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[TheOddOne]

Well, a lot of people like Halo 2 in HaloGAF, that's no secret. But most of those people don't just want another Halo 2, they want a new Halo that sticks to what made Halo 1, 2 and 3 such great games and expand on that. They don't want loadouts, unlocks, perks, bloom, all that jazz. Instead of just saying "lol they just want Halo 2 HD" and diminish valid complaints how about you add something to discussion by bringing in your own view on things.

I'm with this guy.

 

[kittens]

Well, a lot of people like Halo 2 in HaloGAF, that's no secret. But most of those people don't just want another Halo 2, they want a new Halo that sticks to what made Halo 1, 2 and 3 such great games and expand on that. They don't want loadouts, unlocks, perks, bloom, all that jazz. Instead of just saying "lol they just want Halo 2 HD" and diminish valid complaints how about you add something to discussion by bringing in your own view on things.

YUP. Well put.

 

[LosDaddie]

Instead of just saying "lol they just want Halo 2 HD" and diminish valid complaints how about you add something to discussion by bringing in your own view on things.

I was simply going off the HaloGAF post were a lot of the regulars said they would pay $60 for an HD Halo 2 with new maps released regularly.

I read HaloGAF regularly, I just don't have the time to post. Then again, most of it is shitting on 343 and Halo4, so there's no real point to post much if you're like me and enjoy Halo 4.

Also, some of us see Reach and Halo 4 as expanding on what made Halo 1/2/3 great.

 

[Demon Ice]

Halo 4 is the best and fastest-selling Halo game in the series.

Fastest-selling, sure. Best? Nah.

 

[DocSeuss]

I am happy for them, but I really, really, really want them to do better on the story front.

Also, something never quite felt right about the difficulty (Reach's Heroic seemed flawless for me, where Halo 4's seemed weirdly hard, yet normal didn't feel right either--also, shield delay seemed way longer than normal), and the maps often felt far too narrow. I wish things were just a bit more open.

 

[clav]

Well, a lot of people like Halo 2 in HaloGAF, that's no secret. But most of those people don't just want another Halo 2, they want a new Halo that sticks to what made Halo 1, 2 and 3 such great games and expand on that. They don't want loadouts, unlocks, perks, bloom, all that jazz. Instead of just saying "lol they just want Halo 2 HD" and diminish valid complaints how about you add something to discussion by bringing in your own view on things.

That's exactly what you guys want though.

You guys don't really give clear cut descriptions what you want changed.

All I read is that you guys don't like additions after reading the complaints above.

Don't change anything (aka iterations after Halo 2).

 

[Double]

It's the one Halo I don't feel should have been made. I'm basing this on SP only though, no idea how MP fared. The campaign wasn't bad, it was just so overdone. I've played this before...and before and before. I'd almost go as far as to say it was a non-game, it just had zero impact on me, it was just a game that was released in 2012. I don't want another Halo, I expect the series to move forward. A lot of series don't do this, but I feel 343 had a lot to prove and all they did was show us the same trick Bungie already did for years.

That is the feeling I had with EVERY Halo. 4 was the first which at least felt making me involved.

 

[kittens]

Fastest-selling, sure. Best? Nah.

Maybe they meant "best selling and fastest selling"?

 

[Overdoziz]

That's exactly what you guys want though.

You guys don't really give clear cut descriptions what you want changed.

All I read is that you guys don't like additions after reading the complaints above.

Don't change anything (aka iterations after Halo 2).

Okay, never mind then.

 

[RooMHM]

All this proves is that people don't read articles posted or even read the thread. Gotta fill that snarky response quota.

Yeah. Must have my everyday dose. You're so right about that.
Sorry for having shocked you with my not so wrong description of players' submission to devs they like.

 

[xxjuicesxx]

That's exactly what you guys want though.

You guys don't really give clear cut descriptions what you want changed.

All I read is that you guys don't like additions after reading the complaints above.

Don't change anything (aka iterations after Halo 2).

Theres a quite a bit of things outside of the Halo game itself we like that were added. Reach's active roster was in my opinion, the best menu/friends list UI compromise that could have been made. Try to see how far a friend of yours is into the current game hes playing while you're waiting for him. Impossible, feature removed.

Halo 4's UI/Friends list menu is a mess, its basically hidden and the whole idea of the lobby has been practically destroyed.

Talk about a step backwards.

We liked fileshare, and sharing maps/gametypes/videos, but we cant do that yet.

H3 did weekly rotational playlist a ton better than H4 is doing. Especially with the boosted XP you gained it brought a fresh feeling to H3 (Until Bungie got lazy and stopped creating new modes)

Reach also did premade loadouts, I liked that, a certain preset choice for each gametype. This led to some variety but not an insane amount like H4 where you get to choose everything. H4 does this to some extent in certain playlists but not as well.

The game itself H2/H3 had some glitches that could have been fixed while keeping the same game. For instance: When someone gets OS they are literally invincible for a few seconds even if they get stuck they dont die. They could have fixed that, upgraded the netcode behind scenes and released a new game with new graphics.

New maps, new campaign. Noone will claim "ITS THE SAME GAME! WAHHH" at least no more than people do with CoD. Which by the way again...has really high population/sales numbers.

 

[clav]

.

I've talked to some COD casuals who have never played Halo, and they "prefer" it over Halo simply because of framerate with claims like, "It's fast, so it's realistic." 60 fps vs. 30 fps.

As for the game, I feel like most of you would be happy with a Halo 2 HD remake with its multiplayer ported to the new friends list. Watch when Halo 2 HD gets released for the Xbox 720/UNSC Infinity edition, the Halo community is going to be "restored."

 

[friskykillface]

I just wish halo 4 came out in September like the other halos since black ops II made me stopped playing it, oh well for that week it was awesome, had fun

but idk if its the best halo, 2 and 3-multiplayer parts and 1- campaign part were so much better

 

[TheOddOne]

Yeah. Must have my everyday dose. You're so right about that.
Sorry for having shocked you with my not so wrong description of players' submission to devs they like.

Yeah, cause a dev apologizing is so bad right? You took time to post that snarky remark, yet had no time to read up on the thread? Really? You don’t even understand the context of how it was said, but you assumed something. That is terrible and history has told us that GAF ran away with incorrect statement and made it fact.

The only sickening part here is that you still come to Halo threads like a moth to flame, just to troll and nothing more. You don’t care about the game, the fanbase or any rational discussion, but you still show up to insert your snarky remark and hide behind the notion that you give a damn about the gamer. No, you don’t and never did. You act as if you are “above” everybody and have no respect for anybody who likes games you don’t like. You’re not above anybody and you don’t have any right to act like you are better.

 

[xxjuicesxx]

I've talked to some COD casuals who have never played Halo, and they "prefer" it over Halo simply because of framerate with claims like, "It's fast, so it's realistic." 60 fps vs. 30 fps.

As for the game, I feel like most of you would be happy with a Halo 2 HD remake with its multiplayer ported to the new friends list. Watch when Halo 2 HD gets released for the Xbox 720/UNSC Infinity edition, the Halo community is going to be "restored."

Interesting, I've always said framerate was a huge seperator of the two and most people tell me "No not many people even know what framerate is" I do like CoD's framerate and am a huge proponent for each Halo to increase the framerate and not care as much about graphics. I'm a performance worrier, I cant stand framerate dips while I'm battling dudes.

Also I hope they dont do a Halo 2 remake directly (Just a remake campaign like CEA) I dont think Halo 2 would be acceptable these days like it was back then. I really just want a completely new engine for Halo, 60 fps, and not a ton of the randomness thrown in. Thats like the basic requirements I want. Bonuses: theater and a clean nice lobby UI like H3 but with the active roster of Reach. I'd prefer dedicated servers too. Cmon Microsoft this is like your main Xbox game. Give it the suite.

 

[GhaleonEB]

That's exactly what you guys want though.

You guys don't really give clear cut descriptions what you want changed.

All I read is that you guys don't like additions after reading the complaints above.

Don't change anything (aka iterations after Halo 2).

This is actually not true. There's been a lot of discussion about what we'd like to see in the future, especially during the speculation phase of Halo 4's pre-release. After a game comes out it's pretty normal to discuss that game, it's merits and flaws, and ways we'd like to see the series evolve in the future. That's normal. That's what has happened, and you are grandly over generalizing and ignoring both wide swaths of the discussion in those threads, and the fact that discussion goes through phases from pre to post release.

 

[NullPointer]

This is actually not true. There's been a lot of discussion about what we'd like to see in the future, especially during the speculation phase of Halo 4's pre-release. After a game comes out it's pretty normal to discuss that game, it's merits and flaws, and ways we'd like to see the series evolve in the future. That's normal. That's what has happened, and you are grandly over generalizing and ignoring both wide swaths of the discussion in those threads, and the fact that discussion goes through phases from pre to post release.

Maybe when there is a new HaloGAF thread some of those very detailed posts can be stickied in the OP. I know that's not on you ;P

 

[TheOddOne]

That's exactly what you guys want though.

You guys don't really give clear cut descriptions what you want changed.

All I read is that you guys don't like additions after reading the complaints above.

Don't change anything (aka iterations after Halo 2).

One thing to add though, Halo 4 at its core is fantastic and with much tweaking many regular people would jump back. Problems is that the options have been neutered, which means you are stuck with too much changed vanilla Halo 4. If those options were in place, less people would complain. 343 could also help by adding classic playlist and resetting the setting to a core, without much of the added extras. However, they have not done that. Again, this drives people away.

 

[Demoncarnotaur]

I like Halo 4, but it needs some changes badly. Also, the SP was a bit of a drag and a bore gameplay wise... I was definitely let down by it. I'm glad 343 has seen their efforts rewarded, but I really, really hope they start talking post game support.. the latest shitty map pack really killed what good faith I had left for some improvements in the MP. The game is riddles with too many crappy outsourced features that feel half-hearted, bugged, and lacking. Forge is a huge let down, Theater is a huge let down with too many cuts, and when it comes to exciting or innovating new features Spartan Ops doesn't cut it.

 

[CreateNowSleepLater]

It looks poor to say it was the best game. To me at least.

 

[CreateNowSleepLater]

By far the worst Halo game ever made. By every measure. It's still a good game, but it is not a good Halo game.

It literally doesn't do a single thing better than any of it's predecessors except graphics,and on every other measure it does worse. Let's not even mention the incomprehensible plot and Instant Respawn COD lite stuff that has no place in Halo.

MP is a complete mess that has no semblance of map control, battle flow, or teamplay because of ordnance and loadouts. The entire game is just one baffling design decision after another.



I don't know if it was a misstep by 343 or if they actually intend to do the same things with Halo 5.

I'm pretty sure Halo 5 will also have instant respawn, loadouts, and perks though. 343 doesn't seem to "get" that these things are fundamentally not Halo.

I disagree about what is in bold. The player speed, jump and movement I think its the best in the series.

The rest you are dead on but here is the thing, those things I highlighted are game breakers. All this game needs is a real pro playlist (assuming these small maps are coming) and its Halo again.

 

[BeekleMatter]

Hell no. 343 is the worst thing that happened to the Halo series. It lost that "it" factor from the previous Halo games.

Don't blame 343, blame Reach. They can't go back to what Halo was, it's too late. So now they have to "evolve" it further, and further, and further... which is just making things worst IMO.

 

[MyAbsolution]

I'm shocked people enjoyed Halo 2, I remember all the old Halo pros hated with a loathing passion Halo 2. IGN, gamefaqs, BGH now Planet Halo, everyone hated Halo 2. They claimed it removed all skill from Halo:CE and ruined what made Halo great.

As a massive LAN/Tourney Halo 1 player. I can confirm, Halo 2 was REVILED for its multiplayer. I almost played 1on1 exclusively in H2 and it was horrendous, matches were decided in 1 minute.

I have no idea why so many people on gaf enjoyed it...?

 

[ProfessorMoran]

Don't blame 343, blame Reach. They can't go back to what Halo was, it's too late. So now they have to "evolve" it further, and further, and further... which is just making things worst IMO.

Reach had better AI than 4, 4 took the entire sandbox concept in HALO single player and basically threw the baby out with the bathwater, the only thing they really "evolved" was the graphics which is kind of a shame.

 

[Enter The 36 Chambers]

Anyone ranking anything other than CE over Halo 2 has clearly never played these games when they came out.

 

[les papillons sexuels]

That's exactly what you guys want though.

You guys don't really give clear cut descriptions what you want changed.

All I read is that you guys don't like additions after reading the complaints above.

Don't change anything (aka iterations after Halo 2).

1.The light rifle, the BR, DMR, Carbine, are all pretty much the exact same weapon with different skins. Get rid of a couple, and balance it properly for the sandbox.

2. make melee and grenades useful again.

3. make better enemies, in halo 4 all of the encounters are the exact same, halo 1-2-3 broke up the covenant fights with flood encounters forcing completely different dynamics/tactics and weapons.

4. get rid of loadouts, perks, and supply drops, I dont care if they're called different, they fuck the competetive nature of the game and I want those gone.

So pretty much, fix the sandbox so that your weapon list isn't bloated, but balanced, and enemy encounters are unique and interesting. Create gameply that changes through the course of the game and you dont need to rely on the same tactics, and make mp competetive again.

 

[T'Zariah]

A new studio taking on Halo is a massive undertaking. So it was always going to be a heavy lift. I know some of the folks at 343 and they're great people and worked their hearts out on the game, and I'm genuinely happy for their success.

But I really didn't like Halo 4, and cannot fathom any way that it's the best game in the series, the graphics engine aside. It's the game that killed my interest in the series and the entire Halo universe going forward. For me it's hands down the worst, or at least the least enjoyable, game in the series. From the feature set to the gameplay, it unplugged most of what I loved about Halo.

I have no problem with self-congratulation, they're been successful. It's just come at the expense of what I enjoyed about the series.

Halo 4 killed your interest in the series? O.O

The guy who's made all the Halo threads since...ever.

Wow.

 

[Newline]

Clearly has the best campaign in the series, only thing saying otherwise is the ol' nostalgia goggles.

 

[feel]

Halo 4 killed your interest in the series? O.O

The guy who's made all the Halo threads since...ever.

Wow.

Yeah, it's that bad. Halo Reach was a bad game but the franchise still looked like it could easily get back on track with some good fixes and decision making, but Halo 4 and all its changes just pushed it past the point of no return.

 

[Pavaloo]

RIP Halo

 

[les papillons sexuels]

Clearly has the best campaign in the series, only thing saying otherwise is the ol' nostalgia goggles.

i disagree, the campaign is boring and lacklustre, any genuinely interesting moments are cut short and not well realized (forest fog) and feel more like a "hey check this, k now do the same thing again".

Every fight feels the same, whether the covenant or the prometheans you approach the situation in the exact same way, and your weapon of choice never really changes. The levels are of the worst design in the series, and don't highlight any playstyles or interesting experiences. Theres a very small sense of "new" to them, even though this was their big opportunity to give players a chance to encounter a completely new enviroment, and I was more interested with exploring the first level of reach then any level in 4. There was very little challenge in any section of the game, and the vehicle sections in particular were just a breeze. They're tight, and many times graphical effects get in the way of the gameplay, very poor single player design imo.

 

[Al-ibn Kermit]

especially since we didn't say that.

I wouldn't want to be you.

 

[CreateNowSleepLater]

Don't blame 343, blame Reach. They can't go back to what Halo was, it's too late. So now they have to "evolve" it further, and further, and further... which is just making things worst IMO.

I don't know about that, that TU with the anniversary maps had pure Halo playlists (until they removed some of them) No AAs, Great Pistol, Better movement and Better jump height. That's when Reach became playable to me. What I don't get is why we can't have both since the player mechanics are there. Have a ranked Pro playlist ala Halo 3 and have Infinity Slayer be like social.

 

[CreateNowSleepLater]

1.The light rifle, the BR, DMR, Carbine, are all pretty much the exact same weapon with different skins. Get rid of a couple, and balance it properly for the sandbox.

2. make melee and grenades useful again.

3. make better enemies, in halo 4 all of the encounters are the exact same, halo 1-2-3 broke up the covenant fights with flood encounters forcing completely different dynamics/tactics and weapons.

4. get rid of loadouts, perks, and supply drops, I dont care if they're called different, they fuck the competetive nature of the game and I want those gone.

So pretty much, fix the sandbox so that your weapon list isn't bloated, but balanced, and enemy encounters are unique and interesting. Create gameply that changes through the course of the game and you dont need to rely on the same tactics, and make mp competetive again.

They are not going to Changethe game, the only way you are getting that is the form of a Pro playlist that should have been there day 1.

 

[BeekleMatter]

Reach had better AI than 4, 4 took the entire sandbox concept in HALO single player and basically threw the baby out with the bathwater, the only thing they really "evolved" was the graphics which is kind of a shame.

I should've clarified I was speaking strictly multiplayer. But yes I completely agree with what you said. I just want to explore

I don't know about that, that TU with the anniversary maps had pure Halo playlists (until they removed some of them) No AAs, Great Pistol, Better movement and Better jump height. That's when Reach became playable to me. What I don't get is why we can't have both since the player mechanics are there. Have a ranked Pro playlist ala Halo 3 and have Infinity Slayer be like social.

Agreed with Anniversary being playable, but vanilla reach wasn't my cup of tea.

The lack of social/ranked is disappointing. It is hard to have a casual time with Halo 4 because everybody is playing their hearts out trying to boost their K/Ds. So I agree with you there.

 

[lucius]

The graphics and sound in Halo 4 are amazing considering how old the hardware is. I think Halo1 and Halo3 have better overall campaigns than Halo 4, but it is better than all the ofher Halo campaigns, much much better than Reach. There were some crazy promotions for this game, you could pretty much get the game free if you took advantage of them, which was great hopefully MS and 343 has some nice promotions with their upcoming Halo games.

 

[Vire]

I like Halo 4, it's not perfect but I had a some good times with it.

Am I more excited for what Bungie has next? Certainly, but I'd be lying if I said if I wasn't interested in what 343 has in store next.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Best Halo? Something like that will always come down to opinion. Personally Halo 2 still reigns supreme in both SP and MP and it wasn't even technically finished all the way.


Anyway as for Halo 4, gotta say the SP was a let down.
The "villain" they added did absolutely nothing and it really felt like 343 didnt want to try any sort of new ground with Halo 4. It felt like every other Halo game and not in a good way. Even with the route they took Cortana it STILL felt like they were playing it very safe.


MP had some nice improvements made to it, though I wish there was a bit more done with it to refine it a bit. Also marking Armor as Unlocked and yet not usable is the dumbest thing. How about I unlock my Armor and use it. Same goes with emblems. All of the emblems from the older games should be available asap, while any new ones they made can be unlockable.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Halo 4 killed your interest in the series? O.O

The guy who's made all the Halo threads since...ever.

Wow.

Yeah. I've retired from Halo thread making, and am actually giving my copy away to another GAFer (shipping on Saturday). I haven't touched it in five weeks. Don't miss it.

I put a note at the top of the OP.

Yeah, it's that bad. Halo Reach was a bad game but the franchise still looked like it could easily get back on track with some good fixes and decision making, but Halo 4 and all its changes just pushed it past the point of no return.

And in Reach, while I didn't like the MP, I at least had one mode that held my interest for a while in Firefight. I had no desire to revisit the Halo 4 campaign, gave up on Spartan Ops part way through episode 3, and consider the multiplayer to be fatally flawed; for me, it's less fun than Reach.

There was just nothing for me to latch onto.

 

[BlueScrote]

They are not going to Changethe game, the only way you are getting that is the form of a Pro playlist that should have been there day 1.

What would you have changed from the pro playlist that was there on day 1?

 

[Rand0m TAG]

Well, a lot of people like Halo 2 in HaloGAF, that's no secret. But most of those people don't just want another Halo 2, they want a new Halo that sticks to what made Halo 1, 2 and 3 such great games and expand on that. They don't want loadouts, unlocks, perks, bloom, all that jazz. Instead of just saying "lol they just want Halo 2 HD" and diminish valid complaints how about you add something to discussion by bringing in your own view on things.

even though i like halo 4, i would prefer if halo went back to how it was in 1, 2, 3

 

[zethren]

even though i like halo 4, i would prefer if halo went back to how it was in 1, 2, 3

I agree. I'd also include ODST in that list. ODST was the last Halo game to truly feel like Halo, to me.

 

[GillianSeed79]

I'm so going to get evicerated for this, but here goes. I'll be honest that I was really, really late to online multiplayer gaming even though I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 days. I think my first experience with competitive online MP was Unreal Tournament in college that the PC gamers next door in my quad installed on my school PC back then. Having never played a shooter with a mouse and keyboard before it was ugly. Fast forward to Halo 3 for the 360. This was my first console online shooter experience. Call it a bad first impression or that it was my first online shooter, but no matter how hard I tried to get better I felt like the MP was impenetrable. I felt like I was playing against MLG guys who knew respawn rates for power weapons down to the milisecond even in social, unranked playlists.

Now with Reach I actually started to get okay at Halo and had fun, but the whole power weapon memorization and camping thing was still there for casual players like myself.

Now, I'M NOT SAYING the CoD-ification in 4 is the solution or is better, but can you at least agree starting weapon loadouts give new players an easier time to transition. I think Reach was probably better balanced at easing in new players while not pissing off pros or long-time fans. You know what? I actually like some progression system too, even if it's purely cosmetic when it comes to Reach. My IRL friends don't play Halo. I want something, even if it's a stupid different visor, to keep me motivated to play the game outside of the game mechanics themselves and challenges, which don't work if EXP isn't incorporated somehow. I played SP Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast for god know how many hours just because you could earn little unlocks like concept art. All unlock systems aren't really the work of satan.
The thing that annoys me sometimes about the Halo fanbase is the tree-house kind of mentality. Some people want nothing to change or let any “noobs” in their exclusive club, even if means limiting the growth of the player base. I'm not saying that's a bad thing either. I'm just saying if the game mechanics stayed exactly the same it might be hard for new players to enter the community when they are up against people who have been playing the same iteration of the game for a decade.

By all means I think they should bring back ranked playlists and pro playlists, so the diehards can go at it and get thier “pure” Halo experience. I just don't think 343 should be faulted for trying to grow the community to allow new players to get into the series. I used to think GoldenEye and Perfect Dark were the pinnacle of mp FPS back in the day, but I find them hardly playable or fun these days.

Change can be good, provided it's the right kind of change. I know people hate 4's personal ordinance drops, which is completely understandable. I'm not a fan myself. I never understood people's hate for AA in Reach, though. I have to stress I'm a casual player of Halo. I just don't have enough free time these days to sink hours and hours into it. I remember people bitching about armor lock, but I was as good as dead whenever I tried to use it. What I'm trying to say is the really good Halo players are still going to be good even if there are perks and personal ordinance. It's the same as how really good Lv. 1 CoD players are still going to win firefights against Lv. 70 players that suck even though they have all the unlocks and perks.

Also, I hear people bemoan the loss of firefight, but, am I crazy, or is Spartan Ops essentially firefight with objectives?

The thing I hate about Halo 4 the most is going into mp, doing really well, placing first a lot of times in matches and then going online and feeling like it's all worthless and doesn't mean anything because all the “true” Halo fans hate it and can't be bothered to lower themselves to play it or with common folk. Sorry for the long rant.

 

[NullPointer]

Also, I hear people bemoan the loss of firefight, but, am I crazy, or is Spartan Ops essentially firefight with objectives?

Its not ODST Firefight with limited lives and resupply and skulls to switch up gameplay, nor is it Reach Firefight with scoring, multiple gametypes (including solo) and a literal fuckton of customization options.

I'd compare it most to Terrorist Hunt in Rainbow Six, or Co-op Elimination in GRAW 1&2. In some ways its better than Firefight (custom loadouts, changing objectives that move players around the map), but it isn't very story based as the connection between the missions and the CGI cutscenes is almost non-existent.

As a co-op elimination mode its great, but could use scoring, leaderboards, scaling and skulls to give it more replayability.

 

[Striker]

even though i like halo 4, i would prefer if halo went back to how it was in 1, 2, 3

By that what do you mean? They were all fairly different, but closely similar because of equal starts in weapons, weapons scattered throughout the map, and no sprint. Movement was different despite no sprint, for instance Halo 1's jump height was quite low, and Halo 3's base speed being slow. Only wanted to get an idea what you, or some others in here, mean because just saying that without any explanation often just goes through one window and out the other. Similar games sure, but also quite different.

Reach is its own game because while it's similar to those past games in weapons on the map and like Halo 1, health packs, it still has something new in AA's and pre-set loadouts. Halo 4 is, on top of that, a brand new thing itself because it's not like those at all.

 

[CreateNowSleepLater]

What would you have changed from the pro playlist that was there on day 1?

To start? No Sprint and ranks. I mean they called it pro. I also would have limited it to one loadout. Pro to me is everyone has the same weapon start.

 

[Killer]

The most disappointing Halo by far. Boring campaign and codified multiplayer with shitty net code.

 

[CreateNowSleepLater]

I'm so going to get evicerated for this, but here goes. I'll be honest that I was really, really late to online multiplayer gaming even though I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 days. I think my first experience with competitive online MP was Unreal Tournament in college that the PC gamers next door in my quad installed on my school PC back then. Having never played a shooter with a mouse and keyboard before it was ugly. Fast forward to Halo 3 for the 360. This was my first console online shooter experience. Call it a bad first impression or that it was my first online shooter, but no matter how hard I tried to get better I felt like the MP was impenetrable. I felt like I was playing against MLG guys who knew respawn rates for power weapons down to the milisecond even in social, unranked playlists.

Now with Reach I actually started to get okay at Halo and had fun, but the whole power weapon memorization and camping thing was still there for casual players like myself.

Now, I'M NOT SAYING the CoD-ification in 4 is the solution or is better, but can you at least agree starting weapon loadouts give new players an easier time to transition. I think Reach was probably better balanced at easing in new players while not pissing off pros or long-time fans. You know what? I actually like some progression system too, even if it's purely cosmetic when it comes to Reach. My IRL friends don't play Halo. I want something, even if it's a stupid different visor, to keep me motivated to play the game outside of the game mechanics themselves and challenges, which don't work if EXP isn't incorporated somehow. I played SP Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast for god know how many hours just because you could earn little unlocks like concept art. All unlock systems aren't really the work of satan.
The thing that annoys me sometimes about the Halo fanbase is the tree-house kind of mentality. Some people want nothing to change or let any “noobs” in their exclusive club, even if means limiting the growth of the player base. I'm not saying that's a bad thing either. I'm just saying if the game mechanics stayed exactly the same it might be hard for new players to enter the community when they are up against people who have been playing the same iteration of the game for a decade.

By all means I think they should bring back ranked playlists and pro playlists, so the diehards can go at it and get thier “pure” Halo experience. I just don't think 343 should be faulted for trying to grow the community to allow new players to get into the series. I used to think GoldenEye and Perfect Dark were the pinnacle of mp FPS back in the day, but I find them hardly playable or fun these days.

Change can be good, provided it's the right kind of change. I know people hate 4's personal ordinance drops, which is completely understandable. I'm not a fan myself. I never understood people's hate for AA in Reach, though. I have to stress I'm a casual player of Halo. I just don't have enough free time these days to sink hours and hours into it. I remember people bitching about armor lock, but I was as good as dead whenever I tried to use it. What I'm trying to say is the really good Halo players are still going to be good even if there are perks and personal ordinance. It's the same as how really good Lv. 1 CoD players are still going to win firefights against Lv. 70 players that suck even though they have all the unlocks and perks.

Also, I hear people bemoan the loss of firefight, but, am I crazy, or is Spartan Ops essentially firefight with objectives?

The thing I hate about Halo 4 the most is going into mp, doing really well, placing first a lot of times in matches and then going online and feeling like it's all worthless and doesn't mean anything because all the “true” Halo fans hate it and can't be bothered to lower themselves to play it or with common folk. Sorry for the long rant.

Sounds like we have similar backgrounds when it comes to online gaming. I started with Unreal and Jedi Knight. The problem was not they tried a little change. The problem is they basically took everything from CoD. What was new in Halo 4 that came from Halo or an expansion of that sandbox? The maps had to be changed for Sprint and every game is basically filled with power weapons. You can't take it serious. If you tried to make a team fiesta, this is what it would look like pretty much.


Spartan Ops is ok but I would have like cutscenes between the chapters, you basically get the entire story before you even play the 5 chapters.

The Campaign was bad because:
1) You needed the terminal which were outside the game to understand the story
2) The levels were too linear and scripted, no exploration really
3) Doors shut behind you after entering
4) Forerunners were not interesting and basically bullet sponges
5)

Spoiler

The Didact could have been set up to be a great villain but you never even fight him, its a QTE ending which is nonsense. If they would have had it be the first of many battles it would have set things up better. Also, I dont know wtf they did with Cortana in the end but it was a little weird

 

[CreateNowSleepLater]

For MP:
1) Terrible netcode
2) Slow matchmaking
3) k/d does not matter
4) Poor maps
5) BTB maps lag like crazy
6) Splitscreen is unplayable

 

[nephilimdj]

i disagree, the campaign is boring and lacklustre, any genuinely interesting moments are cut short and not well realized (forest fog) and feel more like a "hey check this, k now do the same thing again".

Every fight feels the same, whether the covenant or the prometheans you approach the situation in the exact same way, and your weapon of choice never really changes. The levels are of the worst design in the series, and don't highlight any playstyles or interesting experiences. Theres a very small sense of "new" to them, even though this was their big opportunity to give players a chance to encounter a completely new enviroment, and I was more interested with exploring the first level of reach then any level in 4. There was very little challenge in any section of the game, and the vehicle sections in particular were just a breeze. They're tight, and many times graphical effects get in the way of the gameplay, very poor single player design imo.

Thats exactly how I describe ODST and people claim its the best game
was a horrid copy and paste fest, outside of a few moments.