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. 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
  2. Avalon
    Nov 7, 2012
    6
    I got my hands on the game and to start with everything impressed me, the controls felt really tight and the gameplay was fun and the element that I was up against the unknown really got my heart going, it was intense, then about half an hour into the game I noticed things not really building up to the same levels as the start, it all felt a bit bland and boring but not to say it's not funI got my hands on the game and to start with everything impressed me, the controls felt really tight and the gameplay was fun and the element that I was up against the unknown really got my heart going, it was intense, then about half an hour into the game I noticed things not really building up to the same levels as the start, it all felt a bit bland and boring but not to say it's not fun because it is. I think the hype got the better of me and I expected a 10/10 game and got a 6/10 game which is still considered "good" but not exactly great.

    The graphics well... look at them, it's stunning and very vibrant. I knew they had put in lots of effort into the graphics because the animations were smooth apart from a few bits and pieces where the screen tears but other than that the visuals and graphics are top notch.

    The game play well that's the thing that let me down the most, I do like the tight controls but the story and just how the story is handled is not that good. I really felt a bit let down after the first hour of playing. Hope it gets better but initial impressions are not good.

    Multiplayer, not played it yet but fully intend on getting the most out of it, watched a friend playing it and it looks fun but won't judge it before I play it.    … Expand
  3. chemicalreaper
    Nov 7, 2012
    5
    343 Industries have shown us that they're quite capable of making a game that plays like Call of Duty. Now if only they could show us that they were capable of making a Halo game that plays like *Halo*.
  4. GeneralKumar
    Nov 11, 2012
    5
    The campaign is great and the story is finally back on track from that debacle that was "Reach". Spartan Ops is interesting and it's cool to see the story of the universe expand past campaign.......

    The reason why the score is so low is because the Multi-Player is "Turrible"... It is the worst bastardization of a solid franchise i have ever seen. The game copies so many other games that    The campaign is great and the story is finally back on track from that debacle that was "Reach". Spartan Ops is interesting and it's cool to see the story of the universe expand past campaign.......

    The reason why the score is so low is because the Multi-Player is "Turrible"... It is the worst bastardization of a solid franchise i have ever seen. The game copies so many other games that it no longer feels like Halo. The maps are poorly laid out with poor spacial referencing for callouts. The small number of maps is appalling. The whole multiplayer experience is inconsistent with all the random weapon spawns, ordinance drops, and all the random variables and "perks" that the games are loaded with. The entire game could be great if they would just make classic playlists.... Personally it feels like a Beta, with 4 maps to choose from in any playlist and weapons that are polished but need some work on balance. The game feels noobie and too much like COD....    … Expand
  5. labtoy
    Nov 7, 2012
    7
    I was sort of bummed out by this game, maybe because my expectiations were too high. I mean, it is not bad in any way, but it is far from extraordinary. It looks amazing, the story is refreshingly different, the voice acting is top of the class: it is definetly Halo (SP campaign is not exactly long, tho).

    Where it fails for me is multiplayer; the heart and soul of Halo. First off, what    I was sort of bummed out by this game, maybe because my expectiations were too high. I mean, it is not bad in any way, but it is far from extraordinary. It looks amazing, the story is refreshingly different, the voice acting is top of the class: it is definetly Halo (SP campaign is not exactly long, tho).

    Where it fails for me is multiplayer; the heart and soul of Halo. First off, what happened to invasion? I loved that mode in Reach :( Slayer mode is fun as always, but the level design feels a bit off on some maps. The minimap colors isn't good enough either. All in all, I'm somewhat disappointed, but I should mention my expectations were sky high.    … Expand
  6. kapowaz
    Nov 8, 2012
    6
    A story that doesn't make a lot of sense; weapons that aren't as interesting; level design that's boring and repetitive (even by Halo's standards) and lots of small issues add up to a campaign game that just isn't that much fun. A disappointment, and not up to the standard that Halo sets. Multiplayer enthusiasts will undoubtedly get something from this, but for anyone who cares about theA story that doesn't make a lot of sense; weapons that aren't as interesting; level design that's boring and repetitive (even by Halo's standards) and lots of small issues add up to a campaign game that just isn't that much fun. A disappointment, and not up to the standard that Halo sets. Multiplayer enthusiasts will undoubtedly get something from this, but for anyone who cares about the campaign this game just isn't that good.… Expand
  7. Oceanicus
    Nov 20, 2012
    5
    A bad case of too much hype, I must say it's beyond great compared to Halo Odst and legends, however that's not saying much. And for the name this game represents it could ' ve been a lot, and I mean it, better. I only recommend it to die-hard fans or to people who will only play on-line.
  8. MaxGayLord
    May 16, 2013
    5
    Lets be honest, although the campaign was fun up until the last few levels, the narrative was absolutely bollocks. The story was as vanilla as it could get. Thankfully multiplayer makes up for that. The combat isn't traditionally what you would find in a Halo game, but it is a fun experience none the less. It is a pity that only a third of the maps are utilized in multiplayer and even thenLets be honest, although the campaign was fun up until the last few levels, the narrative was absolutely bollocks. The story was as vanilla as it could get. Thankfully multiplayer makes up for that. The combat isn't traditionally what you would find in a Halo game, but it is a fun experience none the less. It is a pity that only a third of the maps are utilized in multiplayer and even then some playlists a plagued with garbage community forge maps.… Expand
  9. picks
    Nov 6, 2012
    5
    It's put together well i.e. nice visuals and audio but has not lived up to its hype or legacy. The multiplayer has not stayed true to what it was and has taken way too many game mechanics from other franchises which takes away from it's own identity. Any innovations have been done already a million times so in turn really isn't innovation at all ,rather integration. The campaign isIt's put together well i.e. nice visuals and audio but has not lived up to its hype or legacy. The multiplayer has not stayed true to what it was and has taken way too many game mechanics from other franchises which takes away from it's own identity. Any innovations have been done already a million times so in turn really isn't innovation at all ,rather integration. The campaign is confusing at times much like the previous titles and the plot is hard to follow. Buy this game if you are a die-hard halo fan.
    This is not a bad game. It's just not a great game.    … Expand
  10. Reviewernator
    Nov 10, 2012
    5
    Halo 4 is graphically astonishing and is possibly the best looking game on 360. The story is also great if you've read the books that support it. But that's about it for positives.
    The campaign mode i did in co-op with some friends and it took us four and a half hours which is just ridiculous especially for people who don't play online. The multiplayer feels like a fusion of Halo 3 and    Halo 4 is graphically astonishing and is possibly the best looking game on 360. The story is also great if you've read the books that support it. But that's about it for positives.
    The campaign mode i did in co-op with some friends and it took us four and a half hours which is just ridiculous especially for people who don't play online. The multiplayer feels like a fusion of Halo 3 and Modern warfare 2 leaving an unbalanced mess with people shooting you across the map with guns with surprisingly long range or killing you quickly at close range with the new saw which kills in about 2 seconds. There's also vehicles that its possible to survive an entire game in weapons on map that don't respawn and spawn camping. With a few updates 343 could probably fix it a bit but i highly doubt they will.    … Expand
  11. GamePlayTalk
    Nov 6, 2012
    6
    The Good: Cut scenes look amazing, weapons look great, the majority of multiplay tweaks improve the game. The Bad: friendly AI mostly shoots corpses, bad checkpoint system, poor balance on sounds with no settings, bullet sponges.
  12. Sh0dan
    Nov 22, 2012
    7
    This game is over hyped in my honest opinion. Not that its a bad game, its a solid shooter polished to a high sheen over numerous iterations since the original Halo: Combat Evolved. The problem for me is that it doesn't do anything new, fresh or innovative. Even the levels feel like they have been stripped directly from previous Halo games. Really, its just the same old Halo FPS many of usThis game is over hyped in my honest opinion. Not that its a bad game, its a solid shooter polished to a high sheen over numerous iterations since the original Halo: Combat Evolved. The problem for me is that it doesn't do anything new, fresh or innovative. Even the levels feel like they have been stripped directly from previous Halo games. Really, its just the same old Halo FPS many of us used to love, but are perhaps a bit jaded on and tired of now. The story doesn't do anything to reinvigorate the universe either. IMO some mysteries like the "who are the Forerunner?" should never have been answered. Pulling back the curtain reveals how poor the writers really are at science fiction. It really is an unnecessary addition to the universe and has thoroughly put me off the Halo universe for a lifetime. I'm not even interested in seeing a Halo movie after playing poor man Star Wars wannabe.... The levels and missions are some of the most linear and narrow of the entire Halo series, even worse than some of the horrendous railway tracks of Halo 2. There is only one level that stood out as expansive, choice driven mission, but after replaying it a second time that is actually a clever illusion and in fact you are kept on the critical path just as strictly as the first level. Add to that the inability to play the coop mode 'Spartan Ops' offline without a gold membership and the fact they only made the single player, secret terminal videos accessible via Halo Waypoint (which also requires a paid for membership - fu M$!) and unless your a Halo multiplayer PvP junky, then there isn't much to enjoy here.… Expand
  13. wotif
    Nov 9, 2012
    5
    This is a decent game. If you've never played any Halo games, or are a Call of Duty fan, go ahead and pick this up. However; if you're a Halo fan and you haven't bought this yet, DON'T DO IT. I was very excited to see 343 pick up where Bungie left off, hoping they could add their own flavor and fun to it. There are a few new features that are cool: the aesthetics of the game are great,This is a decent game. If you've never played any Halo games, or are a Call of Duty fan, go ahead and pick this up. However; if you're a Halo fan and you haven't bought this yet, DON'T DO IT. I was very excited to see 343 pick up where Bungie left off, hoping they could add their own flavor and fun to it. There are a few new features that are cool: the aesthetics of the game are great, the shield perk and the jetstrafe perk are pretty cool, the ability to make your hologram teabag is downright genius, players can join games in progress, custom armor is pretty cool. These features, though, do not outweigh the negatives that this game brings. Firstly: Cortana, what the hell? Previously, she was a likable character who was smart and sometimes would provide useful info or witty remarks. She is now a stereotypical damsel in distress who looks like a naked 14 year-old girl. Secondly, the campaign is very generic. It was cool to go to a new planet with a new enemy, but those enemies are incredibly BORING. I played on Legendary, and you literally just shoot, hide, repeat against the enemies. They aim well and hit hard, but have no tactical reasoning and they seem to be leashed to about 100ft of their spawn. Lastly, and worst of all, is the multiplayer. I hoped and hoped and hoped that the game would not turn into Call of Duty: Spartans, but it did. I don't mind borrowing good elements from other games, but 343 brought in what seems like EVERY Call of Duty element they could. 'Press X to respawn instantly,' 'Here's a killstreak drop,' 'Here's a kill-cam,' 'Here are some perks,' 'Spawn with any weapon you want,' 'Here's a killcam,' 'Here's lots of QTEs in campaign.' Multiplayer has no sense of balance with all the perks, ordinance drops (which are weapon/overshield drops rewarded after a random number of kills). There are no longer weapon spawns across the map, just 2-3 'weapon nodes' which spawn random power weapons intermittently.
    I was really looking forward to 343 taking their own spin on Halo, but the sad reality is that it's just a CoD clone in a Halo disguise. I'll say it again: this is not a bad game, but I can only give it a 5 because, to me personally, it took the Halo series too far in the WRONG direction. As much as it saddens me, I'll probably take it back for a refund today.    … Expand
  14. Kilzer
    Dec 2, 2012
    6
    Halo 4's story was impressive as Master Chief develops in his personality through his journey with Cortana, while short, it was nothing short of interesting and impressive. However, despite the campaign, the multiplayer seems lack-luster and bland. The old Halo style is no longer there, instead it is mashed up with COD game play style, everyone has sprint, you have support abilities whichHalo 4's story was impressive as Master Chief develops in his personality through his journey with Cortana, while short, it was nothing short of interesting and impressive. However, despite the campaign, the multiplayer seems lack-luster and bland. The old Halo style is no longer there, instead it is mashed up with COD game play style, everyone has sprint, you have support abilities which are "perks", and kill streaks called ordinances, the matchmaking playlists are very limited and there is no "Team Objectives" like in Halo: Reach or Halo 3, you have to pick to what you are feeling now, instead of picking random. The level designs are also boring and there doesn't seem to be enough for release. Some maps are even imbalanced for game types such as CTF where jet packs reign supreme or one team has the better base to defend . The graphics I give an A for consoles, but split-screen seems to cause major fps lag in larger games. Spartan Ops seems to be rehashed every episode and brings rarely anything new to the table except for the standard "kill this, defend this" which last only about 7 minutes each, while it is nice to have a co-op experience such as spartan ops, I feel they could have done better. Overall I give the story a 9/10 (Only because they seem to rush everything at the beginning). and the overall game a 6/10 because of the multiplayer and Spartan Ops.… Expand
  15. nuckchuckler
    Jan 28, 2013
    5
    My actual review is a 9, a very solid game indeed. My actual score is just in retaliation for the negative reviews 'HaloBestFPS' had left on a variety of games that happened to be made by Sony.
  16. ryano9929
    Nov 10, 2012
    6
    Halo needs to stay halo. It obvious doesn't work when COD and other fps features are put into it. 343 should know that reach was no received well with the core fan base but yet they took it further. This new game has no identity. It is in the middle of halo and other fps' and it just doesn't play well.

    The campaign is very short. It is the shortest campaign of any halo game. Can easily    Halo needs to stay halo. It obvious doesn't work when COD and other fps features are put into it. 343 should know that reach was no received well with the core fan base but yet they took it further. This new game has no identity. It is in the middle of halo and other fps' and it just doesn't play well.

    The campaign is very short. It is the shortest campaign of any halo game. Can easily beat the game on heroic in 5 hours which is unacceptable for this series. Every mission has been ripped from other halo games which shows no creativity. Example being the flying falcon mission from reach, only this time its a pelican you fly. The mission plays exactly the same just with a new coat of paint. Also each mission has you pushing a button 3 or 4 times.

    Multiplayer is very unbalanced and is already being hacked by players with aim bot. The game requires no skill anymore. You no longer have to be good to rank up, as everybody will rank up just for playing. The game promotes the player who shoots first most of the time. WIth the glorious aim assist and the big hit boxes this game requires little to no skill.

    Unfortunately halo is on its death bad. While trying to broaden the audience, the developers have lost what has made halo a cultural phenomenon. Unless they fix this the series will die out.    … Expand
  17. Mastabrad85
    Nov 9, 2012
    5
    If you loved Halo Combat evolved, then loved Halo 2, then loved Halo 3, though Halo Reach was hot garbage....I am so sorry you will not like Halo 4. As far as the campaign goes it is standard halo with a little more backtracking than I would like however the multiplayer is just a mess. want to mute that annoying kid screaming into your headphone, no longer is it easy like halo 3, you haveIf you loved Halo Combat evolved, then loved Halo 2, then loved Halo 3, though Halo Reach was hot garbage....I am so sorry you will not like Halo 4. As far as the campaign goes it is standard halo with a little more backtracking than I would like however the multiplayer is just a mess. want to mute that annoying kid screaming into your headphone, no longer is it easy like halo 3, you have to do finger yoga to mute someone and play at the same time. Tired of getting beat by the guys who are 5 levels above you...sorry there is no unranked playlist and your rank only goes up not down so eventually you will be playing at a level that is just no fun. I had the same emblem for YEARS and YEARS in halo now....well maybe I will unlock it someday. Like zombie rule #32 enjoy the little things. Well 343 forgot all the little things and tried to steal as much as they could from COD. :( I gave a 5 because the audio and video is very polished and high quality. Halo 3 would be a 9/10.… Expand
  18. armandothegreat
    Nov 8, 2012
    5
    I mostly bought Halo 4 hoping to have a fun campaign to play through, however, the campaign feels more like a chore than anything else. If you are going to buy this mostly to play the campaign...just wait a few months, and pick it up for $20 used instead... or rent it. I had to force myself to get through the first 3 levels - it's all the same **** and the whole time you'll be thinking "isI mostly bought Halo 4 hoping to have a fun campaign to play through, however, the campaign feels more like a chore than anything else. If you are going to buy this mostly to play the campaign...just wait a few months, and pick it up for $20 used instead... or rent it. I had to force myself to get through the first 3 levels - it's all the same **** and the whole time you'll be thinking "is this going anywhere?". The story is dull with plenty of crap that makes absolutely no sense. It's like they tried to take what was already a good sci-fi storyline and jumble in a bunch of garbage that's not really entertaining. I'll be glad when I finish playing this game so I can just trade it in. I have no idea where critics came up with the 9.0+ ratings for this game.

    I'll probably try the multiplayer...but I'm not a big multiplayer fan so I'll keep my expectations low.    … Expand
  19. Robocop666
    Nov 10, 2012
    5
    All I'm gonna say is its shocking the guns are rubbish and if you want a shooter wait till cod on Tuesday I have played all halos and this is by far the most unrealistic one two shots with a single shot bmr rifle kill you it's rubbish 10 out of 10 for the campaign 5 out of 10 for multiplayer
  20. satsumo
    Nov 10, 2012
    6
    Before I get trolled by all those fan-boys let me make it clear I'm not a Sony fan-boy or a COD fan-boy. I'm Xbox through and through but...

    As much as I enjoy this game - I'm now becoming bored. The campaign is nice enough but the multi-player is just the same as previous Halos but with polished graphics and slightly more class customisation. But after all these years they've not    Before I get trolled by all those fan-boys let me make it clear I'm not a Sony fan-boy or a COD fan-boy. I'm Xbox through and through but...

    As much as I enjoy this game - I'm now becoming bored.

    The campaign is nice enough but the multi-player is just the same as previous Halos but with polished graphics and slightly more class customisation.

    But after all these years they've not added anything "special" to the multi-player. It's still very slow to get into matches and there are glitches that keep ending multi-player matches before they finish.
    There's a very limited weapons choice. The perks are one-dimensional. The armour is just for show - there's no concept of trading off heavy armour against speed and agility.
    There's no building damage (like BF3)

    Maybe the problem with this game is that they spend so much time, effort and money on the campaign that they don't have much to offer the multi-player other than a graphics polish.

    This game needs to evolve.    … Expand
  21. Human
    Jan 17, 2013
    7
    The Master Chef returns with all new recipes and cooking supplies. I had an okay time with this game. The story was easily the worst part (but that's nothing new for Halo), but it looked great and played perfectly. The Multiplayer is very good as well, not much more to say about that. It's good. The score was a bit of a letdown and you can definitely tell this was not made by Bungie. It'sThe Master Chef returns with all new recipes and cooking supplies. I had an okay time with this game. The story was easily the worst part (but that's nothing new for Halo), but it looked great and played perfectly. The Multiplayer is very good as well, not much more to say about that. It's good. The score was a bit of a letdown and you can definitely tell this was not made by Bungie. It's lacking a certain Halo feel, which it makes up for in all new sounds for the guns (all sorts of pew-pews in this game, all sorts). Nothing revolutionary and will be quickly forgotten once Halo 5 comes out, but it's still fun.… Expand
  22. TheStranger
    Jan 26, 2013
    7
    If you play Halo for multiplayer I can't see this game sticking around for long. Something is just missing. I feel the level design of the maps left a lot to be desired. The visuals look really nice.
  23. ragingridley
    Nov 13, 2012
    6
    Let me first start off by saying I have been a hardcore halo fan for so many years, having bought all the halo games and loving every one of them (including halo wars which I thought was a underrated game).I so desperately want to give this game a great rating,but I couldn't.The only thing that kept my review up to a 6 and almost a 7 was the fact that the online multiplayer kicked my assLet me first start off by saying I have been a hardcore halo fan for so many years, having bought all the halo games and loving every one of them (including halo wars which I thought was a underrated game).I so desperately want to give this game a great rating,but I couldn't.The only thing that kept my review up to a 6 and almost a 7 was the fact that the online multiplayer kicked my ass till my cheeks turned red.
    MULTIPLAYER:

    Some people might say that it ripped off COD, but I thought they kept that same halo formula, but made it more engaging and action packed.Sprinting was added because every modern game nowadays has sprinting and it makes matches more up tempo because there is more engagement spots.Another big thing added was the oradence drops and I don't remember COD having a choice of 3 random weapons or upgrades which came after a certain amount of points.In the end this multiplayer will keep me playing for years to come and has nothing but room to improve in the next 2 games.

    CUSTOM GAMES AND FORGE:

    This is the place where halo 4 really falls flat to me.In all my years playing halo the most important part to me was the customization.In halo 4 I would have to give this a 1.5. 343 took the whole new multiplayer to far and destroyed the one thing that made Halo the premier game on xbox over COD and what gave me so many great memories of playing Halo 3 until the sun came up. Creating new innovative maps and gametypes that have me playing to this day. Halo 3 might not have been the most visually stunning game but with all the customization and support bungie put into the game,Halo 3 was what you made of it.Now with Halo 4 they through that all out the window, they don't even have a file share anymore and no race gametype. They replaced infection with Flood which I could go on about the enormity of stupidity that is in this gametype. To say it bluntly the zombies are over powered, and you can't customize s***!You can't even give the zombies a gravity hammer or any other weapon plus you cant even change the loadout for the infection. All those great infection gametypes are gone.I haven't even gotten to the worst part of it yet,they took out all the classic halo gametypes.One flag, assault,juggernaut,the list goes on.The only positive was an improved griffball and thats it.I will give it to them though the forgeing in this game is phenomenal. The magnets make making maps so much faster, but warning they can make some things uneven if your making a flat surface. The only downside to it is that it is practically impossible to create a gametype for your map. I had spent all night creating this great one flag map and I tried every combination to even make it a regular CTF game, didn't work. Alright then maybe I can create a slayer map... nope. So lastly I resorted to dominion and it worked and but ohh was it glitchy. The shields worked when they wanted to, and the turrets switched teams every 30 seconds. It was so disappointing after all the work we put into that map to have it barely playable. If they they polish this I think Halo 5 could be a 10.

    CAMPAIGN:

    For me the campaign was well polished and full of action, but uneventful. I want to state the flaws strait out. One is that the ending was boring to say the least I want to finish it myself, not in some quicktime event.The other thing was that Halo 4 didn't produce any great moments that Halo 3 created so many of. Destroying the scarab, storming the beach against the covenant, that final driving scene while the ring was collapsing, and the list goes on. I will give them a pass here because it was their first time around, but I won't be so easy on the halo 5 campaign.

    CO-OP:

    This section I will be brief on but honest. The CO-OP in this game is mediocre at best. First off I have to say. They replaced firefight with this crap! This is at the peak of bull s*** mountain to me. Spartan Ops is dull and recycled maps every episode and is nothing but killing enemies and flipping switches. There is no altering of the game mode or point system giving you no satisfaction after a kill. I have played through the first two episodes and it is the same exact thing except you start out on a different part of the map.

    CONCLUSION:

    Halo 4 succeeds in creating a innovative and engaging multiplayer but falls short on co-op and customization. As for the campaign, they did a pretty good job for their first go around, but needs more wow moments.    … Expand
  24. MrFluffyPenguin
    Nov 13, 2012
    7
    I have bought and played every halo game made. I love the franchise but to be completely honest, Halo 4 feels a little plain. The multiplayer is still well balanced but lacks any real improvement or innovation. Spartan Ops fails to really do anything except to put together short uneventful missions with amazing CGI shorts. Campaign is gorgeous visually but is really more of the same.I have bought and played every halo game made. I love the franchise but to be completely honest, Halo 4 feels a little plain. The multiplayer is still well balanced but lacks any real improvement or innovation. Spartan Ops fails to really do anything except to put together short uneventful missions with amazing CGI shorts. Campaign is gorgeous visually but is really more of the same. Though i can say the story is better than that of previous installments, Reach being my favorite still. Halo is still the game we know and love but 343 played it a little too safe.… Expand
  25. Benti86
    May 8, 2013
    6
    I was so let down by this game. I watched all the trailer and listened to 343 say it would take Halo back to its roots and how it would be like Halo 3. the final product ends up being a Halo, CoD mashup which just dilutes the traditional Halo experience to near worthlessness and doesn't have the addictive arcade/CoD gameplay. Yes graphically it's beautiful, but the story is ehh, forgeI was so let down by this game. I watched all the trailer and listened to 343 say it would take Halo back to its roots and how it would be like Halo 3. the final product ends up being a Halo, CoD mashup which just dilutes the traditional Halo experience to near worthlessness and doesn't have the addictive arcade/CoD gameplay. Yes graphically it's beautiful, but the story is ehh, forge and customs were gutted, and matchmaking is a shell of what Halo once was. Halo 4 would not have been too bad as its own IP, but it is a dreadful Halo game. On the bright side, 343 seems to be listening and are implementing some changes and hopefully will fix Halo 4's issues for Halo 5.… Expand
  26. 2MucH1991
    Nov 7, 2012
    6
    Halo 3 multiplayer was the reason i had to buy an Xbox 360, and when i eventually did i couldn't put the controller down, years later and Halo 4 is finally here, but i'm slightly disappointed to say the least.
  27. CM8691
    Nov 6, 2012
    7
    I don't have live and this game, like so many FPS' these days was made more for the online player. The campaign was brutally short and not all that replayable. However, it was fun while it lasted. It was also quite polished, but that isn't enough to carry it on its own. Most people will give it horrible reviews just because they want to feel like they're keeping the Halo franchise back, asI don't have live and this game, like so many FPS' these days was made more for the online player. The campaign was brutally short and not all that replayable. However, it was fun while it lasted. It was also quite polished, but that isn't enough to carry it on its own. Most people will give it horrible reviews just because they want to feel like they're keeping the Halo franchise back, as they felt it should have ended with Halo 3. Although I agree the series should have stayed finished, 343 did a good enough job.… Expand
  28. glacier777
    Nov 24, 2012
    7
    It had a lot to live up to didn't it? I loved Halo:Reach and I give it a 10. I am giving Halo 4 a 9 and here's why:

    Campaign: The campaign in reach was its weakest feature but it is one of the strongest in Halo 4. 4's campaign is more imaginative, longer and is much more fun to play. The Campaign is up to the CE's standard and will not disapoint fans. 10/10 Spartan-Ops: I will    It had a lot to live up to didn't it? I loved Halo:Reach and I give it a 10. I am giving Halo 4 a 9 and here's why:

    Campaign: The campaign in reach was its weakest feature but it is one of the strongest in Halo 4. 4's campaign is more imaginative, longer and is much more fun to play. The Campaign is up to the CE's standard and will not disapoint fans. 10/10

    Spartan-Ops: I will overlook the fact that it is a rip off from COD. S-O replaced firefight which really annoyed me because firefight was fun. S-O is not as bad as I thought it would be because it ties in with the campaign and the missions are short. The only issue is that you re-spawn, no checkpoints etc.. This makes S-O slightly pointless, however I would not get rid of S-O, I would just bring back firefight as well. 9/10

    Multiplayer: 343 said that there were going to be changes and they were right., However, almost every change has made it worse. On reach less was more. 343 have thrown that out of the window and created gameplay that is too fast and frankly just boring and repetitive. On reach it felt like every game had a story and every game game slowly developed, where as now games are boring and too fast. There have been too many new features and too many classic features have been removed. 6/10

    Forge and Custom Games - There are three forge world's - great idea. However none of them are big enough! This also means that custom games is not as fun. Also where did the race game type go? I have given it a 7 because these are still unique parts of halo and forge is really good. There's just not enough space.
    7/10

    Other features and website: Waypoint is still good, the armour is as good as reach's, the commendations have improved the theater and file share are still good. The new website isn't as good as bungie.net though. 9/10

    Overall halo 4 retains many features that make halo amazing and also the campaign is second to none. Unfortunately 342 have included too many new things which have ruined parts of the game.
    All of my scores added together and divided by 5 equal 8 but this game deserves a 9 because it is still an amazing game. There are just too many annoying features that detract from the beauty of halo.    … Expand
  29. wayneskylar
    Nov 18, 2012
    5
    They didn't really do anything to improve upon the Halo Universe - same (for the most part) weapons, vehicles, etc. The campaign was much more repetitive than any other Halo and the story was not very good (why can't these big game companies find decent writers??). Lots of button pushing, and inconsistencies with the space (for instance, you land on a "tower" which is maybe 200 yardsThey didn't really do anything to improve upon the Halo Universe - same (for the most part) weapons, vehicles, etc. The campaign was much more repetitive than any other Halo and the story was not very good (why can't these big game companies find decent writers??). Lots of button pushing, and inconsistencies with the space (for instance, you land on a "tower" which is maybe 200 yards wide, but the interior of it is about a mile deep... Not very well thought-out. Very small, annoying missions (lots of "activations" or "deactivations" at the end of each mission), which remind me of some of the more boring games out there - if it had not been Halo characters I truly believe this game would have gotten much worse critics' reviews.… Expand
  30. Fatspud
    May 1, 2013
    5
    The main problem with this game is the convoluted story, and the repetitive game play; so little change since Reach. The graphics are dated, and the new dialogue between the Chief and Cortana is cringey. The new enemies are also poorly designed and boring to fight- the flood was way more fun. Multiplayer is fun though, best yet in the series.
  31. gumpei
    Jan 1, 2013
    5
    Halo 4 is a real disappointment compared to the past.
    The final duel is horrible and lacking in originality.
    The single players has too many small arenas of multiplayer. Pitched battles in open places are ridiculous compared to the past. The campaign is too short. For Halo 5 343 should be guided by planetside 2, the real Halo 4 of this generation imho. If Halo 5 will like Halo 4,    Halo 4 is a real disappointment compared to the past.
    The final duel is horrible and lacking in originality.
    The single players has too many small arenas of multiplayer.
    Pitched battles in open places are ridiculous compared to the past.
    The campaign is too short.

    For Halo 5 343 should be guided by planetside 2, the real Halo 4 of this generation imho.
    If Halo 5 will like Halo 4, then I do not buy it.    … Expand
  32. yrcrazy
    Jan 12, 2013
    5
    halo but without the ability to download custom games on console. great visuals and better competitive play than reach but misses out on the key aspect of halo ... fun . A big dissapointment in hindsight but good in its own right.
  33. a2toedmonkey
    Nov 6, 2012
    7
    I don't know, I feel like a lot of the negative reviews of this game are from the "hardcore" or "true" gamer crowd. I consider myself hardcore, and I like this game for the multiplayer, the singleplayer is alright. My gripes are that the multiplayer does feel a little strange compared to old games and, as a few have said, grenades don't seem to matter as much. The combat felt slightlyI don't know, I feel like a lot of the negative reviews of this game are from the "hardcore" or "true" gamer crowd. I consider myself hardcore, and I like this game for the multiplayer, the singleplayer is alright. My gripes are that the multiplayer does feel a little strange compared to old games and, as a few have said, grenades don't seem to matter as much. The combat felt slightly slower than previous entries in the series, but its not bad by any means. I think you should take all reviews as someone else's opinion for this reason, alot of the negative reviews probably went in expecting the game to suck and they only remembered it sucking. They want to seem popular and talk about how games have sold out without realizing that these companies do in fact want your money. This isn't some family fun time and realistically they don't owe you anything, so if you wanna be popular with the gaming hipsters who pretend to be hardcore, bad talk the game before you try it, and then remember the time you jumped off the cliff in game, not the gorgeous visuals.… Expand
  34. martijn
    Nov 12, 2012
    6
    This game has a great start which really sucks you in. The graphics and atmosfere are simply amazing. After a while though the level design gets a bit boring and repetetive. Also the lack of autosave prevents me from giving it a high a score. I had to replay to certain (difficult) parts multiple times because I did not save but turned off my Xbox (as I do with all games).
  35. Mattyice
    Dec 4, 2012
    6
    Game of the Year...This Halo is by far the best of the series. Stunning graphics, a great story, the usual amazing Halo Multiplayer, and Spartan Ops is a good addition. If you have an Xbox, you MUST buy this game! An instant classic. My choice for best game of 2012.
  36. 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
  37. ProcrastinatorB
    Dec 30, 2012
    6
    The Single-player took a great turn for 343 Industries, but the Multi-player is lacking a lot (Bolt shot is overpowered, most guns are basically shooting peas at the thing you're pointing at). Halo was suppose to be a good balance between Grenade, Melee, and Weapons. But 343 just throws that out the window and says "Hey, lets make the most unfair, most hated multi-player ever. That'll sureThe Single-player took a great turn for 343 Industries, but the Multi-player is lacking a lot (Bolt shot is overpowered, most guns are basically shooting peas at the thing you're pointing at). Halo was suppose to be a good balance between Grenade, Melee, and Weapons. But 343 just throws that out the window and says "Hey, lets make the most unfair, most hated multi-player ever. That'll sure show those people expecting a good game." I actually think Call of Duty has a better multi-player than Halo 4, and that says a lot.… Expand
  38. Imperium101
    Nov 7, 2012
    6
    343i has tried to infuse some 'Humanity' into the story & tell a more personal tale about Master Chief's relationship with Cortana, but Halo 4 fails to evoke any emotions. This is in no small part due to Steve Downes boring monotone voice acting as the Master Chief. e.g Master Chief and cortana are aboard a derelict spaceship being sucked into a giant artificial planet slaughtering Aliens343i has tried to infuse some 'Humanity' into the story & tell a more personal tale about Master Chief's relationship with Cortana, but Halo 4 fails to evoke any emotions. This is in no small part due to Steve Downes boring monotone voice acting as the Master Chief. e.g Master Chief and cortana are aboard a derelict spaceship being sucked into a giant artificial planet slaughtering Aliens and they're just casually talking back & forth like they're sat in the waiting room for a dentist appointment - it's literally comical!

    The campaign also suffers from some atrocious level design. For example there's a part near the beginning of the campaign where you(the player) must climb up an elevator shaft avoiding falling debris. This could have been a sweat inducing, heart pounding moment, that is, if if weren't impossible to fail. There's also precious little else like in the campaign which only serves to give the impression that 343 weren't given the creative freedom to experiment. This is a shame because things like more platforming is exactly the kind of variety Halo needs.

    Finally the "Spartan Ops" mode is just awful. Lazy 10 minute missions on recycled environments(without scoring by the way) is pathetic replacement for Firefight. Besides if there's already a 4 player Co-op campaign why is this mode even needed? What were the developers thinking?

    Just a quick summary of the some of the biggest negatives as the 'professional' critics seem to be totally incapable of intelligently critiquing the products they are given.    … Expand
  39. 0neL4s7H0n0r
    Nov 7, 2012
    6
    It's good, but it's not the Halo that I'm used too. First off, the campaign is fast and keeps you wanting to play. But 343i added some parts to the campaign that really shouldn't be there, mostly surrounding the Chief (Character depth, a "friend", and that brown-noser Latsky) Second: There was a lot of good customization, minus the lack of emblems. (Not too happy I can't have the emblemIt's good, but it's not the Halo that I'm used too. First off, the campaign is fast and keeps you wanting to play. But 343i added some parts to the campaign that really shouldn't be there, mostly surrounding the Chief (Character depth, a "friend", and that brown-noser Latsky) Second: There was a lot of good customization, minus the lack of emblems. (Not too happy I can't have the emblem that I have had since Halo 2) Multiplayer: Fast, fun, thought I wouldn't like the supply drops, but they add a good element. Disappointed that you need a certain trait to pic up ammo (Not to mention once you run out of ammo with your gun you're kinda screwed.)

    Overall it's a good game, but if you're used to the Halo made by Bungie, this is going to feel different.    … Expand
  40. solidusdeus
    Nov 7, 2012
    6
    Honest opinion about this game. Graphics gave received a very nice upgrade, visuals definitely push the 360 to the limit with the occasional hiccup. Game play mechanics remains the same. Exciting start to the story that cannot be maintained throughout the campaign and falls on the short side of time. New enemies are cool, but old enemies and repetitiveness champion through the game.Honest opinion about this game. Graphics gave received a very nice upgrade, visuals definitely push the 360 to the limit with the occasional hiccup. Game play mechanics remains the same. Exciting start to the story that cannot be maintained throughout the campaign and falls on the short side of time. New enemies are cool, but old enemies and repetitiveness champion through the game. Multiplayer is still the same, which is a good or bad thing if you are a fan, some minor tweaks to loadouts and such. Overall an ok experience, just not a new or groundbreaking game.… Expand
  41. oldguy
    Nov 11, 2012
    6
    Sorry Halo Fans but the only game I like to play for the most part did'nt show up this time ! . I only play at Heroic level and found a lot of the game play sluggish, especially the flight segments. The flight controls
    are insulting and downright boring. Pretty disappointed I am but the story line was ok but left me questioning the logic of it all. The Diadec at the end changes it's    Sorry Halo Fans but the only game I like to play for the most part did'nt show up this time ! . I only play at Heroic level and found a lot of the game play sluggish, especially the flight segments. The flight controls
    are insulting and downright boring. Pretty disappointed I am but the story line was ok but left me questioning the logic of it all. The Diadec at the end changes it's apperance rather crudely. The graphics were pretty good at times but lacked depth overall. I hoped for more sadly not happily as a Halo fan should.

    Where's the firefight for the people that don't play xbox live.....really!!!    … Expand
  42. Jonnyblond
    Nov 11, 2012
    7
    Wow...is all I can say. 343 did a freaking fantastic job on this game. Goodbye bungie hello beautiful. The campaign was a riot. I had a lot of fun with the chief and that half naked robo-babe. The story was short but it includes spartan ops which is a fine addition to the game. Then there's the meat and bones of the game. The multiplayer is truly awesome. I tried getting into 3, odst, andWow...is all I can say. 343 did a freaking fantastic job on this game. Goodbye bungie hello beautiful. The campaign was a riot. I had a lot of fun with the chief and that half naked robo-babe. The story was short but it includes spartan ops which is a fine addition to the game. Then there's the meat and bones of the game. The multiplayer is truly awesome. I tried getting into 3, odst, and reach and they just didn't do it for me. They were great games but the multiplayer was made to cater to basement dwellers. This game I have jumped right in and have totally destroyed all. There's nothing better than hearing a hardcore teen scream in the mic how sucky the game is cause the battle rifle isn't the all end. It feels like 343 did the multiplayer right weapon wise. It seems all the guns have their own uses for different situations but the dmr and br are truly the killers. Whatever 343 did to stop the stupid bunny hopping players gets true nods from me. I love seeing someone jump all around to only get destroyed by me now. In the past if you bunny hopped, it seemed king. But no more. Anyways if your looking to get a truly awesome multiplayer game for the 360, then put your trust in 343. They eclipsed bungie. It's been a long while since I liked a halo multiplayer and I don't see me walking away from this one. I don't even think the new call of duty will get me away from this unless activistion does something truly great with black ops 2. But most likely it will all be nothing but hiding in buildings the whole game cause the sky is littered with helicopters, bombers, etc.… Expand
  43. sindronian
    Nov 14, 2012
    7
    If I have never played Halo before I would give this game a 9 or even 10/10. However since I am a longtime halo fan and now that I've reached rank SR-41 I can say that the multiplayer is pretty disappointing. The campaign is well deserving of a 9/10, spartan ops is trash online and threatre only works for multiplayer currently. So a 7/10 is pretty generous. The multiplayer does matter moreIf I have never played Halo before I would give this game a 9 or even 10/10. However since I am a longtime halo fan and now that I've reached rank SR-41 I can say that the multiplayer is pretty disappointing. The campaign is well deserving of a 9/10, spartan ops is trash online and threatre only works for multiplayer currently. So a 7/10 is pretty generous. The multiplayer does matter more than campaign to me because it's the multiplayer that I will invest most time into and get my moneys worth. The multiplayer is does not have separated social and ranked playlists. This means that people who try so hard with a coordinated team to kick your ass are going to be matched up with people who are for the most part screwing around. Halo 3 had the most lasting appeal because it separated these types of players. In halo 4 you are matched by skill and rank. So when I started to get higher rank, games got more and more frustrating. Every time I get in a gunfight now I have to perform a song and dance just to get out alive and wipe the sweat off my balls from trying so damn hard, but I can't actually have time to wipe off my balls because this game has instant respawn. So unlike the Halo 3 social playlist, almost every single game in Halo 4 is stressful as **** I rarely have close games usually I get **** taken onto me. I'm by no means a bad player. I'm quite good but there are many better than me and because I played more than most at launch I got matched up with a lot of the best players. Because there is no separation of the highly competitive players and the casual players this game will get so frustrating no one will play it I guarantee. I already stopped. If you think $60 is worth a good campaign, Halo 4 has one of the best campaigns you'll ever play. The campaign does have one big issue though. It's hard to follow and in order to understand it you'll need to do research before or after it. The story is not very clear but the cutscenes are great and the gameplay is fun! Great game overall but multiplayer sucks right now. Check out my full war games (multiplayer) review here: http://www.343industries.org/forum/topic/17780-my-honest-review-of-halo-4-war-games-rank-sr-38/… Expand
  44. Vyse
    Nov 16, 2012
    5
    Halo of Duty. Anyone who doesn't think otherwise isn't a true fan of Halo. The campaign is what it is, and I'm not here to write a review about that. I'm talking about multiplayer. Seriously, 343? You're going to **** create a mulitplayer system with loadouts and kill rewards? How does anyone in the game industry NOT see the flaw of this system? Why reward players doing well with equipmentHalo of Duty. Anyone who doesn't think otherwise isn't a true fan of Halo. The campaign is what it is, and I'm not here to write a review about that. I'm talking about multiplayer. Seriously, 343? You're going to **** create a mulitplayer system with loadouts and kill rewards? How does anyone in the game industry NOT see the flaw of this system? Why reward players doing well with equipment to allow them to do even better? Why allow players to spawn with a weapon they are proficient and comfortable with? Does anyone else notice that deaths come MUCH quicker than any other Halo game? How often can you survive an encounter with 2+ enemies in Halo 4? Not at all. In Reach, at least you could pull some magic out of nowhere and survive on occasion. This game borrows from Call of Duty in all of the worst ways. Why does every single developer feel the need to try to emulate that series? We play games outside of Call of Duty when you're just going to get the same experience anyway? I cannot STAND how multiplayer is anymore. Death comes quicker than you can blink, and rewarding dominant players with better equipment is just flawed in itself. If people keep supporting games in this manner, there will be NO variety in 5 years. The genre will stagnant and people will wonder what happened. All I know is that this game was a huge letdown for a fan of the first 4 Halo games. Shame on your 343.… Expand
  45. Lex-Osheezy
    Nov 18, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After many sequels in this well known franchise, 343 manages to fall short of it's promises to re-invent the story and characters in a way that will fulfill all it's renown loyal fanboy's wildest dreams.
    The reality is that it's depressing to be able to see the intentions of the game developers as they fail.
    In the prologue of the game, 343 sets the tone of the game by laying down this thick emphasis on a moral question of Chief's ethics and emotions, and whether his success was based on his Callus nature.

    All of this is too much for the viewer, as the first thing they want to hear about their favorite character after years of absence isn't a diss from an old lady, (who's imprisoned for reasons that aren't explained in the game.) Nearly everything the campaign sets out to do it fails. Seconds into actual gameplay, it's clear that 343 have decided they'll try to make Chief less of a brooding character and more of a guy who thinks out loud and feels human emotions. The most obvious sign of this is the many many lines of dialogue throughout the campaign, compared to the under twenty he displayed in his last installment. Even the littler things make you think that this isn't a Halo game. The quick-times, the unexplained presences of enemies, and the stupid motivation for nearly every character.
    So putting the actual plot/execution aside for a minute, the actual core mechanics that are involved in a good campaign are either missing or broken. The game introduces new enemies into the Halo universe (The Prometheans), but these enemies are anything but fun to engage with. Your choices range between Shooting the Knight first, or the little support drone he constructs. Admittedly, some of them posses one of the armor abilities from multiplayer, and that can make things interesting, but the teleportation gimmick they all utilize exists only to annoy.
    This game misses the brilliance that some of the levels from Halo 3 demonstrated. Players of Halo Reach's criticism of the campaign was that it had no 'Big level'. It had no fight with scarabs, it had no scaling up the big metal pyramid to fight the monitor, and it had no Vehicle dependent level like Halo 3's 'The Ark'. Halo Four demonstrates this, and seemingly Less. Halo Four tries to add to this, but it's attempts come off as kind of dry. They put in a level where you get around via a powered-up Pelican, which is relatively cool, but they just make you fly from platform to platform, and don't really do anything with it. The Shooter on rails at the end of the game feels uncharacteristic of the franchise and kind of makes you wonder whether it was only put in to fit the expectation that every action game published in the last five years needs to have a mission where you're on a motorized vehicle with explosions and a million guys chasing you at the end for it to be fun and cool.

    Players from day one (Such as myself) are getting a little bit tired of the series' Go from A to B, and shoot everything in between' formula. Maybe it was old by the second or third game in the series, and I just didn't notice because I cared about the characters, and Chief/My Achievements were still impressing me. But the magic's just gone. Halo four tries to capitalize on Cortana and Chief's potential weird Romantic relationship that's based on trust and experience, but it does it in all the wrong ways. (Again, i'll make a comparison to Halo 3 as it's the most relevant Halo game) At the end of Halo 3, the metaphor for Chief's human side and what he's fighting for dies in the form of Srgt. Johnson. This powerful scene was executed brilliantly because of Chief's body language, and Cortana's very digital attempt at comforting Chief in a concept she shouldn't have a clue/care about. Johnson's characteristic one liner drove home the point, and the proceeding fast paced escape scene meant that much more because you felt like you had just experienced an influential time in the protagonist's life. Flash forward to Halo Four.

    Halo Four executes cutscenes by not having Chief pointing his gun aggressively, not defensively, not with him saying one line here or there, but by making him the tipsy blond in the room that can't keep up with the conversation. Making the player smarter than the character does not add anything to the experience, especially when the character's intelligence is inconsistent. Drawing impossible conclusions from prompts Cortana feeds him now and then makes no sense after you watch Chief fumble with the concept of authority and courses of actions.Play the ending yourself, decide if you want another Halo.(Regardless, it's on it's way) I should finish on a good note, and that's that I thoroughly enjoy the multiplayer. I'm not that great at online FPS's, but for some reason I find this one to be very easy. It could be the similarities it now holds to the Call of duty series, which has a debatable effect on the originality of it all.    … Expand
  46. 25TonnesOfFun
    Nov 23, 2012
    5
    Anybody who gave this game anything more than an 8 must of never of played halo 3, which in my opinion was the best FPS multiplayer game ever made. Halo 3 is the most balanced FPS experience ever and 343 just shat all over that. extremely dissapointed with this game as it has way too much of halo reach in it with all these extra abilitys that make the game more complex then it need be. itAnybody who gave this game anything more than an 8 must of never of played halo 3, which in my opinion was the best FPS multiplayer game ever made. Halo 3 is the most balanced FPS experience ever and 343 just shat all over that. extremely dissapointed with this game as it has way too much of halo reach in it with all these extra abilitys that make the game more complex then it need be. it is just not fun now that everybody can have camo or start with a battle rifle. the maps are also kind of crap with exception to ragnarok, but thats a halo 3 map anyway so essentially all the maps are utter doo doo. most of the game modes are boring, they really need to bring back big team games like one bomb and massive 8 vs 8 flag games. im not gonna take the game back as its still playable but i had hoped they would of learnt their lesson from how dissapointing reach was.… Expand
  47. mikenasty
    Dec 27, 2012
    7
    Great multiplayer even if you're a beginner. The campaign was way too repetitive where virtually every task was to go from point A to point B so you can do this (aka press a button)
  48. bsd12
    Dec 28, 2012
    7
    This is my first Halo game and the only reason why I played it was for the AMEX promotions (hehe). Anyway, the campaign was pretty good. I thought the graphics were great, music was good enough, gameplay was solid, but repetitive. The enemies were sponges and not that fun to fight. Many levels felt like repeats, however, some driving sequences broke up the monotony. I played about 2This is my first Halo game and the only reason why I played it was for the AMEX promotions (hehe). Anyway, the campaign was pretty good. I thought the graphics were great, music was good enough, gameplay was solid, but repetitive. The enemies were sponges and not that fun to fight. Many levels felt like repeats, however, some driving sequences broke up the monotony. I played about 2 or 3 rounds of multiplayer and I thought it was great. Despite, my first time playing, I did fairly well. My call of duty experience helped me a bunch and I thought it was quite noob friendly. The game is a solid 7/10 for newcomers.… Expand
  49. BLINGCAMEL
    Jan 13, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4 is supposedly the direct sequel to Halo 3, and it is in regards to the story. The campaign follows the story of Master Chief (as always) fighting some aliens on a new planet called Requiem. As Cortans slowly dies from her rampancy, Chief has to help her keep hope and defeat the Didact. This, in my opinion is extremely linear, and the Didact is one of those twirl mustache villains that ones to randomlyndestroy humanity. It doesn't help that every mission you're running around pressing buttons, for no apparent reason. Th campaign was boring and repetitive, and Requiem (the planet) is not as appealing as planet Reach. So yeah Cortana dies, other than that nothing memorable.

    I and many other Halo fans buy Halo for multiplayer, and well this one could use some work. Halo 4's multiplayer takes place on the UNSC Onfinity. A massive starship where the SPARTAN IVs train in the highly advanced war games simulation. Unfortunately, instead of Halo's traditional arena style shooter; this game is a class based arcade shooter. Skill isn't as needed here, as everyone spawns with an instant kill weapon (the Boltshot) if they wish. Halo 4 is shipped with 10 maps, and mostbof them are extremely large. The Kip times are faster, and the game is easier. Players will find an improvement in their K/D ratio and less of a skill gap between pros and lesser players. The DMR more or less dominates Halo 4's sandbox, and active camo is incredibly annoying. Halo 4 also lacks a 1-50 ranking system, giving you little reason to play for a long time. Little things like the inferior soundtrack, broken fileshare, CoD elements, and weak forge really hold the game back. Constant lag makes it a burden to play, and plasticy armor is plain boring. Halo 4 could get better with title updates and DLC but in it's current form it's practically Call od Duty in space.    … Expand
  50. Caged_Sephiroth
    Feb 17, 2013
    5
    A good game but the multiplayer and a lot of the campaign feels too dejavu. Fantastic, there's a new enemy, an awesome soundtrack, and little tweaks that are much appreciated, but the overall feel is too familiar. Halo 3.5, not Halo 4.
  51. Defender_X
    Mar 31, 2013
    6
    Halo's campaign is known for its simplicity,but in Halo 4,the story is just confusing and at points,boring.Even the flashbacks in Halo 3:ODST were easier to follow than Halo 4's storyline. The gameplay is uninteresting as most of the missions either ask you to defend an area or go to 3 areas and push buttons.At least they finally let you fly a Pelican Dropship. Multiplayer is a blast!Halo's campaign is known for its simplicity,but in Halo 4,the story is just confusing and at points,boring.Even the flashbacks in Halo 3:ODST were easier to follow than Halo 4's storyline. The gameplay is uninteresting as most of the missions either ask you to defend an area or go to 3 areas and push buttons.At least they finally let you fly a Pelican Dropship. Multiplayer is a blast! Although they took a couple things from the COD series,the multiplayer is still engaging and fun.With new maps,new weapons,new abilities and others,this is great for anyone looking for online play.Spartan Ops is,well,pretty "meh". It can be fun at times but playing it with friends is the only way to experience it fully.New items have been added to Forge,making it better than ever. If you want a good single player game,sorry,no such luck here.If you want a good multiplayer and co-op play,this is pretty much it.… Expand
  52. Enforcer122
    Apr 16, 2013
    6
    What can I say about this game? I have mixed feelings... Playing halo from day one, I was already in love with the series no matter what. But when this 4th Halo came out, I was a little disappointed. This game is so massively multiplayer it's almost impossible to get any achievements or progress in the game without someone playing with you! Multiplayer is a great as ever and the campaignWhat can I say about this game? I have mixed feelings... Playing halo from day one, I was already in love with the series no matter what. But when this 4th Halo came out, I was a little disappointed. This game is so massively multiplayer it's almost impossible to get any achievements or progress in the game without someone playing with you! Multiplayer is a great as ever and the campaign is good, although a little short.… Expand
  53. 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
  54. 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.
  55. 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
  56. 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.
  57. 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.
  58. 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
  59. 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.
  60. 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
  61. 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
  62. 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
  63. matroycem
    Apr 26, 2013
    7
    I have never really felt the love for Halo that has been going around since its inception on the original Xbox. Yes it was modern but it never really gripped me. The Halo games of Bungie never really seem to have much of a plot of me and it bored me going from point A on a map, into a building to point B and then going back to point A again. It seemed lazy level design.
    Halo 4 however    I have never really felt the love for Halo that has been going around since its inception on the original Xbox. Yes it was modern but it never really gripped me. The Halo games of Bungie never really seem to have much of a plot of me and it bored me going from point A on a map, into a building to point B and then going back to point A again. It seemed lazy level design.
    Halo 4 however seems to be a big step forward. 343 have made a few changes and brought in some decent new weapons and enemies and it did grip me more than other games. Gone has the annoying drop out of scope when you are shot and SOME of the jumps to checkpoints when a team mate passes into a new area. There is also very little back tracking in the main campaign.
    The story of the game is still very similar and doesn't really go anywhere for me but its not completely missing like it was in Halo 3 ODST. I still think that Halo need to remove the respawn trick on COOP when you can have one person hang back and if the other dies they respawn next to their fellow. Mean that some of the difficulty is sapped from the game.
    I am not much of an Online Multiplayer so I cannot give much of a review of this area but the little I did play was enjoyable enough. I think there are modes for all different abilities and the learning curve is not completely stupid like i found in the COD games.
    Its worth a purchase in my opinion.    … Expand
  64. 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
  65. 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
  66. rykeith
    Nov 19, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bought this game expecting something great from a new developer. The campaign story was relatively good, though I don't feel as if I really gleaned much from the Halo universe by playing it. The story felt very concentrated to a very few narrow concepts and left me disappointed that it did not expand upon many different aspects of the story. It was essentially a story about Master Chief and Cortana. While this would have worked well as a backstory, it felt a little weak as the main theme throughout the game. The one outstanding aspect of the campaign was the superb graphics. It may be the best-looking game on the 360 to date.

    The multiplayer, at least compared to Reach, felt somewhat neutered. A few game types have disappeared, and Big Team Battle, my favorite, is also no longer a part of the multiplayer playlist. Also, I know that lag depends largely upon individual connections, but it seems that this game can especially suffer from it when compared to previous Halo entries. Overall, if you love Halo, you will probably like this game. If you just appreciate Halo, you may find this game average among a plethora of FPS out there.    … Expand
  67. RighteousSteel
    Nov 28, 2012
    7
    This game is good. The only problem is that it feels more like Halo: Reach 2 than a sequel to Halo 3. There are not many maps to play on, and every always chooses the same ones every match. The campaign is interesting and fun, and worth playing through a second time with your friends. Maybe once some DLC comes out the multiplayer will be more fun. The spartan ops is a welcome addition, butThis game is good. The only problem is that it feels more like Halo: Reach 2 than a sequel to Halo 3. There are not many maps to play on, and every always chooses the same ones every match. The campaign is interesting and fun, and worth playing through a second time with your friends. Maybe once some DLC comes out the multiplayer will be more fun. The spartan ops is a welcome addition, but everybody still misses firefight. Overall, a good game.… Expand
  68. kelraiser
    Nov 16, 2012
    7
    With 343 industries taking over the development of the Halo franchise from bungie I have to admit I had my doubts about the future of the halo franchise and the idea of bringing the master chief back after the ending of halo 3, and I have to say that my doubts we're cast aside as 343 have been true to the franchise and developed a game worthy of the halo name, the campaign is short ifWith 343 industries taking over the development of the Halo franchise from bungie I have to admit I had my doubts about the future of the halo franchise and the idea of bringing the master chief back after the ending of halo 3, and I have to say that my doubts we're cast aside as 343 have been true to the franchise and developed a game worthy of the halo name, the campaign is short if you play it on the easy or normal difficulty but if you got to the heroic or legendary difficulty it can prove to be very channel ging for even some of the best gamers if you try yo do it solo, the graphic are a vast improvement on reach with a lot of work going it to designing the gaming environments and multiplayer maps as well as the amazing cut scenes that go between the campaign missions, the story is a lot different from what people come to expect of the halo franchise and goes for a more personal story between the master chief and cortanna his AI companion who has been with him throughout the halo games to me this is an interesting direction to take the game as it try's to show the chief has a human side to him than just a soilder of war as we have seen in previous halo's, the sound has been improved as well and the guns all sound authentic and unique in their own style, the multiplayer has been improved with the introduction of spartan ops, the episodic co-op campaign which is expand with continuous episodes down loades from Xbox live tho I'm kind of disappointed firefight wasn't kept in there as well, I have to admit you can see where halo has taken some of its influence from the call of duty series but this isn't a bad thing really as they have made the game more accessible to a wider audience with custom load outs, their rank system is very similar to cod, and the ordinance drops are like call of duty killstreaks but these help to improve make the multiplayer better and balance the game out better as there are no longer people camping waiting for a power weapon like the rocket launcher or or that to spawn as it now comes in an ordinance drop. In my opinion 343 have kept halo 4 true to what the halo franchise is but have tried and succeeded in making it accessible to a wider audience.… Expand
  69. Oxcart
    Mar 24, 2013
    7
    So, the sixth Halo game. I've been through Halo 1-3, ODST, and Reach. I've done my tours of duty with the UNSC, from the low-end low-budget beginning through the slick and polished latest. But this is different; Bungie has slipped its reins off the Halo horse, and MGS has taken over. How did they do? Very well, better than I expected. Let's take a look. Graphics are outstanding, withSo, the sixth Halo game. I've been through Halo 1-3, ODST, and Reach. I've done my tours of duty with the UNSC, from the low-end low-budget beginning through the slick and polished latest. But this is different; Bungie has slipped its reins off the Halo horse, and MGS has taken over. How did they do? Very well, better than I expected. Let's take a look. Graphics are outstanding, with well-built levels that benefit from good artwork. Enemies (and allies) are correspondingly high-res, meaning that even on console, you won't have your immersion in the game wrecked by something on-camera that looks like a digital camera threw up on screen (we've all seen that...are you listening, Jurassic Park?). Weapon design has undergone a major overhaul, and one for the positive. I've previously had an intense dislike for non-human weapons in Halo, but this installment is different; Forerunner weapons are pretty sweet. Gameplay is well above average. Two missteps mar the game, though. First, the campaign is short. As in "we got it done on Legendary in six hours" short. Second, the storytelling, while not bad, is much thinner than previous Halo games. It's clear that Microsoft Game Studios wasn't as interested in telling an epic story as their predecessors. Even so, it's an enjoyable game that really is a must-play for Halo fans. Everybody else, it's a good shooter with challenge and finesse...just not a lot of single-player mileage in the tank. A fair 7 to Halo 4, and a "good job" to the folks at MGS responsible for it.… Expand
  70. BillySpandex
    Jan 6, 2013
    5
    The problem with Halo 4 is that it's a grossly overrated title. However to its credit, it is a better game to Halo 3 and dare I say it Halo Reach. The emotional connection between the Chief and Cortana was very well done, however the whole tale comes undone towards the end. The story's momentum just doesn't hold and at the end, the game feels weak.
  71. Sakai
    Jan 17, 2013
    7
    Halo 4 is a very good shoot 'em up, but is lower than the other Halo Xbox 360 (maybe better than ODST) The story mode could be better, the online mode is not bad, perhaps the use of scores is a point negative. Moreover, it is a good game.
  72. TheSquirrel
    Nov 24, 2012
    7
    While every other game in the series is saving with world with some character secondary story, the campaign in Halo 4 is flipped. Saving the world seems to take a back seat to the Master Chief's quest to solve Cortana's rampancy. This makes for a more emotional story, but a less intense one as well. The saving the world story which I will not spoil doesn't seem to be given the attentionWhile every other game in the series is saving with world with some character secondary story, the campaign in Halo 4 is flipped. Saving the world seems to take a back seat to the Master Chief's quest to solve Cortana's rampancy. This makes for a more emotional story, but a less intense one as well. The saving the world story which I will not spoil doesn't seem to be given the attention it deserves. This is easily the most amped up storyline Halo series has seen, what with numerous leading up books and movies, yet the story in the game itself doesn't feel alive and fleshed out.

    That is my largest complaint in a game that I like very much. The music is incredible, the environments are beautifully detailed, and the facial CG is beyond incredible. I cannot wait to play more Infinity so that I can write a follow-up to this review.

    My final complaint is the complete stripped down content you get if you are not online. Never have I been so disappointed with offline content. It was an inevitability that the days of offline gaming were coming to an end, but I never imagined not even having access to a campaign scoring system, the elimination of offline firefight, just stripped down. Were it not for the lack of offline content, this game would have been a 9 for me. The lack of out-of-box value, however, has shown that 343 has largely abandoned the offline gamer, and considering that Reach, ODST, and Halo3 had plenty to keep one occupied unconnected, this step back has tarnished my view of this series;

    Until the Internet guy makes it to my house...    … Expand
  73. Terbo
    Nov 20, 2012
    7
    Overall not a bad game; I enjoyed the campaign but agree with those who feel it was too short. My first play-thru was heroic and I finished in under 5 hours. Graphics were improved; I wasn't crazy about the music. I like Spartan Ops, and if 343 continues to release new missions for an extended period of time, gamers will likely not feel so shafted over the minimal campaign content.Overall not a bad game; I enjoyed the campaign but agree with those who feel it was too short. My first play-thru was heroic and I finished in under 5 hours. Graphics were improved; I wasn't crazy about the music. I like Spartan Ops, and if 343 continues to release new missions for an extended period of time, gamers will likely not feel so shafted over the minimal campaign content. Multiplayer was fun, but I love grenades, and well, lets just say I could kill more spartans with a single fart than with 50 halo 4 grenades. Overall not a bad game, but something is missing. Something is missing from this halo, that makes it, well, less halo-ish.… Expand
  74. ihatecheez
    Nov 17, 2012
    7
    i dont know how to explain this but, i am a big halo fan, no doubt, and when bungie left and gave the franchise to 343 industries i had mixed feelings. could they do better than bungie? well they didnt ruin the franchise thats for sure! the campaign is pretty short which kind of disappointed me, and the story does have some plot holes but the story its self at the end is pretty cool.i dont know how to explain this but, i am a big halo fan, no doubt, and when bungie left and gave the franchise to 343 industries i had mixed feelings. could they do better than bungie? well they didnt ruin the franchise thats for sure! the campaign is pretty short which kind of disappointed me, and the story does have some plot holes but the story its self at the end is pretty cool. apparently this is a start of a new trilogy but i dont see how they can continue from where it ended. another thing in the campaign is the new enemies. THEY ARE ANNOYING! they will piss you off like no other enemy in the franchise. if found the flood annoying. wait till you try this on legendary!

    multiplayer has had a change too, its a bit more like call of duty and battlefield with the custom classes and the sprinting. but it still does feel like halo and fans will be sort of like home, maybe a but more to their neighbors home. the annoying thing i found so far in the multiplayer is that when your playing online, the same maps keep coming over and over again. i find that there are not enough maps that come with the game, but if you want to spend a couple extra bucks, dlc maps are coming. over all i had a pleasant time playing the campaign and the multiplayer. i still have some mixed feelings cause it does and doesnt feel like a halo game. but thats just my opinion. halo ce is and so far has always been the definitive halo game in my opinion.    … Expand
  75. KevowOfRice
    Nov 13, 2012
    7
    I think out of all the Halo titles, this "Almost" falls as bad as Reach was. The biggest mistake developers of video games make is trying to add in new things that NOBODY (that loves halo) wanted in the game in the first place. You start with a single game that everyone loves, add in improvements and separate features (such as forge, skulls) in. But when you start to add in new things thatI think out of all the Halo titles, this "Almost" falls as bad as Reach was. The biggest mistake developers of video games make is trying to add in new things that NOBODY (that loves halo) wanted in the game in the first place. You start with a single game that everyone loves, add in improvements and separate features (such as forge, skulls) in. But when you start to add in new things that were NEVER asked for, well than you are going to have a bad time! Spartan Ops was literally a disappointment. It could be a big time waster for new players, but lack the freshness of diversity compared to the campaign. It was literally just firefight but with an ending and location movement, but you can't change what enemies there are and the play-style like firefight. You just spawn, leaving out the challenge of beating it with ease and its just plain crap for people who actually try not to get any deaths, not that it even matters anymore.

    Graphics are amazing, very rarely do I see any graphic clippings, and that was ONLY in the cutscenes in campaign. The lighting is amazing. But the generating lighting feature in Forge is so annoying I wish you had the option of turning it off!

    Multiplier is fast paced and I like it. But when you get over the fact of graphics, lighting, and features in-game, it starts to turn into **** Ordinance was the worst feature of all. Some players got rockets and shotguns, while unlucky players received mere needlers that need to be fired directly for a long time before getting a kill. Weapon balancing is a HUGE issue in this game! DMR is a 4 head-shot kill while the rest of the weapons take 6-10 shots. ALL of the forerunner weapons are **** like the Boltshot which is like a charged up shotgun capable of overtaking a primary weapon at close-mid range any day.

    Forge was amazing. The new interface made it 10x as easy and faster to build new structures. Needless to say, anybody can take the time now to create anything they want.

    The menu/lobby is to unorganized and clunky. It takes time to find other players and counting how many players takes effort. You can't find your buddy as easily as the ones in Halo Reach or 3. '

    The idea of prestiging in Halo just wants to make me burn down 343 for ALL of this **** they are copying from COD. I'm so disappointed how desperate they are to getting COD players to join in, they don't even care about the loyal fans out there whole love the HALO mechanics over COD and just makes everything less fun for everyone and makes everyone mad.

    The campaign was repetitive and boring like Gears of War 3. All you did was go somewhere, kill the enemies and move on. Just so many fillers that needed to be fixed.

    The armors in H4 were impressive looking but the idea of letting people unlock them and giving them out for free makes wearing those armors feel like you didn't even worked for it. No matter how cool that armor looks it just feels like you didn't earn it and that everyone has it. Id personally would of liked it if they did the opposite with spartan points to the load outs and put it on armor instead.    … Expand
  76. TheBestReview
    Nov 16, 2012
    7
    This is the best review for this game: Halo 4. The Good: brilliant visuals, balanced multiplayer, weekly content (spartan ops) and it feels like a halo game... except it isn't. The Bad: Campaign has missing levels, (You feel as you play through it that important introductions and information is missing) I hate to say it but the first-person "action sequences" that happen feel way too CoD,This is the best review for this game: Halo 4. The Good: brilliant visuals, balanced multiplayer, weekly content (spartan ops) and it feels like a halo game... except it isn't. The Bad: Campaign has missing levels, (You feel as you play through it that important introductions and information is missing) I hate to say it but the first-person "action sequences" that happen feel way too CoD, (not that CoD is bad mind you, but this is Halo.) The ending... as soon as Chief is crawling on a light bridge you will know what I mean... and I feel that 343i "left out" content that are stables in Halo as of this point. (Firefight, Theater Mode for Campaign, etc...) All in all, I'd say that if you are a Halo fan, you may have some reservations about lost content or lack of campaign varity (not in the vehicle mission but in all the others it feels like all you do is go to objectives and activate things...) but if you are a shooter fan and enjoy the fun of challenging enemies and the variety of very well-balanced weapons then this could be your cup of tea. The addition of CoD-like gameplay to the Halo franchise feels like the addition of the Arbiter missions in Halo 2; some people dig it, some people don't. Final Verdict: Halo 4 is beautiful game riddled with missing content, but if you can get past what could have been you will pick up this game with one thought: "I need a weapon." - The Best Review… Expand
  77. wiles01
    Nov 21, 2012
    7
    There are lots of set pieces in this game that make you giddy with excitement at the new ideas. The Mantis combat walker, the Mammoth 6 wheeled sandcrawler type vehicle. Lots of neat ideas. They did a good job of revising the franchise.

    Then there are other parts of the game that make you want to beat your head against the wall in frustration. It is hard sometimes to see where you    There are lots of set pieces in this game that make you giddy with excitement at the new ideas. The Mantis combat walker, the Mammoth 6 wheeled sandcrawler type vehicle. Lots of neat ideas. They did a good job of revising the franchise.

    Then there are other parts of the game that make you want to beat your head against the wall in frustration. It is hard sometimes to see where you are supposed to go next and you just kind of have to search your way around.

    Good story though and great graphics and gameplay otherwise. If you are a fan of Halo it is a must buy, if you are not a fan, then it might be a pass for you.    … Expand
  78. AngryGRG
    Jan 5, 2013
    5
    Halo, one of my favorite series. But...Halo 4, is not as well as i anticipated. I believe they should of ended off Halo once and for all at Halo 3. But...we got Halo 4. I hope this is the last one, but it's not. The game is dropping it's edge. My personal opinion is that Halo 3 still remains the one i had the most enjoyment in. Halo 4 is basically Halo 3. But HD. It's multiplayer is sameHalo, one of my favorite series. But...Halo 4, is not as well as i anticipated. I believe they should of ended off Halo once and for all at Halo 3. But...we got Halo 4. I hope this is the last one, but it's not. The game is dropping it's edge. My personal opinion is that Halo 3 still remains the one i had the most enjoyment in. Halo 4 is basically Halo 3. But HD. It's multiplayer is same as old, no drastic changes like Halo 3 had from Halo 2 and 1. Combat is really linear, campaign is too short but highly repayable due to daily challenges and achievements. Story is well written but not very good. It's just fine. Spartan ops is...boring gameplay wise. The only enjoyment i get from them is the 2 minute cut scenes which are from each episode. I was a huge Halo fan, i almost got my self into buying the limited edition, but now. That i see it, i thanked my self i didn't. I would of wasted money. Halo games now are starting to get a bit repetitive which is bad. Overall its a 50/50 shot. If your purely up for it, go ahead and get it. If your not a major halo fan. Dont get it.… Expand
  79. Alptitude
    Jan 18, 2013
    7
    I bought Halo 4 about a month ago since at first I was not all that convinced that 343 would continue the Halo series that I loved. The game lives up to its hype. If you enjoy Halo games in the slightest then this game is fantastic. Despite the short campaign, Halo 4's story I believe is more engrossing than much of the original Halo trilogy. That said, I personally do not enjoy Halo 4 asI bought Halo 4 about a month ago since at first I was not all that convinced that 343 would continue the Halo series that I loved. The game lives up to its hype. If you enjoy Halo games in the slightest then this game is fantastic. Despite the short campaign, Halo 4's story I believe is more engrossing than much of the original Halo trilogy. That said, I personally do not enjoy Halo 4 as much as I did any of the previous Halo FPS installments. My main problems with the game relate to game-play. With respect to the campaign, in Halo: CE and Halo 2, I remember how difficult fighting elites were on legendary and how tactical at times fighting those enemies could be. It was always a relief to fight the flood but still exhilarating as waves of flood tried to overtake me. The Covenant in Halo 4 are easier than the flood were in Halos 1 - 3. Rarely do elites require switching to plasma weapons or require any other thinking than shoot until they die. I will admit groups of Covenant are far more effective in groups since grunts and jackals seem to have been upgraded to do more damage and often an elite is nearby. However, tactical thinking still can be required at points when facing Covenant. If the game's adversaries only consisted of Covenant, I might forgive the easy difficulty and merely add skulls to increase the difficulty. Halo 4's Prometheans really are the most aggravating adversaries. The elite-equivalent Prometheans need to be bursted down but they retreat or warp next to me right as I am about to kill them. Since they retreat so often, I end up wasting all my ammo for my rifle. Since the game constantly blocks previous paths (which had plenty of ammo), I have often found myself running like a madman around the battlefield looking for any type of weapon since my ammo has run out. I do not mind the burst requirement for the Prometheans but I do wish the game felt as open as the previous Halos. MULTIPLAYER (only competitive not cooperative):
    Halo 4's multiplayer is a far more mixed experience. While I find the game-play quite fun and the maps not altogether horrible, War Games really suffers from balance issues. Every previous iteration of Halo provided decent balance and competitive modes. From what I understand competitive modes will be added but I doubt that games will ever really feel balanced. The killstreaks or Ordinances are really overdone. At this point in the game, players mainly choose shotgun-type weapons and camp or they choose sniper rifles if given the option. In past Halo games, getting shot while zoomed in would cause the player to zoom out. Not anymore. This has made sniper rifles easily the best mid-long range weapons since it pretty much guarantees a kill. Yet this really is a minor flaw in the game and it rarely disrupts my enjoyment of the game. The presence of killstreaks, the lack of the ability to grab grenades off of dead enemies as default, and the removal of map and weapon control really augments the feeling that this really is not Bungie's Halo anymore. The game used to reward smart skilled play but really it just rewards people who get killstreaks the fastest which allows them to get more later. Until Halo 4, multiplayer required decent teammates and intelligent play. I cannot give this anything less than an 7 but also anything more than an 8 as this game really is more style than substance. It disheartens me that Halo has moved away from tactical game-play to run and gun idiocy. Hopefully, competitive play will be just that and until then I, regretfully, will probably not continue to play this mass-appealing drivel.    … Expand
  80. ParrotMuncher
    Feb 4, 2013
    7
    I have been a Halo fan since the Combat Evolved and though this game was not perfect I have very high hopes for what 343 will end up doing with the series. First of all this game doesn't deserve a 10 or 9, it deserves a 7 or 8, but also keep in mind this game in no way deserves the low scores people are giving it and some people don't know how to score a game if they give almost anything aI have been a Halo fan since the Combat Evolved and though this game was not perfect I have very high hopes for what 343 will end up doing with the series. First of all this game doesn't deserve a 10 or 9, it deserves a 7 or 8, but also keep in mind this game in no way deserves the low scores people are giving it and some people don't know how to score a game if they give almost anything a zero. Now to get into the game, the story is great. Cortana is starting to deteriorate as all AI's do eventually and your primary mission is to save her although you get sidetracked with saving the universe again from the new enemy the Prometheans. This game is very good at really showing emotion in Master Chief which I can't say I've ever seen in the whole series before. The missions are fun, but the first three missions feel pretty dull and like all you do is press buttons. After that the game really picks up and is a fun adventure. The next thing to review is the new enemy, the Prometheans, (I'm not going to bother going over the covenant). The Promethean knights and Crawlers are very cool enemies to fight. My only problem would be with crawlers having a sniper killing you in one shot and I feel the teleporting of the knights is more frustrating than entertaining. The thing I can't stand is the Watchers, or in other words the little flying guys. They give the knights shields and deflect grenades back at you, and when you shoot them they fly away. It's fine for a game to be challenging, but the watchers are just plain irritating. Spartan Ops is just maps being constantly recycled. There's an attempt at a story, but it's ridiculous and you won't find yourself caring. There's not much to it, I don't recommend it. I love the multiplayer, it is great and I don't care what people have to say about it. The new modes are great, there's no real problems with the classes and infinity slayer is very fun. There's tons of new armor and reasons to rank up. Ordinance isn't cheap and I like the power weapons scattered throughout the map randomly. I kind of wish they had a mode of just classic Halo but it's ok without it. I hate the Boltshot, almost like a mini shotgun, but it's not the worst thing and it won't ruin the experience. Please don't even acknowledge people saying this multiplayer is just COD, these are either just stupid 5 year-old COD fanboys or Halo fans who can't handle small changes. I haven't loved the multiplayer of a game to the point where I actually play it a lot and enjoy myself since Halo 3 (even though I liked Halo: Reach). In conclusion Bungie blessed us with a studio that knows what it's doing and remember this is their first game that they fully did! It will only get better and a true Halo fan should be able to stick with it instead of hating on it because it had changes. And if you are a huge Halo fan and don't like it than just don't complain and stick with the old ones… Expand
  81. Jangster
    Feb 11, 2013
    7
    As far as the Halo series goes, I must applaud 343 for daring to do new things. Chief is a lot more narrative. Cortana is naked as ever. The environments are gorgeous. Sound is ho-hum. Story is OK. In fact, the story is the biggest drawback of the game. I have no problem with Cortana needing Chief's help because she's losing her sh*t. What I do have a problem with is the awkwardAs far as the Halo series goes, I must applaud 343 for daring to do new things. Chief is a lot more narrative. Cortana is naked as ever. The environments are gorgeous. Sound is ho-hum. Story is OK. In fact, the story is the biggest drawback of the game. I have no problem with Cortana needing Chief's help because she's losing her sh*t. What I do have a problem with is the awkward relationship these two have. If I'm not listening to her crying about losing Chief, I'm listening to Chief saying, "It's OK baby, I'll take care of you." I want to shoot at things and be a hero, not watch a $60 soap opera.

    The multiplayer is all about shoehorning Call of Duty elements into Halo game play. I feel like 343 took all of Bungie's hard work and tried to dress it up as something new by replicating what put Infinity Ward on the map. This is just my opinion, of course.    … Expand
  82. WuTu_Phantom
    Feb 17, 2013
    7
    Halo 4 as a game isn't exactly what I was expecting from the series, with a poor campaign that doesn't stand up to the previous 3. Graphics are incredible, I will say, better than any of the previous games. Multiplayer gameplay is dominated by the DMR, an overpowered weapon that has no downsides, the Boltshot, a pistol that doubles as a shotgun, and grenade spam, players enjoy picking theHalo 4 as a game isn't exactly what I was expecting from the series, with a poor campaign that doesn't stand up to the previous 3. Graphics are incredible, I will say, better than any of the previous games. Multiplayer gameplay is dominated by the DMR, an overpowered weapon that has no downsides, the Boltshot, a pistol that doubles as a shotgun, and grenade spam, players enjoy picking the same maps over and over until they don't have that choice anymore, and this gets very boring, very fast. Overall, the game isn't worthy of the title of Halo, maybe Call of Spartan 4 would have been a better title, because it seems like they attempted to CoDify it as much as possible without completely changing the game, speeding up gameplay wherever they could, sacrificing quality in many cases. Spartan ops, as an honorable mention, is disappointing and boring, recycled maps and stale gameplay make for a dull gameplay experience that doesn't cut it.… Expand
  83. Blahguy126
    Feb 27, 2013
    6
    Sure the graphics are shiny and the gunplay is smooth, but other than that, this game has little appeal to me. The multiplayer is unforgiving to newcomers, the campaign is short (Heroic with no skulls on took me only about six hours for the first playthrough), and although the story is emotional at times, the plot was overall rather dull and uncaptivating. Don't buy this game, just rent itSure the graphics are shiny and the gunplay is smooth, but other than that, this game has little appeal to me. The multiplayer is unforgiving to newcomers, the campaign is short (Heroic with no skulls on took me only about six hours for the first playthrough), and although the story is emotional at times, the plot was overall rather dull and uncaptivating. Don't buy this game, just rent it or play it at your friend's house. Still worth a playthrough, though.… Expand
  84. WaffleFox
    Mar 14, 2013
    6
    The game is pretty much the same as any other Halo. You go through a short campaign and shoot covenant, flood, and whatever else stands in your way. This game introduces a new enemy faction: the Prometheans. The weapons they use are really cool looking and handle just like any other weapon. For the most part though, I'd rather use the old weapons rather than the new ones. Once youThe game is pretty much the same as any other Halo. You go through a short campaign and shoot covenant, flood, and whatever else stands in your way. This game introduces a new enemy faction: the Prometheans. The weapons they use are really cool looking and handle just like any other weapon. For the most part though, I'd rather use the old weapons rather than the new ones. Once you beat the campaign there isn't much of anything else to do. You could play online which takes up 3GB of your hard drive to download the stuff needed to play, but that's an additional feature which requires XBOX LIVE paid membership. Seeing as you have to pay seperately for this, I don't consider it part of the game. The game is what it comes with, not what you have to pay extra for. That's what it is to me anyway. Anyway the game is good and there is a decent amount of new things in it. But doesn't stand out as anything amazing or different from previous Halo shooters.… Expand
  85. Blueshift
    Apr 2, 2013
    6
    Being the big Halo fan I am, I bought Halo 4 despite my doubts that 343 could make a good Halo game. After 5 months of playing the game, I can say that Halo 4 was a massive disappointment, with the campaign being the only bright spot in my opinion. The multiplayer is an utter insult to the franchise, particularly because Halo's multiplayer was based on the idea that everybody was equal andBeing the big Halo fan I am, I bought Halo 4 despite my doubts that 343 could make a good Halo game. After 5 months of playing the game, I can say that Halo 4 was a massive disappointment, with the campaign being the only bright spot in my opinion. The multiplayer is an utter insult to the franchise, particularly because Halo's multiplayer was based on the idea that everybody was equal and that is definitely no the case in Halo 4. Power weapons no longer have static spawns and just drop down randomly on the map in almost all of the playlists (who was the moron who thought that was a good idea?) Players could also spawn with the boltshot, a weapon that is essentially a mini shotgun (though they did nerf it a bit). Moving on from multiplayer, custom games and forge both have been incredibly watered down compared to Reach and drives away even more of the fanbase. Unfortunately i don't think 343 will draw back the fans they drove away; maybe they should have tried sticking to Halo's roots instead of ripping off other franchises.… Expand
  86. insanem0nk
    Apr 9, 2013
    7
    inherited a golden franchise and huge fanbase from bungie, and 343 squandered it by trying to make halo into their own. well guess what, people bought halo 4 for bungie, and stopped playing because of 343. they won't be tricked into buying halo 5, in hopes that 343 will be bringing it back to "halo roots" like they said. the only people that continue playing are the BTB scrubs, who'veinherited a golden franchise and huge fanbase from bungie, and 343 squandered it by trying to make halo into their own. well guess what, people bought halo 4 for bungie, and stopped playing because of 343. they won't be tricked into buying halo 5, in hopes that 343 will be bringing it back to "halo roots" like they said. the only people that continue playing are the BTB scrubs, who've changed halo into 8v8 into the traditional 4v4 arena shooter it is known for. A lot of false promises backed by nonresponsive PR rankings promised on day 1, comes 6 months after, fileshare promised day 1, comes 3 months after. 343 is a bad studio, and being a new studio doesn't give them some leeway, why did they give a new studio the reins to 360's best exclusive? and its not like those developers are new, theyve all worked on tripleA titles… Expand
  87. gorelequint
    Apr 24, 2013
    7
    While Halo 4 (Xbox 360) is a fantastic, enjoyable game with amazing graphics, it could have been so much more. I have loved the halo franchise from the original Combat Evolved to Halo Reach, but Halo 4 just didn't have the full package I was hoping for. The campaign was short, repetitive and linear. When I say linear, I mean canyons and corridors. You will know exactly what I mean if youWhile Halo 4 (Xbox 360) is a fantastic, enjoyable game with amazing graphics, it could have been so much more. I have loved the halo franchise from the original Combat Evolved to Halo Reach, but Halo 4 just didn't have the full package I was hoping for. The campaign was short, repetitive and linear. When I say linear, I mean canyons and corridors. You will know exactly what I mean if you have played the previous games. There is simply not enough open, widespread areas that make you gasp in awe at the size of them.

    There was one particular sequence that I loved, which involved riding on a giant tank (very similar to the sequence in Gears of War 2) while defending it but it didn't last long enough, and guess what?...The tank was driving through yet another linear canyon The sequence could have had so much more added to it to make it worthy of the Halo franchise. An example of a worthy Halo chapter was the epic final battle in Halo 3, where you are battling infantry, scarabs, ghosts, wraiths etc. That battle just made me jump for joy while I was playing it. Sadly there is no, i repeat, NO epic battles in this game at all.

    I got the feeling that the new makers, 343 Industries were too busy trying to put everything from the old halo games in that they forgot that the fans also want something new. The new enemies (rogue covenant and the prometheans) are boring and have absolutely zero personality compared to the Covenant in Halo 3, who I began to have respect for towards the end of the game. The new weapons aren't new they are just the same old weapons turned orange, with different sound effects
    The storyline was very vague in explaining what the enemies actually want which is, in my opinion a very important factor to take into account. Why are they doing what they are doing? The most disappointing part of the campaign is the boss battle. I was hoping for a showdown that would take me loads of attemps to beat but......no.....It lasted 3 seconds and most of it was a cutscene.

    The multiplayer is pretty much the same. The maps are uninspiring and I can't pick out anything new or innovative apart from changing the NAMES of some of the game types. Not very exciting....i mean...come on...game NAMES??? Who cares?? However, there is one new game type that I love: Dominion. It involves capturing bases, fortifying them with shields and turrets, and then defending them from the enemy. This involves tactic and teamwork, which is something that I think the previous halo game types didn't have enough of. But...This does not make up for the disappointment of the rest of the game.

    The fact is, halo has so much potential. The halo universe is a brilliant creation and there is so much that can be added to it. It's practically limitless...... so why didn't they add anything?? Beats me??!    … Expand
  88. 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
  89. 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.
  90. 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
  91. 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
  92. 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
  93. 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
  94. 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
  95. 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!
  96. 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.
  97. 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
  98. 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
  99. 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
  100. 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
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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

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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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