343 Industries’ newest installment to the Halo series, “Halo 4,” is simply brilliant.

Let’s begin from the first and most exciting interaction a person has with the game, opening the case. The first thing you notice is that there are two discs.

The first disc is the campaign, while the second disc is an 8GB download required to unlock the extensive multiplayer features.

As your eyes begin to wander, scowering the box for other treats to feast your eyes upon before playing the game, you notice that one vital thing is missing, the instructional booklet.

This is the first Halo game to come without a booklet, which many fans love to read and collect. Despite this minor annoyance, “Halo 4” makes up for it with stunning visuals and dynamic game play that will keep you hooked for hours.

After crash landing on the ancient Forerunner planet, Requiem, the Master Chief embarks on an epic adventure to learn more about his new enemies, The Prometheans, and to save his beloved A.I. Cortana from rampancy, a disorder in which an A.I.’s circuitry begins to break down.

These new enemies attack in packs and swarm like a pack of wild dogs, posing a new fighting style for Master Chief.

The details in the environment and weapons are rich. From dark eerie corridors to lush forests, the light and texture are well balanced.

Each weapon has been redesigned, showing greater details, along with awseome new weapons like the UNSC Sticky Detonator and SAW automatic rifle, and wide array of Promethean weapons including the Scattershot and Incineration Cannon.

“Halo 4” is a much more open ended game than its predescessors, where the player posses more freedom. You can take a stealthier approach or go out guns blazing.

Single player is just the tip of the ice berg for this game. Spartan Ops, a series of free downloadable episodes complete with cut scenes, provides an extension to the story in the form of short missions.

Along with Spartan Ops is War Games, the newley revamped online multi-player. To add on to the extensive and detailed levels, customizable load-outs are also available, giving the player more freedom to choose their weapons and upgrades.

All in all, 343 Industries’ “Halo 4” delivers great non-stop action, stunning visuals, and a gripping story that puts the Halo series back on top.

This game is a must for any Xbox 360 owner.