Halo 4 is by far the best shooter that came out this year. The fact you people devote so much time to hating on it, and writing long lists about how you dislike it, heavily implies that you would moan about anything.

it isn't a terrible game.

It failed because you expected it to fail.

I don't want to go into a long rant about how I'm a long time halo fan, etc. However, I will say that I'm severely disappointed in how Halo 4 turned out, and there's really no point in me listing my reasons. Long story short, it's no secret that Halo 4 is the classic "We want the COD audience" that has been running around devs and publishers like a plague. Want a latest example? Look at Gears 3 for a lesser example, and the upcoming Gears of War: Judgement, for a prime, full-blown example. Now, I don't solely blame 343, because I'm fully aware that Microsoft have the final say so on what can, and cannot be done. Publishers never seem to understand that you will NEVER obtain the COD audience. They might play for a short while, but they will drop you like a bad habit when their yearly COD title comes out. Want proof? Check out how Halo 4's online population TANKED during the week Black Ops II came out. For that reason, among many others. Halo 4 is a dumbed down, shell of what Halo was to appeal to an audience that they will never obtain, and at the same time, not only did it fail, all it did was alienate the real fans, and that's the saddest part. It's happened many times, and I'm not at all surprised, it's just a sad fact in today's industry. Suffice to say, Halo 4 will be my last Halo game I buy, unless 343, and mainly MS, realise what's really important.

Yes, it just wouldn't be the same without a bit of melodrama from you, would it? Examples: [quote]All of this combines to make Halo 4 one of the most disappointing releases [b]of all time[/b].[/quote] [quote]out sourcing 95% of the actual work for the game[/quote] No. Halo 4 performed extremely well with critics and has picked up numerous awards, people love it and people hate it - the same as it has been with every game in the world. The same as it has been with every [i]Halo[/i] game in the world. Granted, Halo 4 is held back from greatness by being rough around the edges, and things like the removal of previous features and lack of a working File Share system come as a major disappointment - but, in time, these things can be fixed. They can't just click their fingers and have every problem resolved, it takes [i]time[/i] to collect data, find a solution to problems, and implement it. This runs the risk of opening up other problems, and the whole cycle starts anew. It's the murky reality of sustaining an online experience, and it helps nobody when people like you start being zealous in melodramatically calling Halo 4 one of the biggest disappointments of all time. It's simply not true. What's the best thing to do? Identify the problems with the game and present them to the developers in a way without acting like an entitled or facetious little shit, in time improvements will come and it's up to you as the player to either sit back and stop playing, or move on and continue to play because you can still enjoy the experience it offers. Yes, hopefully they do learn their lessons over at 343i and Microsoft over the missteps they've made - as Frankie has admitted, there there have been many, but it doesn't compromise the pride they have in their work, and it shouldn't compromise their pride because the seeds they sowed over their 4 year labour have finally bore fruit. Admitting you've made errors is the first step to working to overcome them, which is what Frankie has said they are working on. As players, we can only sit back and wait for those changes to be implemented - just over 1 month, as a new Title Update is coming at the end of February. Whining, making petty insults, and just plain making things up at people who have devoted years of their lives to a project isn't going to get any complainer listened to or respected. There are [i]some[/i] people who still need to learn that.

I find the main problem with halo 4 is it's too easy. Not for me but for everyone. You get power weapons too easily and too frequently, along with the random spawns this gives the player no need to consider map control and therefore anyone with half a brain and a good trigger-finger can do well. The instant respawns means death isn't as punishing for the team as it used to be, especially on smaller maps which encourages a reckless and thoughtless attitude with minimal penalties. Halo 4 may not take less skill than other halo games, but it takes less thought and that's why the gameplay is so boring, it doesn't stimulate the mind enough.

I've had some experience with H4. (3-4 days MP playtime. Some rather intense forging) [b]Verdict: 4/10[/b] It's not a -bad- game. It's a -meh- game. My history with it's release was both varied and... well... emotional. I've been a hardcore Halo fan since it's release and I WANTED (PRAYED) Halo 4 would live up to my expectations. Admittedly, my first reaction to it's announcement was very skeptical. I'd been playing Reach rather religiously and had just undergone the rather jarring half-transition, take-backsies "Title Update" that was released alongside Halo:CE Anniversary. (Which I admit I never actually finished a full playthrough of the revamped SP) Thus, my predisposition was already against 343i's gameplay ideologies. My initial skepticisms were fueled by a few factors: 1.343i was a nascent studio. This was their first attempt at a full major title. All studios undergo some difficulties when new, even those who benefit from ex-Bungie veterens. It takes a while to hammer out the pipeline, get the talent all moving in one direction. 2. Halo:Reach's Title Update. The mechanical changes felt... half-assed. (As show by the weird 'take-backsies' of the vote to change some playlists back to original mechanics) It was my first experience with inexperience of some of 343i's design. I'd become so used to Bungie polish it really felt jarring. 3. My own crushing nostalgia. The Halo Trilogy really defined my early gaming career. Begun when I was 11 and concluding shortly after my 17th birthday, it was truly my defining trilogy in gaming. I'd grown up with Master Chief, shared his victories and his pains. Had a hint of a romantic crush on Cortana. To see this trilogy, my trilogy, in the hands of anyone but the studio I'd come to know and love worried me to no end. However, as the ad campaign for H4 shifted into overdrive, the hype shunted my fears into a dark little corner. The story looked compelling, the MP fast and fresh. So what if they took some ideas from CoD? That's a popular series right. (I admit to buying MW1 on the PC to check it out and not hating it) I -wanted- to believe it could be every that was promised. Spartan Ops? Sure. But then, as November '12 neared... I began to doubt again. Wait, how can they promise so many features? Isn't Spartan Ops a HUGE amount of content? What about... the polish? I was sadly, proven right. My first few days with the game were as any with a big title release: Blissful. I slaughtered noobs, I saved the galaxy once more. I sniffed a bit at the character reveals. I reveled in the new Forge Maps and the new MP maps. But then... I stopped. For a month I didn't pick up the title again. I'd played Reach non-stop with my friends for nearly 3 years... And yet... after two weeks... I stopped. It just wasn't... Halo. Here's why: 1. Instant Respawn Good in theory. Terrible in execution. THere's no rest between fights. No break in the action. No time to let your mind and frustration reset. I ended up yelling at the screen more times in H4 than in any other Halo title to date. It was like being smothered in a snuggy. It's so warm, so familiar... yet you still die of asphyxiation. 2. Boltshot/Power Weapons I couldn't believe it when I unlocked the Boltshot and tried it out for the first time. A pocket shotgun... in a starting loadout. It had as much damage as a close-range power weapon, didn't take much skill to charge, and could outrange some ordinance. What? Who thought that was a good idea? My favorite power weapons were back... yet... everyone had them. All the time. Everywhere. Got a shotgun? Too bad, he has a Incineration Cannon. Sniping? Naw, they've got 3. And don't even get me started on Dominion. (Hint: It's like competitive Arcadefight) The balancing mentality seemed to have been: Power weapons define games. Give them... to everyone. All the time. Very frustrating. 3. Menus/Matchmaking All the subtle nuances that make me love the Halo matchmaking systems/menus are gone. I can no longer see when I'm against a pre-made four man team. I can't CHANGE MY VOTE ONCE I'VE SELECTED A MAP. OR CHOOSE NONE OF THE ABOVE. Also, half the games you'll get matched into are already 1/2 to 3/4s complete, usually with you on the losing side. (Those people left for a reason right?) I've also had some SERIOUS menu glitches that bounce me between screens faster than a man with parkinson's attempting to use a touchscreen device. (This joke approved by my grandfather afflicted with aforementioned disease) Also, FILE BROWSER anyone? Also, Matchmaking Aborted? 20 times in a row? 4. Splitscreen (Or lack thereof) H4 proved to me that Graphics should never EVER come above gameplay. In an FPS, it's important to optimize your content to run at a constant 60 FPS. Twitch games practically require this. H4 splitscreen knocks me down to 20-30. Why? Lights, particles, shaders. I dare you to play H4 to Reach back to back sometime. Compare the lighting in the two. Reach's is both utilitarian and effective while maintaining proper and interesting lighting. It also SERVES THE GAMEPLAY. Nothing in a Reach level distracts you from the fact that you are these to put holes in someone else's armor. In H4, I'm constantly blinded by the dynamic rays of the dying sun reflecting off some sod's codpiece half the level away. It's... almost painful. Bungie has always known friends like to play games together in the same room. For us poor folks, that means manning up and sharing a screen. That is and will always been some of the appeal of MP games. 343i needs to realize that. I could go on, but I feel I've covered enough GLARING HOLES in the design to justify giving this game a low score. I don't hate 343i, but I severely hope they learn their lesson and put out a good/great title with Halo 5. Kudos and sorry for the wall of text. I tend to ramble when it comes to design talk. -Euphorius

There are currently 77,200 players on now. Is that supposed to be bad?

Oh man the off-peak population has dipped below 7,000. That's just terrible.

I've always hated you and your threads Time to put the mute button to work!

Everyone's always saying Halo games are dying, losing players, "on their last legs," etc. And yet, somehow, they keep chugging along.

I enjoy H4. kthxbai

Well on their lastest bulletin, 343i finally said, Halo 4 was shipped not the way they wanted. So it made people to stop playing it. Basically they are recognizing their failure. However they say too that it's "their first game". I accept that statement if they didn't do a 360° change to Halo's memorable things (covies, and weapons sounds and more.)

To be honest Im lost here. Halo 4 is fantastic. How they were able to manage the beauty as well as gameplay is astounding to me, especially for their first go around. I think a huge issue with these games now is that we have all become jaded, and we forget how well made these games are. Halo 4 is balanced in almost every regard. The took community input straight from Halo 3 era and put it into the game, for example the buffed AR and more consistently used secondary weapons. I will admit, its not Bungie, and they might not ever reach the standard Bungie left for them. But who could? I think they did a great job, and if you read all of the post and talk from Bungie, they are proud of what Halo has become as well

[quote][b]Posted By: Black Eagle X99[/b] All of this combines to make Halo 4 one of the most disappointing releases of all time.[/quote] No, Halo: Reach was more disappointing.

343 is a disgrace. Microsoft really needs to fire some of those idiots.

I don't think Halo 3 dipped below 100K for at least a year after it came out, regularly breaking 150K. Although yes, the population is counted differently, Halo 3's counts players in campaign as well, but I doubt there were 50K playing campaign regularly a year later. This combined with the fact that the number of Xbox 360 owners out there has experienced a tremendous increase since 2007 tells me that Halo 4 isn't nearly as successful as Halo 3 was.

I only have time to play one day a week. Every Friday, my buddy comes over and we play whatever game we're into at the time. Currently, that game is H4. Problem is... After two weeks, we can no longer play with each other. Any time we try to enter a game as a group, it searches and searches for a game and never finds one. We can find games just fine if we enter solo. Just not in a group. Because of this, we're gonna move on to something else. What a shame, I really like the game.

lol at the tag of #eaglethread

Halo 4 is a much better game than Reach and ODST. That's all I care about.

I sure hope halo 4's population drops alot. Maybe then 343 will actually realize that their game is terrible and they will improve for H5. Halo 4 isnt even playable IMO.