This article was created to try and get our voices heard. If you agree with the article below, please copy and paste it to any website/forum where it can be read by halo fans. The point is to have this article on the internet so much that 343i has to notice it.
Halo 4 as it is now
Halo 4 has set new boundaries for future Halo games. They have provided us with unique forge features that make forging much more easier then ever before. On top of this they have provided us with two solid campaigns. The master chief's story is both epic, thrilling, and even a little saddening. The new Spartan-Ops mode has replaced firefight over all and set a new playground for co-op fun. Finally, of course, there is the ever beloved matchmaking. Infinity slayer, swat, and griff-ball are returning favorites. However, even with all of these new features, there are still many flaws that need to be considered by 343i before the game is perfect. These are small tweaks that should have been considered before-hand, but, should be considered now before it is too late.
Spartan-Ops
While the new spartan-ops has met my expectations, providing us with a rich story that flows in perfectly with the main campaign, and giving co-op players a new field for mayhem, it has some flaws of it's own that should be considered perhaps next season or even next game. For starters, while the cut-scene episode that you witness every week is original and brilliant, the actual in game gameplay has no link at all. If you set a person up for Episode 1, Level one and then put them in Episode 3, level 3, they might not even know that you skipped any levels at all. While the game explains why you are there, no connection exists between that level and the others. On top of this, there is nothing unique to these missions. Not once do you ever get sent out to save scientists in one level and in the next level have to do something unique such as passanger warthog filled with scientists as fast as you can towards your evac point, with covenant on your hide the whole time. It is always the same thing. Go in, kill covenant and promethiens, and get out. No epic mammoth driving, no pelican driving, no escape scenes. Just killing enemies. They have even recently decided to just take multiplayer maps and turn them into spartan-ops missions! No, they did not do anything cool like add more to the level, they just took the level itself and added enemies.
Matchmaking
I absolutely *love* the new matchmaking. It has such great potential. However, this potential was not put to it's full test. Do not get me wrong, i still love it. The ability to have custom loadouts, weapon skins, packages/upgrades and specializations is amazing. However, they have not used this all to it's capability. Let us start from the bottom up. The ability to choose your own loadouts is great, fantastic in fact. This idea alone has no flaw. What does flaw is the options they give you. Out of over 30 weapons in the game, 7 primary weapons and 3 secondary weapons are at your disposal. The other 20 are RARELY used. I have used only about 5-10 of the other weapons because that is all you usually come across. The game should have either had 15 loadout weapons and 15 power weapons, or even gone as far as 20 loadout weapons and 10 power weapons. The fact is, we just do not need that many power weapons. Hell, some of them are just pointless, such as the concussion rifle in this game, in all of it's under-beefed glory. Having so many power weapons gives the game a glossy appearance that it is full of bad ass explosions and fights. Yet, as we all know, this is not the case. Providing players with more loadout weapons means there is more incentive to level up, more action going on throughout the ENTIRE match, and more unique and individual load out systems. If they consider this in future games, it would truly put potential to the test.
Yet, even with all this, there is more. Let us talk about something they have the ability to change at any time. Tactical/Support packages. This feature is great and unique to the Halo Franchise. Yet, is there any big benefit to them? Let us all admit, the idea for these came from popular games like COD and BF3. However, it works well in Halo. Yet, in games like COD, the perks are completely game changing. In Halo 4 however, you hardly notice the difference at times. You can sprint infinitely, recharge your shields slightly faster, recharge your AA faster, but it is not that noticable. Even with this not being noticable, it would work well if there were more options. If they refuse to have perks such as increased melee distance, more damage with secondary weapons, having enemy vehicles outlined, or no turret over-heat, they could have still added perks such as faster melee, more damage to vehicles, or less damage from certain genres of weapons. All of these are easy to add to the game through a patch, and game changing.
Now, hold on, i am still not done with Matchmaking. There is still the issue of weapon skins and specializations. When i heard of weapon skins and specializations, i got excited. Finally, a game changing benefit that is visible and easy to notice. Yet... i was later disappointed. While specializations ARE game changing and provide us with unique unlocks, it is way to difficult to achieve them. Specializations should have been unlocked at a much lower level (20-30) so that most players could have access to it. Instead, they placed it at level 50. This would be fine except once you get to level 25 and above leveling up becomes a complete chore. If more players had access to specialzations, the gameplay would change for the better. People would be aiding their team more by knowing they can do better and get more points by being a team player and filling their role in their specialization. Instead, there is a distinct line between people who barely can get on to play, and those who have all day. On top of this all, there is weapon skins. Such a unique feature, but there is just not enough of them in the game. One per weapon is not unique at all and ruins the idea of it all together. Just add more to be unlocked in the game or through map packs and players will be pleased.
I will post about forge later on.
