Oh Bob you're such a Japan/Nintendo fanboy, but I still love you. Perhaps because I am also of the Nintendo generation and it wasn't until last generation of consoles did I start to take western developers seriously.
Escape to the Movies: Halo Legends
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Well, I dont want to be "The Halo Fan" but geez, there is nothing wrong with being dudes in the battlefield, although Gears of War does it too much (that IS a macho steriotype game) but Halo and COD for example arent that much, Halo even has womens fighting in it.
I am not a fan of anime mainly because they tend to make things unrealistic (not all of them of course but most of them). Its not the fact that it has monsters or mechs, its the fact that if they made 40 shorts 35 of them would have the misterious spartan being a women at the end of the short. Or maybe a teen... they also like to do that, dont know why.
They really like to have teens as a hero. They also like to be REALLY dramatic, even more than the west.
Its just not right to say that the west is all macho while the east does stuff like this, they also have a "way" of doing their stuff. They just add chicks and kids to the scene.
The west thinks differently from the east, and that is it. The west may be more realistic, more dirty, while the east is more espiritual, with more fantasie.
I think its all about the preferences of the consumer, so there isnt an actual need to say that the story that was previously made (by the west)is bad. That just shows your personal taste, so maybe you should clarify that next time.
I am not a fan of anime mainly because they tend to make things unrealistic (not all of them of course but most of them). Its not the fact that it has monsters or mechs, its the fact that if they made 40 shorts 35 of them would have the misterious spartan being a women at the end of the short. Or maybe a teen... they also like to do that, dont know why.
They really like to have teens as a hero. They also like to be REALLY dramatic, even more than the west.
Its just not right to say that the west is all macho while the east does stuff like this, they also have a "way" of doing their stuff. They just add chicks and kids to the scene.
The west thinks differently from the east, and that is it. The west may be more realistic, more dirty, while the east is more espiritual, with more fantasie.
I think its all about the preferences of the consumer, so there isnt an actual need to say that the story that was previously made (by the west)is bad. That just shows your personal taste, so maybe you should clarify that next time.
I didn't much like Legends, but I don't think you've given Halo enough credit. Much of western gaming is overly machismo, but the reason people like Halo isn't because of the poor, one sided story line or incredibly shallow protagonist. It is because of the innovation that is incorporated into almost every other facet.
I have little interest in Anime or Japanese games, although I've certainly experienced both to a significant extent, largely because I never feel immersed. It is difficult to do so while fighting a piece of broccoli or watching a someone with gravity-defying hair and unnatural good looks swing a sword the size of a mac truck while his double-D cup girlfriend unloads an Uzi into someone. I appreciate it, because it's something new and different, but I still don't get it.
That said, I liked your review, and definitely understand your not liking Halo, but you seem to have sold it somewhat short.
I have little interest in Anime or Japanese games, although I've certainly experienced both to a significant extent, largely because I never feel immersed. It is difficult to do so while fighting a piece of broccoli or watching a someone with gravity-defying hair and unnatural good looks swing a sword the size of a mac truck while his double-D cup girlfriend unloads an Uzi into someone. I appreciate it, because it's something new and different, but I still don't get it.
That said, I liked your review, and definitely understand your not liking Halo, but you seem to have sold it somewhat short.
Left 4 dead 1-2,team fortress 2,half life 1-2 episode 2,steam,counter strike and PORTAL.How are they overated?Onyx Oblivion said:
Because of people like you.Octopusesgarden said:
The games are good, but the memes their damn fanbase spawn kill them. (Still Alive, PILLS HERE!, etc.)
I'm glad Halo continuity was practically ignored for Halo: Legends. Because as far as stories go, Halo's is dull-dull-dull-dull-dull-gunmetal black-and-dirt brown-boring.
I know you're a hardcore Japanophile, Bob. And while I'm not, I defiantly understand your point of view.
However, to suggest that "the west" is all one note while Japan is a cornocopia of variety is a distortion if you ask me. Significantly, your example characters for japan are mostly classic videogame characters not recent ones. It's no secret that elaborate cartoon characters used to rule the videogame world- but then again with technological constraints of the time, developers had no choice but to be creative.
I'm sure you could have come up with some sort of a stereotype for overall trends in Japanese game characters (come on, they thrive on archetypes). To quote some guy who reviews games, they tend to side rather heavily with, "under-nourished teenage androgens who do their hair in the morning whilst sticking thier hair in buckets of led-based paint and dressed like they stepped on a landmine in a trendy clothes shop."
The grunting marine stereotype is very recent and there are countless counterexamples.
Take a look at IGN's top games in the past 12 months for the much maligned xbox*:
Mass effect 2
Fallout
MW2 (okay, you got it there)
Assassin's creed 2
Bioshock 2
Halo ODST (doh, there's another)
Brutal legend
Left 4 Dead
Splosion Man
Left 4 Dead 2
*skipping over ones I know to be Japanese or games that don't really have characters
However, to suggest that "the west" is all one note while Japan is a cornocopia of variety is a distortion if you ask me. Significantly, your example characters for japan are mostly classic videogame characters not recent ones. It's no secret that elaborate cartoon characters used to rule the videogame world- but then again with technological constraints of the time, developers had no choice but to be creative.
I'm sure you could have come up with some sort of a stereotype for overall trends in Japanese game characters (come on, they thrive on archetypes). To quote some guy who reviews games, they tend to side rather heavily with, "under-nourished teenage androgens who do their hair in the morning whilst sticking thier hair in buckets of led-based paint and dressed like they stepped on a landmine in a trendy clothes shop."
The grunting marine stereotype is very recent and there are countless counterexamples.
Take a look at IGN's top games in the past 12 months for the much maligned xbox*:
Mass effect 2
Fallout
MW2 (okay, you got it there)
Assassin's creed 2
Bioshock 2
Halo ODST (doh, there's another)
Brutal legend
Left 4 Dead
Splosion Man
Left 4 Dead 2
*skipping over ones I know to be Japanese or games that don't really have characters
Can I b-b-b-but Aliens vs Predator 2 you instead? STILL one of the best FPS games I can think of. Plus, Aliens inadvertently SPAWNED the grunting marine genre, so anything associated with it gets a free pass.
Halo, as a story, has never been very interesting. The 1st game was the most compelling of the bunch, mostly due to the spartan nature of the storytelling (no, not the soldiers, look up the definition) and the in medias res presentation. It had a sort of small-window story framing, suggesting that there was much more going on in the world at large than what was being presented to us. This was the entire reason I found it compelling. I was convinced that there was so much more to this saga planed then what was being revealed to us. Then the curtain as lifted away and with Halo 2 it was in fact shown that this was indeed all they had. There was nothing interesting under the surface and all mystery soon faded away, leaving me empty and disappointed.
As far as Legends goes, I have never found the vast majority of anime to be at all appealing, so watching one about Halo of all things presents less than no interest. In anime I am always seeing a conflict in the artistry of the animation and the nature of the stories being told; so often they go so completely "out there" that I can no longer take it seriously. I had not intended to bother with Halo Legends, but if they offer something akin to a interesting narrative in the Halo universe, I might put my bias aside and give it a shot.
Halo, as a story, has never been very interesting. The 1st game was the most compelling of the bunch, mostly due to the spartan nature of the storytelling (no, not the soldiers, look up the definition) and the in medias res presentation. It had a sort of small-window story framing, suggesting that there was much more going on in the world at large than what was being presented to us. This was the entire reason I found it compelling. I was convinced that there was so much more to this saga planed then what was being revealed to us. Then the curtain as lifted away and with Halo 2 it was in fact shown that this was indeed all they had. There was nothing interesting under the surface and all mystery soon faded away, leaving me empty and disappointed.
As far as Legends goes, I have never found the vast majority of anime to be at all appealing, so watching one about Halo of all things presents less than no interest. In anime I am always seeing a conflict in the artistry of the animation and the nature of the stories being told; so often they go so completely "out there" that I can no longer take it seriously. I had not intended to bother with Halo Legends, but if they offer something akin to a interesting narrative in the Halo universe, I might put my bias aside and give it a shot.
i'd like to see it, not a didicated anime fan or a dedicated halo fan so i should be satisfied =P
Not seen homecoming but all of the other ones are absolute shit. Cliched characters, average animation and piss poor voice acting all included.
I enjoyed a couple of the Halo games and also am a massive anime fan but when combined just left me thinking "what the hell is this shit?". Admittedly they didnt have much to work with, Halo's plot is somewhat notoriously bland, but the end product is still an absolute mess neither coming off as good 'fluff' or half decent anime.
I enjoyed a couple of the Halo games and also am a massive anime fan but when combined just left me thinking "what the hell is this shit?". Admittedly they didnt have much to work with, Halo's plot is somewhat notoriously bland, but the end product is still an absolute mess neither coming off as good 'fluff' or half decent anime.
Yeah, that's not completely true.GamerMage said:
Agreed. Part of the reason his wapanese views annoy me. He seems to think Halo == All Western Games. And J- games annoy the crap out of me in general - the only "J-" games I like that I know about are the Mario ones. And I mean main series Mario. Oh, and some of the Zelda ones.lordlee said:
good review 
! even though i have to disagree about The Duel.the watercolors just looked dumb on my screen. but i really liked your comparisons to Ender's Game and Neon Genesis Evangelion (2 of my favorite works of fiction ever)
! even though i have to disagree about The Duel.the watercolors just looked dumb on my screen. but i really liked your comparisons to Ender's Game and Neon Genesis Evangelion (2 of my favorite works of fiction ever)
or an anime fan that likes halo O_O. like meGamerMage said:
or halo universe fanboy (NOT THE GAME ITSELF) but the stories, who also happens to like anime
sadly, though you're wrong. its either squeeky preteens or over competitive MLG douches. i'dsay the cool levelheaded normal person percent halo fans (or Xbox live community) is probably about 15%.maybeBEASTMAN SP said:
Comparing Nintendo to Halo/Gears in terms of character design seems to me to be reaching for the lowest hanging fruit. You're comparing the character lineup of 25 years worth of games to two single game series. Even putting aside for the moment Nintendo's propensity for reusing character designs, your two examples simply aren't representative of the two sides as a whole.
Your argument is every bit as disingenuous as it would be for me to compare Square Enix to Tim Schafer and conclude that the Japanese need to learn to make games that aren't centered around spikey haired androgynes.
Your argument is every bit as disingenuous as it would be for me to compare Square Enix to Tim Schafer and conclude that the Japanese need to learn to make games that aren't centered around spikey haired androgynes.
I take it you never saw his "9" review, though I will admit, as said earlier in this thread, that he glossed over some depth on the western side. Of course, his hate is more towards FPS's and their aesthetic than anything (I watch his Game Overthinker videos, he hates them all with the exception of Bioshock).Doug said:
Hey Yelchor, you've become a bit of a Moviebob fan haven't you?Yelchor said:
That aside, while I can't go point-by-point with you as I haven't actually played the Halo games beyond some co-op sessions (never had an Xbox), I somewhat agree with you on the depth of the series; maybe it's just because my experience with Halo was when I was 11 at a friends house, but for me it seemed to have an interesting sci-fi plot and backstory. Your bit about the Covenant's socio-political structure adds to this view.
As for Halo Legends, I'm pretty sure it is trying to reach new audiences, what with money and all, but in response to the "hack and slash settings" comment, I have to add that despite its backstory and universe it's still based on an FPS where a notable weapon is a beam-sword, and thus will contain a good bit of that. Also, you might have been referring to Toei's short, in which case it's supposed to be rather silly and Dragonball Z-esque.
Of course, I'd have to disagree with you on humanizing the Spartans. While they were taken away and raised to serve the military, they're still fundamentally human and would have human emotions; cybernetic modifications to their bodies would not change this. Personally I like that it makes them deeper than the 1-dimensional machismo-men Moviebob complained about, though it should be kept to side-stories and somewhat disconnected things like this as Halo's less about characters and more about the humans vs. aliens conflict and overall military/sci-fi things.
He SPECIFICALLY stated that Western games consist only of Space-marine-tough-guy games in this review - the examples he gave where Halo and Gears of Wars.A random person said:
Amazingly, there are more Western games than that. Its like me saying "All J- Games are just angsty 13 year olds trying to screw their adopted sisters" - not true (as far as I'm aware) for anything more than a small number of games.
EDIT: And I have seen his 9 review, but not in awhile.