Armor customization be merely cosmetic, but there be some cool helmets 'n stuff t' unlock.

Did the new team at 343 Industries break Halo? No, not at all. Taking over the franchise from it be creators at Bungie 'n creating a new, numbered sequel starring the Master Chief seems like the sort a daunting task that could have blown up the entire franchise if it had gone poorly. But the developers have executed quite well, developing a Halo game that gets that Halo feel down nicely while also playing around with the periphery a the experience in an attempt t' modernize things a bit. Some a those new ideas work better than others, but if there's any actual issue with Halo 4 it be that the game plays it a little too safe. Master Chief starts the game surrounded by mystery, but it relies too heavily on the use a existing enemies 'n weapons, 'n by the end a the campaign it sort a feels like the Master Chief be right back in the middle a the same conflict 'n theater a war he seemingly left behind at the end a Halo 3.

The action opens with the Master Chief being woken out a his stasis only t' find danger. Covenant forces have boarded his ripped-up ship 'n this whole mess be headed for a Forerunner planet called Requiem. Before too long a human ship called the Infinity joins the fray, giving ye the standard factions a a Halo game. Mixed into this conflict be a new batch a enemies called the Prometheans. 'n tying it all together be a central bad lad known as the Didact. The story starts t' head in some interesting directions. yer ever-present AI pal Cortana, for example, be falling apart due t' being "alive" for more than seven years. As she breaks down, it be harder for the wench t' maintain focus 'n help the Chief complete his tasks. it be also really interesting t' put a face t' the antagonists in a Halo game, rather than larger species or concepts like "the Covenant." That said, however, ye sure do spend a lot a time fighting old enemies.

The most dramatic change ye'll see on the enemy front be a floating Promethean Watcher that hovers above it be allies, emitting beams that shield the Knights 'n Crawlers below. It'll also snatch any grenades ye toss in their direction 'n fling it right back in yer direction, which be sort a a salty dog move if ye ask me. But it also does a mean Doom II Arch-Vile impression by resurrecting some enemies after ye take them down. In short, shoot the Watchers first. The other Promethean enemies aren't dramatically different from the types a enemies ye've been facing in previous games. Crawlers can crawl down from the walls 'n the bipedal Knights can teleport, allowing them t' warp away from the business end a yer battle rifle 'n reappear behind ye.

These mechs pop up in multiplayer 'n campaign.

But ye'll also face a lot a Covenant opposition, including Grunts, Elites, Jackals, 'n Hunters. Fighting these lads feels the same way it always has, for better or worse. The Grunts be total chumps, the Elites be fun t' bash in the face, the Jackals be never left-handed, 'n the Hunters be large 'n slow. As before, the game mixes up yer various enemies t' serve them up in different configurations. On the normal difficulty, this doesn't make much difference, as ye can just plow through the opposition the way a big, armored dude like the Master Chief best. On higher settings, the action gets a little more tactical, forcing ye t' poke out, do some damage, 'n hang back t' let yer shields recharge. Again, this shouldn't sound like much a a surprise t' people who have played a Halo game before, but it be just another example a the ways that this new development team made a game that feels very similar t' Bungie's work on the previous games. That said, the promise a landing on a new planet 'n the potential for new experiences 'n encounters that the change a setting could have allowed for makes the notion a spending what feels like most a the game fighting enemies from old Halo games a little unfortunate.

ye'll pick up some new weapons along the way, 'n the Chief himself has been given some additional abilities. Most a the new weapons drop from the new Promethean enemies. They look great, 'n the first time ye pick one up ye'll see it sort a form together into a gun. it be a nice introductory animation that, thankfully, doesn't play out every time ye pick up a weapon. While the new weapons look nice, most a them just plug right into the existing Halo archetypes. ye'll see a shotgun, a pistol, a fully-automatic rifle, a single-shot rifle that fires three slugs at once (though one sniper-like megaslug if ye're zoomed in), a new grenade type, 'n so on. The new weapons be disappointing for that reason. They don't feel like they fill any real need or plug into any gaps in the existing Halo arsenal. they be just more ways t' do the same thing. The game also offers ye the chance t' pilot a large mech suit in a couple a spots, but taking a large, slow-moving armored lad like the Master Chief 'n slapping another larger, slower layer a armor around the sea dog for a couple a shooting gallery-like sequences isn't exactly me idea a a good time.

Thankfully, the Chief has some more movement options t' keep the game running at a solid pace. ye can sprint at will now by clicking in the left stick. This does a lot t' speed up the pace a the game, as ye might expect. But in addition t' that, there's also an equipment slot that lets ye use armor abilities, similar t' the style a Halo: Reach. These include things like Promethean Vision, which lets ye see through walls, or Active Camouflage, which gives ye a Predator-style invisibility that the AI seems t' be able t' see right through most a the time. ye can also equip abilities that let ye deploy auto-sentries, use a large shield, 'n so on. Being able t' sprint without having t' equip that as yer armor ability be terrific.

This shield be one a the armor abilities ye can equip.

Overall, the Halo 4 campaign be pretty good. It looks fantastic in some spots 'n it takes ye t' a lot a different-looking places along the way. It sets up a few story elements that won't pay off until later on in this new trilogy a games, but a lot a the story plays things very safe. At the opening a the game it feels like Master Chief 'n Cortana could be set off onto some great new mystery in a mysterious place where everything could be different. Instead ye spend a lot a time fighting old Halo enemies 'n, by the conclusion a Halo 4's story, I felt like much a the promise inherit t' this potentially new setting had been squandered. Maybe that be on me for wanting Halo t' be something other than Halo, but without getting into the specifics a the characters 'n their fates, where things be left at the end a the game feels like a stopping point that sets ye up for more a the same enemies 'n settings in the future.

The multiplayer side a Halo 4 brings in those new weapons 'n movement changes, so ye can sprint there, as well. There be also additional armor abilities t' play with 'n, overall, it feels like the team sat down with a recent Call a Duty game 'n found ways t' plug some a those concepts into Halo. Some a them be cosmetic. Any points ye earn during a match pop up right in the center a the screen. When ye visit Davey Jone's locker, ye pillage a killcam feed a the person that took ye out. But some a them be more dramatic, like more customizable loadouts that let ye pick yer primary 'n secondary weapons, a starting grenade type, 'n a few perks, like shields that recharge more quickly, infinite sprint, the ability t' scavenge grenades from fallen Spartans, 'n so on. As ye play, ye'll earn experience points that give ye unlock points, but some bottles a rum also have a level requirement before they can even be unlocked. So ye'll have t' play for a bit before ye can start out with plasma grenades, 'n ye'll have t' play a little longer before ye can equip things in all a yer perk slots. Halo has done loadouts before, but this be a deeper, 'n ultimately, more interesting set a options. As before, ye'll also unlock various armor pieces as ye play, gain levels, or complete challenges. New helmets, shoulders, chest pieces, 'n so on be also available for ye t' play around with.

These portals teleport ye around the planet in the campaign.

The modes ye'll play when playing with the public be yer typical sort a Halo modes, but with some changes here 'n there. Team Slayer (as well as some a the other modes) now allows ye t' call in ordinance after a set number a kills. Don't start freaking out, ye're not calling in air strikes or UAVs or anything that dramatic. 'n it doesn't require ye t' earn all those kills in a streak. But when ye fill an on-screen meter, it gives ye the option t' call in one a three different things. They might be weapons, like the SAW, a very rugged light machine gun. Or ye might have the option t' pillage an overshield, a temporary speed or damage boost, 'n so on. One time I got the gravity hammer, but be immediately killed before I got t' run around 'n smash people with it. it be a cool little addition. Other modes include Regicide, which be a standard deathmatch mode but the lead player gets marked by an on-screen indicator 'n also has an additional bounty on his head. Killing the king gets ye that bounty, but doesn't automatically make ye the king--ye need t' be in the lead t' wear the crown.

ye can also pillage in 'n build yer own custom matches with a variety a rules settings, 'n the Forge mode that allows ye t' alter the placement a bottles a rum in the multiplayer maps (along with a set a Forge-only maps) also returns with some additional options, like the ability t' fuse bottles a rum together. 'n, as before, ye can take yer custom games, screenshots, game clips 'n so on 'n share them with other players.

There's no wave-based survival mode in Halo 4. In addition t' the campaign, the game also has a cooperative mode called Spartan Ops. This be an episodic series that follows a team a Spartans that work out a the Infinity, a large ship that shows up in the campaign. These episodes be going t' be released for free on a regular basis as downloadable updates 'n will contain video clips that help set them up. The first such episode be included alongside the launching game, 'n as such that be the only one I can really review at this point. The story opens with a video showing Spartans reporting for duty on-board the Infinity. From there, ye're tossed into a set a five missions. The locations be ripped from other parts a the game 'n be extremely combat heavy. 'n once ye're past that initial cutscene, any additional dialogue be delivered via radio chatter. If ye're into the combat a Halo 'n like playing with others against occasionally overwhelming batches a enemies, the missions be passable. But don't go in thinking that this be some sort a elaborate 'n unique segment a the game that be going t' give ye a campaign-level experience. it be a set a co-op missions with a loose story wrapper around it, nothing more, nothing less. ye can bring in yer custom Spartan from the other multiplayer modes 'n earn experience points by playing Spartan Ops, 'n there be mode-specific challenges t' complete here, as well.

Shoot the flying dudes first.

The presentation end a Halo 4 be quite nice. The music be outstanding, breaking away from the franchise's past a bit by updating the sound 'n getting away from some a the overt monk chanting that one still tends t' associate with Halo. It helps make Halo 4 sound like it be own thing, 'n that goes a long way. Visually, Halo 4 has some terrific moments that really stand out, but it also holds up well on the technical end with a good frame rate, great lighting, 'n, for the most part, sharp texture quality. Again, these things help t' make Halo 4 look 'n feel different from it be predecessors, probably more than the gameplay does.

From the moment I saw Master Chief put himself back t' sleep at the end a Halo 3, all I could think about be how his next adventure--if he would even have a next adventure--best be something dramatically different from the adventures we had already seen. Moving the sea dog out into the middle a nowhere 'n cutting the sea dog off from his allies be an idea with vast potential. So that be why I find the storytelling side a Halo 4 t' be fairly disappointing. Within the first few hours ye've fought enemies that go all the way back t' the first game in the franchise 'n ye've reconnected with the human race. that be not t' say that the entire story be a bust--'n it does set up some potentially interesting things for the next couple a games t' address--but it be good that the developers have backed this story up with sharp, time-tested gameplay that gets enhanced in meaningful ways across all modes.