Halo 4 Opinion

[Doopliss64]

Please note that this is not intended to be a "hate thread."

I've been rather pleasantly surprised by all the positive press Halo 4 has been getting. However, I've noticed something a that has been bothering me. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a good game but... doesn't it seem a little "soulless?"

Now, this is based ONLY on watching videos and articles, so please correct me if I'm wrong. It just seems that everything in Halo 4 has been done in previous games, while each of the five Bungie games had its own unique "flair." Aesthetically speaking, Halo set the precedent, Halo 2 had a more gritty, urban feel, Halo 3 focused on snowy, desert, and otherwise more isolated natural environments, ODST had the whole noire thing, and Reach was a pristine utopia falling into chaos.

Out of curiosity, what is Halo 4's "thing," other than "another one, but this one has better textures."

 

[Korten12]

Well considering it's not fully out yet till the 6th, most won't be able to answer.

 

[Doopliss64]

Well considering it's not fully out yet till the 6th, most won't be able to answer.

Right, I forgot that games only come out on Tuesdays.

 

[Erttheking]

From what I've seen it's got it's own unique feel to it, so not really.

 

[Confidingtripod]

what I get a sense of its something along the lines of unfamilar technology... so basically every fore-runner scene from all the previous games

still would have liked it to be based around the Elites and broken covenant races but that would just confuse the people who buy it just to play online wouldnt it

 

[FinalDream]

I'd say since Halo 2 the single player campaign has just been an soulless, endless, recycle of the same set pieces, over and over again. The mistake Bungie made, to me, is that Master Chief cannot carry the weight of a game alone - story wise - because he is soooo incredibly dull as a character. What makes this game for me, and ultimately parting with my hard earned cash, is that they have shifted the story focus to Cortina and extending her narrative to the Chief, allowing him to finally grow as a character.

It's what I have been waiting for since Halo 1, and pleading for since the franchise soured with Halo 3 to me, I cannot wait for the release!

 

[Swyftstar]

I'd say since Halo 2 the single player campaign has just been an soulless, endless, recycle of the same set pieces, over and over again. The mistake Bungie made, to me, is that Master Chief cannot carry the weight of a game alone - story wise - because he is soooo incredibly dull as a character. What makes this game for me, and ultimately parting with my hard earned cash, is that they have shifted the story focus to Cortina and extending her narrative to the Chief, allowing him to finally grow as a character.

It's what I have been waiting for since Halo 1, and pleading for since the franchise soured with Halo 3 to me, I cannot wait for the release!

This is what intrigues me as well. My only gripe with Halo 3 was that Cortana didn't really show up until close to the end and you lost that whole semi buddy cop dynamic that you got with the two in previous games. Cortana had some of the best lines in the first two games ("Oh, I didn't realize! He's your pal, is he? Your chum? Do you have any idea what that bastard almost made you do!?") Chief was basically the straight man to her mischeivous imp. If all I get out of ths one is some actual character development and interaction from those two, I will be happy... and some Scorpion tank action, definitely need me some tank action.

 

[Doopliss64]

what I get a sense of its something along the lines of unfamilar technology... so basically every fore-runner scene from all the previous games

still would have liked it to be based around the Elites and broken covenant races but that would just confuse the people who buy it just to play online wouldnt it

I think that's my problem with it: the entire tone of the game is so focused on the forerunner element. Though I like that aspect of the series, it is by nature very cold and empty, and without the more down-to-earth human structures and organic Covenant ones I fear the game will just be too "vacuous" aesthetically.

 

[excalipoor]

I like what I've seen so far gameplay and environment -wise, but the sound department really worries me. All the guns have new sounds, none of which I like, and the music from what I've heard seems just kinda flat. ODST and Reach used very few themes from Halo 1-3, but Marty still made them sound like Halo. Halo 4 doesn't sound like Halo.

 

[lord Claincy Ffnord]

All the high scores are making me quite suspicious. A good game will usually net a good reception, but full scores from so many different websites, all running Halo 4 ads?

It's probably good, but THAT good? I dunno man. I'll see for myself soon probably.

Well with a game with this much prebuild and this many expectations riding on it. There was unlikely to be much of a middleground in terms of reviews. For the most part either it was going to flop and not meet expectations and then would get much worse reviews than it deserved. Or, as happened, it would be good and the critics would get a teensy little bit caught up in the hype, everybody loves being able to talk about either how terrible something is or how amazing and borderline revolutionary it is, Just generally good isn't nearly as interesting. And I think this has coloured most of the reviews a bit. Though kudos to Justin Clouse who seems to have done the best review, taking both the good and bad into consideration properly.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Out of curiosity, what is Halo 4's "thing," other than "another one, but this one has better textures."

I suspect Halo 4 is going to turn into something like a MMO.

The sheer amount of content being promised for Forge, Spartan Ops and standard multiplayer looks impressive. Whether Spartan Ops turns out to be any good is another question, but episodic co-op campaigns has me well and truly interested.

 

[Skin]

snip

halo 2 is the bad one, like the im pretty sure the halo community decided that
like the dmc one withe dmc 2 , that that was the bad one , horrendously glitchy dodgey story and a buch of other problems, 3 was a vast improvement, i though we decided on this, were you not at the meeting.

and i dont think so , i think its fine

Don't bother. CE afficionados decreed Halo 2 an abortion that should not even be regarded as a Halo game, but unfortunately, the fanbase that grew out of Halo 2 is so immense, that nothing can stop their united nostalgia.

Halo 2 was the worst game, yes, even worse than Reach. Halo 3 was a huge, huge step up in level design (The Ark, The Covenant anybody), which took us from the suffocating linearity of Halo 2, back to open battlefields, though not quite as open as some things that CE had to offer.

 

[Doopliss64]

I actually liked all of them, even if Halo 2 might have objectively been the worst. They each have their pros and cons, so let's not start a flame war or anything.

(But for the record, Reach blows 3 out of the water.)

 

[ultrachicken]

Halo 4 doesn't really have a theme completely unique to itself. From what I've seen, they're focusing on character development (like Reach) and wondrous, ancient technology (like Halo: CE), but with the difference being that it puts them together and takes each one to a whole new level.

I think the "soulless" vibe probably just comes from the fact that the series has been going on a long time, and I suspect it will get worse.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Although this is just an educated guess as I haven't played it, I'd say Halo 4's 'theme' if you will, is decay.

There's Cortana's personal descent into madness; there's the once mighty Covenant Empire, fractured and warring amongst itself; there's the UNSC/ONI, who seem to be becoming shadier than ever, and will have to be careful the hardships they have survived don't rob them of there moral compass entirely; and finally, there are the Forunners, once the greatest civilisation in the galaxy, run (largely) on the ideology of benevolent governance, now reduced to brutal corpses encased inside suits of armour (a reflection of what the Chief might become perhaps, if he doesn't keep hold of his humanity?).

So no, I personally wouldn't call it soulless based on what I've seen so far. In fact, it's looking to me like it might be the most thoughtful Halo yet.

 

[Torrasque]

Well considering it's not fully out yet till the 6th, most won't be able to answer.

This.
I am going to play the shit out of 4.

As for what Halo 4's "flair" will be, is a newer looking Chief, looking more like a superhero than ever before. Besides that, the addition of Prometheans, Cortana finally losing it, and a universe without the war with the Covenant, is kind of a big deal. Wait for the game to come out before you call it off.

 

[Deathlyphil]

snip

halo 2 is the bad one, like the im pretty sure the halo community decided that
like the dmc one withe dmc 2 , that that was the bad one , horrendously glitchy dodgey story and a buch of other problems, 3 was a vast improvement, i though we decided on this, were you not at the meeting.

and i dont think so , i think its fine

Don't bother. CE afficionados decreed Halo 2 an abortion that should not even be regarded as a Halo game, but unfortunately, the fanbase that grew out of Halo 2 is so immense, that nothing can stop their united nostalgia.

Halo 2 was the worst game, yes, even worse than Reach. Halo 3 was a huge, huge step up in level design (The Ark, The Covenant anybody), which took us from the suffocating linearity of Halo 2, back to open battlefields, though not quite as open as some things that CE had to offer.

i don't think reach was bad at all, i just though it was visually dull, the levels in 3 are way better than reach, but the mechanic's in reach are fantastic and are way better than 3 all that armor and abilities, i am up for that, playing on the same sh**ty dying planet i am not, and the crappy forge world levels.

also ok good, i thought people forgot that halo 2 , was the bad one.

Really? Personally my two favourite Halo games are 2 and ODST, simply because they show a different side to the conflict. The Master Chief is such a bland character that I just didn't care what happened to him. It's hard to feel sympathy for a character that is nigh on invulnerable because he is "lucky".

In 2, you get to see a whole character arc for the Arbiter. His fall, his rise, his betrayal, his redemption. Much more interesting than green armour shooting things.

As for ODST, I loved the noire / survival horror feel the game had. I loved seeing what the conflict is like for normal people.