Too bad they're monsterizing the Elites a little too much.

I think that has both positive and negative effects to it. On one hand, these are [i]aliens[/i] with a distinct warrior culture that has been the major focus of their society for thousands of years and I think their 'monsterisation' (so to speak) works well in giving players a distinct image of the Elites because I felt like they were too humanised in Halo 3. On the other hand, there is a line to be drawn and I think that at some points we're seeing too much of the Elites being either ridiculously stupid or just plain ineffective.

Yeah. Having them speak Sangheili is good. Their new appearance is good too. But they are supposed to be a noble warrior race. So them doing things like trying to detonate a Havoc Nuke on Earth isn't Noble, and actually more reminiscent of Al Quada (spelling?). Which even though it does contradict their mantra, is quite interesting that some might be more religiously fervent than their honor. Their lack of Swordsmanship in Spartan Ops cutscenes is upsetting too because they swing their swords around clumsily. If you've seen a samurai swing a katana, you can tell they are experts in their art. The prologue is a bit of a problem too. While it's an awesome representation of the Covenant War, isn't entirely accurate in their killings of civilians. They say they won't kill an enemy untrained in combat. That's why in Reach, you fight Brutes in New Alexandria. But that might be moot since the official word is that we're all heretics.

I'd love it if 343 had a Covenant 'bible' written and released, detailing the history and beliefs of the Covenant along with an actual Sangheili language. That'd be incredible! I'm a bit iffy when it comes to the battle in the Prologue scene because I personally see it as a symbolic representation of the war for new players rather than a depiction of actual events. But I agree that the Sangheili have definitely seen a recession in the 'noble warrior' department which I hope will be brought back when we see Thel again (properly, not just sitting about in his Keep).