Halo 4 review: Feels like the first time

New beginnings and first impressions can be daunting prospects for anyone. But when a video game developer is tasked with creating good first impressions for a new beginning of an established franchise, the odds can be overwhelming. Die-hard video game fans can be a difficult group to please, often being underwhelmed by solid games, nit-picking and actively looking to find fault with anything. Being that the newly released “Halo 4” was the first in the series from the newly created 343 Industries, I was almost positive every ‘net nerd would jump all over it – especially since it’s the first Halo game not developed by Bungie. But they didn’t – and for good reason. “Halo 4” is easily one of the most well-made, intriguing and polished Halo titles of all time.

Playing “Halo 4” for the first time was strange. The visuals, color schemes, textures, sounds and music feel incredibly familiar yet, somehow, subtly different. It was almost like playing “Halo: CE” for the first time, all over again. The visual design of enemies, weapons and items along with the music and sound design are so impressively pieced together that it was almost a form of déjà vu that I was experiencing, a sense that, “I know I’ve played this before, but never quite like this.”

Though I’m a big fan of multiplayer, the first thing I did when I got “Halo 4” was boot up the campaign. Since his inception, the Master Chief has been one of my favorite protagonists. He is the ultimate soldier, the only man who has been able to turn away rampaging alien hordes and preserve humanity’s place in the universe. Without the Chief, we’d be lost and at the end of “Halo 3,” it seemed we had lost him.  Fortunately, as the lore goes, Spartans never die – they’re just MIA.

After years spent in cryogenic sleep, Cortana, the most highly-advanced artificial intelligence ever created, awakens Master Chief as they approach what appears to be an entirely artificial planet called Requiem. As they drift closer aboard the wrecked ship Forward Unto Dawn, Cortana realizes that the Covenant too have an interest in the planet – as well as an interest in keeping intruders away. The fragile truce between humanity and the Covenant appears to be over.

Master Chief surveys the surface of the planet Requiem.

Without spoiling too much of the story, it is safe to relay that the Forerunners, an ancient species which predates humanity and the Covenant, play a major role in the story of what 343 Industries is dubbing the “Reclaimer Trilogy.” But perhaps more impressive than merely continuing Halo lore, 343 Industries has managed to tell a more personal story, that of the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana. Though Cortana has been a constant ally of the Master Chief, AIs of her kind are not designed to last forever. In fact, they are designed with a functional lifespan of only seven years. Cortana has been in service for over eight years. She suffers from a condition she calls “rampancy” where the processes which make up Cortana begin to run out of control, telling Chief that she will eventually “think herself to death.”

As the story progresses and Cortana struggles with her rampancy, we are able to see another side of Chief. He has developed a deep connection to Cortana over the series. His relationship with her has been the longest and most meaningful he has ever known. The way his character is written and the interactions between Chief and Cortana are superb. Despite the importance of their task on Requiem, Chief makes it known often that his most pressing objective is saving Cortana. Even though the chance of preserving Cortana is low, he remains resolute in his determination to save her. Their genuine interactions would be a feat for any game to convey, making the fact that a Halo title delivered such an emotionally gripping story all the more impressive.

However, Cortana and her waning sanity are not the Chief’s only concerns in “Halo 4.” A new foe waits on the planet Requiem, a vicious enemy previously unknown throughout the galaxy. The Prometheans are a synthetic race of creatures that present a new array of challenges and require different strategies to defeat than the Covenant. The usual alien antagonists have aligned themselves with the Forerunner and Promethean threat but, unfortunately, the story never really delves into why they are suddenly working together. Granted, if you follow the lore you know that the Covenant worship the Forerunners as gods though the reasons for their alliance in this story are never mentioned. 

A Promethean Knight, wielding a Lightrifle, is only one of the new enemies in Halo 4.

The Prometheans bring with them several new enemy units to battle as well as an array of new weaponry. The Prometheans present three standard unit types – Crawlers, Watchers and Knights. Crawlers are the unit you’ll see most often and are recognized by their canine appearance and pack mentality. Quick and agile, Crawlers are also capable of climbing and attacking from walls and ceilings. Watchers are flying, support units which shield friendly units, call more enemies to the field, repair Knights and even raise them from the dead. Watchers can create a great deal of hassle if not dealt with as they move swiftly across the battlefield, bolstering friendly troops. Knights are the command units and are recognized by their hulking metal, bi-pedal frames. Knights use a wide array of guns but also carry melee weapons and can even teleport across the battlefield to gain a tactical advantage. Overall, the Prometheans require you to stay mobile so as not to become overwhelmed by their speed and numbers. While much of their arsenal is basically reskinned human weapons (pistol, DMR, assault rifle, shotgun, etc), their troops are unique and offer new challenges with their ability to dynamically change the flow of combat.

But creating a new foe for Master Chief as well as a personal story with compelling characters are only some of the accomplishments of “Halo 4.” While the campaign of “Halo 4” is its own entity, complete with four-player co-op throughout, 343 Industries has also made an effort to include and explain the multiplayer portion of the title within the game’s universe. Now called Infinity Multiplayer, the competitive portion of the game is explained as training exercises called War Games, set aboard the UNSC Infinity, one of the most massive ships in the human fleet.

While multiplayer is still fundamentally the same, 343 Industries has made a considerable amount of changes to the mode to keep it fresh and distinct from the rest of the series. As in Reach, you will create a unique Spartan with the help of myriad customization options, more of which unlock as you gain levels. Some items are unlocked by attaining certain levels while others are granted once you earn certain commendations (in-game challenges). Unlocking items is now based on Spartan Points, earned by gaining levels which are used to buy new weapons and abilities for your loadouts.

Prepare to sink endless hours in Halo 4's Infinity Multiplayer.

After you’ve created your own Spartan, the next thing you’ll want to do is set your loadout. New to the series, you can customize different loadouts with a number of weapons as well as armor abilities and other new gear options. Though this addition might seem a bit too similar to the “Call of Duty” series, fear not, power weapons aren’t available to be equipped in loadouts. New gear options like faster reload times, quick shield recharge or additional ammo also augments your own personal play style.

In terms of multiplayer modes, familiar favorites like Big Team Slayer, Oddball and King of the Hill return along with new, inventive modes. Rumble Pit has been replaced by Regicide, a new twist on free-for-all Slayer. In this mode, the player in first place is the king and always appears on the map. Killing the king nets you bonus points and as the king earns kills, this bonus is increased. But the king isn’t at a complete disadvantage as he gets overshields when his bounty is maxed out. Though, my favorite new mode is Dominion, a take on the Territories game type. In this mode, there are three control points on the map for each team to fight over. When a point is taken and held by a team for a set amount of time, that point becomes reinforced with weapons, autoturrets and vehicles. Dominion adds new layers of strategy to the Territories mode by adding resources at captured points, requiring careful teamwork to press the attack while maintaining controlled areas.

Overall, the biggest change to the multiplayer of “Halo 4” is ordinance and random weapon spawns. In previous Halo titles, experienced players could memorize the spawn locations of power weapons (sniper rifle, rocket launcher, etc.) on a given map and could exploit this knowledge against more casual players who don’t know the details and layout of each map. In “Halo 4,” power weapons spawn randomly on the map throughout the course of a match and the locations of weapons is always visible on the HUD, enabling every player a fair shot at them. Ordinance is also another way for players to access new weaponry, though ordinance must be earned. After scoring enough points, you’re given the option of three random items that can either be weapons or power-ups like a Gravity Hammer, Rail Gun, Overshields, Speed Boost, etc. There’s nothing quite like being on a Sword spree and being able to equip Overshields or a Speed Boost thanks to an ordinance drop.

If you noticed above, I mentioned scoring “points” to earn ordinance, which is because in “Halo 4,” players have more ways to earn points and contribute to their team’s performance than ever before. While Halo has always awarded medals for kills, assists and other specific kills, “Halo 4” rewards players with points for all manner of actions which goes toward your team’s overall performance. Even the scoreboard keeps track of your points rather than your kill/death ratio.

However, Infinity multiplayer is more than just War Games. Spartan Ops is a cooperative mode with its own unique story, separate from Master Chief’s story, which is experienced in the form of weekly, episodic content packs. Each episode contains five missions and offer varying objectives and mission types. It’s unfortunate that it seems Spartan Ops has replaced Firefight, the enemy-attack mode from Reach, but so far Spartan Ops has proven to be challenging and offering a unique story told through missions designed around cooperative play is very interesting. The first “season” of Spartan Ops (five episodes of five missions each) is free when you buy “Halo 4” but more seasons are on the way – for a price, of course.

Forge and Theater also return and can be found in the Infinity multiplayer menu. Forge features each of the 10 on-disc multiplayer maps as well as a handful of unique templates for mapmaking. New tools like duplicating pieces and easier snapping pieces together simplify the mapmaking process. Theater seems mostly unchanged and still stores a multitude of recently played matches in the temporary files. I also found that you’re now able to save match videos from the Spartan Hub (start menu) without leaving matchmaking, making saving videos for future viewing a breeze.

Though 343 Industries hasn’t made any drastic changes to the Halo universe with “Halo 4” they have managed to create a game that is definitely Halo but also distinctly their own creation. Little tweaks and changes to the formula have only strengthened the overall product, giving the game a wider appeal and will undoubtedly create a new fanbase. Gamers who wanted to series to stay exactly the same as it was under Bungie may be disappointed. But those willing to give “Halo 4” a chance will experience that same feeling of nostalgia as I did – the feeling that we’ve seen these characters before; heard these gun noises and alien battle cries before; played these multiplayer games before but that somehow they were never quite as beautiful or mechanically sound as they are now. “Halo 4” is easily one of the best games of the year (and best Halo games in the series) and will no doubt give “Assassin’s Creed 3,” “Borderlands 2,” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” a run for their money for Game of the Year.

First Impressions: Halo 4

Booting up “Halo 4” for the first time, I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve been a huge fan of the series since the first installment on the original Xbox and hold the series in fairly high regard. “Halo 4” marks the first time that a company besides Bungie will have produced a Halo title and I was a bit apprehensive about that fact. I always maintained faith that anything bearing the Halo title would be great, but I was unsure if I would be able to personally bear any changes made to the series or the mechanics of the game itself. After playing both the new campaign and War Games (the new title for multiplayer), I’m absolutely blown away with what 343 Industries has accomplished. “Halo 4” is more than just a sequel; it’s a spectacular reimagining of the series that will create as many new fans as it will floor series veterans.

 “Halo 4” is the first game of a new Halo series, dubbed the “Reclaimer Trilogy” by 343 Industries, and takes place four years after the events of “Halo 3.” In those four years, Master Chief and the AI Cortana have been floating adrift in space, aboard the wrecked UNSC ship Forward Unto Dawn. As the ship nears an unknown planet that seems to be of Forerunner origin, Cortana awakens Chief. Though humanity and the Covenant have held a fragile truce since the events of “Halo 3,” Chief and Cortana encounter fanatical remnants of the Covenant who are intent on preventing anyone from reaching the planet. Only in “Halo 4,” the Covenant are the least of the Master Chief’s concerns.

For the first time since the introduction of The Flood, “Halo 4” introduces a new enemy force to the battlefield – the Prometheans. Once on the artificial planet Requiem, the Chief and Cortana encounter this ferocious new enemy. More than just an amalgamation of reconstituted Covenant forces and tactics, the Prometheans are a distinctly synthetic race of creatures. Featuring numerous inventive enemies as well as a brand new class of Promethean weaponry, these enemies require drastically different tactics to defeat. Being synthetic in nature, the Prometheans strike with a startling ferocity and efficiency and can easily overwhelm and outmaneuver unaware players.

Despite the grand scale of the conflict on the planet Requiem, I continually found myself in awe of how well 343 Industries was able to humanize the Master Chief and Cortana in “Halo 4.” Moreso than in any previous title, through the use of outstanding writing, storytelling and dialogue, the two main characters exhibit actual emotions, giving them a life and depth that, until now, just did not exist. Until this title, Chief has been seen as little more than a faceless, mindless human weapon, capable of little beyond killing. Cortana suffered a similar fate. Though she is essentially the Chief’s brain, she usually offered little more than exposition or directions to the next objective.

Giving these two characters a personality and depth is an achievement on its own but the way that it is handled through the story is stunning and superb in its effectiveness and subtlety. Cortana’s is the more obvious struggle. An AI of her kind is only in service for seven years. Cortana is in her eighth. Over the course of the game, she struggles to contain and control her mounting rampancy (a condition which she describes as AIs literally “thinking themselves to death”) and though Chief remains as calm and collected, as he always does, his reactions to Cortana’s spiral isn’t obvious but it is noticeable. His relationship with Cortana is the most meaningful he has ever experienced. Without her, Chief would be completely lost. Though we could view his actions on Requiem as another mission to protect humanity throughout the universe, it continues to seem that most pressing matter, from Chief’s point of view, is preserving Cortana and curing her rampancy – that his actions on Requiem are but steps along the path to saving Cortana.

But beyond the surprisingly well-produced story of “Halo 4” there are plenty of other improvements and additions presented. The multiplayer now actually has an explanation within the game itself. As mentioned earlier, multiplayer is now titled War Games and takes place on board the massive UNSC ship Infinity. Your character is actually a Spartan-IV soldier, participating in training exercises aboard the massive starship. Though this doesn’t change the actual mechanics of the multiplayer mode much, it was a great touch to actually explain its existence within the context of the Halo universe. The multiplayer is business as usual with a few minor changes. First, your character now gains XP and skill points for each level that can be used to unlock new weaponry and armor pieces. Unlocking weaponry, you say? That’s right, “Halo 4” introduces the ability to create loadouts to use in particular match types.

Ok so this “First Impressions” is running a bit long so I’ll wrap it up briefly with a few bullet points:

-Along with War Games, “Halo 4” introduces a new cooperative play mode titled Spartan Ops. The game comes packaged with a handful of missions to embark on, which tells a unique story that runs parallel to the main story. Each week, a new Spartan Ops “episode” will be released which contains about five missions. The first season of Spartan Ops is free but more are allegedly in the works, though they will cost money. And don’t worry, you can still play the main story cooperatively too.

-“Halo 4” is easily the best looking game of the series, bar none. Cutscenes are spectacularly detailed and somehow 343 Industries managed to give the entire game that detailed, nearly photorealistic look. Character models and environments are more detailed than ever. For example, the Covenant forces have distinctly more reptilian look than before, as the higher detail on characters conveys the rough texture of their skin. Similarly, the synthetic Prometheans seemingly gleam in areas of brighter light, as they’re essentially entirely composed of metal. On a related note, I noticed that the lighting can be a bit overwhelming in brighter areas.

-The sound design of “Halo 4” is great, though having been a fan of the series for so long, hearing different sounds come out of well-known weapons was a bit of a shock. No weapon report sounds bad, necessarily, just different. I’m sure I’ll get used to them in time but for now many weapons, especially Covenant weapons, just don’t sound right to me.

-There’s already a DLC map pack out which adds 10 or so maps to the 10 which are available from the get-go. I’m a bit miffed about this, but it seems the “War Games Map Pack” is on-disc content, as the Marketplace lists the cost of the map pack at 2000 MS points (around $25) but the size of the download is only 108k. I get that they are extra maps and that I wouldn’t bringing this up at all if they were released later for that (fairly high) price. But this isn’t later. It’s now. And I paid money for this game so I’d like to be able to access the content of the game disc without being made to pay more money.

First Impressions: Assassin's Creed 3

The Assassin’s Creed series returns and for the first time since “Assassin’s Creed 2,” introduces a new protagonist for real-world protagonist Desmond Miles to re-live. Moving out of the Renaissance, the series now finds its home during and in the events leading up to the American Revolutionary War. The new main character, Ratonhnhaké:ton, or just Connor, is half English, half Native American and thus has a unique view on the events of the days he is living in. Though Connor’s story is still the focus, Desmond’s storyline has also received a lot more play this time around. It feels a bit hokey, partly because of its subject matter but also because you’ll visit it so infrequently over the course of Connor’s story that it’s hard to stay interested.

Before I get into the meat of the game and its new additions I feel compelled to inform readers that while “Assassin’s Creed 3” is a huge step forward for the series in terms of inventive gameplay, breathtaking scenery and fluid character movement, the pacing and presentation of the story seems to have taken a few steps back. These problems are most noticeable in the game’s extensive (exhaustive) introduction. I call it the introduction for lack of a better term. The first, I’d say 3 to 4 sequences (the memories of an ancestor that Desmond must relive) put you in the shoes of a character who is distinctly not Connor. These sequences are entirely too drawn out but you’re forced to soldier on in the face of boring objectives and endless cutscenes if you ever hope to get to the “real” start of the game. And you do. You really do.

After finally taking control of the main character (and even at this point, it’s still another sequence or two before you’re actually donning the assassin’s hood), the game world opens up significantly and you’re given a wealth of tasks, side missions and collectibles to tackle. While “AC3” does feature urban centers, the Frontier – an expansive wilderness between Boston and your Homestead – is one of the most impressive additions. Unlike assassin’s before him, Connor can move swiftly through tree branches and scale sheer rock faces with astounding agility. The ease and fun of swinging through the trees, tracking human and animal prey alike is a true testament to developer Ubisoft.

The Homestead, mentioned above, is an aspect of the game similar to Monteriggioni in “AC2.” Your Homestead consists of a manor, watched over by your mentor Achilles, as well as a harbor and a large tract of land. As you play, you’ll encounter people who can take up residency on your Homestead and provide you with numerous goods and services. These items can be used to improve your Homestead, your inventory or be sent to town by convoy to be sold. Overall, I feel like “AC3” offers a deeper connection to your Homestead than any of the previous games could convey.

Along with improvements to the free-running and addition of the Homestead, combat has also seen a slight improvement. The combat continues to become refined and while some may think it’s become over-simplified, I’ve actually come feel that it’s the best combat system in any “AC” game yet. Connor’s actions are quick and fluid and he controls responsively making combat incredibly tense but flow smoothly. Blocking, countering, breaking defenses, dodging and attacking are all handled by a few face buttons.

But with all the great additions and improvements presented in “AC3” my absolute favorite aspect are the new naval missions. As the captain of the Aquila, you command your crew, steer the ship as well as engage in naval combat with other ships and even forts on land. Sailing the high seas is contained within missions given at any Harbormaster and unfortunately it doesn’t seem like you can just set sail any time you please. Still, the naval warfare is extremely fun. Raising/lowering sails, steering with the wind and firing cannons can all be accomplished easily with a few simple button presses, leaving you amply opportunity to marvel at the damage your cannon blasts produce on enemy ships.

Though “AC3” presents some of the most engaging and unique improvements to the series since “AC2,” the addition of numerous cutscenes and an extraneous introduction make it a hard game to quantify. If you’ve played and loved the previous “AC” games, you will definitely find plenty to like about this one. But if you’re on the fence about it or have never been into the series before, the work it forces you to do before reaching the actual meat of the game might be a bit of a turnoff. And with so many other high-quality releases on the market at the moment (Borderlands 2, Dishonored, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and a little game, you may have heard of it, called Halo 4) it could be, understandably, tough for some to justify picking up yet another full-priced game. Trust me when I say there is plenty of content in “AC3” (as well as multiplayer, which I haven’t even tried yet) to justify picking it up at full price but the time commitment needed, just to get into the meat of the game, might be too much for some.

First Impressions - XCOM: Enemy Unknown

“XCOM: Enemy Unknown” is a turn-based, strategy game developed by Firaxis Studios puts you in control of humanity’s last lines of defense against an extraterrestrial threat to our planet. As the Commander of XCOM, you will develop new technology, create and maintain a base of operations and lead soldiers in the field to defeat and repel any alien invaders. Though this game is essentially a remake of the original 90s strategy game “XCOM,” every aspect of the game has been updated, giving it a modern look and feel.

Usually, I’m incredibly wary of strategy games on the console. It’s often a great challenge for developers to simplify all the commands and actions necessary in strategy games for a console, but Firaxis is one of the foremost strategy game development companies in the world and have created a game that not only works very well but is also a whole heap of fun.

In “Enemy Uknown,” you’ll split your time between base building and turn-based combat. While in your base, you can research new technology, build weapons, recruit/edit soldiers, and expand your base down into the depths of the earth. You’ll need to make considered decisions on how to spend your money so you don’t overextend your resources. You’ll also scan for enemy activity and engage the alien threat in the field.

Once in the field, you initially have control over a squad of four soldiers, though you can eventually control more. Soldiers can have different designations like heavy weapons, support or sniper once they have accrued enough XP. Traditional turn-based tactics apply to these battles, which usually take place on smallish maps, which emphasize using movement/attack points wisely as well as other aspects like terrain and cover. Often these battles are to neutralize an alien threat though you will occasionally have other objectives like capturing alien specimens alive or rescuing high-value targets.

“Enemy Unknown” isn’t open-ended, though, as there will always be a set of objectives you need to accomplish en route to an end-game scenario. Though no two games will follow the exact same path (aliens activity is always different each time you play) there are numerous “set-piece” missions along the way which are always present.

I’ve been having an absolute blast with “XCOM: Enemy Unknown.” It’s a simple yet effective strategy game that remains consistently challenging while not overwhelming. I’ve also had a great amount of fun (and near nervous breakdowns) by naming my soldiers after friends, making each conflict feel personal. You wouldn’t necessarily care about the faceless soldiers under your command, but if you name them after close friends or family members, you may be a bit more reserved about sending them out into the open to draw fire.

Be sure to check out my full review sometime next week. But if you’re really jonesing to punch an alien in the face and say “Welcome to Earth,” I was able to find a copy of it used already so finding it below full price should be no sweat. (And yes. That was an Independence Day reference.)