Well it has finally happened, Microsoft Studios and 343 Industries have finished the next phase of the Halo saga.  Halo 4 has been a long time coming and many fans of the Halo universe have been waiting to see how this next chapter in the storied franchise would pan out.

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.

Halo isn't allowed to die just because Bungie and Microsoft parted ways. It's too big, too popular, and too vital to the Xbox brand to simply fade into obscurity. And so 343 Industries was assembled, and handed the keys to one of the most popular gaming franchises of all time.

Playing through the thrilling campaign; Keeping up with Spartan Ops; Losing a few hundred hours in multiplayer

How quickly it's over; That Spartan Ops isn't hard enough; That some gameplay elements haven't evolved

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.

The Halo series begins a new chapter. Find out how the initial offering holds up in our full review.

+ Multiplayer is still king; + Spartan Ops; + Visuals are amazing; + Fantastic sound design; + Well paced

Campaign ends too soon; Odd narrative choices

Even with its challenging gameplay, spectacular atmosphere, awesome moments in the narrative, great music and voiceovers, Halo 4 doesn't make that bold step everyone's been hoping for.

The Covenant and the Prometheans are relentless foes; spectacular action scenes; storyline is finally beginning to take some shape with compelling characters set in a premise we've been following for over 10 years; first-class voiceovers; Neil Davidge's new soundtrack is a great addition to the...

Single-player's a bit on the short side; all these years have passed and we're still fighting the same foes

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

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

Master Chief bursts back onto the scene in an offering that makes a few key changes, injecting the story with much-needed pathos, and tweaking the gameplay in exciting and challenging ways. Halo 4 is a familiar game, in ways both welcome and otherwise.

A genuine attempt at giving a Halo story some emotional maturity; Spectacular visuals; A sensational Neil Davidge score; Tweaks to game design encourages more dynamic, cerebral gameplay.

Cornball dialogue and wide-eyed emoting oversells things; Disappointingly formulaic, anticlimactic narrative; Too many story threads are left without development.