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Halo 4: Review Thread

P

Perkel

Banned
GarthVaderUK said:
You know what's really cool? 343 have successfully developed a Halo game :D
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Let's wait for user reviews on GAF. Eurogamer 8 points that this is not perfect game and since most of game is MP then we should assume that real review will be after games premiere especially if you take bugs glitches into account.
 
A

AHappyPanda

Member
beastmode said:
Posters with Halo avatars have no problems with IGN's ad. Shocking.

Has to be a joke post.

I do not give a damn about what the reviews are focusing on. All I want to know is if the level design is on par with Bungie's games? That E3 demo was pathetic.
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YEAH! That 8 minute demo is totally indicative of the entire game's level design! Gonna have to play it yourself, but from everything I've read, it seems 343 has kept the sandbox feel pretty intact.
 
L

Lime

Member
Sorry to anyone if I shitted on their parade. I wasn't trying to annoy people, but I was trying to criticize the lack of critical thinking in some of the reviews in the OP as well as keeping the hype in check. I don't care whether or not Halo 4 gets good or bad scores/reviews, I'm just sick of the unprofessional behaviour by some of the "reviewers" and their automatic buy-in of AAA hype.

XtremeXpider said:
Wishing a score just for "see reaction" is very childish.
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Oh, I completely agree, I was just pointing out that the quoted posts didn't actually want a bad game, but a fan reaction to vicariously live through.
 
T

Trey

Member
Goldmund said:
Read that IGN review and tell me that you don't feel intellectually violated.
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I would say that anyone who is looking to placate their positive confirmation bias would find such a review stimulating.

I would also say that the IGN review is not too far above the base set by the field of reviews. It touches on all the major themes these reviews are laying out.

Basically, calling out IGN's review integrity is nothing new for folks, and all the fuckery in this thread is much more in the business of perpetuating that time honored tradition than any actual call for intellectual honesty and objectivity.
 
XtremeXpider

XtremeXpider

Member
Perkel said:
Let's wait for user reviews on GAF. Eurogamer 8 points that this is not perfect game and since most of game is MP then we should assume that real review will be after games premiere especially if you take bugs glitches into account.
Click to expand...

Why only Eurogamer count?
 
B

Baconsammy

Banned
Lime said:
Sorry to anyone if I shitted on their parade. I wasn't trying to annoy people, but I was trying to criticize the lack of critical thinking in some of the reviews in the OP as well as keeping the hype in check. I don't care whether or not Halo 4 gets good or bad scores/reviews, I'm just sick of the unprofessional behaviour by some of the "reviewers" and their automatic buy-in of AAA hype.
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No offense, that's some stupid shit right there. They were given a game to review. They reviewed it. You're mad that they chose to use the top end of the grading scale?

XtremeXpider said:
Why only Eurogamer count?
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He made that clear when he said it was what he thought the game deserved...despite never having played it. Yep.
 
K

KillerTravis

Banned
AHappyPanda said:
YEAH! That 8 minute demo is totally indicative of the entire game's level design! Gonna have to play it yourself, but from everything I've read, it seems 343 has kept the sandbox feel pretty intact.
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The level design on the demo was still top notch though, don't know what he is talking about.
 
G

GarthVaderUK

Banned
Perkel said:
Let's wait for user reviews on GAF. Eurogamer 8 points that this is not perfect game and since most of game is MP then we should assume that real review will be after games premiere especially if you take bugs glitches into account.
Click to expand...

Eurogamer gave CE an 8 too back in the day, and as far as I'm concerned Halo 4 got a positive review from them!

The closing paragraph:
Halo 4 is authentic, and assures 343's role is more than a mere tribute act. Their delicate yet sprawling work may be more continuation than true expansion - and perhaps the true test comes in the next step - but for now, Halo returns with a bang, not a whimper.
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BTW, we're not all multiplayer obsessed you know.
 
F

FyreWulff

Member
MS sending every journo Game Fuel would probably be a good explanation for where it all went in the retail chains. They redistributed the wealth
of diabetes
 
T

Trey

Member
beastmode said:
It's almost like I didn't ask if the entire game was representative of that demo in the post you are responding to.
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The E3 demo has long been confirmed (not even a week after it was shown) to have been chopped/repurposed for demo purposes. That's not how the instance plays out in the game.
 
A

AHappyPanda

Member
beastmode said:
It's almost like I didn't ask if the entire game was representative of that demo in the post you are responding to.
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I know, I tried quickly editing my post before the inevitable reply, apologies.

GrandHarrier said:
EVERY JOURNALIST EVER PAID OFF BY M$ AND DORITODEW!!! No way the be good...

Who am I kidding? So hype for this game. Reviews seem solid.
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I think there's a lot of people in the thread that don't have any issues with the #'s being given to the game. I do think that however that a lot of people, myself included, don't really care to see the sensationalism/hyperbole being spewed out in certain written and video reviews.

You can say a game is awesome without being SO pandering. That being said, I myself don't really buy into the idea of review scores being "bought." Subconciously influenced? Maybe AT BEST, but of course there are some definite examples where the evidence is pretty damning (see Wainwright/Tomb Raider, moreso her coverup effort than her actual fandom of the franchise, but I don't want to derail the thread)
 
M

Monumental

Banned
beastmode said:
Posters with Halo avatars have no problems with IGN's ad. Shocking.
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Posters with Halo avatars also dont have a problem with the many 8/10 reviews. Many communities go more ape-shit over a single 8 or even 8.8. So keep your insight to yourself.

The only people with a problem in this thread are those who dont like the high score by IGN. Shocking.
 
L

Lime

Member
Baconsammy said:
No offense, that's some stupid shit right there. They were given a game to review. They reviewed it. You're mad that they chose to use the top end of the grading scale?
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I'm "mad" that they *always*, and I mean always, use the top end of the grading scale. I'm just going to quote Amirox's post in the other thread, because it echoes my sentiments in regards to AAA reviews and hype:

Amir0x said:
Ponder this: Why is that whenever a game is in a big franchise, whenever a game has a AAA marketing campaign, that almost without exception we can expect a score of 85 or above aggregate? Think about what this would mean comparably if it happened in the realm of film criticism. But it doesn't. By and large, it's nearly impossible to predict how a movie will score even if it's a HUGE one with big marketing dollars. But a game? There are so few exceptions to the rule I can list it on one hand, and that's generally from a game so outrageously bad that even a blind man can see they couldn't get away with rating it higher.

If you listed a AAA game right now off the top of your head, I will list the super high score range it almost undoubtedly will fall within. Even if the game is still three years from coming out, I'll tell you what it will score. I bet there's even a scientific formula for it: take off such and such if it's a new IP, take off such and such if its game budget is less than 30 million, take off such and such if the marketing budget is under 5 million.

I would simply have to disagree if the idea is that all these games actually deserve these scores. I can't tell you the number of times I've played a AAA game and thought what the hell were these people actually playing when they posted their so-called "critique." And as anecdotal as that is, you can routinely see the backlash when people's raised expectations from reviews meet the crushing reality of actually playing the game with all its bugs and imperfections.

[...]

Many actually retain knowledge of past experiences and hold it against the current film. They may even RESEARCH what they're saying before they post something. "Hey, has a Koopaling been in past New Super Mario Bros. games? I wonder if that's something I should check up on before I post a effusive article about the new Wii U title on IGN!"

You read GAF so I'm sure you've come across many topics highlighting the just outrageous editing discrepancies in these articles. Things that would have been caught by anyone who was even bothering to try. So the only conclusion is that they are not, in fact, trying.

I don't mean to cast accusations on those who are genuinely trying to keep their head above water. But you must understand I am a consumer of videogames and I do believe this behavior has cast a very real pall upon the industry, because legitimate criticism is one of the only ways to keep shitty development practices in check. If that criticism is so muddied nobody can trust it, what effect can it have?
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Basically, many of these reviewers are not trying hard enough and they have rendered many game reviews meaningless.
 
S

Shadders

Member
Dennis said:
Can anyone who played the game tell me if the Heroic difficulty is at about the same level as always?

Or has is it become easier or harder than before?
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Early on when you're fighting Covenant it's definitely easier, but when the Prometheans show up it's about as tough as you're used to.
 
H

HollovVpo1nt

Banned
So I've went through the thread and the main arguements against these 'too good to be true' reviews seems to be that Microsoft spends millions and millions of dollars on a top star team to put a lot of effort into this game and they moneyhatted reviewers because they can't afford bad reviews.

I hope some of you realise what's wrong with that arguement when you read : Microsoft spends millions and millions of dollars on a top star team to put a lot of effort into this game.


The amound of time,effort and talent involved with Halo 4 is a guarantee that this game cannot passibly be bad.

I know bribing reviewers is wrong, and bribed reviews are really apparant when you take into account the game their reviewing.

Guys, this is Halo 4 that is receiving AAA scores, not Too Human or Vampire Rain. So quit your whining and go buy the game :)
 
C

Chinner

Banned
the more i keep hearing the more it seems seemingly obvious that bungie were a b-tier developer developing an A-tier franchise. they constantly let the franchise down, but halo 4 is looking good so far.
 
G

Goldmund

Member
Trey said:
I would say that anyone who is looking to placate their positive confirmation bias would find such a review stimulating.

I would also say that the IGN review is not too far above the base set by the field of reviews. It touches on all the major themes these reviews are laying out.

Basically, calling out IGN's review integrity is nothing new for folks, and all the fuckery in this thread is much more in the business of perpetuating that time honored tradition than any actual call for intellectual honesty and objectivity.
Click to expand...
I'm not calling out their integrity, read my following posts. I agree with your points. I sincerely doubt that review was paid for. It's simply not necessary. I also don't think this relates to last week's hubbub. The reviewer is not a victim of PR and gaming press entanglement. He's a victim of underdeveloped faculties like a sense of shame and critical thinking.
 
B

Baconsammy

Banned
Lime said:
I'm "mad" that they *always*, and I mean always, use the top end of the grading scale. I'm just going to quote Amirox's post in the other thread, because it echoes my sentiments in regards to AAA reviews and hype:
Click to expand...

Their score earlier this week of the AAA AC title disproves your theory. Unless 8.5s are now all of a sudden OMIGODTOOHIGH.
 
NinjaBoiX

NinjaBoiX

Member
Foliorum Viridum said:
Sounds like this could be the first great Halo.
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iu00oElWFz7dD.gif
 
D

dmg04

#DEADWRONG
Couldn't sleep so I'm back.
Lime said:
I'm "mad" that they *always*, and I mean always, use the top end of the grading scale. I'm just going to quote Amirox's post in the other thread, because it echoes my sentiments in regards to AAA reviews and hype:
Click to expand...

To be honest, I can agree with this.
What also peeves me is that the met score won't ever adjust if there is a change, as it's just a raw average.

Halo 4 getting under a 9 on there doesn't mean it'll be worse than reach, but that's how everyone will take it.
 
B

beastmode

Member
Monumental said:
Posters with Halo avatars also dont have a problem with the many 8/10 reviews. Many communities go more ape-shit over a single 8 or even 8.8. So keep your insight to yourself.

The only people with a problem in this thread are those who dont like the high score by IGN. Shocking.
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I couldn't even tolerate it long enough to reach the score.
 
N

not_so_special

Banned
beastmode said:
I do not give a damn about what the reviews are focusing on. All I want to know is if the level design is on par with Bungie's games? That E3 demo was pathetic.
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a lot of corridors for my taste ( but some levels are amazing an open) but halo suffered from that on every game so,nothing new here
 
D

Dennis

Banned
not_so_special said:
a lot of corridors for my taste ( but some levels are amazing an open) but halo suffered from that on every game so,nothing new here
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It seems that almost universally the open levels are vastly preferred (by me included) to the corridor levels.

So why keep making corridor levels?

It can't be a resource question - the budget must be astronomical.
 
M

MrCookiepants

Member
Lime said:
I'm "mad" that they *always*, and I mean always, use the top end of the grading scale. I'm just going to quote Amirox's post in the other thread, because it echoes my sentiments in regards to AAA reviews and hype:



Basically, many of these reviewers are not trying hard enough and they have rendered many game reviews meaningless.
Click to expand...

Are we forgetting RE6 already? What about the recent MoH? Sorry, Halo is getting high scores because it's a high quality product. Is that so hard to believe given the series' history?
 
T

Trey

Member
Baconsammy said:
Their score earlier this week of the AAA AC title disproves your theory. Unless 8.5s are now all of a sudden OMIGODTOOHIGH.
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There are facts of the respective industries that make the comparison unpalatable. Most notably the time investment a game requires to a movie, and the intrinsic properties of interaction a game has relative to a movie.
 
T

TheOddOne

Member
The amount of generalization in this thread is baffling. You have a Halo avatar so you can’t be credible? Please, the fact that people think this way tells us more about their own bias then others. Such a narrow minded way to disregard other people’s opinions because it doesn’t align with your own. Seems more drive-by people are outraged then actual Halo fans and try to stir things up that are non issues.
 
T

Transhuman

Unconfirmed Member
AHappyPanda said:
You can say a game is awesome without being SO pandering. That being said, I myself don't really buy into the idea of review scores being "bought." Subconciously influenced? Maybe AT BEST, but of course there are some definite examples where the evidence is pretty damning (see Wainwright/Tomb Raider)
Click to expand...

Subconsciously? The threat of being blacklisted from events, excluded from press junkets, or not being sent review copies is very real.
 
A

angelkimne

Member
Having played Halo 4, I can only conclude that reviewer's are being a tad unfair when they complain that Halo 4 'hasn't changed' things gameplay-wise.

By FPS standards -- by Call of Duty standards -- there is a mind-blowing amount of change. Every little element of the gameplay and sandbox has been altered. Maybe you have to be a Halo addict for this to be evident...
 
B

Baconsammy

Banned
TheOddOne said:
The amount of generalization in this thread is baffling. You have a Halo avatar so you can’t be credible? Please, the fact that people think this way tells us more about their own bias then others. Such a narrow minded way to disregard other people’s opinions because it doesn’t align with your own. Seems more drive-by people are outraged then actual Halo fans and try to stir things up that are non issues.
Click to expand...

People named Carrie weren't allowed to review the movie or book Carrie. True story.
 
D

Dennis

Banned
angelkimne said:
Having played Halo 4, I can only conclude that reviewer's are being a tad unfair when they complain that Halo 4 'hasn't changed' things gameplay-wise.

By FPS standards -- by Call of Duty standards -- there is a mind-blowing amount of change. Every little element of the gameplay and sandbox has been altered. Maybe you have to be a Halo addict for this to be evident...
Click to expand...

Are you talking campaign or MP?
 
eso76

eso76

Member
That Italian Eurogamer review says it is, or feels a little more linear and they felt the AI was not as brilliant, with enemies being tougher to kill but less astute, sometimes getting stuck in the environment. That sounded bad.
 
P

polyh3dron

Banned
Chinner said:
the more i keep hearing the more it seems seemingly obvious that bungie were a b-tier developer developing an A-tier franchise. they constantly let the franchise down, but halo 4 is looking good so far.
Click to expand...
This. Although I do have to give them props for pioneering matchmaking. So many problems arise from doing the whole server list thing that matchmaking fixes, such as having a super stacked team waiting for newb randoms to fill the other team, or trying to get friends together in a game only for them to be broken up, matchmaking fixed most of my issues with online multiplayer gaming.

Halo 3 was an ugly game that looked like it was last-gen even when it came out, and even then it suffered from minor frame rate issues. This game looks gorgeous in comparison.
 
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