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Master Chief is a Badass
- Thread starter MrAngryFace
- Start date
ArcadeStickMonk
Member
I've always viewed Master Chief as a kind of post-modern Beowulf. He is a classic hero in every way. He is the warrior and the savior. Self-sacrificing, more concerned about the troops accompanying him than his own safety.chespace said:i love halo 1 and 2, but jesus, i've never seen master chief as anything more than kurt russell in a green space suit.
cortana: "chief, we've got to overload that reactor!"
MC in a gruff voice: "right. let's do this. <or insert some other macho wisecrack>"
absolutely zero personality.
which is fine for an FPS, btw. but this worship of MC is a bit puzzling to me.
Did you never step in front of a charged plasma bolt that headed towards one of your soldiers, knowing that your shield would be depleted and you would be as vulnerable as them?
He's not perfect either, his flaw is a naivete, being tricked by Guilty Spark. I fully expect MC to be tested and fail in Halo 2, only to redeem himself and save his king... I mean earth.
Mega Man's Electric Sheep
Member
ArcadeStickMonk said:
And he's green!
Hitler Stole My Potato
Banned
Bristow said:
But there is an intricate backstory for those that choose to look for it. Hell, it's been the subject of three books.
ArcadeStickMonk
Member
Not to take away from Mister Chief, but some shithead wrote over three Resident Evil books, too. Dumbass pulp novels aren't proof of anything... positiveHitler Stole My Potato said:
ArcadeStickMonk
Member
Dude, I totally agree. I always figured that the Doom guy would be completely insane after episode one (best episode title ever, BTW: Knee Deep in the Dead)dark10x said:I gotta say, the old Doom comic books and "novels" did a great job at fleshing out the Doom Guy...
Hitler Stole My Potato
Banned
ArcadeStickMonk said:
But they're Bungie approved dumbass pulp novels. If you want to know more about the backstory of the character(s), the mythos, or to be able look at certain events in the game with a new perspective then those books are there for you.
Hitler Stole My Potato
Banned
dark10x said:I gotta say, the old Doom comic books and "novels" did a great job at fleshing out the Doom Guy...
lol....that's kinda how I pictured it would be.
ArcadeStickMonk
Member
Do you want a guy sitting next to you, telling you that the correct name for a rocket launcher is the Jackhammer, becuase he read it in a book, meanwhile your flag's being stolen? No. Thanks a lot Bungie apporved dumbass pulp novels.Hitler Stole My Potato said:
Hitler Stole My Potato
Banned
ArcadeStickMonk said:
lol
Well obviously to get the real story on the multiplayer Halo universe you're going to have to skip the books and watch Red vs Blue.
ArcadeStickMonk
Member
Not every protagonist so blatantly meets the requirements of a classical hero. The lack of a personality makes me look at MC this way even more.My F*cking Grandpa said:Post-modern Beowulf? An incredibly elaborate way of saying "protaganist" if there ever was one.
If nothing else, somebody mentions that MC don't say much, you can say "Neither did Beowulf."
ArcadeStickMonk
Member
Believe you me, Dark isn't going to be wearing a Master Chief shirt anytime soon, unlike all you Linkophiles, only playing the Gamecube version of Soul Calibur 2 and putting Link stickers on your NES. I'm glad the CD-i exists!
Wellington
BAAAALLLINNN'
Mr. Lemming
Member
.ArcadeStickMonk said:
That didn't stop him from letting everyone but him get pwned.
[edit] Bish: http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/gallery.aspx?gallery=Wallpaper&page=1
ArcadeStickMonk
Member
Relevance suggests that the passage is from a Bungie approved dumbass pulp novel. Is it?Mr. Lemming said:
Hitler Stole My Potato
Banned
ArcadeStickMonk said:
No. It's from Marathon.
ArcadeStickMonk
Member
close enoughHitler Stole My Potato said:
He's really nothing more than a suit with a voice to keep the action flowing with some macho one-liners. Doing what's right, the hero who saves the day...the kind of military grunt character we've seen a billion times before. Only now in a green space suit and dual-wield! Not that it bothers me.
Maybe he's a deeper character in the books, I wouldn't know. I don't want to be forced to read the Halo novels just because Bungie don't know how to present the Master Chief character in a good enough way.
Maybe he's a deeper character in the books, I wouldn't know. I don't want to be forced to read the Halo novels just because Bungie don't know how to present the Master Chief character in a good enough way.
Pedigree Chum
Banned
As a character I never really cared for MC, the name (which I know is a military rank, but I just think it should have been something bolder given that he's the main character), the look, and the lack of personality. Halo was a pretty rockin game (in multiplayer at least), but it was because of the gameplay, and nothing else for me. I didn't like the atmosphere, artstyle, enemy designs, story, level designs (in SP mode), etc.
Halo 2 should be quite a bit more fun since, 1) they improved the levels, and 2) improved the mechanics, which were already fantastic. But I can't become a huge fan of this series, it's just that there is too many aesthetic issues for me to be able to. But in the end I think it all boils down to the the humans vs. aliens thing, I've never cared for Sci-Fi and that goes for every medium including videogames.
Halo 2 should be quite a bit more fun since, 1) they improved the levels, and 2) improved the mechanics, which were already fantastic. But I can't become a huge fan of this series, it's just that there is too many aesthetic issues for me to be able to. But in the end I think it all boils down to the the humans vs. aliens thing, I've never cared for Sci-Fi and that goes for every medium including videogames.
MC is the man and I'll tell you why. He is the cavalry. When you go in as MC you feel like you are stepping into the shoes of a one man army. In most games it feels unreasonable or unrealistic that you are the singular savior, but Halo justifies, acknowledges and plays on that fact. Your fellow soldiers worship you. Your enemies fear you. With good reason. This isnt MOH were youre a small part of a bigger battle. In Halo YOU are the guy thats going to tip the balance. I love that.
TekunoRobby
Tag of Excellence
People love MC because he's want they want him to be. He has just enough personality to define him as a character and is lacking enough personality for the user to fill in the blanks. Basically it comes down to this: (1) the look of the character appeals to them, (2) he is a symbol of machismo and heroism, (3) he has no face or defining physical characteristics and therefore we can imagine ourselves being him. This is why, aside from the suit, he is a completely unknown. Only briefly did they mention his have a name and even then it was extremely generic (Spartan 117, John). Another example of the extent that Bungie went to make him as faceless as possible. For all intents and purposes, in Halo we are the MC and we are fighting the Covenant. The cut scenes are there to remind the player of what the MC wants to do (i.e.: what you would want to do) and how he approaches the situation (i.e.: how you would want to approach the situation). It's a bit of a psychological coaxing but it's done so subtlety that the character fools you into thinking that his actions are exactly how you would act in that situation.
Whether or not this is a sound idea or if Bungie actually thought that through and purposefully went that route is up for discussion.
EDIT: I updated the post because I forgot they mentioned his name at the end of Halo 1.
Whether or not this is a sound idea or if Bungie actually thought that through and purposefully went that route is up for discussion.
EDIT: I updated the post because I forgot they mentioned his name at the end of Halo 1.
TekunoRobby said:
I have concluded that Halo's greatness was not an accident - Bungie knew what they were doing, and so did Steve Jobs when he asked to show the game at MacWorld 1999 and Bill Gates when he bought the company just to have Halo. The gameplay and style are great, but the entire mythos of the Master Chief is wonderfully concieved. In most games, no matter who you play you are some kind of ultimate stud, doing things no one else can do; plowing through hordes of enemies, defying impossible odds.
In Halo, Bungie seemed to recongnize that and set up the entire history and persona of the Master Chief - built from the ground up to be the ultimate soldier, a nameless, faceless and ultimately selfless warrior. With that persona integrated into the game universe so smoothly (the reactions of Marines when they see you is great - "Look! It's him!") it is consistantly thrilling to step into his shoes.
Also, Bungie has said in the past they will never show his face - he is supposed to be you.
TekunoRobby
Tag of Excellence
Oh, hee hee I didn't know that.GhaleonEB said:
Glad to see my general theorizing was actually correct.
MightyHedgehog
Member
In a first person game, I feel that the main character you control needs to be a bit non-descript...he's you, after all. What matters is everything and everyone around him/her (you). It's a lot more immersive that way. That said, MC still rawks.