Halo MCC/Infinite/general discussion thread - PRAISE CRAIG

[raider of the lost wifi]

The whole remaster is not really that faithful to the original TBH. Which is why I refuse to ever really play it on Anniversary graphics.

Opensauce is that way for halo 1 PC.

Be mindful as the Jumping beans seemed to have taken over the community at some point over the last decade.

 

[Gravemind]

Ah the same treatment they gave the Didact, the only decent villain they created, where he died in an obscure comic no one read or cares about.

The sad thing is that the only reason to care about Bad Blood is the fact that it was finally bringing Alpha-Nine (our favorite ODST team from ODST) back together as a Spartan-IV fireteam, sans Rookie for shot-in-the-head reasons back in New Blood.

Which doesn't matter now that Infinite's basically skipping over the immediate post-5 story.

 

[raider of the lost wifi]

The sad thing is that the only reason to care about Bad Blood is the fact that it was finally bringing Alpha-Nine (our favorite ODST team from ODST) back together as a Spartan-IV fireteam, sans Rookie for shot-in-the-head reasons back in New Blood.

Which doesn't matter now that Infinite's basically skipping over the immediate post-5 story.

Meanwhile we wont ever see them in Infinite.

 

[James Roancrest]

Meanwhile we wont ever see them in Infinite.

Maybe for DLC or Spartan OPs-esque expansion?

Since ODST was Joe Staten's baby, he might like the idea of integrating the characters into the game.

 

[raider of the lost wifi]

Maybe for DLC or Spartan OPs-esque expansion?

Since ODST was Joe Staten's baby, he might like the idea of integrating the characters into the game.

343i completely threw out Spartan ops when 5 came out. Then pushed that fireteam osiris crap in place of fireteam crimson, majestic, and castle. (you never see castle but you do see majestic in the first 5 episode cutscenes.)

Spartan Ops's story was also entirely outsourced to an obscure company as shown in the credits of episode 10 in the MCC. Despite being the most active matchmaking playlist in H4. (MCC still has no matchmaking for it)

Was still cool to explore new parts of the infinity on the better half of the Episodes (6-10 when everything got outsourced away from 343i's lazy ass developer practices mostly recycling multiplayer maps like Valhalla and parts of the campaign levels with lazy enemy NPC spam for most encounters for Spartan ops.) despite making the ship look and feel smaller than it is on the inside.

 

[Endu]

I'd hit them up on Twitter or email, you deserve SOMETHING. Stupid question, but would you consider yourself GOOD at Halo?

I wouldn't say I'm GOOD good at Halo, but I tend to end up on the upper-half of the scoreboard most of the time. I don't touch any competitive playlists though, I'd much rather chill out in big team or do 4v4 socials with friends.

I'd say my knowledge of each campaign mission is up there, since I had to study the fuck out of each one for the speedrun/LASO achievements. Halo 2's Uprising can be beaten in less than 4 minutes and it's really fun to grind the weekly challenges with that mission. You can also reasonably go through all of Halo 4 in an afternoon, since some missions can only take 10-15 minutes. The last achievement I saved was doing the Master Chief Saga playlist, and I was so mentally drained that I just plowed through 4 without a second thought.

 

[The Last Stand]

How WOULD Halo's story "end?" Is there a potential conclusion to this franchise? Or is it just never-ending?

 

[The Doom Slayer]

Ah the same treatment they gave the Didact, the only decent villain they created, where he died in an obscure comic no one read or cares about.

Hate to pull an AKSHULLY but Didact was technically made by Bungie, and he's also not dead, just imprisoned in the Domain or whatever. And it's speculated he may be the "Harbinger" the main Brute villain guy mentioned at the end of last year's demo.

How WOULD Halo's story "end?" Is there a potential conclusion to this franchise? Or is it just never-ending?

Not ending any time soon. It's still MS' biggest franchise (outside of Minecraft I guess) and despite everything that's happened, it was still one of the most viewed things coming out of this E3. Which isn't saying much because this E3 was utterly horrible, but still.

 

[Gravemind]

How WOULD Halo's story "end?" Is there a potential conclusion to this franchise? Or is it just never-ending?

IMO the same way it should've "ended" back in 3: Finish your current storyline, and then leave the setting as is from that point forward.

ODST and, debatably, Reach were fine for what they were, being entries that explored moments in the not-too-distant past of the old storyline.

But, at this rate, there doesn't seem to be a potential conclusion to the franchise save for 343 going out of business and being unable to make anything new.

 

[Mnutu]

How WOULD Halo's story "end?" Is there a potential conclusion to this franchise? Or is it just never-ending?

It’s already ended at 3, 343 pumped it up with bullshit for 4. Seriously, the story was nice and tied up for Chief at that point. The crux of the story thematically has been told (John as the Christ figure conquers Satan and goes to sleep, awaiting g to be resurrected when it’s time).

 

[Miller]

343i completely threw out Spartan ops when 5 came out. Then pushed that fireteam osiris crap in place of fireteam crimson, majestic, and castle. (you never see castle but you do see majestic in the first 5 episode cutscenes.)

Spartan Ops's story was also entirely outsourced to an obscure company as shown in the credits of episode 10 in the MCC. Despite being the most active matchmaking playlist in H4. (MCC still has no matchmaking for it)

Was still cool to explore new parts of the infinity on the better half of the Episodes (6-10 when everything got outsourced away from 343i's lazy ass developer practices mostly recycling multiplayer maps like Valhalla and parts of the campaign levels with lazy enemy NPC spam for most encounters for Spartan ops.) despite making the ship look and feel smaller than it is on the inside.

I liked Spartan Ops for those little things, being able to see the crew, the cutscenes with Lasky, Palmer and Roland, the Infinity (that ship is huge). It had that BSG/Stargate feel.
I'm still pissed that 343 (or whatever studio handling the MCC) has not bothered to add matchmaking to Spartan Ops and the campaigns playlists. Like you said, the weird thing is that 360 version of Halo 4 had matchmaking for Spartan Ops.

 

[IAmNotAlpharius]

It’s already ended at 3, 343 pumped it up with bullshit for 4. Seriously, the story was nice and tied up for Chief at that point. The crux of the story thematically has been told (John as the Christ figure conquers Satan and goes to sleep, awaiting g to be resurrected when it’s time).

I disliked 5 the most. 4 was ok. Story wise I would’ve loved it if a different Spartan was the main character, like in reach. I also liked ODST, whereas others hated it.

 

[The Last Stand]

Spartan was the main character, like in reach. I also liked ODST, whereas others hated it.

Reach and ODST were my personal favorites with campaigns.

 

[raider of the lost wifi]

I disliked 5 the most. 4 was ok. Story wise I would’ve loved it if a different Spartan was the main character, like in reach. I also liked ODST, whereas others hated it.

The only thing I really didn't like is how Palmer and most of the cast constantly acts like fireteam crimson: (you and the three other players in your match) don't do jack shit and constantly praise the other fireteams despite never seeing Castle and never meeting Majestic or anything they do outside cutscenes. 343i even went so far as to name several of the DLC after them.

The closest you get to fighting alongside them is around episode 7 where a bunch of copy pasted grey/shit yellow Spartan IV's in recruit armor from the Campaign Level "Infinity" are called in to assist you.

Given that even back then the modding community knew how easy it was to just change the armor permutations for regular campaign cutscenes, there was no excuse to not just have the solid blue spartans of fireteam majestic.

 

[Gravemind]

Story wise I would’ve loved it if a different Spartan was the main character, like in reach.

In 5's case, I actually like the idea of Locke and Fireteam Osiris, but only the IDEA of them. The concept and actual characterizations ended up being executed incredibly poorly.

 

[IAmNotAlpharius]

In 5's case, I actually like the idea of Locke and Fireteam Osiris, but only the IDEA of them. The concept and actual characterizations ended up being executed incredibly poorly.

Same, I think the execution was bad.

 

[Mnutu]

I disliked 5 the most. 4 was ok. Story wise I would’ve loved it if a different Spartan was the main character, like in reach. I also liked ODST, whereas others hated it.

Where the hell are the people who hated ODST? Nearly everyone I’ve interacted with loved ODST. It’s a game that really stands by itself. Same for Reach. My problem with 343 is that they’re melodramatic, and fundamentally missing the appeal of Halo; biblical mytho-poetic themes with a hard sci-fi paint job and esoteric mysteries. All 3 feed back into the other. My favorite example of the difference in quality of writing is Gravemind. Karen Traviss wrote Human Weakness and really fucked it up by just waving away Graveminds unique manner of speaking by having him actually listen to Cortana’s taunt. I get that it’s difficult to write in iambic pentameter, but it’s important to the character and the tone to do so.

As I was double checking info, I found that the Wikipedia page for Gravemind has only listed mainly negative reactions to him under reception. It’s either a weird move by 343 to astroturf support against the flood as a concept, or there is one dedicated autist who hates Gravemind or wants to defend 343 by hating on him. Again, maybe I’m out of touch, but everyone I’ve talked to loves Gravemind as the villain.

 

[NumberingYourState]

The only feasible way Halo will end is if it pulled a Marathon Infinity, undoing a shit ton of the past and present, and then leaving on a fourth-wall break that confuses most people.

 

[Gravemind]

The only feasible way Halo will end is if it pulled a Marathon Infinity, undoing a shit ton of the past and present, and then leaving on a fourth-wall break that confuses most people.

If only Infinite does exactly that. If only.

Under competent writing, I could see Cortana basically becoming another Durandal. But, under competent writing, we would've never reached a point where Cortana COULD become another Durandal in the first place.

 

[InspMagnum]

How WOULD Halo's story "end?" Is there a potential conclusion to this franchise?

I mean that's what Halo 3 was supposed to be. The defeat of the Covenant and the entrapment of the flood on the Ark. Who knows how the hell 343 is gonna make an ending to their shitshow now.