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[dlobro1080]

Hey everyone,

So I just beat HALO 2 last night (actually this morning @ 3am...the HALO games are the first games in a long time to make me play hours on end), and had a question. I actually liked the cliffhanger ending -- however, I'm a little puzzled by the exchange between the giant plant thing and the computer chick (sorry, names are escaping me at the moment) at the end of the credits. It's totally lost on me what was being insinuated with the melodramatic music and their dialogue: does she know some things that haven't been revealed? Is she working with the Covenant or something? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Dan

 

[DopeyFish]

Hey everyone,

So I just beat HALO 2 last night (actually this morning @ 3am...the HALO games are the first games in a long time to make me play hours on end), and had a question. I actually liked the cliffhanger ending -- however, I'm a little puzzled by the exchange between the giant plant thing and the computer chick (sorry, names are escaping me at the moment) at the end of the credits. It's totally lost on me what was being insinuated with the melodramatic music and their dialogue: does she know some things that haven't been revealed? Is she working with the Covenant or something? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Dan

It almost seems like the flood wants to know where earth is.

Cortana has all of human races most guarded secrets.

 

[Deku Tree]

It almost seems like the flood wants to know where earth is.

Cortana has all of human races most guarded secrets.

Yeah, to expand on that with speculation. Humans = the remaining Forunners. And the flood want to know where earth is because the Forerunners killed off the flood last time. Maybe they want revenge? Maybe they want this arc (which seems to be on earth)? Maybe the arc would allow them to destroy all the Halo's (and then become unstoppable)?

 

[dlobro1080]

I see, thanks -- so, pardon my ignorance, but is that plant thing a part of the flood? Do we know what that is? I don't remember the game ever explaining what he was...

 

[Do The Mario]

I see, thanks -- so, pardon my ignorance, but is that plant thing a part of the flood? Do we know what that is? I don't remember the game ever explaining what he was...

I think it was implied the way he consumed that prophet and spark into him/herself.

 

[Deku Tree]

I see, thanks -- so, pardon my ignorance, but is that plant thing a part of the flood? Do we know what that is? I don't remember the game ever explaining what he was...

The plant thing is like the flood king or something. Notice that it has assimilated the prophet just like the flood do. He explained what he was in a very cryptic manner ("I am a monument to your sins" etc).

 

[dlobro1080]

That makes a lot more sense. Thanks. So I guess HALO 3 is going to be Marines vs. Covenant vs. The Flood on Earth? Sounds badass.

I have to say, I just started going through the single player about a week ago, even though I got the game when it came out. And detached from the hype, it really is a great game. I bought the Xbox in October just for the HALO games, and it's been totally worth it. I should've gotten it a long time ago.

 

[GhaleonEB]

The plant thing is like the flood king or something. Notice that it has assimilated the prophet just like the flood do. He explained what he was in a very cryptic manner ("I am a monument to your sins" etc).

Also, the Arbiter calls it "parasite" ("Kill me or release me parasite, but do not waste my time with talk."), which is what he calls the flood in all other exchanges. ("When the parasite was released..." in the opening cinematic." I think he recognized that it was Flood.

Note also that his tenticles are the same as the ones that appear in Gravemind (the level) when the Flood are taking over, as well as the one Meranda holds onto to grab the Index.

 

[dlobro1080]

Christ, I was an English major and I didn't realize all this! Thanks, NYU.

I did notice how his tentacles matched other tentacles in the game. Any of you play on Live? My gamertag is ThePizzaBagel, FYI.

 

[Pudding Tame]

Yeah, they crammed so many bits of information and backstory not in the cut scenes but into the in-game dialog and it's easy to miss a lot of it because of all the weapons fire and explosions while you're trying to stay alive.

 

[The Guivre]

I think the way it works is this. The humans, be they forerunners or simply the race the forerunners entrusted to keep the arc safe are the only beings capable of activating the indexes.

The Flood are in fact a hive mind, so that plant thing you can think of as being somewhat omnipresent. Where the flood is, he is. The flood are of course aimed at engulfing anything they can. The barganing chip they have is that nobody wants to activate the arc, humans included.

The Covenant is now divided. The Elites and hunters have split from the Prophets, Brutes and Grunts. The Elites and at least some of the Hunters believe what the humans do (that is to say the truth) that the rings are not divine instruments but indeed weapons of universal destruction. The Brutes, Prophets and Grunts still believe the rings to be holy objects and seek to activate them.

So Halo 3 would likely Humans/Rebel Covenant v. Covenant v. Flood? So kind of a three way conflict.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_2 I've found Wikipedia to be quite insightful

 

[raYne]

So Halo 3 would likely Humans/Rebel Covenant v. Covenant v. Flood? So kind of a three way conflict.

Pretty much... co-op this time around better be Master Chief(1p) Arbiter (2p).. rock!

 

[op_ivy]

the "plant thing" is called the gravemind.

the art of halo had the following info on it...

The garvemind is one of the more shocking moments in Halo 2. Discovering that the flood is not simply a mindless virus comes as quite a surprise. The Gravemind can be thought of as a cross between the Flood's logical evolution and a queen ant. The Gravemind is literally built from the bodies of its enemies and its own fallen warriors reassembled into a massive, tentacled, and intelligent entity, trapped somewhere in this new Halo.

 

[ChrisReid]

The Covenant is now divided. The Elites and hunters have split from the Prophets, Brutes and Grunts. The Elites and at least some of the Hunters believe what the humans do (that is to say the truth) that the rings are not divine instruments but indeed weapons of universal destruction. The Brutes, Prophets and Grunts still believe the rings to be holy objects and seek to activate them.

I believe the Grunts are with the Elites and Hunters.. The Brutes and Prophets have the flying Drones instead.

 

[Funky Papa]

Man, that green plant sequence is quite high on my WTF gaming moments list, right along with the final part of MGS2. I still don't know if it was a stroke of pure genius or the biggest leg pulling ever.

 

[mj1108]

They'll put the ending in Halo 2.5

 

[Manders]

i never bothered with the story in halo 2. it was pretty much shit. i could stomach the first game's story, but bungie was pullin shit outta their ass on halo 2.

 

[Ramirez]

The guy who writes the books (Neylund?) needs to write the game story...

 

[GhaleonEB]

I believe the Grunts are with the Elites and Hunters.. The Brutes and Prophets have the flying Drones instead.

It broke down as:

Grunts, Elites, Hunters

Brutes, Drones, Jackals

 

[dlobro1080]

Speaking of the novels, do they shed any further light on the story? Anyone read them? I honestly can't picture myself reading books based on videogames (not to sound elitist or anything), but I do find the story in the HALO series to be pretty engrossing....when I can understand what the hell's going on.

Dan

 

[GhaleonEB]

Speaking of the novels, do they shed any further light on the story? Anyone read them? I honestly can't picture myself reading books based on videogames (not to sound elitist or anything), but I do find the story in the HALO series to be pretty engrossing....when I can understand what the hell's going on.

Dan

The Fall of Reach and First Strike would be interesting, complex sci-fi even if they had nothing to do with Halo. They are good enough to be independant novels, and yes they shed much light on the story. Heck, The Fall of Reach (published at the time of the first Halo) sheds light on what the Covenant are looking for on earth, and why.

 

[Ironclad]

The guy who writes the books (Neylund?) needs to write the game story...

I agree completely. Eric Nylund wrote two of the three Halo novels and they were excellent. The dialogue was interesting, the story was comprehendible, and he showed more of Master Cheif than we get in the games. I really think he could do a great job with the game script/story.

 

[DopeyFish]

No. Please! NO!

The Halo books have so many worthless characters. The books themselves were not written really good... sometimes it felt slopped together as it would jump around without the reader even knowing.

NO THANKS.

 

[Ironclad]

No. Please! NO!

The Halo books have so many worthless characters. The books themselves were not written really good... sometimes it felt slopped together as it would jump around without the reader even knowing.

NO THANKS.

At the beginning of chapters, there is a small report that tells you the time and place that the chapter takes place in, so I didn't really consider that a problem with the book. Worthless characters, now that I can agree with. What's the point of spending a page vividly describing two marines who get killed on the next page. :lol

 

[DopeyFish]

At the beginning of chapters, there is a small report that tells you the time and place that the chapter takes place in, so I didn't really consider that a problem with the book. Worthless characters, now that I can agree with. What's the point of spending a page vividly describing two marines who get killed on the next page. :lol

i'm not talking about beginning of chapters... i'm talking in the middle of them.

 

[op_ivy]

No. Please! NO!

The Halo books have so many worthless characters. The books themselves were not written really good... sometimes it felt slopped together as it would jump around without the reader even knowing.

NO THANKS.

i kind of agree with dopey. i love halo, the story and designs, but the books always felt cheesey to me. almost like the starship troopers movie, in that it really dulled the believability of the story.

still worth it for the in depth look and story bits though. especially first strike, which has absolutely HUGE story information that was never even touched upon in halo 2.

 

[Ironclad]

i'm not talking about beginning of chapters... i'm talking in the middle of them.

Once again, I really didn't experience that problem. I always had an idea of where the story was taking place, and where it was headed. Maybe I read too much into it, but I usually read very thoroughly.

 

[ElyrionX]

Halo 2 had an ending??!!

 

[ecliptic]

I completely disagree with Dopey. I think the Nylund Halo novels are some of the best scifi novels ever written and I have read alot.

 

[pringles]

I love the novels. If Bungie would just have made First Strike the story of Halo 2 it would have been incredible. That book has so many great story elements that are never touched in Halo 2, and it actually has a great cliffhanger as opposed to game.
Too bad that it almost seems like they won't pick up all the loose ends from that book again.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I love the novels. If Bungie would just have made First Strike the story of Halo 2 it would have been incredible. That book has so many great story elements that are never touched in Halo 2, and it actually has a great cliffhanger as opposed to game.
Too bad that it almost seems like they won't pick up all the loose ends from that book again.

^^Agree 100%.

 

[dlobro1080]

Alright, I'm coming down from my pedastal to read First Strike.

 

[fallout]

I completely disagree with Dopey. I think the Nylund Halo novels are some of the best scifi novels ever written and I have read alot.

You like the Halo books ... fine. But seriously, you need to read more if you think that they're the best ever written.

 

[Chipopo]

You like the Halo books ... fine. But seriously, you need to read more if you think that they're the best ever written.

He's ecliptic. ECLIPTIC.

His fateful return at the dawn of a new era of console gaming is NOT coincedental. From whatever shackles he had been bound to previous to this point have evidently not been able to contain such rabid Microsophelia. This is a sorry turn of events for the GAF community at large. A lesser Baldwin when compared to the Starkyluvs and Coolman8s of fanboyhood, but no less viral.

ECLIPTIC. REMEMBER THE NAME. IGNORE THE POSTS.

 

[Trasher]

Halo 2 had an ending??!!

Why are so many people angry at Halo 2's ending???? It is obviously looking like this is only the second of a trilogy (or even more). So why do people feel like there should be an ending when the story is not over yet?! Be patient

 

[Manders]

Why are so many people angry at Halo 2's ending???? It is obviously looking like this is only the second of a trilogy (or even more). So why do people feel like there should be an ending when the story is not over yet?! Be patient

I was pissed about the whole story. It was shit, and Bungie did not flesh out a lot of stuff. A lot of people are confused about what the hell was actually happening in the story.

 

[dlobro1080]

<<I was pissed about the whole story. It was shit, and Bungie did not flesh out a lot of stuff. A lot of people are confused about what the hell was actually happening in the story.<<

One of those people and I share a name...ME!!! (that's a Mr. Show reference)

 

[GhaleonEB]

I was pissed about the whole story. It was shit, and Bungie did not flesh out a lot of stuff. A lot of people are confused about what the hell was actually happening in the story.

Are you serious? Plot threads from Halo clarified in Halo 2:

*The hierarchy of the Covenant
*Their motivation
*What happened to the Forerunners
*The purpose of the Halo rings
*The true nature of the Flood

There are a number of ADDITIONAL plot eliments introduced that did not get closed, but not any more than Halo had. H2 greatly expanded on the Halo universe.

As for this whole "not tying to the books thing", that's just crap. A good example is the Star Wars movies/books relationship. The books take characters stories from the movies and expand on them, providing backstories and side-plots, but they are not directly referenced in the movies. They are there to expand on the story, but the movies need to exist on their own.

Can you imagine how confusing it would have been had half of the plot threads in First Strike were in Halo 2 for those who had not read it? They would have spent all their cinematic time filling that in, rather than telling the story they did want to tell.

 

[dlobro1080]

I was mainly impressed at how they pulled off an epic feel throughout the game. I don't think the script was as fleshed out as, say, the MGS series, but they did a great job (in both H1 and H2) at creating the feeling of a war torn universe. I did enjoy the ending, and if H3 is a launch title for the new Xbox, I'll be there.