The Big Picture: Combat Evolved?
- Thread starter MovieBob
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great show, Bob. and yeah I hated the whole eyes turning blue the moment I saw it as well, I've just grown to hate blue eyes to an extent. I have Smash Bros to thank for that.
Moviebob, have you played or understood halo 2 and 3s campaigns (this sentence isn't meant to be derogatory)? The covenant aren't bad guys, they're a bunch of good people who have been lied to by prophets, and are being manipulated. They think that activating the rings will bring them to heaven, when actually it will kill them all. They're simply mislead. Also, the elites join up with the humans later on, anyways.
Dr. Halsey, the creator of Spartans, also is riddled with guilt over what she's done. The civilians and the rest of the military fear spartans. Spartans are in no way considered the ideal in the human society of halo: they're a necessity. They also die off rather quickly, showing that it wasn't even an effective strategy.
The blue eye thing was sort of creepy, but I don't think that's the only indicator as to whether or not a Spartan is complete. Mostly it has to do with increase in muscle mass and reflexes and whatnot.
Interesting rant, by the way.
Dr. Halsey, the creator of Spartans, also is riddled with guilt over what she's done. The civilians and the rest of the military fear spartans. Spartans are in no way considered the ideal in the human society of halo: they're a necessity. They also die off rather quickly, showing that it wasn't even an effective strategy.
The blue eye thing was sort of creepy, but I don't think that's the only indicator as to whether or not a Spartan is complete. Mostly it has to do with increase in muscle mass and reflexes and whatnot.
Interesting rant, by the way.
Soap Box Time:
I think the reason Movie Bob "over-thinks" the Halo game series, to use some of y'alls wording, is thats what he does. He's a movie critic he watches tons of movie and critiques them based on they themes, symbolisms, plot, and characters. Once you done analysis of stuff like that for so long its really hard to close that part of your brain for other things.
The closes two examples I can think of right now are My high School English Teacher and myself.
In High School my English Teacher was a huge Christian. She went to private college and (I think PH.D. but know) mastered in the studied comparative religion and lit. From this she has this idea that all of Western Culture literature has some slant on Christianity. So literally every story we read had this to do with Jesus dying for you sins, or this to do with why the devil temps people. From a kids point of view it was absolutely nuts to think that the Giver represents why God sent his son to earth to die for your sin and forgive you for all eternity. But thats what she read into it and looking back I can see her reasoning for it.
The other example is myself. I was doing research into science fiction literature and my professor had me a term paper about how there is a slant in literature that any deviation for the human norm is evil (Cyborgs, robots, zombies, bio-mechanical augmentation, and so on and so on). Well during the time I was writing that paper and for about half a semester afterward all I could see in anything I did was how this trope effected the characters in any story I watched/played/read(especially video games). Was it true? No. Did it seem believe able to me? Yes. Did my room mates think I was crazier than normal? Whoo boy did they ever.
Now that was just one semester on one trope. Imagine if my job was to look for the symbolism in every thing I did and judge it based on how well it fits into the story. I would see symbols and meanings everywhere, like the DaVinci Code.
Now am I saying Movie Bob should just be close minded when he plays video games? No by having that vast wealth of knowledge of tropes and symbolism that, in my opinion, that helps him give a better voice as to how/if a video game is art or if it is just drivel. And it is only by making these ties, as crazy as they maybe to the outside observer, that will help expand games from "just games" to a socially acceptable form of media and art.
Tl;DR:
Does Move Bob over think the symbolism and meanings behind Halo? Maybe but thats what he does for a living. He analyse media, judges it based on it literary and social values, and give his informed opinion to use the audience, the masses, the sheep.
Should he close his mind and not analyze it because its "just a game"? No, as extra credits pointed out thats one of the reason why video games are so looked down upon in society. He should be able to state his ideas just as you should have some means or ideas to defend his analysis of the subject. Thats what you do with art.
Soap Box Done
I think the reason Movie Bob "over-thinks" the Halo game series, to use some of y'alls wording, is thats what he does. He's a movie critic he watches tons of movie and critiques them based on they themes, symbolisms, plot, and characters. Once you done analysis of stuff like that for so long its really hard to close that part of your brain for other things.
The closes two examples I can think of right now are My high School English Teacher and myself.
In High School my English Teacher was a huge Christian. She went to private college and (I think PH.D. but know) mastered in the studied comparative religion and lit. From this she has this idea that all of Western Culture literature has some slant on Christianity. So literally every story we read had this to do with Jesus dying for you sins, or this to do with why the devil temps people. From a kids point of view it was absolutely nuts to think that the Giver represents why God sent his son to earth to die for your sin and forgive you for all eternity. But thats what she read into it and looking back I can see her reasoning for it.
The other example is myself. I was doing research into science fiction literature and my professor had me a term paper about how there is a slant in literature that any deviation for the human norm is evil (Cyborgs, robots, zombies, bio-mechanical augmentation, and so on and so on). Well during the time I was writing that paper and for about half a semester afterward all I could see in anything I did was how this trope effected the characters in any story I watched/played/read(especially video games). Was it true? No. Did it seem believe able to me? Yes. Did my room mates think I was crazier than normal? Whoo boy did they ever.
Now that was just one semester on one trope. Imagine if my job was to look for the symbolism in every thing I did and judge it based on how well it fits into the story. I would see symbols and meanings everywhere, like the DaVinci Code.
Now am I saying Movie Bob should just be close minded when he plays video games? No by having that vast wealth of knowledge of tropes and symbolism that, in my opinion, that helps him give a better voice as to how/if a video game is art or if it is just drivel. And it is only by making these ties, as crazy as they maybe to the outside observer, that will help expand games from "just games" to a socially acceptable form of media and art.
Tl;DR:
Does Move Bob over think the symbolism and meanings behind Halo? Maybe but thats what he does for a living. He analyse media, judges it based on it literary and social values, and give his informed opinion to use the audience, the masses, the sheep.
Should he close his mind and not analyze it because its "just a game"? No, as extra credits pointed out thats one of the reason why video games are so looked down upon in society. He should be able to state his ideas just as you should have some means or ideas to defend his analysis of the subject. Thats what you do with art.
Soap Box Done
One point that was missed, in this is that the convent, from what i've seen and read (might have missed something), started the war and are trying to eliminate humans, and we are seemingly out gunned and out numbered the underdog in this fight. Secondly the Spartan ARE NOT MARINES they are NAVY personnel heck the main character the in original halo spartan 117 aka john hold the Navy rank of Master Chief Petty Officer, Master Chief for short, and the main for Reach is a Navy Lieutenant, equivalent to captain for marines and army. so yes there are space marines in the game but the main characters are Navy. Sorry but this has been bugging me for some time.
You could just as easily argue that Bowser's army was a diverse group of unique cultures that Mario stomps to death for the crime of deposing a monarch who seems to do nothing but bake cakes and drive go-carts- I'm sure Bowser sees himself as a revolutionary. I'm pretty sure that some of those bosses Mario kills are last-of-their-kind endangered species too.
But seriously, I think the issue here is that Bob has only played Reach, which is Act 1 of a four-act story. Reach has overtones of invasion and xenophobia because it's the first large-scale military contact with the Covenant, and the further stories become more about the humans and the Covenant (or rather the Elites and some Grunts) setting aside their differences and coming together to stop the Flood from overrunning the galaxy. Hell, in Halo 2 you actually play as the Covenant half the time.
It's an interesting opinion though, and I love the show.
But seriously, I think the issue here is that Bob has only played Reach, which is Act 1 of a four-act story. Reach has overtones of invasion and xenophobia because it's the first large-scale military contact with the Covenant, and the further stories become more about the humans and the Covenant (or rather the Elites and some Grunts) setting aside their differences and coming together to stop the Flood from overrunning the galaxy. Hell, in Halo 2 you actually play as the Covenant half the time.
It's an interesting opinion though, and I love the show.
Rly this must be some huge glenn beck spoof on video games, military fighting diverse alien zelots does not equal fascism. The Unsc is a combine, like all armies. I mean look at the american military there are people of many races and creeds within it, like the Unsc. Its a real strech to connect halo with Hitler.
And about the blue eyes its weird but all the spartans with visible faces on noble team have blue eyes, even Jorge who im pretty sure is hispanic (judging by his name) so its part of the fiction not a symbol of racism.
-Ran
And about the blue eyes its weird but all the spartans with visible faces on noble team have blue eyes, even Jorge who im pretty sure is hispanic (judging by his name) so its part of the fiction not a symbol of racism.
-Ran
Yeah....Bob I'm sorry but you just lost a lot of credibility. I'm not going to point out all the mistakes you made and themes you missed, I'll let the rest of the posters do that for me. But I mean you really just do not research your topics. I'm not criticizing you on knowing every aspect of the lore but hell if you're going to attempt to look this in depth to Halo then at least research some of it. Even Roger Ebert would have seen things in the Halo game series more clearly than even you do.
So Bob, I'm sorry to say man but I think you need to go make a "MovieBob's Top 11 Fuckups" video and put this one near the top of the list.
By the way here's a free one: Fuck Up #9 from Halo Legends, the Anime artists weren't trying to piss off American audiences.....343 studios literally worked along side them giving them a lot of creative freedom. Also if you liked the Dragonball series then just a FYI, Legends reunited two of the project's (dragonball) developers that had almost vowed never to work together again. So in other words...it took Halo to reunite some of the biggest contributors to the anime world.
Edit: One more thing Bob, I do support your right to an opinion on Halo but if you want to make an intellectual rant about it. Then why don't you ask yourself, "The Big Picture: What makes Halo so popular?". This opens up the ability to rip this game apart, while at the same time trying to figure out why its the game that helped define FPS for an entire decade and helped make the Xbox what it is.
So Bob, I'm sorry to say man but I think you need to go make a "MovieBob's Top 11 Fuckups" video and put this one near the top of the list.
By the way here's a free one: Fuck Up #9 from Halo Legends, the Anime artists weren't trying to piss off American audiences.....343 studios literally worked along side them giving them a lot of creative freedom. Also if you liked the Dragonball series then just a FYI, Legends reunited two of the project's (dragonball) developers that had almost vowed never to work together again. So in other words...it took Halo to reunite some of the biggest contributors to the anime world.
Edit: One more thing Bob, I do support your right to an opinion on Halo but if you want to make an intellectual rant about it. Then why don't you ask yourself, "The Big Picture: What makes Halo so popular?". This opens up the ability to rip this game apart, while at the same time trying to figure out why its the game that helped define FPS for an entire decade and helped make the Xbox what it is.
Okay, I'm gonna go right ahead and say I didn't read the previous 18 pages of posts, but there is one thing I need to get off my chest:
The Spartans in Halo are part of a Military culture, and in no way reflect the culture of humanity as a whole. Much in the same way that military culture today demands rigid conformity and structure, the military culture of a future human society would most likely be no different. Also, consider the fact that the races of the Covenant are in no way equal to one another and that "Diversity" you claim exists become nothing more than a class based (and inherently racist) group of species.
The Spartans in Halo are part of a Military culture, and in no way reflect the culture of humanity as a whole. Much in the same way that military culture today demands rigid conformity and structure, the military culture of a future human society would most likely be no different. Also, consider the fact that the races of the Covenant are in no way equal to one another and that "Diversity" you claim exists become nothing more than a class based (and inherently racist) group of species.
TomLikesGuitar said:
No no no. It IS bad. I love playing Halo Reach, it's fun. The story is a total no-brainer, you don't have to think about it, there is no character development, there is not much character at all really.
The setting is derivative in the extreme, it doesn't make a point, no philosophies within, no questioning what it means to be human, no nothing. Even Star Trek does a better job and that can be fairly lackluster.
The story is a pretext for shooting things and it shows, it's weak and it's written by amature writers. I don't begrudge them, but like every writers first few works, it's not good.
That said the only way you get better is by doing more of it and Reach has been the best Halo game to date, gameplay and plot wise.
What I get the shits with is when Halo fanboys declare it to be the greatest scifi story since sliced fucking bread. It's not, it never was nor ever will be. Stop it, enjoy the game for what it is and please stop harping on to me about how deep it is, because it ain't.
MovieBob was reading into the decisions made in the games development which were unconscious decisions, made without thought to the implications or inference to be drawn from them and was making a broader statement about unconscious cultural mores. Don't be stupid, please.
It's pretty much undeniable that the reason all the aliens in halo are different races is just to give variety to the enemies you fight in the game. This is a game after all. Thinking this far into it is far from "he big picture" as the title proclaims. As for the spartan program, there's a whole entire book about that, (spartan IIs anyways.) I won't get into it, but it's much more complicated than "They're fascist wet dreams and they're bald and their eyes turn blue." Also, even this is probably just an afterthought to explain why Master Chief is able to single handedly kill armies and nonchalantly flip tanks.
Though I don't know that you even believe what you said in this video. It seems like you started with this just to stir up some controversy, which judging by the 18 pages of comments, I assume worked.
Though I don't know that you even believe what you said in this video. It seems like you started with this just to stir up some controversy, which judging by the 18 pages of comments, I assume worked.
