I've heard alot of arguments that Halo didn't do anything "amazing" to make it so popular. I know of a few people who actually HATE the franchise because of it's popularity without doing anything particularly amazing/new to deserve it. For the most part, they're right. Alot of the gameplay and storyline elements have all been done before. I'm sure you can all recall a game before Halo that had regenerative health, wars with aliens, vehicles with turrets, even energy swords (or something like it). I think the futuristic storyline tends to draw people, but even that's not the most important part.
But I think cynics miss the main selling point of Halo: The Spartan. It's not the back-story element of the Spartan, but rather being able to BE the Spartan. Master Chief is a god-among-men in a seemingly helpless war to save the entire human race, and each and every character in the game isn't afraid to tell you so or run for your life when they see you. I didn't care about the Master Chief until I WAS him, and I was told that I could turn the tides of a war almost entirely by myself.
It's the "desire to be great" that Halo fills so well. Think about it: growing up did you dream to be a office clerk? Of course not! Most people (including myself) wanted to be an astronaut or a firefighter or the leader of some sort of team. Everyone wants to be important somehow, and Halo puts you in control of the most important character in the whole game. Games like Call of Duty are great for their intense realism, realistic-ness and immersion, but I don't want to be A soldier I want to be THE soldier that makes a difference.
Atleast that's why my friends and I enjoy Halo.
EDIT: Oh yeah, that and I thought the music was phenomenal.
But I think cynics miss the main selling point of Halo: The Spartan. It's not the back-story element of the Spartan, but rather being able to BE the Spartan. Master Chief is a god-among-men in a seemingly helpless war to save the entire human race, and each and every character in the game isn't afraid to tell you so or run for your life when they see you. I didn't care about the Master Chief until I WAS him, and I was told that I could turn the tides of a war almost entirely by myself.
It's the "desire to be great" that Halo fills so well. Think about it: growing up did you dream to be a office clerk? Of course not! Most people (including myself) wanted to be an astronaut or a firefighter or the leader of some sort of team. Everyone wants to be important somehow, and Halo puts you in control of the most important character in the whole game. Games like Call of Duty are great for their intense realism, realistic-ness and immersion, but I don't want to be A soldier I want to be THE soldier that makes a difference.
Atleast that's why my friends and I enjoy Halo.
EDIT: Oh yeah, that and I thought the music was phenomenal.