At first I was sad as you are to see them go, I watched Halo: Legends, hated it with all my heart, then the trailer for Halo 4 and I completely hated it at first, then I started seeing information about the game here and there and I got hyped. I rented the game and I actually liked it a lot, so I bought it. But here's the deal, Halo 4 is a good game, and I believe 343 are doing Halo with passion and they actually care for the Universe, but Bungie had a special touch which this game lacks now, it's there in the trailers the cutscenes, it was all so theatrical and the music and scenes fitted so well! And the artistic design for the structures and characters, i loved it! I usually compare them both with a commercial movie (343) and a more epic but still so artistic movie like for example: LOTR (Bungie). That's the feel i get from them. Also I just prefered Halo's story before, I didn't like the background story they gave to the Forerunners or the fact that we are fighting with them now, or the whole Ancient-humans thing, and here I'm a little confused with myself because I think it's actually a pretty good story, but being part of Halo... not so much, but that's just my opinion. But on the other hand i don't get why Bungie chose to ingore their original story with Reach, to contradict so much and make in comparision of the book's original story such a bad one. It's the only Halo game that I get the feel like it was forced, like they didn't want to make it, but it may be just my imagination. [i]And in [u]conclusion[/u]:[/i] In what respects to Bungie [b]Halo IS their baby[/b], I'm sure they loved it and they worked in it with all their hearts. But it was in the contract, it was out of their hands and I'm sure Bungie would have kept it if they could. I'm sure if they were to continue it they would have waited some time, explore new universes and then launch a Halo game or two, then explore a new universe again... But Microsoft is always hungry for money and they wanted it right away. That's what I would have wanted for Halo, but that's just opinion and it is way too "utopian". I just wish things could happen as best as possible more often. I'm pretty much hyped for Destiny and hope it turns out to be another great story and at the same time hyped for the next Halo games and books to see how the story continues. And there my friends, is my wall of text. [Edited on 12.17.2012 2:07 AM PST]