Halo with someone other than the MC?

[Cheomesh]

I've brought this up before IRL, and I think a few times here.

I'm not a Halo "fanboy". I played #1 on PC, and I liked it. I don't have vista so I cannot play #2, and #3 is console only.

Since it's obvious they're going to be making another Halo game with MC eventually, I was wondering what you all would think of them making one with someone other than the MC?

Halo Wars aside, we really haven't gotten to see what's going on elsewhere. Since 99.9% of shooter players would rather play the "ultimate hero" type of character (and rightfully so), I was wondering if we have an opportunity to do a different sort of shooter, one where we're a hero, but not THE one and ONLY.

Episode 2 had me really thinking, since Dog was a hero several times during that episode alone, that maybe scripted sequences would be a great story-telling element.

When I play a game I play it mostly for story. Dubbed a "fringe gamer" by my local gamer people, I often have weird views on a game. I compare games to books, and as both are forms of entertainment, I hold them to similar standards.


Anyways, I was wondering what you guys would think about playing a Halo game as a Helljumper, or a standard Marine? The former would lend itself to more "objective" style of missions in the game, while the latter would require a "large" battlefield with many friendly and enemy AI's going at once.

For the former, it would be more interesting if you, the Helljumper, where not always "the one" to go and finish things, if they could script sequences with other members of the team, outside of cut scenes, accomplishing some task.

So what do you all think? Either one could take place during any stage of the war with the Covinent, or even in the Civil war that caused the Spartan II's to be created.

 

[mastapenguin]

Its bunch of good ideas, certainly. But I can't help but get the feeling that most of those ideas are already provided by the Call of Duty series. Hell, CoD4 has EXCELLENT examples of "objective based gameplay", where it is far more important to get things done than to kill the enemy soldiers.

Also, I don't know if the obvious gameplay changes would translate well for the fanbase. I mean, one would have to assume the marine would take less punishment than MC. And then there's the issue of health, and the possible reintroduction of health kits. I mean, Call of Duty always revolved around soldiers miraculously regaining health while not being shot at, but how do you justify that for Halo marines? There is a novel's worth of information behind MC's shield system, and how it allows him to take on armies single-handedly. It would cheapen the concept to give it to a random marine. And medkits do NOT apply to tactical gameplay involving cover etc. Think of it like this: Taking cover is encouraged by the fact that the enemy can kill you very, very quickly. However, if that were the case, then the player almost always finds himself behind a box with dangerously low health. If he is dependent on medkits lying in convenient places... then he's right and proper screwed.

Had an idea which could make it interesting though. Perhaps a pseudo-Rainbow Six team system could be made, with one of the members being a medic. Let him heal/revive members, and also give him limited self-healing. Thus, if another member gets hit, the medic would have to run over to get him healed. This creates tension when the medic is exposed to fire as well, and leads to some intense moments where the rest of the team covers him as he drags another member to safety. Then, we can have the other members equipped with the iconic Halo weapons, along with appropriate roles.

 

[Cheomesh]

Appropriate roles would be the major thing. One of my miffs at shooters is that your allies and the enemy rarely have a method to the madness in their weapons. That's a long and separate thing though.

As for us not being the MC, you're damn right we'll take far less punishment. If you look at the Marines they have some pretty durable looking armour on them, so hits on those locations would, depending on weapon, react differently. Once you die, perhaps you take over as another member of the team, a la Hidden and Dangerous minus the huge list of GAY that game had.

 

[Acepilotf14]

The problem is that we wouldn't be able to drive very well.

 

[AmishSlayer]

I'd like a game that follows one of the other spartan - Kelly came to mind. She's not a team leader, but she is in MC's team so it could have that Adrian Shephard/Barney effect of seeing the MAIN character in the game.

It'd be great to play "Fall of Reach" the game if you ask me. Much less "1 man against the world" crap and more amazing teamwork that gets the job done.