Support NeoGAF

[Shadders]

I'm hoping Destiny is as epic as Halo used to be because the more I play 4 the less hope I have for the future of the series.

Also, two questions I'd like everyone to answer.

1. Which of the 360 Halo games was the least like Call of Duty?

2. Which of the 360 Halo games sold the most?

hint: both questions have the same answer

1. Halo Wars

2. Halo 3

Your hint is wrong.

 

[zap]

A lot.

My frustrations with Halo 4:

• Flinch sucks - descoping is a million times better
• MM puts me in uneven games all the time, 99% of the games that start 4v5 (WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?) never has someone join in progress, resulting in uneven teams all game.
• Instant respawn is bad. How many times have you respawned quick enough to kill the person who just killed you while their shields are down? Too many times.
• The above is exacerbated by faster core gameplay than Reach (good thing), but keeps Reach's slow shield recharge time, so you have to stay behind cover longer and are more likely to die when caught after a 1v1
• No red 'X' on a team mate's dead body. Why not? Silly decision.
• Harder to tell what your team mate is doing from their waypoints.
• Camo and jetpack are still terrible. In fact, camo is MORE powerful than in Reach. WTF. Apparently now you can get rid of the radar dots if standing still. WHY.
• CTF changes are frustrating - no more stealth caps and no returning flag is terrible in small maps. 35 seconds without someone grabbing the flag? That's not going to happen.
• Oddball (and flag) autopickup is either frustrating or broken. Yesterday I spent a whole game just throwing the ball to enemies who automatically picked it up and so couldn't shoot me while I killed them. Broken.
• No ammo on the map for starting weapons is frustrating. Combine that with 12 second despawn (Yep, twelve seconds only) means I run out of ammo ALL the time
• BTB and Dominion is now Heavies. No-one is without a power weapon or vehicle. Worst part of BTB is now the only part? :|
• Tank/Gauss hog/Mantis should not be in MM - they are all overpowered - especially when there is only one left on the map. Good luck taking a mantis down without another mantis.
• Non standard weapon spawns means one team can be gifted a power weapon for no reason other than randomness. F.U.N.
• Smmetrical gametypes on aysmmetric maps. CTF on Abandon? Stupid. One team has the high ground, the other starts in the rocks. Nice balance there :|
• Complex has one spot (top roof) that can see the whole map and is just for camping
• Solace is the least symmetrical 'symmetric' map ever. Not a good map either.
• Forge has been DOWNGRADED from Halo Reach. Wut.
• Less options in custom games. I was running through some custom options yesterday and we have lost a ton of options that have been present since Halo 3. Why??
• Medals are too numerous and you can't see them easily when they pop up. Why are they there if they don't convey information easily?
  

Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying myself - I much prefer this game to Reach, but there are so many little things (i.e. above) that are really frustrating to deal with. I can see these problems having a much greater effect once the honeymoon phase is over as well.

 

[Blueblur1]

Under the exact design trajectory I feel the same.

The team needs clarity, it needs to double down on what Halo actually is. The people they hired can't actually be that passionate about 'Halo', because this goes against Halo's core principles so vociferously. There's a number of core changes in the game that, if actual passionate Halo fans were on the team, just wouldn't all have survived. I'd be really eager to see the minutes of some of the early design meetings, and the justification for some of this stuff.

Ordnance, player and weapon spawning, and the unlock system specifically.

I've never mentioned this but I'm sure that Bungie would have never approved of some of the changes. As 'features' like the weapon unlocks and specializations were announced and/or revealed, I imagined that Bungie folks saw that and just shook their heads. It's all very unlike what Halo really is.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

Halo 3 has its fair share of problems, but I went back to it yesterday and it was a like a breath of a fresh air after just having played Halo 4. It's so much more simplistic than the uncontrollable chaos that ensues during Halo 4 matches and I loved it.

Oh I think anyone would be delusional to say that the previous games were perfect. They all had their share of problems. However they managed to minimize those issues and to work around them for the most part. With Halo 4 it's flaws are magnafied because they were intentional changes. They are what 343 want Halo to be. Ironically the game can be fun in spite of these changes. I really hope 343 comes up with a classic playlist and manages to make it function somewhat like classic Halo. I really do. I'd be in that playlist 24/7 without a doubt.

 

[Hypertrooper]

To give 343 some credit, they did solve the nade spam problem. Making grenade pickup a perk was a great idea.
And the maps flow pretty well, I like them so far.

Grenade spam is still there in Infinity Slayer because of Instant Respawn.

 

[too much eslim]

Who will all leave in two days?

Guys, at the core we have a great game, it is just we have a very rotten apple. Hopefully 343 can sort out the orchard for Halo 5.

I have faith Halo 5 will be great. Halo 4 is fun in its own right, but it is seriously flawed. i am glad I gave up on Reach early I would probably feel as drained as everybody else.

The crazy part is that all the issues are easy to fix. However a lot of the issues should not be present in the first place.

 

[Devolution]

This is why I see myself kind of separating from the current gaming demographic.

I don't need a bunch of shit.

I just want a balanced game.

For all its faults Halo was egalitarian as fuck. Everyone gets the same shit. None of this play to unlock, everything is random, oh by the way that guy had X after you die.

They've moved completely away from this.

Fuck me.

 

[Gray Man]

I'm trying to remain optimistic that most of these problems will be fixed.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

I find it kind of "odd" the people who were vehemently defending the game pre-release and were drinking the kool-aid from E3/PAX and all that are now some of the most disappointed/salty/offended/disenfranchised etc.

What happened between those two things? Seriously? Did it just "take more games" for some of you to realize you hated it? All of you guys at those events and personal "parties" who got to play early were all kinds of indoctrinated. Now, it's like you're (some of you) different people.

Shit's really weird.


I'm still enjoying the hell out of the game, but I enjoy most of the changes. I think it's a step in the right direction, but perhaps I'm (and people like me) part of the problem. The way I see it, it's the "purists" who are having the biggest fits.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I find it kind of "odd" the people who were vehemently defending the game pre-release and were drinking the kool-aid from E3/PAX and all that are now some of the most disappointed/salty/offended/disenfranchised etc.

Deadly Cyclone and Hydra are still in the 343 fanclub as far as I can tell, and they were the biggest defenders

 

[Ken]

Where'd you go, Tunavi? I need your -1 K/D spread.

 

[Arnie]

I've never said this but I'm sure that Bungie would have never approved of some of the changes. As 'features' like the weapon unlocks and specializations wee announced and/or revealed, I imagine that Bungie folks saw that and just shook their heads. It's all very unlike what Halo really is.

Exactly, it's like 343 hired a team to make a shooter completely distinct from Halo, and were then told during pre-production that they'd actually be making a Halo game. When hiring a multiplayer designer, I'd have hoped that one of the questions during the interview process would've been what they liked about Halo multiplayer from a design perspective, and if the proof's in the pudding, I can't see them being that enthused about much of it, to be honest.

 

[Plywood]

Also: the Halo 4 OT2 is up for grabs, when the time comes. I think my time with starting and owning Halo threads is coming to a close. I put the time into them because I was passionate about the game. I'm not passionate about this game. And the passions I do have are not positive.

-yoink-

 

[Orochinagis]

That's pretty much where I am. Only, I think the break starts pretty soon.

Also: the Halo 4 OT2 is up for grabs, when the time comes. I think my time with starting and owning Halo threads is coming to a close. I put the time into them because I was passionate about the game. I'm not passionate about this game. And the passions I do have are not positive.

Oh man, end of the world

Things that are Dumb As Fuck™ in Halo 4 Multiplayer Infinity:

• Personal ordnance - People pull Snipers, Binary Rifles and all kinds of other extremely powerful weapons out of their asses after which they proceed to kill enemy players who could've never seen it coming.
• Global ordnance - Random weapons in random locations, go figure.
• Flinch - Can we please get the descoping mechanic back? The flinching mechanic is annoying enough in CoD where everyone dies in one hit, it's incredibly obnoxious in Halo where it takes 5 shots to do so. Long range battles become very tedious because of it.
• Big Team Battle - Because of the flinch mechanic BTB isn't everything but enjoyable. The fact that it turns into who can shoot each other the fastest while sitting behind a rock half a kilometer away doesn't help much either. Valhalla is especially atrocious, it's nothing but long range battles. And good luck using vehicles because they'll get EMPed, stuck and shot to shreds with precision weapons in no time.
• Promethean Vision - You can see people across the goddamn map. Don't think that needs more explanation, right 343?
• Camo - It's already annoying anyway as an AA, but hey now you can even be invisible on the radar if you stand still. Screw the camo power-up that promotes movement and isn't Dumb As Fuck™, no let's let everyone spawn with camo and encourage them to hide in corners.
• Jetpack - Screw your map-layout, screw you cover, screw everyone, I've got a motherfucking jetpack.
• Regeneration Field - It's practically impossible to win a battle against someone who is in one and right to some cover. You miss one shot and he gets his shield partly back instantly. Fun, fun, fun.
• Thrust - No, I'm just kidding. It's pretty worthless and I don't mind it.
• Hardlight Shield - "Just throw a grenade," people said. Well, what if the guy who's using it is across the goddamn map? What if I'm out of grenades? Gotta give people their out-of-jail-free card, right?
• Boltshot - It's a shotgun that you get at spawn. I like using it but damn if it isn't lame.
• Capture the Flag - A 35 seconds reset time with no ability to return it yourself. Hey 343, please stop asking Bungie for advice on how to set up gametypes. These settings could work in BTB, but they have no place on small maps. It's impossible to reset the flag 9 out of 10 times. Change it to 15 seconds reset time and 5 second return time. While you're at it turn off the auto pick-up and let us juggle the flag, thanks in advance.
• Matchmaking times - There's a 100.000 people playing BTB, why is it taking >5 minutes for us to find amatch?
• Servers - Stop using the EA servers, we can't go into matchmaking half the time.
• UI - It's a mess. Active Roster and the lobby menu have taken a huge step back. Who gives a fuck about player cards? Just show a list of horizantal names of players in the lobby and use the rest of the space you freed up to give players information about the gametype or something, don't fill it with huge buttons. Also make it so Active Roster is not a button press away, I want to see who's online and what they're doing all the time.
• Framerate - Why am I getting framedrops while looking at a wall of a cave?
• Killcams sitrecs - It's a feature that doesn't even work properly and was probably put into the game about a week before launch. I'm used to CoD killcams not being entirely accurate but the ones in Halo 4 simply don't work half the time. If you end up fixing them, make sure to add a final killcam to every gametype.
• Filesharing - Why can't you do it on Waypoint yet? We seriously have to wait a month after launch for basic features to be available?
• Theater - It's not there for campaign and spec ops which is sad, and it doesn't even work properly when you record clips.
• Medals - They all look the same and disappear within half a second. You barely see them, let alone differentiate them from each other.
• Steitzer - He's saying so much stuff that I've learned to tune out his voice. Now I can't really keep track of half the things that happens during objective games. He should only say stuff when it's important, not when I get a headshot.
• Complex - Jetpack abuse to hell and back. All people do is go in or on top of one of the many buildings and take pot-shots at the enemy.
• Longbow - The most one-dimensional map in the game. You take the middle structure and you shoot the enemy team spawning one either side of said base.
• Meltdown - Has the longest tunnels known to man-kind.
• Adrift - Hallways, crates, and more hallways.
• Vortex - Half the map is meant for Dominion is isn't used outside of that gametype.
• Weapons despawning - A 12 second despawn time? Really? Hey Kevin, if you don't want too many power weapons on the map don't reward to everyone who even does as much as fart in the general direction of the enemy.
• Forge - No precision forging, objects are worse than in Reach, category object limit still exists, the Forge maps aren't good to Forge on, lighting makes all enclosed maps look bland as fuck, all that kind of stuff.
• Instant respawns - I've had several occasions where I could finish off my own kills after dying and respawning immediately. RIP Halo
• Loadouts - Rock, Paper, Scissors all day, every day. Along with ordnance it makes the game unpredictable in a bad way.
• Sprint - Just give me a faster movement speed so I can shoot while moving around faster and so I don't slow down with I'm shot.
• Oddball - Throwing the Oddball into the hands of an enemy player who's just coming around the corner is fun the first time, sure. But it's annoying more than anything when it happens to you. There should not be an auto pick-up for the ball.
• Dominion - It's over within a minute half the time.
• Audio - I can't hear my surroundings as well as I could in Reach. Not sure what it is, but something's messed up.
• Options - Why can't I turn off Assassinations? Why can't I change my audio settings? Why can't I adjust my vertical sensitivity? It's 2012, people!
• Hitdetection - Not sure on this one, but I feel like headshots aren't registering correctly half the time. I've seen myself hit people in the head several times only for them to just shrugs it off and run around the corner. Was a lot more consistent in (0% bloom) Reach.
• Join-in-Progress - I don't want to join a game when it's nearly finished and the other team is ahead by a million points. Why can't I turn this shit off?
• Post-game lobby - It lasts so short that by the time that you're done seeing how many credits you got you're already in the voting screen for the next game unable to back out. What happened to the 30-second post-game screen that existed in previous Halos?
• Flood - The gametype has less flexibility than the old Infection gametype just so you guys could add a Flood skin that looks like it's ripped straight out of doom for the infected players? It's sad to see where your priorities lie, 343.
• Lack of classic settings - Following up on what I said about the Flood gametype; Why are the customization options for some gametypes so limited?? 343 has actively ripped out customization options for CTF, Infection and Grifball and we can't even play Assault at all anymore.
• King of the Hill - I don't have too much issues with it but the inconsistent respawn timer can be annoying at times. Sometimes it's instant , others it's 3 seconds. Also, don't put KotH on a map as segmented as Adrift.
• Regicide - Rewards players who aren't in the lead and promotes not doing well until right towards the end. Another problem is that the King can get a kingtacular - resulting in an overshield - in the middle of a fight. That's just fucked up.
• Killtimes - The game can be very slow in when you're in 1v1 situations. I honestly wouldn't mind 4-shot weapons.
• Spec Ops - Wasted resources.
• Death waypoints - What happened to the red Xs that appeared when people died? Those were extremely useful to get a good idea of where your teammates died and where the enemy is.
• Shield recharge rate - Seems to be around as slow as it is in Reach. I don't want to spend 6 seconds behind cover waiting for my shields to recharge.

Things that are good in Halo 4 Infinity:

• Core gameplay - It's better than vanilla Reach.

This game is becoming increasingly frustrating every day I play it. I have the feeling like the game screws me over regularly which is something that has stopped me from playing CoD completely. I have never been so agitated by a Halo game this early after launch and I really don't see Title Updates fixing the problems that I have with the game.

I am just already satisfied to play Multiplayer and I dont think I will play MM so much like Reach or Halo 3

 

[dalVlatko]

I've never mentioned this but I'm sure that Bungie would have never approved of some of the changes. As 'features' like the weapon unlocks and specializations were announced and/or revealed, I imagined that Bungie folks saw that and just shook their heads. It's all very unlike what Halo really is.

Really?

Look at Reach, Bungie was already heading down that path.

Load outs, armor abilities, etc

 

[senador]

I find it kind of "odd" the people who were vehemently defending the game pre-release and were drinking the kool-aid from E3/PAX and all that are now some of the most disappointed/salty/offended/disenfranchised etc.

What happened between those two things? Seriously? Did it just "take more games" for some of you to realize you hated it? All of you guys at those events and personal "parties" who got to play early were all kinds of indoctrinated. Now, it's like you're different people.

Shit's really weird.


I'm still enjoying the hell out of the game, but I enjoy most of the changes. I think it's a step in the right direction, but perhaps I'm (and people like me) part of the problem. The way I see it, it's the "purists" who are having the biggest fits.

Who are you referring to? Those people all seem to like it just fine from what I've seen.

 

[Tawpgun]

I find it kind of "odd" the people who were vehemently defending the game pre-release and were drinking the kool-aid from E3/PAX and all that are now some of the most disappointed/salty/offended/disenfranchised etc.

What happened between those two things? Seriously? Did it just "take more games" for some of you to realize you hated it? All of you guys at those events and personal "parties" who got to play early were all kinds of indoctrinated. Now, it's like you're (some of you) different people.

Shit's really weird.


I'm still enjoying the hell out of the game, but I enjoy most of the changes. I think it's a step in the right direction, but perhaps I'm (and people like me) part of the problem. The way I see it, it's the "purists" who are having the biggest fits.

Who did that? I'm enjoying the game despite its flaws in the fluff because the core gameplay is nailed.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Deadly Cyclone and Hydra are still in the 343 fanclub as far as I can tell, and they were the biggest defenders

I'm not bashing the "defenders" either though. Like I said, I love the game and find it incredibly fun. I'm specifically talking about the people who went "all in" after they played it at those early events and are now so depressed they should probably be on suicide watch.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

I find it kind of "odd" the people who were vehemently defending the game pre-release and were drinking the kool-aid from E3/PAX and all that are now some of the most disappointed/salty/offended/disenfranchised etc.

What happened between those two things? Seriously? Did it just "take more games" for some of you to realize you hated it? All of you guys at those events and personal "parties" who got to play early were all kinds of indoctrinated. Now, it's like you're different people.

Shit's really weird.


I'm still enjoying the hell out of the game, but I enjoy most of the changes. I think it's a step in the right direction, but perhaps I'm (and people like me) part of the problem.

I think for me at the events I was going to everyone was either:
A) There for the love of the game and not really abusing cheap stuff for K/D
Or
B) A noob and therefore not frustrating to play against.

The lack of connection issues on LAN helped the game a ton too.

This is why I see myself kind of separating from the current gaming demographic.

I don't need a bunch of shit.

I just want a balanced game.

For all its faults Halo was egalitarian as fuck. Everyone gets the same shit. None of this play to unlock, everything is random, oh by the way that guy had X after you die.

They've moved completely away from this.

Fuck me.

Yeah I have said it a few times, but the perk system is really eating away at me, I constantly feel like im getting screwed by my choice of stuff. I did prefer if when everyone was equal and gameplay won out.

 

[scar tissue]

Grenade spam is still there in Infinity Slayer because of Instant Respawn.

Haven't played IS yet and don't plan to. In every gametype I tried, the nadespam is blissfully absent (feels good in KOTH, especially).

 

[Enfinit]

Online credit limit reached? I went up three levels and played two campaign missions. What the fuck is this bullshit?

 

[Shake Appeal]

I'm probably not going to play this game all that much longer into the future -- although I imagine I'll still get drawn in once a week with the same friends I've been playing it with since Halo 2, even if the custom options aren't as rich. It's philosophically too different to what I loved about Halo, and philosophically too similar to other games that offer a deeper 'metagame' and so on if that's what you care for.

I'm having a lot of fun running and shooting, in a way I didn't nearly as much with Reach, but there is too much emphasis on the individual's experience, on XP, on personal reward rather than team accomplishment, on onanistic gratification across a 'career' rather than shared victory in games that matter -- on Binary Rifles dropping from the sky and advantages accruing from the Start menu rather than cooperation and planning and parity and contesting the map.

Sometimes I feel I'm alone on these maps fighting endlessly respawning, endlessly rushing bots, and that my friends are meanwhile on another map somewhere, fighting their own bots, and we all die frequently because of things we have little control over, and we all kill frequently because of things our opponents could never have anticipated. And we never achieve anything together, except in a very abstract sense.

Halo 4 is lonely to me. That's probably it's worst sin.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Who did that? I'm enjoying the game despite its flaws in the fluff because the core gameplay is nailed.

Nearly everyone that played early has complained severely, when before it was a pristine masterpiece. The only two I have seen that haven't is Tashi and Domino.

Some complain worse than others, and Ghaleon with his last post was the most "shocking."

 

[ElRenoRaven]

Really?

Look at Reach, Bungie was already heading down that path.

Load outs, armor abilities, etc

True but Bungie had limited load outs and everyone had access to every weapon right from the start. So they did have some limits. I hate the Armor Abilities so I won't argue that. That was a big mistake Bungie made. I will not defend that.

 

[Gray Man]

This game is becoming increasingly frustrating every day I play it. I have the feeling like the game screws me over regularly which is something that has stopped me from playing CoD completely. I have never been so agitated by a Halo game this early after launch and I really don't see Title Updates fixing the problems that I have with the game.

I'm not saying I don't agree with a lot of the things you listed out, but I'm interested to see what other positives you would put under that list, because I'm almost certain you've omitted a couple.

 

[Overdoziz]

Steitzer doesn't even announce headshots. Of all the examples you could have picked you somehow get it wrong :lol

He says "Headcase" when you make a headshot on someone who is sprinting. Close enough, I say.

 

[zap]

I find it kind of "odd" the people who were vehemently defending the game pre-release and were drinking the kool-aid from E3/PAX and all that are now some of the most disappointed/salty/offended/disenfranchised etc.

What happened between those two things? Seriously? Did it just "take more games" for some of you to realize you hated it? All of you guys at those events and personal "parties" who got to play early were all kinds of indoctrinated. Now, it's like you're (some of you) different people.

Shit's really weird.


I'm still enjoying the hell out of the game, but I enjoy most of the changes. I think it's a step in the right direction, but perhaps I'm (and people like me) part of the problem. The way I see it, it's the "purists" who are having the biggest fits.

Playing online =! Playing at a convention?

Also, a lot of the problems are with playlists and implementation. While at a convention people assumed implementation would be done right so they were only commenting on the 'core gameplay' - or that's how it looks to me.

I love this game, don't get me wrong, but there a quite a few glaring issues that need fixing at some stage.

 

[too much eslim]

This is why I see myself kind of separating from the current gaming demographic.

I don't need a bunch of shit.

I just want a balanced game.

For all its faults Halo was egalitarian as fuck. Everyone gets the same shit. None of this play to unlock, everything is random, oh by the way that guy had X after you die.

They've moved completely away from this.

Fuck me.

I don't mind the start weapon loadouts, but everything else is just too random. Now I am curious how they are going to handle rank.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

I'm not bashing the "defenders" either though. Like I said, I love the game and find it incredibly fun. I'm specifically talking about the people who went "all in" after they played it at those early events and are now so depressed they should probably be on suicide watch.

Who? Name names or don't make such claims, because I'm not sure who you're talking about.

 

[BlueScrote]

holy lens flair batman! Feel like I'm watching a jj abram's movie.

 

[erpg]

Steitzer doesn't even announce headshots. Of all the examples you could have picked you somehow get it wrong :lol

Headcase?

 

[ElRenoRaven]

Playing online =! Playing at a convention?

Also, a lot of the problems are with playlists and implementation. While at a convention people assumed implementation would be done right so they were only commenting on the 'core gameplay' - or that's how it looks to me.

I love this game, don't get me wrong, but there a quite a few glaring issues that need fixing at some stage.

And that's one thing that still gives me hope. 343 has said that they have designed the game in such a way that it can be updated very extensively. Now granted we don't know how extensively but still. Hopefully 343 will make some changes or at least create some playlists that work around some of these flaws.

 

[Holiday]

I like shooting people with the DMR, and I like getting into nice, 1v1 gunfights with people. The problem is that you have to slog through so much garb to get that experience, even in Slayer Pro.

MP just becomes a hassle way too quickly. With so many annoyances, it's really hard to determine which ones are the worst. The randomness of ordnance is exruciating--there's nothing quite like getting the pulse nade/needler/speed boost combo when an opposing player is hefting a 1SK sniper. Exile lags like Asylum. JIP has only led to frustration for me so far. The UI is objectively bad. And, worst of all, sprint is always there, jabbing a salt-covered finger into my eye.

 

[i nerini del buio]

Sometimes I feel I'm alone on these maps fighting endlessly respawning, endlessly rushing bots, and that my friends are meanwhile on another map somewhere, fighting their own bots, and we all die frequently because of things we have little control over, and we all kill frequently because of things our opponents could never have anticipated. And we never achieve anything together, except in a very abstract sense.

Halo 4 is lonely to me. That's probably it's worst sin.

A portrait of the times we live in through Halo4. Holy shit I'm officially depressed ahah.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Also, what was singularly interesting about Firefight -- survival against mounting odds, managing resources in a fixed space -- is not replicated in Spartan Ops. It just feels like bonus levels for Campaign, albeit with highly questionable encounter design and an extra helping of Crawlers.

 

[Arnie]

Really?

Look at Reach, Bungie was already heading down that path.

Load outs, armor abilities, etc

I believe you're ignoring context when you say this, though. Bungie were obligated to create Reach, their decision to split a statement that they were creatively tired of the franchise, Reach was their last hoorah, and a chance to do something fresh, whilst still making Halo.

Reach wasn't Halo 4 to Bungie, Reach was still very much a spinoff, disconnected from the baggage that's associated with the numbered iterations.

It was precisely the principles that 343 have eschewed that caused Bungie to stand down in the first place, they recognised that there's a level of creative restriction associated with making Halo 4 that didn't enthuse them as a team.

It was 343's job to take that mantle and do what Bungie didn't want to, to make Halo 4 in line with what Halo fans want and expect. They've taken major liberties in that regard.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

I think for me at the events I was going to everyone was either:
A) There for the love of the game and not really abusing cheap stuff for K/D
Or
B) A noob and therefore not frustrating to play against.

The lack of connection issues on LAN helped the game a ton too.

.

Playing online =! Playing at a convention?

Also, a lot of the problems are with playlists and implementation. While at a convention people assumed implementation would be done right so they were only commenting on the 'core gameplay' - or that's how it looks to me.

I love this game, don't get me wrong, but there a quite a few glaring issues that need fixing at some stage.

That's another thing. When people said "they were seeing the game through tainted eyes" or "they didn't play enough games to really pass judgement yet." Many of those people would give the "yeah, but we didn't play it enough *eye roll* crap."

This happened a ton in the threads leading up to launch with the whole team slrp vs team downer crap. Now it's actually playing to fruition and many of those problems seem to be effecting those "team slrp" people. It's kind of fucked up to see.

And again, this is coming from someone who is enjoying the shit out of the game.

 

[Ken]

So does no one notice the dumb face in the Defender helmet's visor?

That bugs me more than any of the ordnance/CoD stuff.

 

[Redford]

I've never mentioned this but I'm sure that Bungie would have never approved of some of the changes. As 'features' like the weapon unlocks and specializations were announced and/or revealed, I imagined that Bungie folks saw that and just shook their heads. It's all very unlike what Halo really is.

They made Reach dude.

At least 343i's changes are logical for looking at the leader, Reach's were just dumb period.

 

[Arnie]

They made Reach dude.

At least 343i's changes are logical for looking at the leader, Reach's were just dumb period.

See post #1537.

 

[Devolution]

I guess if I could sum it up: The game is fun but it's barely Halo.

=/

 

[TheOddOne]

Welp, this OT went dark fast. Ghaleon moving on is sad

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Also, what was singularly interesting about Firefight -- survival against mounting odds, managing resources in a fixed space -- is not replicated in Spartan Ops. It just feels like bonus levels for Campaign, albeit with highly questionable encounter design and an extra helping of Crawlers.

There's zero challenge or tension to Spartan Ops. Dying is never an issue, doesn't bring down your score or really force you to approach combat in another way. You die, you spawn again, you use up your weapons, die, spawn again and keep whittling down until you get to another button to press.

Instead of learning how to climb a brick wall or take it apart piece by piece, you just smash your head into it over and over again until you made it through.

 

[Talents]

I guess if I could sum it up: The game is fun but it's barely Halo.

=/

You sure about that? Pretty sure they said it still feels like Halo, they wouldn't lie to us.

 

[Devolution]

Welp, this OT went dark fast. Ghaleon moving on is sad

I don't understand how some of you could put up with Reach's bullshit longer than this one though. What's stopping you from doing customs? The baseplay is superb.

 

[Shake Appeal]

I guess if I could sum it up: The game is fun but it's barely Halo.

=/

Yep. And when I was playing with Daravon and his buddies yesterday, there was a chorus of "Well, if Halo is CoD-lite now instead of its own thing, we might as well just play CoD." I fear for the population after next week.

 

[ElzarTheBam]

Welp, this OT went dark fast. Ghaleon moving on is sad

You will be the new Ghaleon.

Step it up.

 

[heckfu]

Just heard Ghaleon was dying. Sucks.

 

[erpg]

I don't understand how some of you could put up with Reach's bullshit longer than this one though. What's stopping you from doing customs? The baseplay is superb.

Learned helplessness. Reach drastically reduced everyone's ability to cope.

Nothing's gonna get me down though. Halo's the only reason why I have an Xbox, really.

 

[Hypertrooper]

I have played the game early, and I am liking it.

Also, what was singularly interesting about Firefight -- survival against mounting odds, managing resources in a fixed space -- is not replicated in Spartan Ops. It just feels like bonus levels for Campaign, albeit with highly questionable encounter design and an extra helping of Crawlers.

It seems like the first week shows the whole content, Spartan Ops is going to have... Interesting.