A small rant about Halo

[dream431ca]

Halo gets marketed very well by Microsoft. That's one of the reasons why it does so well. The hype of the game is ridiculous to the point of insanity. It's just a company trying to make loads of money by bringing up all the hype...either that or most of the Xbox 360 users have a very limited outlook on good FPS, but I think not. Besides, it's the multiplayer that sells Halo, not the story or the single player.

 

[Stigmata]

Halo gets marketed very well by Microsoft. That's one of the reasons why it does so well. The hype of the game is ridiculous to the point of insanity. It's just a company trying to make loads of money by bringing up all the hype...either that or most of the Xbox 360 users have a very limited outlook on good FPS, but I think not. Besides, it's the multiplayer that sells Halo, not the story or the single player.

This is pretty much true.

 

[Qonfused]

I had a chance to play Halo 3 the other day. Played it for ten minutes and got bored.

:\

 

[Kadayi]

I'm still reeling from the shock that stingy scoring console whores EDGE magazine gave it a 10.....I'd of said 8 or 9 tops.... :|

 

[Ridge]

Ive played Halo 2 all of once, at a LAN party the night it was released...I gotta say, it was fun...lots of shooting, explosions and even a couple games setup...

Ive also purchased a HALO-based novel, and found it a fantastic story I couldnt stop reading...I ended up reading it in a day and a half...

 

[Bad^Hat]

I'm still reeling from the shock that stingy scoring console whores EDGE magazine gave it a 10.....I'd of said 8 or 9 tops.... :|

Yeah, it really doesn't seem justified by Edge standards, as much as I like the game. You can't argue that it is a very complete package, and that they've gone all out to deliver on pretty much every level (maybe not graphics). However it doesn't up the ante in terms of gameplay enough to be credited as an outstanding game on it's own merit. I think of it more as a better, more complete iteration of the past games. It's an evolution of the series for sure, but outside of that it doesn't do much that's worthy of such high praise (besides maybe the new tools, but those exist outside of the core game, as innovative and tightly integrated as they are).

 

[ríomhaire]

Halo had a singleplayer with highpoints and lowpoints and a weapons system that worked well. The level design was so-so but the combat was excellent.

Halo 2 has a singleplayer with lowpoints and mediocre points and nerfed weapons with somewhat pointless additions (Except for the sword; I love the sword). It added two new enemy varieties, both of which I found annoying to fight. The level design was worse.

The multiplayer is fun for both games, if you?re with the person you?re playing.

 

[GreatEmperor]

How the fight unfolds also depends on your actions. There tends to be a great deal more variety to encounters in Halo than other fps.

The AI in Halo was terrible, it was among the worst i have seen in a recent game.

I just played Halo 2 and clearly remember a part where I was piloting one of those wraith tank things with the gun that you can fire and hopping into the gunner seat while another drove it, he was the sorriest driver i have ever seen, he was either stuck or strafing into a wall about to be stuck, i had to pilot the damn thing myself because i was getting battered by tanks.

This applies to enemies too especially when you get behind cover and they try to toss a grenade over the cover even if it is too tall, it bounces back on them and the only thing that saves them is how long it takes a plasma grenade to detonate.

This game was released the same year as Half Life 2 and was way worse in terms of AI and story, does not deserve close to the praise around

 

[Acepilotf14]

Halo and Halo 2 had great AI. Not revolutionary, but close to it. You jsut have to think.. Halo 1 was made in 2001... it had great AI. The story is rich and worth a lot if you read the books and study it. Just like to halflife 2 noobs, the story is insanely confusing. But anone who is a regular poster on this site should know most of the story, so it doesn't seem as confusing to us, nor can we remember how it felt not knowing what the story was, and just taking it for the gameplay. Saying things like that is no better than being a PS3 fanboy trying to mind-rape xbox fanboys. I used to be anti-halo, until I realized how fun it could be playing with friends. The story is rich and rewarding once you understand it, and I believe there is enough love in this world for both Halo AND Half-Life. [/rant] [P.S. , I've never seen any AI try to throw a grenade over cover and fail.]

 

[KagePrototype]

I love how MS's ad campaigns always seem more interesting than what actually happens in the game. You get really excited reading about the books and all the "expanded universe", only to play the game and have a game full of crap one-liners and silly caricatures thrown in your face.

 

[Ennui]

I'm still reeling from the shock that stingy scoring console whores EDGE magazine gave it a 10.....I'd of said 8 or 9 tops.... :|

Meaning the reviewer has a fatter wallet or is a halo fanboy or both

 

[Asknoone]

I love how MS's ad campaigns always seem more interesting than what actually happens in the game. You get really excited reading about the books and all the "expanded universe", only to play the game and have a game full of crap one-liners and silly caricatures thrown in your face.

EARTH WILL NEVER. EVER. CROSS MY HEART HOPE TO DIE. BE THE SAME.

No wait thats after the Covenant invade Earth by accident - a fleet of 3 ships!

"lol shit guys what's this place...oh boy oh boy human homeworld lol."

There's really no denying that the Halo 2 ads were a pile of ****ing shite.

 

[Warbie]

The AI in Halo was terrible, it was among the worst i have seen in a recent game.

I just played Halo 2 and clearly remember a part where I was piloting one of those wraith tank things with the gun that you can fire and hopping into the gunner seat while another drove it, he was the sorriest driver i have ever seen, he was either stuck or strafing into a wall about to be stuck, i had to pilot the damn thing myself because i was getting battered by tanks.

This applies to enemies too especially when you get behind cover and they try to toss a grenade over the cover even if it is too tall, it bounces back on them and the only thing that saves them is how long it takes a plasma grenade to detonate.

This game was released the same year as Half Life 2 and was way worse in terms of AI and story, does not deserve close to the praise around

Nitpicking a little?

I admit the driving AI is crap (that's what co-op is for ), but how many free roaming fps have you played in which they do a decent job? (perhaps Flashpoint, but that's because the game is so barren there's nothing to crash into!). It is far more complex than the scripted driving you see in pretty much all other games, or even something like GTA, which has roads cutting obvious paths for the AI to follow. The grenade example is also being very picky - they miss threw a grenade and ran away as it bounced back. Sounds quite good to me (and better than the knuckle-dragging combine who couldn't hit the side of an elephant, rarely do anything remotly interesting and let you shoot the crap out of them. It's a wonder they manage to get their boots on the right feet)

On the whole, the AI in the Halo games is excellent. The enemy types behave differently, they flank, retreat, attack head on, and hold their ground. There's a to-and-fro to encounters almost unique to the series, which, when coupled how lethal the enemy are, helps create such a compelling experience. Last night I was trapped behind a rock in the first level of Halo 3 - grunts and brutes all around, grenades and lazers flying everywhere - and the sense of being pegged down and inches from death was awesome. I just don't get this in other games as the AI are usually so predictbale and/or easy to exploit. In the end grunts flanked me from both sides and, as I ran to new cover, a brute jumped on me.

 

[Bob_Marley]

I wouldn't say that the Halo AI is bad as such, but it was definetly predictable.

If they're behind cover and your throw a grenade at them they will either sit on it (though that is rare) or break to the side. They never back pedaled, keeping the cover between you and them while getting out of the blast radius (which was really easy, as the radius is tiny, just like in every other game). I never saw them retreat, run away in abject fear after I blew the leaders brains out (not that they necisarily ran away they just seemed to throw their arms in the air and run in a random direction. It is, to say the least, odd to see a grunt run directly toward you in such a situation), but thats what I call a rout, not a retreat.

Grunts hang back, then leg it when the elite/lead grunt gets shot, elites just charge straight at you 80% of the time, hang back with the grunts 15% of the time or step 3 feet to the left (I suppose thats what you call flanking, but they stay so close to the centre they many just as well charge straight at you) 5% of the time. Jackals hang back and to the side and don't run as often as grunts and Hunters just come straight at you, foregoing their high power long range weapon and insanely heavy frontal armor to make defeating them simply a matter of doing a side step and shooting them in the back.

When they have support they don't use it. For example, say there are 2 squads of covenant with wraith in support. Now, the sesible thing to do would be hang back lay down some heavy fire, force you into cover and then drop a massive plasma charge on your head. Do they? No! the squads either come striaght at you or just ignore you (seriously, they do have a habit of paying absoutley no attention until you fire on them. Shoot their mates 50 yards away and they couldn't care less) and the wraith just floats about firing seemingly at random.

Oh and the air support. In Halo the covenant have total air superiority, do they use it? No. You rarely, if ever, see Banshees working with ground troops and if you they don't seem to be coordinated. Evidently CAS isn't part of Covenant doctrine.

Admitedley, I played Halo on the PC which may have spoiled it somewhat (pistol + rock = jack-in-the-box ownage) and it felt all too easy to simply slot the leader then shoot all the others in the back. But still, they only use very basic tactics with a very minimum of variation in them which made them very easy to deal with once you'd worked it out.

Maybe if you have the lack of swift precision in aiming that a mouse gives it might be more of a challenge. Mind you, at least they shoot relativly stright (well, except the marines, but thats not their fault) unlike the the HL2 bad guys. Overall, I'd rate them roughly equal to the HECU Marines in HL1 as they're about as predictable but have a bit less variation but with the ability to fire on the move.

 

[Asknoone]

HL1 marines have pretty crap AI. I'm pretty sure Halo AI is rather better.

 

[Warbie]

Things have moved on somewhat in Halo 3 - there is more flanking (and leaping/jetpacking right over your cover and landing behind you!) and variety. I found some of the more open levels in Halo to be more involved than you suggest, Bob, although you're pretty accurate about the more closed areas - which pretty much limits any AI. The difference with the marines in HL is that the Covernant kick ass on Legendary and on some of the open maps they all came towards you on mass. I spent many an hour hiding in buildings or behind rocks as groups of elites continued to press forward (perhaps it only seemed like flanking as you're always on the move), forcing you to move from cover to cover, with grunts trailing and fanning out behind. I also remember elites retreating to cover to recharge their shields.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Nitpicking a little?

I admit the driving AI is crap (that's what co-op is for ), but how many free roaming fps have you played in which they do a decent job? (perhaps Flashpoint, but that's because the game is so barren there's nothing to crash into!). It is far more complex than the scripted driving you see in pretty much all other games, or even something like GTA, which has roads cutting obvious paths for the AI to follow. The grenade example is also being very picky - they miss threw a grenade and ran away as it bounced back. Sounds quite good to me (and better than the knuckle-dragging combine who couldn't hit the side of an elephant, rarely do anything remotly interesting and let you shoot the crap out of them. It's a wonder they manage to get their boots on the right feet)

On the whole, the AI in the Halo games is excellent. The enemy types behave differently, they flank, retreat, attack head on, and hold their ground. There's a to-and-fro to encounters almost unique to the series, which, when coupled how lethal the enemy are, helps create such a compelling experience. Last night I was trapped behind a rock in the first level of Halo 3 - grunts and brutes all around, grenades and lazers flying everywhere - and the sense of being pegged down and inches from death was awesome. I just don't get this in other games as the AI are usually so predictbale and/or easy to exploit. In the end grunts flanked me from both sides and, as I ran to new cover, a brute jumped on me.

Driving aside, that vehicle AI was bad, Ghosts did retard circles and i could usually just hijack their shit. The scenery in Halo is pretty devoid of obstacles, and debris. The entire game could be on tracks. But the enemy AI i have yet to see flank me. They run into weapon range, throw a grenade occasionally, and sidestep a lot, usually it is you that have duck behind cover and let their shields recharge, giving it the appearance of back and forth. You are usually inches from death because the health is so low and getting hit usually takes it right apart. I especially hate the new enemies who are just banal, the flying ones almost seem to squad attack you but they do not deal with ground obstacles and have that same bizarre accuracy. The Brutes were so noisome they just run up to you and do that ram attack, ceasing their pointless attempts to flank and predict movements.

HL2 AI was great but the health was way too low and they did get halted by bullets and then went down with sustained fire. It is way better to go after.

I was wondering, I thought the Brutes were the large shielded things that took so long to take down and rammed you with the huge shield, but then I saw them help those shielded ones during the fight so what were they doing in the first game or does it say

 

[TheDude]

Driving aside, that vehicle AI was bad, Ghosts did retard circles and i could usually just hijack their shit. The scenery in Halo is pretty devoid of obstacles, and debris. The entire game could be on tracks. But the enemy AI i have yet to see flank me. They run into weapon range, throw a grenade occasionally, and sidestep a lot, usually it is you that have duck behind cover and let their shields recharge, giving it the appearance of back and forth. You are usually inches from death because the health is so low and getting hit usually takes it right apart. I especially hate the new enemies who are just banal, the flying ones almost seem to squad attack you but they do not deal with ground obstacles and have that same bizarre accuracy. The Brutes were so noisome they just run up to you and do that ram attack, ceasing their pointless attempts to flank and predict movements.

HL2 AI was great but the health was way too low and they did get halted by bullets and then went down with sustained fire. It is way better to go after

I had more fun battling the AI in halo than in half life 2. It seemed much more tactical.

 

[giant384]

I was wondering, I thought the Brutes were the large shielded things that took so long to take down and rammed you with the huge shield, but then I saw them help those shielded ones during the fight so what were they doing in the first game or does it say

Those are Hunters

 

[smwScott]

I agree completely with the original poster. Halo is a good game, not a great or particularly special one. The original came around as the only worthwhile game on X-BOX and gained a lot of attention and fame for that. The second was so successful because it was the sequel to that game and one of the only good X-BOX Live games available. The plots are hackneyed and dumb, the writing is awful, "Where should I tell the soldiers we are going ..." (dramatic pause) "To War." The gameplay is repetitive and not particularly amazing. It just isn't that great. If Halo was released for PS2 or PC it would've been relegated to the list of other decent FPS series, taking up a similar position to Far Cry I'd bet.

I do think that Resistance is a better game. It has better gameplay, more interesting levels, more varied weapons, and a better storyline than Halo 3. It even has better graphics. The only area that it isn't better is in the online mode and replay value. But overall it's a better game. So is Half-Life 2, Timesplitters 2-3, and probably Haze when it comes out. Halo just got lucky and hit a nice little sweet spot.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Resistance was awesome and original, dark and engrossing. It exceeds Halo in every way and should be considered the great game for the PS3. I played that game many times and never approached an area the same way, and the original weapons were just a plus that showed how varied the battles went on

 

[GreatEmperor]

Those are Hunters

I meant what species are they, they are clearly following the Elites but they look like Brutes and what do the Brutes do if they are not those.

Acepilotf14
Halo and Halo 2 had great AI. Not revolutionary, but close to it. You jsut have to think.. Halo 1 was made in 2001... it had great AI. The story is rich and worth a lot if you read the books and study it. Just like to halflife 2 noobs, the story is insanely confusing. But anone who is a regular poster on this site should know most of the story, so it doesn't seem as confusing to us, nor can we remember how it felt not knowing what the story was, and just taking it for the gameplay. Saying things like that is no better than being a PS3 fanboy trying to mind-rape xbox fanboys. I used to be anti-halo, until I realized how fun it could be playing with friends. The story is rich and rewarding once you understand it, and I believe there is enough love in this world for both Halo AND Half-Life. [/rant] [P.S. , I've never seen any AI try to throw a grenade over cover and fail.]

There was nothing complicated about the plot, I could watch a dozen episodes of a pop scifi series and design half of that game. Enemy design was lackluster and hackneyed with every cliche I could find.Going through the AI, I am more talking about Halo 2 which was very similar in AI which is bad, but the first two certainly do not have at all good AI, I have not played 3. The story is more a soap opera now but the original was interesting. This is not about PS3 and 360 and I do not really want to discuss it.

There are not a lot of barricades they cannot throw over, it is mostly railings and bumps. I have many other scenarios I found

 

[Warbie]

Come on guys, seriously. RFOM is a fun gun, but there is absolutely no depth whatsoever to the combat and the gamepay is so simple in comparison in every possible way. The weapons remind me a little of those in Turok - not so much in style/use, but in that they look good, are inventive, fun to use, but really have little impact on gameplay - which is as generic as fps get. Even on the harder settings the game bored me. Too predictable and samey.

I guess we'll have to chalk this one down to differing tastes, but how anyone can prefer Resistance is totally beyond me.

 

[Cormeh]

I have absolutely no idea on why people insist on reiterating the obvious point about Halo being overrated and overly-hyped.

Am I the only person that doesn't give a shit about this sort of stuff? My history of the Halo series was picking up the original from a pre-owned shelf for about ?5, then progressing to Halo 2 for ?10 pre-owned. I thought the first one was a blast and the second one was poor. That was barely a year ago with not being swept up in all of the hype.

For the love o' the wee man, why must we compare it to every other FPS game we perceive to be better? That's not going to cement Halo's reputation as overrated, poorly developed or just plain shit. Far from it. This discussion (or rather, this bickering) has been done to death and I for one think it's time for it to die.

Halo and the subsequent media machine that comes along with it is what really seems to piss off the general gaming community. I honestly can't blame them. However, I believe it's merely that all of this exposure (TV, radio etc) sours people from the series. They merely hate it for the sake of hating it and stubbornly refuse to like it, even if they pick up a controller their attitude is negative from the get-go.

Anyway, enough ranting from me. If you genuinely despise Halo and its sequels, GO NOW and pre-order the orange box. If TF2 doesn't cheer you up then I have no idea what your problem is.

 

[Bad^Hat]

I could see how the media hype would sour alot of people's opinions on the game (even though I don't deny there are legitimite reasons for disliking it).

I still enjoy the game, but every time I hear "finish the fight" I want to vomit -_-

 

[smwScott]

Come on guys, seriously. RFOM is a fun gun, but there is absolutely no depth whatsoever to the combat and the gamepay is so simple in comparison in every possible way. The weapons remind me a little of those in Turok - not so much in style/use, but in that they look good, are inventive, fun to use, but really have little impact on gameplay - which is as generic as fps get. Even on the harder settings the game bored me. Too predictable and samey.

I guess we'll have to chalk this one down to differing tastes, but how anyone can prefer Resistance is totally beyond me.

I guess it does just come down to a difference in taste. It just seems to me that your arguments against RFOM apply more to Halo than any other game. I mean the combat is ridiculously simple and repetitive by design. It's the same "10 seconds of fun" over and over. You run into a set piece, kill all the enemies that spawned .... run forward and do it again. Throw in gratuitous backtracking (not so bad in Halo 3) and excessive re-using of art assets and you get a very monotonous game. Keep in mind I like the game quite a bit, I'm just being harsher than I normally would because it's so obscenely overrated.

However Resistance is actually a game that's very underrated in my opinion. The combat, level design, and story far surpass Halo. There's a wider variety of enemies and the wide variety of very unique weapons drastically change how you approach situations (both in how you and your enemies use them). It's similar to Bioshock in the sense that two people with different playstyles can approach situations in entirely different ways, although Bioshock is far better and deeper. The only area that Halo really beats Resistance in the singleplayer is in its' use of vehicles in my opinion.

My point isn't to rag on Halo, which is a perfectly serviceable, above average series. My point is that it isn't even remotely special or great, and gets far more hype than it deserves due solely to an effective marketing campaign and wide appeal to non-gamers.

 

[Krynn72]

Simplicity of halo + massive marketing movement = huge hype up for a large audience of casual gamers.

 

[Warbie]

It just seems to me that your arguments against RFOM apply more to Halo than any other game.

That's what baffles me too - how people can come away from the same games with completely different experiences.

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

I played a split screen 1 vs. 1 with my cousin yesterday and to be quite honest, I wasn't impressed at all. The graphics are good but nothing to drool about.

Gameplay wise, I got bored within' the first hour. All in all, fairly boring experience.
This was just a minor 1 vs. 1 mind you, not single player.

 

[Fliko]

Simplicity of halo + massive marketing movement = huge hype up for a large audience of casual gamers.

The Simplicity is GREAT! It allows you to take the game into your own hands and forge situations.
People are are like "OMG IT'S A SIMPLE GAME WITH SIMPLE TACTICS OMG OMG IT SUCKS ASS!"
Stop being such a ****ing elitest.

THE SIMPLE GAMEPLAY is what MAKES Halo, and it is what MAKES it fun.

It's like a movie; Transformers ****ing rocked, but it was so simple, and just a bunch of stuff blowing up. Same idea for Halo.

The COMBAT is AMAZING. Okay, it blows Half-Life 2 out of the water, it blows Bioshock out of the water in terms of combat (And in FPSes, you tend to be doing combat a lot of the time.) Half-Life 2 and Bioshock combat was horribly repetive and ****ing boring, it was the story that drove those games, and it's the combat that drives Halo.

The Combine in Half-Life 2? Man, don't even get me started. They just kinda stand there, shoot at you and say some radio commands which will trigger more guys to come around the corner and shoot at you. MAYBE, they'll throw a grenade at you, that never happened to me much. Anything else is pretty much scripted.

The grunts in Halo? Oh man, they're awesome, I come sneaking around the corner, surprise some of those buggers and they run away screaming over to the elites. It really feels like I'm playing against an enemy who feels FEAR.

The AI in Halo is amazing, don't use your brain while playing Halo. Just let go of it all, and go around guns-a-blazing, and it'll be fun. The way the AI responds just feels so real. Why? Because the AI has emotion.

And for the record Halo 2 sucked balls compared to Halo. Halo was, and always will be a great game.

 

[Asknoone]

I lost brain cells.

 

[Qonfused]

You're not the only one, Samon.

 

[Acepilotf14]

I agree with Fliko.
You're just mad because he's right, Samon.

 

[Fliko]

I lost brain cells.

You're not the only one, Samon.

Haha, glad I can help ;P

 

[Sparta]

I agree with Fliko.
You're just mad because he's right, Samon.

I like arguments like these. Because they're logical arguments, with plenty of evidence to support them.

Right?

 

[Acepilotf14]

How can all that marketing be wrong?!

Hah, just kidding. I'm still playing Halo 3, because that thrill of rushing into a group of grunts/brutes with two smgs is just a thrill...
One I will most likely die from. But, yes.. there are different ways to play it, depending on your preference in weapons. Albeit, some multiplayer matchmaking games can be a load of shit, like when your entire team leaves... like what happened to me. It sucked. Me vs 4 guys. I lost... Got a few kills though. I went out honourably.

 

[Asknoone]

I agree with Fliko.
You're just mad because he's right, Samon.

Save yourself from the stupid.

 

[Acepilotf14]

I was expecting siggable material.
You dissapoint me, Samon.

 

[Asknoone]

Well then, I'm sorry I was a letdown.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

The Halo series is not and never will be what Samon or the OP (or myself) want. It's a matter of opinion, Half-Life 2 and Halo 3 aren't even of the same genre.