Multiplayer-wise, the controls are extremely tight. 343 has done an excellent job living up to their promise of making your character feel as if he/she is wearing "800 pounds of tank and jet-fighter", without compromising the Spartan's canon abilities too much. One of my biggest complaints with Bungie was that their games always felt sloppy to control. For example, the ground vehicles like the Warthog and Mongoose drove as if they were on an ice rink rather than solidly on ground (they still flip in Halo 4, which is good, but they have some weight to their handling now). Guns in the previous game never felt as if they were from the 26th century; why should precision weapons such as the DMR and Battle Rifle have so much bloom in the hands of a super soldier, or stray bullets spraying away from the target?. I like using both now (the DMR for longer range, the BR for mid range), I do not feel as if I am wielding 20th cent. weapons in the 26th cent. anymore. Bullet impact animations are nice too, especially in single player (I feel as if I am no longer shooting an unfeeling brick wall, Reach's animations were terrible - almost every Elite would do the exact same pose whenever their shields would drop; it made the game less immersive). As for the sounds, they've changed with each game, some I like, some I don't. The Assault Rifle sounds much better, with a deep growl, similar to Halo: CE.
Having sprint at all times is nice and, thankfully for balance, limited. Teamwork is still the priority when it comes to winning matches (disorganized teams who try to lone wolf it still get annihilated), but the scoring system allows for players, who may not always be great at killing, to contribute and level up on their own strengths (e.g. distractions, vehicle driving, destroying vehicles, playing support roles with assists, healing, etc.). I can't always keep up with twitch shooting these days, my hands aren't what they used to be, so being able to contribute in some way and be rewarded for it, remains satisfying.
Vehicles seem to be tougher to normal weapons, either that or sticky grenades aren't what they used to be. It's often easier to kill a gunner or a driver themselves than to just blow up a vehicle, which makes sense. Armour abilities don't come across as being overpowered, as each need to be used in appropriate situations to be effective (e.g. Turrets are great for choke points, cloak/radar scramble helps disguise teammate's positions and gives you the opportunity for surprise, the light shield can save a person from a last second headshot or sword strike, etc.)
My only major gripe is some of the hit detection (though it may have been lag), and spawns on some levels. I've had a couple instances on the camera where it has shown a player aiming nowhere near me and somehow getting a miraculous headshot, or throwing a sticky grenade off to the side and somehow having it whip back around like a homing rocket and stick me. I've had a number of easy spawn kills and deaths as well, there doesn't seem to be as much protection as there was in Reach.
Overall, I have really enjoyed the game, as a shooter it has one of the best multiplayer components I've played since Bad Company 2 and Gears of War 3. 343 has made the series their own, and I look forward to seeing what else they have in store.
Having sprint at all times is nice and, thankfully for balance, limited. Teamwork is still the priority when it comes to winning matches (disorganized teams who try to lone wolf it still get annihilated), but the scoring system allows for players, who may not always be great at killing, to contribute and level up on their own strengths (e.g. distractions, vehicle driving, destroying vehicles, playing support roles with assists, healing, etc.). I can't always keep up with twitch shooting these days, my hands aren't what they used to be, so being able to contribute in some way and be rewarded for it, remains satisfying.
Vehicles seem to be tougher to normal weapons, either that or sticky grenades aren't what they used to be. It's often easier to kill a gunner or a driver themselves than to just blow up a vehicle, which makes sense. Armour abilities don't come across as being overpowered, as each need to be used in appropriate situations to be effective (e.g. Turrets are great for choke points, cloak/radar scramble helps disguise teammate's positions and gives you the opportunity for surprise, the light shield can save a person from a last second headshot or sword strike, etc.)
My only major gripe is some of the hit detection (though it may have been lag), and spawns on some levels. I've had a couple instances on the camera where it has shown a player aiming nowhere near me and somehow getting a miraculous headshot, or throwing a sticky grenade off to the side and somehow having it whip back around like a homing rocket and stick me. I've had a number of easy spawn kills and deaths as well, there doesn't seem to be as much protection as there was in Reach.
Overall, I have really enjoyed the game, as a shooter it has one of the best multiplayer components I've played since Bad Company 2 and Gears of War 3. 343 has made the series their own, and I look forward to seeing what else they have in store.
