Halo 4 (Steelbook) (Xbox 360)

Halo 4 is a first-person shooter in the Halo franchise and the first entirely new game in the series without the involvement of the original developer Bungie Studios. It is the first title in a trilogy, dubbed the Reclaimer trilogy. The story takes place in a science fiction setting in the year 2557, four years after the events of Halo 3. It marks the return of the surgically enhanced super soldier or “Spartan” Master Chief, John-117, as a playable protagonist for the first time since 2007’s Halo 3, who’d been considered dead or missing in action by Covenant and UNSC forces since the end events of that game.

The game sets the stage for a new story in which Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient awakened evil that threatens all life in the universe. The main campaign also heavily explores the relationship between Master Chief and his AI companion, Cortana. Cortana is nearing the end of her life, before devolving into a state called Rampancy in which an AI begins to think itself to death. The campaign features both first-person shooter and driving elements, and can be played either single player or co-cooperatively (either over Xbox Live or split-screen). It features new weapons and an entirely new class of enemy characters called Prometheans.

The game also features a reach multiplayer experience called Infinity. The centerpiece of this experience is the UNSC Infinity, the largest starship ever built by humanity. The player controls a personalized Spartan IV which, as the player competes in multiplayer sessions, gains experience and unlocks new abilities, armor customizations, and weapons. Play is divided between two modes: Wargames and Spartan Ops.

War Games is the traditional Halo PVP experience, but couched as training simulations for all the Spartans on board the infinity. In addition to classic modes such as Team Slayer and Capture the Flag, War Games also features some new modes, such as Regicide and Flood.

Spartan Ops is an episodic cooperative campaign which contains ten episodes, in which the player players as their Spartan IV character. Spartan Ops is set 6 months after the end of the campaign and continues the adventures of the Infinity’s Crew. Each episode is released weekly and contains a new cinematic along with 5 new missions to complete. These missions can be completed solo, but are designed to be played cooperatively, again over Xbox Live or split-screen.