Travis McClaskey
November 14, 2012
Filed under Entertainment, Top Stories
In the latest chapter of the award winning Halo series, Master Chief makes his long-awaited return. Upon his reawakening, an ancient foe is revealed and a mysterious, new setting is introduced. Manning the reins of the fourth entry in the Chief?s saga is 343 Industries. This marks the first time a ?traditional? Halo title has not been developed by Bungie Studios. Such a transition is definitely a bold move on the part of Bungie Studios and feels reminiscent of the way the second Star Trek film from 1982 was transitioned out of the hands of series creator Gene Roddenberry after Star Trek: The Motion Picture. To this day, critics agree that the metaphorical ?passing of the torch? to director Nicholas Meyer gave way to what is arguably the greatest Star Trek film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and the film debut of second last Star Trek villain, Khan. A new Halo trilogy has been planned with the next entry being rumored to coincide with the launch of a new Xbox console.
Particle effects and explosions are as great as ever ? which is typical with the Halo franchise ? while breathtakingly impressive vistas radiate with fine detail. There is a lot of activating terminals and clearing out waves of enemies in the campaign, as is the norm with any Halo title. Thus, do not expect the complete depth of Half-Life 2 like ?platforming? to come into play this time around ? 343 Industries stuck pretty close to the original formula in this regard. Spartan Ops mode offers cooperative, supplemental missions that deviate from the main story and will introduce new levels to Xbox Live Gold members for months to come. Multiplayer, the paramount component of the Halo series is now dubbed Infinity. It has certainly expanded upon what was offered in Halo Reach, with the creation of one?s own Spartan-IV soldier with new weapons, individually customizable ?load outs? (think Call of Duty) and, of course, new maps.
Sound design is still top notch. All of the sound effects for guns and explosions have been reworked for the newest entry and are definitely a welcome addition. Many do not realize the effort developers pour into their games by utilizing high definition audio, and it is a travesty not to experience the atmosphere being offered with surround sound. On the other end of the spectrum, the soundtrack has left some to be desired. While Neil Davidge has quite an impressive r?sum? spanning multiple mediums, he does not quite hit the high mark of long time series composer and legend, Martin ?Marty? O?Donnell.? Simply put, the moody, ambient soundtrack that has always synchronized perfectly with each act in the other Halo titles is absent.
Series gurus who have read Halo: Glasslands and Halo: Primordium will definitely be interested in the campaign by finding numerous connections to series lore. Master Chief?s journey in this game will leave series fans clamoring for Halo 5. It is clear from the moment the credits roll that 343 Industries wants to do new things with the story and characters. All past entries have relied on the wonderfully addictive multiplayer to keep replay value alive. Whether it is through the ever expanding missions in Spartan Ops, pulling off headshots over Xbox Live, or simply blowing up an enemy vehicle with sticky grenades, gamers will be enjoying this title for years to come.
Halo has, for over a decade, been the paragon of online and offline multiplayer console shooters. This entry is no exception ? subtle changes that are difficult to articulate, given the brevity of this review, add a distinctive charm to the multiplayer experience. There is really nothing quite like getting a few friends together to play a few rounds of Capture the Flag on the current iteration of the ?Blood Gulch? map. ?Bungie Studio?s ?passing of the torch? so to speak was met with some unsavory expectation from the gaming community, but for all intents and purposes, 343 Industries delivers in their premiere. In summation, 343 Industries has crafted a fine Halo game that has paid respect to what made Halo so wonderful in the first place and made a few tweaks along the way into what is a solid entry in the Halo universe. See you starside! 4.5/5?
Source: http://www.pncactivities.com/top-stories/2012/11/14/video-game-review-halo-4/
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