Halo 4 Review

Now back to my previous “cartoony” comment.  Yes, I said the characters were cartoony.  And while I still believe that about many of the Covenant aliens’ actions, I refuse to say that about the graphics.  Seriously, they are amazing.  The art director for the sandbox-style Halo 4 is Kenneth Scott. He described the visual style of Halo 4 as being more ingrained in the expanded universe fiction, and more “mature” than before. With the game’s increased focus on the Forerunners, the artists have invested heavily into the look and feel of Forerunner technology. It has also been stated that there will be more diversity to Forerunner structures, including fully active Forerunner technology as opposed to the mostly inert and abandoned structures seen in the earlier games.

The sound definition is also splendid.  Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, is heard.  From the sound of a distant engine to the grunting of a Covenant soldier in hiding, it’s all vivid and crisp.  I played both with my surround sound setup and with my Turtle Beach headphones, and found absolute clarity in sound no matter which way I played.  And for those who value the music that Halo has brought to the world, Neil Davidge has taken over the role of mixing the score for the newest game.  Most wouldn’t notice the change, but he pretty much changed everything and left the game with all new tracks that leave a litle to be desired.  Fortunately, the rest of the game makes up for this.