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My H4 review - Spartan Ops
Posted By: Avateur <avateur@gmail.com>Date: 12/29/12 10:10 p.m.

In Response To: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story) (Avateur)


Spartan Ops was one of those experiences I was very excited for, and I can say that it hasn't really let me down. Even though all of the missions are the same maps, and even though UNSC forces have got to be the most embarrassing the galaxy has ever seen (the Didact was right to try and destroy us considering that these troops can't hold a position to save their lives, literally), it holds together as a relatively strong experience.

The rehash of levels absolutely gets frustrating, and although the missions don't really appear to have any real impact, consequence, or point to the excellent cinematics that precede each episode, the gameplay itself tends to be fun. Granted I haven't really taken the time to try and play through Spartan Ops alone, and that's mostly because I have such a great time playing with friends. The first episode was a nightmare, and I just about never wanted to play Spartan Ops again due to how absolutely boring and contrived it was. But I stuck with it and sure enough, the episodes started getting better and better.

Those missions on Valhalla were fantastic, truly. Get that going on Legendary and send all the Hunters and Fuel Rod dinos my way, because that was a blast. Frankly, Spartan Ops is about the only thing that brings me back to H4 week after week, and in its absence I haven't really played it at all. It needs more variation with the maps and the missions need to have more relevance to the story itself, or it's going to grow stale VERY quickly even with friends.

The stories themselves, as viewed through the cinematics, are very interesting (and at this point have the potential to be better than H4's story, which is sad). Frankly, I hate Sarah Palmer. Poorly written, does nothing but boss you around, and does nothing to help in battles or any situations because she's never there. She's a Spartan. Get her on the battlefield or get rid of her. Boy she's a tough soldier, shoving guns in Halsey's face.

That venting aside, the introduction of the artifact onto the Infinity and its odd teleporting abilities is absolutely intriguing. Also, having Halsey finally introduced is a very nice addition to the cast. Unfortunately, Halsey's introduction still has absolutely nothing to do with her opening cinematic appearance in H4's campaign and no bearing on anything having to do with H4's plot, making her inclusion in Spartan Ops just another insult added to the injury of H4's story.

Luckily, Halsey is a compelling character (even without the previous titles or novels, she's holding her own as an interesting character based on how the others are reacting to and treating her). The UNSC is clearly hiding something, she knows it, and she has this mysterious little communication pad going on with someone unknown. Is it ONI? Is it someone on the ship? Didact? Who knows! The big reveal that it's the Covenant forces on Requiem made for a very interesting twist. Is it weird that I feel like I should be trusting that dino and Halsey more than I trust Lasky, Palmer, and the UNSC at this point? Why even involve Halsey without telling her everything that's going on with this artifact? She's a genius. Did they think she wouldn't find out? And did they find out that she's communicating with the Covenant? It's all very interesting, and I can't wait to see more.

All in all, if 343 can change up some of the levels and make the gameplay more relevant to the cinematics, we should be in for a really nice treat. The cliffhanger midseason finale was great, too. Keep it up! Spartan Ops has plenty of room to grow and evolve, and it's the shining star of H4 as far as I'm concerned, even if it does get a bit stale and repetitive.


Message Index




Replies:

My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Avateur 12/29/12 10:10 p.m.
     My H4 review - Spartan OpsAvateur 12/29/12 10:10 p.m.
     My H4 review - MultiplayerAvateur 12/29/12 10:11 p.m.
           Re: My H4 review - MultiplayerArteenEsben 12/29/12 11:22 p.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - MultiplayerPhoenix_9286 12/29/12 11:32 p.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - MultiplayerSonGoharotto 12/30/12 12:05 a.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - MultiplayerQuirel 12/30/12 3:14 a.m.
                       Re: My H4 review - MultiplayerStephen L. (SoundEffect) 12/30/12 9:32 a.m.
           Re: My H4 review - Multiplayerpete_the_duck 12/30/12 1:13 p.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - MultiplayerSIX min WHISTLE 12/31/12 9:07 a.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - MultiplayerArteenEsben 12/31/12 6:39 p.m.
           Re: My H4 review - Multiplayeryakaman 12/31/12 11:27 a.m.
     Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/1/13 8:13 a.m.
           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)scarab 1/1/13 9:57 a.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)DHalo 1/1/13 10:16 a.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/1/13 11:07 a.m.
                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)scarab 1/1/13 12:10 p.m.
                             Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/1/13 3:43 p.m.
                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/1/13 1:06 p.m.
                             Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/1/13 3:18 p.m.
                                   Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/1/13 3:43 p.m.
                                         Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/1/13 3:50 p.m.
           There's a lot more of Cortana..wink,wink! *NM*Captain Spark 1/1/13 10:09 a.m.
           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Bry 1/1/13 10:56 a.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)SonGoharotto 1/1/13 11:25 a.m.
                       Daleks don't use Bluetooth which is INSANE!!!!scarab 1/1/13 12:14 p.m.
                             Insane monsters designed by an insane monsterSonGoharotto 1/1/13 12:22 p.m.
                                   That's evil insane, not stupid insanescarab 1/1/13 1:02 p.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Quirel 1/1/13 1:48 p.m.
                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Bry 1/1/13 2:50 p.m.
                             Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)thebruce0 1/3/13 9:58 a.m.
           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Avateur 1/1/13 1:38 p.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/2/13 2:12 p.m.
                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/2/13 2:29 p.m.
                             Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Bry 1/2/13 3:33 p.m.
                                   Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Gravemind 1/2/13 4:01 p.m.
                                         Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Bry 1/2/13 4:18 p.m.
                                               Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/2/13 6:31 p.m.
                                                     Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Bry 1/2/13 7:16 p.m.
                                                           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)scarab 1/2/13 7:33 p.m.
                                                           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/2/13 7:55 p.m.
                                                                 Relevant pointLeisandir 1/2/13 8:11 p.m.
                                               Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/2/13 7:48 p.m.
                                                     Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Bry 1/2/13 9:33 p.m.
                                                           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/2/13 10:04 p.m.
                                                           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/3/13 10:01 a.m.
                                                                 Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Bry 1/3/13 11:06 a.m.
                                                                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)thebruce0 1/3/13 11:13 a.m.
                                                                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)RC Master 1/3/13 11:17 a.m.
                                                                             Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Bry 1/3/13 11:31 a.m.
                                                                             Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Louis Wu 1/3/13 12:10 p.m.
                                                                                   Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)RC Master 1/3/13 3:58 p.m.
                                                                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/3/13 1:30 p.m.
                                                                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/3/13 1:59 p.m.
                                                                             Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/3/13 5:08 p.m.
                                                                                   Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Gravemind 1/3/13 5:37 p.m.
                                                                                         Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)MacGyver10 1/3/13 5:58 p.m.
                                                                                               Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/3/13 6:24 p.m.
                                                                                                     Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)thebruce0 1/4/13 8:39 a.m.
                                                                                         Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)MacGyver10 1/3/13 6:09 p.m.
                                                                                               Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/3/13 6:38 p.m.
                                                                                         Ehhhhh . . . . .Leisandir 1/3/13 6:54 p.m.
                                               Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Avateur 1/2/13 10:45 p.m.
                                                     Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Bry 1/3/13 7:15 a.m.
                                                     Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Louis Wu 1/3/13 9:41 a.m.
                                                           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)thebruce0 1/3/13 9:53 a.m.
                                                                 Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)MacGyver10 1/3/13 3:15 p.m.
                                                                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)stabbim 1/3/13 4:50 p.m.
                                                                             Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)thebruce0 1/4/13 8:54 a.m.
                                                           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Avateur 1/3/13 6:58 p.m.
                                                                 Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)thebruce0 1/4/13 8:57 a.m.
                                                                       Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Avateur 1/4/13 6:55 p.m.
                                                                             Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Cody Miller 1/5/13 12:47 p.m.
                                                                                   ^^agree^^Lawnmower172 1/5/13 1:03 p.m.
                                                                                   Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Avateur 1/5/13 2:31 p.m.
                                                                                         Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Cody Miller 1/6/13 2:49 p.m.
                                                                                               Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)scarab 1/7/13 4:44 a.m.
                                                                                         Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)uberfoop 1/6/13 3:15 p.m.
                                                                                               Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Cody Miller 1/7/13 1:34 p.m.
                                                                                                     Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)scarab 1/7/13 4:36 p.m.
                                                                                                           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Quirel 1/7/13 5:51 p.m.
                                                                                                     Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Avateur 1/7/13 7:31 p.m.
           Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)scarab 1/2/13 5:09 a.m.
                 Re: My H4 review - Campaign (Gameplay and Story)Rockslider 1/2/13 9:34 a.m.
     Single player and Spartan Ops...Bryan Newman 1/2/13 5:39 p.m.
           Re: Single player and Spartan Ops...Avateur 1/2/13 11:02 p.m.



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