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[Palette Swap]

Having played the game a lot these past two days (despite my absent DLC woes), I must I really love it overall. I feel compelled to preface my post with this because I'm mostly going to complain.

There's number of minor flaws that really annoy me and are all the more glaring because of the general uber quality of the package.

On the campaign, while I really liked the story, the setting and felt like it recaptured that alien feeling from Halo way more than any sequel, the story felt really disjointed, moving too fast from one bit to another without giving it time to sink in.
I know a lot is explained in the terminals and having read the books, I wasn't particularly lost but to someone who's just there to enjoy the campaign, half the stuff must seem nonsensical. The terminals are really well done and do a great job of summarizing a lot of concepts from the books but it's a shame you have to count on an ancillary source to make sense of half the stuff going on.
Also, did I miss a cutscene or

Spoiler

did Master Chief and Cortana just not give a fuck about a new bunch of Spartans? I didn't see them react in anyway, nor did I see the concept of IVs explained in the campaign, which seem totally weird given the prologue was setting that up? Same thing with MC returning. Aside from Lasky, no one seemed to really care at all. "Oh, he's back? Good for him I guess"

What really bothers me about the campaign and I hope some of it is eventually fixed through updates, is how little seems to have been done with replayability and coop in mind.
The most blatant lack is campaign scoring/medals/commendations. As someone who cooperatively replays the hell out of Halo campaigns, I really liked what Reach did, with all the rewards and tracking. Here, the campaign feels more barebones than any Halo this gen (except CEA). This probably won't prevent me from replaying the game but it's objectively a step down compared to earlier entries.
On coop, there are at least two places that seem designed for only 1 player

Spoiler

The first time you get a Mantis, the other player is pretty left out. This felt worse than when there's only one Scorpion in other campaigns because there usually was another vehicle or the other player could at least climb aboard.
The Pelican flight was terrible here. Mostly because of the shitty angles. Either the pilot decides they won't be attacking to give the gunman the right angle or the pilot decides to do everything and the gunman is left waiting. It's all the more terrible because Reach and 3 did it right.

One last thing about replayability. From what I've played there are way too many times where you just sit and wait for a dialogue or an event to unfold. While it's nice to have stuff going on during your first playthrough, all these pace breaking moments could get really old on later playthroughs. The way that unskippable part in the long night of Solace is annoying every time I replay the mission.

All that being said, it seems the most efficient way to have quick mindless coop games of blowing stuff up is to play Spartan Ops. Mostly because it is pure unadulterated sandbox fun. I really like how it works, I like seeing my customized dude, having a crapload of vehicles and weapons, using and tuning my loadouts to play it. The game itself plays very well and is tons of fun.
But the always online part is bullshit. It's really bad if you're a couch coop player. I know having a guest profile works. But it kind of implies the second player doesn't care at all about having worse weapons and no abilities, which hampers the mindless fun I was mentioning above.
There's also a number of incentives (achievements and challenges) to play the mode solo. Except a solo mode that requires to be signed into XBL is really stupid.

The movies for the Infinity part are really good looking but they always seem to start very pixelated. I guess it's buffering and the movies are actually streaming (which would also explain the audio and lack of subtitles). I guess there's no way to download them?
Also, the multiplayer intro movie was very cool but I kind of missed it, is there any way to rewatch it?

 

[Tony Redgrave]

So, I started playing the campaign yesterday. I had played and beaten Halo 3 in coop with a friend a few years ago but that was pretty much all my experience with the series.

I have to say I'm having some royal fun, playing solo in a 32" LCD display the game looks really impressive for a console product and the set pieces are great. Gameplay was a little weird in the beginning since I'm not used to these arena kind of shooters but once you get the pace it's great also the weapons are generally awesome.

Really liking this one.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

BTB on Exile is just so damn awesome. It's like a war.

 

[Seance]

It's so awkward for me to use that because it's my X button with Recon config. I'd rather it be thumb click, but need melee to be the B button. Crouch, Reload, Sprint and Melee seem to conflict. Argh!

? Sprint is fine on a face button. The bumpers need to be AA/jump and melee.


I really wish that for Halo 5 and 6 there are some really epic campaign levels and engagements. Like 100+ enemies/allies duking it out in an enormous battlefield filled with every kind of vehicle and infantry unit.

But more than that I wish that the AI is improved. On my legendary solo run it just became a chore to kill the Knights, they didn't do anything unpredictable, they didn't use cover effectively, they didn't fire their weapons often and they never coordinate effectively. They were just bullet sponges compared to normal difficulty.

 

[terrdactycalsrock]

So what are the differences between the light rifle and the suppressor? I understand the light rifle is suppose to be like the dmr or battle rifle. And I the suppressor is suppose to be like the storm rifle or assault rifle. But how do they they within those categories?

 

[TUSR]

I realized I don't like this game very much outside of a select few levels.

Feels too realistic for Halo, if that makes any sense. Its a great game, but not a great Halo game.

 

[Card Boy]

Looks like Halo 5 will be even more like COD. I can't believe barely anyone is playing Slayer Pro compared to Infinity Slayer.

 

[Garrett 2U]

So what are the differences between the light rifle and the suppressor? I understand the light rifle is suppose to be like the dmr or battle rifle. And I the suppressor is suppose to be like the storm rifle or assault rifle. But how do they they within those categories?

I'm not quite sure of the differences between Suppresor and AR/Storm Rifle..
But the Light Rifle shoots a projectile, not a hits an bullet. So you sort of have to lead your shots, but not by that much.
When the Light Rifle is scoped in it is a single shot weapon, when it is unscoped it fires a 3 round burst.
The scoped in, single fire mode is a bit more powerful than the 3 shot burst mode.

 

[Sojgat]

Looks like Halo 5 will be even more like COD. I can't believe barely anyone is playing Slayer Pro compared to Infinity Slayer.

Being last in the gametype list and the use of the word "pro" isn't helping.

So what are the differences between the light rifle and the suppressor? I understand the light rifle is suppose to be like the dmr or battle rifle. And I the suppressor is suppose to be like the storm rifle or assault rifle. But how do they they within those categories?

The suppressor has a 50 round clip, but is slightly weaker than the AR. It's bullet spread increases the longer you continuously fire, but it doesn't overheat. I really like it, it suits my play style, and I do pretty well with it.

 

[Ken]

Looks like Halo 5 will be even more like COD. I can't believe barely anyone is playing Slayer Pro compared to Infinity Slayer.

No radar? No load outs? No care packages? No PV? Screw this!!

 

[highrider]

Very rough study idea for revising Crawler heads. I think a big part of the disorientation is that everything we've seen Forerunners use that are mechanical nature (meaning actual Forerunners get a pass) is that they usually only have a singular eye or node or whatever at the center of their frame, and then 4 introduces us to all sorts of two-eyed machines. They also made the mandibles utilize very basic geometric shapes instead of the intricate "layered" bodies of Forerunner enemies. In this concept, the "eye" would double as the actual point of fire. Really, Forerunner sentries shouldn't even need eyes given the vast array of security/observation systems on Requiem that could stream them any combat data they needed. Anyway, the bottom lists a few possible ideas for heads.

Basic Unit (Boltshot) - Rounded head, permanently closed "mandibles." Maybe one or two floating parts off to the side.

CQC Unit (Boltshot Alt. Fire) - Similar to Basic Unit, but the mandibles will open up and glow brightly, warning the player that the Crawler is charging a shot. These types are also more tackle/charge-friendly.

Alpha Unit (Suppressor) - bottom-right illustration shows a general idea. More floating, glowing pieces permanently in place around the head as well as multiple "eyes." This would also be the justification for the higher rate of fire, as more nodes = more bullets.

Sniper Unit (Binary Rifle) - See bottom-right and bottom-mid for a basic example. This one would have much more protection around the head which would open up into an almost Promethean Knight-styled headdress, which would glow a deep crimson revealing it was about to fire a Binary Rifle shot. Pieces could always move or flutter around the head following a shot or to possibly indicate a warning.

Rather than add all sorts of ridiculous pieces onto the Crawler, using colors would make more sense given existing Forerunner motifs. You could just do something simple like Bronze - Silver - Gold for Promethean ranks, or change the colors of the bodies/weaponry. Go Red - Orange - Yellow - Blue - White or something. Star colors.

i really like your design ethic. nice ideas man.

 

[Garrett 2U]

Looks like Halo 5 will be even more like COD. I can't believe barely anyone is playing Slayer Pro compared to Infinity Slayer.

What do you mean by like COD? As in rewarding players? Offering customization?
I think Infinity Slayer fits right into the Halo gameplay I've known and loved since CE.
It doesn't feel at all like Call of Duty.

 

[NBtoaster]

The suppressor is godlike. Just aim around vaguely around the head and its faster at killing than the Battle Rifle.

And dat sound

 

[AHappyPanda]

Promethean Vision doesn't add that much more advantage. I can see when you use it, and I can adjust to beat it. Use active camo, run the other way, etc. You hear the noise and see the radar diffusion you know to get out of the area for a bit.

Maybe it's a bigger issue for others but I only run into 1 person a match or so using it, and I can still beat them if I put any kind of thought into it.

When you run into an entire team running Promethean vision, that's when the game gets REAL stupid.

They need to nerf it.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

Servers are down!

 

[Tokubetsu]

I realized I don't like this game very much outside of a select few levels.

Feels too realistic for Halo, if that makes any sense. Its a great game, but not a great Halo game.

Which is funny because i think there are lot more fantastic elements. A lot of anime influence as well.

 

[derFeef]

Halo 4 to me feels a lot more stylized, scifi porn all over the place, and yeah, some anime as well.

 

[Sojgat]

I really like the art direction in Halo 4. I just wish there was some kind of Promethean vehicle (light cycle would fit with the aesthetic). Maybe next time.

 

[ii Stryker]

Finished the campaign. Nicely paced, the story is a little underwhelming though. Still need to get the legendary ending so that may sway my opinion of it.

Attempting to delve into MP some, the matchmaking needs some ironing out though. I've encountered several matches where lag was my biggest enemy. So far the maps feel well designed for Big Team. Played one game of regicide. It was very laggy and I'm not sure how I feel about there only being 6 player as opposed to 8 there usually are in the Lone Wolf matches.

the game is very pretty.

 

[RepairmanJack]

Just realized how much fun Flood is.

 

[StuBurns]

I really like the art direction in Halo 4. I just wish there was some kind of Promethean vehicle (light cycle would fit with the aesthetic). Maybe next time.

Given how wholly unoriginal the Promethean weapons function, I'm glad they avoided it.

 

[JB1981]

I can't tell if Thrusters are a good AA or not. I feel like they have gotten me out of sticky situations on ocassion

Also how can you tell when an enemy player is using Promethean Vision?

 

[EdibleExplosives]

Just realized how much fun Flood is.

It is indeed, but every time I join a match my teammates either show up as enemies, or I do to my teammates which results in me being betrayed. It's a really annoying glitch.

 

[Diablohead]

1pm in the UK and I keep getting yellow to red ping matches with what feels like american hosts, was never like this 2 days ago ;_;

Is the 'good' ping still classed as 200ms? because that's really not good.

 

[Woorloog]

The suppressor is godlike. Just aim around vaguely around the head and its faster at killing than the Battle Rifle.

And dat sound

If only it had more range, the weapon blooms so much it is worthless after a few meters.
Useful secondary with Firepower.
Still gotta try Storm Rifle in Multiplayer.

 

[Andiie]

Played Griftball tonight for the first time ever (always played slayer on older Halos). Such a blast.
Was just the four of us in splitscreen, none of us really knew what to expect but wow, the second game we played once we got the hang of it was so intense. So many close calls and awesome moments. Loved it. Can't wait to get a couple more of us in.
Regicide was pretty sick too.

 

[RepairmanJack]

Given how wholly unoriginal the Promethean weapons function, I'm glad they avoided it.

I don't really get this. Sure they're pretty much in the same categories as already existing weapons but they are at least useful and fit into a niche without being overpowered or useless. It's better than the random Brute weapons in 3.

It is indeed, but every time I join a match my teammates either show up as enemies, or I do to my teammates which results in me being betrayed. It's a really annoying glitch.

Hmmm, don't think I have encountered this yet.

 

[Diablohead]

If you join zombies in progress you will appear as a black and red spartan until the next round, it's a bug for what I can tell, i've been a flood without a crab hand too.

 

[Ein Soph Aur]

I can't tell if Thrusters are a good AA or not. I feel like they have gotten me out of sticky situations on ocassion

Also how can you tell when an enemy player is using Promethean Vision?

You can see an expanding red circle on your radar.

 

[Woorloog]

You can see an expanding red circle on your radar.

And the player's visor is glowing red, and there is a sound effect too.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I really miss the mercenary playlist when I end up playing alone. It can be tough playing with a group of randoms when put up against a full party.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

So, me, my brother and cousin were laughing our asses off watching replays. There are some interesting things you'll pick up when you watch your matches on the Theater in third person. We had some epic car chase battles in Longbow - this dude and his buddy in a Warthog we were chasing for the longest, drove their vehicle off the cliff due to too much pressure from us.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Dmr
Plasma Pistol
Sticky Grenade
Hologram
Mobility
Explosive upgrade

Is a ridiculously overpowered load out. I will use it till it is nerfed.

 

[jet1911]

Given how wholly unoriginal the Promethean weapons function, I'm glad they avoided it.

Haha yeah. I hope at one point someone in the design team pointed it out.

"So these new weapons are just reskin of old weapons? Really?"

 

[Superimposer]

Campaign is really underwhelming me. Specifically, the soundtrack is practically non-existent and really not as awesome as the original trilogy. It's basically a corridor shooter now. Story is a mess. It's way too short. Worst of all, the co-op design is awful. Only one Mantis or specific power-up or whatever, they never have enough to suit however many people there are in your party.

 

[Blue Ninja]

I wish they stuck with those Hard Light weapons from Halo Legends. That could've been amazing.

 

[JB1981]

You can see an expanding red circle on your radar.

Thanks buddy

 

[op_ivy]

i loved the campaign. i need more time to digest it (just beat it last night on heroic), but i'd say its certainly worthy of the halo mantle and may end up being near the very top of the series campaigns, if not THE top. i loved the level design and encounters, as they really felt open to exploration and tackling engagements in interesting ways. i loved the forerunner structures as it reminded me of the best aspects of halo 2. i also grew to love fighting the Promethean knights, but the first level the introduce them to you you are so handicapped with shit guns i thought i'd hate them. the story has a lot to digest, but was presented in an interesting way. my only real campaign disappointment is the ending. its the first lack luster "meh" halo ending since CE imo. no shocking or just cool moments. i also greatly prefer in game cutscenes to cgi, no matter how well made.

mp i'm still debating. while the core halo gameplay feels excellent, all the changes 343 has done really changes how the game plays on top of that foundation. its so very different, maybe for the good maybe for the bad. that said i'm having a ton of fun with it, so it cant be all bad, and i imagine the "classic" mode can be something i fall back on if i decide infinity is just too much. my biggest complaint is that the dmr needs a nerf. i love me the dmr, but i dont like that it can be still so accurate and fast at full fucking range. i'd be thrilled if they changed the zoom to 2x, which may be enough.

 

[RukusProvider]

For me, the best halo yet. The graphics and sounds are amazing.

The encounters are big with lots of options.

Story so far is great.

Love you bungle but you're not missed at all. Sorry.

Amazing work 343. I can only imagine what you will do with next gen hardware.

 

[Krappadizzle]

i loved the campaign. i need more time to digest it (just beat it last night on heroic), but i'd say its certainly worthy of the halo mantle and may end up being near the very top of the series campaigns, if not THE top. i loved the level design and encounters, as they really felt open to exploration and tackling engagements in interesting ways. i loved the forerunner structures as it reminded me of the best aspects of halo 2. i also grew to love fighting the Promethean knights, but the first level the introduce them to you you are so handicapped with shit guns i thought i'd hate them. the story has a lot to digest, but was presented in an interesting way. my only real campaign disappointment is the ending. its the first lack luster "meh" halo ending since CE imo. no shocking or just cool moments.

Did you not play Halo 2? That was a terrible ending. It was so abrupt and just short it didn't feel right. It wasn't as the game was trimmed down extensively. This ending may not be great, but t is much better than H2's.

 

[op_ivy]

Did you not play Halo 2? That was a terrible ending. It was so abrupt and just short it didn't feel right. It wasn't as the game was trimmed down extensively. This ending may not be great, but t is much better than H2's.

of course i did. halo 2 has the cortana/gravemind scene, which elevates it way above 4's ending regardless of the shitty cliffhanger. halo 4's had no sort of wow or huh moment. well, it definitely did

Spoiler

but not in a good way, maybe thats why i'm being harsh, lol

.

 

[the_prime_mover]

Finished up the campaign and really enjoyed the story and many of the set pieces. The graphics are very impressive for such old hardware and the CGI was great as well. As with many others, I found the sound to be underwhelming. All of the music is forgettable and the mixing is inconsistent. This is really a shame given that the weapons sound great and the dialogue isn't horrible like in most action games. For the next entry in the series, they need to get a better composer though - the original themes are far to iconic to just toss to the side like this, especially if you aren't going to replace it with something even more grand.

I am happy to be fighting Elites again and the Promethean Guards are a nice Elite Elite, but overall I did find the Forerunner enemies to be a bit underwhelming. I like them (though they a.i. doesn't seem as dynamic as the Elites), but I wish there were an additional 2 or 3 different types. It felt too much like fighting Elites and grunts with the odd Sentry over and over and over again. Where are the jackals or hunter variants? Or even a brute type? Hopefully they expand the enemy types in the next entry.

MP seems good, though I am still trying to get used to the map layouts and this is resulting in a lot of seemingly cheap or confusing deaths. However, I can see that the DMR is going to be a problem in BTB as it seems like the only gun worth using. Fortunately, I love the feel of the DMR so playing with it all the time is no real issue. It does negate the sniper in most situations though.

My main beef though is that the net code just seems really shitty which is a shame given how much money they spent on this game. Why couldn't they use dedicated servers? I turned it off just now in frustration after getting killed by a grenade and then watching the grenade explode after my death...

Aside: Based on the SP experience I feel that I will be very interested in continuing with the trilogy which means that I am inclined to purchase the next Microsoft system. Unfortunately, MP is where the meat is, and if we are continuing with P2P next gen then perhaps I will just pass.

343 has, in my opinion, taken control of the franchise seamlessly. I enjoy many of the new changes and the story seems more focused and better presented. Hands down this is a much better experience than Halo 3 and Reach, and better than any other SP FPS I have played this gen (which may not be a major challenge or may mean I am naive depending on your point of view). I look forward to seeing what they do with the franchise on next generation hardware.

Lastly, in MP I keep getting killed by some blue shot. It kills me in one hit but doesn't look like a big power weapon (I have only seen it in BTB so I don't get the kill cam). What weapon is this? I don't recall anything like that in the game. Also, do Shotguns spawn in specific places? I haven't seen one on the ground, nor have I seen anyone using one.

 

[StuBurns]

Halo 3's ending sucked too. Reach is the only one that ended strong.

 

[Korosenai]

Any word on a Double Team playlist?

In the bulletin I think they said it would be coming soon. I would love to have a doubles playlist, but the maps are a little too big.

I did play a 2v2 on Relay with some friends and it was perfect. I love that map.

 

[op_ivy]

Finished up the campaign and really enjoyed the story and many of the set pieces. The graphics are very impressive for such old hardware and the CGI was great as well. As with many others, I found the sound to be underwhelming. All of the music is forgettable and the mixing is inconsistent. This is really a shame given that the weapons sound great and the dialogue isn't horrible like in most action games. For the next entry in the series, they need to get a better composer though - the original themes are far to iconic to just toss to the side like this, especially if you aren't going to replace it with something even more grand.

I am happy to be fighting Elites again and the Promethean Guards are a nice Elite Elite, but overall I did find the Forerunner enemies to be a bit underwhelming. I like them (though they a.i. doesn't seem as dynamic as the Elites), but I wish there were an additional 2 or 3 different types. It felt too much like fighting Elites and grunts with the odd Sentry over and over and over again. Where are the jackals or hunter variants? Or even a brute type? Hopefully they expand the enemy types in the next entry.

MP seems good, though I am still trying to get used to the map layouts and this is resulting in a lot of seemingly cheap or confusing deaths. However, I can see that the DMR is going to be a problem in BTB as it seems like the only gun worth using. Fortunately, I love the feel of the DMR so playing with it all the time is no real issue. It does negate the sniper in most situations though.

My main beef though is that the net code just seems really shitty which is a shame given how much money they spent on this game. Why couldn't they use dedicated servers? I turned it off just now in frustration after getting killed by a grenade and then watching the grenade explode after my death...

Aside: Based on the SP experience I feel that I will be very interested in continuing with the trilogy which means that I am inclined to purchase the next Microsoft system. Unfortunately, MP is where the meat is, and if we are continuing with P2P next gen then perhaps I will just pass.

343 has, in my opinion, taken control of the franchise seamlessly. I enjoy many of the new changes and the story seems more focused and better presented. Hands down this is a much better experience than Halo 3 and Reach, and better than any other SP FPS I have played this gen (which may not be a major challenge or may mean I am naive depending on your point of view). I look forward to seeing what they do with the franchise on next generation hardware.

Lastly, in MP I keep getting killed by some blue shot. It kills me in one hit but doesn't look like a big power weapon (I have only seen it in BTB so I don't get the kill cam). What weapon is this? I don't recall anything like that in the game. Also, do Shotguns spawn in specific places? I haven't seen one on the ground, nor have I seen anyone using one.

the netcode is pretty great, i've hardly seen any issues and i have a BAD connection.

that blue light, if i'm not mistaken, is a charging railgun

 

[Neuromancer]

What's the best Spartan Ops mission for killing lots of jackals?

 

[Syphon Filter]

h4 is the worse one yet. over the top scenes ,terrible enemy designs campaign.multiplayer is basically cod.no marty soundtrack either.bungie is missed.

 

[victreeb3l]

hologram is awesome. i cant believe how many times it has fooled me and other people. half my kills are because of distraction

 

[Magik]

What's the best Spartan Ops mission for killing lots of jackals?

I believe the 2nd mission. Sniper Alley or whatever its called.

The fifth mission has jackals as well but only the first half of the mission.

 

[snoopeasystreet]

Halo 3's ending sucked too. Reach is the only one that ended strong.

Combat evolved ended great too. It and Reach are the only Halo games that did a good job of telling a story. 2, 3 and 4 feel more like linear lore dumps and ODST was a bit silly.