Halo 5 Opening Cinematic

Halo 4 was a perfect standalone story IMO. Both the Librarian and Didact are talked about in a good amount of detail in the story and terminals. Sure the Forerunner novels go into much more detail regarding the Librarian and Didact, but you can get the gist of who they are from just the story and terminals in Halo 4.

Terminals are not part of the standalone story. They are aditional content for the people that actually care enough for more details.

It's impossible for any human to know detailed information in these people. We don't need to know he's the supreme military commander who wanted to compose humans. And that she was his wife and she plotted against them. If you want background information on them go look it up. It wouldn't make sense if cortana just began to spew out facts about them randomly.

Nobody said anything about detailed background information. However, they should have told people who or what the Didcat/Librarian are. The introduction to the Librarian was handled a little bit better, but the introduction to the Didact was just poorly handled.

Exactly how are you confused?

I'm deep into the lore, so I'm not confused at all. I'm saying others were.
 
Need to see this Blue Team scene :)

The mission opens with Blue Team soaring through space with jetpacks heading towards an abandoned ONI facility called Argent Moon, all to a stirring variation on the iconic music from Halo 1 level The Silent Cartographer.They shoot a window and crash in as startled Covenant forces draw their weapons. Blue Team, one by one, slide to a halt in perfect formation. The suction from space yanks the Covenant out as Chief’s crew utilizes thrusters to maintain position. The door shuts and Blue Team, unflinching, carry on. Gameplay begins.
 
As a hardcore Halo fiction fan, Halo 4 was, for me, superb. But if you don't know any of the extended fiction, you're going to be confused.

I also would have preferred the terminals to be in-game and not on Waypoint.
 
Exactly how are you confused?

Its pretty obvious that Halo 4's story is going to be very hard to grasp without background knowledge provided from the books and EU stuff in general. Regardless of what you think of the overall quality of the Halo 4 story it puts you in the middle of the events that result from the Greg Bear trilogy.
 
I was never a big fan of Halo. This trailer actually made me more disinterested in the Halo franchise. Those Spartans looked like more like superheroes than soldiers.
 
Need to see this Blue Team scene :)

Possible Osiris/Blue Team encounter:

Linda-058: "Osiris sighted, 2 km out."

John-117: "Engage."

Linda-058: "Headshot! Headshot! Headshot! Headshot!" (Sorry Buck)

The rest of the game consists of Blue Team repeatedly teabagging what's left of Osiris.
 
If your story is confusing and people need to watch/read/listen to outsourced material, then you are not doing a great job of providing a good story that is understandable for everyone. Do you understand, that people are still asking who the Librarian or the Didact is?

That's a pretty silly question to be asking. They are both ancient, and obviously extremely important, figures from the Forerunner civilization. The same species that created the Halo Arrays and the Shield Worlds. They are the civilization that the Covenant has been so worshipping as gods since the start of this series. The actions of that civilization has significantly influenced just about every aspect of the Halo universe as we currently know it. If you want even more details about them other than what the games have shared, then go read some of the books.

People are complaining about a story being confusing that they refuse to actually make the effort to learn about.
 
Huge halo fan here, read most of the novels, played all of the games, etc, and I still don't think halo4 is a good standalone story...

Yes, finding the terminals helps, but the story is still hard to follow without knowledge from th novels... And some things are never particularly well explained, like
why to Cortana and chief know so much about the didact, wasn't he in stasis while the info on him was being dug up throughout the Galaxy... And why doesn't the UNSC understand how big of a threat he is?

Agreed. Most of the info on the Didact and Librarian were hidden in the terminals which was the main problem. I'm not sure how they could have more organically included that info, but it really shouldn't have been something that you could so easily miss even when actively looking for them. If I hadn't read the books, I would have been lost.
 
Halo 4 was not the perfect standalone story; it instead was a prime example of what happens when you start introducing EU elements into the mainline story without establishing a proper background. The Didact's primary motivation was only properly fleshed out in Silentium and that was post release! I liked the campaign story, but this was easily the game's biggest single player flaw. I think that overall 343i made the right choice by introducing the EU; the campaign could have been longer, however.

If anything I'd like a situation similar to Halo First Strike and Halo 2; where the backgrounds of the characters are established, some references are made, but the story itself is mostly self sufficient while using concepts established in the extended universe.

For example, First Strike introduced the Prophets, warned of the Covenant invasion of Earth, and filled the gap between CE and 2. It even briefly introduced Tartarus and IIRC Lord Hood.

Halo 2 used these concepts but it was still self sufficient as a whole. I think that Halo 5 is shipping up to be similar to Halo 2 in more ways than one. Locke's and Chief's character motivations will be handled relatively easily, the Guardians are a new concept in the game, and the game will flesh out the differences between Jul and the Arbiter's forces more cleanly. I'm mostly worried about the Prometheans and the Warden Eternal, because I can see another Didact type situation appearing.
 
That's a pretty silly question to be asking. They are both ancient, and obviously extremely important, figures from the Forerunner civilization. The same species that created the Halo Arrays and the Shield Worlds. They are the civilization that the Covenant has been so worshipping as gods since the start of this series. The actions of that civilization has significantly influenced just about every aspect of the Halo universe as we currently know it. If you want even more details about them other than what the games have shared, then go read some of the books.

People are complaining about a story being confusing that they refuse to actually make the effort to learn about.

When you introduce characters players shouldn't have to go online or read books to learn who they are, they're motive, etc.

I'm not saying 343i should not include them. But merely introduce them better, add an optional intro, add a character journal, do fucking something. And no, hidden terminals around levels where you then have to connect to Halo Waypoint to see them isn't the best idea.
 
That's a pretty silly question to be asking. They are both ancient, and obviously extremely important, figures from the Forerunner civilization. The same species that created the Halo Arrays and the Shield Worlds. They are the civilization that the Covenant has been so worshipping as gods since the start of this series. The actions of that civilization has significantly influenced just about every aspect of the Halo universe as we currently know it. If you want even more details about them other than what the games have shared, then go read some of the books.

People are complaining about a story being confusing that they refuse to actually make the effort to learn about.

You don't need to explain it to me. Explain it to the people who have no clue and were just thrown into the cold water. Your explanation would have easily sufficed as an explanation.

Also your post is comming from somebody who is deep into the lore and who thinks Halo 4 is the best Halo game ever, because of it's correlations with the books. It's pointless to argue with you about this, because you already have made up your mind about this. If anything, it's silly to expect people to buy or to catch up to all the media that is surrounding the Halo universe.
 
I was never a big fan of Halo. This trailer actually made me more disinterested in the Halo franchise. Those Spartans looked like more like superheroes than soldiers.

Spartans were always that badass. People really need to read up on what some Spartans are capable of in the books.

Here is an example of what the Master Chief was able to do with Cortana's help in the book Halo: The Fall of Reach.

The SkyHawk was back and starting its run straight toward him.
Even with his augmented speed, even with the MJOLNIR armor—he’d never make it to the bell in time. He’d never make it alive. He turned to face the incoming jet. “I’ll need your help, Cortana,” he said. “Anything,” she whispered. The Master Chief heard nervousness in the AI’s voice. “Calculate the inbound velocity of a Scorpion missile. Factor in my reaction time and the jet’s inbound speed and distance at launch, and tell me the instant I need to move to sidestep and deflect it with my
left arm.” Cortana paused a heartbeat. “Calculation done. You did say ‘deflect’?”
“Scorpion missiles have motion-tracking sensors and proximity detonators. I can’t outrun it. And it won’t miss. That leaves us very few options.”
The SkyHawk dove. “Get ready,” Cortana said. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Me, too.” Smoke appeared from the jet’s left wingtip and fire and exhaust erupted as a missile streaked toward him. The Master Chief saw the missile’s track back and forth, zeroing in on his coordinates. A shrill tone in his helmet warbled—the missile had a guidance lock on him. He chinned a control and the sound died out. The missile was fast. Faster than he was ten times over. “Now!” Cortana said.

They moved together. He shifted his muscles and the MJOLNIR—augmented by his link to Cortana— moved faster than he’d ever moved before. His leg tensed and pushed him aside; his left arm came up and crossed his chest. The head of the missile was the only thing he saw. The air grew still and thickened. He continued to move his hand, palm open in a slapping motion—as fast as he could will his flesh to
accelerate. The tip of the Scorpion missile passed a centimeter from his head.
He reached out—fingertips brushed the metal casing— —and slapped it aside.
The SkyHawk jet screamed over his head. The Scorpion missile detonated.
Pressure slammed though his body. The Master Chief flew six meters, spinning end over end, and landed flat on his back. He blinked, and saw nothing but blackness. Was he dead? Had he lost? The shield status bar in his heads-up display pulsed weakly. It was completely drained—then it blinked red and slowly started to refill. Blood was spattered across the inside of his helmet and he tasted copper. He stood, his muscles screaming in protest. “Run!” Cortana said. “Before they come back for a look.”
The Master Chief got up and ran. As he passed the spot where he had stood to face down the missile, he saw a two-meter-deep crater. He could feel his Achilles tendon tear, but he didn’t slow. He crossed the half-kilometer stretch in seventeen seconds flat and skidded to halt. The Master Chief grabbed the bell’s cord and rang it three times. The pure tone was the most glorious sound he had ever heard.

Over the COM channel Dr. Halsey’s voice broke:“Test concluded. Call off your men, Colonel Ackerson!

We’ve won. Well done, Master Chief. Magnificent! Stay there; I’m sending out a recovery team.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, panting.
The Master Chief scanned the sky for the SkyHawk—nothing. It had gone. He knelt and let blood drip from his nose and mouth. He looked down at the bell—and laughed.
 
Agreed. Most of the info on the Didact and Librarian were hidden in the terminals which was the main problem. I'm not sure how they could have more organically included that info, but it really shouldn't have been something that you could so easily miss even when actively looking for them. If I hadn't read the books, I would have been lost.
That's why I've said before that an in-game encyclopedia similar to Mass Effect would be a good idea. In addition to weapon/vehicle information, it could summarize events prior to the game that occur in the other media, bridging the gap between games more smoothly. As the story progresses, more information on characters and events become available without the need for generous exposition ("Locke, that's a forerunner sentinel, more info on your com-pad." Pretty easy, right?)


This way, people who aren't into the EU have a decent grasp of the context these events take place in. Plus it could be a stepping stone towards raising interest in the EU if they enjoy reading it.
 
That's why I've said before that an in-game encyclopedia similar to Mass Effect would be a good idea. In addition to weapon/vehicle information, it could summarize events prior to the game that occur in the other media, bridging the gap between games more smoothly. As the story progresses, more information on characters and events become available without the need for generous exposition ("Locke, that's a forerunner sentinel, more info on your com-pad." Pretty easy, right?)


This way, people who aren't into the EU have a decent grasp of the context these events take place in. Plus it could be a stepping stone towards raising interest in the EU if they enjoy reading it.

That's a pretty good solution. After each mission: "Didact encyclopedia entry unlocked" etc.
 
As much as i agree with you regarding their reaction times, skills, etc., this was from an anime called halo legends and carries exactly zero canon weight. There is some crazy crap in that particular film that is not canon ever or no how.

I know what anime it's from and all the episodes (barring 1337) are canon. In fact the Babysitter episode is currently the first ever time we have seen ancient human ruins from one of their technological dark ages before the human-forerunner war. Actually it was the first piece of halo media to introduce the concept of ancient humans, but the characters in the story thought they were ancient forerunner.

The only thing that could be debated is the actual art in each episode, but the events and such that took place all did happen. Hell outside Halsey herself, The Package isn't that far off from being the games graphics but a bit more on the anime side.
 
Spartans were always that badass. People really need to read up on what some Spartans are capable of in the books.

Here is an example of what the Master Chief was able to do with Cortana's help in the book Halo: The Fall of Reach.

Yup, great example. Some of linda's feats are insane too.


That's a pretty good solution. After each mission: "Didact encyclopedia entry unlocked" etc.

Yeah a codex would be sweet.
 
Yup, great example. Some of linda's feats are insane too.




Yeah a codex would be sweet.

Hell yea, Linda's feats are among the most insane in the Halo universe as far as I'm concerned. She was hanging, I believe, from a rope, completely inverted upside down while sniping moving targets to protect the Master Chief. She wasn't just firing at targets directly from her position, she was instead bouncing bullets off of different spots in the environment before making it reach its target so the Covenant wouldn't be able to find her position.

It was absolutely god like sniping ability.
 
Sometimes I wonder if its just folks who've just decided to move past Halo that don't want to come to grips with the fact that it's awesome and they may have to buy an XBOX.

There are a lot of people who left Xbox this gen. The long wait between generations, and the huge PR fail of the Xbox reveal lead to a huge change of ecosystems....and that means that there are people who will not be buying a new halo game. That's going to be reflected in any Halo thread on gaf until next gen.
 
Hell yea, Linda's feats are among the most insane in the Halo universe as far as I'm concerned. She was hanging, I believe, from a rope, completely inverted upside down while sniping moving targets to protect the Master Chief. She wasn't just firing at targets directly from her position, she was instead bouncing bullets off of different spots in the environment before making it reach its target so the Covenant wouldn't be able to find her position.

It was absolutely god like sniping ability.

Not only that, but she these enemies were almost completely covered in personal, flying objects, but Linda used ricochet to fatally wound each of them...

So yeah, damn 343i for turning Spartans into superheroes /s
 
Not only that, but she these enemies were almost completely covered in personal, flying objects, but Linda used ricochet to fatally wound each of them...

So yeah, damn 343i for turning Spartans into superheroes /s

At the same time iirc blue team was covering 14km moving at 95 mph.
 
lol Linda sounds OP. Can she simultaneously no scope 3 targets moving at 100 mph with a broken arm WHILE hanging upside down?

That doesn't sound super; it sounds like fan fiction.
 
lol Linda sounds OP. Can she simultaneously no scope 3 targets moving at 100 mph with a broken arm WHILE hanging upside down?

That doesn't sound super; it sounds like fan fiction.

Sniping is her thing Spartan ii's are pretty much freaks. They all have one extremely unique thing about them that makes them special. Except for Fred he's number 2 in everything except for cqc where he's number 1.
 
I know what anime it's from and all the episodes (barring 1337) are canon. In fact the Babysitter episode is currently the first ever time we have seen ancient human ruins from one of their technological dark ages before the human-forerunner war. Actually it was the first piece of halo media to introduce the concept of ancient humans, but the characters in the story thought they were ancient forerunner.

The only thing that could be debated is the actual art in each episode, but the events and such that took place all did happen. Hell outside Halsey herself, The Package isn't that far off from being the games graphics but a bit more on the anime side.

My particular issue is with the space warthogs, so I guess that would count as art issue...but yes I get the situation and actions are real.
 
lol Linda sounds OP. Can she simultaneously no scope 3 targets moving at 100 mph with a broken arm WHILE hanging upside down?

That doesn't sound super; it sounds like fan fiction.

Linda is f*ckin amazing

Operation: FIRST STRIKE

Linda was then geared up and made ready for battle, but did not exhibit her exceptional skills until Operation: FIRST STRIKE. Linda was one of the SPARTAN-IIs who infiltrated the Unyielding Hierophant, providing cover for John-117, Fred-104, William-043 and Grace-093 with a Sniper Rifle. She made sure they made it to the vessel's fusion reactors and allowed them to overload the reactors.

As John, Will, and Fred evacuated, Linda, with some of her best and potent shooting skills, managed to shoot 7 Elite pilots right out of their airborne Banshee fliers one-handed and hanging upside-down from a cable. She refused to give up her position to make sure her three comrades got out alive, even at the expense of her own life, until John ordered her to let him rescue her over the COM. She then sent the Spartan-derived Oly Oly Oxen Free over the COM and uploaded a NAV marker with her location to John's HUD. It turns out that she was actually hiding in broad daylight, but angled so that the sun would not reflect off of her suit, thus providing an undetectable cover from which she eliminated the Banshees.

She then retreated in John's Banshee to the Gettysburg, upon which she returned to Earth.
 
Sniping is her thing Spartan ii's are pretty much freaks. They all have one extremely unique thing about them that makes them special. Except for Fred he's number 2 in everything except for cqc where he's number 1.

I get that, but at a certain point it breaks my suspension of disbelief.

Linda is f*ckin amazing

Is she a genius then? All of that would be math...dialed up to 11
 
Getting heated I see. The increasing incision of EU material into Halo game sis interesting in the reactions it generates.

It could fracture and reduce the community and hurt sales or it could turn out positive or it might only matter to a relatively small sub-set.

Hard to tell really but it's clearly having an impact on a fairly consistent fan base it seems to me.

But off topic but there's some serious divergence in this thread.

Some people are "Linda is badass and that cutscene is in line with that" and others are "who the hell is Linda?".

Gonna be an interesting entry in the franchise I reckon.
 
lol Linda sounds OP. Can she simultaneously no scope 3 targets moving at 100 mph with a broken arm WHILE hanging upside down?

That doesn't sound super; it sounds like fan fiction.

You know what, fuck it. Spartans ARE superheroes... The worse Spartan is at the very least Captain America + Iron man + Daredevils heightened senses and reflexes...Resident OP Spartan Linda is all that, plus Hawkeye...

So in this opening scene, we saw the equivalent of 12 marvel superheroes tea bagging some helpless covie bastards... Bastards who were already preoccupied with an aerial bombardment...

I don't see the problem here...
 
You know what, fuck it. Spartans ARE superheroes... The worse Spartan is at the very least Captain America + Iron man + Daredevils heightened senses and reflexes...Resident OP Spartan Linda is all that, plus Hawkeye...

So in this opening scene, we saw the equivalent of 12 marvel superheroes tea bagging some helpless covie bastards... Bastards who were already preoccupied with an aerial bombardment...

I don't see the problem here...

lol I don't have a problem with Spartans being super heroes. Linda just sounds like a Mary Sue with the way people are describing her.

I can just picture a group of kids creating super heroes and listing all these impossible things they can do to one up their friends' characters. After a certain point, being impossible means you're unbeatable. And being unbeatable isn't a good quality for a soldier who is supposedly risking their lives all the time. How do you add tension and the threat of death to somebody unbeatable? Well, you either put them in an equally ridiculous situation, or you snipe them in the back of the head after an EMP disables their shields.

It's even more amusing to me because she's going to need some insane aimbot AI in the game to look half as good as she sounds.
 
lol I don't have a problem with Spartans being super heroes. Linda just sounds like a Mary Sue with the way people are describing her.

I can just picture a group of kids creating super heroes and listing all these impossible things they can do to one up their friends' characters.

With her augmentation and the suit's calculations, enhancement and fine controls it's not too far fetched.

They aren't unbeatable but they almost never lose on the ground due to their advanced tech. You have to remember a little over 33 made it through training and augmentation. They were spread out over a war and went on suicide missions constantly. Killing even more of them off.
 
With her augmentation and the suit's calculations, enhancement and fine controls it's not too far fetched.

Yeah, out of the armor she is still one of the best snipers ever... But the armor enhances it to an insane level, able to let them think insanely fast and the armor is able to allow them to react only with thought.
 
We should expect to see more from Osiris in that case if they supposedly have more advanced tech.

Sniping is still her unnatural gift assisted even more by the armor.

If the geas theory is true then the librarian could have bestowed this on her.

Each Spartan II had " perfect dna" or I guess something special about it. The theory is that this perfection could be a geas planted by the librarian. We know it's true for John cortana and halsey.
 
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