Poll: The Halo Story

[Eipok Kruden]

Over the years, I've noticed that Halo's story has gotten a lot of shit from people who know NOTHING about it. I always see people dismiss Halo's story has Sci-Fi garbage without even knowing the first thing about it. I've created this topic for that reason.

I would like to know exactly WHY people think Halo's story is horrible garbage. I don't want to hear "It's Halo, of course it's shit." or "Why would you expect story from Halo?" or just "You're an idiot.". I want to see REASONS. What you think is bad and why, not simply that it is.

Also, why is Halo's story dismissed as utter shit in the first place? Where did this idea start that anything Halo has a bad story with shallow characters and unrealistic characters or whatever? As I remember, Halo: Combat Evolved's story was presented very well and Halo 2, while it did have its issues in storytelling, still told a fascinating and deep story. The only game that could be said to have a poor story is Halo 3, which was more like a linear blockbuster than a story-driven game, but Halo 3 came out in 2007 and people have been saying things like this as far back as 2002. I also wonder how people can criticize Halo 3's story if they haven't played it in the first place.

So, can people discuss why they think Halo's story is either good or bad? Give reasons and explanations? No flaming.

 

[ajofflight]

I think it's interesting enough on its own, but despite the books, anime, etc., it really needs more backstory. Then again, I'm really picky about stuff like that, so maybe that's just me.
Nyoro~n
:3

 

[Daystar Clarion]

It bores the hell out of me, but I've never bought Halo for the single player.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I have to go with option #2. There is definitely a ton of good stuff there, especially if you take into account all of the non-game material, but it's often not quite as fleshed out as it could be in the games themselves. It's also not really the most unique storyline I've come across in that, sort of like with it's gameplay, it tends to borrow inspiration from numerous sources instead of creating it's own. Overall, though, the storylines, background, setting, etc. for Halo do get a ton more flak than they deserve.

 

[greenflash]

it needs more back story and to not have a faceless space marine as the main charictor

 

[manythings]

It has one? *ba-dum-bum*

I played halo one through, generic and boring characters, samey places, space religious fundamentalists, honest they're not just zombies and the old maguffin of ancient, extinct hyper-advanced civilisation. I liked the master chief and I really just wanted to run and gun. It gave me that and I ignored the rest.

Halo 2; Played this through with a friend trading levels (Me, master chief; him, the arbiter). It had more of the same. Characters who i didn't care about, enemies were about the same, better weapons and some stuff that made no sense (basically why this whole genocide of the jackals was a great idea to the leaders). The not-zombies are actually the plant from little shop of horrors and still not interesting. The end was clearly just a clean break to allow halo 3. After that I no longer cared.

The story is dumb, there are plot holes a-plenty and it is just standard sci-fi jiggeries and whats-its.

 

[Pist0l 07]

I like the Halo stories. I wouldn't say their very deep stories but they are interesting with the possibilty of more backround and individual stories. Straight up by itself the overall story is intriguing, not the greatest story of all time, but a good, well told story.

Also, I agree that anyone dissmising the story without playing the game or paying attention to the story can't really comment. I've never played the MGS series, therefor I can't comment on the quality of the storyline.

 

[Vrex360]

In the games themselves, the story holds the appeal of a good sci fi action movie. It's deep but not immensely deep and it's easy enough to follow to accompany the gameplay. Really, that's usually the most one can hope for from a linear shooter.

Part of what makes it great, for me at least, is the presentation. The cinematics always looked like shots from an actual movie and the music was damned near perfect on every note, giving the franchise a good solid atmosphere.

However it still has some great plot ideas thrown in and I still rate it as at least being 'above the status quo' when it comes to Science Fiction shooter plots simply because it isn't just a standard 'kill everything' plot. The basis for this is of course when you take control of the Arbiter and now find yourself fighting alongside the Covenant and essentially seeing both sides of the conflict.

I say it's a good story, there are interesting characters, aliens and some well thought out plot devices. It takes some notes from other works of science fiction no doubt, but it still ultimately has a feel that's entirely its own.

As sci-fi stories go it's closer to Star Wars than say Splice in that it might not be about the actual science or about mind bending but it does deliver a good time and work on huge epic scale conflicts.

Plus, as others have commented before, the books and expanded media have taken the franchise a long way and have fleshed out one of the deeper science fiction universes in gaming, in my opinion anyway.

 

[Reep]

The first option pretty much described my opinion word for word.

There are heaps of different accounts of stories within the Halo universe.
For example, ive read stories about the Forerunners and the Flood, conflicts on planets other than Harvest/Onyx/Reach/Earth (One involved the story of the Rookie from ODST), one filling the story between Halo CE and 2, another involving a prison ship coming to contact with Flood, another involving an Elite shipmaster travelling along a planet he glassed himself, searching for survivors.

This is off the top of my head. Give me an hour and ill list all the ones i can recall which i can guarantee is much longer.

 

[icyneesan]

Personally I never really cared much for Master Chief and what not, but after playing through ODST I sensed that I enjoyed the series more if I knew the characters were human, and not some sort of godly warrior with regenerating shields/health. And then I jammed the butt of my gun into my friends face

Nyoro~n
:3

ajofflight-kun! ajofflight-kun

Your doing it wrong.

 

[Berserker119]

It has an incredible back story. You just have to care enough.

 

[Krantos]

Oh, don't even get me started on this. Halo's story has potential...

As a B action movie. This isn't high art people. The only game that recognized this was Halo 2, however, which was the only one that included appropriate visuals and dialogue for the story. You can't have a gritty war-is-hell drama about an armored space marine that takes on an entire army of aliens by himself.

I loved Halo 2, for the way it was presented. I've hated all other titles in the series for this reason.

 

[tijuanatim]

I really like the story, what I dislike is having to go through a lot of non-video game channels to get all of it. That said I voted for option 2 because the anime/comics may flesh out the story, I just think the games could be a bit more story driven.

 

[Sneaky-Pie]

It's spectacularly average.

 

[Legendairy314]

In the Game it's nothing special but in the books it's one of my favorite stories.

 

[Polaris19]

For those willing to look for it, there is PLENTY of backstory and background information for a franchise that is - lets face it - barley a decade old.

I think a lot of people expect it to be like the Forgotten Realms or the Final Fantasy series in way of backdrop info. But for only ten years or so, there is more info than most series.