IGN - As usual, of course, the fate of the universe rests on Master Chief’s long-dormant shoulders – the green-armored super-soldier has been on ice aboard the Forward Unto Dawn since Halo 3 faded to black five years ago – but this time our hero bears an even greater burden. 9.8/10
60°
20°
20°
30°
Ad 
30°
20°
30°
20°
40°
30°
Regardless, I'm glad 343 did such a great job.
The Xbox 360 has aged gracefully, even at the end of its lifespan the 360 is still able to produce industry leading gaming experiences. Possibly and likely game of the year quality. Halo 4 is finally here. Cheers to a good time.
Rated E For Everyone
Uncharted 3 was given a 10 back when IGN restricted themselves to .5's in their reviews, making them round up to the nearest .5. They listed flaws for Uncharted, but Greg Miller wanted to give it a 10 regardless.
This review was written superbly and truly highlighted Halo 4's magnificence. I prefer their reviews now that they've returned to their older scoring system, the reviewers can be more free with their scoring, and if I'm not mistaken, Halo 4 is the highest scoring game since they returned to the current scoring system. Again, 343 did a tremendous job.
/facepalm
I left home for studies so left my 360 for my little bro's and bought a PS3 for myself.
Maybe I'll just get the one of those 4GB models second hand. That is if the game/multiplayer doesnt require some kind of mandatory install. Anyway, I absolutely HAVE to play this.
A huge salute to 343 studios for pulling off what some thought was impossible..
You could feel that something special was brewing over there this entire time.
This may be the greatest collection of talent put together in the history of gaming.
Been a massive fan of Halo and Bungie from the old Giant box debut all the way through to Reach.
But it's official...the Baton has officially been passed.
Just a few more days..Can't wait
Life is good
Evil
im surprised you still do not have a 360. I can recall a few years back you saying you want one but the reliability was a factor.
so even after they have made a better system you still dont have one....oh well.
Do yourself a favor and get one. then you can play this game and many other games in the 360 library. There really is nothing wrong with playing the field.
Off Topic
@LX-General-Kaos
How does this guy keep getting bubbles, he's such a fake. The Rated E for everyone crap is just plain annoying now.
yeah i can agree. But there is really nothing wrong with having both at some point.
I encourage those with only a 360 to get a ps3. It isnt an evil system that many proclaim it to be.
Same with those who only have a ps3. the 360 does a nice job of going well with the ps3. Those who stick to their guns and only support one, you have more strength than me.
Im a console whore who loves to play field..
You mean the Microsoft™ Xbox 360® Entertainment System.
:P
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Good job 343!
I usually don't like IGN Reviews, though because they're fullabull, but how can you hate Halo?
Bravo 343
Its been tradition since Halo 1 that me and my cousin split screen the campaign
Congrats 343
They disagree that he likes Halo. Apparently one cant have opinios. Well you're in N4G so get used to that.
I guess I'll just go back and get it when the next xbox comes out with backwards compatibility (hopefully).
Or maybe I'll just steal a 360. Yeah...
Though I'm going to have to wait until I retire in 35 or so years before I have that much time to spend in gaming so.....
I am really happy for 343 though. They had a lot to work up to but it looks like their passion and talent surpassed expectations. And that's something to really acknowledge.
I don't have a 360 so i'm not sure i'll get to experience it in the foreseeable future, but I really hope to stumble in at a friend's place and see it in action!
Yeah. He's a troll because he disagrees with your opinion. He's stated he's jealous because he wants to play the game but won't pay to play online. That's the same reason I no longer have 360 and have yet to pick up the slim.
Most anything that has been coming out on the 360 that I've been interested in has come out on the PS3. There are games that are exclusive to the 360 that I want to get. Forza Horizon and Gears of War 3 are two games, but when I do get them, it'll be single player exclusive after the free membership that comes with the game ends because I refuse to pay to play games online like every other system doesn't make you do outside of games being MMOs.
It's times like this that I'm glad most of the games I like are on PS3 or PC.
Name a game that has had WEEKLY episodic content for FREE. 3 to 5 missions every week for FREE!
You are either crazy, a hater, or just plain stupid.
That doesn't even touch forge mode, which in itself is a whole 'nother thing that will surely create even more game modes that will be incorporated into multiplayer, just like Halo 3 and Reach. They have really given players robust features and a nice toolset to create some truly special maps and game modes within forge.
You are either crazy, a hater, or just plain trolling.
I feel I have wasted enough time on your worthless existence.
They hit everything I was looking for:
Sandbox is better
Scale is larger
Enemy AI
Multiplayer
Forge
Spartan Ops
This is all written without spoilers galore. Only concern is the Music, that may be the reason for the 9.8.
Absolutely cant wait. This review has me ready to play. I'm going to play some Halo:Anniversary to prepare for Halo 4:Heroic Mode!
I bet you have a cell phone that doesn't bring you nearly as much entertainment as Live does, but you spend over 50 bucks a month on it.
By the way XBL can be had for under 30 bucks for an entire year at times.
I buy my PS3 exclusives on 360 and my multiplats for PC lol free online <3
Let's be honest we havent had a great 360 exclusive in quite a while. :/
I really started hating the fact that you could take a heavy load of bullets, but an elbow hurts more than a sniper round in the chest? lol
So everyone had the assault rifle and could empty a whole clip and hit you with 70% of the bullets and still keep running away. I just opened my eyes and seen how dumb that was.
Now the multiplayer story was great! I loved going with a squad of friends looking for skulls and watching youtube videos trying to find them all.
I tried to play Halo Reach recently and that spark is just gone (crazy boring) and my Xbox has dust on it. Maybe this can get me back in the franchise.
It sounds like this is finally a return to form. Good job, 343.
yeah don't feel bad I was a super Halo 1 fan, I mean I loved some Halo back in the day.. having friends come over and linking the Xboxes together -Was just some of the best gaming moments of my Gaming Life..
We would play all night to the next day... Good Times..
I have since moved on, and just became diehard PS3 and even though I have a 360 I kinda left halo after the let down IMO of halo 2 on 360...
-But wow Halo 4 looks amazing, and I mean amazing.. they did do a hell of a job.. 343 I'm super excited at what they seem to have been able to do with the franchise.. and I can't wait to play it..
My PS3 friends are about to be a little upset that I have abandon them, but it was for HALO 4 I mean it's HALO 4 Come On' I have to play it (just because of everything Halo 1 was on Xbox)... and IGN gave it a 9.8 that's just extra icing on the cake.
.____........___...____
.____||......||.......____||
||.........___||.......____|| I'll be back.. LoL
Hitman5 is arround the corner too plus BF3 aftermath so I think il pass... Big big Hitman fan :S and I may end up getting Halo4 anyway, but not right now
Chief's back, and better than ever.
This just made the 5 days waiting game a little longer...
EDIT
Disagree with my and reviewers opinions? Disagree with my plans?
*You know you're an xbox fan: when no matter what you say it's bad*
Had to add some spin :)
the witcher 2 ( 360 ), mass effect 3 and borderlands 2 were all amazing.
my guess is that this will be better but ill wait until ive played for final judgement
It's going to come down to features.
The Witcher 2 - Great RPG and story but did it really bring anything to stand out against the competition?
Mass Effect 3 - Amazing game, but did the initial ending hurt it's chances in the end?
Borderlands 2 - Great game, lots of loot and fun to play with friends, but did it change enough from Borderlands 1 to warrant it GOTY?
Dishonored - New IP, great story and gameplay but will the lack of any multiplayer hinder it from any true re-playability? Is it a great game then forgotten?
Halo 4 - New story, new devs, new graphics engine, added multiplayer, updated forge, Free DLC aka Spartan ops, stat tracking, file sharing and so much more. Could Halo 4's massive amount of content give it the nod for GOTY?
I know I am leaning towards Halo 4 but any of those games listed above deserve to be nominated because they are great games.
mass effect 3 - new story and characters, conclusion of a trilogy ( the ending was only a big deal to a vocal minority, i know many people including myself that it was fine for ), updated graphics, deeper rpg experience more like the first, added multiplayer, etc
dishonored-new ip, the only stealth first person shooter this year as far as i now, tons of abilities set it apart from most
bl2 - new and far better story than its first, tons of new weapons, added skins, completely redone ui makes everything easier, still one of the best co-op games, 4 all new characters, new more varied areas, etc
halo 4-nailed it
no offense but all you did was doubt each of them and then praise halo lol now to be honest i dont disagree that halo will likely be the best but its def gonan be a fight and there is no reason to sell the others short lol
That review gave me chills. I'm more excited for this than i've been for any game since Halo 2. Yes, i know he said that in the review, doesn't make it any less true for me.
What's up with all the stealth disagrees throughout the comments section of this article? I don't get it... Is it because there's no Uncharted or Killzone this year?
Well done 343i. You are officially one of the best studios in the world right now.
I agree to some extent. It's true, you don't get to be called one of the best devs after 1 game.
On pen and paper though, they are amazing. They have people who have worked on;
Halo, MGS, Killzone, Gears Of War, Bioshock, Mass Effect and so on.
343i is a united bunch of people who love Halo. It knows no bounds. Any dev from any platform is in there.
They have proven themselves and did something Treyarch, Guerrilla Games, Crytek, Insomniac, Zipper and many many others were not able to do in the past 10 years.
But yeah they can't be the one of the best studios with just one game, but I'm interested in how the next halo turns out
HALO 4, Here I come :D
Asking someone to be completely unbiased and emotionally uninvested in the success of a game is ridiculous. It never happens and it might be undesirable, too; in most cases I wouldn't care to read a game review written by a history professor if I were trying to figure out whether the game, as a commercial product, is worth my time/money.
On the other hand, Ryan's enthusiasm worries me. IGN's review features the highest rating we've seen so far from any of prominent outlets. And his decision to finish the video review with "Master Chief is back, baby" is a perfect example of what *doesn't* help me feel like I'm getting the report I was looking for.
Still, looking forward to playing Halo 4 to see if the newfound emotional depth of the solo campaign is all Ryan and some others are claiming it to be. I want to be impressed.
I'd rather see a little excitement and quirkiness in a video review rather than listen to a static, boring, flat listen.
Enthusiasm can make you overly forgiving, but it can also make you highly scrutinous and critical. I don't know which one this reviewer falls into (don't know the guy), but his excitement isn't reason enough to dismiss his opinion outright.
Like any review though, take it with a grain of salt.
If this doesn't apply to you, that is completely understandable, but it is on you to look for a site that fits your needs. For Halo 4 in particular, I think the Penny Arcade Report did a very good job reviewing the campaign, you should give that one a try.
Let's face it, the true root of the reason your questioning the review is because it's Halo..point blank
It is idiotic to pretend a reviewer shouldnt be excited after playing a 9.8 game that has rejuvenated a franchise he was a fan of.
At the end of the day the reviewer is a gamer first, to put in question his professionalism over a positive tone reeks of the bias you claim he has.
It's clear what you are trying to intimate when you intimate that the IGN score is higher than other 'prominent' sites.
But, the fact is the IGN review isn't the highest score and its clear that they have given perfect scores to other games and actually have been higher than other prominent sites without ANYONE questioning the validity or integrity of the review.
Either way, the results are in..Halo 4 has received great reception from ALL of the major critics.
'Master Chief is back, baby'..9.8 in IGN baby..
Life is good
Evil
Totally disagree with you. Reviewers are gamers, just because they have to give a professional opinion does not mean they MUST be unemotional. Its sort of like sports analysts, sure they should remain neutral and give their professional analysis of a sports game but IF the players/a team is playing exceptionally well it adds to the overall game broadcast when they show appropriate levels of excitement at times when players/teams show superb execution. Who the hell wants to listen to a dry announcer or a reviewer who gives a game a 9.8 but doesn't sound like he was really feeling the game? If you love it, say you love it and ACT like you love it.
I'll check it out for myself, IGN cant be trusted on any big name franchises coz they always gush over them.
Word of advice, if you see me on the other team.....just give up! ;)
OT just looking at Halo4 footage i knew that 343 had a masterpiece on their hands.
not picking this up. i blame Mass Effect.
Just hope when it comes time for Black ops 2 to be reviewed they don't start dishing silly scores out.
Reward effort not lazyness.
edit: wow so fast and i get 1 disagree. does not matter. i already prove how inconsistent their reviews were in other thread. so for whoever disagree on me that quick, go be IGN's sheep not that I freaking care. This game is only about 5hrs long. Which is shorter than previous Halo game. And even thou with some of their negative points, there's only a demerit of 0.2 already show how bias IGN's review are. But whatever. I dont quite care about review score since what matter is I must enjoy what I pay for. It does not matter if it gets a 10/10 and it didnt impress me if I am the one paying for the game.
This gen by far is the worst ever, I only bought a PS3 because Xbox games suck and now that things are coming to an end a GOOD Halo comes out?? Ive never cared at all for Halo after Halo 2 but this game I want to play and Im gonna borrow my friends Xbox just so that I can play this game. The Xbox 360 sucks compared to the PS3 but Im no fanboy, I only tell it like I see it and I want to play Halo 4 because it does look great and I am looking forward to the story.
I WISH the Xbox 360 had more games like this.... Its a damn shame....
I researched that. Forza Horizons and Halo 4 actually -aren't- the best reviewed exclusive games of the year.
MLB12:The Show has a 87 critical average on meta' http://www.metacritic.com/g... , Forza Horizons has an 85 http://www.metacritic.com/g...
Halo 4 has a 90 meta average as of this post http://www.metacritic.com/g... , Journey has a 92 http://www.metacritic.com/g... which is higher than all of the above.
Just playing devil's statistical advocate. Trials Evolution is actually rated higher than Forza Horizons as well, as is Okami HD. Not taking anything away from your personal preference.
My reasons for not being a fan of the 360 are because there are no games for it that are worth it and I gotta pay an extra 60 bucks. Everything else is extras.
Your reasons for not being a fan of the PS3 are not legitimate reasons.
"its overly difficult to program for"
Really? I wouldnt know since Im not a programmer Im a gamer. I play the games they make and theyre amazing.
"has way to many firmware updates "
PS3 gets a firmware update every few months which only take up about 10 minutes.
"partial game installs that still are better on the 360."
An install is better on the 360? Yeah thats a real reason why the PS3 sucks...
"Plus not cross game chat"
Unneeded I never even chat with people when I play my games...
"a horribly slow interface with menu after sub menu"
Xbox has menus too wii has them too, PC has them too thats a lame reason.
Of all the reasons for you not being a fan of the PS3 NONE of these reasons are because of the games. What games do you even play? At least my reason for my PS3 preference is because I dont think the Xbox 360 caters to me as a gamer, since I can play all the games it offers on my PS3 or PC. Halo 4 is the first time this gen, that I have even considered buying an Xbox.