This all assumes that there is no further development in the works for the Spartan IVs, and I think the game and Spartan Ops have dropped hints that will be explored.
Halsey can't stand the Spartan IV program for a few different reasons, and she doesn't consider them to be true Spartans. Remember the line "First we taught them to be quiet, then we taught them to be Spartans"? That's some sound advice for Majestic, wouldn't you say?
Why are the Spartan IIs so different, and why is John special among that group? The guy who doesn't even allow his humanity to come to the surface? That thinks that he's a machine? Did John's success come about because he lacked basic humanity and was at his core, broken? These are the very first questions posed in the game, in the opening cinematic, catalyzed in this first chapter of a new trilogy that we know focuses on the Chief's humanity, by way of Cortana's arc of rampancy, and continued by stressing the difference between the Chief and new breed of Spartans in the end cinematic and Spartan Ops.
Seems clear to me that this is a direction that 343 may follow up on since they've laid a foundation for it. That the Spartan IVs are new blood that haven't yet learned what it is to be a Spartan like the Chief.
Pretty much. It is called the Reclaimer trilogy after all, not the Halo trilogy like the originals. The focus here is on man. You could even re-write your last line as what I think may be the message in Halo 4: The HUMANS are new blood that haven't yet learned what it is to be RECLAIMERS like the FORERUNNERS. That's the whole internal conflict between the Didact and the Librarian, and the rest of the Forerunner. The Librarian, and everyone else, believed that the only way to stop the Flood is to kill its food, so they built the Halo array. Where the Didact believed that they did not need to sacrifice themselves, caretakers of the galaxy, but that he could use the composer to essentially create an army unaffected by the flood, and beat them through force. He felt that humans should be responsible for becoming that army, because they were responsible for bringing the flood to their doorstep, as it were.
To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if the Didact returns in the next game as an ally of sorts, having learned from his mistakes much as the Librarian begged of him, against a bigger threat, perhaps Faber/Master Builder. Remember Faber believed that the Halos should be used to control uprisings/evolution in order to enforce Forerunner dominance. That's exactly what he did with the first firing and the careful watchful eye on the SanShyuum. So the Halo array was a big misinterpretation from his point of view.
The difference is the Didact and the Librarian operate within the Mantle, to what they believe is the greater good for the galaxy. The Master Builder couldn't give two shits about the Mantle, and is probably more powerful than the both of them.
I think most of us get that Null, but the point is that it should've never happened. To allow for writing like "Egghead" in a more "sophisticated" Halo is poor design.
Not sure what you mean. The egghead shit just shows annoying machismo, something you'd expect from noobs with raw talent but no discipline.
Of course this could all just be 343 marketing to the lowest common denominator of their audience, with no development in store over the next two games, in which case, yeah, its all fucked.
Not sure what you mean. The egghead shit just shows annoying machismo, something you'd expect from noobs with raw talent but no discipline.
Of course this could all just be 343 marketing to the lowest common denominator of their audience, with no development in store over the next two games, in which case, yeah, its all fucked.
I'm basically saying that 343 decided to go the overused "break in newbies by showing them the way" route instead of finally showing us how a collective of Spartans, ODST's and other ranks interact with one another on the Infinity. That's just one way it could've been better than what we got; instead they completely remove the ODST's from existence and create these Spartans, among many other poor choices.
As a sidenote, Marty was talking on a podcast or an interview a while back (can't remember which) where he was saying that video game development will eventually become like movies where it's openly set up where a central company makes the designs and then all the work is outsourced to other companies. So you make the game levels, then you buy music off one studio, your fx work off another, your VA done outside by another company, etc
I can definitely see this, and I don't doubt that it's already becoming more common in the industry. As game development costs inevitably rise, it'll become more difficult for a single small studio to create those huge blockbuster type games. I'd love for 343 to make everything in-house, but clearly that just wasn't realistic for Halo 4 for some reason or another, perhaps we'll never know.
Someone here suggested that doing things this way makes sense on paper, since you'd want the best talent working on something that the studio may not necessarily be as adept at (or what I think is likely the case with Halo 4, being severely crunched for time). The CG is a decent example of this approach working pretty well.
The downside of course is the possibility that there could be a lack of communication, or lack of a cohesive overall vision between the different studios. Basically, it's how Construction works, with General Contractors, and Sub-Contractor companies being hired based on their relevant trade. The exact same problems arise in construction, too.
Also worth keeping in mind 343's parent company, Microsoft, absolutely loves the shit out of partnering and teaming up with other companies. So that type of management philosophy probably puts pressure on them as well.
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Walshy, Ghostayame, Strongside, and Ninja streaming a dubs game with MLG v1 settings (Walshy's first time playing it): http://www.twitch.tv/walshy
I can definitely see this, and I don't doubt that it's already becoming more common in the industry. As game development costs inevitably rise, it'll become more difficult for a single small studio to create those huge blockbuster type games. I'd love for 343 to make everything in-house, but clearly that just wasn't realistic for Halo 4 for some reason or another, perhaps we'll never know.
Someone here suggested that doing things this way makes sense on paper, since you'd want the best talent working on something that the studio may not necessarily be as adept at (or what I think is likely the case with Halo 4, being severely crunched for time). The CG is a decent example of this approach working pretty well.
The downside of course is the possibility that there could be a lack of communication, or lack of a cohesive overall vision between the different studios. Basically, it's how Construction works, with General Contractors, and Sub-Contractor companies being hired based on their relevant trade. The exact same problems arise in construction, too.
As a sidenote, Marty was talking on a podcast or an interview a while back (can't remember which) where he was saying that video game development will eventually become like movies where it's openly set up where a central company makes the designs and then all the work is outsourced to other companies. So you make the game levels, then you buy music off one studio, your fx work off another, your VA done outside by another company, etc
I tend to agree. As an example: Halo 4 Forge, built by CA, still lists Red and Blue Teams as Defenders and Attackers, respectively. Halo 4 has zero round based attack/defend gametypes. I don't know what the workflow pipeline looks like for the game's maps, but same deal - no asymmetric gametypes, almost all asymmetric maps.
I tend to agree. As an example: Halo 4 Forge, built by CA, still lists Red and Blue Teams as Defenders and Attackers, respectively. Halo 4 has zero round based attack/defend gametypes. I don't know what the workflow pipeline looks like for the game's maps, but same deal - no asymmetric gametypes, almost all asymmetric maps.
See, I think most of the maps are pretty decent in the game. You hit the nail on the head, though, symmetrical gametypes on asymmetrical maps is just... strange and wrong.
See, I think most of the maps are pretty decent in the game. You hit the nail on the head, though, symmetrical gametypes on asymmetrical maps is just... strange and wrong.
Yeah, it's weird. A lot of my personal apathy towards the maps is due to gametype issues, really. Whether its symmetry/asymmetry clashes, how they play with global ordnance, the changed spawn system, or the issues that some of the loadouts present, I think more than ever the maps are being marred by little gameplay issues rather than problems they have in and of themselves. With good gametype settings, I don't think I'd have nearly as much of a problem with most of the maps in the game.
I tend to agree. As an example: Halo 4 Forge, built by CA, still lists Red and Blue Teams as Defenders and Attackers, respectively. Halo 4 has zero round based attack/defend gametypes. I don't know what the workflow pipeline looks like for the game's maps, but same deal - no asymmetric gametypes, almost all asymmetric maps.
Yeah that's a good example. Also, as long as we're on the topic of maps, the disconnect between the lists in MM that would use the large set of maps is whack considering the amount of large maps in the game. Two lists will use the large set and the rest will use the small set? Great let's make the majority of the maps very large.
Pretty much. It is called the Reclaimer trilogy after all, not the Halo trilogy like the originals. The focus here is on man. You could even re-write your last line as what I think may be the message in Halo 4: The HUMANS are new blood that haven't yet learned what it is to be RECLAIMERS like the FORERUNNERS. That's the whole internal conflict between the Didact and the Librarian, and the rest of the Forerunner. The Librarian, and everyone else, believed that the only way to stop the Flood is to kill its food, so they built the Halo array. Where the Didact believed that they did not need to sacrifice themselves, caretakers of the galaxy, but that he could use the composer to essentially create an army unaffected by the flood, and beat them through force. He felt that humans should be responsible for becoming that army, because they were responsible for bringing the flood to their doorstep, as it were.
To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if the Didact returns in the next game as an ally of sorts, having learned from his mistakes much as the Librarian begged of him, against a bigger threat, perhaps Faber/Master Builder. Remember Faber believed that the Halos should be used to control uprisings/evolution in order to enforce Forerunner dominance. That's exactly what he did with the first firing and the careful watchful eye on the SanShyuum. So the Halo array was a big misinterpretation from his point of view.
The difference is the Didact and the Librarian operate within the Mantle, to what they believe is the greater good for the galaxy. The Master Builder couldn't give two shits about the Mantle, and is probably more powerful than the both of them.
I think they should have taken the naming scheme in the same direction Call of Duty did. We had Call of Duty 1-3, MW 1-3, and BO 1-2 and likely 3 in 2 years.
We could have had Halo 1-3, and Reclaimer 1-3 with "HALO" as a tiny subtitle on the side or something.
I'm a bigger fan of TPS than FPS, so for me it was a good blend of Gears of War/Socom/CoD. It's linear and environments tend to be samey, but I enjoyed the weapons and varied shooting segments a good amount. The various choices were top notch, graphics looked bad ass on my PC maxed out, controls were tight, soundtrack has stellar themes, and there is a really good style for Dubai. The random art/graffiti within the game is slick.
All in all, for having paid 5 bucks for it, I would've easily coughed up 30 for just the SP alone.
Keep in mind the emphasis on two primary lifts skewed toward one side of the map, a variety of side entrances, two main elevations and circular central rooms dominating the maps.
I don't like the Reclaimer 1-2-3 idea. If they have packaged rereleases, I'd say just add a small "The Halo Trilogy" label somewhere on the boxes and do "The Reclaimer Trilogy" on the others.
At this point, Halo is catering pretty much exclusively to a core audience. Everybody who wants to play a new Halo game is going to know about the new Halo game, whether it's called Reclaimer or something else.
I think it would have made sense given the new start, and how much they were planning on changing the multiplayer. Look at Reach. The title screen doesn't even say Halo, in large part because Bungie treated it as a completely new entity, something within the same universe but still separate enough that they could take risks as far as tone, multiplayer changes, etc.
At this point, Halo is catering pretty much exclusively to a core audience. Everybody who wants to play a new Halo game is going to know about the new Halo game, whether it's called Reclaimer or something else.
I think it would have made sense given the new start, and how much they were planning on changing the multiplayer. Look at Reach. The title screen doesn't even say Halo, in large part because Bungie treated it as a completely new entity, something within the same universe but still separate enough that they could take risks as far as tone, multiplayer changes, etc.
Exactly. Reach was called Reach, that's why Halo 4 isn't Halo 5.
It is also my opinion that a franchise starts to feel too drawn out if the numbers go over 3. Trilogies feel just right. Halo 6 as a name feels weird in my mouth.
Haha, thanks. It's worth noting that the Composer was originally supposed to be able to convert beings seamlessly between organic and digital forms (as a potential solution to the Flood), but for some reason there is a flaw in it's design. Didact's using of it on the humans despite that knowledge is where he and his wife, the Librarian disagreed. It is morally wrong to do that, she felt, since she thinks Humanity will inherit the Mantle. He was punished and exiled for it's use.
I've been contemplating a lot of the story recently, considering the outside fiction, and especially the terminals, since they are still, in my opinion, essential to understanding the actual story of Halo 4 that isn't really discussed in the game so much since the focus is more about Chief and Cortana. I noticed a lot of parallels between it and a standard sort of "formula" that a lot of trilogies follow, including the original Halo trilogy.
First part has a small, self contained, and more personal story, because it is introducing all the characters. You get a fairly neatly wrapped up package, with most of the story bits resolved. There is usually a nice conclusion with a sort of soft, albeit ominous allusion to what's ahead. Think A New Hope, where the focus is on Luke, Leia, Han, C3-PO, R2D2, and Chewie (Halo: CE: Chief, Cortana, Keyes, and perhaps Echo 419 | Halo 4: Chief, Cortana, and to a lesser extent, Lasky). The story is there's this big bad guy called Darth Vader (Halo: CE: The Covenant, then The Flood | Halo 4: Didact), and the big goal is to blow up the Death Star (Halo: CE: Installation 04 | Halo 4: Didact's ship, Mantle's Approach, hell there's even a trench run!) which has the capability of blowing up planets (Halo: CE: Destroying all life within it's pulse range | Halo 4: Digitizing and converting Humans into seemingly mindless ancilla AIs, like how
Chakas was composed into 343 Guilty Spark by the Ur-Didact
). The heroes succeed in the end, but not without losing Obi-Wan (Halo: CE: Keyes/Echo 419 | Halo 4:
Cortana
) and that Darth Vader is seemingly, but not obviously, destroyed, making it seem like everything is resolved (Halo: CE: The Covenant is just a fleet, the Flood are still a problem, there's more than one Halo | Halo 4: Didact dead? I think not. But is he really the true villain? I also think not).
Second part has no real beginning and no real end. It introduces the over-arching plot that was prevalent in the first part of the trilogy, but not obvious, or not the focus. The second part almost always ends in a cliff-hanger of sorts. In The Empire Strikes back, we learn that Darth Vader is mostly just a pawn of the Emperor, who is revealed to be the real villain (Halo 2: The Prophet of Truth is introduced, as well as the Gravemind | Halo 5: Master Builder?), and ends in a cliffhanger with the Empire and Rebellion at full strength ready to finish the fight (Halo 2: Finish the Fight).
The third act usually results in the finishing of said fight, and perhaps the death or sacrifice of the hero. Return of the Jedi kind of does something weird, as Anakin is revealed to be the hero, and the restorer of balance to the Force, but dies in the process (Halo 3: You could consider the Master Chief dying, as that's what everyone believes happens to him, save for perhaps the Arbiter, "Were it so easy", even though Spartans are only ever MIA, in this case litterally). I would not be surprised if the Chief goes at the end of 6. Likely by means of MIA, too.
Anyway. I am definitely curious as to how Halsey, and some of the characters from Spartan Ops are treated in the latter half of the season, as that will likely be important to understanding where the story could perhaps go in the future. Upon further consideration, it seems we understand the Didact's motivations better than we understand hers. And the seeming collusion between her and the Covenant over the Artifact is something to think about, too.
rip in peace