Halo 4 be adamant about proving it be competence 'n convincing ye a it be necessity. ye don't often see a monolithic franchise putting up a fight for fans, but longtime developer Bungie's departure has awakened enough doubt t' incur a fierce response from Halo's new custodians at 343 Industries. 'n so the developer launches the best kind a protest, which be t' wave an impressive, throbbing shooter in yer face. Trust me, ye want this.

The speed at which that uncertainty evaporates be the real surprise. ye enter with a fair fear a Halo being stale; then Master Chief exits the cryogenic casket like a crisp piece a let-us-start-killing-things. Meanwhile, his companion Cortana skirts around fatigue, madness 'n Microsoft metaphor - the inevitable fate a software that be been in service for much too long. But she too comes out stronger, more endearing 'n heroic than ever before. Maybe she's just been inserted into one too many alien plinths over the years.