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[GarthVaderUK]

New book arrived today:

Very nice indeed!

 

[ElzarTheBam]

New book arrived today:

Pic snipped

Very nice indeed!

It is indeed the best halo publication so far, check out the art for AOTCR in anniversary if you haven't already done so...jaw dropping!

 

[Kujo]

1. What is it about CoD that removed Halo from being the console FPS? Is it something inherent within CoD's gameplay? Is it the marketing?

Things I like about CoD:

Except for one gametype, idiots cant betray me
Spawn with the weapon you want to use
Much easier to take out air support than a tank or banshee
60fps, or close to, feels good
Lot of people playing, even objective modes, easy to find a match at different times of day
No Forge maps in matchmaking

 

[FyreWulff]

yessssssssss

 

[Kujo]

Is that supposed to be an Elite? Wish we had another costume to unlock in Waypoint, my ODST avatar armor is getting a bit old

 

[FyreWulff]

Is that supposed to be an Elite?

About as close as the avatar system allows, apparently. There's also Brute and Flood outfits coming:

http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/news/headline/halo-avatar-collectionoctober/272486

I know Elites have been requested since forever for avatars. Would have liked the Halo 3 Combat Elite head..

 

[vhfive]

CoD does a better job of rewarding players for their own performance. With the exception of a few challenges like Hardcore MVP in MW2, you don't need to win and your team's performance is largely irrelevant. Player goals are typically self-created ("I want to get prestige 10", "I want this title", "I want to unlock all the attachments for my weapons").

In Halo this isn't the case. You had players losing their rank because they got dragged down by their teammates. Hell, look at the frustration in this thread regarding last week's challenge where players went in by themselves and got terrible matchups.

It's far more complicated than that of course, but I certainly think that's one aspect to it.

yup

People who are terrible at shooters don't all of a sudden get good playing CoD. In general people who are good at Halo are good at CoD and people that are bad at Halo are bad at CoD. The difference is that you can be bad and still have fun working towards your goals. At the end of each game (even during) people can see their bars fill and get closer to their personal goals. Most people don't give a shit about winning because it doesn't really matter. In fact if you're playing slayer then dying doesn't even matter because you can get back into the game immediately without any respawn timer. Don't forget to add the fact that the guns feel good and the game runs smooth as shit (60 fps).
Yes it's easier to kill people in CoD but I don't think that is why the game is so successful

/incoherentrambling

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

New book arrived today:

Very nice indeed!

Just ordered this and Glasslands for $35 total. Woo Amazon.

 

[Hypertrooper]

Halo 4: The Reclaimer Trilogy, Part 1

I'm sure the Reclaimer bit will feature in the marketing, if not the title. They definitely want to roll with the 4 in the title as part of the effort to make it clear that the Chief is returning, and this is not a side story like ODST and Reach.

I would prefer something like this: The ending cut scene starts. Ends with a gigantic cliff hangar. Suddenly the Halo 4 logo appears, below it there is a small line with Halo 4's subtitle.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

Tunavi's post reminded me the Holiday games about to hit very soon, so what is everyone final list?

Mine is

Battlefield 3
Metal Gear collection
Skyrim
Halo CEA
Dark Souls (borrowed Demon Souls from a friend and its addictive!)

I was going to get Uncharted 3 but man after playing the MP Demo I have to say this is the SHITTIEST MP games I have ever played and I loved Uncharted 2.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Anything else I wait till 30 bucks or less.

About as close as the avatar system allows, apparently. There's also Brute and Flood outfits coming:

http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/news/headline/halo-avatar-collectionoctober/272486

I know Elites have been requested since forever for avatars. Would have liked the Halo 3 Combat Elite head..

Interesting. Why the hell did they pick yellow for the Elite costume though. Blue or Red. Those are the first 2 colors I think of when it comes to Elites.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

yup

People who are terrible at shooters don't all of a sudden get good playing CoD. In general people who are good at Halo are good at CoD and people that are bad at Halo are bad at CoD. The difference is that you can be bad and still have fun working towards your goals. At the end of each game (even during) people can see their bars fill and get closer to their personal goals. Most people don't give a shit about winning because it doesn't really matter. In fact if you're playing slayer then dying doesn't even matter because you can get back into the game immediately without any respawn timer. Don't forget to add the fact that the guns feel good and the game runs smooth as shit (60 fps).
Yes it's easier to kill people in CoD but I don't think that is why the game is so successful

/incoherentrambling

To an extent I think its fair to say though that if your good at Halo you will be really good at CoD, but you can be medicore at Halo and be good at CoD. Essentially Halo is the harder game and so I think there comes a point where people get frustrated with it and prefer to play CoD.

CoD has a lot going for it, its a fantastic game, but the fact that its more mainstream in terms of difficulty sure helps its cause.

 

[Tha Robbertster]

Is it list time again?

My plans were:
Gears of War 3 (bought)
Battlefield 3
Halo Anniversery
Skyrim (for christmas)
Assisins Creed revelations (also for christmas)

And then I'm probably gonna get glaslands for christmas too.

And about the CoD discusion: When I ask people why they like CoD over, lets say battlefield, I always get an answer like this: ''I tried battlefield and it was too hard!'' Or ''I'm just a casual gamer, I don't wanna do that hardcore stuff''

 

[FyreWulff]

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Anything else I wait till 30 bucks or less.



Interesting. Why the hell did they pick yellow for the Elite costume though. Blue or Red. Those are the first 2 colors I think of when it comes to Elites.

I imagine if we ever get Halo 1 or Halo 2/3 styles, those will be the colors.

For the longest time people thought the Elites weren't going to happen, especially with one of the MS rules on avatars:

Headwear that covers an avatar's face is allowed when either: 1) in the context of the game, it's known that there is a human form under the costume, or 2) in cases where the characters aren't human, the item has been modified to show the avatar underneath (e.g., the avatar's eyes are visible).

The tiny eye holes on the Elite head are just barely meeting that rule.

 

[The Real Napsta]

This is a more recent development. Not many games copied it from Halo: The First Console FPS(tm) until recently in the 360's run.

Then you have weirdness like Red Faction: Guerilla having it and then Red Faction: Armageddon NOT having it, or the Brink developers having full customization and forgetting to put Legacy in, and then literally lying to me over Twitter that their game has it.

There's only been a very recent change where every FPS in the Top 10 for Live has Legacy support.

Then you had the ultimate silliness of 4J forgetting to put it into the original release of Perfect Dark XBLA :lol I think the backlash over that was actually the turning point for Legacy adoption.

Yeah that was a big wtf for my friend when he bought PD XBLA.

 

[RebornYeti]

How is Crysis console? I want it...

Late reply, but I really like it. Once you get passed the movement speed (That is, if you're able to), it's a really fun game. Definitely better than Crysis 2 if you've every played that.

I am wondering if it's even possible to fix the movement speed through a patch though. It is pretty bad. Like, you move as slow as you would in Reach while crouching.

EDIT: As for my holiday gaming purchases, they will all be taking a hit because now I'm getting the iPhone 4s on Friday. So, I will now only be getting Skyrim and Halo CEA. Luckily, my brother is going to make some purchases, so I will be able to borrow stuff from him such as BF3, MW3, and possibly Saints Row 3.

 

[Merguson]

Tunavi's post reminded me the Holiday games about to hit very soon, so what is everyone final list?

Mine is

Battlefield 3
Metal Gear collection
Skyrim
Halo CEA
Dark Souls (borrowed Demon Souls from a friend and its addictive!)

I was going to get Uncharted 3 but man after playing the MP Demo I have to say this is the SHITTIEST MP games I have ever played and I loved Uncharted 2.

Batman: Arkham City
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

That's it for me.

 

[Booties]

Shadow Complex is nearly my favorite 360 game. Any and all who don't own this, stop being scrubs and buy it.

b-b-b-b-b-b-but I made it to level two in GOW2.

Spoiler

terrible game btw

 

[Risen]

In CoD it seems you can land kills much easier, so anyone can jump in and have some measure of success. (At least, that's what it looks like - I'm not a CoD player.)

It's not that simple and there's more too it (a better reward system is important), but I think that's much of it.

I think you hit the heart of it, but the reason anyone can jump in and have some measure of success is because in CoD there are more ways to be successful. The multiple load outs, coupled with multiple types of equipment, in conjunction with different kill streaks means that people can tailor their game play to their skill set.

Where in Halo, you are not offered as many options, even in Reach with AA's...

I have more than one friend who is a marginal player in Reach, but can go into Black Ops, throw on Ghost, use Motion Sensors, Silencers, and appropriate kill streaks - and go way way positive in public matches.

This is all relative to general MM though, in competitive CoD game play, the game is streamlined and you see a more direct skill comparison with Halo.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I think you hit the heart of it, but the reason anyone can jump in and have some measure of success is because in CoD there are more ways to be successful. The multiple load outs, coupled with multiple types of equipment, in conjunction with different kill streaks means that people can tailor their game play to their skill set.

Where in Halo, you are not offered as many options, even in Reach with AA's...

I have more than one friend who is a marginal player in Reach, but can go into Black Ops, throw on Ghost, use Motion Sensors, Silencers, and appropriate kill streaks - and go way way positive in public matches.

This is all relative to general MM though, in competitive CoD game play, the game is streamlined and you see a more direct skill comparison with Halo.

Yeah, the elaborations you and others have added make a lot of sense. I've only touched CoD very lightly, enough to know it wasn't my thing, so my feel for it was more superficial.

What is Legacy?

 

[The Real Napsta]

What is Legacy?

An alternate analog stick control scheme.

Right analog is look up/down and strafe, left is move and turn

 

[Risen]

http://flagtournament.com/

Any interest in this for GAFfers?

 

[FyreWulff]

Yeah, the elaborations you and others have added make a lot of sense. I've only touched CoD very lightly, enough to know it wasn't my thing, so my feel for it was more superficial.

What is Legacy?

An alternate analog stick control scheme.

Right analog is look up/down and strafe, left is move and turn

Surprisingly consistently named across most games too, considering that Halo gave it the name.

Valve never had it until Left 4 Dead 2 (then they retroactively patched it back into Left 4 Dead 1 and Portal), and Gearbox still apparently elects to not give a crap about even attempting to implement it.

A notable recent event is that Microsoft commissioned 4J Studios to re-release Perfect Dark for XBLA from the N64. Goldeneye and Perfect Dark were the games that invented and popularized the Legacy stick control scheme. 4J releases the game, and it has no Legacy OR Lefty support. GIGANTIC backlash ensues. It would have been like having a developer re-release Halo 1 and omit being able to throw grenades quickly with a trigger.

An amusing aside to the whole thing is that both Goldeneye and Perfect Dark supported dual stick modes, so Rare had already done the work for them.

Anyway, after getting buried on Twitter, they finally patched in both Legacy and Lefty support about a week before the Reach beta started. I don't think a game has omitted Lefty support since that incident, and the only FPS without Legacy since then was Duke Nukem Forever.

 

[Blue Ninja]

New book arrived today:

http://i56.tinypic.com/2mgkwfd.jpg[IMG]

Very nice indeed![/QUOTE]
I'm on the fence about it. I heard some good things, but I also heard some bad things. Is there a lot of new stuff in there, or is it all pretty much things you could find online?

 

[Hypertrooper]

I'm on the fence about it. I heard some good things, but I also heard some bad things. Is there a lot of new stuff in there, or is it all pretty much things you could find online?

I saw a lot of things I haven't seen before.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

An alternate analog stick control scheme.

Right analog is look up/down and strafe, left is move and turn

That seems so much more intuitive than the standard control schemes BUT I would never be able to adjust. Basically it makes sense and is so horribly wrong all at the same time.

Kinda on a tangeant but im pretty sure Walkie Talkie is one of the most useless control schemes ever invented.

 

[The Librarian]

If it's about being able to get kills easier, that's something you're not going to find in a Halo game unless you're going to make it anti Halo.

What Halo can do is reward players for playing the game, something Reach touched upon. But I'm not sure how far you can take that in a Halo game. What other aesthetic changes are there we haven't seen that would reward players? Customizable weapon skins?

 

[Karl2177]

Kinda on a tangeant but im pretty sure Walkie Talkie is one of the most useless control schemes ever invented.

I actually used that in Halo 3 for a while. It acted more as a transition scheme while I went from Default to Bumper Jumper.

 

[FyreWulff]

Kinda on a tangeant but im pretty sure Walkie Talkie is one of the most useless control schemes ever invented.

Walkie Talkie was essentially to help people from Halo 2 transition over. Recon serves the same purpose for people that liked 3/ODST's scheme in Reach.

That seems so much more intuitive than the standard control schemes BUT I would never be able to adjust. Basically it makes sense and is so horribly wrong all at the same time.

I think this is the best description yet I've seen of Legacy. I can't use the default Halo sticks at all, can play just great with Legacy, but if I actually think about what my hands are doing, I have no idea how it's working.

Also, while playing Halo 2 Vista, I can instantly switch between using the control pad (with Legacy sticks) and the default KBAM controls with no issue. I have no idea how that works...

 

[Pennybags]

What Halo can do is reward players for playing the game, something Reach touched upon. But I'm not sure how far you can take that in a Halo game. What other aesthetic changes are there we haven't seen that would reward players? Customizable weapon skins?

People definitely like customizing their Spartan, so even greater detail in armor customization than in Reach such as backpacks/back armor, alternate color schemes for FFA, boots, gauntlets, etc. would probably go far.

As long as it doesn't look out of place or distracting (armor effects), I'm game.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

Walkie Talkie was essentially to help people from Halo 2 transition over. Recon serves the same purpose for people that liked 3/ODST's scheme in Reach.

I actually used that in Halo 3 for a while. It acted more as a transition scheme while I went from Default to Bumper Jumper.

Ah I stand corrected!


I think one of the other reasons CoD is more popular than Halo is simply the aesthetics. Im pretty sure CoD 4 blew people away because it hit very close to home. Its not quite authentic but its a lot more realistic than Halo. Personally I am not a fan of realism but I can understand why people flock to it.

I prefer the Halo aesthetics because I prefer the more imaginative approach with games, but I know of people who play CoD because of the fact it looks more real. Which is the worst argument ever because CoD is as arcadey as it gets.

Maybe its also the constant rewards even in game via killstreaks. I know going for my chopper gunner makes me want to play 1 more game.

 

[Stinkles]

Yeah, the elaborations you and others have added make a lot of sense. I've only touched CoD very lightly, enough to know it wasn't my thing, so my feel for it was more superficial.

What is Legacy?

I didn't "get" CoD for a really long time, but I persevered and now I understand exactly what people did about it. Feels very old-school, visceral, once you get into the flow. The player progression is cool in that it's nonstop everyone is special time and I got addicted to it. SPOILER ALERT:

Spoiler

That gun you have your eye on and think will make all the difference is probably not as good as your M16.

 

[Risen]

Spoiler

That gun you have your eye on and think will make all the difference is probably not as good as your FAMAS.

Fixed

 

[PooBone]

I still want to try it. I enjoyed the Borderlands gameplay and Fallout's visuals, and that's how it has been described to me. As for the length, I can blaze through FPS and RPGs while still getting all of the dialogue and the like. I beat Mass Effect in 17 hours with all possible side missions completed.

Seems like every single review is saying this is wrong, that it is nothing like Borderlands and there's no RPG elements. I rented it and played a while. I would agree with that from what I played, which admittedly wasn't very much.

 

[PooBone]

That seems so much more intuitive than the standard control schemes BUT I would never be able to adjust. Basically it makes sense and is so horribly wrong all at the same time.

Kinda on a tangeant but im pretty sure Walkie Talkie is one of the most useless control schemes ever invented.

It's just Goldeneye 64 controls.

 

[PooBone]

Shadow Complex is nearly my favorite 360 game. Any and all who don't own this, stop being scrubs and buy it.

STFU kylej. I've posted before why I will never buy this game no matter how good it is reported to be. I did play the demo and it was cool, though. Kinda saddens me.

 

[Tunavi]

 

[PooBone]

My bad. This thread is fairly quiet today.

 

[wwm0nkey]

I didn't "get" CoD for a really long time, but I persevered and now I understand exactly what people did about it. Feels very old-school, visceral, once you get into the flow. The player progression is cool in that it's nonstop everyone is special time and I got addicted to it. SPOILER ALERT:

Spoiler

That gun you have your eye on and think will make all the difference is probably not as good as your M16.

Game: You just fucking killed 1 guy, here is 5000000000000000 points!!!
Players: HOLY SHIT! I am a fucking boss!

 

[Photolysis]

SPOILER ALERT:

Spoiler

That gun you have your eye on and think will make all the difference is probably not as good as your UMP45.

Fixed fixed

 

[thezerofire]

Fixed

FAMAS in MW2 is such a boss

 

[Risen]

Fixed fixed

TOUCHE' pussycat!

 

[Syracuse022]

Interesting. Why the hell did they pick yellow for the Elite costume though. Blue or Red. Those are the first 2 colors I think of when it comes to Elites.

Bro. It's gold. Go play Assault on the Control Room until you get to the end of the first bridge please. Christ.

The popcorn Flood costume is hilarious:

 

[The Real Napsta]

Walkie Talkie is Halo Reach default pretty much.

 

[Photolysis]

Game: You just fucking killed 1 guy, here is 5000000000000000 points!!!
Players: HOLY SHIT! I am a fucking boss!

I think it's more like:

Game: YOU ARE AMAZING! HAVE SOME AWESOME MUSIC THAT YOU'VE BEEN CONDITIONED TO LINK WITH AWESOME STUFF HAPPENING FOR GREAT AWESOMENESS. RELEASE THE DOPAMINE!
Player: *drool*

There is no exaggeration in the above. None whatsoever. Nope.

 

[TheOddOne]

The popcorn Flood costume is hilarious:
*hidious thing for an avatar*

What in the world?

 

[Hitmonchan107]

FAMAS in MW2 is such a boss

RPD with a grip and Sleight of Hand = GTFO.

I went on a 30 kill streak a few days ago with that setup.

MW2 is that rare game that rewards noobs while punishing the slightest error, all without making me frustrated.

 

[Domino Theory]

Finally sucked it up and read 50 more pages of Cryptum last night. Only 100 left and I'm done with my second book ever.

So I guess with the (big Cryptum spoiler)

Spoiler

description of Forerunners being able to go through mutations to become a different, stronger class of Warriors, that sets it up nicely for the variety of enemies we may face in the Reclaimer Trilogy.

 

[thezerofire]

RPD with a grip and Sleight of Hand = GTFO.

I went on a 30 kill streak a few days ago with that setup.

MW2 is that rare game that rewards noobs while punishing the slightest error, all without making me frustrated.

lol if you're going to use a LMG it better be the AUG.

I kinda miss mw2.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Finally sucked it up and read 50 more pages of Cryptum last night. Only 100 left and I'm done with my second book ever.

Halo book, or book?

 

[TheOddOne]

Finally sucked it up and read 50 more pages of Cryptum last night. Only 100 left and I'm done with my second book ever.

So I guess with the (big Cryptum spoiler)

Spoiler

description of Forerunners being able to go through mutations to become a different, stronger class of Warriors, that sets it up nicely for the variety of enemies we may face in the Reclaimer Trilogy.

Thats what I was thinking too.