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A seemingly poor understanding of Halo

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Nevik Eeirnb
Anonymous Source
Posts: 2
Joined: 21 Aug 2008

I would like to firstly apologise if a thread to this effect has been made before but I searched through every Halo result and didn't' find anything so here goes nothing;
I have played Halo 1 and didn't like it. I'm not here to troll or go on for hours about how much I disliked it. Instead I would like to try and learn what others find great about it.
After a fairly lengthy search of the internet I could not find any information to justify a given player's like of Halo, they always seemed to just "beat around the bush". Rather than starting off with a list of complaints I would instead like to ask you to make me a list of what you like about Halo 1 so that I may glean what the hype was over. I'll throw in whatever extras comments I deem necessary.
Thanks,
Nevik

Geo Da Sponge
Press Junketeer
Posts: 404
Joined: 14 May 2008

At the time:

Innovative health (hybrid of health bar and shields)
Innovative grenades (single button for grenades)
Innovative melee (single button for melee)
Good AI (for the enemies, anyway)

Permenent features:

Good story (ya, rly)
Tactical action (rush in and you will die)
Good challenge (especially on Legendary)
Interesting enemies (elites for a good tactical challenge, grunts for amusement, flood for fear etc. etc.)

Shadow Tyrant
Press Junketeer
Posts: 360
Joined: 18 Jun 2008

Geo Da Sponge:
Tactical action (rush in and you will die)

I hardly think "hide behind a wall, shoot, hide behind a wall, shoot, hide behind a wall, shoot" counts as 'tactical.'

L33tsauce_Marty
Paperboy
Posts: 47
Joined: 26 Jun 2008

Shadow Tyrant:

Geo Da Sponge:
Tactical action (rush in and you will die)

I hardly think "hide behind a wall, shoot, hide behind a wall, shoot, hide behind a wall, shoot" counts as 'tactical.'

Totally agree. There is a difference between strafing and strategy. If they really wanted to integrate strategy, they would have made a health meter.

Geo Da Sponge
Press Junketeer
Posts: 404
Joined: 14 May 2008

Shadow Tyrant:
I hardly think "hide behind a wall, shoot, hide behind a wall, shoot, hide behind a wall, shoot" counts as 'tactical.'

You know they come and get you if you try to do that? You also know the elites hide to let their shields regenerate, so if you only shoot them in short bursts you just waste ammo?

Didn't think so.

Shadow Tyrant
Press Junketeer
Posts: 360
Joined: 18 Jun 2008

Yeah, they try and get you, but you're hiding behind a wall, so you have the advantage when they spring into view.

And I've never had one try to hide and regenerate it's shield on me, ever.

Russia208
Copy Clerk
Posts: 120
Joined: 10 Aug 2008

i thought it was average, nothing that special, just an average game.

Geo Da Sponge
Press Junketeer
Posts: 404
Joined: 14 May 2008

Shadow Tyrant:
Yeah, they try and get you, but you're hiding behind a wall, so you have the advantage when they spring into view.

And I've never had one try to hide and regenerate it's shield on me, ever.

On Legendary, pretty much any elite other than the most basic ones will totally bitch slap you one on one. Also, they try to regenerate on me all the time. Just do the following:

1. Drop an elites shield.
2. Wait a bit.
3. You will probably find them crouching behind cover.

L33tsauce_Marty:
Totally agree. There is a difference between strafing and strategy. If they really wanted to integrate strategy, they would have made a health meter.

There is a health meter in the original halo. You have shield, then you have health. This makes for tactical gameplay because you have to do your best to conserve your health; there is an advantage to making a tactical withdrawal, compared to say, half-life (original), which just becomes a ball-grippeningly tough system of trial and error on hard.

danosaurus
Copy Clerk
Posts: 97
Joined: 11 Mar 2008

Personally, I'm not one for the storyline. While it is decent, it seems to me like a whole bunch of old Sc-fi flicks and novels i've watched/read mashed into a blender. So, no points for originality.

I like the character designs alot, especially the hunters and some of the vehicles, but will not in ANY circumstance tip my hat to the AI, i've seen some disgusting examples of AI in Halo 1, 2 and 3.
Whilst a mojority of these consist of the friendly marines driving non-chalantly off cliffs or into walls, i've also had brutes staring at walls whilst being shot in the back of the head and retardedly standing 5 metres away from a bubble-shield they've just deployed.
Plenty more examples that I wont go into.

Gameplay's rather coherent, though there are some brain-melting levels that i'd just as soon dig my liver out with a grapefruit spoon as i would play through them again.
Someone mentioned tactics before? can't say I ever had to use anything more complex than ducking behind a wall to reload//recharge (Yes, even on Legendary) but then again I'm sure you could employ some redundantly.... if you really wanted to :|

Music is over-rated, though it complements some situations nicely, it largely goes un-noticed by my ears.

Environments are well designed, i give kudos to the map designers, there's a real feeling of being somewhere else when you look at the terrain//flora of the maps.

Multiplayer, can't say i really got into it except for Grifball which is kickass. Also i think the 4-player co-op is an element that MORE xbox shooters should implement, seriously never get tired of it.

All up it's a decent shoot-em up, with alot of replay value but not something that i can get attached to.
Sorta like a Good-looking chick with a bad personality that f*cks like a minx, good for a booty call on the weekends but i wouldn't get too involved lest the novelty wore off.

Geo Da Sponge
Press Junketeer
Posts: 404
Joined: 14 May 2008

danosaurus:
Personally, I'm not one for the storyline. While it is decent, it seems to me like a whole bunch of old Sc-fi flicks and novels i've watched/read mashed into a blender. So, no points for originality.

I like the character designs alot, especially the hunters and some of the vehicles, but will not in ANY circumstance tip my hat to the AI, i've seen some disgusting examples of AI in Halo 1, 2 and 3.
Whilst a mojority of these consist of the friendly marines driving non-chalantly off cliffs or into walls, i've also had brutes staring at walls whilst being shot in the back of the head and retardedly standing 5 metres away from a bubble-shield they've just deployed.
Plenty more examples that I wont go into.

Gameplay's rather coherent, though there are some brain-melting levels that i'd just as soon dig my liver out with a grapefruit spoon as i would play through them again.
Someone mentioned tactics before? can't say I ever had to use anything more complex than ducking behind a wall to reload//recharge (Yes, even on Legendary) but then again I'm sure you could employ some redundantly.... if you really wanted to :|

Music is over-rated, though it complements some situations nicely, it largely goes un-noticed by my ears.

Environments are well designed, i give kudos to the map designers, there's a real feeling of being somewhere else when you look at the terrain//flora of the maps.

Multiplayer, can't say i really got into it except for Grifball which is kickass. Also i think the 4-player co-op is an element that MORE xbox shooters should implement, seriously never get tired of it.

All up it's a decent shoot-em up, with alot of replay value but not something that i can get attached to.
Sorta like a Good-looking chick with a bad personality that f*cks like a minx, good for a booty call on the weekends but i wouldn't get too involved lest the novelty wore off.

We're talking about Halo 1 (Combat Evolved). At least, I am.

Leon P
Copy Clerk
Posts: 89
Joined: 10 Jul 2008

Another Halo bashing thread
*yawn*
2 a week or at least I've counted

D'you know why this game Is a brilliant game?

It helped bring a larger fan base to FPS based games
on a console market. Imagine if Halo 1 and Halo 2 and 3
didn't make the millions they did

could you imagine any big company other then valve investing in a large scale FPS game?
I doubt Crysis would of been made if No one saw the poitentional for FPS games Making
Large sums of money

'Some' PC gamers just get jealous because theres another FPS on the block
you cant play? poor 'Geo Da Sponge'
hes more or left to defend this bloody good game by himself!

I mean srsly? people have started 1000's of threads moaning and its soooo
predictable

"I think PC gaming is great 360 is Lacking"

meaning I cant afford an x-box 360
So I'll vent my jealously on someone who has an x box 360

"Halo isn't as good as mouse and keyboard"
No but is it trying to be?

"the fan base is meh"

yeah that happens when your the 2nd biggest selling game of all time
when the fanbase could populate a small country

"I don't like the story or hype"

And? No ones making you theres enough people who dislike the game already
your no 'loner'

I own a 360, Wii, PS3, PC
And I love all three

so
STFU!1!!1!!!

TheNecroswanson
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 3677
Joined: 29 Nov 2007

Leon P:
Another Halo bashing thread
*yawn*
2 a week or at least I've counted

D'you know why this game Is a brilliant game?

It helped bring a larger fan base to FPS based games
on a console market. Imagine if Halo 1 and Halo 2 and 3
didn't make the millions they did

could you imagine any big company other then valve investing in a large scale FPS game?
I doubt Crysis would of been made if No one saw the poitentional for FPS games Making
Large sums of money

'Some' PC gamers just get jealous because theres another FPS on the block
you cant play? poor 'Geo Da Sponge'
hes more or left to defend this bloody good game by himself!

I mean srsly? people have started 1000's of threads moaning and its soooo
predictable

"I think PC gaming is great 360 is Lacking"

meaning I cant afford an x-box 360
So I'll vent my jealously on someone who has an x box 360

"Halo isn't as good as mouse and keyboard"
No but is it trying to be?

"the fan base is meh"

yeah that happens when your the 2nd biggest selling game of all time
when the fanbase could populate a small country

"I don't like the story or hype"

And? No ones making you theres enough people who dislike the game already
your no 'loner'

I own a 360, Wii, PS3, PC
And I love all three

so
STFU!1!!1!!!

A little harsh, but he's partially true. Most Halo threads turn into elitist whining, see the post above me.

needsmosleep
Copy Clerk
Posts: 56
Joined: 22 Mar 2008

Alot of the time they dont give you cover, like in the flood levels, its not like cod

Heroic One
Beat Writer
Posts: 127
Joined: 29 Aug 2007

"'I think PC gaming is great 360 is Lacking'

"meaning I cant afford an x-box 360"

Ha ha, what?

Meado
Copy Clerk
Posts: 115
Joined: 27 Apr 2008

Halo worked because it got the flow right. You could switch from your gun to melee to grenades without changing weapons, something other games don't do even now. The fact that everything was avaliable at the push of one button was what made it fun.

j-e-f-f-e-r-s
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1828
Joined: 14 Nov 2007

It's a smooth game. It felt smooth, it looked smooth, it played smooth. There weren't any glaring faults in the gameplay, the AI for the time was very good, the level design (bar the library) was expansive and really showed what the Xbox was capable of (if you don't believe me, go and play Assault On The Control Room again), the weapons were varied but all viable (even the Needler, when used correctly, could cause serious damage), the vehicles were implemented well and added an extra layer to the gameplay, the shield system was a perfect mix of regen and health, the enemies were colourful, imaginatively designed and even funny on occasion, the game required more thought than the simple 'run-and-gun' mentality...

It showed that console FPS' could go beyond Goldeneye. That's why it's important. It took the console FPS from the N64 and moved it to the next generation.

danosaurus
Copy Clerk
Posts: 97
Joined: 11 Mar 2008

Leon P:

D'you know why this game Is a brilliant game?

It helped bring a larger fan base to FPS based games
on a console market. Imagine if Halo 1 and Halo 2 and 3
didn't make the millions they did

could you imagine any big company other then valve investing in a large scale FPS game?
I doubt Crysis would of been made if No one saw the poitentional for FPS games Making
Large sums of money

Are you insinuating that Halo single-handedly propelled the FPS market to the heights of profitability that it's at today?
I reckon the genre would've been fine without Halo =]

rated pg
Anonymous Source
Posts: 6
Joined: 21 Aug 2008

Name me one FPS before Halo that combined all the above things and 2 player coop and up to 16 player multiplayer locally and looked that good in 2002. I mean Goldeneye had 4 player multiplayer and more weapons and possibly more maps (though most of the weapons were useless). I guess Battlefield 1942 came out around that time but no co-op, local multiplayer required 1 computer per person, not many weapons, and basically no single-player mode. I mean maybe there were some and I'm sure someone will remind me if I've forgotten any, but it was a trend setter for a reason. It didn't just sell on fad appeal or sad fanboy devotion or because it was a launch title so it was that or Amped. It had a diversity of weapons and enemies and vehicles (not too many really good shooters with vehicles around that time either...least not on consoles). It took what made some other shooters really good, then combined it with some new (and good) ideas, a story that maybe wasn't the most original but at least had decent dialogue and voice acting and stayed fairly consistant, et voila.

Oh, and the other main reason ties back in with the original complaint that "I could not find any information to justify a given player's like of Halo"...you can't point to one thing about it and say it was horrible, broken, or made it unplayable. The Warthog handling was a little slippery...the story, as you say, is a tad generic (though I liked it), but there was nothing particularly bad about it. So at least if you don't like it, it's hard to hate it as well. I've definitely spent hours worse than having a fragfest with some buddies, smacktalk and all. Online multiplayer being added in the sequels was the icing on the cake.

Pyro Paul
Copy Clerk
Posts: 95
Joined: 7 Dec 2007

Halo 1.
why it is so popular?

it is a Decent first person shooter game designed specifically for a Console since Golden eye on the N64.

mixing in some new and innovative components like traditional static health (needing med packs) and regenative shields (dynamic health) with some rather decent (for the time) AI combat. it is really a great game for when it was released.

however that does not mean it is devoid of problems or that you should instantly love the game when you pick it up.

Thaliur
Copy Clerk
Posts: 125
Joined: 3 Jan 2008

Geo Da Sponge:
At the time:

Innovative health (hybrid of health bar and shields)
Innovative grenades (single button for grenades)
Innovative melee (single button for melee)
Good AI (for the enemies, anyway)

Ooooh, so they almost caught up to Tron 2.0 and Rogue Trooper (in case of the grenade button). Well done, Bungie...

Permenent features:

Good story (ya, rly)
Tactical action (rush in and you will die)
Good challenge (especially on Legendary)
Interesting enemies (elites for a good tactical challenge, grunts for amusement, flood for fear etc. etc.)

OK, I haven'T played Halo on Legendary, but I can not see any merit in your other three points. I can't really think of any (reasonable, as in "somewhat plausible, if you allow some artistic freedom") Science Fiction story that was worse, or less original, than that of Halo. No, I wouldn'T include the MAtrix Trilogy in the list of reasonable Science Fiction, and not only because it had Keanu Reeves in it.
As for the enemies, I'd like to focus your attention on Tron 2.0 again. There you had ICP guards with different weaponry, enemies who used their environment to their advantage (activating Security Rezzers to get reinforcements, hiding behind other ICPs equipped with a shield, dodging, searching...
And I guess anyone who ever played it got killed by a patrolling Finder at some point.
Oh, and there was the Thorne Virus of course. As far as I recall, the flood only really affected living things.
As for humour... Well, some people use creative writing and compelling storylines to make their players pay attention, and those who can't just put in some "funny" enemies. Shooting Ewoks never was more pointless...

Kill the Kernel, and tell me again that Halo is one of the best shooters out there.

Woe Is You
Press Junketeer
Posts: 425
Joined: 5 Jul 2008

Thaliur:

Geo Da Sponge:
At the time:

Innovative health (hybrid of health bar and shields)
Innovative grenades (single button for grenades)
Innovative melee (single button for melee)
Good AI (for the enemies, anyway)

Ooooh, so they almost caught up to Tron 2.0 and Rogue Trooper (in case of the grenade button). Well done, Bungie...

You do realize that both of those games were released after the first Halo? Not knocking the games you listed (I loved the disc fights in Tron 2.0), but just to bring a bit of perspective here. It was really the first PC-esque FPS of its kind on the console, a stepping stone like Goldeneye on the N64, like mentioned.

One of the main fascinations at the time was that on harder difficulties, the Elites had similar equipment to what you had (recharging shields and plasma weapons that chipped those shields). Some really intense fights to be had against those guys.

juandonde
Pulitzer Laureate
Posts: 902
Joined: 14 May 2008

Woe Is You:

You do realize that both of those games were released after the first Halo? Not knocking the games you listed (I loved the disc fights in Tron 2.0), but just to bring a bit of perspective here. It was really the first PC-esque FPS of its kind on the console, a stepping stone like Goldeneye on the N64, like mentioned.

The reason it is so PC-esque is because it actually was going to be released on PCs and Macs back when Geforce 2 cards where the big thing. Then Microsoft bought bungie and they did a redesign for the xbox. Then, of course because it sold so well on the xbox, it gets ported to the PC later. Now tell me this doesn't strike you as funny? Made for the Mac and PC then redesigned for the xbox which then gets that ported to the PC (thus screwing over mac users lol).

Woe Is You
Press Junketeer
Posts: 425
Joined: 5 Jul 2008

juandonde:

Woe Is You:

You do realize that both of those games were released after the first Halo? Not knocking the games you listed (I loved the disc fights in Tron 2.0), but just to bring a bit of perspective here. It was really the first PC-esque FPS of its kind on the console, a stepping stone like Goldeneye on the N64, like mentioned.

The reason it is so PC-esque is because it actually was going to be released on PCs and Macs back when Geforce 2 cards where the big thing. Then Microsoft bought bungie and they did a redesign for the xbox. Then, of course because it sold so well on the xbox, it gets ported to the PC later. Now tell me this doesn't strike you as funny? Made for the Mac and PC then redesigned for the xbox which then gets that ported to the PC (thus screwing over mac users lol).

The Mac users did get it in the end, though. Two years later.

Alex_P
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1288
Joined: 27 Mar 2008

Halo combined gunplay, grenades, and melee fighting much more fluidly than other games of its time. This gave the game's single-player and multiplayer a very distinct rhythm. The combination of regenerating shields and non-regenerating health contributed to this particular feel, too.
The AI enemies weren't the best (they never are), but they had a lot of character.
Most of the music and levels were pretty good. (The Library was, of course, crap all around.)
The vehicle were pretty easy to control, too, and there was some good variety.
There was some pretty good variety in the standard multiplayer maps.
Co-op mode was quite problem-free.

-- Alex

nilcypher
Honorable Mention: Escapist Film Festival
Posts: 1749
Joined: 21 Feb 2008

Look, if you don't like Halo, that's fine, I'm not that keen on it myself, but don't come on here and try and get people justify themselves to you and don't ask people to post bloody lists.

 
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