Did somebody request "more substantial games?" Well, Halo 4 kinda qualifies! This is a big-budget game, the newest installment in Xbox's flagship series, and I can confirm that Halo 4's campaign is easily the best one yet! Unfortunately if you've been reading the Blog for a while, that's just not saying much, as most of us strictly play the Halo series for its multi-player. The campaigns usually seem to be boring, lacking the visceral experience of recent Call of Duty games. I dunno, it's hard to get worked up about Master Chief and his faltering AI, Cortana. I missed out on Chief's burst onto the scene, not really playing any Halo game heavily until ODST, so it's not like I've been growing up with this series like so many others have. I really don't care where the story goes, and for me, Halo games work best when they're constantly switching up the gameplay and involving the players with a lot of vehicle-based missions. Halo 4 did that plenty, and as such I liked it the best.
But who cares about that? Let's talk multi-player. I think Halo 4 is the best of the series there, too. And it's not just because it has the fanciest graphics or anything. The customization is incredible. Leveling up is addicting. The levels themselves feel more fair and balanced than any set has before. And with all the special abilities returning from Reach's experimenting, they did away with the cheapest one, armor lock. What's not to love? Many times on the Blog I'll mention how I'm considering dabbling in bonus levels or multi-player in a game I've just finished. I rarely do. Halo 4 is a game that I've spent a shitload of non-logging time on, and I will continue to whenever I get the itch. The campaigns may be pretty stale, but Halo is still going very strong.
Yeah, really the only games I've multi-playered for more than a week or so, since 2006, have been Halo and Smash. Maybe some Mario Kart too I guess.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on "best multiplayer yet," too. Too many earlier Halo games felt unbalanced and exploitable, and although I loved Reach, yeah, armor lock was total bullshit for so many reasons.
I have never once given a shit about Halo's stories, but yes, the gameplay of the campaign is best when varied. So much "Point A to Point B" in the early games of the series.