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Review: Halo 4

By Sameer Parker
Johannesburg, 20 Nov 2012
The combat is excellent, the visuals and sound are almost perfect, and the story is deeply engaging.
The combat is excellent, the visuals and sound are almost perfect, and the story is deeply engaging.

Once again, the fate of all humanity falls on the shoulders of the Master Chief, the iconic green-armoured super soldier and hero of the Halo series. With new developer 343 Industries, Halo 4 represents not only a reboot of the franchise, but a giant leap forward for Microsoft.

The game starts off with the remains of the Forward Unto Dawn drifting through space. Cortana, the Master Chief's AI companion, wakes him up from stasis. Soon afterwards, they land on a Requiem, a planet in the midst of battle between the series' traditional baddies, the Covenant, and a new enemy, the Prometheans.

The story is a mix between epic on-foot battles, longer vehicle sections, and dialogue and video sequences that push the story on.
The story is a mix between epic on-foot battles, longer vehicle sections, and dialogue and video sequences that push the story on.

While trying to save the world, he has to deal with a more pressing crisis - Cortana is dying. The tension between fighting the greater cause and saving his companion plays out brilliantly and sees the player delve into the humanity of the Master Chief like never before.

The story is a mix between epic on-foot battles, longer vehicle sections, and dialogue and video sequences that push the story on. While it brings in many elements of the previous titles, it provides enough context for those new to the franchise. There are large chunks of the story that can only be activated through hidden terminals splayed across the campaign. Unfortunately, I missed a few of them and lost out on large sections of the story.

Halo 4 still looks and plays like a typical Halo game. Most of the core first-person shooter gameplay remains the same, with only minor tweaks to the core combat dynamics.
Halo 4 still looks and plays like a typical Halo game. Most of the core first-person shooter gameplay remains the same, with only minor tweaks to the core combat dynamics.

Halo 4 still looks and plays like a typical Halo game. Most of the core first-person shooter gameplay remains the same, with only minor tweaks to the core combat dynamics. These minor changes significantly improve the enjoyment of the game - guns are well suited for every situation, the graphics are jaw-dropping, and sound is bar-raising for the first-person shooter genre.

Outside of the campaign, there are new four-man co-operative Spartan Ops missions. These are mini-stages that are released every week via Xbox Live and are designed to keep players interested long after the end of the campaign.

In summary

Pros: Brilliant multiplayer, great gameplay, brilliant story, graphics and sound are excellent, Spartan missions are fun Cons: Some sections of the story are missable Rating: 9/10 Recommended retail price: R599 (Xbox only)

The competitive multiplayer, War Games, is a masterstroke. There are nine game modes, including old favourites like Team Slayer and Oddball, and newer modes like Flood and Regicide. Multiplayer now also incorporates a levelling system that unlocks upgrades and perks to players' weapons and skills as they gain experience. The gunplay is well balanced and the maps are brilliantly constructed - it offers just enough to help a newer player level quickly, while veterans will still find the gameplay challenging.

Overall, Halo 4 is brilliant. The combat is excellent, the visuals and sound are almost perfect, and the story is deeply engaging. Halo 4 is one of the best games of the year.

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