Zeouterlimits
Member
Wow, hmm. That's the quite the strong opinion.
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Halo |OT 23| Thruster is Love, Thruster is Life
- Thread starter VisceralBowl
- Start date
Point again taken.
Like I told Poodle a few pages back, I came up mostly as a console FPS player, technically Action/Adventure as well. My fiancée exposed me to the Legacy of Kain series towards the end of last summer for example and I thought it was an excellent game and I kind of lament that those sorts of games aren't "in" anymore. The Metroid Prime games are equally fantastic and I love hearing someone who's as enthusiastic about them as I was (and still am).
From PC I was almost exclusively a Maxis and Myst nerd, but I never really got into any MMO's or RPG's. So yeah, this sort of thing is definitely a new experience for me based on where I'm coming from.
Destiny is definitely very mechanically competent, and that's really the only thing that brings me back to play it from time to time.
However the loot trappings like "Light level" and their insistence on sometimes not giving out shit in a raid, makes me not really enjoy the end game.
Also the bosses outside of the raids are a total bullet sponge joke, so all of their mechanics are not created equal.
Poker Face
Member
Point taken.
I guess is doesn't bug me because I always have a blast playing the Vault. I'm more than happy to run that with folks even without the promise of loot at the end. It's the kind of intricate puzzle and multiple player coordination that I've not seen in an FPS that really hits a sweet spot for me personally.
Haven't done Crota yet to be honest, but I got the impression from people it's a bit of a slog, but I guess I'll have to find out myself.
Oh and I think I can grab the Hard checkpoint at the Gorgons from Blue Ninja tonight so you can just real quick jump in to grab those two chests if you so desire.
crota is not as bad as everyone says, it's just not as good as VoG. People always cheese most of the raid so that usually removes most of the fun as well lol
Nah, I'm a changed man. My two weeks on Beyond have shown me the light! Clearly Halo 4 is terrible and ADS is a blight on humanity!
Yeah that's all a lie. I'm here to claim my train.
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Halo campaign formula needs to be revised. It's gotten really stale to me.
Aside from cinematics and being able to load mid-mission checkpoints and modifiers like skulls, it's basically the same format that GoldenEye 007 for N64 has. Agreed.
It's why I like ODST... and Destiny now for that matter.
MrGreencastle
Member
Yep. It's why I've never been able to get into MMO games, and why I enjoy Destiny, despite its many flaws. It at the very least feels good to play at the base level. Most MMOs do not, in my opinion. Some are better than others, though. Like... Guild Wars 2's combat mechanics, or TESO's first person mode. Hell - even Neverwinter does some things right there, too. But overall, most MMOs I've tried feel very much like WoW, and I honestly feel like WoW's gameplay is shit and just barely passable. Everything else layered above that is what they've consistently gotten right and even set as industry standard for years, from my perspective. The combat, not so much. But I'm no expert and I understand a lot of people will disagree with me (especially PvPers), it's just my opinion.
Its unfortunate that the story in Destiny is so dramatically bad, lol.
"Evil so evil it despises other evil."
smh
Is the level going to provide that weaponry at every point? What happens if you miss etc. Again you can't look at other games and then try to hamfist it into Halo. It's not necessarily about being too hard as opposed to just might not be fun and awkward to play. Most campaigns, people either speed run through or just kill enemies.
But you're right in that we now have new always available abilities. This could open up new opportunities, ie. You have to sprint above and ground pound him to remove his shield and then fire a few shots. Have to time thrusts to evade his attacks, etc.
WoW's combat is most certainly not shit.
MrGreencastle
Member
To me it is. But I like "action" games. The meta surrounding the combat is probably amazing, I don't know, but that's my explanation for why people love it so much. But the actual base level stuff, the queueing of moves, the dice-rolls, etc. are just not my cup of tea.
I think a boss fight could work. We've had sorta mini bosses since CE with Hunters. They were pretty easy to figure out how to kill. As long as the bosses are intuitive the ability set could make them quite interesting.
Side note, ground pound is going to be awesome in the campaign. Talking out a pack of grunts could be hilarious. Also they should make it so the cowbell skull causes the ground pound to send out a shock wave which sends enemies flying.
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
I'm with ya. The gameplay and dorky art style in most MMOs totally kills my interest in the genre.
Zeouterlimits
Member
Nah man, we need HaloHunter or HaloSouls.
I liked ODST's campaign but I'm not sure I'd like that in a mainline game. I still very much like the standard level progression. My concern is the content. halo 4's campaign disappointed me for multiple reasons... Prometheans were no fun to fight, the levels were narrow corridors and the new weapons weren't interesting not fun to use. I liked the ship sequence the first time but on repeated playthroughs it's become annoying.
wesleyshark
Banned
Yeah, I never looked at the scarab battles as boss fights, but I definitely wouldn't fault someone for doing so. It always just felt like a much larger enemy to take down, just like any other Covenant unit. I do like the sandbox approach that Halo presents most of the time- I think a boss fight set in such a way would be a good fit- but the heretic/prophet/tartarus type boss fights are just madly out of place for me.
Especially the prophet yikes
Zeouterlimits
Member
Quality is most important, but if you can't do it right, then I'd like if you did something interesting.
Bad / mediocre games elevate themselves by doing interesting things.
4 is neither in a sense.
By the numbers in structure, and underwhelming in "innovation" (almost the full range of Promethean behaviours being covered in the quick E3 demo).
wesleyshark
Banned
MrGreencastle
Member
You don't say that.
Something I'd like to see brought over from ODST is the semi stealth like aspect. I don't want any instant failure states or any of that bullshit. However it would be pretty cool if they had a rudimentary detection system and some more open ended encounters. Give us some more options when approaching a situation. It would be awesome to sneak around and take out some of the snipers and then jump out in the very middle of a group of enemies and take them all out.
I wouldn't want any shoe horned in rubbish like cover systems or anything. Just make sneaking a bit more viable. Also back smacks from behind should be silent and not alert any enemies nearby.
He takes his suit off at the end of 4, perhaps he gets some upgrades before going rogue?
I can't imagine they'd design all these systems and not give us access to them for half of the campaign.
I wonder if Master Chief will have access to Spartan Abilities or only Locke/Spartan IVs. In Halo 4 he did not get armor abilities until the second level when he picked up dropped modules from an elite. Maybe it will be similar to where his suit is upgraded at some point before or during the story?
MC's thruster pack was AMAZING. So much better than the multiplayer one.
I'd rather have Halonetta or HaloCry myself.
wesleyshark
Banned
Wait, wut.
You can one-shot-kill them from behind with the pistol.
Unless you're being sarcastic, then well, carry on!
That's always been the case. The wrinkle, as far as I can tell, is assassinations aren't necessarily silent. On Nightfall in Reach, for instance, I've alerted the Grunts at the beginning to my presence by assassinating the Elite, and other times they've slept on.
Yes it was sarcastic. I saw someone say that seriously one time, so its an inside joke that only I really get lol.
wesleyshark
Banned
Hahah oh my.
When you first realize you've been doing it wrong all along with the HCE Hunters, it's a bit of a humbling moment lol.
Really? I always thought back smacks alerted other enemies. Although you're right it could just be assassinations.
I can't remember if in H3, back smacking the brute who's peeing in the corner wakes up the sleeping grunts. Can't remember exactly which level it is either.
Anyway, maybe they should add silent assassinations which look a bit more stealthy if you haven't been detected?
Oh man, CE hunters are so dumb. Has some fun messing with this one...
http://xboxclips.com/Il+MeanBean+lI/2d4de461-18de-44e0-971f-d6446614af82
But unless you knew they could be one shot like that, it was definitely tense when you first meet them. Sort of like the Berserker in Gears. Once you have the formula down its so simple etc. But that initial first few encounters is hair-raising.
It's The Ark, and you can stealthily kill him and finish off the Grunts at your leisure too. I think the confusion arises because there's a window where you can smack him but they've already become "alerted". AFAICT it's not like the system works as a "oh I killed him without a sound, therefor everyone's still asleep", it's "did this enemy have awareness, and if so, then everyone else knows." It's why the death cries of Grunts in H1 won't wake everyone else but as soon as the Elite patrolling spots you they all pop up.
Yeah, you're right.
That's actually another thing I would like to see changed. I don't like how if one enemy spots you all the others are instantly alerted to your exact position. Obviously if they shout or a shootout starts the others should be alerted. However if you manage to kill an alerted enemy without creating noise I think the rest should stay oblivious.
I think some optional stealth areas could work very well in the Halo sandbox. With some tweaks obviously.
What's worse?
Halo 4's standalone story or Destiny's lack of one?
There's little to no exposition in the narrative to explain what's going on, why it's happening or even how we've got to where we are so newcomers are already a bit lost. Many things are either mishandled or just poorly written such as the reveal that Chief is ALIVE when he was previously thought dead or them turning Chief into space Jesus (though that can still be salvaged).
The Forerunners return was just... underwhelming.
Who the hell is the "Didact" and why should we care? Why is he such a cosmic dickhead? Wait who's this chick talking about something called a Geas and ancient wars? What's going on!? Did I accidentally pick up Code Halo: Lulu of the Mantle?
Then there's stuff like Del Rio who was just a throwaway character who's only purpose was to boost up Lasky. He acts like a angry 5 year old under pressure or when questioned yet is somehow Captain of humanities greatest ship. Had he been somewhat likable or even respectable then perhaps Chief defying him would've been more interesting.
A lot of answers are in the EU but when your main story has so many asterisks that it looks like an astrologists wet dream, you've got a problem. I think it's great 343 are trying to incorporate the EU into the mainline story, but it shouldn't be required reading. If it's going to play such a prominent role there needs to be enough explanation or hinting so that the player isn't lost.
Halo 4's standalone story or Destiny's lack of one?
A single awesome moment (I too thoroughly enjoyed the awakening) doesn't make up for all the other problems of the story.
There's little to no exposition in the narrative to explain what's going on, why it's happening or even how we've got to where we are so newcomers are already a bit lost. Many things are either mishandled or just poorly written such as the reveal that Chief is ALIVE when he was previously thought dead or them turning Chief into space Jesus (though that can still be salvaged).
The Forerunners return was just... underwhelming.
Who the hell is the "Didact" and why should we care? Why is he such a cosmic dickhead? Wait who's this chick talking about something called a Geas and ancient wars? What's going on!? Did I accidentally pick up Code Halo: Lulu of the Mantle?
Then there's stuff like Del Rio who was just a throwaway character who's only purpose was to boost up Lasky. He acts like a angry 5 year old under pressure or when questioned yet is somehow Captain of humanities greatest ship. Had he been somewhat likable or even respectable then perhaps Chief defying him would've been more interesting.
A lot of answers are in the EU but when your main story has so many asterisks that it looks like an astrologists wet dream, you've got a problem. I think it's great 343 are trying to incorporate the EU into the mainline story, but it shouldn't be required reading. If it's going to play such a prominent role there needs to be enough explanation or hinting so that the player isn't lost.
I don't hate the story but as a standalone it fails badly. I read the Forerunner novels and was still confused at points.
FUNKNOWN iXi
Member
Gold ODST Hunters >
Shit man, it's been over 6 years since we've seen a significant spin-off in this franchise.. It's about damn time we get something that isn't a FPS.
Why not? 343 makes the mainlines games while another developer works on something different.
Shit man, it's been over 6 years since we've seen a significant spin-off in this franchise.. It's about damn time we get something that isn't a FPS.
..or give us more settings to create Halo Kart
SaganIsGOAT
Junior Member
I personally find hunters boring to fight. Unless you have heavy weapons it's a chore to take them down.
MrGreencastle
Member
If they are hinting at moving toward how Hunters are in Halo Nightfall, I'm all for it. Absolutely terrifying.
The whole level itself is fantastic. The design, the structure, the tiers of enemies as you get closer. And then it all pays off when you waken Ur-Didact. The reveal of him was something I had been looking forward to greatly, as Cryptum and Primordium had basically laid a path of breadcrumbs pointing to that moment.
They did a great job mixing both surprise and anger into his expression as well- he was not expecting to be met by a human, in combat skin no less.
Good stuff.
I think my favorite thing about Forerunner is how it works on a different level for the serious lore fans who pretty much knew the Didact was going to be involved. You teleport in, and see the Cryptum smacking you in the face... and you know you've made a huge mistake.
(You can also figure out what's going on earlier if you zoom in on the platform from the portal hub roomyou can just make out the Cryptum.)
I also thought while its variation on the Trench run could have used a bit more variety in giving you different paths to complete it, it was more successful than Reach's in injecting the kind of game experience without it feeling like a retread.
SaganIsGOAT
Junior Member
Terrifying? Lol. If we fight worms it's all Orge. Give me Ghosts of Onyx Sentinels k thanks
Definitely the lack of story in Destiny.
How did they squander the dinklage? I don't know, but they did.
Man I love Didact's armor.
MrGreencastle
Member
The only part that was terrifying was the CGI.
lol, seriously though, we've known Hunters are worm colonies since the beginning, yet we never see them in other forms (scarabs, yadda yadda). Why not have them creeping about?
wesleyshark
Banned
I didn't notice the Cryptum on the earlier part the first time through, and when I came into that area, and beheld the Cryptum, I was like ahhhhhhh shiiiit. We fucked up. This is not going to end well haha.
Gahhhh, I love that level.
Yes! It's so... Fitting, for such a character and of his particular caste.
SaganIsGOAT
Junior Member
Does HaloGaf ever go a day without complaining about Destiny? Jesus.
wesleyshark
Banned
They can't help themselves. It's in the same vein of how they can't stop complaining about Halo 4 lol.
How about a boss fight that switches back and forth between the 2 characters with Locke being focused on taking down certain defenses and Chief directly engaging the boss with more aggressive gameplay. Give Chief a powered up thruster pack and fists of fury with Locke having great invisibility and/or quick movement.
Wait a second... John and Locke... a hunt for truth... deception and betrayal...
--
Welcome back Jem
Wait a second... John and Locke... a hunt for truth... deception and betrayal...
...Are we LOST!?
--
Welcome back Jem
wesleyshark
Banned
Yep. John.. Locke.. It ties in with philosophy, which also ties into the Flood and the postulates of the Gravemind and the endgame for humanity against their unclaimed Mantle.
Its hard not to, there's just so many things.
It is a beautiful game though! Also dat soundtrack, omg. Its just, the expectations were so high(mine included)!
We haven't really talked about it much recently, but with the talk about bosses and such, I wanted to say I hope they don't go in the Destiny direction for them... since everything outside of the raid is a bullet sponge.