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. Aleluis
    Jan 28, 2013
    10
    10/10 is the minimum i would have give a 11/10
    This is the game of the years the best game in the world
    Fun and not violent like the others fps this game is the best game i know the reason I sold my ps3 and buy a xbox360
    You will love it as I do
    Enjoy ;)
  2. joker8765
    Jan 29, 2013
    9
    343 industries has managed to do what many including myself would have deemed an impossible task. They have managed to both keep the Halo that I know and love while at the same time making slight adjustments to the formula, most notably in the multiplayer. While some of the story elements are poorly explained within the game itself, though those of you who read the books should find them343 industries has managed to do what many including myself would have deemed an impossible task. They have managed to both keep the Halo that I know and love while at the same time making slight adjustments to the formula, most notably in the multiplayer. While some of the story elements are poorly explained within the game itself, though those of you who read the books should find them perfectly understandable, I found the overall story to be satisfying and the ending resonated with me long after I put down the controller. In short Halo 4 is an exceptional game and while some may complain of the ordinance drops or the tactical packages in multiplayer, I can honestly say as a devout Halo fan that this is the most fun I've had playing a Halo game in years and that most importantly of all it still feels exactly how Halo should.… Expand
  3. nightsharks23
    Jan 29, 2013
    9
    Before I played Halo 4, I was a big Call of Duty fan. I fell like ever since Modern Warfare 2, the series has been going down ever since. I couldn't stand Black Ops 2 anymore and I decided to try something different. I can honestly say Halo 4 is the first Halo game I have ever played, and the best FPS I have ever played. The story was remarkable, the guns were great, the sound was great,Before I played Halo 4, I was a big Call of Duty fan. I fell like ever since Modern Warfare 2, the series has been going down ever since. I couldn't stand Black Ops 2 anymore and I decided to try something different. I can honestly say Halo 4 is the first Halo game I have ever played, and the best FPS I have ever played. The story was remarkable, the guns were great, the sound was great, everything to me was great. 343 Industries did a great job of creating their first Halo game. If I have to nit pick certain stuff, Spartan Ops to me is kinda boring and really has no replay value compared to the campaign. Another criticism I would have is since Halo's multiplayer has taken a Call of Duty approach, I expected there to be more maps to choose from. I usually find myself playing the same maps over and over again like exile. Last is the music, don't get me wrong I love the music in Halo 4, but I found it a little disappointing that they didn't input some of the original music in the game. Nevertheless, Halo 4 is great! I really recommend this game anyone!… Expand
  4. MelkorMorgoth
    Feb 25, 2013
    4
    I really hoped that bungies absence in a Halo game wouldn't be that big of a deal...but i was very wrong. Halo 4, despite its graphical superiority is a very poor Halo game. the Campaign is a bit of mixed bag, the antagonist and his plans feels rushed and is very bland, but the interactions between John 117 and Cortana are very well done. the campaign also briefly delves into John'sI really hoped that bungies absence in a Halo game wouldn't be that big of a deal...but i was very wrong. Halo 4, despite its graphical superiority is a very poor Halo game. the Campaign is a bit of mixed bag, the antagonist and his plans feels rushed and is very bland, but the interactions between John 117 and Cortana are very well done. the campaign also briefly delves into John's sociopathic side which is very interesting despite the fact that its extremely brief. The campaigns weakest link is its criminally anti climatic QTE boss fight. it may be very short but it makes the villain even more worthless than he was in the first place. The multiplayer is also a complete disaster.... the spartan IV's armors look absolutely ridiculous and resemble power rangers more than the traditional realistic and badass looking Spartan II and III's. Rather then the addictive firefight from REACH and ODST 343 added a mode called Spartan Ops, an episodic series of missions that take place after the campaign...while this seemed like a decent idea, it ultimately fails due to the missions being painfully repetitive constantly recycling areas from campaign and having little to no story at all. the weekly cinematics also seemed nice but they are way too short to make anyone give a about the characters or story. Matchmaking rather then being a refined but familiar Halo experience, takes more hints from the appalling CoD series in its inclusion of perks, custom classes, Killcams, and zero spawn time. This ultimately rapes the Halo experience that people have come to know and love and makes it a COD game with a Halo color palette... in the end Halo 4 is an extremely weak Halo game with the only appeal being the ability to gawk at the games gorgeous visuals.… Expand
  5. sportsaddict009
    Feb 26, 2013
    2
    This game ruined halo. Like many have said, it's such a copy of MW, and they dont even try to hide it. 5 Classes, you pick a primary and secondary weapon and perks. You get something comparable to scorestreaks. The armor abilities have been weakened considerably, jetpack may get you 5 feet off the ground and then take 30 seconds to recharge. The maps arew poorly designed as well, old mapsThis game ruined halo. Like many have said, it's such a copy of MW, and they dont even try to hide it. 5 Classes, you pick a primary and secondary weapon and perks. You get something comparable to scorestreaks. The armor abilities have been weakened considerably, jetpack may get you 5 feet off the ground and then take 30 seconds to recharge. The maps arew poorly designed as well, old maps had at least 3 outs to any battle anywhere on the map. These maps you run into a corridor and are committed, if you meet anyone in it you win, or you die, no escape. Terrible game.… Expand
  6. 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.
  7. Lemelak
    Mar 26, 2013
    3
    Although 343 did all they could to keep up with the outstanding string of games that Bungie has been putting out for over 10 years I felt the fell short on many aspects of the game. The campaign was boring and repetitive not to mention absurdly short. I beat it within 5 hours, for a 60$ game it felt hardly worth it. The multi-player was significantly more interesting. The mechanics whereAlthough 343 did all they could to keep up with the outstanding string of games that Bungie has been putting out for over 10 years I felt the fell short on many aspects of the game. The campaign was boring and repetitive not to mention absurdly short. I beat it within 5 hours, for a 60$ game it felt hardly worth it. The multi-player was significantly more interesting. The mechanics where easy to grasp and the game felt more balanced than anything I've ever seen. There were no rushing for the rocket launchers and shotguns. Everyone had the weapons they needed at start and where rewarded for their outstanding gameplay with something other than points and icons with weapons to give them a bit of an edge but not over powered. All in all the game is only good for multi-player and COMPLETELY not worth 60$.… Expand
  8. lox
    Mar 16, 2014
    8
    Graphically beautiful, fun campaign, fluid controls, great set-pieces and addicting multiplayer, Halo 4 is a welcome entry to the franchise. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of 1 and 2, and the campaign is fairly short, it's still entertaining as hell.
  9. Friendzie
    Jan 7, 2014
    8
    It's pretty clear that 343 put a great deal of effort into the game. The production values are extremely high, and it's one of the best-looking games on the market even after the release of the Xbox One and PS4. The sound is mostly great as well. The gameplay is almost identical to past Halo games, which is a good thing, but you may be a little tired of it by now if you'd played all theIt's pretty clear that 343 put a great deal of effort into the game. The production values are extremely high, and it's one of the best-looking games on the market even after the release of the Xbox One and PS4. The sound is mostly great as well. The gameplay is almost identical to past Halo games, which is a good thing, but you may be a little tired of it by now if you'd played all the other games in the series. I'm only taking off a couple points for the rehashed gameplay and a couple weird moments in co-op, like trying to get through the scripted vehicle sections and having your character randomly explode because the other player died. Overall it's still one of the best shooters you can get for a console.… Expand
  10. BoredEasily
    Mar 10, 2013
    10
    10/10 probably a 9.5 really but this, in my opinion, is the best Halo since the first 2. I completed 3 and bought both Reach ODST but never managed to complete them as i got to bored too quickly...
  11. Silentwalker
    Mar 9, 2013
    2
    Halo 4, the campaign... For me was utterly terrible. I'll start with something that I think plays a major part in Halo and that is the Music. Music within the halo games have been excellent in portraying the feelings between the master cheif and cortana. Marty was excellent at giving feeling and depth to situations within halo.

    Unfortunately within halo 4 it's more like white noise. The    Halo 4, the campaign... For me was utterly terrible. I'll start with something that I think plays a major part in Halo and that is the Music. Music within the halo games have been excellent in portraying the feelings between the master cheif and cortana. Marty was excellent at giving feeling and depth to situations within halo.

    Unfortunately within halo 4 it's more like white noise. The sounds and music are repetitive and god awe full, they give no depth nor feeling to the game or any of the situations you're in.

    The campaign felt like a long walk with button pushes along the way, the writing was terrible along with the level design. They created a game that looks good but only to take your eye away from the poor design. In comparison to Halo 3, there were many memorable moments and quotes that I'll remember forever, such as.

    "You are, all of you, vermin. Cowering in the dirt, thinking…what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No. Your world will burn until its surface is but glass, and not even your Demon will live to creep, blackened from its hole, to mar the reflection of our passage. The culmination of our Journey, for your destruction is the will of the gods! And I? I am their instrument!"

    The emotion between the cheif and cortana was not there at all where as in Halo 3 you could really feel it. 2 words 343, Body Language. "You know me when I make a promise"

    Multiplayer on the other hand yet still is not as good as the previous games but I can understand why they went in the direction they did with games like cod and needing to keep up with any new fanbase.

    The multilayer for me is a 4/10 yet is still playable and good. The level design is 'OK' with new map packs improving on design slightly. The skill gap has been narrowed by a lot and they have made it so almost anyone can pick up and play if they have played fps's before. Where as the previous Halo's (minus reach) were on a more competitive scale.

    Hopefully with Halo 5 they will do a better job, as for now I think I may be going over to the Dark side next gen.    … Expand
  12. GFreeman
    Mar 21, 2013
    4
    Now I had high hopes for Halo 4. But these hopes were shot down when I was playing the Campaign. The enemy's are defiantly not as smart as people say them to be, and the missions are usually very bland and boring. After beating the game on Normal it then attempted to say me into buying Xbox Live so I can keep playing Halo 4. Now I don't play on the Xbox Live so the multiplayer was out ofNow I had high hopes for Halo 4. But these hopes were shot down when I was playing the Campaign. The enemy's are defiantly not as smart as people say them to be, and the missions are usually very bland and boring. After beating the game on Normal it then attempted to say me into buying Xbox Live so I can keep playing Halo 4. Now I don't play on the Xbox Live so the multiplayer was out of the question. Once I beat the main game, I went to the Infinity lobby to try Spartan Ops only to be shot down and slapped in the face by another wall blocking my way to more Halo 4. That wall was a few sentences that said "Xbox Live Gold membership and permission to play online required for Spartan Ops". I immediately turned off my console after that. I went back into the game however a few months later and played the campaign again. It was fun, but afterwards I check my custom created Spartan. I got nothing for playing the campaign. Absolutely nothing except for a helmet for my Avatar. Heck the game didn't even say what difficulty I completed the game on. In my personal opinion Halo 4 could have been a great game, but was shot down by the Xbox Live requirements. You need Xbox Live to look at over 80% of the games content. I'm sorry to say it, but 343 has really ruined Halo for me.… Expand
  13. VibroKnife
    Apr 16, 2013
    10
    10/10. Amazing game. One of the best I've played. Introduces new and fresh ideas to it's franchise and stays true to it's skill based gameplay. people who claim it's bad because of it's new features in the multiplayer. Those people are stupid and every thing could be explained in 1 sentence. For example people really hate the ordnance drops. Claiming that they are kill streak rewards.10/10. Amazing game. One of the best I've played. Introduces new and fresh ideas to it's franchise and stays true to it's skill based gameplay. people who claim it's bad because of it's new features in the multiplayer. Those people are stupid and every thing could be explained in 1 sentence. For example people really hate the ordnance drops. Claiming that they are kill streak rewards. They're f*cking idiots. It is a not a killstreak reward you can get these ordnance drops only in one game mode and you don't even have to go on a streak you just get them over time by accumulating points. Not kills. And even at that the ordnance drops are seriously just a way to drop power weapons that you can already find on the map to your position. Heck, often time's their only grenades and stuff. Everything else is top notch.… Expand
  14. adkenna
    Mar 26, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Halo 4 is a good start for 343 Industries in not just Halo but in gaming. Sure they did a good job with Halo: CEA however that was what I'd class as half a job, they polished an already great game and did a good job to make it look and somewhat feel like a modern game. However Halo 4 is 343's first full blown game.

    343 have already proven they can do a great job writing the story in Halo with its books, cartoons and many other productions they have created and I personally was very excited to see how they would take the Master Chiefs story and progress it further. A safe move to play would have been to just throw in a random reason that the covenant plan to restart the war with Humanity however 343 do a great job making Halo 4 feel bigger than the covenant, sure there is the storm faction (Poorly explained in the game) but they never feel like the main threat throughout the story and only feel like they are there to keep the Halo feeling we've all grown to love fighting them. 343 take the focus away from the Covenant with the Prometheans, a challenging but somewhat irritating new enemy in the campaign. At first the feeling that you are fighting something new and unpredictable gives you a great feeling, however there just always feels like there is something missing from them, that makes them feel fun to fight, that makes you feel like you are playing Halo and if you play the game on Legendary they become far less of a challenging enemy and become a bullet sponging monster that you just wish you could avoid instead of challenge it. However story-wise with the return of the Forerunners in particular the only one you see throughout the game; The Didact, if following the story makes you feel like you are dealing with something completely unknown, the first encounter with this Enhanced forerunner (Explained throughout Terminals in game) he makes our unstoppable Master Chief look like a pushover and throws him to the other side of the room with a simple flick installing the fear of him instantly. Although the end of the game is somewhat satisfying especially the speech from the Didact is still leaves you with not many hints of what could be coming next, sure people don't like cliffhangers but I can't help but feel this game would have befitted from one, when I finished the game although I know it's far from over, I jus felt like well... that's that dealt with. The story is great in this game even with it's underwhelming ending it defiantly leaves Halo with many different paths it could follow in Halo 5. Now the multiplayer of Halo 4 is also a mixture of goof and bad, as a long time Halo fan I'd love to be able to say yeah, it's amazing it's perfect but I can't, I personally have stopped playing it that often only a few months after release, it's not because it's bad but it just seems to bore me a lot more than any other Halo game has. I love the customization in this game with classes and your spartan is gives you many, many different options to customize your spartan in the way you want to, the only downside to this is the only real mode that makes you feel like your spartan is slightly important is Spartan Ops however although this mode is enjoyable and has a good story to it, it feels very respective and you just seem to be completing objevtives that add nothing to the actual story of Spartan Ops. Versus side of multiplayer is a blast to play at first but it doesn't take long for you to feel like something is missing that makes it feel again, less like Halo. The shear amount of playlists in the mutliplayer I personally find makes the game that much more repetitive as you can mostly chose the exact mode you want to play with very few playlists offering different modes within them. The DLC for this game sticks to traditional Halo DLC... Map Packs. Map Packs I can't help but feel are outdated DLC, yeah they can be good here and there but when the only DLC a entire franchise has ever revived is map packs then it kind of does become predicable, with the multiplayer already boring the player fast the map packs bring a few more hours of fun and then the same issues kick in with the game just feeling less and less fun over time, yeah every game eventually may feel like that but this one in particular suffers from it more than other games. I can't help but feel Halo needs some kind of great DLC like a full blown expansion such as what ODST was planned to be.

    Over-all Halo 4 is a good start for 343 and one can hope that they will learn from mistakes made in the game and improve with Halo 5. There are a lot of other things I could go into with the game however most are just small things such as the new gun sounds and the whole new soundtrack. A great story, fun in short bursts gameplay and leaves the Halo franchise with some good options this game earns a 8/10 from me even if I'd love to give the game a 10/10 because I love the Halo Universe I just can't.

    8/10    … Expand
  15. JonnyLoker
    Mar 31, 2013
    8
    As for Halo campaigns, this game's was the least epic. You don't in the least bit feel like Master Chief, and the pretty lack-lustre soundtrack is part of the reason why. The storyline was making Cortana and the Chief something that they never were previously, and tried to stir emotions in gamers where none can be found. They tried hard and failed hard at making it sad. Why is my score soAs for Halo campaigns, this game's was the least epic. You don't in the least bit feel like Master Chief, and the pretty lack-lustre soundtrack is part of the reason why. The storyline was making Cortana and the Chief something that they never were previously, and tried to stir emotions in gamers where none can be found. They tried hard and failed hard at making it sad. Why is my score so high? Because after months of gaming I'm still on the multiplayer. That being said, the lags and cutouts are far from good. It is obvious that 343 is not keeping up with their stuff like they should be. 8/10 In no way a bad game.… Expand
  16. 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
  17. mk7khatrj
    Mar 31, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have been a COD and a battlefield player and i decided to switch to Halo 4 because of all of its hype. But to be very honest it doesnot live up to its hype The graphics are good but the storyline is boring. The objectives are too repetitive. The guns are awesome but not the enemies. Repetitive enemies and poor objectives spoil all the good features such as amazing graphics. Poor expeirience and m now switching back to Bf3.… Expand
  18. kroople
    Apr 4, 2013
    9
    If you're a Halo fan, this game will make a fine addition to your collection. Fantastic campaign, even better multiplayer, and Spartan Ops is a welcome co-op addition that adds another element to the story. For forge lovers, like myself, there are some things they left out that might disappoint you, but it's still solid, especially with the recent addition of "Forge Islands". Overall, theIf you're a Halo fan, this game will make a fine addition to your collection. Fantastic campaign, even better multiplayer, and Spartan Ops is a welcome co-op addition that adds another element to the story. For forge lovers, like myself, there are some things they left out that might disappoint you, but it's still solid, especially with the recent addition of "Forge Islands". Overall, the best arcade FPS game on the Xbox 360 right now. If you're a Halo fan, you will not regret purchasing this.… Expand
  19. Geracritic
    Apr 7, 2013
    3
    the graphics are amazing and the sound is very realistic, but it is not the only thing to attract attention; levels are boring, really thought it would be something far grander.
  20. matadorred
    Apr 12, 2013
    1
    bad multiplayer, no weapon balance, they give the user the option to customize their loadouts with the various amounts of guns, but there's only 1 viable loadout and its DMR boltshot. they focused less on core halo multiplayer and more on their stupid spartan ops which gets an update every week while multiplayer has yet to get a balance patch, and they took out core halo playlists likebad multiplayer, no weapon balance, they give the user the option to customize their loadouts with the various amounts of guns, but there's only 1 viable loadout and its DMR boltshot. they focused less on core halo multiplayer and more on their stupid spartan ops which gets an update every week while multiplayer has yet to get a balance patch, and they took out core halo playlists like KOTH, Lone wolves FFA, in favor of their own dying playlists like Dominion and Regicide. For most of the start, there was no competitive playlist so most of the old halo fans left. 2 map packs were BTB, while only 1 had 3 small maps. On top of that, they released a puny amount of on-disc maps, with only 4 being small maps and catering only to BTB players. so theyve aliented half their playerbase, most of the old halo fans have left, so good luck with halo 5 and good riddance… Expand
  21. 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
  22. BillzHere
    Apr 16, 2013
    3
    In my honest opinion, this game has to be one of the worst FPS's I have ever played. In more simpler terms, this game is a colossal disaster. The story itself wasn't my main concern, it was the multiplayer. I really did not care much for the story in this game because, it really got boring and just plain stupid after playing the first hour or two. Granted, the campaign has some veryIn my honest opinion, this game has to be one of the worst FPS's I have ever played. In more simpler terms, this game is a colossal disaster. The story itself wasn't my main concern, it was the multiplayer. I really did not care much for the story in this game because, it really got boring and just plain stupid after playing the first hour or two. Granted, the campaign has some very beautiful scenery at points, the soundtrack is okay, and the guns sounds decent. But the story itself is nothing to get completely hyped up about.
    Now fore the real meat and bone, the multiplayer A.K.A. what made the game terrible I can see what 343 Industries were trying to do by incorporating all these new mechanics like default sprint, armor abilities, and loadouts. Basic terms, they were simply attempting to mimic Call of Duty to gather a bigger audience from that fan base. But the end result ended in a complete disaster. First off, my major pet peeve was the customization in this game. Instead of building off of Halo: Reach's amazing armor Customization, 343 Industries decides to rip off Halo 3's customization. That's right. HALO 3, a game made 5 YEARS AGO. My next concern is the feel of the game. This game has 0% Halo feel to it. In previous Halo multiplayers, teamwork was vital, you had to work with your team. But in this game, everyone is a lone wolf, fighting for themselves and not working co-operatively. The weapons in this game are terrible, some weapons I feel need to be stronger, like the assault rifle, and some weapons feel way too over powered to the point it's ridiculous. And some weapons that shouldn't be there in the first place. The game modes, are practically the same as Reach's Excluding the few new modes This game was not improved. It was turned into Call of Halo: Future Warfare 4. As a side note, if you leave too many games, you get banned for an hour. No warning what so ever. Just straight up banned. At least in Reach you got a warning and you only got banned for 15 minutes. I bet in that hour of being banned, you could get in a car bus, bike or walk to your nearest Gamestop, get a full refund, and Buy Halo: Reach.
    My overall score for the garbage game is a three out of ten. Those perfect scores are incorrect and dishonest, they are only reviewed by people who don't see the real errors that are right in their faces. 343 Industries won't be seeing another dime from me any time soon.    … Expand
  23. kylesar
    Apr 21, 2013
    8
    Excellent gameplay and nice guns make me love this game. The graphics are the best in the Halo series. The thing that keeps this from the 10 is the loss of Firefight. It was Firefight that made Halo Reach and ODST as addicting as they were
  24. Jonathan117
    Aug 2, 2013
    8
    Halo 1-3 & Halo Wars were amazing games, this one also qualifies to be some of the best in the series, but from what I can tell, more additions to the halo franchise is just microsofts way to milk it. Halo 4 was good, but not nearly as good as 1-3
  25. luismg
    Aug 19, 2016
    10
    This is the best playing halo from 1 to 4 including osdt and reach, you can sprint, you have more heapons a really nice story, awesome graphics even for these days standards. And a very good multplayer. The best halo so far.
  26. VinDeagle
    May 23, 2013
    3
    343 butchered the hell out of a great franchise. This game is basically Call of Duty with the Halo atmosphere. You can call in ordinance from kill streaks(Call of Duty), custom classes with perks to choose from(Call of Duty), get put into games that have already started(Call of Duty). The community is just as bad as the game mechanics. You will find many people who abuse perks like active343 butchered the hell out of a great franchise. This game is basically Call of Duty with the Halo atmosphere. You can call in ordinance from kill streaks(Call of Duty), custom classes with perks to choose from(Call of Duty), get put into games that have already started(Call of Duty). The community is just as bad as the game mechanics. You will find many people who abuse perks like active camo and promethean vision and truly ruin the entire match. The ghost is severely overpowered, you can't join a single game that doesn't have kids spamming the ghost plasma shot(which does way to much damage). The maps are horrendous. You will end up playing Exile over and over again and watch as your teammates race to the Gaus-Hog and destroy it when they don't get it every damn match. Terrible game, terrible community, don't buy this and wait for Bungie's new game.… Expand
  27. Brenden120
    Jun 14, 2013
    3
    It's not that bad if you don't think of it as a Halo sequel as the story itself was a bit cheesy and unoriginal, and has several repetitive tasks. As for the multiplayer they took all originality away trying to make it more of a CoD style multiplayer. (eg: load outs /w unlock-able guns and equipment, and kill streaks) Not much replay value for me as I didn't like the campaign in the first place.
  28. diggs16
    May 26, 2013
    4
    I thought long and hard about giving this game a lower score because of 343's blatant destruction of my absolute favorite game series, but I was objective. By category, here is how I review this game:

    Graphics/Sound: Excellent. I was skeptical about O'Donnell not doing the score, but Davidge did it justice. The graphics update was a nice touch, and this Halo is easily the best looking.    I thought long and hard about giving this game a lower score because of 343's blatant destruction of my absolute favorite game series, but I was objective. By category, here is how I review this game:

    Graphics/Sound: Excellent. I was skeptical about O'Donnell not doing the score, but Davidge did it justice. The graphics update was a nice touch, and this Halo is easily the best looking.

    Campaign: Decent. I would not go so far as to say it was good, but it was serviceable. It continued the story of the most beloved franchise character, and added a touch of humanity to MC as well. Didact was very forgettable as a villain, and he hardly seemed present throughout the game. The storyline with Cortana was so-so, decent but predictable.

    Multiplayer: Bad. This is what the Halo franchise is known for, and 343 REALLY dropped the ball. First of all, they had no beta, which is a huge mistake. This predictably led to balancing issues with weapons and load outs, bad hopper composition, and a very poor selection of maps to accompany the hoppers. Second, the game launched with no competitive ranking system. This was highly criticized with Reach, and yet they repeated the same mistake. When they finally did institute it, they mad it only visible on Waypoint, did not take into account any previously accumulated stats, and used a very bad and watered down rating system that is NOT Truskill (previously used in H3). Third, the map selection at launch was terrible. I know I glazed over this in the beta bit, but 8 maps at launch is not good. To compound the problem, the maps did not compliment the launched hoppers. There were very few small sized, arena type maps for Team Slayer, and the composition forced people to play Big Team. The need to launch a DLC just 1-2 months after launch shows that the needed content did not ship with the game. Fourth, the game hoppers at launch were lacking. There was no Team Snipers, no Griffball, Slayer Pro was taken down after a few weeks, and King Of The Hill was removed shortly thereafter. The choices were basically Team Slayer, or Big Team. Fifth, 343 allowed the king of competitive shooters to be dropped by the MLG. This was a serious mistake, and showed their intentions of moving away from a part of their fan base, which happened to be the most loyal and enduring of their followers.

    In summary, this game is in fact COD: Master Chief Edition. By alienating their core audience, 343 has all but eliminated multiplayer. At launch, the game boasted around 450,000 players in multiplayer during peak hours. At current time, the highest population for a current day is around 40,000. Currently, H4 ranks 5th in XBL player activity behind BO2, Minecraft, FIFA, and MW3. This game is less popular than a COD game that was released 1.5 years ago, and is widely considered to be the worst COD entry. I feel that a small bit of emotion is warranted, and I can only describe it as betrayal. I would pick this game up used in the bargain bin, but cannot justify anyone paying full price for it. I will certainly think long and hard before grabbing another 343 game, but by the time Destiny comes out, I doubt I will even think about Halo any longer.    … Expand
  29. Tokokojin
    Jun 4, 2013
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game one a steaming pile of Not only did they take what was good with the halo series and absolutely destroy it, they also decided that call of duty was a good game style to jack. Literally call of halo. Call of duty is the poster child for over-used garbage, and 343 decided to the out of it. The story is beyond trash, plot holes everywhere, and the ending is a joke! Since when can an AI produce a shield to block a nuclear explosion? If so, WHY THE DO YOU EVER DIE IN THE CAMPAIGN? Why did cortana hold that back during the entire game. 343, do me a favor, go bankrupt, then kill yourselves.… Expand
  30. Dastrados
    Jun 14, 2013
    8
    Like Call of duty and halo 3 had a baby. Not as retarded as Halo Reach. Halo 4 is a decent enough game. Campaign is interesting but no where up to par of the first three halos. Bottom line if u disliked halo reach you'll have similar feelings to this game. MP is too much like cod now. I just wanted a halo game, not a hybrid of cod.
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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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