I just don't 'get' Halo...

Nitefly

Nitefly

Nitefly

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Now, clearly my tastes are not always the mainstream going by my recent Donkey Kong Country thread, but I have a bone to pick with Halo. My housemates play Halo 3 a lot. Yet, whilst loving a good old multiplayer-fest, Halo just doesn't excite me. At all. It isn't even fun to watch people play.

In all fairness, I'm much more of a Team Fortress Classic / Unreal kind of man myself, but there is something about Halo that isn't quite right. It just feels and looks so souless. As in there is no real warmth or character to the game. Like it's an empty shell just waiting to be filled with something excellent.

The single player game (admittedly Halo 1 + 2), when I played it, consisted mainly of just going to a 'camp', killing a handful of enermies, and progressing to the next. It was just so damn linear. I mean, I compare something like Halo to Half-life (EDIT - see post 11) and I'm just sat there thinking 'really? really?'

The multiplayer is equally dross. All it seems to be, at the basic level, is that you run towards each other and go for a beat down. That's it. Run and beat down. It's just, so damn slow and dull. I guess the whole 'souless' vibe isn't helped with the 'red' and 'blue' team colours which feel bland and uninspired.

I guess I just don't get halo. My housemates swear that it's a great game and that I'm the minority... do I really just have a poor taste in games or does anyone else think the halo games are, well, bad?

EDIT - I guess Halo isn't 'bad', it's just bland. Bland is the word I was searching for.
 
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Shamikebab said:
How is Half Life not linear exactly :confused:
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Well, linear was perhaps not the best word, but I meant there was a sense of exploration and the gameplay / goals were ever-changing with each chapter.

Halo is, at least from my own experiences, kill an enemy mini-base, move on, kill the next enemy mini-base, move on...
 
You're not alone mate, I feel exactly the same way about Halo. I honestly have no idea why it has always been so hyped. It seems like a slightly better 'normal' FPS game. There's nothing in it that has ever really impressed me.
 
Halo is good because it was really the first FPS done right on a console. Its also the sole reason xbox live is so popular.
 
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I've not played HL1, but I'd take original Xbox Halo over Half Life 2. The big issue with Half Life was that after the outstanding intro... there was nothing there! It was an A to B romp between sets of people who would point you in the direction of the next checkpoint. The only thing that differed was the scenery. Like Outrun with bullets.

I got halfway through and just stopped playing as I picked up Day Of Defeat instead.

The big advantage of Halo was that it painted quite an epic cinematic space opera. You actually feel like you are part of something, progressing towards an end, an emotional attachment. I once read about HL2 that the "story is there if you want it"... I did, and it wasn't there. I read about it on Wiki pages and the entire thing sounds fascinating, I just wish it translated to the game.

I was really disappointed with it.

Not played Halo 3 but I really liked Halo 2's perspective switch as playing the side of the "enemy"... giving them more than the 2D "they are the agressive aliens and you must destroy".

I really like that in games. Like in Soul Reaver 2 where you start to question whether or not the good and bad figures from the previous game are actually just that.

Things have moved on a bit for me, I'd say Bioshock is now my benchmark shooter. Not felt so caught up in an FPS like that since Halo. Stuff like FEAR2 (horrible) etc just didn't grab me, Killzone 2 is so so in SP (but excellent in MP). I think Halo is just a testament to when things go right.

Really well designed maps and objective play in MP too, the kind of stuff I wish was transferred to COD4 (which feels like a glorified deathmatch, regardless of objective type).
 
Nitefly said:
Well, linear was perhaps not the best word, but I meant there was a sense of exploration and the gameplay / goals were ever-changing with each chapter.

Halo is, at least from my own experiences, kill an enemy mini-base, move on, kill the next enemy mini-base, move on...
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I can see where you are coming from but I would aim the exact same statement at Half Life (should state now that I love both series)

I think the great thing about Halo is you can get as 'in' to it as you want, you can play it as a no-nonsense shooter and pretty much ignore the plot or you can really pay attention to the plot and get into the universe with the books and stuff.
 
I think I've tripped myself up with the Half-Life comment, so from now on I suggest people just ignore the comparison I made, as it was somewhat flawed.

Perhaps a better comparison would be something like Goldeneye, which had different mission objectives on each level to keep you interested that made you change your approach to playing the game. Granted, I assume that does happen once you get more into Halo, but my point about Halo being repetitive still stands.
 
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Widge said:
I've not played HL1, but I'd take original Xbox Halo over Half Life 2. The big issue with Half Life was that after the outstanding intro... there was nothing there! It was an A to B romp between sets of people who would point you in the direction of the next checkpoint. The only thing that differed was the scenery. Like Outrun with bullets.
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Thats why Half Life is so great. It doesn't feed you the story like other games. You are missing out.
 
Robert1986 said:
Thats why Half Life is so great. It doesn't feed you the story like other games. You are missing out.
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Mmm, I actually quite liked that about Half Life too. It made you feel as if you were Gordon Freeman - just an ordinary guy having a very bad and confusing day.
 
I really like the halo game as there doesn't seem any too overpowered weapons (there are a few underpowered ones mind), vehicles are great fun to drive, it's great fun online and you can tell the developers really do support the game.
 
The first Halo was great on the xbox, finally an FPS that had a decent story, controlled well and had a very good atmosphere. The co-op mode was fantastic too. It was THE console shooter.

Number 2 had an amazing multiplayer. Again, it was pretty much a console first for the sleekness and balance of the game. The single player, what I saw of it, wasn't as engaging as the first to be honest.

I think this is where most of it's reputation comes from, it usually pushes things forward. However, no. 3's multiplayer wasn't different enough for me and the single player was only OK. It just didn't push any new envelopes.

So the series has gone a bit downhill IMO so judging the series on 3 is a bit harsh and you have to think back to when it was pushing the boundaries to respect it.
 
Oo, forgot about Perfect Dark. It was great, but I think the N64's power let it down a bit. The controller wasn't great and the game slowed to a crawl when any action kicked off. Which is a shame since it really was a good game.

Spent a LOT of time playing bot matches with a mate on that! = D (slowmo crossbow kills = ace)
 
Zensuji said:
Golden Eye? Perfect dark? show the love :)
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The dual analogue sticks is what Halo really used to its advantage.

The n64 games were great but they weren't quiet there in how they controlled. I'd still take Goldeneye over Halo any day of the week though. It was the first game I got with my N64. :)
 
LostPhil said:
Oo, forgot about Perfect Dark. It was great, but I think the N64's power let it down a bit. The controller wasn't great and the game slowed to a crawl when any action kicked off. Which is a shame since it really was a good game.

Spent a LOT of time playing bot matches with a mate on that! = D (slowmo crossbow kills = ace)
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IMO Perfect Dark was really let down by its framerate, it felt far clumsier than Goldeneye. The multiplayer was excellent, however.
 
Goldeneye was the game that first taught me to camp lol i would just get those motion detecting mines you could stick on the walls and make little traps (yes, i was sad like that).
 
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