The pacing matches what was previously set by the first trilogy. Tight corridors, open battlefields, empowerment by vehicle, and tense cut scenes play out more seamlessly than before (yes I have played a few of the Halo games despite my admitted avoidance of them) by never feeling repetitious and stagnant. The combat is shaken up by adding in the new race of aptly dubbed “Space Tron Skeletons” or Prometheans as provided by the game. These new enemies offer enough of a change from the standard Halo fare to make them feel unique and delightfully challenging. The three way battles that occur with Covenant, Prometheans, and Chief are much more interesting than anything the previous games had with the Flood (the reason why I stopped playing any previous Halo game). The Prometheans are akin to the Covenant in that they can be quickly identified and categorized into classes.
The campaign is a standard eight to ten hour affair. It can be played co-operatively with another Master Chief in fiction breaking fashion. Halo 4 also offers a mode called Spartan Ops. These are divided into seasons and the first round is free. They feature several missions that can be played with friends online or alone and tell the story of the new Spartans aboard the Infinity. Understandably not as deep or complex as the campaign, they do provide a slow drip feed of more Halo 4.
Technically masterful and easily the best looking Halo game to date, it does have a few missteps. Everyone seems to know what’s going on except you and Master Chief, and he doesn’t care. There are several major story reveals that ring hallow unless you’ve been following the series. No one is around to tell you why what was just conveyed is important. To 343’s credit, that’s one way to deal with new players that isn’t done enough. Unfortunately for people like me, this means spending a lot of time digging through fan databases for backstory. There are terminals in the game that might offer some explanation but upon finding them you are directed to Halo Waypoint, a free online stat tracking service, to read or watch what has been discovered. Leaving this information helps to not bog down the pacing with extra movies or fat text dumps but by not putting it in the game, seeking out that information becomes a hindrance. Finally, there is not enough direct interaction with the villain, plain and simple.
Halo 4 is a fantastic game and a high water mark for overall quality in shooters. It was obviously crafted by fans, but 343 Industries has added very little to the Halo formula besides voracious attention to detail. With Halo 4 being the first step in the Reclaimer Trilogy, it is safe to say 343 has proven they are capable stewards of the franchise and by the end of the campaign they have set Master Chief’s story up for something different. I hope in the following games they are able to remedy a few of the kinks and inject something new into Halo to make it their own.