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Halo 4 |OT| Spartans Never Die
- Thread starter GhaleonEB
- Start date
SledgeGBay
Neo Member
Thanks, hadn't seen anyone really talk about them and it doesn't seem to be explained ingame, my bad.
vatstep
This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
Some random thoughts after playing MP a bit more:
- The game plays great, matchmaking and netcode-wise. I've only had one wonky match, and host migration did its thing successfully.
- Earning ordnance is satisfying. It may be a "noob crutch" but I don't feel like it truly breaks the game (although I'm not a Halo purist or anything like that). It reminds me of my favorite killstreak in CoD, the care package, so I guess that's why I'm liking it.
- The number of unlocks, armor options, commendation categories, challenges, and so on I love it. I just fucking love filling bars, what can I say.
- I love the AR again. The tactical package that allows two primaries (for a DMR/AR combo) might be how I roll most of the time.
- Killcams are pointless. I actually watch them more often than not in CoD, but I just skip them almost immediately in this game. Doesn't feel right to not spawn ASAP. They also only seem to pop up 1/3 of the time not sure if it's by gametype or if they're just glitchy.
- Maybe I'm the only one, but I like the +XP kill/assist/etc. pop-ups. They make the visual confirmation of a kill a nano-second quicker, which is appreciated in such a fast-paced game.
- The benefits of join-in-progress outweigh the negatives, for me. I never quit out on matches it's just an ethic that I have in MP games so having empty slots on your team get refilled is a huge benefit.
- I love the sprint mechanic and am so glad that it's standard now. I like that you can sprint, jump, and continue sprinting, as well as switch weapons during sprinting. That said, the default movement speed seems quicker than in Reach, so I don't really feel the need to use the unlimited sprint perk (aside from maybe in certain gametypes). The game in general is just very quick and responsive.
Can't wait to play more later after football. I haven't even started customizing loadouts I've just been using the standard DMR and AR options.
- The game plays great, matchmaking and netcode-wise. I've only had one wonky match, and host migration did its thing successfully.
- Earning ordnance is satisfying. It may be a "noob crutch" but I don't feel like it truly breaks the game (although I'm not a Halo purist or anything like that). It reminds me of my favorite killstreak in CoD, the care package, so I guess that's why I'm liking it.
- The number of unlocks, armor options, commendation categories, challenges, and so on I love it. I just fucking love filling bars, what can I say.
- I love the AR again. The tactical package that allows two primaries (for a DMR/AR combo) might be how I roll most of the time.
- Killcams are pointless. I actually watch them more often than not in CoD, but I just skip them almost immediately in this game. Doesn't feel right to not spawn ASAP. They also only seem to pop up 1/3 of the time not sure if it's by gametype or if they're just glitchy.
- Maybe I'm the only one, but I like the +XP kill/assist/etc. pop-ups. They make the visual confirmation of a kill a nano-second quicker, which is appreciated in such a fast-paced game.
- The benefits of join-in-progress outweigh the negatives, for me. I never quit out on matches it's just an ethic that I have in MP games so having empty slots on your team get refilled is a huge benefit.
- I love the sprint mechanic and am so glad that it's standard now. I like that you can sprint, jump, and continue sprinting, as well as switch weapons during sprinting. That said, the default movement speed seems quicker than in Reach, so I don't really feel the need to use the unlimited sprint perk (aside from maybe in certain gametypes). The game in general is just very quick and responsive.
Can't wait to play more later after football. I haven't even started customizing loadouts I've just been using the standard DMR and AR options.
With the oddball glitch it probably won't be fun until its patched
ii Stryker
Banned
I'm having the same issues. The MP feels more like H3 and less like reach and that is a bad thing IMO. Too much camping and no one fighting over power weapons. I've also been playing by myself today and almost every match has been a laggy turd. Like you said maybe I just need to go in with my team instead of trying to play with randoms.
The longer I play the less I like it.
ThatsMytrunks
Member
Legendary ending discussion:
I hope they have some incredibly massive reveal by the last episode of Spartan Ops. Maybe with a second legendary ending for that.
Showing John's face was really interesting (image here), but it didn't feel like it opened up anything for the next game. I adjusted the levels a little to make it easier to see each detail, and I hope I'm wrong here, but does it look to anyone else like he doesn't have a nose? I mean he's not undergoing a forerunner mutation, is he?
There's just so much I want to know.
There's just so much I want to know.
I hope they have some incredibly massive reveal by the last episode of Spartan Ops. Maybe with a second legendary ending for that.
i agree with most of your points.
the biggest problem for me is the story and the way its told. frankie/343 promised so much (halo newbs can jump in and will "get it", for hardcore fans and readers of the books there will be great little moments, teasing of the didact beeing a big threat...). all of that was handled in a piss-poor way.
-if you havent played h 1-3, you will be lost.
-didnt read cryptum? well then
the didact is another generic, evil looking alien bad guy, that wants to kill humanity
chief and cortana seem to know much more about the didact then the game tells the player
i really hope they get the storytelling right in h5. there is a ton of potential but h4 had even more of that and they fucked it up.
dont be afraid to tell a story IN the game 343.
He looked fine.Legendary ending discussion:
Showing John's face was really interesting (image here), but it didn't feel like it opened up anything for the next game. I adjusted the levels a little to make it easier to see each detail, and I hope I'm wrong here, but does it look to anyone else like he doesn't have a nose? I mean he's not undergoing a forerunner mutation, is he?
There's just so much I want to know.
I hope they have some incredibly massive reveal by the last episode of Spartan Ops. Maybe with a second legendary ending for that.
Hope they go through with the mutations in the next game.
I think they will cliffhanger it till the last episode in Spartan Ops.
vatstep
This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
I am far from an audiophile (128kbps MP3s sound great to me), but the cutscenes are the shittiest thing I've ever heard. They really had to work to fit this thing on one disc.
i hope they dont. they will turn him even more into "the one". it would be great if they had the balls to turn him into a forerunner/human hybrid. the mutations will just be another deus ex machina, that will come up again when its needed to save everyone/the galaxy
AdmiralSnackbar
Member
So, kinda yes?
like i said, it depends. i dont think 343 has the balls to change the chief in a drastic way (in terms of character and visual style). i have the feeling this will just end up like this: "oh boy, the universe is in deep shit! if we only had a forerunner on our side that could activate this super duper forerunner machine to wipeout the (flood)thread!" "dont worry guys, i am now half forerunner, i can activate that shit!" "oh chief you saved us all, again!"
FUNKNOWN iXi
Member
Very good read and I agree with a lot of points. The part I bolded though LOL! Me too man, me too..
I carried an Incineration Cannon and Binary Rifle with me for the longest time and would switch them out for less powerful weapons to kill regular enemies thinking that an epic boss fight was bound to happen. What happened though? I made the game even more frustrating on my first playthrough on solo Legendary only for it to end with a Pulse Grenade lmfao - Still loved the shit out of the Campaign though :b
Legendary ending discussion:
Showing John's face was really interesting (image here), but it didn't feel like it opened up anything for the next game. I adjusted the levels a little to make it easier to see each detail, and I hope I'm wrong here, but does it look to anyone else like he doesn't have a nose? I mean he's not undergoing a forerunner mutation, is he?
There's just so much I want to know.
I hope they have some incredibly massive reveal by the last episode of Spartan Ops. Maybe with a second legendary ending for that.
This is too much for me.. 343 please don't ever show his face! Why are you doing thissss ;[
mere_immortal
Member
Is there a way to specify difficulty of Spartan Ops when matchmaking?
Snowden's Secret
Banned
The matches I've played are laggy as hell, featuring tons of stuttering and teleporting, but I've (mostly) forgiven that as launch issues b/c there are 8 million people all trying to play at once.
The entire last part of the fourth mission had sound glitches for me...
That sucks, hopefully it doesn't happen again on a replay. The only things that made sound were
Having warmed up for Halo 4 by playing Reach firefight, I am more than a little disappointed by how small the battles seem here. Even during the above section, where shit should have hit the fan, there are only like 10-15 enemies at a time. It's not that the game isn't fun, and it is definitely better than Bungie's design in some ways (the radar is infinitely more useful, for example)... but I was hoping for strides in the areas where I most enjoyed past games. AI, enemy count, sandbox variety, and so on. There are plenty of showpiece moments so far, and they are great, but the regular fights feel kind of samey, good as they are.
I really enjoyed the "hold the hill' moment right before
. There are a few fights like that that allow the player a bit more freedom in choice -- those are good, that's what I wish there was more of.
The whole Mantis run, while awesome, had no gun sounds, no rockets, explosions, impacts, music, or audio from transmissions. I have no idea what was being said and just killed things until the level ended.
That sucks, hopefully it doesn't happen again on a replay. The only things that made sound were
the big rockets and MAC cannon on the deck at the end, and the "beep beep" noise of the Mantis about to blow.
Having warmed up for Halo 4 by playing Reach firefight, I am more than a little disappointed by how small the battles seem here. Even during the above section, where shit should have hit the fan, there are only like 10-15 enemies at a time. It's not that the game isn't fun, and it is definitely better than Bungie's design in some ways (the radar is infinitely more useful, for example)... but I was hoping for strides in the areas where I most enjoyed past games. AI, enemy count, sandbox variety, and so on. There are plenty of showpiece moments so far, and they are great, but the regular fights feel kind of samey, good as they are.
I really enjoyed the "hold the hill' moment right before
you run into Lasky and the Spartans
vatstep
This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
Doesn't look like it it defaults to Heroic like Firefight did in Reach.
Ha, yeah that is bound to happen. Still I think they had balls for ending like they did in Halo 4 and showing
part of Chief's face. Maybe they will push it that far, would be crazy.
ThatsMytrunks
Member
I know everyone loves gifs, so here's the legendary ending in gif format.
Seriously, don't click it if you haven't gotten it for yourself. It's such a fucking great feeling to get it for yourself, but it goes by so fast.
SPOILER GIF.
Seriously, don't click it if you haven't gotten it for yourself. It's such a fucking great feeling to get it for yourself, but it goes by so fast.
SPOILER GIF.
victreeb3l
Member
i wonder how much of these was due to hardware limitations. i dont know much about graphics but i assume it would be near impossible to have the visuals as amazing as they were and have grand battles with 100s of enemies on screen at once on the 360 hardware.
You have to install the 2nd disc. You can also just download from live if you don't have the disk.
FUNKNOWN iXi
Member
Legendary ending discussion:
Showing John's face was really interesting (image here), but it didn't feel like it opened up anything for the next game. I adjusted the levels a little to make it easier to see each detail, and I hope I'm wrong here, but does it look to anyone else like he doesn't have a nose? I mean he's not undergoing a forerunner mutation, is he?
There's just so much I want to know.
I hope they have some incredibly massive reveal by the last episode of Spartan Ops. Maybe with a second legendary ending for that.
I fear that if they ever
show MC's face and truly make him seem more "human" that he'll just become another generic hero.
I'd assume so, but it's still a shame.
I find myself missing skirmishers, always had fun fighting them in Reach. And flanking behaviors for pretty much the entire enemy spectrum... in H4 they comfortably stay at a distance, practically begging for you to pop out and shoot them in the face. I miss some of the combat animations too, like the elites' kick in Reach. If they still do that, I haven't noticed. Everything seems so much stiffer here, where in Reach it was all organic and fluid.
One thing that impresses me is how well done the shading is on different materials. Metal looks like metal, rock looks like rock, dirt looks like dirt, skin looks like skin. They act properly in different situations, unlike many other games, which even this far into the console's lifespan have a very plastic sheen over everything. Few games really nail that material quality of objects, and it goes a long way.
I know it's been said many times, but the art and visuals team here really outdid themselves... there are times when I just want to stop fighting and look around. I've almost been killed a few times because I am inspecting a new detail or gazing into the distance. I am occasionally awestruck by what they managed to pull off on this hardware, and the illusion only falls apart up close... and even then, the broad picture is so overwhelmingly good it's tough to pick out faults.
StalkerUKCG
Banned
I feel Story wise that halo 4 delivers much more than any other halo gameplay. It feels much like "a new hope" in more ways than One and I Like that.
However the gameplay does Miss a few beats. Lots of great smaller encounters but nothing on a BIG scale like the sacrab battles which are very much missed.
The game feels limited to small enviroments and Iv got a feeling its because of the technical limitations of the console. even multiplayer mapas suffer from issues with textures not being drawn when you're cross map.. which is sad, Its depressing to think what encounters could of been like had it not been limited to hardware thats deserving of a state pension.
Beyond that the whole didact end scene is very anti-climatic id of prefered some kind of tartarus style fight opposed to what we actually got.
Im eager for Halo 5 but it feels like the champaign ended on a final note and not something that can continue with a natural step. I really cant imagine how Halo 5 will start up.
CGI was brilliant and im loving Spartan Ops.
everything feels too small 4 covie races 3 promethean races. UNSC weapons are divided into batches for levels iv yet to see a DMR and a BR on the same level and I think it might be due to a TAG limit which again os depressing.
However the gameplay does Miss a few beats. Lots of great smaller encounters but nothing on a BIG scale like the sacrab battles which are very much missed.
The game feels limited to small enviroments and Iv got a feeling its because of the technical limitations of the console. even multiplayer mapas suffer from issues with textures not being drawn when you're cross map.. which is sad, Its depressing to think what encounters could of been like had it not been limited to hardware thats deserving of a state pension.
Beyond that the whole didact end scene is very anti-climatic id of prefered some kind of tartarus style fight opposed to what we actually got.
Im eager for Halo 5 but it feels like the champaign ended on a final note and not something that can continue with a natural step. I really cant imagine how Halo 5 will start up.
CGI was brilliant and im loving Spartan Ops.
everything feels too small 4 covie races 3 promethean races. UNSC weapons are divided into batches for levels iv yet to see a DMR and a BR on the same level and I think it might be due to a TAG limit which again os depressing.
Frankie magic. And Corrinne Yu.
Tokubetsu
Member
Would have been nice to get decent audio in the cutscenes.
Shit tons of money thrown at it. What surprises me is how stable the frame rate is too.
One of the better things for next gen. Everyone will be on blu-ray, minimum. The 360's DVD won't be holding back third party multiplats anymore.
Just you wait buddy.
You're going to wish your X Box could run fraps.
The audio is really all over the place. Sounds cut out, effects aren't always equally mixed, it's strange. I don't know how surround is, that was always one of Bungie's strengths imo. Audio is one area where the game has taken a step back... not necessarily in quality (weapon effects especially are terrifically improved), but in the way it's been put together.
I am guessing it's the second disk install that allows everything to be so snappy. Bungie's games were sometimes frustrating to navigate in menus and so on, waiting for things to load up and screens to switch, minor annoyances that added up over time. None of that is to be found here, and I'm really glad for it. It's so slick. It looks great and it handles even better.
I am glad dual wielding has stayed dead.
Some more disappointment:
campaign scoring RIP
Demoncarnotaur
Member
I really really want campaign and spartan ops theater... so many cool moments. Despite me having issues with the SP I will say some parts were fantastic. Spartan Ops has some nice open encounters and aggressive AI, but I hope the encounters can get a little more oomph. Also, Spartan Ops feels like there is no risk, so it never hits the highlight of SP or Firefight.. Something needs to be changed about that...whether it be checkpoints or limited lives.
I am in love with the MP, I haven't had this much fun since Halo 2.
I am in love with the MP, I haven't had this much fun since Halo 2.
I want to screenshot the shit out of Spartan Ops.
Lots of dithering and LOD. They did a great job, because I really notice any of the technical trickery.
IOnEI Falcon
Member
Man, the weapons really need to stop disappearing...it is really disheartening to die in co-op legendary and run back to try and find the rockets and sniper you were carrying only for them to be gone. And don't worry, I checked to make sure my co-op partner hadn't taken them, haha!
I thought this was only me, and I thought it was only in Spartan Ops. Get a new checkpoint? LOL GOODBYE TO ALL THE WEAPONS BEHIND YOU
What Stalker just said. It doesn't look like there will be a natural progression into the next two games, it also doesn't seem like anything in the story has been set up for the long term.
This is coming from Dennis? Black magic.
eso76
Member
They took halo reach, took out all the stuff the engine was doing that didn't really help visuals (Reach wasted tons of resources in alpha layers, high res textures where you wouldn't see them etc) , replaced stuff in the distance with skydomes instead of actual geometry, removed motion blur, many dynamic light sources, your games don't get recorded, areas are smaller and a little more linear and I have a feeling AI took a step back.
That,and to be fair some real talent in modeling and great art style.
Also, time and money. Lots.