I had the fortune to play several games of Halo 4. Below I’ll break them down as much as possible. If there is something more you’d like to know of the specific games I played that I may not have mentioned, please reply in the comments below.

Keep in mind I’m NOT an MLG gamer. So you are getting these breakdowns from the normal (ish) gamer. You know, the type that most of us are.

Slayer on Ragnarok:
I spawned on Lakeside base. Immediately I went for the Mantis. Folks this vehicle is the SHIZNIT! It’s freakin’ awesome. Scorpion what? Meh, that’s so last trilogy…

While in the Mantis I destoryed the other Mantis, a Banshee, 2 ghosts, and a slew of Spartans all before finally being taken down by team shooting from the other side with a Banshee delivering me the most damage from above. Of course I promptly went over and stole their Mantis and continued on my reign of terror. The Mantis moves fast. Faster than the Scorpion. It’s lateral movements are great and it can pivot on it’s hips much better than the Scorpion ever did on it’s mount. The Mantis can not be toppled, only destroyed. So you don’t have to worry about it falling over on you. As for what happens when it goes over a cliff? I literally falls straight down landing on it’s feet. Again, no worries about being toppled over. The machine gun can overheat quickly so watch for that. As well the rocket arm has to reload about the time as normal shoulder mounted rockets have to reload. However, these rockets felt more powerful.

During this match I also got into a Banshee and did some damage as well as a ghost. The Banshee doesn’t fly around as fast as seems easier to shoot down. The Ghost CAN take some punishment again! YES! As for moving around as a Spartan, you’re quick. With having sprint as a permanent ability, it’s VERY useful for getting around on the map quickly. So glad it was added in this way. Now because of this, the game moves FAST! You’ll need to adjust to the pace of the game. Since everyone has sprint plus whatever other ability, scoping in on people might be tougher for some than others. I didn’t use a scoped weapon in this match other than a BR so it didn’t play that much into it for me here. The BR though, wow, SO good to have that back in my hands.

My team won that match. I definitely was the vehicle master and destroyer of the match.

Next was CTF on Adrift. On my team was BravoMLG, so well, the outcome was pretty much already decided… Still, I had fun and use Promethean Vision liberally during this game. On small maps this ability can be very useful. I also used the DMR here. WOW, it’s POWERFUL. The sound of the shoot like a CHOONK! It delivers a PUNCH! As well, I got to use the suppressor. It really can rip spartans to shreds. The sticky detonator is great. better than the grenade launcher of of Reach, you can stick this grenade pretty much anywhere then blow it up when you want to. Stick it on a wall just before a corner and get an enemy to follow you around it. I called in a weapons drop and got a Forerunner sniper. There was a 343 person next to me just about to tell me how to use it when, BAM quick scope headshot. My enemy was dead. And the 343er looked impressed saying I knew how to use it. For the rest of the match I played defense. We won 3-1 captures.

After this I played a game of Regicide on Haven. Awe yeah, this game type is AWESOME! I went 29-5 and won. As the king you rack up points quickly the longer you stay alive. You can earn a “Reign of Terror” medal for lasting so long and get an overshield. After a longer time as king consecutively you also get greater mobility. I got a triple kills, took out some enemies with the pulse grenade, used the Boltshot. The charged up shot is very effective at taking out shields and finishing off enemies.

Next up was Oddball on Complex. Lots of running about. Easy to take out a ghost here if you can get it somewhat cornered. Lots of places to run around on. Holding the ball can be easy if you’ve got cover, but due to the pace of the game, that won’t last long. I used the Scattershot here and killed some enemies with that satisfying disintegration. My team lost, however I held the ball the longest of anyone during the game. Even in the loss, I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait to explore these maps and plan out strategies for them.

Now, keep in mind, EVERYTHING was unlocked. All armor, all loadouts. Everything. So I doubt the game will move THIS fast at launch. However, as people rank up, you will notice a difference. Will it be slight? Will it be game changing? Again, hard to tell, since everyone had all the options available to them. This definitely will separate skilled/long time players with new ones. It will also severely hamper those who would seek to start new accounts to pwn people with as they won’t have all these options available to them. While they might be good, the prolific player will have a good chance at beating them due to better loadouts and specializations. Now THAT is what I call balanced. It really does help those who aren’t as skilled have a chance. And really, though I consider myself above average in skill, I”m happy that everyone will have the chance to unlock all of these things. I firmly believe everyone should have everything and use the full game dynamics. It just means that lesser skilled players and those that don’t play as much will take longer to get to those unlockables, but it’s there for them!

I have to say that the sound quality of the game far and above exceeds what I had hoped for. The sound of the armor as it hits the ground comes with a satisfying choonk. The weapons fire sound powerful regardless of what weapon you are using. Everything is really amped up!

Lighting is simply amazing. Well lit yet great shadows make for believable settings no matter the map you play on.

It’s VERY easy to see that 343 has taken it’s time to get everything right. From talking with those folks at the con, you absolutely get the sense that they all have a passion for Halo and are just as much fans of the franchise as we are.

Folks, the Halo Legacy is in GREAT HANDS! I can’t wait till all of you too can share in the excitement and fun that is Halo 4 to come!

-Sal