lack of maps made for repetitive gameplay. Misc. 8

    OVERALL (not based on averages), Halo 4 is good with a 6, but 3 or Reach is better.    … Expand
  100. zyryx
    Jun 16, 2013
    6
    I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this game, the single player campaign that is. After the two previous titles, Reach and ODST, I didn't have any hope. But the game was amazing, great story, beautiful music. Multiplayer was a complete joke. Gigantic, ill conceived levels. The same boring mechanics, with played hoping about like idiots, over powered weapons. Halo multiplayerI was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this game, the single player campaign that is. After the two previous titles, Reach and ODST, I didn't have any hope. But the game was amazing, great story, beautiful music. Multiplayer was a complete joke. Gigantic, ill conceived levels. The same boring mechanics, with played hoping about like idiots, over powered weapons. Halo multiplayer has been a complete waste of time for the casual gamer since Halo 3, favoring the preteen with nothing to do but spend hours a day playing the game. Only SWAT mode is any fun. But if you are going to play SWAT mode, then why bother with Halo in the first place as there are much better FPS you can play. Definitely pick this up used for the Single player.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2012
2
#2 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 87
  3. Negative: 1 out of 87
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 17, 2012
    90
    Halo 4 eschews esoteric delivery for a sledgehammer story with a blockbuster aesthetic. Epic, engaging and sensorially awesome. [Jan 2013, p.60]
  2. Eurogamer Portugal
    Dec 5, 2012
    90
    In the end, this game is still a fairly conservative and faithful to the original spirit, even with some significant changes.
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  3. DailyGame
    Dec 3, 2012
    75
    The narrative is outstanding, even in spite of a few plot-point missteps, and the character evolution of Master Chief and Cortana deserves to be further explored with these wonderful storytellers (well, maybe one of them can't happen, but I'll avoid spoilers). However, the gameplay feels jilted, awkward and unrefined, three unforgivable sins in a landscape populated with other quite-capable FPS franchises. As a result, I'm going to average everything out: great story plus bad gameplay equals an average experience. And in this overcrowded FPS genre, "average" is isn't something I'd recommend buying.
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