Posted by: A 3 Legged Goat
I don't know how or why it happened, but I was elated to wake up to a brand new copy of Halo 4 on my doorstep this aftertoon*. I immediately grabbed my gamefuel and set up a stream to show my friends and fellow fans my first experience with the game, and now I am here to share my thoughts with you. While the following information is ultimately my personal opinion from ~50 games, I think you should find it most resourceful to keep in mind for the next few days. Maybe it'll hype you up more; it may even turn you off. My goal is to give you my initial impressions - not an official MP review - and this may vary for each player or even change in the future.
You can find
archived footage of my very first gameplay here. I will also answer any questions about the game pertaining to multiplayer/custom content.
Proof of legitimacy | *
Permission to play online.
Part 1/3:
The Golden TriangleIt's no surprise that I and many others felt that this crucial aspect of Halo's core gameplay was rustled in Reach, but I think it'll please you to know that this is at the forefront of Halo 4. The gunplay is fast paced and crisp and it rewards not only the skillful player, but the smart player. Guns not only are satisfying to use, but also sound great and are fun to fight against. I'm not the best shot, but I was able to shoot my way to victory with little AA usage.
Halo 4 is a gun game.
But most of you want to know about the precision weapons, as these form the backbone of Halo gameplay. I can reassure you that they are all rewarding and fun to use. The Battle Rifle is reminiscent of its former Halo 2 glory and is a beast on its own; however, compared to other precision rifles you may find yourself at a disadvantage often due to the pace of the game and scale of some maps. Honestly, I wouldn't use the Battle Rifle as a loadout weapon, but would have no problem picking it off of a dead player as the situation dictates.
That leaves the other 3 rifles. To confirm your assumptions, the DMR is indeed the best all-around weapon. It is fast, accurate at full speed and range, and just feels good to use. Forget everything you knew about the Reach DMR; Halo 4's kicks ass. Out DMRing a player is the most satisfying feeling ever. The Lightrifle is also pretty good. It has a rate of fire and kill time similar to the BR; however, it also uses the unique element of increased damage while scoped in. This means that if you quikscope on your 3rd shot, you can clean up the enemy with a 4sk, which is around the killtime of Halo 2/3's BR. The Carbine is also a great weapon for both suppressing enemies at mid range and spawning with. However, it's easy to lose control of it and waste ammo. In my opinion, the weapon effectiveness would be as follows: DMR > LR = Carbine > BR. You are free to run around with either one, but LR and DMR would be your best bets.
The Sniper was harder to use for me. I don't know if it was less aim assist or the recoil, or even the flinch while being shot, but it seemed akin to the Halo 3 sniper. No-scoping seemed considerably easier though. The Sticky Detonator is great for baiting and setting traps, but is a new weapon and not a Pro Pipe replacement. Concussion Rifle feels like the Halo 3 Brute Shot, and the Needler is very deadly. Spartan Laser is just orgasmic and the Rail Gun has a high learning curve. All other weapons - including automatics - are stronger, but you are not going to get free kills with them unless they are explosive power weapons. Nothing stuck out as overpowered other than the SAW.
Melee bleedthrough is back works like you would expect, and boy does it work.
Grenades are also something that people found a problem with in Reach and even Halo 3. Halo 4's grenades are definitely not grenukes (though I imagine that could change with specific armor mods) and they require skill to use effectively. They bounce more like Halo 3, their arc is akin to Halo 2, and their explosions are consistent. The grenade indicator helps for those WTF nades and I think it's a welcome addition. If you get a kill with a grenade or die by one, it was likely a kill that was earned and not spammed. This coupled with the removal of auto-pick up by default means grenade spam is a thing of the past. Use them wisely or you'll regret wasting them when you need them.
Overall, I think the Golden Triangle is revitalized and very much intact.
Armor AbilitiesThis is a controversial topic and I have my biases, but I honestly feel that the AAs in Halo 4 are an after thought. They don't help you earn kills anymore than you would have by shooting your guns. They
can give you a leg up in certain scenarios (by design), but they are not at the forefront, nor are they required to play effectively.
Sprint is slowed down significantly when you're being shot at. It being default does cause its own issues, but it also increases the overall flow of the game. On the maps that played well, I welcomed its addition. If you dislike Sprint altogether then you'll just have to deal.
Thruster Pack is very useful and is not as disorienting as it may seem. It's currently my favorite ability and suits my playing style best, as it disorients
other players and makes dodging vehicles and grenades rewarding.
Promethean Vision is what you would expect X ray vision to be. Most of the players I encountered were using it, but I don't think it's overpowered. It shows you how a player is moving and where they are, but that information can change in any encounter and the usage of the AA itself can be disorienting. When somebody is using it, there's a sweep on your radar and an icon over their red dot. I was scanned by it every single game, but most of the encounters I lost were a result of bad aim or play on my part as opposed to an advantage the other player just received. Promethean Vision only seems to give you a jump on players oblivious to you. I imagine it will be used a lot by players who like to put themselves in good positioning; However, if you're a run and gun type of player, this is will not benefit you. PV is just radar on steroids.
Jetpack is the Jetpack. It functions the same but it is nerfed. It accelerates faster, but dies out quicker as well and you cannot hover as easily with it. That means less air time and an easier target. While it will still bypass map control and give you immediate height advantage, it is more manageable.
I don't have much experience with the Hard Light shield but it definitely is not Armor Lock 2.0. It can be frustrating in 1v1's when the player is near cover, but in the open or a 2v1 it will rarely help you, and you're screwed against more than that. I imagine a team with HLS would be difficult to attack directly, but the abundance of counters to it make it balanced.
Hologram is REALLY useful. It is paired with one of the default loadouts and it was the first ability I used. I was pleasantly surprised by how I was both deceiving and deceived with it. Oh, and it teabags over dead bodies.
Active Camo as an ability remains much the same as it did in Reach. There are several changes to the way the radar functions, and it lasts shorter if you stay still. I can't say much else as I think AC should be a power up instead, but for what we have it wont be as annoying to fight as Reach.
I've found no practical use for the Auto Sentry, though a player did manage to distract me with it briefly. It looks cool and can make for fun mini-games, but it's a waste of an AA in Multiplayer.
Again, AAs are not at the forefront of the game. They're there and they're useful, but if your gunplay is poor they aren't going to hand you free wins. You can run around without an AA or even Sprinting and still top the scoreboard.
Infinity SlayerInfinity Slayer is a new twist on the mode with killcams, instant respawn, and Personal Ordnance. The similarities to other shooters are apparent, but it's now in the confines of Halo.
First, Killcams don't even work properly and are expected to be patched in a Day 1 update. However, they do help for those WTF moments, and there are games where you can just watch your deathcam instead. Instant Respawn is not good because I often spawned behind players and was able to pick up revenge kills and clean them up. It's not as problematic in BTB, but in 4v4 its issues will become apparent very early on especially since all of the maps appear to have Dynamic Spawns in Slayer.
Honestly, I do not like Personal Ordnance Drops. I was earning power weapons in BTB and powerups in 4v4 and they all gave me incredible situational advantages over players and vehicles. Damage Boost is very easy to abuse and it almost always leads to another drop immediately afterwards. The other powerups aren't as questionable, but the power weapons are. You should not be calling in power weapons,
period. It made BTB very chaotic and it seemed as though there was never any moment where something wasn't exploding. I like action packed matches, but Infinity Slayer in BTB is just too much. One plus though is that they don't always spawn where you want it, which means you at least have to think when and where you call it in.
However, even with these gimmicks and issues, it
is still Halo. You can obviously tell it was saturated with flashy additions, but your ability to both outshoot and outthink your opponent is what will consistently put you out on top. I'm beating players I am better than and dying to players better than me consistently. I have yet to see any game-breaking equalizer outside of PODs.
Part 2 and 3 are following this post.
