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[GhaleonEB]

For those not in the loop, this is 117, a regular comic over at HBO. This trilogy riffs Bungie for embracing some videogame cliche's in Halo 2 that they shunned with the first game. I thought the last one was particularly spot-on.

 

[Ironclad]

The second one is the best. The piranha plant is absolutely awesome.

 

[Mr. Lemming]

With the way Halo fans have been dreaming up rumors about stuff happening on certain dates (The February 11th appearing on legendary rumor, the new years thread) and how hard people clung onto the the hope that certain features would be in the final game (All the "The french pirated leak isn't the final release copy, they will add the ATV, online coop and 20000000 multiplayer levels for the US release") they are closer to Nintendo fans then they might think.

Halo 3 = Holograms. You heard it here first!

Edit: Correction... not holograms... HALOGRAMS.

 

[M3wThr33]

With the way Halo fans have been dreaming up rumors about stuff happening on certain dates (The February 11th appearing on legendary rumor, the new years thread) and how hard people clung onto the the hope that certain features would be in the final game (All the "The french pirated leak isn't the final release copy, they will add the ATV, online coop and 20000000 multiplayer levels for the US release") they are closer to Nintendo fans then they might think.

Halo 3 = Holograms. You heard it here first!

Edit: Correction... not holograms... HALOGRAMS.

Except we have (A little more than) one game to pine over every year. Not two titles in just over three years.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Nm.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Can't say I understand the first one.

 

[Mr. Lemming]

Except we have (A little more than) one game to pine over every year. Not two titles in just over three years.

Oh I know. Think how I feel... I have a Bungie character for my avatar and I'm wearing a Nintendo sweatshirt right now. I get to play like 2 games a year and 3 games every third year.

 

[Boogie]

Dear Creator of One One Se7en:

Learn to draw.

k thx bye.

 

[Redbeard]

What's the character on the left supposed to be? Looks like a crude attempt at a ninja turtle.

 

[Deku Tree]

Spoiler

The final Boss in Halo 2 has very similar gameplay to the final boss in Wind Waker

 

[Shard]

I dunno, I think Halo 2 has more in common with the Half-Life games then anything Nintendo created and vice-versa.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Can't say I understand the first one.

Some of the prominent figures in the Bungie fan community have leveled some major criticisms at Halo 2, and taken a pounding by much of the rest of the community for it. Stuntmutt (the guy who does this comic) noting that - he's gonna be branded a 'Heretic'.

What's the character on the left supposed to be? Looks like a crude attempt at a ninja turtle.

That's the Heretic Leader. Or, is supposed to be.

 

[op_ivy]

its so cool to hate on halo 2, even the bungie elite are doing it

honestly, i think 95% of the complaints people have with halo 2, is, its not what they expected. wah

 

[Mama Smurf]

Some of the prominent figures in the Bungie fan community have leveled some major criticisms at Halo 2, and taken a pounding by much of the rest of the community for it. Stuntmutt (the guy who does this comic) noting that - he's gonna be branded a 'Heretic'.

Oh. I thought "The clue's in the name" was referring to why Halo 2 feels like a Nintendo game, not why he feels he can say it.

 

[HokieJoe]

I dunno, I think Halo 2 has more in common with the Half-Life games then anything Nintendo created and vice-versa.

I find Halo2 more reminiscent of UT2K4 than anything. Or could it be that UT2K4 copied Halo's vehicular motivation?

 

[Tellaerin]

I'm glad Bungie embraced some of those so-called 'cliches' in Halo 2. I'm partial to things like boss battles in my games, FPS or otherwise. If anything, I wish there had been more battles like

Spoiler

the Tartarus fight

or

Spoiler

the battle with the Heretic and his holodecoys

. I'm hoping that's something we'll see in the sequel.

 

[GhaleonEB]

its so cool to hate on halo 2, even the bungie elite are doing it

honestly, i think 95% of the complaints people have with halo 2, is, its not what they expected. wah

Some of the 'hate' wasn't even hate, just observations that certain elements in the game were not better than the first. Some of the 'hate' was disappointment that Bungie embraced 'boss' battles, platforming elements and some very linear level design. But to many, any criticism of the game is heresy. For my money, Halo 1 does many things better than Halo 2, but Halo 2 is so much more of a diverse and complete package that is almost does not matter. I've posted that sentiment on a Halo board and got ripped in two for not worshipping the game as perfection incarnate...which is sad.

 

[Of All Trades]

Oh. I thought "The clue's in the name" was referring to why Halo 2 feels like a Nintendo game, not why he feels he can say it.

I thought it was implying that Bungie was making sequels.

 

[Mike Works]

That second one pleases me very much, and the third was good too. First was just confusing.

 

[Grubdog]

Except we have (A little more than) one game to pine over every year. Not two titles in just over three years.

He said Halo fans, is there more than one Halo game every year? Or do Halo fans = Xbox fans?

 

[DopeyFish]

That second one pleases me very much, and the third was good too. First was just confusing.

Heresy.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=heresy

(it's a double shot against Halo 2 and Nintendo)

 

[Anyanka]

I've never understood why boss fights get hate. What's not to like about bosses?

 

[Pedigree Chum]

I've never understood why boss fights get hate. What's not to like about bosses?

Exatcly. Punching a prophet in the face > you

 

[scarybore]

Probably something to do with them being an antiquated gaming device with its intention of getting you to add more coins while playing games in the arcades and as such not having much relevance in the modern times of home consoles with the advent of memory cards and cartridge savings. See extra lives and continues while you are at it. (All imo of course)

Not that I dont mind the odd boss, but they felt horribly out of place in Halo 2. It was one of the best things ever when playing the original to find that instead of some tired boss battle you had a race against time to the finish, finding ye olde boss who needs to be shot over and over again in Halo 2 made me cringe.

 

[Anyanka]

I don't see how bosses are comparable to lives or continues. There's actually a reason for bosses. Regret and Tartarus were major villains who had been built up in the story. Didn't you think it was cool to fight them? What would you rather have, them getting killed in a cutscene? It's not like the boss fights are set up like a regular game boss battle. There's no energy bar or anything like that to take you out of the experience. They're just special enemies.


I thought it was lame that you never fight any in Halo 1. You fight wave after wave of nameless weaksauce grunts, elites, jackels and hunters yet not once do you ever come across some kind of commander or important Covenent leader. All the baddies look EXACTLY the same.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I've never understood why boss fights get hate. What's not to like about bosses?

I'm not opposed to boss fights, but the way they were imlimented in Halo 2 was a little forced. Part of what makes the game great are the different tactics you can employ to make the battles play out differently. But in the Tartarus fight, there's just one way to do it: wait for Johnson to snipe him three times, then shoot him for a second. Repeat lots of times. It was an artificially drawn out battle, and stands really out of place.

Likewise with the Heretic battle - there are plenty of tools in the game universe to make a perfectly good boss. A badass who was using dual-wielding plasma rifles while using an overshield and a jetpack makes for a perfectly good boss, and with stuff the game had already introduced as part of the game universe. Then he does the clone/hologram/doppleganger thing, and it jerked me out of the game and screamed 'boss battle'. It was a cheap ploy to drag out the battle.

As for the Regret battle, the only thing I don't get is why you can't plant a plasma grenade on him - when you jump on other vehicles like that you have the option. Since the goal is to take him out, and you are under fire from other guys, it makes sense to do it. But the game does not give to the option in order to draw the battle out further. Again, it was simply an artificially extended battle.

I think Halo 2 pretty close to a perfect shooter, but there are few missteps - and I think the bosses are some of them.

 

[Ford Prefect]

I thought it was implying that Bungie was making sequels.

Yeah, that's what I got out of it. Pretty legitimate comment, too.

 

[ohamsie]

I was wondering why the flying elites looked so much like space pirates, right down to similar flight patterns and boxes on their shoulders. It was quite odd.

 

[Mr. Lemming]

Likewise with the Heretic battle - there are plenty of tools in the game universe to make a perfectly good boss. A badass who was using dual-wielding plasma rifles while using an overshield and a jetpack makes for a perfectly good boss, and with stuff the game had already introduced as part of the game universe. Then he does the clone/hologram/doppleganger thing, and it jerked me out of the game and screamed 'boss battle'. It was a cheap ploy to drag out the battle.

The game had already established the Heretic used holograms though.

 

[monkeyrun]

Yeah, that's what I got out of it. Pretty legitimate comment, too.

I take it as xBox fanboys doesn't like Halo 2 ?

 

[Azih]

I'm pretty sure it was a knock on sequelitis

 

[GhaleonEB]

The game had already established the Heretic used holograms though.

Yes, but holograms that can shoot you?