: Halo 3
: Sept 25th, 2007 - Feb 2nd, 2010

: Halo Reach
: Sept 14th, 2010 - Nov 15th 2011

: Halo 4
: Nov 6, 2012 - August 20, 2013

: The earlier games stretched DLC out for years. In Halo 4, we have all the DLC
: before the game's first anniversary! (Personally, I feel this was actually
: planned by the greater Microsoft peeps to help move users to the Xbox One
: away from games on the 360.)

It also helps that the other games had (for the most part) great DLC. Definitely not all of it, but plenty. It's pretty well known that many people (around here, GAF, and Waypoint itself) find the majority of the DLC maps for H4 absolutely terrible.

: I think it's obvious that there's not as many players playing Halo 4 as
: previous Halo titles, but I think your well-known opinion of the game is
: helping you ignore other outside influences on sustained video game
: players. As compared to even as short of a time ago as Halo 3, you have a
: proliferation of on-demand everything, smart phones, tablets and
: Movies/TV/Netflix on video game consoles.

Which is wonderful except when you view many of the other games on that chart that seem to defy what you're implying, up to and including Reach which only just got bumped.

: Plain and simple, by the numbers that matter to Microsoft ($$$), Halo 4 was
: successful. That's a good thing. It's just a GREAT thing that 343I seems
: to acknowledge the shortcomings of their still really good, first ever
: video game as a company. Halo 4 may not measure up to the "Avateur
: Scale of Success™", but I and many others enjoyed Halo 4. I'd say a
: lot also seem encouraged that Halo 5 will be an even better game than it's
: predecessor, and that's exciting.

One can only hope. Also, the numbers don't lie. It's not just my scale. Millions enjoy(ed) H4, and I'd be willing to bet that millions more don't and didn't. I also doubt H5 will have the sales that H4 did after how H4 actually played, but if H5 rocks, well then I sure as hell hope it sells, and it'd really deserve to.