The perfect bookend: 343 Industries redefines Master Chief with Halo 4 [SideQuesting]

SideQuesting.com:

It’s difficult not to be impressed by what 343 Industries has put together with Halo 4. Upon assuming full responsibility of the title from Bungie a couple of years ago, the developer worked to craft a game that wasn’t aimed at retreading the same ground as its predecessors. Instead, Halo 4 maintains many of the basic building blocks of the series — epic narratives, expansive world design, and constantly engaging multiplayer — and uses them as soil to plant seeds in.

This month, 343 unveiled what those seeds have become: quite possibly the best Halo experience that the Xbox has ever seen.

[Hufandpuf]

I don't know about you guys but the forerunner weapons, enemies, and that one multiplayer map they showed didn't look that impressive to me. The visuals, however, are a treat for the eyes.

[aviator189]

What was wrong with the mp map?

[Hufandpuf]

It looked too bland compared to other installments. Previous Halo maps had personality to them, but the map they showed just looked meh.

Don't get me wrong, I will still get the game, but the lack of any ambient effects and filler sounds just make the multiplayer look "empty". Hopefully there will be more to come later down the line.

[aviator189]

Hopefully they pull some inspiration from the Guardian map in Halo 3. I loved that map, with its dense atmosphere, greenish hue, and seeing and hearing creatures roaming around in the dense forest around you.

[kewlrats]

What we were told at E3 is that the maps visually weren't completed yet. (That's why they still looked a little sparse). However, the gameplay was terrific and the matches were a heck of a lot of fun. There was a lot more motion and speed than in previous Halo multiplayer. We had to be much more tactical about where we were going and moving as a squad.

As a reference, I'm horrible at Halo and consistently led in the "death column", but still had a blast.

[humbleopinion]

Isn't that map just a remake of Narrows from Halo 3? It certainly looked like it to me:
http://images1.wikia.nocook...

It was a pretty good map for 2 teams though.

[greenpowerz]

Looking forward to seeing new vehicles? Can't wait for this.