How would you make Masterchief a more compelling and flawed character?

[lucky_sharm]

I don't know if it's just me, but all Masterchief did since the first Halo game was be a completely unbreakable badass who was nigh invincible and respected and revered by everyone around him, also being incapable of showing any emotion at all besides determination and conviction.

In the first Halo game, Masterchief was a fearless soldier who was an expert at combat but didn't seem to know much else. Masterchief was somewhat impatient, a bit dimwitted, clueless at times, and easy to manipulate. Cortana was usually the one making the decisions for him and pointing out his objectives while taking care of all the technical work hacking systems and providing data. I'm not saying Masterchief should of stayed this way for the rest of the series. His character has to develop throughout the series, obviously, but making him a completely bland and generic super soldier wasn't the best idea, in my opinion.

So, how would you write his character to be more interesting?

 

[SantoUno]

Honestly I don't think he needs any work.

He isn't perfect but we have come to accept him for how he is, so let's just leave it at that.

Besides Halo: Reach will not focus on him so people could care less.

 

[Sonofadiddly]

I thought he was too emotionless. I'm sick of the stoic emotionless protagonist of FPS games that are supposed to be manly, I guess. I would have been able to empathize more with a character who was screaming in terror at the same time I was the first time I encountered the flood.

 

[DoctorNick]

Make him behave like a person with emotions and not some sort of killing robot?

 

[-Drifter-]

It'd be hard to make Master Cheif more interesting/flawed without making him someone else entirely.

 

[Amardor]

I thought he was too emotionless. I'm sick of the stoic emotionless protagonist of FPS games that are supposed to be manly, I guess. I would have been able to empathize more with a character who was screaming in terror at the same time I was the first time I encountered the flood.

I think though however it added to him being an enigma the "last spartan" I only just didn't like you always followed orders to the letter and never rebelled knowing you were the best soldier Earth had.

 

[Worgen]

we dont need him to be more compelling, we have the arbiter for that

 

[HentMas]

gay still in the closet

just think about it, it will make sense, EVERYTHING will make sense

 

[DanielPowell33]

Take off his mask for starters.

 

[almostgold]

Doesn't need to be. Sometimes we want a character who's not human, just a badass towering monumnent to balls, testosterone, muscles, and guns. And that guy is Master Chief.

 

[goldfalsebond]

how about giving him an actual face.

 

[jkklol94]

no shields

 

[MortalForNow]

Let's see:

-Have him get shot and nearly killed in the beginning of the next game and see what players' reactions are.
-Have the player get a look further into the Spartan process and see what makes him so special.
-See if the themes of betrayal or hopelessness want to help the player succeed (going the other way from other standard Halo stories).

Pretty much, use any way that will make both progression into the game and the player's willingness to stay focused more intact during the next sequel.

(Also, if any of this has been in the books or any other media that wasn't the main three Halo games, my apologies; haven't bothered to follow Halo after Halo 3. Oh, and the

Spoiler

343

thing doesn't count because it really didn't force the player to succeed, just to live to get to the massive crescendoing finale.)

 

[UnusualStranger]

Nothing needs to change.

Master Chief is a soldier, and one of the last ones left. He was there when the rest of them died around him. He is smarter, faster, stronger, and better trained than any other normal human being. He follows orders, and he does have an odd sort of friendship with Johnson, as well as Cortana.

The reason I liked him as a character is because he was unflappable because it was what he was taught, what he was told he was born to do. What else do you want from the man when all he knows is to war.

Personally, I think this should be about the Arbiter. He has a home world, and others just like him to connect with. What could be done to make him a better player in the HALO universe?

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

I think Master Chief needs to work with the FLAWS in his games first.

I kid, I kid!

 

[rockytheboxer]

The Master Chief is a much more dynamic character in the novels, even if they're not the greatest pieces of fiction. That said, he's a force to move the overarching plot along, rather than the crux of it. The Arbiter is a much more personal story, that's why his character and personality matter so much more.

 

[awsome117]

Well, he is already flawed. I could go on a full "halo nerd" rant, but I'll just stop my self here and say he literally was made to be a killing machine. Not much room for emotions there.

 

[malestrithe]

Well, you can start by making Master Chief human. Take him out of that space suit is a good place to start. All the characters from the original generation of FPS, Sarge, Duke Nukem, and BJ, did not need armor and they got along fine.

Give him a face and a personality. I am pretty sure that most players like the nameless and faceless approach because it is easier to project themselves onto him without it. As for the rest of us, it does not work because it makes him too unapproachable.

Then give him a little back story: What was it like in the Spartan labs? Why is he the only one left? How does that knowledge affect him? Does our hero want to do something else other than kill? What was the ultimate point of Spartan? Was it purely a militaristic thing? Or did it have something more sinister?

Now, to add instant conflict, what if there is another survivor of Spartan? What if this survivor is working for some alien group and it up to our protagonist to kill him?

This is not difficult to do. This is Creative writing 101. Answer all those questions well and you have the foundations of a series of stories.

Take another character along the same vein and copy him a little bit. We all know Kratos is a homicidal maniac who thinks genocide is the best answer to any situation. We also get a back story as to why he does all the things he is doing: Deal with the devil that backfired on his face. He is not allowed to kill himself, so he turns his anger towards the heavens. Well, we have a minimal backstory and we understand why he is a monster.

 

[Mr.PlanetEater]

Give him the ability to speak first off, I mean come one Designers you must realize that unless the atmosphere is amazing. Non talking blokes are really hard to feel sorry for, when you tell us to :/