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[Blazing Sword]

"don't even think about starting it on Normal or Easy...our A.I. guy and designers will take that as an insult. Halo2 was meant to be played on at least Heroic."

from Bungie animator 'Anim8rJB' on TXB

 

[sprsk]

omg thats so hardcoreeeee :rolleyesbarf

 

[Joe]

the only thing bugging me is single-player or multiplayer first?

 

[JackFrost2012]

Don't even think about playing Halo 2 unless you're high on crack cocaine! SLAM SOME RED BULL AND VODKA AND FIRE UP THE XBOX

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Don't even think about playing Halo 2 unless you're high on White Widow! SLAM SOME RED BULL AND VODKA AND FIRE UP THE XBOX

Fixed for me.

 

[BuddyC]

duly noted. that said, i'll probably play through on heroic now. i'm a whore for those "meant to be experienced" things.

for sp0rsks:

 

[Speevy]

I wish this game would be released already so I can not buy it and slowly but surely get to the point where people have stopped talking about it.

 

[Trevelyon]

Remind me, is Legendary open from the start in Halo or do you have to clear heroic before you can open that difficulty up?

 

[GhaleonEB]

"don't even think about starting it on Normal or Easy...our A.I. guy and designers will take that as an insult. Halo2 was meant to be played on at least Heroic."

from Bungie animator 'Anim8rJB' on TXB

I've always felt that Halo was meant to be played on Legendary. On Normal (and even Heroic), the opponents are so weak and so few in numbers that I kept thinking, "Why are normal humans not kicking their butt?" On Legendary, they fall in line with how they are described in the books and other Halo lore.

That said, I'll play Halo 2 on Normal first. Then on Legendary, as I did with Halo. It took me about two weeks to beat Halo (I don't have tons of time to play); it took me over three weeks on Legendary. I personally hope Legendary in Halo 2 is harder.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Remind me, is Legendary open from the start in Halo or do you have to clear heroic before you can open that difficulty up?

All difficulty levels in Halo were open from the start.

 

[Tellaerin]

"don't even think about starting it on Normal or Easy...our A.I. guy and designers will take that as an insult. Halo2 was meant to be played on at least Heroic."

from Bungie animator 'Anim8rJB' on TXB

If the game's meant to be played on Heroic, then that should've been made the 'Normal' difficulty. There's no point in making a game default to a difficulty setting that the designers don't want everyone to play it on.

 

[Wario64]

They should adopt the Onimusha difficulty system. Make the game settting on Heroic by default, then give the player the option to play at an easier mode if they die after x number of times

 

[Blazing Sword]

If the game's meant to be played on Heroic, then that should've been made the 'Normal' difficulty. There's no point in making a game default to a difficulty setting that the designers don't want everyone to play it on.

Sure there is, for inexpereienced players/noobs/casual gamers/whatever else you want to call them.

 

[GhaleonEB]

If the game's meant to be played on Heroic, then that should've been made the 'Normal' difficulty. There's no point in making a game default to a difficulty setting that the designers don't want everyone to play it on.

I disagree. The makers of Halo tried hard, and succeeded, in making the game accessable to a very wide audience. Part of how they did that was in making the Normal difficulty challenging enough to be fun, but not so easy that it was boring. It was a tight balance.

But as I said a few posts up, in the context of the story, the Covenant are much, much harder than they are in Normal difficulty. I personally think the 'real' way to play campaign is on Legendary. But if they made that the default, it would limit the game's appeal. I'm still surprised when I see polls online asking, "Have you beaten Halo on Legendary?" and nearly half the respondants say "No." These are the people who would be turned off by a game that's too hard.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

Most of the time I'd thing a developer was shit for saying something like that, but halo was very much the same way. Normal was good, but heroic was so much better.

 

[Tellaerin]

They should adopt the Onimusha difficulty system. Make the game settting on Heroic by default, then give the player the option to play at an easier mode if they die after x number of times

I agree. That'd be the best way to handle the difficulty issue, I think.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I agree. That'd be the best way to handle the difficulty issue, I think.

In Halo, you can pick your difficulty between levels. If you get stuck on Level 2, you can start it again at an easier setting.

 

[drohne]

"normal" by its very name insists that it's the setting on which the game should be played. and that's the setting i'll play it on the first time.

i've played through halo four or five times, but i don't think i've ever touched heroic. it's not so normative as normal, and it's overshadowed by the proximity of legendary. which is one more than heroic. i'm not even sure why it's there.

 

[Tellaerin]

In Halo, you can pick your difficulty between levels. If you get stuck on Level 2, you can start it again at an easier setting.

*nod* Even so, I like the idea of having Halo 2 default to Heroic (the level the designers say the game should be experienced on), then suggesting the player try on a lower difficulty level if he seems to be struggling. Then everyone would at least try Heroic to start with, and the ones who couldn't hack it would be guided to play the game at a level they can enjoy.

 

[Brannon]

Heroic is the Sega Neptune and 32x of difficulty levels in Halo. Except it's actually useful sometimes.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Halo's difficulty selection is just like Goldeneye/Perfect Dark's, except that obviously you aren't required to complete extra objectives to complete in the ascending difficulty levels. Great system.

If you're finding things too taxing in a level in a given difficulty, you just notch it down and continue on a lower setting. However, you can only finish levels in difficulty classes that have been completed in all prior levels up to that point, which makes for a subtle egging-on of the player to finish the entire game in the more difficult settings.

...hmmm...a Bungie/Rare collaboration would be sweet sometime down the road...

 

[Sinatar]

My first time through Halo 1 was on Heroic. Its a good difficulty, not ball kickingly hard like Legendary, but still a nice challenge.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Heroic is the Sega Neptune and 32x of difficulty levels in Halo. Except it's actually useful sometimes.

I found myself nodding in agreement, until I realized I had no idea what this means.

 

[FoneBone]

I found myself nodding in agreement, until I realized I had no idea what this means.

I have no fucking clue, either.

 

[TekunoRobby]

It's good to know that they made the AI brilliance available on Heroic instead of Legendary like the first one.

 

[The Faceless Master]

i played thru on normal, then heroic, then legendary... and if they have the seperate icons for each difficulty again, i'll do the same again

 

[Greenpanda]

I found myself nodding in agreement, until I realized I had no idea what this means.

I think the poster's intent was that it's a pointless add-on

 

[drohne]

he's saying that heroic is in an awkward no-man's-land between normal and legendary, just as neptune and 32x floundered between genesis and saturn.

 

[GhaleonEB]

he's saying that heroic is in an awkward no-man's-land between normal and legendary, just as neptune and 32x floundered between genesis and saturn.

Ahhh - that makes sense, and I agree. I went from Normal to Legendary in Halo, only sampling Heroic last year for the first time (it was too easy). Still, he could have made it more clear.

 

[M3wThr33]

This statement makes about as much sense as Eidos saying that the Deus Ex:IW demo was not meant for you to determine if you wanted to get the game.

The normal difficulty should be how the designers want it to be played.
The demo should be a sample of the game to make you want more.

End of story, stop trying to make up new rules.

 

[GhaleonEB]

This statement makes about as much sense as Eidos saying that the Deus Ex:IW demo was not meant for you to determine if you wanted to get the game.

The normal difficulty should be how the designers want it to be played.
The demo should be a sample of the game to make you want more.

End of story, stop trying to make up new rules.

I think Normal should be what would appeal to the most people on their first playthrough.

End of story, stop trying to make up new rules.

 

[M3wThr33]

I can just imagine a popup in Halo2 on the difficulty select screen.
"Are you sure? Maybe you'd like to try Heroic! Or Legendary?"
*clicks no*
"Check again! We much prefer the higher modes. Normal is too easy."
*clicks no*
"Look, we deliberately made the game easy on normal so that you'd play the higher modes and feel more accomplished! Play it on LEGENDARY DAMMIT!"
(There's no choice for no this time)

If they want Halo 2 to not be played on normal, just make it unselectable.

 

[tenchir]

This statement makes about as much sense as Eidos saying that the Deus Ex:IW demo was not meant for you to determine if you wanted to get the game.

The normal difficulty should be how the designers want it to be played.
The demo should be a sample of the game to make you want more.

End of story, stop trying to make up new rules.

IAWTP. Take Viewtiful Joe as an example, normal mode is already hard to most people, but that's how the developers wanted it to be played. There's an easy mode for most people.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I can just imagine a popup in Halo2 on the difficulty select screen.
"Are you sure? Maybe you'd like to try Heroic! Or Legendary?"
*clicks no*
"Check again! We much prefer the higher modes. Normal is too easy."
*clicks no*
"Look, we deliberately made the game easy on normal so that you'd play the higher modes and feel more accomplished! Play it on LEGENDARY DAMMIT!"
(There's no choice for no this time)

If they want Halo 2 to not be played on normal, just make it unselectable.

You're missing the point. Bungie is a pack of hard-core gamers making a mass-market game. Thus, they prefer the harder settings, but make the default easier than that because it's a mass-market game. You don't want millions of people getting frustrated as soon as they get home with a high-anticipated game. You want to make it fun - then allow them to ratchet up the diffuculty if they desire. Making it killer hard from the get-go - even if that's how they envision the 'real' way to play - benefits on one.

 

[The Faceless Master]

i should do it in reverse order for kicks... play legendary first... then breeze thru like superman after!

 

[firex]

"don't even think about starting it on Normal or Easy...our A.I. guy and designers will take that as an insult. Halo2 was meant to be played on at least Heroic."

from Bungie animator 'Anim8rJB' on TXB

sounds like they went and fucked up normal and easy and made them too weaksauce!

 

[RevenantKioku]

You're missing the point. Bungie is a pack of hard-core gamers making a mass-market game. Thus, they prefer the harder settings, but make the default easier than that because it's a mass-market game. You don't want millions of people getting frustrated as soon as they get home with a high-anticipated game. You want to make it fun - then allow them to ratchet up the diffuculty if they desire. Making it killer hard from the get-go - even if that's how they envision the 'real' way to play - benefits on one.

And saying that kind of shit makes your company look like a pack of assbags, and thusly, I won't be purchasing Halo 2!

 

[Sai]

You weren't planning on purchasing it in the first place.

 

[RevenantKioku]

You weren't planning on purchasing it in the first place.

Its still a lame thing for a Bungie person to say.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

so they did cater the game for the weaksauce mainstream. IMO, default should be heroic and then everything else above that should have you chucking your controller at the screen or rolling around in foetal position.

 

[DopeyFish]

what anim8r said is like stating the obvious

 

[MightyHedgehog]

what anim8r said is like stating the obvious

Pretty much. Halo fans will already know this and all he's done is confirm that the difficulty setup is similar to the first. Nothing to see here...really.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Its still a lame thing for a Bungie person to say.

No, I actually agree with him. I'd say the best way to play Halo is Legendary. The rest is training for it.

 

[DSN2K]

"was" ?

 

[Mr. Lemming]

So basically if they would have renamed normal something else like "Timid" or whatever no one would be bitching?

 

[ced]

You're missing the point. Bungie is a pack of hard-core gamers making a mass-market game. Thus, they prefer the harder settings, but make the default easier than that because it's a mass-market game. You don't want millions of people getting frustrated as soon as they get home with a high-anticipated game. You want to make it fun - then allow them to ratchet up the diffuculty if they desire. Making it killer hard from the get-go - even if that's how they envision the 'real' way to play - benefits on one.

Yeah, they have to avoid a Ninja Gaiden. Which I thought was perfect but anyways, he is talking to hardcore fans on a msg board, NOT the mainstream consumer.

Maybe someone can answer this though; Why cant you just have the legendary AI routines, number of enemys and ranks, and just keep them with the "normal" damage dealth and taken.

Im gonna start on Heroic personally, unless things are different legendary had a little too much downtime letting shields recharge, it is fun though, esp co op.

 

[Phoenix]

If that's 'the way it was meant to be played', then jackass that should have been the minimum level of play.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Maybe if each difficulty setting were complemented by some sort of description stating what sort of gamer should play it, things would be smoooooother.

 

[Nikashi]

What's with all the hate? They needed to cater to the mass market, but the Bungie guys THEMSELVES are hardcore gamers, so Normal isn't as challenging as they personally like to play.

Plus this isn't an official quote to everyone playing Halo 2. This is a quote to hardcore Halo fans that "Heroic" is where they think they (hardcore fans) should play if they really want to experience Halo 2. Normal is just for Joe Videogame Player who just wants Newest And Coolest Game, and is not necessarily looking for how some hardcore Halo fan wants him to play it

 

[open_mouth_]

The same could be said for the first Halo. If you didn't play it through on Heroic the first time, you were really doing a disservice to yourself.