Halo 4

[Stark]

Dunno if anyone knows about this game that came out today. No word on a PC port, so maybe not!

I've tooled around in SP and coops, and the game absolutely pisses over other Halo games on pretty much every level. The art style change makes everything look better, especially the lighting (ie shading and detail rather than MAX HDR). The first five seconds of the game are better storytelling than the entire rest of the series, even with the hilarious retcon. MC now exists as a person, and even Saggy McBoobs gets to emote more than GO TO THE BUTTON MC and PUSH THE BUTTON MC HURRY!!!! Best of all, from a story perspective, is that the writers are actually doing things with themes. For instance, starting the coop stuff shows you an absurdly bombastic propaganda film about how the Infinity is HUMAN C.O.R.P.S. STRONG etc etc, and yet its commander is consciously shown to be a complete moron. It isn't like other games where we're informed that he's actually really smart and brilliant and yet does stupid things (like, say, Turians in Mass Effect lol).

The combat (and the new enemies) are good too, and way better than the Halo3 balance. It retains all of the weapons from Reach and adds a bunch for the new third faction. The third faction is pretty much entirely more interesting than the Covenant, having weapons that do interesting things and units that do interesting things, creating a shape to the battle that isn't just 'kill the elites and then effortlessly butcher everyone else'. Having to juggle turrets with wall-climbers and teleporters and healbots is refreshing, especially in coops.

I'm sure the story will piss all over itself later (the Freerunner Templars being fucking nanoman vampires is pretty sad) but the game succeeds as an SP experience as none of the other games have in a decade. The coops format is also really interesting, with the planned episodes and unfolding plot serving as a prequel.

About the only thing I don't like (beyond the Covenant being in it and still really boring) is that unlocking customisation shit is level based rather than anything else. This means I'll never see most of it, which is poops.

[Vendetta]

Since I no longer care enough to get it day one, I will be waiting until Microsoft can be arsed to ship the copy they sold me for £3.

Which, I very much suspect, will be held ransom by DHL for some undefined period of time as well, because that's what usually happens with these things.

[Alkaloid]

I haven't played it, but I did get a good laugh out of it when I saw an interview with the executive producer who said the reason she was so excited to work on Halo 4 was because the Master Chief was a truly original character. Except she called him Master Chief, so her truly original character apparently doesn't have a name.

[CaptHawkeye]

I was very hostile to it at first but considered it more or less an inevitability. Up until now 343's record was no better than Bungie's, at times worse. The videos at E3 impressed me though for a number of reasons.

1. MC was no longer mute during gameplay, which gives room for character development outside of rushed cutscenes depicting stupid shit.

2. The new enemy (Forerunner? Etc?) looked MUCH more interesting than the Flood. Using combined arms like the Covenant but with more sci fi twists.

3. Keeping the improvements made in Reach's gameplay while ditching the stupid shit Bungie wrote into it.

It looks like these things were not just limited to the E3 demo.

[Stark]

The only downside character wise is the MC no longer has the PTSD he was exhibiting in halo 3. However, his mental problems (and cortanas) give the game an actual theme, so it's not too bad. Hopefully he'll be having episodes again by the end.

And man the new enemies and weapons play the the Halo triangle gameplay better than the cov did. :v

[CaptHawkeye]

I watched a review online and was delighted to see in cutscenes that Catherine Halsey's conical bullet shit has been turned from "SHE MANUFACTURES HEROES" to everyone but her realizing she's clearly insane.

[Stark]

The opening is basically 'hello guys Bungie is gone so there's a story now'. I lolled. The early game isn't that powerfully thematic, but there is a lot they could do with the characters.

But seriously the Infinity's commander is the hugest joke in gaming this year. Its brilliant, its almost Bulletstorm level hilarious.

[Vendetta]

But seriously the Infinity's commander is the hugest joke in gaming this year. Its brilliant, its almost Bulletstorm level hilarious.

Is it the same guy from Forward Unto Dawn?

Because, y'know, there's a whole five episode web series all about how he was a fuckup.

[Stark]

Is that about the Infinity? Cause captain del rio is comic relief.

Uniquely powerful battleship? Important mission? Unknown alien world? Huge variety of shuttles and landing craft?

DRIVE HER INSIDE DAMN THE TORPEDOES OH SHIT WE CRASHED HAHA SORRY GUYS

[Losonti Tokash]

But seriously the Infinity's commander is the hugest joke in gaming this year. Its brilliant, its almost Bulletstorm level hilarious.

Is it the same guy from Forward Unto Dawn?

Because, y'know, there's a whole five episode web series all about how he was a fuckup.

No, you're thinking of Lasky. I think Stark said Lasky is the XO and is way less stupid than the Captain.

[Stark]

He's hapless, and has a huge shoulder pauldron with sergeants stripes on it. Its a bit strange.

Then again Del Rio clearly hates him and sends him in with assault forces on dangerous no-recon missions. :V

[Darksider]

So far i'm liking the game, only complaints are the sound effects and the music, which aren't as good as those in previous Halo games. The story and production values are a big improvement though, you can really tell that 343 put a lot of effort in to this game, as opposed to how it was with Bungie where they smoked weed and drank beer for a year and a half then rushed to get something done 6 months before release.

[Stark]

I much prefer the sound mix in this game to Halo3 or Reach. The weapons sound much better and the music isn't just some idiot leanin on the 'chorus' and 'horns' button in Garage Band. Even the AR is fun to use when it makes a good noise.

Sarv Ill probably blast through episode one of Space Soldier School.

[aieeegrunt]

This is a better game than Halo CE. Me typing those words would I assume mean that the Mayans were right I guess.

The weapon sounds in this game were pretty good. I hated the music, I'd turn it off if Halo's audio options had any options. I am severely disapoint that the Grunts don't speak English since their shenanigans were a big part of the entertainment for me, but I guess for many people that would detract from the seriousness of the story mood or whatever.

Speaking of which the game actually has a story that I actually paid attention to, which puts it ahead of all the other Halo's except the first, and it's not in the ridiculous over the top way that Gears was.

So far I am loving it. As far as Bungie goes, they got fucking lucky with the first Halo being the sensation that it was and having a three game contract and coasted on it. Microsoft wisely fired them the second that contract was finished, so now we're finally getting a good Halo game.

The vehicles are still hilarious fail though, and the AI driving is even more fail.

[CaptHawkeye]

Bungie is a bunch of passionate but lazy incompetents who were whipped into shape by momma Microsoft. Two years after Halo Reach they've announced fuck all for their next title or plans. You know why? Because they have none. They're like 3D Realms. They'll be stuck in a perpetual pre-development cycle until they exhaust all their funding and have to become a subsidiary again, or just go belly up. I love the Halo IP, but care little for them honestly. They're deadbeat parents.

[Darksider]

After listening to some of the Halo 4 ost on youtube, i'm starting to like it a lot more. Reach is still my favorite OST of the series, even if it's not my favorite game anymore, but the soundtrack from 4 has moved a lot higher on my list.

I don't know, maybe it's just nice to listen to something new for a change. Martin O'donnel was a good composer, but he never actually composed any new material for the numbered games. All he did was re-do the previous soundtrack with +5000 "epicness."

[Stark]

The reduction on purple plastic covenant would probably had suited the ridiculous horn music, but the crazy 80s electronica sounds in spartan ops are pretty funny.

[Dartzap]

I've been playing sporadically over the last few days. Enjoying the campaign a fair amount. I was pleasantly surprised to see stuff from the EU ingame.

I have been struggling with some of the shooting, though. Not played an FPS in a loooooonnng time.

[DPDarkPrimus]

Bungie is a bunch of passionate but lazy incompetents who were whipped into shape by momma Microsoft. Two years after Halo Reach they've announced fuck all for their next title or plans. You know why? Because they have none. They're like 3D Realms. They'll be stuck in a perpetual pre-development cycle until they exhaust all their funding and have to become a subsidiary again, or just go belly up. I love the Halo IP, but care little for them honestly. They're deadbeat parents.

Oh, you didn't see that document made public as part of the Activision vs Infinity Ward latsuit? It laid out Bungie's release schedule for the next eight or ten years.

[Darth Yan]

I never could get into Halo 2. Halo 3 was enjoyable enough, in that it wrapped up the story and focused entirely on that. As such, when Dad and I finally reached the end of our coop campaign there was a real sense of accomplishment. I do wish that Chief had a little more of a personality (the only story I really dug in Halo 2 was the Arbiters. He had a definitive arc as the disgraced warrior who tried to regain his honor becoming the warrior who casts off the lies of the corrupt leaders after being betrayed, to finally realizing that he did not need to be held down by his "crimes" . Halo Reach was also a genuinely compelling story.

[CaptHawkeye]

Bungie is a bunch of passionate but lazy incompetents who were whipped into shape by momma Microsoft. Two years after Halo Reach they've announced fuck all for their next title or plans. You know why? Because they have none. They're like 3D Realms. They'll be stuck in a perpetual pre-development cycle until they exhaust all their funding and have to become a subsidiary again, or just go belly up. I love the Halo IP, but care little for them honestly. They're deadbeat parents.

Oh, you didn't see that document made public as part of the Activision vs Infinity Ward latsuit? It laid out Bungie's release schedule for the next eight or ten years.

Which is proof that they're actually developing something right? Horseshit. I read that document and it claims they plan to release a game in 2013...that they've released absolutely no information on at all. No screenshots or videos or shit even art and pre-renders.

Even if they have release plans they clearly don't have the spine to stick to them. Halo 2 blew through one release date after another until Microsoft cracked the whip and told them to finish the game. Halo 3 and Reach probably would have gone on much longer if Microsoft wasn't there either.

[aieeegrunt]

Bungie was headed straight for bankrupcy when Microsoft bought them out in a Hail Mary to save the original xbox. They've obviously learned nothing from that experience and are simply going to go down the same path. Somebody might buy them out for the sake of the nameplate, but they'd better pimp themselves out quickly before everybody forgets who they were.

I remember reading an article about how they do Project Management back during Halo 2's development, and correctly predicting that we were going to get an unfinished glitchy mess.

I don't even think they have any IP's to recycle or milk that will matter. They could do an updated Marathon, but the "wander the Labrinthe looking for the blue key" or whatever won't fly with today's gamers.

[DPDarkPrimus]

Bungie is a bunch of passionate but lazy incompetents who were whipped into shape by momma Microsoft. Two years after Halo Reach they've announced fuck all for their next title or plans. You know why? Because they have none. They're like 3D Realms. They'll be stuck in a perpetual pre-development cycle until they exhaust all their funding and have to become a subsidiary again, or just go belly up. I love the Halo IP, but care little for them honestly. They're deadbeat parents.

Oh, you didn't see that document made public as part of the Activision vs Infinity Ward latsuit? It laid out Bungie's release schedule for the next eight or ten years.

Which is proof that they're actually developing something right? Horseshit. I read that document and it claims they plan to release a game in 2013...that they've released absolutely no information on at all. No screenshots or videos or shit even art and pre-renders.

Even if they have release plans they clearly don't have the spine to stick to them. Halo 2 blew through one release date after another until Microsoft cracked the whip and told them to finish the game. Halo 3 and Reach probably would have gone on much longer if Microsoft wasn't there either.

Halo 2 was the hard lesson that they had to learn.

But your idea that just because we aren't being bombarded with promotional materials, the game isn't on schedule, is purely your speculation.

[Stark]

Who even cares? Halo 4 exists and bungee wasn't involved. Too bad, so sad.

I'm actually really surprised at the end of Halo4, and while it's not a strong theme throughout the mid play sections, the rejection of Master Chief's mentality is good solid stuff. Too bad the level design is as boring as all Halo games, but otherwise it's a solid game.

[Starglider]

Was thinking of getting this game to play over Christmas, will take this thread as a recommendation. That said picked up Reach on budget and still haven't had time to play it.