Halo 4 test

It's no secret, or else it's already time to stop you, the Master Chief had been left for rather not very much alive at the conclusion of Halo 3. In the scattered remnants of the Forward Unto Dawn, he had finally granted a small cryostatic nap, accompanied by a Cortana who watched over him for more than 4 years. A period during which humanity has progressed from a weak little exception in the galaxy to an exponential military power; headed by the UNSC Infinity, a gigantic cruiser and key no longer to defense but to attack. The Master Chief's other big discovery coming out of his post-Halo aftermath is the existence of a Forerunner planet named Requiem, to which he, Cortana, and an entire fleet of Covenant starships are irretrievably drawn. A stroke of "bad luck" that will lead the Spartan 117 to try to extricate himself from this quagmire, while his old adversaries, despite being at peace, recover from the hair of the beast, hoping to finally find their gods. A situation already at the limit of the problematic which becomes fully so when Cortana realizes that, as her lifespan is approaching, she begins to slide into a kind of dangerous madness. A context of "one against all" in a hostile environment which gradually evolves into an all-out war which, once again, will rest only on the teflon shoulders of the Master Chief. And as a Nietzschean hero, John goes to great lengths in this episode, even forgetting who he is in favor of his cause. A questioning of humanity which is at the center of the subject of this Halo 4 and which gives the player, once the adventure is over, an afterimage of this character quite far from that of the expected Protestant American hero. There's no grand philosophy, or unfathomably deep messages, but the correspondence between the Master Chief's last appearance and the new badguy's motivations resonates cleverly. Warrior with a worked design, this former Forerunner is named Le Didacte. He easily joins the Arbiter as a charismatic figure of the implacable enemy, without benefiting from the same attention. Underutilized, this suitably armored nemesis makes only brief appearances in a very timid scenario and narration.

Halo will pay

Highlight of the Halo series, the script very present in each episode is however of very variable quality. Simple pretext in the 3 with a flagrant lack of staging, it resumed a kind of healthy maturation in ODST before hatching in Halo: Reach. A strong story inflated by the effectiveness of the announced tragedy aspect, which by being built around a very close group, gave the player an important place in the events, especially during a striking conclusion. Halo 4 shows itself in a more modern sense with the addition of many scripts to develop the sense of the spectacular or to set up a certain tension during some cinematic sequences played, while maintaining an old-fashioned FPS side. Both in the fact of untying the hands of the players, ie giving him grace with an avalanche of QTEs and fully automated missions à la Call of Duty, as in favoring the notion of levels. A direction towards the game for the game which is not to be regretted, but 343 Industries has left part of its history and the way to tell it by the wayside. Or at least a balance. Because the scenario is good; interesting on the place of humanity in the galaxy and sprinkled with moments of bravery, sometimes extreme, which carefully punctuate the story. The problem lies more in the lack of fluidity and the mechanical side of the unfolding of events. Some passages intended as epic are not put into context, lose their purpose and therefore the motivation of the player. A sawtooth operation that reminds a bit of Halo 3 with its opening and its gripping finale, on either side of a soporific borderline soft belly. Microsoft's game is clearly above in terms of narration, but more or less reconnects with this way of chaining missions with links that are a little too tenuous which breaks the rise in power. On the other hand, Halo 4 excels as soon as it is necessary to convey the intoxicating impression of being at the heart of a superhuman headlong rush where loneliness is far from being an empty word. Somehow, the game isn't really at 343 Studios yet. It's still owned by Bungie and the newcomers seem to have leaned more than heavily on the old team, with covers from Halo 3 and Reach, including a Ghost escape and an enemy base assault. at the controls of a Saber. Hence this overall shyness, which is not a defect, but which sometimes prevents the original material from shining. A raw efficiency on the horizon which also plays on the structure of the chapters, divided into combat zones.

Combat (R)Evolved

Already well underway in Halo Reach, the reduction of open environments is still relevant in Halo 4, even if the first hours on Requiem may suggest the opposite, supported by open plains, mazes of rocks with multiple convolutions and some panoramas full of promises. A runaway that closes quite quickly in a logic of restricted areas where, if the room for maneuver is still correct, the limitations are almost no longer hidden. More often than not, the game offers an in-between with straight lines that lead to larger places, imitation arenas where the player can finally approach the enemies at his leisure. You have to make up your mind, the wind of freedom of the very first episode no longer fits with the vision of the modern FPS. On the other hand, the advantage of this kind of process is to condense the action, an area where Halo 4 feels very good. Without really barriers in normal difficulty and even less in easy, the game of 343 Industries reveals the subtleties of its gameplay once in Heroic or Legendary. Nervous and based almost on the one-shot with a life bar that drops to zero in two well-placed shots, Halo 4 diffuses an invigorating stress and forces you to refine each of your outings. The balance between risk and reward is calculated with finesse, and the various battlefields are well designed to take advantage of this warrior hide-and-seek system. Especially since if the Covenant have fairly readable and above all well-known patterns, the new Prometheans are a constant battle. There are three kinds, Knights, Crawlers and Watchers, each with variations depending on the weapon used. Crawlers are the most common and, like Grognards, never hesitate to flush out the player. With the difference that they are much faster and have the ability to climb walls. They serve as support for the Knights who ask them for many shots before their shield falls and leaves a shooting window. Mobile, they have the ability to teleport close to the player to deliver a destructive sword swing when cornered.

The Halo approach, even if it has not evolved in depth, continues to amaze with its effectiveness and the pleasure felt in this risk-all orientation.
Worse, they can summon Watchers which are like living, flying Swiss Army knives. Specialists in disappearing in a second after being shot, they ensure the safety of the Knights by offering them an energy barrier, by calling Crawlers or better, by resuscitating a downed enemy. Suffice to say that they take the place of priority targets, in combat situations that require proceeding with method to avoid being overwhelmed, which happens quickly and very often. With however some failures of the IA, in particular at great distance, certain adversaries having chosen to remain paralyzed after a first shot. Promethean weapons are then a refuge, in particular the equivalent of the basic human machine gun, with a much higher rate and without the overheating problem of the Covenant version. More anecdotally, the shotgun will quickly be abandoned in favor of a formidable rifle at medium distance which proves to be as powerful as its equivalents in the other two races, but with a more extensive magazine and a very comfortable reticle. A rather disappointing additional arsenal, because it is too similar to the human kit, but which offers a more reassuring “lifespan”. The Prometheans energize the clashes and are a choice addition. They offer a breath of fresh air to the gameplay, which the player must learn to re-apprehend to adapt to the rhythm of these duels, different from that specific to the Covenant. The Halo approach, even if it has not evolved in depth, continues to amaze with its effectiveness and the pleasure felt in this risk-all orientation. Especially with a shield which, once empty, leaves the right to only one shot before certain death. Hardcore but fitting with the increase in the ambient nervousness. The nose against the ground, the player will also have the opportunity to judge the upgrade of the engine of this Halo 4.

HALO UI CER MASTER CHIEF

Using the Reach engine in ++ version, Halo 4 displays scenery that finally has relief, thanks to richer textures that bring variety to the types of environments and give less the feeling of a copy-paste to large scale. 343 Studios even took the liberty of composing sumptuous and visually striking panoramas, such as the cemetery of ships, the arrival in front of the immense Promethean tower, or even the appearance of a certain planet at the end of a thrilling sequence that will not deny Star Wars fans. An obvious graphic leap which does not yet make Halo 4 the equal of a Gears of War 2, but which allows it – finally – not to blush completely in front of the competition. A take on color which would however be his specialty and which is found in the particular artistic direction of the title, based on clear and lively shades. Very successful, the latter seems to have been designed to favor shots that impress, very "moving artwork" moments that encourage you to stop firing at Grognards to admire the result. A hobby that is not really affordable in the other major part of the game, multiplayer. Again, Halo 4 mixes two schools. The first is after all classic, namely a War Games mode which takes up the imperatives of the smiling massacre between players. CTF, DeathMatch, Assassin, Territory Capture, the regulars return to lean on a bricked counter. The change comes in the service, with the return of a package system, but now limited to weapons, bonuses, and secondary tools unlocked as you gain ranks. Subtlety, the most destructive weapons are now hidden randomly on the maps so as not to cause a massive rush upon respawn. An excellent idea that counterbalances the advantage of accessories such as infrared vision (Promethean) or energy shields, a real nuisance for newcomers. Matchmaking is currently not very focused on sorting between trigger pros and beginners. The other part represents the very fresh Spartan Ops, not at all inspired by the Spec Ops of the Call of Duty series. But the trickster side of 343 Industries is to have been able to develop the formula with scripting. Directly linked to the campaign, the Spartan Ops operations take place 6 months after the end of the solo and tell the adventures of a squad of Spartans. Everything is divided into seasons, which include several episodes, themselves divided into chapters. A desire to follow the TV series, which go through a real introduction to each episode, in CG, and dialogues during the missions. A classy coating, but unfortunately oddly compressed, which for the moment is the main strength of a mode where the objectives remain mostly quite unexciting. At least in solo, the pill going much better at 4 in coop. To be reviewed when the scenario specific to this Spartan Ops has taken off.