Halo 4

[Cyan]

What took you so long?

Long story short. I purchased a digital copy of it on Xbox Live back in April or so, I played it for about five minutes and a couple of days afterwards I switched regions.

My version was localised -audio- and I deleted it because labial synchronisation wasn't good. I tried to re-download the game again after switching regions to another European country -to Ireland, to be specific-.

However, when I tried to re-download the game, the download always stopped at 80% no matter what. I tried like 10 times, which is what my patience could bear, taking into account you have to wait a lot to download 7GB worth of data.

That's one of the things about digital games that I don't like. It makes little sense to me.

My only option would be coming back to my original region, or where I originally purchased the digital copy of the game. Thing is, you have to wait 3 months before switching regions again.

That, and a very busy schedule, the fact that I didn't enjoy the game that much at first in the initial levels, until the story and the quality of the stages picked up again.

In the end I consider it a good game and I am hyped about Halo 5.

 

[RudeCurve]

There's no Halo 5...the next one is just called Halo...similar to CryEngine.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

I don't think they'll drop the numbering, they want to do a second trilogy and hey, it worked fine for FF and MGS

As for the next gen stuff, since they've already decided on 60fps, there will be some trade offs. 1080p might be the first thing to go, and expect simple (mostly static) lighting too. As for the complexity of AI and the scale, no idea... But the artwork will definitely look awesome, 343 has a pretty strong team and the X360 was holding them back significantly.

Edit: oh and I am not in the know for the next game or, well, not yet - but in case anyone from 343 is reading this, I'd be happy to

 

[NRP]

My favourite Halo is still Halo 2 . . . .

LOL, that explains a lot actually.

 

[AzBat]

LOL, that explains a lot actually.

I actually like it too, but not sure I could say I liked it more or less than the others. Though it was my first midnight launch game. Graphics wise I liked Halo 3 the most. I even really liked ODST. The story & atmosphere was really interesting. Reach? bleh, finished it but never got into either. As for Halo 4, I still haven't finished it. I can't explain why I have no desire to finish it. Burn out? No Bungie? No Marty music? Don't know. It was also the first Halo I didn't buy at launch. I just never got hyped for it for some reason. One of these days I will finish it. Hopefully before the next one.

Tommy McClain

 

[HTupolev]

As for the next gen stuff, since they've already decided on 60fps, there will be some trade offs. 1080p might be the first thing to go, and expect simple (mostly static) lighting too.

Halo 4 already has "mostly static" lighting. Sure, the game can handle a lot of dynamic lights, but they're mostly tiny, and they seem to be diffuse-only. There also doesn't seem to be anything aside from point lights; flashlights and headlights are absent. I'd argue it has by far the weakest dynamic lighting in the series, even counting the original Xbox titles.

Where Halo 4's lighting is awesome seems to be in its material models with respect to environmental lighting. It's got some weird artifacts if you're looking for them, but it tends to look very polished.

I wouldn't put it past them to more or less scale their current approach into 1080p60, especially if they could get more consistancy as well (i.e. not letting the game become a muddy catastrophe whenever you enter moderately large gameplay areas). I probably wouldn't wind up being totally sold on it, but it would work and look very... "next gen" and "AAA".

 

[Laa-Yosh]

It would be a perfectly valid approach IMHO. Still, not sure if such trade offs would be enough to get to 1080p. But I do hope they go crazy on scale.

 

[Cyan]

I actually like it too, but not sure I could say I liked it more or less than the others. Though it was my first midnight launch game. Graphics wise I liked Halo 3 the most. I even really liked ODST. The story & atmosphere was really interesting. Reach? bleh, finished it but never got into either. As for Halo 4, I still haven't finished it. I can't explain why I have no desire to finish it. Burn out? No Bungie? No Marty music? Don't know. It was also the first Halo I didn't buy at launch. I just never got hyped for it for some reason. One of these days I will finish it. Hopefully before the next one.

Tommy McClain

ODST is the only Halo game from the FPS series -I missed the RTSs- that I didn't play. Halo 2 was special for me because the Xbox was my first console and I purchased the Xbox Crystal in 2004 with Halo 2, exactly when it came out.

The game was a technical showcase from the beginning to the end and the cutscenes seemed to be quite up to the standards of CGI animation of the time, they looked sooooo good.

With Halo 4 my interest picked up over time, it didn't click with me at first. Largely due to the fact that, like you, I wasn't hyped at first. I played it so apathetically at first.... you wouldn't believe.

As for Marty music, there are songs from him I miss, but this one song which plays at a certain point in the main campaign is imho better than anything Marty has ever done!

When this song sounds -especially after 2:20 minutes in- nothing can stop you when playing --my personal experience. You feel so darn epic. :smile: You could take on the whole galaxy.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend you to complete the game when you feel like it, especially for the Master Chief-Cortana story.

 

[RudeCurve]

I don't think they'll drop the numbering, they want to do a second trilogy and hey, it worked fine for FF and MGS

As for the next gen stuff, since they've already decided on 60fps, there will be some trade offs. 1080p might be the first thing to go, and expect simple (mostly static) lighting too. As for the complexity of AI and the scale, no idea... But the artwork will definitely look awesome, 343 has a pretty strong team and the X360 was holding them back significantly.

Edit: oh and I am not in the know for the next game or, well, not yet - but in case anyone from 343 is reading this, I'd be happy to

The next game is only a year away. Release date is end of year. Would be awesome to see your team's work again in the next game but rendered in realtime on X1 instead of prerendered stuff which wasn't an option in 4. Real time cutscenes like how they were done in Ryse would be sweet.

As for scale I like size of the environments in Destiny. I like the idea that you could see a huge structure from a distance and then be able to seamlessly travel on foot or vehicle to said structure, enter it through various means like climbing and then eventually do battle in it. Also would be cool if battles are fought both outside these huge structures as well as inside with free roaming. Of course in SP this could be done easily but MP may require downscaled maps for example like in BF4.

 

[Cyan]

LOL, that explains a lot actually.

Had I to compare this generation's Halo games I'd say that Halo Reach is my favourite. I loved the new direction and touch, having to use medic kits and the art style is an improvement over Halo 3.

Halo 3 is pretty cool. My problem with it is the poor sound. The weapons don't have punch, they sound so puny, and the music sounds like a 64KB MP3, yes, the music quality is that bad.

I am not talking about the quality of the compositions nor the sound of the music in the main screen, ending, etc. But the in-game music quality is so poor, it is unbelievable!

Halo 4 is light years ahead in the sound quality department.

Some of the levels are not as inspired as the best levels in Reach and Halo 3 though, but it is not a bad game to me.

The biggest difference comes to resolution. I am fine with 720p and up as of currently, but anything less than that can look really bad sometimes.

Halo 3 sound quality aside, that would be my main gripe with both Halo 3 and Reach. Certain parts of the game look like a pixelated mess in 32" -and larger of course- TVs running the game at a native 1080p. The dam by the end of the first level in Halo 3 is an eye-opener in that sense.

You see a lot of pixelated dots in the distance instead of structures.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Had I to compare this generation's Halo games I'd say that Halo Reach is my favourite. I loved the new direction and touch, having to use medic kits and the art style is an improvement over Halo 3.

Exactly my thoughts. Halo Reach had the best art direction , colours and aesthetics ! Its just looked so balanced in its toony yet realistic approach to visuals ! Fantastic ! The only game which made me pester my nephew for his 360 !
Also, love the HDR of Halo games on the 360, hope we see more of it in Destiny ! Somehow , Destiny's lighting seems very different from Halo 3 and Reach. I want that beautiful HDR implementation Bungie !