Still, if there’s work to be done with the multiplayer then Halo 4’s campaign, and thus the series’ overall sense of purpose, is back on track. Perhaps resolving just one problem at a time is the most we can expect. 343 Industries has certainly done that; Halo 4 isn’t a reinvention so much as a recalibration, a common-sense repair to a drifting narrative, with a hero who is now back in play and back at his best. Halo 4’s biggest victory is that it gives us Master Chief back.
In Halo 4, 5, and Infinite, Master Chief became a more nuanced, human character.
In spite of the Halo series’ struggles, 343 deserves praise for adding nuance and characterisation to the ever-beating heart of Halo - The Master Chief. Playing through Infinite, it's abundantly clear that the events of the current and previous trilogies have irrevocably changed the iconic hero. He’s no longer the ‘blank slate’ that was previously presented by Bungie. He’s a fatigued, damaged and fallible protagonist, and one who is meandering through currents of grief, while reveling in his newfound agency. Giving the Chief a compelling and meaningful voice was no small feat, and 343 should be proud of that victory.
This article completely misses part of the appeal of the original iteration of character in the original game trilogy. It was the Chief and Cortana vs an entire alien collective. The blank slate Bungie displayed in their games was genius, he was an mysterious hero a wide audience could identify with because he wasn't as clearly defined as most characters.
The books added a lot of lore and backstory but most Halo players just want a fun game with exposition that doesn't get in the way of gameplay, it's why the Cortana level in Halo 3 was derided.
Not every character has to be a damaged soyboy, a soldier has to suck it up and do his duty.
The 343i Master Chief has is based on the books. However, in Halo 4-Infinite, the Master Chief overtime become. gradually becomes more willing to show some emotion.
It’s a law of nature that eventually, every long-running game franchise will have a particular entry that gets dinged for straying too far from what made it so fun in the first place. Your Super Mario Sunshine, your Dragon Age II, Assassin’s Creed III, and so on. Whether or not that opinion changes more favorably over time, the initial specter of negativity will forever hover it. Microsoft’s Halo is no exception, except that negative specter hasn’t hovered over one particular game, but one whole studio.
Halo 4 released 10 years ago today, and its disappointing reception was just an omen of things to come with 343 Industries at the helm.
Halo 4 and infinite have a 87 on metacritic and five a 84🤣. 343i need contents and everything else will play it self out.
Halo 4-6 are like the Star Wars sequel trilogy
They all just seem like a brand new games with small connections to the last one but no solid arc connecting them, you’re just told stuff that happened off screen in between the games and nothing makes sense
It’s like they didn’t plan a new trilogy out
I'm getting a good gaming laptop soon and i'm finally going to play through the Halo franchise again plus Infinite but i never played Halo 4 before .. can anyone tell me how's the campaign in comparison to the games before it and compared to Halo 5 ?
A surprising score considering they gave Halo ODST a 9...
Hmm a little surprising. Who knows but on he grounds I don't always share their opinions, I'll wait until I've played the game. Halo3 got a 10/10 and it was an inconsistent quality. Halo ODST was on the money though as was the Halo1's 10/10
So pretty review .
Great review!
"These powers are also the focal point of a multiplayer game that’s slowly losing its identity. The bold, simple template of old featured no variable loadouts and no rechargeable powers, instead relying on a beautifully balanced weapon set and accomplished controls. This slowly eroding system has now been nudged a little closer to frenetic Call Of Duty standards thanks to the inclusion of sprinting for all players, item drops as a reward for kill streaks, and customisable loadouts. At the core remains the solid, steady hand of Halo, but those hoping Halo 4 would roll back Reach’s intricacies and deliver an alternative to the current wave of console shooters will be disappointed."
Wait a second there, item drops for killstraks? customizable loadouts? I really respected Halo because it had it's own tried and tested formula for multiplayer, as mentioned, it was all about the great controls and skill, not about items and loadouts. It had managed to keep it's own rules without getting some of that COD bug that every game has been having recently.
It will still be a great game, I'm just confused as to why 343, doing such a good job on the single player, would add those things to the MP which is the core of Halo.
I'm going to have to rent a 360 and find out for myself.