Skyward Sword Review

Greetings and Salutations! I know I haven't posted for a while, but I miss writing; so time to crack my knuckles and shake off the rust!  I decided to do a Skyward Sword review, even though the game has been out for some time.  But there are some people who haven't gotten the game yet, and perhaps they are curious what I think about it!  So here goes nothing!

I got Skyward Sword with the preorder bundle in November back when it came out.  You know, the one with the game, 25th Anniversary Orchestrated CD, and the Golden Zelda WiiMotion Plus remote.  The store I got it from screwed me over and didn't give me the golden remote, as the person who opened gave it away to the average Joe Blow who only ordered the game disc.  I won't say which company screwed me over.  *Cough*Wal-Mart*Cough* whoops, did that slip out?  Anyways, luckily I have an awesome sister who bid on one for me for Christmas, so everything worked out!

Anyways, let's get on to the game, shall we?
I love this game.  There, I said it.  It's one of my favourite Zelda titles (Ocarina of Time still holds the throne for me, though).  The gameplay is nice, the story was nice, and the music was nice.  The WiiMotion Plus adds a new element to the Zelda franchise.  It was refreshing, but I'll be honest; there were times where I missed the clasic element of Zelda with a normal remote.  But I don't want that to sound like the controller ruined the game! Not at all, mon amis!  It was actually really fun having sword fights with monsters and having to find an opening in their defence.  Sometimes I got really frustrated and flailed the remote around like a 6 year old, which more often than not led me to lose a heart (but not lose heart! See what I did there?) Having to actually aim the remote to shoot the bow/slingshot was fun as well, but sometimes the alignment would be off, causing you to have to take precious seconds from a fight to realign your remote.  Nonetheless, it appealed to the inner child in me, pretending I was Link. 

The music aspect of the game was nice, but was lacking in interactiveness for me.  I prefer the style like Ocarina of Time, where you had to actually play notes to get a song going; a feature that hasn't been seen since the Gamecube days.  All you had to do to play music was to just swing the remote in time with a pulsing light. But, it didn't ruin the game for me.  I still had a blast all the same.  As a side note, I had previously mentioned in a post that I was worried about the graphics of the game due to the cartoonish style.  I must confess, the graphics didn't let me down.  They blended the Cell-Shaded graphics with the mature style of Twilight Princess very well, and I was very pleased. 

Ok folks, here come the spoilers.  If you want to be surprised, skip this paragraph!  If you don't care, well keep reading then! The story is fantastic, and it really appears to be a prequel to all the other Zelda games.  It tells of how Hyrule (not called Hyrule yet) was taken over by demons.  The Goddess took the remaining humans and a huge chunk of rock and made a little colony for them up in the sky.  Zelda is whisked down through the clouds to surface, because a leader of the demons wants to awaken his master and needs Zelda for the ritual.  Hence Link's adventure.  You see some cool things (such as perhaps the  temple of time) and some different races (a couple Gorons as well).  At the end, when you fight the final boss, he looks similar to Gannondorf; a picture can be found here.  After you beat him, he even says something along the lines of "I curse you, so that your ancestors will be followed by an evil, and they'll never escape this endless bloodbath etc. etc." That's intense, talk about a sore loser. 

I do have ONE bone to pick with this game, though.  As we all know, in a lot of Zelda games, there are different villages/towns you can go to throughout the game, to unwind... play some mini games, collect some rupees, chase some cuccoos.... this game was lacking that for me.  It felt at times like a tedious never ending quest, where you had no choice but to keep going with no chance to explore local villages and do some things around town.  It is to be expected, I suppose though, since the world was taken over by demons.  (P.S. Come on Goddess, talk about discrimination! Take all the humans up to a floating land, but leave the rest of the people like the Gorons on the demon ruled world?)

All in all, I absolutely love this game.  And if you find it too easy, there's a hardcore mode you can play after you beat the game.  Give that a whirl, too!  Definately a great Wii title, and a much needed one in my opinion.  Have fun, and don't go too crazy swinging the remote around.  Remind me to tell you about the time I almost broke the TV playing Wii Bowling. 

Top 10!

Hello friends! I've decided to do something a little different, but fun! A TOP TEN LIST! Hellz ya, mai h0mies. This one shall consist of my favourite games from my childhood, on the SNES. So let's blow the dust out of the cartridges, and take a walk down memory lane, as we go over games I fondly remember; most of which I'm sure you do as well!

10: Maximum Carnage

I must confess, I am a Spider-man fan, as well as a fan of beat-em up games, so naturally this game is a great one to me! I remember walking down the streets as Spider-man, beating up random thugs, and getting pissed at those women who whip their hair.... fun times! At least you had a somewhat "arsenal" of moves, and could web-sling, so it created variety! A huge downfall in my opinion is the lack of 2-player co-op. I used to play games with my dad, so this was unfortunate, especially in a beat-em up game! Especially since Spider-man and Venom are on the same team in this game too). Lack of save points for this game was a downfall too, seeing as the game (at least to the child version of me) was difficult. The cut-scenes were cool to my childhood self as well, seeing as they were done in comic-style format.  Otherwise, this game was a blast for me!

9: Mario All-Stars


Super Mario All-Stars;  a fun game indeed!  It was pretty cool that this game had all kinds of games on it, such as the original NES Mario game and Mario 3 (AWESOME game); but I remember thinking how weird it was to be able to use Toad and Peach in the one game.  I mean, if Toad and Peach were able to defend themselves that way, how did the Princess ever get captured before?  But all that aside, the gameplay is awesome!  It was pretty fun that you could fly over the level as Peach!  But also, the variety of games to play was excellent, since practically all the Mario games were a classic.  Definately in my top 10!


8: Secret of Mana

Secret of Mana!  This game is a fun game; even has a fun little noise at the beginning of the game!  But all thing aside, this RPG game is quite fun, as you advance through the game and find companions to help you through the game.  The items are bountiful, and create a good variety of fighting styles; not only that, but the music isn't bad either!  The game is long, too, so that it's not over in the blink of an eye.  The story isn't bad, either, which is important for an RPG.  The graphics aren't too bad for it's time; not too much detail, but vivid colours help make up for it.  I suggest people to try it out if possible! Try downloading a ROM if you're able to.


7: StarFox

StarFox! A great game franchise, and here is where it all began!  I remember when I first got this game as a child, one look at the box and I thought "that Fox guy looks weird, I don't like this game already!"  My dad urged me to try it anyways, so when I finally opened the box, loaded the cartridge, and turned the system on, I loved it! The gameplay is a bit slow, it seems, but I was thrilled with it regardless.  I wouldn't ever forget the noises of the characters, either; I still make said noises to this day!  The graphics aren't as great either, but it was a new type of game for it's time. I know, I know, I sound more like I'm putting it down, but I honestly say this game is great.  If not, I'm sure sequels wouldn't have been made, right?  The amount of buttons on the SNES controller allows for different kinds of moves and attacks.  You can, as I'm sure many of you know, "DO A BARREL ROLL!" to defect attacks, shoot bombs and lasers, and speed up and slow down.  Also, you can choose different paths to get to the final stage, and each path has a different difficulty.  I'm not sure if people would like this game as much as StarFox 64, due to lower graphics and the smoothness of gameplay, but I wouldn't dismiss it.  I suggest people at least try it!  The noises of the characters alone may be enough to entertain you!

6: Super Mario World

Super Mario World, who hasn't heard of it? This game is such a classic! This game introduces Yoshi, a lot of people's favourite Mario character (myself included).  Fun fact while on the topic: as a child, I never noticed that to get Yoshi's tongue out, Mario punched Yoshi on top of his head!  I always had thought Mario was just pointing!  For those who hadn't noticed that either, check it out!  Ah, but I digress. Who can forget Super Mario World's fun gameplay? This was a game I often played with my sister or my dad, or would even sometimes sit and watch if they were playing!  The game was very long too; many, many levels to go through! but that's not a bad thing.  I remember how exciting it was to get to the secret levels, and how cool it was to discover the different colour Yoshi throughout the game (fun fact again: Yellow was my favourite.  Probably the worst power of the group, but my favourite colour!) This game also introduced a new jump; that little spiral jump, for taking out heavier things when powered up!  The game's graphics were pretty good for their time, too. A lot of secrets in the game, where you'd have to go back to certain levels to get to new areas after you hit the switches!  Definitely one of my favourite Mario games! P.S. Cape power up rules!  Although the Raccoon power up from Mario 3 is the best of all time.


5: Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country!  Such a great game, they even tried to mimic it's style recently with the Wii title "Donkey Kong Country Returns"!  I remember how awed I was upon first playing this game, with how great the graphics were.  Once again, I played this game frequently with my sister and my dad (usually co-op, but occasionally the competitive mode as well). The graphics, gameplay and music all are excellent, and this title is a classic as well.  I loved variety of levels, especially the factory ones!  I have many memories of this game.  I loved it so much, that when I played pretend outside with my friends, we'd sometimes play "Donkey Kong".  A little embarrassing, but it is what it is!  I was a nerd, a fan of Donkey Kong, even in my wee days (and now in my Wii days - see what I did there?) I still remember how thrilled I was when I finally beat King K. Rool, a clever name by the way, and got all my bananas back.  It also left me with a sense of loss, after striving for so long to achieve something... but what did I do? I just played it again!  Definitely suggest to any chump who hasn't played Donkey Kong Country yet to do so, even if it is old; you need to make up for lost time!  And make sure you jump on those Klap Traps, they make an awesome noise (which I still mimic).


4: Mortal Kombat II



Mortal Kombat II; so many memories with this game, most of which include anger.  But we can't let a thing like that stop me from putting it in my top 10?  Besides, most of my anger came from my dad.  He was a troll player.  I remember my favourite character was Sub Zero.  His used to be Scorpion (everyone's used to be Scorpion, for that matter).  He would constantly back back punch and make me "COME HERE!!!" and then upper cut me.  Once I got wise to his scheme, he would switch to Raiden. Then he would use that move where he flies across the screen, yelling some sort of jibberish that I can best translate off the top of my head as "say kuh wazza!" (Disclaimer: I don't actually translate for Raiden, so if I mistranslate I am not to be held responsible).  By the time my character would stand back up, he would be doing it again.  I would try to freeze him in midair, but my childhood self didn't have to reflexes to do so every time.  When I'd complain to him, he would simply say, "if it was cheating, the game wouldn't allow it!"  *sigh* I also remember never being able to beat Shao Kahn, and it would infuriate me to no end!

All the characters are classic characters, from Scorpion's spear toss, to Liu Kang's bicycle kick. All the sound effects are classic too; not many gamers wouldn't recognize the classic "COME HERE!!!!", or the random guy that pops up in the corner: "WHOOPSIES!".   And, hey, let's not forget... "FINISH HIM!"
How many times can you remember playing with your friends, and trying to find out all the fatalaties with your friends? Look them up, and then let your friend kill you just so you guys could try it out?  Ah, good times.  You have to admit, the graphics were pretty decent too, including the moving background for when you fight.  Mortal Kombat 2 is my favourite MK game to this day!  If you disagree, hopefully Reptile doesn't spit acid in your face.

3: Super Mario Kart


OMG MARIO KART! This game continues to kick ass, with every version of it released.  But this is the one that started it all, and for good reason: this game is awesome!  Even when I play my Wii copy, I find that most of my favourite levels on it are the ones from the SNES version.  The graphics, the music; it all just geeks me out!  I used to love playing this game with my family and friends; my sister and I would often fight over who got to be Yoshi.  My dad was content with Koopa.  I still think back fondly to when the races finished, and the character who placed first for the race had their own little music playing.  Alas, the only ones I remember were Koopa's (sad face) and Yoshi's (happy face!).  But I think you all would agree that some of the most gaming rage comes from Mario Kart; how many times have you come so close to winning a race, just for the person behind you to hit you with a shell and finish one second in front of you?  Ah, but in the SNES version, you had to be careful with your red shells or they'd just curve into the wall!
Who also can forget the Ghost levels and Rainbow Road?  How much rage occurred there?  Especially when you're a kid and don't have the reaction speed to handle the tight turns with no rails?   By the way, how frustrating was it when you ran out of coins, and the slightest touch from even Koopa would make you wipe out?  Or those DAMN GOPHERS that would pop up on your face and you're better off driving into water just to get that little bastard off?  But even still, this game will always have a place in my heart, and will look fondly back upon my memories of it.



2: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

This game is an epic game; it almost made my number one spot.  The only reason it didn't is because I have less memories with this game than the other one.  But don't get me wrong, this game is pure awesome.  As a matter of fact, The Legend of Zelda series is my favourite series of all time!  And this one is one of my top Zelda games.  The gameplay is quite good, and the music is good too (the Palace theme? Unreal!).  But let's face it, Zelda never fails to disappoint with the music.  The land is rather big too, which is good because it leaves a lot to explore.  And you need to explore, because there are a lot of secrets in this game to find.  Remember back in the day when there were dungeons that only had one small key in it?  Oh, the first few dungeons in this game.... but seriously, no-one can deny the greatness of this game.  Funny enough, when I first tried playing this game, I didn't like it because I didn't know what to do right off the bat.  But once I learned the controls, and how to actually play this game, it became one of my favourite games up to date.  Remember that feeling when you got the Master Sword, and realized it could shoot from your sword when you had full health? I was thrilled!
I remember always trying to find all the secrets, all the pieces of heart, every item that you could find.  That was half of what the fun was!  Link, you badass, don't you ever change!


1: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

TMNT!!!!! This game I still play regularly with my girlfriend!  I remember always wanting to play this, renting it over and over, playing with my dad!  I picked Mike all the time because he's the best Ninja Turtle (and he has the best name, by the way).  My dad would always pick Don or Leo, because they had the longest range.  My buddies I played with would always choose Raph, because everyone's favourite is Raphael!  This beat em up game continues to rock my world.  From the graphics, sound effects,  the horribly muffled voices (MY TOE, MY TOE!) and the taunts from Shredder that were more gruesome than we realized at the time (tonight I dine on turtle soup? He's going to eat the ninja turtles?)
 This game is always the most fun when playing with a friend, for double turtle action!  How much did you hate those Mousers, always biting your hand? Or those Foot Ninjas that always blocked? Or those robots, Roadkill Rodneys, that shot that electric rope at you and those lasers? At the time, I didn't realize the differences between the turtles, but now I do; Leonardo takes the most damage, but is the slowest, whereas Raphael (at the other end of the selection screen and spectrum) is the quickest, but takes the most damage.  If I had know that, I may have picked characters accordingly, but when I was a child, I just picked who I liked. Which turned out alright in the end, seeing as Mike is my favourite in both aspects.  Hey, remember fighting Bebop and Rocksteady on the pirate ship, where they would always hit you in between attacks? Wasn't that fun?  Or Slash, on the dinosaur level, who just constantly blocked you, and you needed to use a cheap tactic with your friend, and get him between the two of you?  Remember, huh? HUH?!  If you haven't ever played this game, this game is a must. Get a friend and have some fun! Just don't get too shell shocked!

Well, that's my list.  Hope you enjoyed travelling back in time with me (pun to TMNT intended. I know, it was a stretch).  If you haven't played some of those games, once again, I suggest you try them.  They're all fun, even if they aren't as fancy as some of those new games out there!  Have fun!

L.A. Noire

Hello there! It's been quite some time since I last posted, but hopefully anyone who has read my blogs will forgive me!  I have broken a bone in my arm from basketball, so typing this will be a slow painful process.  I hope it will be worth it! Now, I am going to review a game that has come out recently: L.A. Noire.

Alright, here's the rub, see?  L.A. Noire is a suspense thriller game, where you are a police officer in Hollywood, set in the 1940's.  I personally love this, as I am a fan of 40's and 50's era.  Your role is an up and coming police officer, trying to rise through the ranks with each solved case. Starting as a patrolman, you go through such squads as homicide, vice, arson and traffic.

The game holds a great amount of detail; so great, in fact, that it takes 3 discs to hold everything on the Xbox 360 version.  That's because of all the options as well.  Thanks to the blueray discs used by Sony, the Playstation 3 copy uses only one disc.  The world is free roam, similar to the Grand Theft Auto franchise (it is made by the same people, after all) so you can drive around Hollywood and stop street crimes as they occur, and discover landmark locations as well.  The action in the game is fun as well; shoot outs with criminals, foot chases and car chases....not to mention fist fights.  The characters in the game are interesting as well, varying in personalities.  With each promotion, you get a new partner, including new experiences as a result.

The details don't just stop at the freedom of travel.  The whole investigation scenes are excellent.  You search the crime scene (and other key locations) for clues, which you can later use as a tool when interrogating suspects and witnesses.  The great thing about interviewing people is the use of a new experience in gaming.  The technology they used incorporates actual facial expressions from actors, which not only makes for interesting gameplay, but makes for incredible experiences when interrogating (such as frequent blinks, shifty eyes, a smug look); each expression you have to try and read is different for each character's personality.  For an example of the interrogating experience, click here. ALERT! Spoiler, but taken from early in the game.

All in all, I suggest trying this game out; even if on the Xbox 360.  I know some of you may think that 3 discs would be annoying, but it doesn't really disrupt gameplay, as you don't have to switch back and forth between discs. At least rent it! Hey, I'm not jivin', see?

Bioshock: Infinite

'Ello, 'ello!  What's all this then? This, my friends, is the new Bioshock game planned to launch in 2012.  Quite a wait! Why would they release a trailer already? Well, little kiddies, they claim it's going to be a big game!  I, for one, can't wait already.  Bioshock is such a well-done game franchise that I'm sure this one won't be a let-down.  There are some differences to the original games however; some of which are evident in the trailer I posted above.  If you haven't yet watched it, I'll recap everything; so no fear!  Plus there are some that aren't shown in the trailer, so you might as well read on!

The first (and most obvious difference) is that you are no longer in an underwater Utopia anymore; rather, you're in a city in the sky! Yes, that's right.  But, this isn't the vision of a single man like Andrew Ryan.  Oh no, not at all. Instead it's the American government who made this (which is still set in the 1900's).  It was actually made as a weapon, however! (How it's a weapon is yet to be revealed).

The woman you need to find, Elizabeth

The idea here is that you are a security agent sent to find a woman in this city (which is called Columbia, by the way); now, the location of Columbia is said to be unknown, but this mysterious man who sends you on this mission knows where the location is.  So, you go up there.  And everything is just as normal as the previous Bioshock titles.  And if you've played them, you know that "normal" means that everyone is a psychopath and wants to kill you.  Now, the new game allows for much more to do than the previous titles; you might be fighting someone from a mile and a half away, or fighting 15 people at once; there are skyrails you can use to travel around the city.  There are still plasmids (thank heavens) and you can use them in conjunction with someone for devastating attacks.

This someone is the person you've been sent to find: Elizabeth.  She has plasmid powers too, and you can use them with your own to make a powerful attack (for example, she sends a storm cloud above your enemies, and you use your electrobolt...water conducts electricity!) or you can ignore that and use your own, traditional Bioshock style.  It's up to you, really.  It's important to note, however, that this woman will not always be able to save you if you need it; the designers wanted to show that she's a normal person who is caught in this trouble just like you, and isn't a super hero.

The designers also claimed that finding her wouldn't be the hard part, nor helping her get out of her captivity; rather, it would be escaping the city which would be the hard part.  Just like Rapture all over again!  At least you aren't alone this time...

If you want to take a peek at the gameplay trailer, then by all means, click here!  Just be sure to change it to high definition.  I can't wait!  And remember folks, that if you ever find a city that is not traditionally made, make sure to have a wrench handy.

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Greetings fellow nerds!  I decided to voice my thoughts of the upcoming Zelda title: "Skyward Sword".  Now, I know this isn't a review, but I absolutely <3 the Zelda series and I felt like doing an article about one! So THERE!

Now, I've been waiting for a new Wii Zelda title for a while; the last one was Twilight Princess, and I was absolutely impressed with that title.  It left me quite happy with the way it was made, even if the wolf gameplay felt tedious.  But that's not what I'm going to talk about today.  Now, from what I gathered about the new game, it seems like it has potential; they even have the cool adult Link from Twilight Princess! But, what I'm not really a fan of, is cell-shading.  And wouldn't you know it! They made another cell-shaded Zelda title.  >=( Now, just because it's cell shaded, doesn't mean it won't be good.  Windwaker sure wasn't my favourite Zelda title; in fact, it may be one of my least. But I still had fun playing it (despite the long, tedious job of finding all the Triforce pieces in the sea...ugh).  Now, I have a hope that it will be good too.  Although my excitement has waned from when I first heard they were making a new Zelda title.  Especially with the teaser picture they released; it looked like the same style as Twilight Princess!  But, like I said, it has potential.

"Enough with the graphics already!" I'm sure you're saying; well, alright! Calm down! Let's get to the gameplay!  The game is going to follow the movements of your Wii remote, using the new Nintendo product the Wii Motionplus.  This is said to take the precision and accuracy of the Wii remote to whole new level.  But really, Nintendo, isn't this something that should have been done from the start? I mean, isn't your console BASED on following movements? And you're only NOW making it precise?

This though is new; Link will swing his sword the same way and direction that you do.  This could be good, and it could be bad.  Good because it could offer a whole lot of fun for people, to feel like they're actually fighting off those nasty goblins and skelefos and Skulltulas.  But some people may like the traditional style better.  I, for one, preferred to play Twilight Princess on the Gamecube, because it felt more...comfortable, shall we say?...than having to swing the Wii remote.  But, of course this is all just speculation.  It may completely blow everyone's mind away!  All we can do is wait! And wait we shall.  I never thought I'd say this, but "holiday season! Hurry up and get here!"

If you're interested in taking a look at the trailer because you have yet to see it, or maybe you love it and want to watch it again, you can do so at Machinima's channel here.  May the Force be with you!

Halo 3: ODST

Why hello thar! I trust that you are well, whoever you are! I decided that I shall write about the Halo title, ODST.  Now, I know you MUST be wondering... "Why ODST? Reach is out, who cares anymore?" Well, if you must know, I decided to do ODST because the cost of it has gone down, and a few of you may wonder if it is worth a purchase.  Here's my opinion, if it counts for anything!  I'll let you chums decide on your own, k?

Halo 3: ODST is different than usual.  As opposed to traditionally being a Spartan (Master Chief himself, to be precise) you are an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper).  Now, you must already be thinking "Why?!" and to be honest, I did too.  Hell, I still do!  ODST had so much hype, and yet it fell short of it.  The campaign mode was interesting, allowing you to play different troopers and see what happened to them and their perspectives.  But the multiplayer was virtually non-existant.  The only ODST multiplayer mode itself was Firefight, and even then you could only play with people on your friends list.  And on top of that, only one guest per Xbox!  So even if you had three other buddies over, only two you could play.  Lame!  The matchmaking that came with it was for Halo 3.  This seems rather lazy; but at least it came with all the map packs.

Let's go back to the fact of you being an ODST instead of a Spartan.  This bothers me, because in all the games you play, you're always some super-skilled agent or marine or whatever, who is able to kill multitudes of enemies by yourself, when you're just an ordinary person!  Which is what happens in ODST!  What I like about Halo is that Spartans are super-humans: genetically enhanced humans who are faster, stronger, and trained since childhood about combat.  Which explains why they're so much better than normal marines.  In ODST, you kick Covie ass when they're just normal marines! Sure, they've been trained a lot, but..come on. No one person, no matter how much they've been trained in adulthood, can openly take on a whole army.

However, Firefight (despite it's lack of matchmaking) is fun, as is the campaign; and the Halo 3 package is a good deal.  I would suggest you rent it first before buying, unless you're a hardcore Halo fan (like me), since Firefight is in Reach and so is matchmaking. Or just buy Halo 3.  Or nothing at all!

Anyways, that's the end of this! Hope you found it useful, or fun, or fantastic....hell, as long as you don't hate it!  I'll do non Halo reviews soon too, so stay tuned....same Bat Time, same Bat Chanel!   May the Force be with you!

Halo: Reach

Greetings and Salutations! Welcome to my first blog post; I hope that this post will be up to snuff, and everyone will be like "zomg wat a gud p0st!11!!1!" But let's be realistic... I'm sure not many people will ever lay eyes upon my opinions here.  This will probably be a long one, so for any of you who don't have the patience or time, abort! ABORT NOW! For those who care enough to read the whole blog...<3 for you all!  Anywho, let's get to the point!

Halo: Reach... where to begin?  To be honest, I was excited about this game, but also cautious.  Last Halo title released was ODST, and well... it fell kind of short of all the hype that Bungie made for it.  But that's for another day, mon amis!  For now, let's start with what many people I'm sure will consider to be the most important aspect: Matchmaking!
There are several changes to the online multiplayer that the Halo franchise has never before experienced.  The one I shall start with; how to level up.  This Halo title has "borrowed" from Call of Duty series in this aspect; you get experience not based on wins, but from how well you do in a game!  This experience you obtain is then translated into coinage, which you can then use to purchase armor changes, to more appeal to your taste.  This may take away from the competitive aspect I felt was in the previous Halo titles, where there is a ranked playlist for serious players, and a social playlist for easy-going players.  This does not take away from the fun, however.  Another new change to the Halo franchise is that instead of one level and game mode being displayed (with the option to veto once, and being stuck with what's next), instead players are presented with three different levels/game mode mixes, and are given a chance to vote for the best one.  Now, if say, all options seem to sap your will to play, there is an option to select "none of the above", and three new options will be presented (the "none of the above" option will be gone after this, however).
Another feature changed in this new title is Equipment.  The developers took out the equipment aspect which was added in Halo 3, and instead put in classes (reminiscent of Star Wars: Battlefront).  I personally feel this adds a new element, and is a fun twist to game series.  I'm sure that this will take some getting used to for some players, though!  On top of this, there are some redone levels from previous Halo titles, which I'm sure will appeal to some fans (One such example is "Hemorrhage", a redone level from Halo 1, "Blood Gulch").

The game took a good aspect from ODST: Firefight.  Only this time, they improved it!  You can now matchmake a Firefight game, instead of ONLY being able to play with friends.  This I felt was a definite plus; sometimes it's hard to find three other people online who are all playing the same game and want to play the same mode together at once! (On a side note: there isn't a flashlight anymore.  Rather, there is night vision, which is rather reminiscent of the HUD Visor in Halo 3: ODST)

The campaign is quite splendid!  I must say, I felt much more confident charging into battle with some Spartans to back me up instead of those lousy marines you'd get in previous Halo titles.  You know what I'm talking about....those "friends" of yours who would walk in the way of you shooting, get killed, and make the rest of them gang up on you calling you a "traitor".  Then you'd have to kill all those bastards, and waste your time.... oh, look at me rant.  Let's get back to the original thing here. SP4RT4ANS!  The great thing about being a new addition to the squad, is that for the first time in campaign mode, your character shows up in both cinematic and gameplay views, as the customized armor you made.  It's a small matter, to be sure, but it's a nifty feature nonetheless!  The campaign levels were all fairly fun, and a new little aspect was added which I found particularly interesting: civilians!  There were interactions with civilians in this game, from questioning farmers in the first level, to evacuating them in later levels.  Granted, the interactions were scripted and were not really engaging, but I found this new little aspect interesting!  Also, you get an actual look at Dr. Halsey (for those not-so extreme Halo fans, Dr. Halsey is the creator of the Spartan Project).  This was a surprise, and a pleasant one at that! (Seeing as how I am a huge nerd and find such things interesting.)

Anywho, I believe that just about sums it up... If I left out anything, I apologize!  Feel free to leave a comment, and follow me cuz you know you love me! =D May the Force be with you!