Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Blog #6: Halo 4 Review
A few days ago, I finally wrapped up my play through of Halo 4 on Legendary difficulty. There has been a lot of heated discussion about whether Microsoft could carry on the legacy that Bungie had created in its first four Halo games. In my humble opinion, not only is Halo 4 is a good game, I think it is the finest entry in the Halo franchise yet. With spectacular art direction, a greater level of characterization of Cortana and Master Chief, and a plot that doesn't involve the Flood, Halo 4 is a great game.
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A plot that actually makes sense, unlike Halo 3.
ReplyDeleteI did love the Halo 4 storyline, and I think the gameplay is the best yet, but I'm partial to the Halo: Reach campaign. The way they developed new characters and added different settings for the story in Reach trumped the overall emotion of the Halo 4 campaign. But yeah, it kicks the hell out of 3's campaign and the art and feel of the game is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree. I love the design of the new weapons, and I'll admit that I did not shed a tear over the dearth of Flood plotlines (I HATED that first level when you had to defeat thousands of them in Halo 1--my brother was teaching me to play (solo) and refused to help me get beat the level, I had to power through on my own).
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting thing for me in this transition, I think, is the focus on whether Microsoft will "do it right" across the board There seems to be equal amount of worry about the quality of both the storyline and the gameplay, which seems important. I love how integrated Halo is in that respect and I appreciate Microsoft for transitioning nicely.
Okay, so now I'm curious--how exactly is character development different in Reach than in Halo 4? And what about the art direction in Halo 4 sets it apart?
ReplyDeleteYou aren't totally required to answer these questions put I definitely want to understand your reactions better in relation to the game elements.
Blog #7: A Response to Sheila Murphy
ReplyDeleteThe character development is different in that there some. The romance between Master Chief and Cortana that exists only in embryonic form in previous Halo games is actually acknowledged and developed. The only flaw in this aspect of the game is that Cortana threatens to hijack the plot away from Master Chief. While the external quest is Master Chief's attempt to stop the Didact, king of the Forerunners, from destroying Earth, the internal quest is Master Chief trying to save Cortana from degradation. This degradation is a natural product of the built-in shortcomings of her code. Master Chief needs to find a doctor who can save her. Hopefully my description of this indicates how much more interesting this narrative strand is than the generic strand about Master Chief saving the world. However bifurcated the story proves to be, the sheer willingness to engage in a more complex take on the Halo mythology is a welcome and refreshing change.
Now, as for the art direction, Halo 4 isn't so much a radical redesign than a great overhaul. The Forerunner architecture has its own visual motifs that manifest in the architecture, the weaponry, and the sound design. All of the elements of the Covenant have been given some extra polish. Here's a link to some pictures:
http://74.220.219.70/~critiqu2/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/halo-4-trailer-5.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zxsMGwWOmY/T850wqAoPOI/AAAAAAAACLY/LxAdV7IhDps/s1600/halo4_cryptum_vertical_rgb2.jpg
http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/Halo4/Halo4_Watcher-02_tif_jpgcopy.jpg