Why I think Halo is a good series (opinion piece.)

[Korten12]

Warning, this is opinion and I am not trying to prove anyone wrong or change people's opinion for the most part. XD

This will also be more discussing First-Person Shooters, and not just Shooters in general.

I kept it somewhat short, and didn't want to go on a long wall-of-text.

1. Larger-scale Sci-Fi

Spoiler

Most of the shooters I have played that are Sci-Fi, they seem to always be on worlds in cities or such and never going into space. What I love is how in Halo you fight your battle on various places, Earth, The Rings/Ark, on Space Stations, and they all give lots of variety. It gives the sense of a large-scale world that this isn't just events in small areas.

2. Voiced Main-Characters

Spoiler

Master Chief (halo 1 -3) doesn't talk too much but for me, even just the little dialogue is good. I have a problem with mute protagonist. It takes me out of the game and especially when other characters are chatting up a storm. When they talk but not the character I am doesn't, it makes me feel like I am not there. While it is harder to input yourself into a character who already is established, it at least makes me feel like I am a person in this universe and that my actions have at least weight to them.

3. Cutscenes

Spoiler

I love cutscenes, seeing the characters move about with better angles and such really sets the mood. Being able to move around and do anything doesn't help set the mood at all, sure you could stand there, but like I said above in 2, it doesn't make me feel like I am there because of the fact that I can do such things.

4. Optional expanded universe

Spoiler

What I feel is much unappreciated of the Halo universe is its expanded universe. It delves into area's games can't go into (since gameplay is obviously a huge factor in the games) and allows people who like the universe to see much more. What I hate is sometimes where you get this awesome universe in a game, but after you beat the game. That's it, you can only repeat the story, you can't experience other sections of that universe.

5. Freedom of Creativity

Spoiler

Going side-and-side with 4, Halo has an expansive universe with so much to it. People fear that Halo 4 will be exactly like previous games and be a simple cash-in, but I feel it won't. There is much more to Halo then just the Human-Covenant War, there are still many mysteries left untapped, and galaxies left unexplored. Halo 4 may fallow Master Chief, but just because he is the vessel that we experience the games, doesn't mean that ends all creativity. What the MC experiences, sees, and interacts with has endless possibilities.

6. Lots of story in games ignored

Spoiler

In the games, cutscenes provide most of the story and shows much more than people give it credit for. Recently I re-watched Halo 2's cutscenes and if I had just watched that, I would have still gotten a lot of lore and such of the Halo universe (which helped by the fact that it showed the covenant side of things. But also, there are stories that aren't in cutscenes. Starting in Halo 3 and on forth, there were the terminals which provided lots and lots of insight into past events and background of the universe. Halo 1 and 2 didn't have these, but in Halo: Anniversary, there will be. In Halo 3: ODST, and Reach they were Data pad which expanded on the UNSC and Earth's history.

7. The villains aren't Russians.

Spoiler

More of a tagline, but many shooters now feature Russians as the villains, as more Modern Shooters have taken over. Despite there being 6 Halo games out currently, I still find it more fun and such to fight the Covenant then any Russians. Plus it's plain annoying now. But there isn't just the covenant, but also the flood, and if Halo 4's Ancient Evil is to believed, a whole new race of aliens.

8. The Music.

Spoiler

Honestly this is probably one of the series greatest aspects. Martian O'Donnell does a tremendous job on the soundtrack. All of them fit the levels and help the game's atmosphere settle in.

9. And lastly, Gameplay.

Spoiler

Halo gameplay's is a mixture of Old-School and New-School, it doesn't have iron-sights, you rush more in the games then just moving forward, hide, shoot, and rinse and repeat. You can jump much higher than most modern-shooters giving the game more sense that you're a Super-Soldier and not just another Marine. But also keeps New-School with 2 weapon wheels and things such as that, but even then, the weapons themselves are fun to use, all have their weaknesses and advantages but also don't feel the same.

Well this is the end of this, feel free to discuss it, agree or disagree on the statements. Be CIVIL, when discussing, please make sure you know about at least what you're discussing so it doesn't become a one-sided flame-war. In that case, no flame-wars please!

 

[StereoMike]

It's also big and colourful and has a huge variety of environments, weapons, and enemies but is still lumped in with other current gen "brown/grey" fps series by most of the more "indie" critics (*cough*moviebob*cough*).

It's weird, movie bob and yahtzee complain endlessly about brown/grey shooters with no weapon or enemy variety, where the environments are all essentially the same, but then the latest Halo comes along and isn't any of those things, but it still is "just another fps" according to them. It just points out that as much as they'd probably deny it, they are actually pretty big game hipsters, hating the mainstream because it's mainstream.

 

[Nooners]

Very well said. While I've never loved the actual gameplay of Halo very much (since I blow at aiming with two joysticks), the atmosphere and scale of everything is fantastic. When virtual reality gets here, my friends and I will lose so many hours in Firefight/Co-op Campaign.

 

[cthulhumythos]

yeah. i agree. but one thing- why is this a thread? it's less of a discussion and more of a 'i like this' that will attract people who 'don't like this' and will state their opinions for the eighteen berjillionth time.

and now for a bunch of people to quote penny arcade and yahtzee.

 

[AlphaEcho]

I love Halo, everyone says the story sucks but they really never even try to understand it. The story is just so wonderful and I Am sitting down and waiting for my realistic marine game (Halo ARMA would be epic.)

 

[guitarsniper]

Proposition: no one gets to make any more halo games until all the rest are ported for PC.

 

[dimensional]

Well I dont particularly like Halo but have only played 1,2 (which I thought was the best) all the way through 3 I hated, odst hardly touched and reach well pretty good actually but I had grown tired of fps by then.

The thing is I dont like Master Chief as a character at all I find him boring to play as and be around which is probably why I enjoyed Halo 2 more as I got to play as the harbinger.

Music I can see why people like it but I find it pretty forgettable as I sit here typing this now I cant recall it at all other than a feint reminiscence of some drawn out overblown score at the title screen.

Story was also forgettable seriously cant remember any details at all at this point but I wasnt looking for a deep interesting story in the games anyway (I do like the lore though).

However after all that I do think it is a good series despite its ups and downs its a solid shooter and with the exception of perfect dark (N64) is my favourite fps multiplayer experience.

I must admit though I am dissapointed they have decided to follow master chief again for the 4th one there is a quite a bit of lore to work with and new angles to explore but no its back to following that idjut again. Unless they plan to kill him off 20 minutes in and replace him with Raiden (metal gear solid 2) in a surprise cross over shock twist that would be ... well pretty rubbish actually but I would probably buy it for the hell of it.

 

[Plan10FromSpace]

Halo 4 ancient evil? anyone care to fill me in?

Also I agree with everything you've said, ive been into the series since the very first game and perhaps the only thing you've missed is its influence...Halo pretty much invented the console shooter as it is.

 

[UltraXan]

I will say this, I'm not a fan of the Halo series, yet I've read all the books. The books, actually, were pretty interesting. They provided a nice story and setting of the Halo universe, and explained that the covenant weren't Earth's biggest enemy first, but actually a separate group of humans that were rebelling for one reason or another. The books also explain that the covenant attacked humanity because... well, because they just didn't like them or some shit. I dunno, it was years since I read the books, all I remember was it was some stupid reason that was similar to "Because we don't like you." Anyway, the story and setting of Halo is great, I won't deny that, and the music itself is excellent too! However, it's the game itself that's kinda... ehhh... Don't get me wrong, I know plenty of people love the series to death (which is a really bad habit mind you, Halo is NOT by ANY means perfect), but Halo hasn't made any great innovations in the series. Let's compare: Halo 1: basic game, no halo before it, standard. From 1 to Halo 2: New HUD and health system, new weapons, dual wielding, new drivable vehicles, play as the covenant... A lot of extra stuff was added, which was good. Halo 2 to 3: A few new weapons, some grenades, a couple new vehicles, character customization... Not much, and not very impressive. Sure, new stuff was added, but they didn't really make any leaps in innovation. I'm gonna skip Halo wars and ODST, for obvious reasons... And then you get Reach. Now I just wanna get something out there: I don't like Halo because its fanboys suck *ass*. They treat it like god's game, and they're pretty much tied with the COD fanboys for the "Biggest douche-bags" prize. With that said, I would like to say that Reach actually is a pretty good game (I haven't played it, nor have I played anything past halo 2, since I'm a pure PC player). Reach added those power up things like jet-packs, sprinting, armor-lock, etc... They added a new element to the game, rather than just throw in more of what was already there. They also streamlined it a bit more to make the gameplay a little more fluid (assassinations). Back to the power-ups... Because they added those, a new yet simple gameplay mechanic, they managed to alter the gameplay. What makes an FPS game fun is excitement. What makes something exciting? When things change all the time. It's human nature, come on. Anyway, they added a new element to the game that works pretty well with it, and gives it a new level of excitement. That leads to be a better game. The principle here is: if you add too much to what you already have, it'll fall over. To avoid this, you build another structure.

TL;DR

Halo's story, setting, and music are great, but its gameplay was a bit up and down.

Now then, with that giant block of text out of the way, only one thing remains... Will Halo 4 be any good? It just might if it has something new to bring to the table and isn't just a new Reach with a few more bells and whistles.

 

[Liberaliter]

I agree with everything you've said, it is very popular so is bound to draw loud criticism. I think it is easy to hate but people often forget why it is so popular in the first place.

 

[Korten12]

You've just made yourself an enemy, bud.

OT: I'm not a fan of Halo. I have no problem if anyone likes it, I just hate it when fanboys think it's the second coming of Jesus and say that the story is on par with 2001: A fucking Space Oddyssey.

But that last part is subjective.

Halo 4 ancient evil? anyone care to fill me in?

Also I agree with everything you've said, ive been into the series since the very first game and perhaps the only thing you've missed is its influence...Halo pretty much invented the console shooter as it is.

When they announced Halo 4 they said John would be facing an ancient evil, but since then we haven't heard much on terms of specifics.

 

[DBLT4P]

But when should it have ended? all good things must come to an end, how and when they do so is a big part of how they are viewed. did it go out with a bang? maybe in a blaze of glory? or did you drag it out until you wrung out everything you could before leaving it a pale shadow of its former triumphs?

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

I never really gave the game a chance. I was so swept up in the Half Life series at the time and also was very animate about how much I hated console gamers. Matured much since then, should give the games a try now that I have an xbox

 

[Xprimentyl]

It's also big and colourful and has a huge variety of environments, weapons, and enemies but is still lumped in with other current gen "brown/grey" fps series by most of the more "indie" critics (*cough*moviebob*cough*).

It's weird, movie bob and yahtzee complain endlessly about brown/grey shooters with no weapon or enemy variety, where the environments are all essentially the same, but then the latest Halo comes along and isn't any of those things, but it still is "just another fps" according to them. It just points out that as much as they'd probably deny it, they are actually pretty big game hipsters, hating the mainstream because it's mainstream.

Ironically, Yahtzee actually rags on Halo 3's purple hues and bloom effects which is about as anti-brown FPS as you can get.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I never really gave the game a chance. I was so swept up in the Half Life series at the time and also was very animate about how much I hated console gamers. Matured much since then, should give the games a try now that I have an xbox

Halo Anniversary drops next month, my friend; perfect time to start from the beginning. It's just a fun game/series. Don't polarize yourself thinking PC vs. Consoles or Mainstream vs. Indie. All games are simply games, meant to be enjoyed by those who can enjoy them; the PC or console is little more than a means of UI.

 

[Nouw]

Well said. Personally, I love Halo and especially the EU. I've read most of the books and genuinely feel that it still has potential and is a solid 'verse.

and say that the story is on par with 2001: A fucking Space Oddyssey.

As subjective as that is, comparing classics of two different kinds of science fiction isn't fair. 2001 is a very hard piece of science fiction. Halo is a very soft piece of science fiction. And you know what? Both excel in said groups.

 

[Nokiro]

Well said. Personally, I love Halo and especially the EU. I've read most of the books and genuinely feel that it still has potential and is a solid 'verse.

and say that the story is on par with 2001: A fucking Space Oddyssey.

As subjective as that is, comparing classics of two different kinds of science fiction isn't fair. 2001 is a very hard piece of science fiction. Halo is a very soft piece of science fiction. And you know what? Both excel in said groups.

As far as Human side of technology goes, its not that soft. Covenant definitively though.

 

[Netrigan]

It's also big and colourful and has a huge variety of environments, weapons, and enemies but is still lumped in with other current gen "brown/grey" fps series by most of the more "indie" critics (*cough*moviebob*cough*).

It's weird, movie bob and yahtzee complain endlessly about brown/grey shooters with no weapon or enemy variety, where the environments are all essentially the same, but then the latest Halo comes along and isn't any of those things, but it still is "just another fps" according to them. It just points out that as much as they'd probably deny it, they are actually pretty big game hipsters, hating the mainstream because it's mainstream.

It still devolving as shooters have been doing for some time. Halo expanded upon Unreal's move away from the corridor shooter, mixing corridor levels with wide-open areas... but this isn't really opening things up that much. I recently played Halo: Reach and there was not a single location in that game that I hadn't been in dozens of times before. You might enter into a nondescript hospital, but it's not really all that different from the other nondescript buildings you've enter throughout the game. While Covenant ships, Earth ships, and Forerunner bases all have different styles... they're really not terribly interesting visually, nor do they feel like functional spaces. You're not jumping from car-to-car as a subway train races through a city, you're not smashing your way through stained glass in a medieval cathedrals, you're not battling enemies in a porn shop.

Guns... I never came across any gun in Halo: Reach that was substantially different from what you find in every other first person shooter. Just a good functional set of weapons with alien variants. A game like Ratchet & Clank has guns that open up rifts in space and suck enemies into them. It has electro nets that incapacitate enemies briefly. Serious Sam has a giant cannon that destroys everything in its path. Halo, Call Of Duty, Gears Of War... they have a pretty boring assortment of weapons by comparison. They exist to do the job, nothing more.

Enemies... there were about half a dozen enemy types in Reach, all doing pretty much what you'd expect enemies to do in any shooter. Gears Of War isn't exactly a shining example of enemy variation, but there's a better mix of combat types at play.

Halo has been more colorful than a lot of its rivals, but if you're not entranced by the underlying gameplay, then that won't change your opinion.

 

[Terminate421]

The weapons feel unique and your a Spartan, one of the coolest things ever.

Also, the concept Halo brings to the table is pretty cool for me.

Also the consistant inconsistancy it makes on the battlefield always makes it different from any other shooter.

Unfortunatly I am considered a spawn of satan around here for saying such words.