I’ve been a diehard Halo fan since the beginning and a forum regular at Bungie for 10+ years (has it really been that long?). I read some pretty scathing reviews about Guardians so I was quite apprehensive that the masterful storytelling in Halo 4 would not be present in Guardians.
I’m very happy to say I was wrong–being able to play with Blue Team after reading about them in the books for so long has been an absolute joy. 343 Industries are carrying the Halo torch excellently and I just wanted to thank them through some small means, even if no one sees this but a few.
The story has issues. I don’t have time right now to get to them. But they’re there.
But it also has its moments. Like Meridian and Sanghelios. Especially Sanghelios, those missions were wonderful. I actually really enjoyed the intel missions. Which … may sound surprising. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in them looking at and listening to everything. It was fun. There’s a lot there.
And the mission “Blue Team” is hands down one of my all time favorite Halo missions now. It’s up there with Silent Cartographer. I get exactly what you mean finally being able to run around with Kelly, Fred, and Linda and shooting Grunts. It’s great.
So, to just put it in one sentence, I’d sum up my feelings about Halo 5’s campaign like this: “While Halo 5’s story is a little disappointing, Halo 5’s campaign is incredibly fun to play.”
So props to the level design folks at 343. Some of these missions, to me, are of the most re-playable in the franchise. I mean, almost up there with Halo 3 in terms of ways to approach a situation and “let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into”. Almost!
> 2533274812652989;5:
> Well, if 15 years of Halo was culminating to Cortana being evil and Blue Team getting a small bit part in a campaign, I’d say I’m a bit underwhelmed.
To be fair, she was almost evil in 2001 … but there’s a reason they rewrote that script :^)
> 2533274883669557;6:
> > 2533274812652989;5:
> > Well, if 15 years of Halo was culminating to Cortana being evil and Blue Team getting a small bit part in a campaign, I’d say I’m a bit underwhelmed.
>
>
> To be fair, she was almost evil in 2001 … but there’s a reason they rewrote that script :^)
That doesn’t make any difference. Just because Bungie thought of it at the time doesn’t mean it was a good idea or that we should be ok with it.
This isn’t directed at you personally, but I really don’t get why sometimes people will bring up that, at one point in Halos history, Bungie was thinking of doing something, then decided against it. As if that’s supposed to make us be ok with 343 doing it.
> 2533274814289862;7:
> > 2533274883669557;6:
> > > 2533274812652989;5:
> > > Well, if 15 years of Halo was culminating to Cortana being evil and Blue Team getting a small bit part in a campaign, I’d say I’m a bit underwhelmed.
> >
> >
> > To be fair, she was almost evil in 2001 … but there’s a reason they rewrote that script :^)
>
>
> That doesn’t make any difference. Just because Bungie thought of it at the time doesn’t mean it was a good idea or that we should be ok with it.
>
> This isn’t directed at you personally, but I really don’t get why sometimes people will bring up that, at one point in Halos history, Bungie was thinking of doing something, then decided against it. As if that’s supposed to make us be ok with 343 doing it.
I was just making a joke. I personally think it’s pretty cool they may be revisiting that. I mean, at first I wanted them to have left her dead in Halo 4, but after I saw the legendary ending of Halo 5 I immediately thought of that original CE script and thought it was a brilliant idea … so I guess we’ll see. I’m optimistic.
> 2533274812652989;5:
> Well, if 15 years of Halo was culminating to Cortana being evil and Blue Team getting a small bit part in a campaign, I’d say I’m a bit underwhelmed.
Blue team had such a small role in the campaign near the end of the game on the last mission for blue team I saw the spartan ids and was like who the frag are those guys
> 2533274883669557;4:
> Here’s where I stand on the campaign:
>
> The story has issues. I don’t have time right now to get to them. But they’re there.
>
> But it also has its moments. Like Meridian and Sanghelios. Especially Sanghelios, those missions were wonderful. I actually really enjoyed the intel missions. Which … may sound surprising. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in them looking at and listening to everything. It was fun. There’s a lot there.
>
> And the mission “Blue Team” is hands down one of my all time favorite Halo missions now. It’s up there with Silent Cartographer. I get exactly what you mean finally being able to run around with Kelly, Fred, and Linda and shooting Grunts. It’s great.
>
> So, to just put it in one sentence, I’d sum up my feelings about Halo 5’s campaign like this: “While Halo 5’s story is a little disappointing, Halo 5’s campaign is incredibly fun to play.”
>
> So props to the level design folks at 343. Some of these missions, to me, are of the most re-playable in the franchise. I mean, almost up there with Halo 3 in terms of ways to approach a situation and “let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into”. Almost!
This has pretty much been my thought process the whole time. I know we don’t like calling out here on Waypoint, but I’ve gotta say: there has not been one thing that Brian Reed has been in charge of that I have liked in the Halo Universe. Any of it. Spartan Ops was the best of that, and it was tolerable and mundane at best imo. Fun, but slightly underwhelming. I think he needs to have very little, if any, say in the future of Halo fiction.
However, I do think that the level design and art direction of Halo 5 were on par with and surpassed many of the previous games’. The level design of Osiris, Blue Team, and everything between and including Swords of Sanghelios and Genesis all stand out incredibly (especially running down the spine of the Guardian gets chills).
This campaign (and game as a whole) reminds me so much of Halo 2. We miss out on, and were blatantly lied to about, a lot of stuff from the marketing. And the story was underwhelming and uninspired. However, the game had many fresh ideas that many at the time thought had broken Halo’s core, and we are left with a rather intriguing set of possible plotlines left ahead of us (aka middle-of-trilogy syndrome).
So maybe I’m too harsh on Brian Reed. Maybe what he gave us was just an overpriced prequel to the next real Halo installment. And I’m sure that’s how everyone remembers Halo 2, correct? Boring story, totally changed and ruined multiplayer? Or am I missing something?
> 2533274812652989;5:
> Well, if 15 years of Halo was culminating to Cortana being evil and Blue Team getting a small bit part in a campaign, I’d say I’m a bit underwhelmed.
> 2533274845846487;11:
> > 2533274883669557;4:
> > Here’s where I stand on the campaign:
> >
> > The story has issues. I don’t have time right now to get to them. But they’re there.
> >
> > But it also has its moments. Like Meridian and Sanghelios. Especially Sanghelios, those missions were wonderful. I actually really enjoyed the intel missions. Which … may sound surprising. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in them looking at and listening to everything. It was fun. There’s a lot there.
> >
> > And the mission “Blue Team” is hands down one of my all time favorite Halo missions now. It’s up there with Silent Cartographer. I get exactly what you mean finally being able to run around with Kelly, Fred, and Linda and shooting Grunts. It’s great.
> >
> > So, to just put it in one sentence, I’d sum up my feelings about Halo 5’s campaign like this: “While Halo 5’s story is a little disappointing, Halo 5’s campaign is incredibly fun to play.”
> >
> > So props to the level design folks at 343. Some of these missions, to me, are of the most re-playable in the franchise. I mean, almost up there with Halo 3 in terms of ways to approach a situation and “let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into”. Almost!
>
>
> This has pretty much been my thought process the whole time. I know we don’t like calling out here on Waypoint, but I’ve gotta say: there has not been one thing that Brian Reed has been in charge of that I have liked in the Halo Universe. Any of it. Spartan Ops was the best of that, and it was tolerable and mundane at best imo. Fun, but slightly underwhelming. I think he needs to have very little, if any, say in the future of Halo fiction.
>
> However, I do think that the level design and art direction of Halo 5 were on par with and surpassed many of the previous games’. The level design of Osiris, Blue Team, and everything between and including Swords of Sanghelios and Genesis all stand out incredibly (especially running down the spine of the Guardian gets chills).
>
> This campaign (and game as a whole) reminds me so much of Halo 2. We miss out on, and were blatantly lied to about, a lot of stuff from the marketing. And the story was underwhelming and uninspired. However, the game had many fresh ideas that many at the time thought had broken Halo’s core, and we are left with a rather intriguing set of possible plotlines left ahead of us (aka middle-of-trilogy syndrome).
>
> So maybe I’m too harsh on Brian Reed. Maybe what he gave us was just an overpriced prequel to the next real Halo installment. And I’m sure that’s how everyone remembers Halo 2, correct? Boring story, totally changed and ruined multiplayer? Or am I missing something?
There you go. I’m wondering if once Halo 6 releases and we get story-hindsight on Halo 5 if we’ll start seeing it differently … like how we did with Halo 2, just like you said. I remember very clearly Halo 2’s story before Halo 3 and I thought it was garbage compared to CE. Now I love it.
At the same time, I’m not saying the writing of Halo 5 is as good as Halo 2’s. Not even close. Even though I think Halo 2 has more plot holes in it … I mean why is Truth sending Tartarus to activate a Halo ring while he’s trying to get to Earth? That’ll kill him too, long before he reaches the Ark. That makes no sense. Unless Earth is more than 10,000 lightyears from that Halo Ring. I don’t think Halo 5 has plot holes like that. Or maybe it does, I don’t know … |Dr. Halsey| could tell you. But that’s beside the point. Point is, I agree with what you were saying about how many of thought of Halo 2 then verses now and how that may apply to Halo 5.
> 2533274980224085;3:
> Glad you enjoyed it I wasn’t the biggest fan, but playing with Blue Team was amazing. And that intro cinematic for Blue Team too :0
> 2533274883669557;4:
> Here’s where I stand on the campaign:
>
> The story has issues. I don’t have time right now to get to them. But they’re there.
>
> But it also has its moments. Like Meridian and Sanghelios. Especially Sanghelios, those missions were wonderful. I actually really enjoyed the intel missions. Which … may sound surprising. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in them looking at and listening to everything. It was fun. There’s a lot there.
>
> And the mission “Blue Team” is hands down one of my all time favorite Halo missions now. It’s up there with Silent Cartographer. I get exactly what you mean finally being able to run around with Kelly, Fred, and Linda and shooting Grunts. It’s great.
>
> So, to just put it in one sentence, I’d sum up my feelings about Halo 5’s campaign like this: “While Halo 5’s story is a little disappointing, Halo 5’s campaign is incredibly fun to play.”
>
> So props to the level design folks at 343. Some of these missions, to me, are of the most re-playable in the franchise. I mean, almost up there with Halo 3 in terms of ways to approach a situation and “let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into”. Almost!
I think you’re the only person I’ve seen so far that has played more campaign than I have.
> |Dr. Halsey| could tell you. But that’s beside the point. Point is, I agree with what you were saying about how many of thought of Halo 2 then verses now and how that may apply to Halo 5.
Well, there is the whole thing about how Chief managed to get a vision of Cortana and the rising Guardian. Then there is the blatant retcon of Cortana’s death by saying the Didact’s ship went into slipspace and took Cortana with it despite us seeing it get blown up nor Chief seeing it go into slipspace. Granted, Catalog here on Waypoint talked about the “heart” of the Mantle’s Approach going into slipspace and Escalation shows debris from the ship going into slipspace, but why some went to Genesis and some went to Installation 03 perplexes me. -Yoink- it, I’m not even going to try. Kinda also makes Cortana’s heartfelt goodbye and sacrifice pretty pointless in Halo 4 when she would effectively be going, “LOLNOPE”, attain unlimited power and stew around on Genesis for a year faffing about and not telling anyone.
Im just confused on what the guardians…are.
Are they sentient beings? Spacecraft? Weapon systems?
They may have said in the campaign but I do not recall.
> 2533274883669557;4:
> Here’s where I stand on the campaign:
>
> The story has issues. I don’t have time right now to get to them. But they’re there.
>
> But it also has its moments. Like Meridian and Sanghelios. Especially Sanghelios, those missions were wonderful. I actually really enjoyed the intel missions. Which … may sound surprising. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in them looking at and listening to everything. It was fun. There’s a lot there.
>
> And the mission “Blue Team” is hands down one of my all time favorite Halo missions now. It’s up there with Silent Cartographer. I get exactly what you mean finally being able to run around with Kelly, Fred, and Linda and shooting Grunts. It’s great.
>
> So, to just put it in one sentence, I’d sum up my feelings about Halo 5’s campaign like this: “While Halo 5’s story is a little disappointing, Halo 5’s campaign is incredibly fun to play.”
>
> So props to the level design folks at 343. Some of these missions, to me, are of the most re-playable in the franchise. I mean, almost up there with Halo 3 in terms of ways to approach a situation and “let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into”. Almost!
<mark>Do not call out individuals or make nonconstructive posts.</mark>
> 2533274845846487;11:
> > 2533274883669557;4:
> > Here’s where I stand on the campaign:
> > The story has issues. I don’t have time right now to get to them. But they’re there.
> > But it also has its moments. Like Meridian and Sanghelios. Especially Sanghelios, those missions were wonderful. I actually really enjoyed the intel missions. Which … may sound surprising. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in them looking at and listening to everything. It was fun. There’s a lot there.
> > And the mission “Blue Team” is hands down one of my all time favorite Halo missions now. It’s up there with Silent Cartographer. I get exactly what you mean finally being able to run around with Kelly, Fred, and Linda and shooting Grunts. It’s great.
> > So, to just put it in one sentence, I’d sum up my feelings about Halo 5’s campaign like this: “While Halo 5’s story is a little disappointing, Halo 5’s campaign is incredibly fun to play.”
> > So props to the level design folks at 343. Some of these missions, to me, are of the most re-playable in the franchise. I mean, almost up there with Halo 3 in terms of ways to approach a situation and “let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into”. Almost!
>
>
> This has pretty much been my thought process the whole time. I know we don’t like calling out here on Waypoint, but I’ve gotta say: there has not been one thing that Brian Reed has been in charge of that I have liked in the Halo Universe. Any of it. Spartan Ops was the best of that, and it was tolerable and mundane at best imo. Fun, but slightly underwhelming. I think he needs to have very little, if any, say in the future of Halo fiction.
> However, I do think that the level design and art direction of Halo 5 were on par with and surpassed many of the previous games’. The level design of Osiris, Blue Team, and everything between and including Swords of Sanghelios and Genesis all stand out incredibly (especially running down the spine of the Guardian gets chills).
> This campaign (and game as a whole) reminds me so much of Halo 2. We miss out on, and were blatantly lied to about, a lot of stuff from the marketing. And the story was underwhelming and uninspired. However, the game had many fresh ideas that many at the time thought had broken Halo’s core, and we are left with a rather intriguing set of possible plotlines left ahead of us (aka middle-of-trilogy syndrome).
> So maybe I’m too harsh on Brian Reed. Maybe what he gave us was just an overpriced prequel to the next real Halo installment. And I’m sure that’s how everyone remembers Halo 2, correct? Boring story, totally changed and ruined multiplayer? Or am I missing something?
NO!!! <mark>REDACTED</mark> sucks at his job and should lose it great game horrible story
I wasn’t the biggest fan, but playing with Blue Team was amazing. And that intro cinematic for Blue Team too :0
