4/5 ★ – WoahItsFlug's review of Halo 4.

This was the first Halo game I played (for some reason), and even though I can definetley see the cracks, I still think Halo 4 holds its own against the bungie games. -It showcases some of the best character writing in the series, finally getting glimpses into Chief's psyche and his relationship with Cortana. Both of their characters have great writing here and their voice actors really get to shine. -While not executed perfectly, I think bringing the forerunners as a real presence rather than a looming backdrop was an interesting direction to take the series, and I think the 343 games would have been much stronger as a collective if they hadn't gone on to stray so far from the path Halo 4 set them on. -While i definetley prefer the open sandbox level design of the Bungie games (besides 2), I don't hate the linear levels here. Rather than feeling restricted without the gameplay changing to accomodate the new structure like in Halo 2, the new weapons and a bigger focus on precision and more movement options make it feel like a natural shift in design rather than a setback. -Speaking of weapons, I'm a big fan of most of the new weapons introduced in Halo 4. The scattershot, supressor, lightrifle, and more are all worthy additions and fun alternatives to the UNSC weapons players are familiar with, even if they do mostly function the same. -While it doesn't hit the same as the Bungie games, the new soundtrack team still do a good job and I respect them taking the game's sound in a new direction. The game lacks the classic theme song, instrad featuring the new track Atonement, which features a more somber and haunting sound thanks to the vocals and the very different instrumental style. I do have my issues with the game, though. -While I don't think it's a dealbreaker, I'm still not a fan of this game's drastic artstyle change, partially because 343 seemed somewhat lazy with their in-universe justifications. The new covenant designs are excusable as they're a new, seperate splinter faction who have their own armor designs, but the changes to Chief's armour that make little sense timeline wise and seem impractical in some cases, along with the non-lore-compliant flashbacks that the armor appears in, all to be explained away years later with the introduction of nanotech feels like a cop-out, and like 343 changed the iconic designs of the armour and weapons in the game purely for the sake of changing them. -The Didact, while interesting in concept and in backstory, is a sort of lame villain. He has very little screentime and a generic design and demeanor. He talks in lofty terms, flaunts his power, and is ultimately taken out fairly easily. He may be further expanded on in the books, but that presents its own issues. I also think his premature defeat sets up Halo 5, and by extension Infinite for failure. The game's new concepts are wrapped up far too neatly, far too early. It almost feels like this could have been another finale for the series, and the continued releases afterward make this game feel a bit pointless as many things would be undone or ruined by Halo 5 in particular. Not entirely an issue with the game itself, but in hindsight it introduces several problems that later games would stumble over.