The release of Halo 4 didn’t exactly overshadow the Presidential election for most, but there’s no doubt it’s the gaming event of the season and reviews of the long-awaited title keep on pouring in.
As CNN reports, “To its credit, 343 Industries has retained the intense first-person shooter action Halo fans are used to but upped the emotional interplay between the iconic Master Chief and his artifical-intelligence companion, Cortana…The connection between these two characters makes this campaign really special.”
So if you love the explosive action of the Halo series, it’s still there, but it was “the deepening interactions between Chief and Cortana that for CNN made “a wonderful new addition to a beloved franchise – and the best Halo campaign so far.”
Meanwhile, EOnline felt that Halo 4 is the best in the series since the first game, “it’s never looked better,” and “we’ve played for many, many hours, as well. Every blaster shot feels so right.”
USA Today wrote that Halo 4 is “an explosive, gripping first chapter for the franchise’s next trilogy…a stellar debut for 343 Industries as the franchise’s primary developers…no question one of this year’s top video games, and arguably the best Halo game ever released.”
Finally, the L.A. Times noted: “343 Industries adds new facets to the narrative by infusing a sense of humanity to the line-‘em-up, shoot-‘em-down franchise.” And indeed, the humanity of the game is really what’s grabbing people this time around.
As the Times also mentions, “Mircrosoft in the past has attempted to make a big-screen version of Halo, but Halo 4 is more primed than other titles to make that jump as noted by everything from its Hans Zimmer-esque music to a more simplified focus on character.”
And indeed, even though a Halo movie hasn’t been affordable or do-able for a long time, with Halo 4 you’ve got a game that’s truly a major blockbuster of the realm. It’s also gratifying to read that in addition to incredible graphics and video game action, it’s got an extra human touch that’s proving to be very nice icing on the cake.
