Couldn't give a chuff for Halo multiplayer? Not particularly keen on the idea of other players butting in on your campaign storytelling? Lay your concerns to rest, O insular one, for Spartan Ops mode's guilty secret is that (so far, at least) you can play it entirely by yourself (you will, however, need an Xbox Live Gold connection anyway - apologies to those misled by this review as it was originally published).
Those missions which cry out loudest for co-op intervention benefit from a dash of AI hand-holding - fire up the vehicle-heavy Landgrab in single player, for instance, and the game will shuttle in UNSC marines to ride shotgun as you motor around the desert, splashing objectives and dodging Wraith shells.
It's not the most enjoyable way to play Spartan Ops, naturally. Each of the five on-disc maps - the first of 50, designated for drop over the 10 weeks following release - is designed to reward team work, splintering into high and low roads with different clusters of heavy ordinance to discover in far-flung corners. Sniper Alley plays it broad and vertical at first, as players work their way across two sets of Forerunner platforms, shrinks down to a windy rocking killzone which suits both duelling at corners and mid-range sniping, then explodes into full-on special weapon carnage.
343's unspoken hope is that these option-strewn layouts will stand comparison with the endlessly replayable co-op campaigns of Left 4 Dead. They're bundled up in more or less the same way - a brief opening cutscene sets the tone (there's also a rather more protracted CGI affair to introduce the episode as a whole) and the action is dusted with moderately entertaining battle chatter.
But as capable as the underlying design proves, the missions lack the substance to carry it off. The largest Spartan Ops maps aren't much larger than the largest Halo 4 multiplayer maps, enemies don't reward repeat play as handily as the Infected do, and there's a shortage of interactive map elements or pace-changers like Valve's Gauntlet moments.
The storyline has its moments, despite inheriting the po-facedness of Halo single player. In particular, there's a fun subplot which sees your Crimson Squad competing with the Spartans of Majestic Squad, whose feats of valour occur off-screen. It's not the most compelling meta-narrative we've encountered lately - that honour probably falls to comparing your life-or-death decisions to those of the community in The Walking Dead - but I'm looking forward to finding out how the rivalry evolves in the course of Season 1.
Read our full Halo 4 review for the verdict on the main campaign and multiplayer.
21 comments so far...
ChillieBonBon on 4 Nov '12 said:
I was never to sure about spartan ops replacing firefight as it seems that they're a bit shallow wjile firefight was always action packed and fun.
Lancer Armstrong on 6 Nov '12 said:
I am f**king pissed off with this game and I am f**king pissed off with you, OXM, for writing this misleading review!
Spartan Ops is not playable offline! You lied!
I don't play online. I don't have a Gold Membership. My console isn't even connected to anything other than my TV.
I've played every single Halo game, and this is the first time that I feel I'm being excluded from what is offered to online players. I thought I could play Spartan Ops solo or with a friend in split-screen, but I can't. You HAVE to go online. Again, you lied.
I truly regret making this a Day One purchase. I won't make that mistake again.
I also won't make the mistake of ever believing a single thing you pricks write ever again.
DGR1980 on 6 Nov '12 said:
Given that Spartan Ops is downloadable content for 10 weeks its kinda implicit that you need to go online to get it no?
OXM ETboy on 6 Nov '12 said:
Hi Lancer,
I've just double-checked and yes, you're absolutely right - you can play Spartan Ops in single player but you need an Xbox Live Gold connection to play it even when you're not playing with friends. Which is kind of nuts, really.
I can only apologise for this oversight - it didn't enter my head to check because, well, my general expectation is that when I'm playing solo I don't have to be online
I'll update the review copy to suit.
Edwin
kronk10 on 6 Nov '12 said:
Hang on there chap bloody hell! Yes OXM did say that it was a mistake and have re done the review accordingly but to call them pricks is a bit to far! Also why oh why did you not check yourself ? You actually bought the game on this review alone? why and really? I always go check out everything out about the game read a few more reviews and go and check the games website out. You really should have done some research chap before you let the keyboard warrior out because in all fairness OXM are not pricks they just made a mistake and a very simple mistake at that!
ChillieBonBon on 6 Nov '12 said:
Calm down mate and watch your attitude or the banhammer will claim another victim. What happened was a simple mistake!!
Lancer Armstrong on 6 Nov '12 said:
When the OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE tells you that a major part of an exclusive Xbox game is playable offline and then it isn't, that doesn't qualify as a simple mistake. Credibility must count for something.
I've been trying to find out for a while if Spartan Ops is playable offline. So when the OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE told me it is, I made the mistake of believing them. I feel like one of the major reasons I bought this game is now unavailable to me. I appreciate the apology, Edwin, but that article wasn't just misleading. It directly stated that Spartan Ops is "entirely playable offline".
As disappointed as I am with OXM, I'm even more disappointed in the developers of Halo 4. Halo was always one of the best experiences for offline players, because everything was playable offline and/or in splitscreen, without the need for an online connection. Now, for the first time, I feel excluded. That sucks.
kronk10 on 7 Nov '12 said:
Did you read dgr1980 post its implied you need a xbox gold live subscription ! seriously how was this not going to be anything but a gold subscription deal! Also you never answered my question did you ! Why not email the developers? why not read some more reviews? Why feel the need to spit your dummy out because a game is not to your specific liking? Fair enough OXM cocked up but calling them all pricks is a bit harsh chap and i still have no idea how you go about buying games ? do you even read the back of the box? or do any research ? I really think you need to man up and next time think before you buy!
FishyGinger on 7 Nov '12 said:
I'm ginger, think how excluded I feel.
As others have said though, check around before you buy with more than one source, or at least on the developers website if it's on there.
kronk10 on 7 Nov '12 said:
I always email the developer if i need a question answering and they more often than not email back, bethesda are great at answering my questions. I have checked and read previews and other reviews and they all say spartan ops is a multiplayer mode even the main halo review on OXM says this ! Also the times are changing and there are not many games that are just single player only and anyone who buys games today must factor in this little nugget when purchasing games. I would even go far as saying an xbox live subscription and internet connection are a must buy as you are generally missing out on so much content. Unfair to people who have not got internet connection but as those kind of gamers are the minority, game developers will always cater for online gamers that is just the way it is!
OXM ETboy on 7 Nov '12 said:
He's perfectly within his rights, chaps. Slightly forceful wording, perhaps, but hey, I'd be annoyed too.
Microsoft is bound to release a Spartan Ops Season 1 CE at some point. Shame that Silver subscribers won't be able to play it...
FishyGinger on 7 Nov '12 said:
How many Hail Marys have you done this morning? It had better be a lot otherwise I'm getting my local nun to sodom you right in the gomorrah. And don't think she won't enjoy it.
It is always best to check more than one place though I find.
Bezza89 on 7 Nov '12 said:
I'm still quite shocked, it is completely obvious that the spartan ops have to be downloaded after the five that are on the disc, that is incredibly obvious as is the assumption you'd need gold because they are 'free'.
However, I'm shocked the five you do have aren't playable offline at all. I'm sure I'd read elsewhere it was err, doable, solo - so why the need for online? Did you install the second disc? Is that the problem or are they 100% online?
kronk10 on 7 Nov '12 said:
He is within his rights but the amount of people complaining about something or verbally attacking someone over something so trivial is just stupid! You are a few clicks away from all the information you could ever need yet instead of using it they do not and just let the keyboard warrior within come out fingers blazing.
Back on topic i will admit halo 4 has suddenly gotten less interesting now there is no firefight, i might buy it at some point for the single player but it looks like black ops 2 will get my money!
Lancer Armstrong on 7 Nov '12 said:
Yes, kronk, I did read DGR1980's comment, but I'm not sure you did.
Obviously, the downloadable episodes will require a Gold Membership. However, like Bezza said, the 5 missions that are actually ON THE DISC should be playable offline. This is the same as, say, Firefight not being playable offline.
Like I said, the Halo games have always been good to the offline player. This is the first time a co-op mode is unavailable to me.
As for doing my research, various sources have implied (developers do a lot of implying these days, instead of just giving us the facts) that it is playable offline, even stating that it can be played in split-screen (which is usually an indication of offline play). I still wasn't sure, but when OXM (my main source for Xbox gaming info) outright said that it is "entirely playable offline", that seemed like a reliable bit of information.
Look, I was gonna buy the game anyway, because I'm a big Halo fan, but the last thing I expected was that ON-DISC missions would be unavailable to me. If I knew that, I would have waited until the price dropped. This is kinda like when Treyarch bragged that Black Ops would have bots, only for many eager buyers to find out that the bots are only accessible online. It's a joke, really. Gears of War is the only game franchise that has never let me down, in that regard.
As for calling the OXM guys pricks... Maybe my words were strong, but that's what happens when people feel disappointed and betrayed. They are no longer a reliable source of information to me.
But like I said, most of my anger and disappointment is targeted at 343 and Microsoft. I think Halo 4 is a damn good game, but I won't be pre-ordering the next one.
kronk10 on 7 Nov '12 said:
They gave one bad source of info and you are writing them off? Fair enough i can see where you are coming from but as most FPS games are online i would have thought the spartan ops mode was going to be fairly obviously online only? Thats how it came across to me anyway! have you thought about getting xbox gold? its worth the 40 quid a year and will make the whole halo game that much better along with all the other awesome stuff you get from Gold!
Lancer Armstrong on 7 Nov '12 said:
Unfortunately, I don't live in the UK. You guys are lucky with your cheap, high speed internet.
I live in South Africa, the country with, officially, the most expensive broadband in the world. We pay more than 10 Pounds for 1 Gig of downloading. It's ridiculous. Also, it's terribly slow (mine isn't even 1 Meg a second).
So even though a Gold membership is affordable, the internet in my shitty country makes it a prospect that isn't worthwhile at all.
kronk10 on 7 Nov '12 said:
Wow never realised it was that bad for internet over there and what makes it all the more crap is that our internet is not that good and us brits complain about out crap speeds ha! think i will stop complaining!
fracturedrich on 8 Nov '12 said:
yes its official ,single player is dead.
Joe90_Remy700 on 10 Nov '12 said:
lol you obviously haven't seen irish prices then...
well at least you can sell you gold trials on flea-bay to compensate. have you tried local networking halo with friends? might work there...
revanofswtor on 20 Nov '12 said:
Hi there
I admit I made the same mistake by buying Halo 4 from reading this article. My situation is, I have xbox live but I access it through a friends internet connection. I download my add ons, have a few blasts online then head home. Ive been able to download mincraft and Mass Effect DLC's and they all work offline!! Also it was confirmed from a leak that the Ep 1 Spartan Ops was on the Second Disc in a leak. It seemed stupid that Spartan Ops would need an internet connection... Call of Duty does not need Xbox live for Spec Ops!! So I bought the game on day 1... and then,
.
However, Spartan Ops seems too good to be limited as a free download. Their first idea would be most likely to push Gold Subscriptions and promote Spartan Ops as free DLC to compete with smart phone games. They could try and milk more money out of it like how Rockstar released their DLC's on discs. Would anyone agree?