Halo 4 ‘s announcement at E3 2011 heralded mixed emotions. On one hand it would be great to see Master Chief in action again, but on the other hand newcomers – 343 Industries – would be developing it, no longer Bungie who had created the franchise and came to know its strengths and weaknesses.

Astounding sound design

- Spartan Ops provides no challenge or scoring system

Since Halo's very beginning it has seen many twists and turns, whether it is the epic events in the solo campaign story boards that invest you, or the chaotic action in co-op that keeps you coming back for more and more – the Halo series have been at the forefront of the FPS genre since it's...

Cinematic solo campaign; Stunning graphics.

Predictive maps; Unfulfilling conclusion

One of the best multiplayer shooters on 360 but Reach has the better Firefight and Halo 3 has the better campaign.

Superb multiplayer; New guns feel better than ever; Looks incredible

Too linear for a Halo game; Scale sacrificed for visuals

After a four-year hiatus, Microsoft's flagship series returns to our screens with Halo 4 , the first entry to a new Halo trilogy, this time developed by newcomers 343 Industries.

Focused; balanced multiplayer; Sumptuous visuals; Master Chief's improved 'feel

Level editor can be difficult to get into; Story takes a while to gather momentum; Dearth of secrets

At what point does a videogame become more than just a game? When did Star Wars make that leap from cinematic blockbuster to world-conqueroring franchise across a plethora of media formats? This is a question that has been puzzling me ever since I was asked to play Halo 4 and write this review.

Spartan warrior Master Chief awakens from cyrosleep four years on from the previous game, instantly finding himself having to shoot his way out of a blasted ship before crashing onto an alien world.

Note: This review contains no spoilers. War Games and Spartan Ops modes require a 3.5GB installation from disc 2. A minimum 8GB flash drive or hard drive is required for multiplayer experiences.

Halo 4 turned out to be a massive surprise for us. We knew that the launch of another Halo game was imminent and we also anticipated that Master Chief would have to make a return. However, with 343 Industries now taking the lead, we were slightly sceptical.

Halo 4 may play it a little too safe at time, but there's plenty in here to keep the series feeling fresh, including the innovative multiplayer experiment of Spartan Ops and a nice line in power-ups.

"Halo 4 brings a new experience to the Halo franchise. Not only is it the first game not developed by Bungie it is also the first Halo game to change the graphics and start from scratch.

Revamped maps from the first Halo games on multiplayer; new enemies in the campaign

Length of campaign; level of hardness; spartan ops are not original; no firefight