: Reach was were the distinctions between ranks became too blurred.

It wasn't until a month of playing the game that I realized there was a difference between the red-armored Zealots and the red-armored Majors. And it took another few months before I spotted that Officer sub-rank.

And then there's the red Field Marshal. Honestly, that was just a bad move in general.

: Halo 4 went zbrush or mud box mad and their armor looked like they had make
: it out of paper mache or half chewed wine gums.

I think a lot of 343i's art elements look good in isolation.

Wait, let me rephrase that.

To a certain kind of artist, and possibly a wide selection of gamers, the art elements in 343i's games look excellent when taken one at a time. The new Ranger armor might look impressive seen at full resolution on a light gray background (Or whatever Zbrush uses). Similarly, the sounds that the guns make probably sound good, played one at a time in whatever audio editor they use.

I can't help but think of an orchestra. An individual oboe or violin can sound absolutely bitchin' on their lonesome. But in an orchestra, they only have to sound good and do their part. Does that make sense?