: As I understand it, the Halo 4 "competitive" playlist(s) has set
: loadouts, all with no AA and the same tactical package. When a player gets
: enough points for an Ordnance, the only options are three set armor
: abilities. Those AAs only last until the player dies.

Still has sprint. And shitty maps.

: Is that still too much variance? And how does that compare with Call of Duty,
: with killstreaks and dozens of weapon choices?

Call of Duty is a purely casual experience. It has zero competitive merit. The only people playing it are people who are bad at video games. When they play a real game, they do terrible and they feel bad. CoD's mindless easy kills make them feel good, so they keep playing it.

Halo takes skill. At least, it used to. Microsoft wanted more money, so they tried to appeal to the larger audience of less skillful players (people who play CoD). They injected CoD crap into Halo 4 and were surprised when Halo players didn't like it.