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Halo 4: Review Thread

Victrix

*beard*
In a few months this review will look favorable compared to impressions here I'd bet.

I'm sorry, are you implying that the initial glow of impressions fades over time? Lies. Everyone loves Reach here just as much as they did in week one.
 

Trey

Member
apparently. The review reads like a troll review.

These low points are openly exacerbated by the series’ staunch refusal to get with the times when it comes to game mechanics and level design, ignoring obvious enhancements like big-ticket sequences and proper iron-sights mechanics in favor of their age-old addiction to slow, methodical combat in unnecessarily large environments. And while I get that 343i was deathly afraid to come in and mess with the elements most consider Halo canon, it’s a lot to ask of us who play other games in the genre to continue to stomach a core most left behind half a decade ago. Mind you, some folks might find the videogame equivalent of being forced to eat your vegetables a comforting alternative to Microsoft putting a dash of modern in their combat, but when stacked up to Dishonored, Far Cry 3, and Black Ops II, Halo 4’s campaign feels as empty and uninspired as its strong, silent protagonist.

Damn, that was cold. This review is a straight up Halo ethering that should send any Halo non-fan's head speeding from their shoulders from the amount of nodding the words will elicit.

In a few months this review will look favorable compared to impressions here I'd bet.

It's good, apparently, because it follows the mold of the series, which has been a critical darling since day 1, and improves on the formula.

lol
 

Trickster

Member
In a few months this review will look favorable compared to impressions here I'd bet.

Who's to say that there won't be backlash towards Halo 4, wouldn't be surprising since that seems to happen everytime a big hyped game get's released these days. But I can tell you it won't be because of things like the lack of small spaces, iron sights or scripted events.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Hopefully Frank and the crew stay faithful to the series, as they appear to have done with 4. After seeing what they got out of the 360, I can't wait to see what they pull out of the new Xbox. This team alone is reason enough for me to go with the next Xbox.

I dunno, I think tighter corridors, smaller environments, bigger explosion set pieces and iron sights might be the way to go.
 

Fracas

#fuckonami
wtf

343 please ignore these ridiculous reviewers. Exploding setpieces and iron sights are exactly what would make me not play Halo anymore.
I dunno, I think tighter corridors, smaller environments, bigger explosion set pieces and iron sights might be the way to go.

And this is why I love 343.
 

watership

Member
why are you so angry at his opinion to the point that you are digging in his twitter? I personally agree on the uninspired part. Disagree on iron sights of course.

I'm not angry. I was curious. I also read his previous reviews. Nothing wrong with knowing more about who's writing what. Did you imagine 'derp' meant 'RAGE!@#$@#"?
 

Vire

Member
I dunno, I think tighter corridors, smaller environments, bigger explosion set pieces and iron sights might be the way to go.

I'm seething with hate right now. This guy seriously wants to ruin everything that is good and holy about Halo.

How does this chucklefuck have an executive editor position.
 
The massive environments and unscripted nature of Halo's combat is what truly makes it great. No one scenario plays out the same every time. Big budget games these days seem to be getting closer and closer to "auto-play", Halo flies in the face of that.

Exactly! It's what Halo is about. IMO the FPS genre as a whole right now could benefit from less scripting and funnelling, and more focus on things like enemy AI and player choice.
 

Trey

Member
wtf at the spoiler on the egm review

Yeah, everyone, don't read the summary at the bottom if you want to go in completely untainted.

I'm seething with hate right now. This guy seriously wants to ruin everything that is good and holy about Halo.

How does this chucklefuck have an executive editor position.

He has an opinion. Nothing wrong with that.
 

Vire

Member
Yeah, everyone, don't read the summary at the bottom if you want to go in completely untainted.



He has an opinion. Nothing wrong with that.

It's an incredibly ignorant opinion.

Let me put it this way, this is equivalent to someone complaining that XCOM is turn based and instead should be a hack and slash real time action game because it's boring. It's that asinine.
 

Kerub

Banned
So it looks like the metacritic score will be staying at 90 doritos out of 100 doritos.

Can't wait to play it myself and see if it's worthy of that score.
 

DopeyFish

Not bitter, just unsweetened
I want the next halo to be like PGR

Driving around New York City of present day with kudos

Oh and when you get out of the warthog it turns into a side scroller... A clone of Alfred chicken
 

The back & forth in the comments section is chuckling. Commenter has a point though.

Joe :
Story: Thin and poorly-paced. Maybe 3 significant characters in the entire story, all stereotypes, and the only well-done part is the relationship between the male and female leads. Unoriginal plot ripped straight from previous games.
Gameplay: Boring, extremely predictable enemies, and a distinct lack of variety. Extremely linear, and prone to completing objectives in sets of three. Weapon options more limited than previously.
Sounds like a pretty mediocre game, all around. But what I just described isn’t Halo 4, which I have never played (and so can’t comment on), it’s Skyward Sword, which was released a little under a year ago. I wonder what score you gave it?
Oh, right, a 9/10.
I’m all for holding games to a certain standard, but if you don’t hold them to the same standard, there isn’t any point.

Reviewer:
While that comparison may be apt in your eyes, I never used any of those words to describe Skyward Sword. If I had i could understand your criticism of my review.
I do try and hold myself to the highest standard I can, and I am sorry you feel differently. Not everyone is going to agree every time and certainly when looking at metacritic, it would seem I am one of the only reviewers to have scored Halo 4 as average.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy Skyward Sword, but like me and Halo 4, it would appear you are in the minority, with the game not only holding a 93 on Metacritic, but featuring in Blistered Thumbs 25-in-25 Wii games.

Joe:
My criticism of your review is that you observed these issues in this game, and completely ignored them when playing Skyward Sword. Or more, that you were willing to overlook them in another game, and still emphasize them here. I consider this a failure of the gaming community in general that people are unable or unwilling to acknowledge these flaws.
You are more than welcome to like or dislike a game to your heart’s content, but making a statement of quality, as a reviewer does, entitles your reader to an informed opinion, grounded in common standards, if not facts. I don’t see that here.
You made a big deal about repetitive enemy behavior here, but not in Skyward Sword, where it was undeniably present.
You emphasized the pacing in this game, and yet have no problem with the hour plus introductory sequence in Skyward Sword.
You call out the poor storytelling and stereotyped characters in this game, but said nothing of the hackneyed tropes of the Zelda cast, or the hours of busy-work between relevant plot points.
Whether you enjoy the game or I don’t is irrelevant. Your inability to consistently apply the same standard is what irritates me.
 

.la1n

Member
I'm sorry, are you implying that the initial glow of impressions fades over time? Lies. Everyone loves Reach here just as much as they did in week one.

I still love Reach just as much as when I first played it, single player that is.
 

Kerub

Banned
Argh, not Reach!

armor-lock.jpg
 

Hargenx

Member
One thing I always want to have in Halo is...Destructible environments...I know is a sin want has this on HALO, but...OK, sorry. ;__;
 
welp since reviews are saying this game will be good and the weird amex deal that pays you to beat halo4, decided to preorder. Hope my friends get power in time to play next week :/
 

Vire

Member
One thing I always want to have in Halo is...Destructible environments...I know is a sin want has this on HALO, but...OK, sorry. ;__;

I wouldn't really mind that to be honest, but there isn't much utility for that from a gameplay perspective.

Halo doesn't rely on a cover mechanic at all, it's all about strafing/jumping, so it would have little impact on the minute to minute action. But I guess it would be neat from a visual point, although the Forerunner buildings are made up of hard light crystals, so that wouldn't make much sense from that standpoint.
 

alr1ght

bish gets all the credit :)
I have adjusted the scores to scale, rounded.

Destructoid -
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Machinima -
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MondoXbox -
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Game Revolution -
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NZGamer -
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Britbox -
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Gaming Age -
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Joystiq -
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IGN -
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Xbox Addict -
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Gaming Trend -
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Polygon-
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OXM -
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Game Informer -
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Canadian Online Gamers -
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Gamespot -
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Games Radar -
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Xbox 360 Achievements -
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GameReactor Sweden -
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GameReactor Denmark -
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Halo Council -
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Apath

Member
One thing I always want to have in Halo is...Destructible environments...I know is a sin want has this on HALO, but...OK, sorry. ;__;
Why would that be a sin? It could work pretty well depending on how robust and consistent it is, and how well it's integrated into the sandbox/level design.
 

alr1ght

bish gets all the credit :)
Eurogamer Italy -
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MMGN.com -
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Gamer.No -
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GamesBeat -
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1UP -
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G4TV -
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Eurogamer -
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The Sixth Axis -
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Metro Game Central -
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CVG -
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Giant Bomb -
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Kotaku -
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Rev3 Games -
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One thing I always want to have in Halo is...Destructible environments...I know is a sin want has this on HALO, but...OK, sorry. ;__;
Destructible environments are always good.
 

Vire

Member
:lol Well done.

I actually think Gamespot's review is the best so far. Chris makes it very clear what he thinks are strong points of the game and doesn't come off as a mouth drooling fanboy in the process. Very professional and a good video review.
 
I just started reach and skipped ODST. I can't wait until I get my H4 LE

ODST is my personal favorite Halo campaign. It's flawed for sure, but damn it all, a film noir-inspired Halo was the peanut butter/chocolate combination I never knew I wanted.

If you're skipping ODST because you didn't like it, that's fine. But if you've never played it before, give it a chance.
 
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