Recommended Posts

I actually just dropped my copy of Halo 4 into a UPS drop box. Amazon was offering $32 trade in credit, and I wanted to get what I could before that number got even lower.

I tried to like the Campaign, put about 3 or so hours into it, but I just found it incredibly boring and repititve. Maybe it eventually gets better, but I will not know, as I am on to playing Black Ops II, which I already find to be much more entertaining than Halo 4 overall.

The way I see it, the FPS genre on a whole is a pretty dumb genre with no real progression in it for years now. it really is just glorified shooting galleries at the end of the day. So it might as well be over the top of fun, and Halo 4 possessed neither characteristic in my opinion.

No, Halo 4 doesn't get any better.. Actually the ending itself is beyond deflating.. there is no big boss fight, there is nothing.. just more flipping freakin' switches.

BOPS2 will surprise you pleasantly.. it's a blast.

I'm so into the game, I only have 7 achievements left and I need a buddy for Co-Op and the rest of the terminals along with one other for the campaign. No seriously, I've been a fan of Halo since I was 8 or 9.

Same, I was 11 when the first Xbox and Halo came out, I have 13 achievements left, but most are of the remaining Spartan Ops, and the terminals. Solo legendary, I have Co-Op legendary.

This game... its. Ugh. So I didn't realize this when I first picked up the game since I immediately changed my controls to Boxer. But the default controls are not Halo controls, in fact they are a CoD/Halo hybrid. Why is this game trying so unbelievably hard to be a game it most certainly isn't? It just puzzles me to no end. I still can't comment on the campaign since I still haven't finished it but it is the first Halo campaign that hasn't been too good at keeping me engaged.

This game... its. Ugh. So I didn't realize this when I first picked up the game since I immediately changed my controls to Boxer. But the default controls are not Halo controls, in fact they are a CoD/Halo hybrid. Why is this game trying so unbelievably hard to be a game it most certainly isn't? It just puzzles me to no end. I still can't comment on the campaign since I still haven't finished it but it is the first Halo campaign that hasn't been too good at keeping me engaged.

That's interesting. What makes the controls CoD/Halo hybrid?

I'm enjoying this game. I never REALLY got into the other Halo games (although I played them all). For me it is just another FPS, and Halo 4 is a decent enough FPS and popular enough to keep the multiplayer going and interesting that I think I'll be playing it throughout the holidays (even though I suck terribly at it).

I think people who had too big of a hard-on for Bungie need to get over it. Its a freaken franchise game at this point. So long as you have all the graphics, guns, and badies right it really doesn't matter if Martha Stewart makes the game. Does anyone care that Shigeru Miyamoto isn't actively involved in making the new Zelda or Mario games anymore, NOPE.

Here's an interesting look at it. The article isn't really about it specifically but it does comment on it: http://thecontroller...utton-mappings/

While I do appreciate their effort, it?s not the ideal remedy because not everyone is going to use the default controls in Call of Duty and they are still left out. It also doesn?t help me because I actually prefer the Halo 4 Recon controls over Call of Duty?s so I don?t want to now have to play both games in a way that I don?t enjoy as much, just for it to be familiar.

Don't understand how these are COD controls. They're Halo. There's no iron sights or anything.

Except that they moved crouch from the Joystick to B (Call of Duty) and put sprint on the joystick (Call of Duty) as well as moved grenade switching in Halo to the same place as weapon switching in CoD.

Sorry, but that's a bit of a weak argument. The controller button layout has little to do with "Halo trying to be more like CoD". A better argument for that may be something like "the Spec Ops or the individual Rank-up System or even the Weapon Drops" those are certainly inspired by what CoD has done so well the past few years but that doesn't make Halo a CoD wanna-be. It is very much its own game with its own unique flavor to the crowded FPS genre.

For example, I like that the Weapon Drops are not based on kill-streaks but rather point-based (assists, vehicle takedowns, etc.) In my opinion this is a huge improvement over the previous kill-streak based Weapon Drop system in previous CoD and it's good to see that both Halo 4 and Black Ops 2 are now using it. This system fosters teamwork and provides for a much better overall enjoyable experience in Multiplayer.

With all that being said, however, the same (albeit, weak) argument can be made for CoD being a "Halo wannabe". There's no denying that a lot of what makes CoD such a great game is inspired by what the Halo franchise has done to the console genre (Party System, Forge/Map builder, etc). One thing I wish BO2 would do that Halo has been doing pretty well is Co-op Campaign It's a lot of fun playing through the storyline on a heightened difficulty level with friends online -- above and beyond what Special Ops has to offer.

Anyway, it's awesome seeing how huge these two titles are and how much they're pushing 10-year old hardware. I'm really looking forward to what's to come! :)

I really enjoyed the game but I was surprised at how the story progressed. I'm not really sure what to expect from Halo 5, other than I know I will begin to pre-order the Halo series again.

I dunno where Halo 5 will go but the spartan ops episodes could be tying the story together. I'll be gone from home for a month so I won't be able to play episode 3+.

I hope they won't make another Halo movie. :)

What?!?!? I think they did a good job on the mini-series. I like how it tied into the game's story to an extent and also gave us character development on someone who will probably be in Halo 5 as well.

well, finally got into it, campaign is OK, not bad so far. MP is awesome, much better than Reach or ODST. big maps. and what was this nonsense about Halo becoming COD, I still don't get it?

I agree that the game plays well. In fact I started sweep sniping the moment I picked up the sniper which is sort of a good thing. But I swapped the controls immediately to boxer. The only thing that truly irks me about mp so far is that none of the things they changed made the game better. I think the kill streak system in Halo 4 is the best way to implement it, but at the same time I really miss weapons being on the map and getting much less chaotic combat as a result. I have hated loadouts since Reach and realized Armor Abilities since they were Equipment. In the end it's not so much the gameplay that bad as the philosophy and concepts of CoD making the game a lot less likeable. I was shocked to know I had to unlock emblems, personally.

I really hate games that force you to invest hours into them after paying full price to have access to all of the content. Emblems have been completely open for 4 titles, 3 titles have given marginal armor variant choices at start. Halo 4 gives you no choices. I half expected the colors to be locked as well.

Looks like the next Spartan Ops episode has been delayed till mid January, which is good for me since I've been away from home on a trip and haven't played through episodes 3-5, though I watched the movies for them. Also work on Halo 5 has already started, I hope, and this is probably the case, that it'll be for the next Xbox and not for the 360 again. Also hope this allows them to make SP longer as well.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2, urges IT admins to prepare for release by Usama Jawad Windows 11 typically follows an annual update cycle, but Microsoft recently broke that tradition a bit by releasing a "26H1" version in the first half of this year as a "scoped" build for select new silicon PCs only. This version was not available for customers using 24H2 and 25H2 builds, as Microsoft is busy preparing version 26H2 for them, confirmed officially for the first time. In a Windows IT Pro blog, Microsoft has urged IT admins to prepare for the upcoming release of Windows 11 version 26H2. The company has confirmed that this will be a small enablement package (eKB) that will simply light up certain disabled features that are already present in the operating system's code base. This means that the "refined" Windows update and deployment experience will be simpler and quicker, with minimal disruptions, as the feature update will simply toggle a few flags rather than performing a complete replacement. Microsoft has explained that this is all possible because the standard Windows 11 releases share the same servicing branch and hence, the same source code. However, this also means that Windows 11 26H1 users won't be able to upgrade to 26H2 as that is a different branch, but this is something we have known for a while now. Similar to previous annual feature updates, Windows 11 26H2 will offer the following support cycles: 24 months of support for Home, Pro, Pro EDU, and Pro for Workstations editions 36 months of support for Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and Enterprise Multi-session editions Microsoft has not confirmed a concrete release date for Windows 11 26H2, but noted that it is "coming soon". If we go by the ongoing release cadence, we can expect it to begin rolling out in early October 2026. As such, IT admins have been encouraged to begin validating Windows Insider releases in the Experimental Channel, plan rollout rings, and strategize the utilization of their existing deployment tools.
    • Windows 11 gets new audio improvements in the latest builds by Taras Buria Today's Experimental builds (26H1 and Future Platforms, formerly Canary) pack several audio-related improvements. If your device is enrolled in the Experimental Channel (26H1), you can download build 28120.2315, while those in the Future Platforms version have build 29613.1000 to try. Here is what is new in build 29613.1000: [Audio] Following up on our previous improvements, we’re making some more adjustments to Settings > System > Sounds based on your feedback. Namely, we’ve updated the “All sound devices” page so: You now have the ability to change default devices from this page. Each of the devices displayed on this page now has a little volume meter next to it to show if there is audio actively playing. We’ve adjusted the page design slightly so now you can filter whether you’re viewing input or output devices. We’ve added toggles so you can choose if you want to hide or show disabled, disconnected, and unplugged devices on this page. We’ve also updated the input and output audio properties page for devices in Settings to now include jack information for those that need it. And here is the changelog for build 28120.2315: This update includes a small number of minor bug fixes and improvements. [Accessibility] This update improves caption style responsiveness by redrawing captions immediately for caption style changes. If no current caption is visible, a sample caption string is displayed. [Audio] This update improves the reliability of the inbox HD Audio driver. You can find the official release notes for build 28120.2315 here and for build 29613.1000 here.
    • I agree with what I think you are saying, just not in the way you are saying it. Like any tool, the amount it represents your work is perorational to the effort you put into it. It is similar to why 2nd grade math students learning to add and subtract are not allowed to use calculators, but a high-school calculous student is. For the 2nd grader, that tool would completely replace the work they are doing, for the calculous student the same tool allows them to work far more effectively while in no way replacing their effort or knowable. If you spend 30 seconds writing a prompt, then the image that comes out is no more "yours" than if you found the same image with a Google Image search. However, many of these generative tools also support highly iterative processes that allow back and forth, and merging generated images with photos or human created images. I am sure you would agree that a human spending hours of time working on a project, even if AI was involved in the process, still reflects that human's work.
    • Windows 11 version 26H2 is now available for testing in the latest preview build by Taras Buria Friday Windows 11 preview builds are here. Insiders in the Experimental (formerly Dev) and Beta Channel can download builds 26300.8697 and 26220.8690. There are no new features, but Microsoft is officially moving the Experimental Channel to version 26H2. In addition, Microsoft is improving the copy dialog in File Explorer, the Start menu reliability, and fixing virtualization issues. Here is the changelog: [General] With today’s build, Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel will see the versioning updated under Settings > System > About (and winver) to version 26H2. For more information, see the Windows Insiders blog. [File Explorer] We’ve improved the visual consistency and reliability of the Copy dialog in Dark mode, including its launch experience and the expanded progress view. [Start menu] - Also available in Beta Improved reliability of Start menu reflecting newly installed or removed apps without requiring sign-out or restart. [Taskbar] Fixed an issue for Insiders using the new smaller taskbar option, where the system tray might get cut off or pushed off screen. [Settings] - Also available in Beta Improved reliability of Settings > Apps > Startup. [Virtualization] - Also available in Beta This update addresses an issue that could result in bugchecks citing HYPERVISOR_ERROR (0x20001) and KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (0x1E) errors after installing the latest flights on some devices during system restarts, virtual machine operations, or while running some gaming applications. You can find the official changelog for the Experimental build here and for the Beta build here.
    • I've always preferred this possibility. There is something that feels good about the idea that all matter in the universe will eventually come back together and maybe even result in another big bang. The idea that the universe would fizzle out over the eons and forever drift apart is a little depressing. I realize it is not logical to let a basic human desire for life to have a grand everlasting meaning change the way I feel about a scientific theory, but I am human, so that is how I feel :-).
  • Recent Achievements

    • Collaborator
      ryansurfer98 went up a rank
      Collaborator
    • Week One Done
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Year In
      Skeet Campbell earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Sharbel earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      574
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      188
    3. 3
      Michael Scrip
      77
    4. 4
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      76
    5. 5
      neufuse
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!