All things Halo

[SnakeyDave]

I really am incredibly excited. Been replaying the whole series in the run up to 4- sans halo wars, not a fan of console RTS- and just finished halo 3. The core combat of these games is still unbeatable, endlessly dynamic and layered. ODST and Reach left, both excellent campaigns. Not long now!

[Rare]

1st part of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

[JaySevenZero]

I guess I'm still baffled a little as to why they don't use the actual game footage to convince us to purchase but at least the Halo trailers have always been quite watchable though. Halo 4's is no exception - although I still think the ones for Halo 3 have been the best so far.

I sometimes wonder if the ones for 4 are for the actual game or to try and convince a studio that the Halo movie could work.

Microsoft are making a big noise about David Fincher directing this latest one but you'd be hard pressed to tell that it was him that did this and not any number of unknown directors out there (apart from his fee I presume).

[AndyKurosaki]

Decided I'll Day One this afterall, seeing as other than Hitman my schedule for this Xmas is clear.

[DomsBeard]

Was never interested in Halo till I saw the Deliver Hope trailer for Reach so I played 3 and ODST before getting the special big box of Reach around launch. These big tv ads aim to get the COD players on board to give it a go before the next ones out I think.

[Rare]

Making Halo 4: Infinity Multiplayer

[Toffer]

Never liked Halo. Got the original and found it to be boring and repetitive. Everyone wrote off my opinion as stupid and so I played through the other four games, (Halo 2, 3, ODST and Reach) to make an informed opinion.

It was still rubbish

[ratsoalbion]

There's no doubt that the Halo games are Marmitesque. They are 100x better when played through on Legendary however.

[Combine Hunter]

I think Halo: CE's impact on the future of console shooters can not be understated. That said, I am nowhere near as attached to the world or the fiction as some people. I LOVE fighting the covenant troops in all the Halo games, and the vehicle sections are always a highlight. But the Flood have always held the series back in my opinion. They have never been enjoyable enemies to engage in combat. That is why I hold the rather unpopular opinion that Halo: ODST and Halo: Reach are the best Halo games, because they both distill the Halo experience down to what I really care about. I also really love Halo's multiplayer, one of the few multiplayer games I really put a lot of time into.

[NokkonWud]

I played some Halo 3 when I got my 360, but that's all I've really experienced with the series.

If this is going to be a community favourite for multiplayer though, I would be very interested...

It physically pains me that that is all you've experienced from the series! (as good as it is, especially in Co-op and MP), but you can get the Anniversary edition of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo: ODST and Halo: Reach (which is amazing) on there too, the latter especially because it offers so many great modes (I have over two weeks of actual play time split across modes including over 3 full days worth in campaign)

[Sean]

I didn't like what I played of H1, 3, and ODST.

But, Reach was one of my favorites from 2010. Go figure.

[Combine Hunter]

I think Reach is the definitely the best one

[ratsoalbion]

I agree, I think for it's time the original was more astounding but if I was to recommend one now it would be Reach, far over and above Anniversary.
I'll be surprised and impressed if 343 have surpassed the quality of Reach with Halo 4.

[DomsBeard]

Reach is my favourite followed by ODST. Can't understand the battering the latter got at the time. Jury's out on Halo 4 for me, the anniversary edition hardly endeared me to 343 to be honest.

[NokkonWud]

I agree, I think for it's time the original was more astounding but if I was to recommend one now it would be Reach, far over and above Anniversary.
I'll be surprised and impressed if 343 have surpassed the quality of Reach with Halo 4.

It pains me to do so, but yes, Reach is the peak of the Halo franchise for me too.

Looking forward to what 343 are offering, given it was a team out together with the soul purpose of handling the transition from Bungie many years ago you'd believe the quality and ideas are there, so it's about implementation.

The most intriguing thing seems to be Spartan Ops, which has the potential to be incredible.

Reach is my favourite followed by ODST. Can't understand the battering the latter got at the time. Jury's out on Halo 4 for me, the anniversary edition hardly endeared me to 343 to be honest.

I also love ODST, it's one of my favourite games this generation (not just in the Halo franchise).

As for 343, I feel the main problem they had was that it was a whole environmental redesign (which was beautiful) on top of a 10 year old engine, and for the most part it worked, which is full credit to how good that engine was, but that carried problems and, when running the new graphics engine in co-op it could cause some rather catastrophic video lag.

Halo 4 doesn't have this issue, it's new engine, it looks incredible and all the stuff they have put in looks as if its of the utmost quality. I was concerned, of course I was, it's my favourite franchise, but they've been showing, saying as doing the right things. Now we just have to wait and see? I'm not expecting Reach standards of excellence, but certainly Halo 3 levels.

[Bakers_12]

I think that to date the best Halos are the ones with a stand alone story ie Halo 1 , ODST and Reach. Bungie seamed to to strugle when dealing with a story arc. Hope the new guys over come that!

[Sean]

Well, screw this game. I'm getting the iOS version.

Look at that first picture. Amazing.

https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/halo-4- ... 79301?mt=8

[ratsoalbion]

The reviews are in and all is looking well bar a few comments about the single player campaign being perhaps a little brief/slightly underwhelming.
http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/halo-4

[Toffer]

Oh god, some of them, including IGN are announcing it to be 'raising the bar in first person shooting'.

FFS. It didn't do it the first time round, I'll be pleasantly surprised if it does it now. Won't be buying it straight away (fuck those apples), but in order to construct a proper opinion, I'll have to take the plunge at some point.

[ratsoalbion]

Oh god, some of them, including IGN are announcing it to be 'raising the bar in first person shooting'. FFS. It didn't do it the first time round

I believe that in terms of console FPS', the original Combat Evolved in 2001/2002 did raise the bar. However I don't feel that any game in the series has done so again since (I acknowledge that Halo 2 pretty much set the bar for the online console FPS in 2004).

Anyhow, we prefer to try to appraise games in their own right here, rather than up against predecessors, rivals or peers. I'm most interested to hear what the Halo fanbase thinks of this in a few months time - once the hype has died down.