How Do You Guys Feel About Halo 4?

[Sal86]

I personally didn't like many aspects of Halo 4. The storyline was very good, but the environments to me seemed... lacking; They just weren't as memorable as past games. I also couldn't stand the immature dialogue in Spartan Ops. All of the Spartan IV's act like immature teenagers, instead of the elite Special Operators that they are. I couldn't get into the Multiplayer at all, it just seemed too random and easy to die. i understand 343 was trying to level the playing field and "make things accessible" but I just didn't like it. One of my favorite aspects of the recent Halo's, Forge, took a step backwards, with no decent Forge World (With Terrain), and botched controls. So overall, I didn't really care for Halo 4. And that sucks.

There is probably a reason why the story opened up with Dr. Halsey being interrogated for her "criminal" activity in kidnapping children and indoctrinating them to become super soldiers. The interrogator could be interested in having Spartans that are good as the Master Chief and the S II. Let's see what happens when Halo 5 comes out.

 

[Hawkins]

I am in agreement with most people here about how the Elites re-joining the Covenant doesn't make a lot of sense. But that's not the major thing that makes me agitated:

1) The Forward Unto Dawn

In Halo 3

In Halo 4

-Somehow the ship had a major make-over whilst floating out in space? Did this bother anyone else? Cause that made me angry


2) ODST's

in Halo 3

In Halo 4

-...I understand that the Spartan IV's can essentially be considered the new ODST's since they are cheaper than regular spartans but more efficient than ODST's but still. Come on. They've been in the series since it's creation, they can't just take them out of the story.

3) The Magnum/Weapons

Did anyone else notice that the magnum sounds like a laser pistol? Anyone? Cause that drove me crazy. I used the magnum constantly in all of the previous games. It was my best friend in a CQC firefight (besides the shotgun of course). In Halo 4, they changed up everything. I feel the shotgun in this game was nerfed slightly, and the magnum doesn't even sound like the magnum anymore





I know a lot of my criticisms are of the small/little things, details and such, but details matter. Halo is revered as an awesome game/universe not only because it has a great story and gameplay, but also because there are so many details in both areas. Try and read all the background history of Halo, there's thousands of pages out of tens of possibly hundreds of books, official and fan made, that describe the intricate universe that is Halo. All the details matter, and I feel Halo 4 disregarded many of them in an attempt to make the game feel like 343's own creation. I admit I am looking forward to Halo 5, hoping that it'll renew my interest with a great story and hopefully good gameplay, but I'm still disappointed in Halo 4 :/

 

[cha0skn1ght]

Elites didn't rejoin the Covenant. What you are fighting in Halo 4 is rogue Covenant forces.They are still loyal to the ideals of the Covenant even after the Human-Covenant war, Great Schism, and the disappearance of the Prophets.
In terms of artistic approach of things, 343 most likely wanted to have their own spin on everything which is why the Chief's armor is technically still Mk.VI armor (not Mk. VII) but it looks different. The actual Mk. VII armor is worn by Naomi-010 (well, a prototype of it) . She is a member of Kilo-Five. This is a pic of the MK.VII prototype worn by Naomi-010 as seen on the cover of The Thursday War


Anywho, 343's artistic approach would also be why the Forward Unto Dawn looks different.
If I was a betting man, I would put my money on the idea that Spartan IVs were all ODST before their augmentation. Spartan IVs were the "best of the best" of the UNSC ::cough cough ODST:: and were augmented. If you are equipping the Infinity with the best of what you have, why would they include ODST that didn't make the Spartan IV cut when they had enough Spartan IVs to put on duty. I like ODSTs just as much as anyone and I do miss them, but logically Spartan IVs are the evolution of ODST and ODST will most likely no longer be needed.
I wouldn't be surprised if eventually the UNSC was comprised of nothing but "Spartans". The science of humanity will progress so much that they would be able to augment anyone joining the UNSC to wear Mjolnir. But that is just my 2 cents and I hope no Halo game EVER implements that.

 

[Carpathia]

...I understand that the Spartan IV's can essentially be considered the new ODST's since they are cheaper than regular spartans but more efficient than ODST's but still. Come on. They've been in the series since it's creation, they can't just take them out of the story.

I actually like the fact that Spartan IV's are not conscripted at birth, but chosen from volunteers. This offers the possibility of seeing old characters like the ODST cast as spartans. One description of Buck from ODST said that if he was any better, he'd be a spartan. I'd love to see that.

Although I have to admit, I hate the discrepancies too. They should have made Forward Unto Dawn the same model as Halo 3. Also, I was really hoping that Master Chief would start in his armor from Halo 3, then get a new suit when he linked up with Infinity, but no...

Another thing that bugs me is some of the graphics at the beginning of the game. When you launch the missile at the Covenant cruiser and it "explodes" it looked like crap. Nothing looks worse than when a ship's "explosion" is simply large chunks moving away from each other. Seeing the Grafton get blown in half in Reach was great; watching the central portion of the carrier disappear into slipspace, then seeing the decimation afterward was incredible; the cruiser in Halo 4, not so much.

 

[Hawkins]

Anywho, 343's artistic approach would also be why the Forward Unto Dawn looks different.
If I was a betting man, I would put my money on the idea that Spartan IVs were all ODST before their augmentation. Spartan IVs were the "best of the best" of the UNSC ::cough cough ODST:: and were augmented. If you are equipping the Infinity with the best of what you have, why would they include ODST that didn't make the Spartan IV cut when they had enough Spartan IVs to put on duty. I like ODSTs just as much as anyone and I do miss them, but logically Spartan IVs are the evolution of ODST and ODST will most likely no longer be needed.

In hindsight, I do agree with you. Still, it's hard for me to let them go xD

 

[cha0skn1ght]

I actually like the fact that Spartan IV's are not conscripted at birth, but chosen from volunteers. This offers the possibility of seeing old characters like the ODST cast as spartans. One description of Buck from ODST said that if he was any better, he'd be a spartan. I'd love to see that.

Although I have to admit, I hate the discrepancies too. They should have made Forward Unto Dawn the same model as Halo 3. Also, I was really hoping that Master Chief would start in his armor from Halo 3, then get a new suit when he linked up with Infinity, but no...

Another thing that bugs me is some of the graphics at the beginning of the game. When you launch the missile at the Covenant cruiser and it "explodes" it looked like crap. Nothing looks worse than when a ship's "explosion" is simply large chunks moving away from each other. Seeing the Grafton get blown in half in Reach was great; watching the central portion of the carrier disappear into slipspace, then seeing the decimation afterward was incredible; the cruiser in Halo 4, not so much.

I would love to see Buck as Spartan IV.
Graphically, I also think 343 dropped the ball on a lot of stuff in Halo 4. What you mentioned is a great example.

 

[Spartan 420]

I am in agreement with most people here about how the Elites re-joining the Covenant doesn't make a lot of sense. But that's not the major thing that makes me agitated:

Elites did not rejoin covenant. As far as I'm aware the only people who refer to the Storm as "Covenant" is the UNSC, because that's what they see when they look at them. The Storm never claim themselves to be the Covenant, I don't think.

1) The Forward Unto Dawn

In Halo 3

In Halo 4

-Somehow the ship had a major make-over whilst floating out in space? Did this bother anyone else? Cause that made me angry

Technically Cortana could have rebuilt certain units for transmitting a distress signal, as most UNSC ships are installed with Nanotechnology that allows the ship to upgrade and repair itself. I'm pretty sure the Mk VII Mjolnir also has the same tech while in Cryo. Plus remember you're only looking at the back end of the ship. The front half landed on earth with Arbiter on board. Also 343 have just gone overboard with detail, it's the style they're using for Halo now.

2) ODST's

in Halo 3

In Halo 4
-...I understand that the Spartan IV's can essentially be considered the new ODST's since they are cheaper than regular spartans but more efficient than ODST's but still. Come on. They've been in the series since it's creation, they can't just take them out of the story.

Spartan-IV's are exclusive to the UNSC Infinity as far as I'm aware, as it's a new program. Any ODST's assigned to the Infinity were likely assigned in order to take part in the Spartan-IV program. With a ship full of Ex-ODST-Spartans, why would they need ODST's? Plus maybe 343 were lazy, as the design and armour for the ODST didn't come out until recently.

3) The Magnum/Weapons
Did anyone else notice that the magnum sounds like a laser pistol? Anyone? Cause that drove me crazy. I used the magnum constantly in all of the previous games. It was my best friend in a CQC firefight (besides the shotgun of course). In Halo 4, they changed up everything. I feel the shotgun in this game was nerfed slightly, and the magnum doesn't even sound like the magnum anymore

Well they did redo all the weapon sounds, It's something 343 made quite a big deal about. Personally it didn't bother me, it just sounded weird at first. I got used to it quickly, but now H3's weapons all sound weird when I go back, lol.

Overall I really liked Halo 4, for one main reason, because during the wait for it's release I caught up with all the books and Halo related media, not to mention I had a read of H3's terminals. So I had a really good understanding of exactly what was happening and why. Plus If you watch the terminal videos about halfway through the campaign it clears a TON of stuff up. Unfortunately everyone around me was confused and said "It didn't make sense" Which at first was infuriating, cause It makes perfect sense if you read the books. But now I realise that for a game to make sense you should NOT have to read books first. It's fine for me but for the other 80% of the gaming community? Probably not.

Another thing is my hate for the S-IV's. To me they're nothing in comparison to a II or III. IV's have distractions, families, maybe even relationships. S-II's have none of that which is why they're such good killing machines. Since they were toddlers all they've been taught is military skills. After playing through Spartan-Ops though, I kinda think 343 wanted us to hate them a bit. Or atleast consider it after Halsey gets involved. It seems to be a big focus point in the Spartan-Ops cutscenes.

All I'm gonna say about Multiplayer is: Good, but not that good.

Well that's my opinion on this subject

-S420

 

[Carpathia]

I can't believe it took me this long to figure this out. Did anyone else notice that the voice actor for Commander Sarah Palmer is the same voice actor for the female Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy?

 

[Connor Xfor]

I know, took me ages to figure it out myself! Small world in the industry of voice acting I suppose!

 

[foxleader]

now i have seen the new spartans and been thinking about some little things about them, one is a big thing that just didn't seem right; what's with the fact that their shorter then the chief? then there's the jet packs for the chief won't get you as far as the new guys. and then there's the Spartan force is it me or did the Spartans seem weaker then the elites.

 

[Spartan 420]

now i have seen the new spartans and been thinking about some little things about them, one is a big thing that just didn't seem right; what's with the fact that their shorter then the chief? then there's the jet packs for the chief won't get you as far as the new guys. and then there's the Spartan force is it me or did the Spartans seem weaker then the elites.

That's the point, when Halsey was being interrogated in the prologue they were trying to find what the Spartan II's had that made them so efficient.
(Lack of emotion) The main debate throughout Spartan Ops is pretty much: Spartan IV's, are they as effective as Spartan II's?

Short Answer: No. Spartan II's were trained and augmented from children, plus their body enhancements were quite extreme in comparison to the S-IV program, thus the larger figure.

But in order to achieve the same effectiveness they gained from the S-II's they would need to kindap and train children, which is not in their interests anymore after the hate Halsey received for doing it. So the solution is S-IV's. Cheaper and more ethical than S-II project, however less enhancements aswell as lack of skill. (In comparison to S-II's atleast.)

 

[Jason 078]

What I got was that the Spartan-IVs were given the same chemical cocktail as the S-IIIs, but they were given it after they had gone through puberty. That was the big thing about the IIs and IIIs, they were pre-pubescent when they went through augmentation.

As for the height, the S-IIs received the bone grafts, thyroid enhancement, and other surgical augmentations that no other group received. That is what made most of the S-IIs bigger, stronger, and tougher than any others.

 

[Zaff]

Even if the Spartan IVs did receive the same enhancements that the Spartan IIs were given, the simple fact of the matter is they've had at most 6 years for those enhancements to develop. Spartan IIs received the enhancements as children (psychologically and physically more receptive) and have had decades for the enhancements to develop. This is one explanation for why John is so much taller than the Spartan IVs (although the difference was exaggerated I would say in the final cinematic). It also explains why John is so much more resilient and overall more efficient in everything he does compared to the Spartan IVs, who are really just a relatively small step above an exemplary human. Spartan IIs are genetically altered. Spartan IVs...the effect really is little more than steroids and growth hormones to make them bigger. They lack the psychological and neurological advancements, training, and conditioning of the Spartan IIs, so it's a very slim chance they will ever be as good as the "original" Spartans.

So the biggest strike against the Spartan IVs is that anything that was done to them was done after adulthood, and after having proven themselves worthy of notice during their military careers (which could take anywhere from a few months to a few years). They were both hand-chosen as outstanding soldiers or else volunteered for the program after having a fairly extensive career.

 

[foxleader]

Even if the Spartan IVs did receive the same enhancements that the Spartan IIs were given, the simple fact of the matter is they've had at most 6 years for those enhancements to develop. Spartan IIs received the enhancements as children (psychologically and physically more receptive) and have had decades for the enhancements to develop. This is one explanation for why John is so much taller than the Spartan IVs (although the difference was exaggerated I would say in the final cinematic). It also explains why John is so much more resilient and overall more efficient in everything he does compared to the Spartan IVs, who are really just a relatively small step above an exemplary human. Spartan IIs are genetically altered. Spartan IVs...the effect really is little more than steroids and growth hormones to make them bigger. They lack the psychological and neurological advancements, training, and conditioning of the Spartan IIs, so it's a very slim chance they will ever be as good as the "original" Spartans.

So the biggest strike against the Spartan IVs is that anything that was done to them was done after adulthood, and after having proven themselves worthy of notice during their military careers (which could take anywhere from a few months to a few years). They were both hand-chosen as outstanding soldiers or else volunteered for the program after having a fairly extensive career.

well that and what halesy said in Spartan ops. "first we taught them to be silent then we taught them to be Spartans.' then later on she said "some of you are closer then others." which mean's some could be S-II's like thorn or palmer and if that's so then what would she say about soon to be new chief.

 

[Zaff]

Yea. On top of the physical/genetic augmentations, the simple fact of the matter is the Spartan IIs and I think the IIIs as well were psychologically indoctrinated to be the perfect soldiers mentally, not just physically. Spartan IVs may be able to match Spartan IIs physically, to a degree, but they do not have the same psychological edge. Halsey's comment may refer to Thorne being more of a "good soldier," stoic, obedient, level-headed, and quick thinking. Demarco and Madsen, however, Halsey would likely dismiss as being unworthy of being Spartans, as they lack discipline and decorum outside of a combat situation. I'm sure if Halsey was privy to Demarco's failed attempt at flirting with Palmer, that would only reinforce her appraisal of him as someone who should have been either left in the nameless rank and file, or sent out to the front lines to be disposed of quickly. I would imagine she feels Spartans are not here to "make friends and influence people," they're here to get a job done, do it right the first time, and do it ten times faster and more effectively than any other unit. Honestly in a way I'd imagine Halsey is as disgusted by the Spartan IVs as many Halo players were (and many still are). She would see them as little more than an inept bastardization of her magnum opus.

 

[foxleader]

ture but I'm starting to think that was by design and not by her. due to what LB told the chief. plus hasley would be more likely to make elite like the Spartans now, so let's just think about this, either the s-iv's get better or more numbers or the arbiter show up and helps the chief in the next game. and why is it when the elite leader doesn't go off the chian and tell her why he wants to go to war with us.

 

[U513]

I think the story of halo 4 was ok but its too early to tell. They have planted some decent seeds and the Spartan ops were great however the seeds need to develop into some awesome flowering plants or some rotten no good weeds before I pass judgement. I don't like the whole Sarah palmer macho thing she has going on. You can be a female Spartan but you don't have to be a [insert unpleasant word here] about it. I also hated it when she said "thought you'd be taller" to the chief and I was like stop disrespecting the chief lol

Im also not a fan of the armour designs in halo 4, its too much gundam meets, power rangers meets halo for my liking but that's just me. it will be interesting to see what they do with Cortana and the way Halsey has been treated by mankind is despicable but understandable. I reckon that is the reaction she would get if it were to happen in the real world. I think admiral Osman has a vendetta against halsey as she is a reject and I like laskey. He is a solid character and one I am sure the chief will come to rely on in the future.

Ultimately, the chief will answer to Halsey. I think once he does find her or she finds him the chief will have to choose. The librarian said to the didact that he should learn from the humans but also help them too. I wouldn't be surprised if him and chief do become allies (the arbiter did) and stop mankind from making the mistakes they made last time and finally hold the mantle of responsibility.

so all is all I think there is a lot of potential in where things are going. Cortana needs to return and the armour needs to revert back to more of the Bungie style (yes, I am a bungie purist as far as the armour is concerned)

 

[Mastur Grunt]

My opinion on Halo 4 was that it did fall short of Bungie's standards, but this isn't a Bungie game. We have only seen 343's first game, and honestly I'm really excited for Halo 5 to come out. I truly believe that 343 will take all the criticisms of Halo 4 and (just like good ol' Bungie did) improve the game, and by Halo 6 we should have a decent game.

I am in agreement with most people here about how the Elites re-joining the Covenant doesn't make a lot of sense. But that's not the major thing that makes me agitated:

1) The Forward Unto Dawn

In Halo 3

-snip-


In Halo 4

-snip-


-Somehow the ship had a major make-over whilst floating out in space? Did this bother anyone else? Cause that made me angry


2) ODST's

in Halo 3
-snip-


In Halo 4
-snip-


-...I understand that the Spartan IV's can essentially be considered the new ODST's since they are cheaper than regular spartans but more efficient than ODST's but still. Come on. They've been in the series since it's creation, they can't just take them out of the story.

3) The Magnum/Weapons

Did anyone else notice that the magnum sounds like a laser pistol? Anyone? Cause that drove me crazy. I used the magnum constantly in all of the previous games. It was my best friend in a CQC firefight (besides the shotgun of course). In Halo 4, they changed up everything. I feel the shotgun in this game was nerfed slightly, and the magnum doesn't even sound like the magnum anymore





I know a lot of my criticisms are of the small/little things, details and such, but details matter. Halo is revered as an awesome game/universe not only because it has a great story and gameplay, but also because there are so many details in both areas. Try and read all the background history of Halo, there's thousands of pages out of tens of possibly hundreds of books, official and fan made, that describe the intricate universe that is Halo. All the details matter, and I feel Halo 4 disregarded many of them in an attempt to make the game feel like 343's own creation. I admit I am looking forward to Halo 5, hoping that it'll renew my interest with a great story and hopefully good gameplay, but I'm still disappointed in Halo 4 :/

I completly agree with this post. One other thing that angers me is how Master Chief changes his armor whilst frozen...

 

[Zaff]

I truly believe that 343 will take all the criticisms of Halo 4 and (just like good ol' Bungie did) improve the game, and by Halo 6 we should have a decent game.

We can hope so, but:

1) they haven't been showing that they're listening all that much to any criticisms, complaints, or problem reports, at least not with anything that would take any real effort to change. Swapping playlists, editing gametypes, even so far as weapon tuning, that they'll do, but fixing a lot of core problems that have driven a huge percentage of the original population away, they won't even acknowledge the complaints any more, and a big part of the problem there is...

2) The monitors over on Waypoint seem to have adopted a communist/gestapo approach of "do not question the almighty 343." On each marketing release announcement (snowboard, ricochet avatar items, etc.) I have posed the question of why 343 is, in my opinion, wasting their time on merchandise marketing schemes rather than addressing the problems with their game. I have posted in numerous discussion boards. All of the posts I've made in the last 3-4 months were, in one day, censored and labeled as "off-topic) even though they were posted in threads created for discussing said issues, and I was handed a suspension. I thought maybe if I just made my own thread to address these concerns, they can't say I'm "off topic" because as long as it's about Halo 4 and it's in the Halo 4 hopper, it's relevant. I checked the first 5 pages and found over two dozen such threads that were shut down after the first post, all by the same mod. Instead of posting anywhere I sent a message to the mod that had banned me to discuss concerns with having my posts shut down despite being legitimate, and the answer was a month long ban (which I am still on).

So really, I'm not sure 343 is even getting the feedback they need, much less whether they actually care about it.

One other thing that angers me is how Master Chief changes his armor whilst frozen...

He didn't. It's not "Mark VII" or whatever else people call it. It's still the Mark VI, it's just 343's "artistic interpretation" of the Mark VI so they can say it's "theirs" instead of something "stolen" or "recycled" from Bungie. Personally, I agree they made the changes too drastic.

 

[Spartan1313]

I´m just gonna add my own personal opinion to the many others here on this thread, and trod on a lot of toes while doing it.

The spartan IV spartan II height discrepancy is due to the choice of modifications. Master chief, like all other spartan II's, had a platinum pellet containing a bunch of growth hormones injected into his thyroid. That is why he is so tall. For whatever reason, the Spartan III and IV programs skipped this step. Considering their mortality rates were significantly lower on later classes, I have a feeling that that was the most dicey part of the surgical operation so they nixed it.

As for his armor, I am going to point out a couple of things. Unlike in halos 2 and 3, the halo 4 armor actually looks like it weighs half a ton. The Mark V achieved this illusion in Halo Wars, but the bungie mark VI didn't. It looked good in it's own way, but when I looked at it, I never felt like it weighed a lot. It was just too streamlined. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, My little brother's first response to seeing the new one was "How can he even walk in that?"

Now, the storyline disconnect. I think that 343 in their haste to disconnect themselves with the original trilogy, really skipped an important part of Halo. I think they did a good job while onboard the Forward unto Dawn of showing Cortana and Chief's confusion with the covenant assault, particularly the Elites. However, what they skipped was any explanation of the disconnect and Jul Mdama's rise to power. They somewhat patched this with Spartan ops, but it was like a bandaid on an amputation; it really wasn't enough.

I think the storyline itself was great. I think the ending was the most gut-wrenching they could pull, short of Master Chief's death. I thought it made even Noble 6's death scene seem weak by comparison.

/end rant