[I]"A replacement ring, for the one you destroyed..."
"Did you know?"
"I had hopes. What will you do?"
"Light it."[/I]
[sp]The thing with Bungie's Halo games was that they had almost a Biblical feel to them. 343 just focuses on the pew pew shooty time, the story has no soul.[/sp]
[QUOTE=DuCT;49881927]Anyone care to explain the Halo story post-3?[/QUOTE]
An ancient evil has awoken.
Basically this meme incarnate.
[img]http://media.tumblr.com/888bbc67c7dcef66dd9678218880c4c9/tumblr_inline_mf94v3jVtU1rwk2ru.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=DuCT;49881927]Anyone care to explain the Halo story post-3?[/QUOTE]
Here's my salty abridged version:
[B]Halo 4:[/B]
Cortana wakes John up 4 years later and he magically has a completely redesigned suit with no explanation. They end up on a Forerunner planet thing and Cortana is going rampant so they need to get off. Then this big bad orb starts zooming around and shoots down the UNSC Infinity which is the biggest bestest ship of all time. Chief finds the Orb and it has Promethean Disney Badguy in it who turns all the enemies even badder. He also has a super evil ray that can disintegrate people.
A Promethean Librarian who are 343's new mysterious old race who are even older and more mysterious than the forerunners tells Chief that he's space jesus. Chief then fights Disney Bad Guy and wins by hitting X to Plant Grenade. Cortana turns into a bridge and saves chief and dies.
[B]Halo 5:[/B]
[sp]Chief finds his badass Blue Team friends and they go off and do some missions while Osiris Bigger Better Power Ranger Team does some gun gymnastics against some covenant who are still around and in power for some reason. Chief then trips balls and gets a vision from Cortana telling him where she is. Chief and his superfriends go rogue for like 6 hours to find Cortana. This makes ONI mad so they send Super Better Power Ranger Osiris team after them. Osiris chase Chief for literally 1 mission before he dumpsters them and tells them to fuck off. Feeling chiefs utter dominance, Black Guy Osiris Leader Locke submits to chiefs will and decides to be super friends with him and go help him on his quest.
Chief then finds Cortana and Bad Boss Guy attacks them to defend cortana from them for no reason. Chief kills Bad Boss Guy. Cortana goes "i'm evil now" and Chief goes "ok". Osiris catches up with Chief and Chief tells osiris that cortana is evil and they go "ok". The same boss then attacks them 7 more times (this isn't a joke) and they catch up with cortana and stop her from unleashing the evil guardians who are more evil and more badder than the halos because they guard everything and will make all the AI even more better and in control. The game ends with Cortana searching for the infinity to murder everyone and taking control of a Halo ring because "ooooooooOOOOOOOOOOooo". The end. Preorder Halo 6 now. [/sp]
[QUOTE=ShadowSocks8;49881998]Here's my salty abridged version:
[B]Halo 4:[/B]
Cortana wakes John up 4 years later and he magically has a completely redesigned suit with no explanation. They end up on a Forerunner planet thing and Cortana is going rampant so they need to get off. Then this big bad orb starts zooming around and shoots down the UNSC Infinity which is the biggest bestest ship of all time. Chief finds the Orb and it has Promethean Disney Badguy in it who turns all the enemies even badder. He also has a super evil ray that can disintegrate people.
A Promethean Librarian who are 343's new mysterious old race who are even older and more mysterious than the forerunners tells Chief that he's space jesus. Chief then fights Disney Bad Guy and wins by hitting X to Plant Grenade. Cortana turns into a bridge and saves chief and dies.
[/QUOTE]
You forgot to mention the part where [sp]Cortana turns into a bridge to help you press x to win[/sp].
As stated in the video, the main problem I have with the newer games is that they're trying too hard to please everyone. By doing so, they're pretty much pleasing no one.
Halo was never about overly produced cutscenes and scripted events taking control away from the player to intricately explain the details of its convoluted plot. Halo was never about being like other shooters that have features like ADS, loadouts, and sprinting. Halo was simply about being a space marine killing aliens with an enjoyable grandiose plot that doesn't overburden itself, and about basic, easy to pick up but extremely fun and satisfying multiplayer.
Most of all, the real issue with the newer games is that 343 Industries simply doesn't have as much of a drive and passion as Bungie had in its Halo days. Bungie was actually trying to make games they thought were fun instead of just making games to please Microsoft and sell more Xboxes. Bungie actually stayed in touch with the community around the original Halo games, while I've heard nothing but bad news regarding how 343 interacts with the current community.
Not everything 343 has done seems bad (I actually sort of like the newer art direction), but they've had nothing but a negative stigma around them because following up an act like Bungie is extremely difficult.
[QUOTE=Source;49880582]Thats because its pretty much made up of the people who used to make Fanfictions of 1 2 and 3, that cringeworthy stuff you find lying around on DA and stuff.[/QUOTE]
You're also forgetting that they outsource the armour to be designed and model by studios that have no idea what they're doing. Just look at Noble 6's armour in Halo 5 or MK V Alpha.
I never really understood why 343i decided to make more Master Chief games when they could have done much more original stuff.
[QUOTE=RikohZX;49881586]You can have the voice actors, the lore, the worlds. You can have the assets, the gameplay at its core, and some of the same general gameplay. Even return to classic musical motifs, and appeal to the fans.
But without the drive and soul that made Halo what it was, combined with doing nothing in its own unique spirit to differentiate it from the rest of the market as well as being doomed by Microsoft to a console that just isn't as popular this generation, it just isn't really worth the effort or money to go out of my way anymore.
And anyone from the Halo general thread would be able to make paragraph-long rants about all the ways 343 fucked the series up, but for me, it was that shortly after 343 took over, they suddenly explained the mysterious Forerunners in-depth and added a bunch of pointless backstory into the canon involving the origin of the Flood, prehistoric humans, and so forth. And you were expected to know some of this for Halo 4 because, above all else, [i]it's vital backstory for the main antagonist.[/i] It only got more ridiculous from there.[/QUOTE]
They actually defend 343i
[QUOTE=DuCT;49881927]Anyone care to explain the Halo story post-3?[/QUOTE]
[sp]MC and Cortana crash on a forerunner world, Cortana starts going crazy, The best ship in the universe made by Humans crashes on it's first voyage, an ancient evil awakens, Master Chief gets super powers, Ancient evil kills scientist, Ancient Evil kills an Earth City while Master Chief reenacts the death star trench run, Cortana Turns into a bridge, Master Chief punches a nuke and Cortana turns into a bubble and dies because she didn't shield the hardlight emitters or it's power source so this ending makes no sense
That's Halo 4
Halo 5:
ONI man and friends kill the bad elite from Halo 4 and get Halsey back, Cortana is back only EVIL and Master Chief and friends go to get her back because Master Chief is getting vision, ONI man fights Chief while none of there friends help, RISE OF THE MACHINES happens and cute waifu ball stops cortana and now we wait for Halo 6[/sp]
It's all kinds retarded
I like the point he makes about 343 playing catch-up with modern shooters. Everything is moving more toward the fast-paced parkour mechanics and all that jazz. I've always thought Halo should move in the other direction, emphasize the weight and power of Master Chief and spartans in general. Halo 1 was awesome to me because I felt like a walking tank taking fire and punching people really fucking hard in the face. It wasn't about fast movement, it was about smart movement, you felt agile enough to jump around and stuff, but small touches like melee being really strong and being able to flip vehicles at the touch of a button helped remind the player you're a god of war.
I strongly believe a Halo game with movement or "feel" akin to Space Marine would be fucking awesome. Make Chief or other spartans literal walking tanks. Fuck cover, fuck flashy anime martial arts and shit, just a big heavy fast moving motherfucker who plows through walls and rips enemies apart with extreme brutality and efficiency. I am pulled out of the experience every time I see a spartan in modern Halo games jump on the back of an enemy to do some crazy execution. How the fuck could an Elite, even another spartan, just stand there without at least dropping to their knees or something from having a literal ton of metal suddenly landing on their back? Spartans just feel way too goddamn light. Let me shoulder charge through light walls and cover. Let me punch a motherfucker in his stupid face and send him flying straight through a wall. If they insist on having executions, make it violent shit like stomping in faces, wringing necks, and mega suplexes. Imagine how awesome it would be to see a spartan suplexing another spartan so hard the floor gives out beneath both of them.
Make spartans powerful = making players feel powerful = players have a good time. That's what a lot of people loved about the first Halos. Other games had protagonists that were one man armies out of what seemed like luck. Take Half-Life for example, you have the HEV suit but you're also just a scientist, you're able to take out an army of bad guys because of video game magic. Even in the Call-of-Duty games, you're just a normal soldier who is naturally lucky and tends to be the only guy who doesn't die. But in Halo, you being a murderking deathboss makes sense, you can obliterate an entire army of baddies without being removed from the game in a, "Wait a sec, that could never happen IRL," moment.
The first Halos defined me as a gamer, they'll always have a special place in my heart. I hope with all of it that the franchise can return to a position of glory someday.
[QUOTE=ShadowSocks8;49881948][I]"A replacement ring, for the one you destroyed..."
"Did you know?"
"I had hopes. What will you do?"
"Light it."[/I]
[sp]The thing with Bungie's Halo games was that they had almost a Biblical feel to them. 343 just focuses on the pew pew shooty time, the story has no soul.[/sp][/QUOTE]
If only 343 would get Joseph Staten back to the series.
[QUOTE=SpartanXC9;49882056]You're also forgetting that they outsource the armour to be designed and model by studios that have no idea what they're doing. Just look at Noble 6's armour in Halo 5 or MK V Alpha.
I never really understood why 343i decided to make more Master Chief games when they could have done much more original stuff.
They actually defend 343i[/QUOTE]
Probably because Master Chief is pretty much the mascot of the series, and to be fair, the story for Halo 3 was ended in such a way that he could come back.
Besides, what sounds more enticing for your average Halo fan? A game about some random jobbers killing aliens, or a game about Master Chief killing aliens? Which one of these scenarios do you think would sell more Xbones?
Not saying that you can't make a good Halo game about some other people (look at Reach, it's pretty damn good), but if you're MS, and you want to sell Xbones to a market that is constantly doubting the validity of your platform, then you want to go with a concept that at least guarantees that some people will take notice. A Halo game without Master Chief just isn't such a concept.
[QUOTE=MaverickIB;49882092]I like the point he makes about 343 playing catch-up with modern shooters. Everything is moving more toward the fast-paced parkour mechanics and all that jazz. I've always thought Halo should move in the other direction, emphasize the weight and power of Master Chief and spartans in general. Halo 1 was awesome to me because I felt like a walking tank taking fire and punching people really fucking hard in the face. It wasn't about fast movement, it was about smart movement, you felt agile enough to jump around and stuff, but small touches like melee being really strong and being able to flip vehicles at the touch of a button helped remind the player you're a god of war.
I strongly believe a Halo game with movement or "feel" akin to Space Marine would be fucking awesome. Make Chief or other spartans literal walking tanks. Fuck cover, fuck flashy anime martial arts and shit, just a big heavy fast moving motherfucker who plows through walls and rips enemies apart with extreme brutality and efficiency. I am pulled out of the experience every time I see a spartan in modern Halo games jump on the back of an enemy to do some crazy execution. How the fuck could an Elite, even another spartan, just stand there without at least dropping to their knees or something from having a literal ton of metal suddenly landing on their back? Spartans just feel way too goddamn light. Let me shoulder charge through light walls and cover. Let me punch a motherfucker in his stupid face and send him flying straight through a wall. If they insist on having executions, make it violent shit like stomping in faces, wringing necks, and mega suplexes. Imagine how awesome it would be to see a spartan suplexing another spartan so hard the floor gives out beneath both of them.
Make spartans powerful = making players feel powerful = players have a good time. That's what a lot of people loved about the first Halos. Other games had protagonists that were one man armies out of what seemed like luck. Take Half-Life for example, you have the HEV suit but you're also just a scientist, you're able to take out an army of bad guys because of video game magic. Even in the Call-of-Duty games, you're just a normal soldier who is naturally lucky and tends to be the only guy who doesn't die. But in Halo, you being a murderking deathboss makes sense, you can obliterate an entire army of baddies without being removed from the game in a, "Wait a sec, that could never happen IRL," moment.
The first Halos defined me as a gamer, they'll always have a special place in my heart. I hope with all of it that the franchise can return to a position of glory someday.[/QUOTE]
Not that I disagree with this post all but aren't Spartan's in the lore supposed to be REALLY fucking fast and have insane reflexes?
[QUOTE=FingerSpazem;49882122]Not that I disagree with this post all but aren't Spartan's in the lore supposed to be REALLY fucking fast and have insane reflexes?[/QUOTE]
I'd be okay with it if it was less Space Marine more "dude in 1 ton of armor but moves like its not there and just goes hamshit on people"
Why the fuck did 343 retcon the whole Forerunner-Human relationship to us living millions of years ago and making the Flood by turning our Space-Poodles into monsters by sprinkling powder we found in pods in space on the dogs because reasons.
Also we were bros with the Prophets in the past and then we all got de-evolved. What absolute trash writing
[QUOTE=Rahu X;49882111]Probably because Master Chief is pretty much the mascot of the series, and to be fair, the story for Halo 3 was ended in such a way that he could come back.
Besides, what sounds more enticing for your average Halo fan? A game about some random jobbers killing aliens, or a game about Master Chief killing aliens? Which one of these scenarios do you think would sell more Xbones?
Not saying that you can't make a good Halo game about some other people (look at Reach, it's pretty damn good), but if you're MS, and you want to sell Xbones to a market that is constantly doubting the validity of your platform, then you want to go with a concept that at least guarantees that some people will take notice. A Halo game without Master Chief just isn't such a concept.[/QUOTE]
I get what you're saying but they should have waited to go right into a Master Chief story. They should have started with a spin-off to see how fans like their Halo and to correct things fans saw as bad.
[QUOTE=FingerSpazem;49882122]Not that I disagree with this post all but aren't Spartan's in the lore supposed to be REALLY fucking fast and have insane reflexes?[/QUOTE]
They are. But it's possible to show both speed and weight at the same time. Space Marine is my favorite example, because even though the game itself was kind of dry and repetitive, it got the "feel" of Space Marines almost perfect. You can whip around during a fight fast as fuck, but the sound design and animations make you look like you weigh a few tons while doing it. Impacts are hard and violent, kicking someone in the chest lights their ass up and sends them flying, because something that weighs tons just hit them at like 60mph. That's a fuckton of energy transfer.
Spartans can be fast but you can show their weight through how they interact with the environment. Is a little thin obstacle like a railing or whatever really going to withstand the force of a spartan planting their palm on it as they parkour over? If you jump to climb up a ledge, have the edge of the metal container or whatver you grab on to give way like it can barely support you. Dirt and dust should fly up as you jump and sprint because of how much impact is occurring. Why would a spartan parkour over a railing or light obstacle when they could just plow through it and not lose any speed?
This is p. much what the fight between Locke and Chief should have looked like to me. A lot of breaking shit and hard ass hitting. Two heavy ass strong dudes trying to light each other up, not some pansy arm wrestling shit and, "I just fucked you up I'm gonna stop and let you recover for a bit tho," crap.
[video=youtube;Z3xM80wQvw8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3xM80wQvw8[/video]
[QUOTE=SpartanXC9;49882202]I get what you're saying but they should have waited to go right into a Master Chief story. They should have started with a spin-off to see how fans like their Halo and to correct things fans saw as bad.[/QUOTE]
I definitely agree. I would've preferred that too. Unfortunately, it's not really up to 343, it's mostly up to Microsoft.
[QUOTE=Zeos;49882163]Why the fuck did 343 retcon the whole Forerunner-Human relationship to us living millions of years ago and making the Flood by turning our Space-Poodles into monsters by sprinkling powder we found in pods in space on the dogs because reasons.
Also we were bros with the Prophets in the past and then we all got de-evolved. What absolute trash writing[/QUOTE]
Said powder being formed from the Precursors, creators of Forerunners and ancient Humanity alike who gave the 'Mantle of Responsibility' to humanity because they figured humans would be more adaptive and capable for it. So the Forerunners flipped their shit and stomped the Precursors who were not very war-like and didn't see it coming. So they literally ground themselves into a fine powder with intent on giving birth to a new race in due time.
Then shit happens, the powder grew corrupt and became the Flood. Also the Flood may not of been entirely evil but still fulfilling the Precursor mindset by trying to test humanity for the mantle. Even if they were still deadset on devouring them at the same time.
Yeah, it's that kind of lore clusterfuck.
I still remember when Killzone was thrown around as like the massive Playstation Halokiller.
I love the Killzone Franchise but even I cringed at it being made out to be a halokiller.
[QUOTE=MaverickIB;49882092]I like the point he makes about 343 playing catch-up with modern shooters. Everything is moving more toward the fast-paced parkour mechanics and all that jazz. I've always thought Halo should move in the other direction, emphasize the weight and power of Master Chief and spartans in general. Halo 1 was awesome to me because I felt like a walking tank taking fire and punching people really fucking hard in the face. It wasn't about fast movement, it was about smart movement, you felt agile enough to jump around and stuff, but small touches like melee being really strong and being able to flip vehicles at the touch of a button helped remind the player you're a god of war.
I strongly believe a Halo game with movement or "feel" akin to Space Marine would be fucking awesome. Make Chief or other spartans literal walking tanks. Fuck cover, fuck flashy anime martial arts and shit, just a big heavy fast moving motherfucker who plows through walls and rips enemies apart with extreme brutality and efficiency. I am pulled out of the experience every time I see a spartan in modern Halo games jump on the back of an enemy to do some crazy execution. How the fuck could an Elite, even another spartan, just stand there without at least dropping to their knees or something from having a literal ton of metal suddenly landing on their back? Spartans just feel way too goddamn light. Let me shoulder charge through light walls and cover. Let me punch a motherfucker in his stupid face and send him flying straight through a wall. If they insist on having executions, make it violent shit like stomping in faces, wringing necks, and mega suplexes. Imagine how awesome it would be to see a spartan suplexing another spartan so hard the floor gives out beneath both of them.
Make spartans powerful = making players feel powerful = players have a good time. That's what a lot of people loved about the first Halos. Other games had protagonists that were one man armies out of what seemed like luck. Take Half-Life for example, you have the HEV suit but you're also just a scientist, you're able to take out an army of bad guys because of video game magic. Even in the Call-of-Duty games, you're just a normal soldier who is naturally lucky and tends to be the only guy who doesn't die. But in Halo, you being a murderking deathboss makes sense, you can obliterate an entire army of baddies without being removed from the game in a, "Wait a sec, that could never happen IRL," moment.
The first Halos defined me as a gamer, they'll always have a special place in my heart. I hope with all of it that the franchise can return to a position of glory someday.[/QUOTE]
The Reach executions were what you are looking for. It had stuff like jabbing a knife in someone's head [B]through the thick power armor and the FUCKING SKULL[/B]. Also had TACKLING AN ELITE AND KNIFING HIM WHILE HE TRIES TO KNOCK YOU OFF. There was also another where you stomped their heads. IT WAS THE COOLEST SHIT.
What I propose; why didn't 343 do something awesome like making Master Chief a desperado type figure in alien territory, teaming up with the Arbiter again to crush the remaining Covenant rebels? Instead we got a worse retread of what Halo always is.
Wow
343 sucks at writing.
I'd have preferred if 343 went the KOTOR route, of going to some far-flung time either in the past, future, or even present if it takes place well away from the old story.
There's still room in the early Halo universe. Spartans existed originally to fight pirates and shit, albeit without the shield tech I believe. A Republic Commando/Rainbow Six Halo game would be dope titties.
The Halo mod for Arma 3 shows just how much fun a halo game set before the war with the covenant or afterwards would be. Setting up spartans, ODSTs, or marines against insurrectionists or pirates would be fucking stellar.
[QUOTE=Rixxz2;49881223]Also, here's a video of some Bungie developers checking out the late 1990's early builds when it was still meant to be a PC-exclusive title
[video=youtube;YIso0_ygl_g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIso0_ygl_g[/video][/QUOTE]
I always loved this video, the bungie devs just seem so charismatic compared to 343's, like they were just a bunch of dudes that wanted to make a game just to make a game rather than to do it to live up to some kind of corporate expectations.
It's a shame too because alongside Halo even Bungie now is a shell of its former self.
[QUOTE=thelurker1234;49882726]I'd have preferred if 343 went the KOTOR route, of going to some far-flung time either in the past, future, or even present if it takes place well away from the old story.[/QUOTE]
I still wouldn't of liked the Forerunner story I've been criticizing this thread, but if it was a game all of its own instead of a large book and some other side material stuff, it could've been cool.
Not very Halo-y but cool.
[QUOTE=jonu67;49880177]
[video=youtube;ZpWT0HbJXv4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpWT0HbJXv4[/video]
Seriously, such a satisfying ending.[/QUOTE]
I've always liked the framing here. One of the opening and closing lines is the arbiter saying "Were it so easy." Same dialogue. Different meanings, contexts, and emotions. It just perfectly encapsulates the game.
[QUOTE=Bloodshot12;49880652]The only thing i prefer feeling wise is 343's sound design, it's much punchier than bungie and the weapons feel pretty good because of it(except for some of the covenant sounds)
Everything else though I prefer bungie, including the music. The new ones have so many little changes and differences in atmosphere that makes them feel like they are a different universe to me or something.[/QUOTE]
i disagree whole heartedly, to me it seems there's a lot less foley
and man, have you SEEN the mongoose explode in halo 5? it literally springs up into the air and collapses like a deer with like no sound
Reach was the last good Halo game.
I always thought Halo's fall was more a mechanical than a narrative fall, as it submitted to crutches of modern FPSes like progression systems and magical accuracy buttons. 5 changed the movement system for a more conventional experience, 4 introduced the promethean weapons that were straight up better than their covenant and human alternatives. I thought Reach was the peak but then adding in sprint as a default in 4 removed that opportunity cost of choosing an armor ability. Honestly, haven't really enjoyed a Halo game properly since Reach, I played 4 and it wasn't terrible, I was really good at it but I sorta just thought it did a lot of things wrong that previous games did right and then it took those mistakes and ran with them in 5.
After playing 2/3 competitively for a number of years, I personally lost interest in the series due to the implementation of classes, loadouts, perks, etc, as well as the dark/metallic graphics.
because Halo like every other successful shooter IP became a money printer first, labor-of-love second.
[editline]7th March 2016[/editline]
I really don't get how much you can suck at writing to turn being an awesome super-soldier punching funny sounding aliens in the face [U]boring[/U] because you want it to be more serious and "epicy".
[editline]7th March 2016[/editline]
not to mention the art direction now is a mess
[editline]7th March 2016[/editline]
everything is a mess
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
