Halo Lore

[Sniper Team 4]

The thing I liked about Halo was when you first meet the Flood. If you go into the series completely blind like I did, that level floors you. I loved how things got turned on their heads. I liked the story so much that I played the rest of the games, whose story did not live up to the first. Still fun though.
Did NOT like the ending to Halo 3. Glad they're making another trilogy. After everything John goes through, he deserves to make it back to Earth, not become some lost relic in deep space.

Now the books and the stuff hinted at--but never explained--in the games, that's where the real story lies. Or at least it does for me.

 

[Stravant]

Its a huge, galaxy-spanning tale of war, betrayal, galatic intrigue, of bravery against impossible odds and heroic sacrifice. Its got interesting characters, cool tech, a bunch of aliens who aren't just the "rubber forehead" types seen in Star Trek and Mass Effect. And the games have a really bitchin soundtrack.

I dunno, if you can't be arsed to look past the word "Spartan" then honestly I'm not sure the story is for you.

Honestly, the whole Spartan thing didn't bother me, but when the invading force attacks the world where the Spartans are to get to Earth, it does raise the old '300' flag.

Could you point out the interesting characters please? And where is the Galactic Intrigue?

On the point of them attacking the planet where the spartans are I can see where you're going with that but its reason in the story makes sense.

That planet was humanity's main military world, and all their big expensive tech they could use to combat the aliens was there.

Makes sense to blow that up first.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

If your playing GAMES for story, your doing it wrong.

Sorry, what?

If you're playing games like Half Life for anything BUT the story, you're doing it wrong. Gameplay and storyline don't have to be mutually exclusive. It's that sort of thinking that guarantees the creation of turgid, souless shooters like COD or DNF.

I have played the first two games to completion, and most of the third one (I couldn't be bothered finishing it when going to investigate the crashed ship).

In what seems to be an alternate '300' movie, can you point out the good bits?

I am having trouble understanding why people say that the Halo plot is so good.

Can any of the Halo fans help me out here?

This really is a difficult one to answer. Honestly, if you have that opinion now, I doubt there is much the fans can really say to change your mind.

Play Halo 3 ODST if you want an example of a well made Halo storyline. Some might call it a failure but I think it's one of Bungie's finest works. ODST is layered, there is a main plot, a sort of meta storyline running alongside it and also the city itself which has a lot to say. It embodies everything that makes Halo great, which is to say: There is a whole lot more to see if only you spend the time to go looking for it.

This idea permeates the Halo franchise as a whole. There are books and comics that run alongside the games. You can really learn an awful lot more about the world this way. For instance, if you read the book "The Flood" by William C. Dietz, you'll find out more about Halo: Combat Evolved's storyline. You'll gain some insight into the Marine that fires his sidearm at the Chief through sheer panic, learn more about what the humans were doing while the Chief was trying to stop the Covenant and you'll also know just who the Elite is that rides up the elevator as the Chief is escaping from an exploding Pillar of Autumn.

Playing the game after that just has an altogether different meaning if you're willing to invest yourself in the world. If you're not prepared to do that, then maybe these games will just never "do it" for you.

 

[XMark]

You know when people criticize Halo's plot I always expect to see more originality-based criticism. Seriously, just mash the Alien movies, Starship Troopers and the Bible together. You get Halo.

Either that, or a 2-player co-op game where Jesus and Moses are trapped on an alien planet between hordes of Xenomorphs and Arachnids.

 

[Dethenger]

The Halo plot isn't good, but the universe it's set in is absolutely awesome.

This is a pretty good synopsis.

The games themselves don't have very good storylines, or they do not tell them particularly well; they do not delve into the personalities of individual characters and generally leave it up to you to size them up, which is probably why people characterize the Chief as an emotionless automaton.
The actual meat is hidden away in the extended universe, and I do think that's a poor trait of Halo. As a game, it really doesn't tell a good story, but the books make it clear that a good story is there to be told, or at least an excellent playground.

Most Halo fans understand this, or so I picked up while on B.net, and have kept their appreciation for the games I suppose parallel to their appreciation for the story. That's why hardcore fans think ODST was the best one, because it actually managed to tell the story in the game, not in spite of it. And also why the hardcore Halo fans detest Reach, because (aside from, of course, the terrible gameplay decisions present at launch) it fucked with the story from The Fall of Reach.

 

[Torrasque]

First off, the Halo games suck balls for Lore. There are too many unanswered questions and "wait, can you say that again?" moments. For good Halo Lore, you have to read the books.

Second, the games focus more on gameplay than storytelling. Its why the games are so weak for Lore, and its why Halo is so successful as a shooter and not an RPG.

Now that that is out of the way.
The Halo story is exciting because it is the classic "one man against hoards of enemies bent on the annihilation of the human race" story. Again, the books do a much better job telling that story, but I still enjoy playing the Halo campaign because going through the Library and having 343 Guilty Spark talk about the Flood like they are some benign test subject is both ridiculous and interesting.
I cannot stress enough that Halo's story is best told through a book and not through a TV. Give the books a try before you dismiss all of Halo's Lore as complete shit.

 

[Torrasque]

I have played the first two games to completion, and most of the third one (I couldn't be bothered finishing it when going to investigate the crashed ship).

In what seems to be an alternate '300' movie, can you point out the good bits?

I am having trouble understanding why people say that the Halo plot is so good.

Can any of the Halo fans help me out here?

This really is a difficult one to answer. Honestly, if you have that opinion now, I doubt there is much the fans can really say to change your mind.

Play Halo 3 ODST if you want an example of a well made Halo storyline. Some might call it a failure but I think it's one of Bungie's finest works. ODST is layered, there is a main plot, a sort of meta storyline running alongside it and also the city itself which has a lot to say. It embodies everything that makes Halo great, which is to say: There is a whole lot more to see if only you spend the time to go looking for it.

This idea permeates the Halo franchise as a whole. There are books and comics that run alongside the games. You can really learn an awful lot more about the world this way. For instance, if you read the book "The Flood" by William C. Dietz, you'll find out more about Halo: Combat Evolved's storyline. You'll gain some insight into the Marine that fires his sidearm at the Chief through sheer panic, learn more about what the humans were doing while the Chief was trying to stop the Covenant and you'll also know just who the Elite is that rides up the elevator as the Chief is escaping from an exploding Pillar of Autumn.

Playing the game after that just has an altogether different meaning if you're willing to invest yourself in the world. If you're not prepared to do that, then maybe these games will just never "do it" for you.

lol, I posted a response before I read through the posts and didn't see your post. We basically say the exact same thing xD
Oh well, I don't mind being ninja'd for this topic since I love Halo to death, especially ODST. The gameplay is irritating at times because you are not an invincible Spartan, but the story and world are absolutely amazing.

 

[Fappy]

snips

I read the first four books, own the first Bendis comic series AND the graphic novel. I think I may know more than you think.

You are one of the VERY few. 99.9 percent of the people who criticize Halo's plot have not looked into the universe much at all. And to be honest, your synopsis makes it sound incredibly awesome...

OT: Like several have said, you really have to get invested in the universe, not just the games, to enjoy the story. I'll be the first to admit: The story in the games alone is confusing, bland and fairly stupid. It's only when you throw in the books, comics and articles that it becomes epic.

Though not everyone enjoys the same thing, so there you go.

I never said I didn't like the Halo universe like the the other poster probably assumed. It just blatantly and shamelessly Frankensteined a bunch of classic Sci-Fi storied together. Though, this isn't a crime specific to Halo. Nearly all Sci-Fi games are just Ripley Scott fangasims.

I will leave you with this:

 

[NiPah]

I have played the first two games to completion, and most of the third one (I couldn't be bothered finishing it when going to investigate the crashed ship).

In what seems to be an alternate '300' movie, can you point out the good bits?

I am having trouble understanding why people say that the Halo plot is so good.

Can any of the Halo fans help me out here?

I'm having trouble understanding why you say the Halo plot is so bad.
Most people thought it was good because they enjoyed it, if you would like to delve into the finer workings of character development and plot structure ask a college professor.

 

[Arkvoodle]

From my experience, HALO's basic story is generally competent but by no means original or unique; taking several famous story tropes & re-telling them in a very visually impressive manner.

Its the gaming equivalent of "Avatar."

 

[KrossBillNye]

In my personal opinion I enjoyed the first novel. The story in it was interesting and the whole biblical and mythological additions to the plot was in my thoughts amusing. (As a fan of Mythology the nods to the stuff i grew up on drew me even more into the books. The idea of Thor's hammer being used as Armor was just genius in my thoughts)

Is it a masterpiece? Far from it. But it was a good read and nice to see where it goes from here. Master Chief was a pretty plaid character but that is how Spartans were for the most part due to their extreme training and how they were raised. Personally out of all of them my favorite was Petty Officer Second Class Kelly-087. She had a humorous attitude. She was fast, she knew it, and those who didn't think that were going to be humiliated.

The concept of the Universe in the lore was a nice touch as well. The Halos themselves an interesting twist on how destructive forgotten technology can be to their surroundings and how quick most are to touch and deal with things that they themselves do not understand until the last second when they realize, "Oh shoot... We really shouldn't have touched this..."

 

[Daget Sparrow]

If your playing GAMES for story, your doing it wrong.

I disagree.

I'm a big fan of the Halo games, and that's exactly why my opinion shouldn't count. 'cause otherwise it will be laced with fanboyish adoration rather than objective criticism.

And if 343 screws up Halo 4, I'm issuing in a thousand years of darkness to cleanse the world of the unclean.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

snips

I read the first four books, own the first Bendis comic series AND the graphic novel. I think I may know more than you think.

You are one of the VERY few. 99.9 percent of the people who criticize Halo's plot have not looked into the universe much at all. And to be honest, your synopsis makes it sound incredibly awesome...

OT: Like several have said, you really have to get invested in the universe, not just the games, to enjoy the story. I'll be the first to admit: The story in the games alone is confusing, bland and fairly stupid. It's only when you throw in the books, comics and articles that it becomes epic.

Though not everyone enjoys the same thing, so there you go.

I never said I didn't like the Halo universe like the the other poster probably assumed. It just blatantly and shamelessly Frankensteined a bunch of classic Sci-Fi storied together. Though, this isn't a crime specific to Halo. Nearly all Sci-Fi games are just Ripley Scott fangasims.

I will leave you with this:

Spoiler: snip

Spoiler: snip

Oh, I am more than aware that Halo is often Aliens The Game. And to be honest, I think Bungie admits it. Even besides the Pillar of Autumn, drop-ships and assault rifles, The shear number of times someone is Halo quotes Aliens is just staggering.

Though as you say, it's hard to not rip things off especially in Sci-Fi

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

If you're playing GAMES for story, you're doing it wrong.

Uh huh.

You do know that video games are, and always have been, another form of story-telling, right? Although early titles weren't the most ambitious in the way of forming a coherent story, all the right pieces were there. Save the princess, collect the seven shiny objects to defeat the ultimate evil, etc. I assume that a video game is nothing more than moving pictures on a screen to you, then.

Some people play games differently than you do. Try to remember that.

[sub]I suppose games like Mass Effect, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Final Fantasy are all just story-less button-pressing fests, then, huh?[/sub]

I think he means in terms of Halo as the story in Halo games is quite lacking and full of unexplained holes. Ok well that is a bit much but you get the idea. Compared to the books the scraping adequate story in Halo that is only there to hold it together seems like utter tripe.

Its a huge, galaxy-spanning tale of war, betrayal, galatic intrigue, of bravery against impossible odds and heroic sacrifice. Its got interesting characters, cool tech, a bunch of aliens who aren't just the "rubber forehead" types seen in Star Trek and Mass Effect. And the games have a really bitchin soundtrack.

I dunno, if you can't be arsed to look past the word "Spartan" then honestly I'm not sure the story is for you.

Honestly, the whole Spartan thing didn't bother me, but when the invading force attacks the world where the Spartans are to get to Earth, it does raise the old '300' flag.

Could you point out the interesting characters please? And where is the Galactic Intrigue?

That is why they are called Spartans and why there was originally 300 of them and there is only 1 left now. The series does not hide allusions to Greek and Norse and Biblical mythology among other things. It is very unsubtle in that regard.

 

[laggyteabag]

I for one really enjoy the Halo plot and storyline. The Characters (more so in the expanded universe) are really well fleshed out, there's some great history (forerunners, flood, creation of the Spartans, Human/covenant first encounter ect.). I think its just great.

 

[necromanzer52]

Just bear in mind that the books were written years before Halo: Reach came out. Because of this, the events of the Battle of Reach play out differently in the novels and aren't considered canonical anymore. I get around this discrepancy by imagining that it's an alternate version of the battle that ultimately reaches the same outcome.

The novels aren't officially canon anymore? I'm more of the opinion that halo:reach wasn't canon, and the novel: fall of reach is the proper version.

 

[Kopperhed]

I think the Halo games as a whole are pretty good, story wise. I don't think there's anything entirely original, so I'm not going to get into the originality of the game series. All I know is I like the style of Halo, the multi-raced Covenant that isnt a bunch of little green men and the twist on the "space marine colonies" genre.

I think you should give Halo a little more time. You dont even need to read the books. ODST was a fantastic tale, if you give it a little time. How the story of the squad and the city unravels, and even the charming side story of the girl and the Huragok Covenant "turn-coat" character is really cool.

Trust me, there is story hidden in there.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

lol, I posted a response before I read through the posts and didn't see your post. We basically say the exact same thing xD
Oh well, I don't mind being ninja'd for this topic since I love Halo to death, especially ODST. The gameplay is irritating at times because you are not an invincible Spartan, but the story and world are absolutely amazing.

It just goes to show that our points are double as valid now! I'll agree with you on the games being pretty damn poor where lore is concerned. I often have to remind myself that we didn't learn about the Prophets or the Covenant's warped religious intentions until the second game, which storyline wise was just a re-tread of the first game anyway. It seems all the best elements are hidden in the background, such as Halo 3's terminals and ODST's audio logs.

Its the gaming equivalent of "Avatar."

I'm going to take that as a compliment. I absolutely loved Avatar for what it was, a ridiculous, overly gratuitous romp through a world of eye candy with a pretty dumb and overused plot. So I'll be damned if I don't just love Halo for what it is too. Sometimes you just have to accept the nature of the beast and roll with it.

The shear number of times someone is Halo quotes Aliens is just staggering.

"Hit it, Marines. Go, go, go! The corp ain't payin' us by the hour!"

"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Boy, you always got a bad feeling about something."

To name but a few... They always make me cringe. Would it have killed them to think up something original, or was it meant as an homage of sorts?

 

[eternal-chaplain]

I cannot say I have ever invested any money in the Halo games, however thanks to a friend I have played the first three and Reach fully.

While the first one relied more heavily on gameplay than plot, three having been somewhat boring, and Reach one of the largest, smoldering piles of failure in plot in years; Halo 2 had an arguably enjoyable plot to it.

Now the topic of this thread is Halo Lore and so I suppose it goes to say that Halo doesn't have a rather extensively explained history to it, that doesn't make it poor. Just look at Star Wars and what explaining the history of Sci-Fi series did for it!

No, Halo 2 was simply well written and explained itself as well as it needed.

 

[Torrasque]

The shear number of times someone is Halo quotes Aliens is just staggering.

"Hit it, Marines. Go, go, go! The corp ain't payin' us by the hour!"

"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Boy, you always got a bad feeling about something."

To name but a few... They always make me cringe. Would it have killed them to think up something original, or was it meant as an homage of sorts?

Not a fan of Blizzard games eh?
Especially the Starcrafts.