Okay, I’m going to give you my opinion of various parts of the game that I’ve experienced so far. If you have some thoughts, please feel free to reply to the article.

Campaign: As stated before, I made the mistake of playing this on Normal. It was too easy for me. I’m not in a rush though to get the Legendary achievement. I figure I’ll can get that anytime.
Graphics are OUTSTANDING. Best looking Halo game to date for sure. Gameplay is familiar with some additions. Nothing too hard to figure out.
The story is really moving. You definitely get more out of this one than any, on fact maybe all the other previous Halo games combined. The relationship between Master Chief and Cortana is compelling. I won’t spoil anything else here though. You’ll have to play it to know what the story tells.
I love just roaming about and seeing what all was done on the maps. Finding the terminals is of course fun and gives you the added benefit of clips to watch on Waypoint once you’ve unlocked them.
Lighting and sound are fantastic. Lighting is realistic. One small gripe on sound comes from the music. The music is great, but sometimes overpowers the rest of the game sound. I wish we had control of that. While I love the music of Halo 4, I’d like to be able to turn it down or off if I want.

Spartan Ops: Well, I did a write up on this already. However, it bears repeating that this game mode is AWESOME! My description for this is that Spartan Ops is a story driven, mission specific firefight. It has elements of campaign with the story vids, objective based missions, and of course a high dose of firefight with plenty of Covies and Prometheans to blast away. I’d say initially, this is my favorite mode. That may change over time. However, I HIGHLY suggest everyone play it. I definitely want MORE than the initial 10 weeks 343 has planned for!

War games: Okay, there are a few issues here, but none too bad. As with Reach, I’m not a fan of BTB here. WAY too many power weapons on the map. I die MUCH faster than I ever did in Halo 3 and Reach. I’m finding that just like Reach, I like the smaller team playlists.
I’ve only played a few Dominion games. I think once my group of friends gets together and works together we can be an unstoppable force in Dominion. Right now though, there’s too much bickering and complaining for that to happen. Bleh…
CTF and KOTH are fun. However, there is ONE map that has quickly become my least favorite. That is Abandon. If you spawn on the low side of the map you are REALLY at a loss from the get-go. The low side is too open and prone to being spawn killed.

With SWAT coming, and more playlists planned, don’t give up hope. 343 has stated they will be keeping a keen eye on War Games and will make changes as necessary to keep thing fresh and inventive.

Forge: I’ve visited most of the maps in Forge now. I can’t wait to break them. I LOVE getting outside of the map. In the meantime, I can say that I really like the Magnet feature. VERY helpful. As is duplicate.
The map that has stood out for me is Impact. I REALLY like this map. I’ve already begun an ambitious project using that map. (will be revealed soon)

Theater: I’ve actually NOT gone into theater yet. I am dismayed that there is no theater for Campaign or Spartan Ops. I’d LOVE to be able to take pics and clips from both of those modes. So much to see and capture in those modes. However, 343 has said it’s planned for later on down the line. I hope by the time the new year comes around.

Commendations are good and of course you get credits for completing the in each tier. I likely won’t be as obsessive about them in Halo 4 as I was in Reach though. Then again, I want every piece of armor…So I may have to be.

I’m definitely glad challenges are back. That was a GREAT addition to Reach and I’m glad it carried over into Halo 4. That alone helped keep me coming back long after I had ranked to max in Reach.

Armor customization: Well, having been an Inheritor in Reach for SO long, I was used to having everything available whenever I wanted it. It’s a little humbling that I don’t have everything now. I SO want the War Master helmet!!! Having to purchase many things about upgrades is kind of a “rolls eyes” moment. Seems like it’s easy enough to unlock those things. Just need to play enough and rank up enough to eventually get everything.

Well that about it for now. I’ve likely forgotten stuff. It’s almost 4am though as of this writing and I’m tired….

Doritos XP codes tomorrow. Forward Unto Dawn graphic novel tomorrow. And we’ll see what else…

-Sal