The story... really wasn't that great, but it was far from bad. Most of your other points are merely nit-picks.
Halo 4 is an abomination
- Thread starter Innocent Flower
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nice to see some non DmC related bitching for a change.
though word of advice, using terms like 'pure educated opinion' and a review score with less worth then the ant you stepped on earlier, doesn't really lend credit to your argument
though word of advice, using terms like 'pure educated opinion' and a review score with less worth then the ant you stepped on earlier, doesn't really lend credit to your argument
The super cult that FPS games in general have become is an abomination. Seems like every new I.P has to be a shooter.
Well despite the trouble I had understanding the OP....
I agree - the game is complete shit. Finished it in 3 hours (legendary) and just sat there thinking "thank god that crap's over, anyway back to far cry..."
The whole game felt pointless and moved too fast. I get that it was a desperate OMG CORTANA'S CR4ZY race to save his friend but the result was a spiral of "why am I doing this?"
WAKE UP KILL KILL KILL
FAAAAAAAALLLIING
OH LOOK A SHINY RELIC CHIEF NO LIKE SHINY RELICS KABOOM!! game over.
Also, replacing Firefight with copy/paste recycled maps of full dumbshit enemies or "sparton blops" as 343 calls it was a terrible idea. And you need a gold subscription just to PLAY that trash!!?? Getting ahead of yourselves 343.
Not to mention the blatant CoD rips in the form of more loadouts than you could even possibly need and care package drops.
I would say change was not for the better in the case of h4. Just can't dig it.
I agree - the game is complete shit. Finished it in 3 hours (legendary) and just sat there thinking "thank god that crap's over, anyway back to far cry..."
The whole game felt pointless and moved too fast. I get that it was a desperate OMG CORTANA'S CR4ZY race to save his friend but the result was a spiral of "why am I doing this?"
WAKE UP KILL KILL KILL
FAAAAAAAALLLIING
OH LOOK A SHINY RELIC CHIEF NO LIKE SHINY RELICS KABOOM!! game over.
Also, replacing Firefight with copy/paste recycled maps of full dumbshit enemies or "sparton blops" as 343 calls it was a terrible idea. And you need a gold subscription just to PLAY that trash!!?? Getting ahead of yourselves 343.
Not to mention the blatant CoD rips in the form of more loadouts than you could even possibly need and care package drops.
I would say change was not for the better in the case of h4. Just can't dig it.
I agree with this SO HARD.Vrex360 said:
Seriously 343, I get that if I don't have a gold account, I can't play with other people over Xbox but to take away Spartan Ops entirely?! And if I simply want to play split-screen Spartan Ops with my sister why does she need gold too?!
Fuming aside, I really like the game, what little I can play of it anyway.
Seems to me like someone needs a couple of cookies, a glass of milk, and a hug from a loved one. I think if we all had that on a regular basis, then a lot of this "I'm gonna deuce on your hobbies" stuff will go away.
I liked Halo 4. Not the best in the series (I still feel that Halo is the best) but it was certainly a worthy successor. I'm just glad John and Cortana aren't going to spend the rest of their lives floating out in space. I'm looking forward to seeing how things go in Halo 5 and 6. After that though, I would prefer the series be properly put to rest.
Nice rant you've got there, friend!
For me, Halo 4 was a bit disappointing but it's still okay. One thing that I kept noticing was how much less metal Chief had on his armor and more of that black rubber connecting bits. I just couldn't stop noticing it...
For me, Halo 4 was a bit disappointing but it's still okay. One thing that I kept noticing was how much less metal Chief had on his armor and more of that black rubber connecting bits. I just couldn't stop noticing it...
Should have changed the title to "Halo 4 looks like an abomination" since this is mostly just one giant rant about the aesthetics and is pretty vague about the other stuff.
I will admit I still think the previous aesthetics for Halo were better (at least for the Spartan armors), though that may be just because after a decade it can be hard to accept a new aesthetic. I will admit the spartan armor designs look more futuristic and remind me a little bit of Crysis. Supposedly after the human covenant war, the humans began to incorporate forerunner technology with their own technology, hence the more futuristic look.
I don't think the Covenant look radically different. Vehicles look the same. Jackals and Hunter are exactly the same, and grunts just have a different breathing mask. The Elites now seem to wear less armor (particularly around the arms and legs)and the helmet is a slightly different shape but nothing radically different. Overall, the Elites look a bit more "rag tag" than before, but it makes sense since this not the well organized Covenant military you fought in the previous installments and are more akin to nomads and/or scavengers. Without their armor the elites look pretty much the same.
Despite my preference for the older Halo aesthetics, I still like the new aesthetics and have no major issues with them.
Your comments about the Forerunner environments is puzzling since in my opinion they always looked like that in the previous games. I'm also confused about your comment about the Covenant's motivation in the second paragraph.
As for you issue with the Spartan armor in the opening cinema...to be honest I think it's trivial. Aesthetic retcons, as I like to call them, bother me very little unless its a major departure from the original design or there was something about how the original design looked that was essential to the plot and/or theme of the game. If I remember correctly battle rifles first appeared in Halo 2, but then appeared in Halo Wars which was set before the events of Halo 1 and 2.
Gameplay wise
The only major change to the gameplay in my opinion is the fact that sprint is now always on which increases the speed of the gameplay. Overall I'm still on the fence about his change. Loadouts aren't a bother to me since they were in Reach (granted they were predetermined). Ordnance drops are similar to kill streaks, but unlike in COD the weapons available to choose from are random and you don't need to get kills since anything that grants you points contributes to the ordnance drop. I do however wish that they added something like a classic Halo multiplayer mode were all the weapons are scattered across the map and everyone started with the same weapons, but its not a major issue for me. While Spartan Ops does reuse levels from the campaign, but it seems the newer episodes (starting with episode 6) use new levels. I don't know much about Forge since I never used it much before, but custom games are available. I will admit that cutting out firefight was bullshit.
Overall I had and still have a lot of fun with Halo 4 and I look forward to the next installment.
I will admit I still think the previous aesthetics for Halo were better (at least for the Spartan armors), though that may be just because after a decade it can be hard to accept a new aesthetic. I will admit the spartan armor designs look more futuristic and remind me a little bit of Crysis. Supposedly after the human covenant war, the humans began to incorporate forerunner technology with their own technology, hence the more futuristic look.
I don't think the Covenant look radically different. Vehicles look the same. Jackals and Hunter are exactly the same, and grunts just have a different breathing mask. The Elites now seem to wear less armor (particularly around the arms and legs)and the helmet is a slightly different shape but nothing radically different. Overall, the Elites look a bit more "rag tag" than before, but it makes sense since this not the well organized Covenant military you fought in the previous installments and are more akin to nomads and/or scavengers. Without their armor the elites look pretty much the same.
Despite my preference for the older Halo aesthetics, I still like the new aesthetics and have no major issues with them.
Your comments about the Forerunner environments is puzzling since in my opinion they always looked like that in the previous games. I'm also confused about your comment about the Covenant's motivation in the second paragraph.
As for you issue with the Spartan armor in the opening cinema...to be honest I think it's trivial. Aesthetic retcons, as I like to call them, bother me very little unless its a major departure from the original design or there was something about how the original design looked that was essential to the plot and/or theme of the game. If I remember correctly battle rifles first appeared in Halo 2, but then appeared in Halo Wars which was set before the events of Halo 1 and 2.
Gameplay wise
The only major change to the gameplay in my opinion is the fact that sprint is now always on which increases the speed of the gameplay. Overall I'm still on the fence about his change. Loadouts aren't a bother to me since they were in Reach (granted they were predetermined). Ordnance drops are similar to kill streaks, but unlike in COD the weapons available to choose from are random and you don't need to get kills since anything that grants you points contributes to the ordnance drop. I do however wish that they added something like a classic Halo multiplayer mode were all the weapons are scattered across the map and everyone started with the same weapons, but its not a major issue for me. While Spartan Ops does reuse levels from the campaign, but it seems the newer episodes (starting with episode 6) use new levels. I don't know much about Forge since I never used it much before, but custom games are available. I will admit that cutting out firefight was bullshit.
Overall I had and still have a lot of fun with Halo 4 and I look forward to the next installment.
Oh Vrew360, it wouldn't be a Halo 4 thread without you bringing up Halo 4's lack of Elites.Vrex360 said:
I don't know I think that the Halos aliens were all stupid minus the Brutes ironically. All of the Elites wearing neon colors and then the midget guys who scream like muppets. How does one take an army seriously when they're composed of all that stuff?
I haven't played a Halo since 2, after that I had skipped 3 and the releases after, didn't think they were worth the new price ...then my 360 died for the billionth time so I never got a chance to play ODST and the like
I haven't played a Halo since 2, after that I had skipped 3 and the releases after, didn't think they were worth the new price ...then my 360 died for the billionth time so I never got a chance to play ODST and the like
Didn't get Halo 4 ,don't intend to.Halo was the first science fiction universe I personally really got into and I would rather remember it well with Halo 3 being the last canon Halo. Everything was resolved,the flood was dead, the Covenant was scattered and John went off a hero,as we all know,spartans never die.Then they just had to pull a "but wait there's more!".Was that really necessary?The multi player looks good ,but I just don't like the canon.Halo is by no means a stellar sci-fi universe but it still is one I like and would like to respect.
Well, I thought the story was fantastic. the only downside to the singleplayer was how monotonous it felt still pushing buttons, walking forward and shooting right up 'till the end, and how short it felt after I finished.
Disc 1 was good IMO, short and sweet. Not worth the £40 I paid for it on its own, however.
Disc 2, with custom games, Spartan Ops, Forge and War Games, is nothing short of disappointing. Water-down features, unnecessary safety nets in forge, bland gameplay - and in War Games' situation, a wholly disgusting abomination. They have spoiled the Halo multiplayer experience, and it's not a hard one to get right either; a methodical and balanced FPS. NOPE! 343 had to bowl that down shit-street, didn't they? Now it's campers galore and skill-less, uncompetitive and generally unappealing piece of fan-insulting shit.
I've played Halo religiously for nearly 6 years and I've thoroughly enjoyed each and every title. I'm more-than competent but by no means Pro, and I've play with many different people over the years whose skills have ranged from "MLG-like" to "can't move and shoot at once"; I've only played Halo 4 twice in the past 2 months because it's so damn awful. It seems to me that my friends and I, and a whole load of other people who have been following the series simply aren't the target audience anymore. Apparently if you desire fair, fun, competitive, varied, team-focused, tactical, skill demanding, intelligent and generally balanced multiplayer - Halo 4 is not for you.
Disc 1 was good IMO, short and sweet. Not worth the £40 I paid for it on its own, however.
Disc 2, with custom games, Spartan Ops, Forge and War Games, is nothing short of disappointing. Water-down features, unnecessary safety nets in forge, bland gameplay - and in War Games' situation, a wholly disgusting abomination. They have spoiled the Halo multiplayer experience, and it's not a hard one to get right either; a methodical and balanced FPS. NOPE! 343 had to bowl that down shit-street, didn't they? Now it's campers galore and skill-less, uncompetitive and generally unappealing piece of fan-insulting shit.
I've played Halo religiously for nearly 6 years and I've thoroughly enjoyed each and every title. I'm more-than competent but by no means Pro, and I've play with many different people over the years whose skills have ranged from "MLG-like" to "can't move and shoot at once"; I've only played Halo 4 twice in the past 2 months because it's so damn awful. It seems to me that my friends and I, and a whole load of other people who have been following the series simply aren't the target audience anymore. Apparently if you desire fair, fun, competitive, varied, team-focused, tactical, skill demanding, intelligent and generally balanced multiplayer - Halo 4 is not for you.
That particular nitpick makes me think that Microsoft had a hand in all this. I don't see why 343 would willingly fuck over people who want to play offline, but I can easily see Microsoft doing it. They need a reason to justify their increasingly ridiculous "Pay for Online" mode that everybody else has abandoned. I mean, at least PS3's online paid mode gives you benefits, and it is not necessary to play online in the slightest.torno said:
Probably tied for my favorite Halo game with Reach. I liked that Chief actually started to show some emotion in this one, some character development.
I absolutely LOVE the idea of Spartan Ops. While its execution does leave a bit to be desired, I'd much prefer a Halo game where I play as my OWN Spartan instead of living vicariously through Chief all the time. That's one of the things I enjoyed most about Reach, Noble 6 was my character.
I definitely don't understand all the hate for the game though.
I absolutely LOVE the idea of Spartan Ops. While its execution does leave a bit to be desired, I'd much prefer a Halo game where I play as my OWN Spartan instead of living vicariously through Chief all the time. That's one of the things I enjoyed most about Reach, Noble 6 was my character.
I definitely don't understand all the hate for the game though.
Would you mind going into detail about why you thought the multiplayer was broken and unbalanced? As someone who has religiously played the Halo games since the first one I am genuinely curious. I will admit the game felt a bit different and even a bit flawed in some areas, but I never felt in was completely broken.Bvenged said:
Whilst I question your argument, OP, I completely agree with your premise.
Halo 4 was just...meh. Played through the campaign on Legendary co-op, and found that it was incredibly forgettable and lackluster.
Plot-wise, it was a wreck. Nothing about it brought forward the feelings of 'epic' which even Reach managed to draw from. The so-called character development that supposedly occurred in the game was the only source of enjoyment in our play-through as they handled it so poorly. The 'deeper connection' between Cortana and Chief especially, my favorite being where she randomly drops 'Chief, tell me when you figure out who's the machine" out of freaking nowhere, a theme which is revisited only once right at the freaking end.
The ending was just horrible. I've heard a lot of people talk about it being intense and heart-breaking...I just didn't feel it, it was surrounded by far too much ridiculousness, poor writing and in the wake of the most anti-climactic boss fight ever to pack the weakest of any emotional punches...
The campaign feels like a bunch of Primary School dids saw the equivalent of 'Aliens' and decided to write a plot which would be deeper and more emotional...and due to their age weren't able to explore anything interesting at anything less than the most base of level.
Multiplayer? Sure, it's fun to play with friends, gave it a shot on L.A.N with ten of them, but that's just because we enjoy Halo-style multiplayer, and we all agreed to go back to Reach anyway.
Aside from that I have a lot of irrational hatred for the Replacement Johnson, the Stubborn cliché of a Captain and the aesthetics - very pretty, but stylistically poor.
Not to mention how quiet the damn music was, I'm sure the soundtrack would be good, but it needed to be louder to have any remote affect on the player.
Halo 4 was just...meh. Played through the campaign on Legendary co-op, and found that it was incredibly forgettable and lackluster.
Plot-wise, it was a wreck. Nothing about it brought forward the feelings of 'epic' which even Reach managed to draw from. The so-called character development that supposedly occurred in the game was the only source of enjoyment in our play-through as they handled it so poorly. The 'deeper connection' between Cortana and Chief especially, my favorite being where she randomly drops 'Chief, tell me when you figure out who's the machine" out of freaking nowhere, a theme which is revisited only once right at the freaking end.
The ending was just horrible. I've heard a lot of people talk about it being intense and heart-breaking...I just didn't feel it, it was surrounded by far too much ridiculousness, poor writing and in the wake of the most anti-climactic boss fight ever to pack the weakest of any emotional punches...
The campaign feels like a bunch of Primary School dids saw the equivalent of 'Aliens' and decided to write a plot which would be deeper and more emotional...and due to their age weren't able to explore anything interesting at anything less than the most base of level.
Multiplayer? Sure, it's fun to play with friends, gave it a shot on L.A.N with ten of them, but that's just because we enjoy Halo-style multiplayer, and we all agreed to go back to Reach anyway.
Aside from that I have a lot of irrational hatred for the Replacement Johnson, the Stubborn cliché of a Captain and the aesthetics - very pretty, but stylistically poor.
Not to mention how quiet the damn music was, I'm sure the soundtrack would be good, but it needed to be louder to have any remote affect on the player.
You're kind of comparing apples to dragons there.Innocent Flower said:
As much as you're right about what you said it would hold just as much relevance if you said "Halo 4 is a terrible WW2 game because there aren't any Jews and the Nazi's all have beam weapons.
To me the Librarian section totally ruined the game, mostly because I was actually enjoying it up till that point, cause 343 was focusing the story on Cortana and internal conflict. I was like "A well written character with emotional shit going on! Hell yeah!" But then the Librarian showed up and then I was like "Oh yeah, I'm playing a Halo game."
And you're right the Prophets are way better bad guys than the DIdact, at least I understood what the Prophets were trying to accomplish.
I would argue that they didn't actually change much. Mostly. The first Halo's had lots of lush green enviornments but they were on planets, not Death Stars. So trying to stick to Halo formula was a bad fit there.
Mostly 343 has a shit art team. especially compared to Bungie who had one of the best Art teams around.
The most glaring flaw is the obscenely bad score. Halo 2 has the best score I've ever heard now I have to listen to this dull crap? I think not.
I'm really happy somebody else noticed this.
Every time I complain about the stupid AI I get yelled at, I'm glad somebody else feels the same.
Another thing they took from COD was Cover. It's subtle but there's cover everywhere. You'll be in the middle of a wide open battle field and there'll be a big rock that looks gaudy and extremely out of place (Part of the shitty art complaint but it feels like it was put there for mechanical reasons)
Playing Legendary I had a big problem of the enemies wouldn't attack me if I was behind "cover"
They would never follow, they would never flank, they would never throw grenades (Did the Promethian grenades even do anything?)
The first Halo games biggest (Only) draw was how much fun they were. The level design was good, the AI was awesome, the weapons and weapon lay out was balanced (Except for that one level in Halo 2) the sound design was crazy good. The controls were intuitive (Except in 3 when they changed what all the buttons did but I got over that eventually)
The writing was awful and the acting was even worse, but that didn't stop me from having fun with the game.
Halo 4 has none of that. I was suspicious about 343 from the start, As soon as I heard it was made of "former Bungie employes" I couldn't help but think "You know the Halo games got better as time went on right? They probably let those people go for a reason"
I'm pretty sure we didn't play the same game.Flippincrazy said:
The whole Cortana "machine" thing is alluded and brought up throughout the entire course of the game, with her remarking about being an AI, she only lives so long, etc. She's remarking how she lost control, and the Chief still managed to retain his.
The ending was also heartbreaking because we have John 117, the guy who always has a plan, who always has something to do, unable to do anything. For just that moment, after all those years, he's back to feeling lost and scared, very much like a child. All he can do is hold out this hand.
The other theme, is that Spartans are not machines, its something Halsey touches on, and its something that Cortana touches on, and its something that John takes to heart in the ending cinematic.
The music also was a step-up from the rest of the halo franchise, with a much more epic feel. (realizing almost everything is lost as you chase the Didact), the slow beginning of the track "117" building layer upon layer as you pilot along the ship until you see Earth in front of you, and the comm chatter from the Infinity, and you realize that there's still a chance to end this as the music crescendos. Or the distinctly alien and foreign music that plays when you first see the white spires on Requiem adding to the mystery. Seriously, Halo 4 has one of the best soundtracks in the series. Even the sendoff at the end with the remix of "Never Forget" is incredible.
The entire story (and game) was considerably deeper than "we have to save the earth!" malarkey of Halo 3. If you want to talk about juvenile pseudo intellectualism trying too hard, take a look at Halo 2.