Halo 4 review

NEW GRAPHICS
Although the Xbox might be getting on a bit, you certainly wouldn’t know it from playing Halo 4. 343 Industries has boosted the texture quality, made some incredibly lighting effects and built huge and detailed maps. Every last bit of power is squeezed out of the Xbox and the game looks absolutely fantastic.

While 343 Studios had access to Bungie’s engine and graphics for the early levels, arguably giving it the easy job of continuing what went before, all of the Promethean and Forerunner work is its own , and the game still looks amazing.

343 Industries has pushed the Xbox to its limits and Halo 4 looks amazing

A TASTE FOR MORE

Moving the Halo action to a different world against a brand-new enemy is a great move. Halo 4 still looks and feels like a proper Halo game, but there’s enough new here to make us want more. We’re excited to find out more about the Prometheans and really get into the game.

MULTIPLAYER

No first-person shooter would be complete without a proper multi-player mode, and Halo 4 has a range of different games to keep people busy long after the single-player game has been completed. First, we got to play two Spartan Ops missions. These will be released as DLC once a week, with 343 Industries describing them as being like a weekly TV show.

Each one features a multi-player map, which you co-operatively move through to complete the mission. They take some getting used to and the maps are generally huge. It’s easy to get continuously wiped out, requiring close team work to complete your objectives. This is no bad thing, as co-operative games work best when you’re forced to work together.

There are tons of multiplayer modes and maps to keep you busy after you’ve finished the single-player mode

Next up we played Slayer, the traditional death-match. It’s just as much fun as you’ll remember, plus there’s an amazing new vehicle to play with, although we’re not allowed to tell you what it is yet.

Capture the flag has been overhauled, so that you move slowly when you capture the enemy’s. It means you’ll need teamwork and support if your team is to triumph – again, no bad thing. Finally, there’s a Dominion mode, where your team scores points for holding onto a map’s bases – the same, as CoD’s Domination mode.

FINAL THOUGHTS

A Halo game without Bungie sounded like absolute madness and a project doomed to failure, but 343 Industries has done a fantastic job. With Halo 4 is has kept the Halo look and feel, but injected something new and fresh into the mix. It’s got us excited to play more and if the rest of the game lives up to the early levels we played, Halo 4 is going to be amazing.