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On November 6, America’s Presidential election will be decided. But while one campaign mode comes to an end, another one will be fired up on Xbox 360 consoles across the globe.

Halo 4 is the eagerly awaited first-person shooter from Microsoft and 343 Industries.

The latter have taken on the unenviable task of trying to match the epic Halo titles of years gone by, developed by the creative minds at Bungie.

So far, from what we’ve seen in the multiplayer, it seems 343 are indeed on course to succeed.

But what about the single player?

I was invited to play through the first couple of missions to see if Halo still shines brightly.

First impressions? It looks like a Halo game, shoots like one and sounds like one...yet there is something strangely enveloping about Halo 4. Something I’ve not felt with the others.

Set around four years after the events in Halo 3, Master Chief is woken from the long sleep by his very slender A.I. companion, Cortana.

After a quick round-up, you’re soon racing down familiar, dark and metallic corridors of a ship called Forward Unto Dawn. It’s not long until you run into some Grunts and Elites, which raises questions as to why the pesky Covenant are still lurking around. And even the kamikaze Grunts seem a bit more radical than before (if that was possible).

So far, so familiar.

That is until you’re faced with some quick time action (which feels strange for a Halo game). To avoid falling debris, you have to guide Master Chief left and right as he scales the ship, which by now is coming apart all around you. There’s also a bit of button-mashing required to open some doors.

It’s only when you start the second checkpoint, called Forerunner, that you realise Halo 4 really does differ from its predecessors. You’re now on a Forerunner planet and greeted by some new bad guys, the Prometheans.

I was immediately struck by how much more detailed the landscape is here and the vastly-improved graphics are a well-received improvement for the Halo franchise. Those in the past have always felt underwhelming - that’s not the case here.

So, the new baddies. First thing to note is they are much harder to dispatch than the Covenant crew. Knights are tricky foes who teleport across the battlefield and use their shields to timely effect. Then there are the Crawlers, robotic dog-like creatures which scamper up walls and attack you from all sides.

All these are protected by Watcher Forerunners, flying drones which hover over their comrades and heal them if hit (they’ll also take pot-shots at you, so be careful).

After sizing up all these bad guys, you soon learn that strategy is vital in Halo 4 combat (first take the Watchers out first with pin-point shots, lob grenades at the peskie Crawlers and finally unload clip after clip into the now exposed Knights).

Which brings us to some fancy new weapons too. The Suppressor works like your Assault Rifle with rapid-fire qualities while the Scattershot is a shotgun with bullets that bounce randomly off surfaces. My favourite was the Boltshot. As well as powerful and short burst, it also allows you to fire charged shots - sitting beautifully with Halo armory gone by.

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In all, there was a creepy, Dead Space type of feel to this Halo title. But with sharper visuals and more responsive combat, this only added to the overall entertainment it delivers. Throw in a resonating and impressive musical score and Halo 4 is charging itself up to be an immersive shooter of the highest standards.

So, will it be much of the same on November 6? Well, it may be for those queuing at the polling stations. But those in line for Halo 4 will no doubt see “change” has indeed come to Halo - it certainly gets my vote.