I had a chance to play through the campaigns of Halo 5 (a dreaded second time) and Halo Reach (probably my 23rd run lost count) and moreso than ever, Bungie’s masterful scripting left me in awe.
Because the general Halo player knew how Reach would end, the writers managed to give the game an edgy and dark theme it couldn’t quite capture before. We knew we were fighting a losing battle, and we knew we were going to lose. Dialogue felt profoundly deep and metaphorical; just as an example
In the first cutscene, Kat holds her mechanical arm in front of the player directing the rest of the squad’s attention to us. Later revealing that she only read the files “that weren’t covered in black ink”. Although I never understood what she meant by that my first few playthroughs, that one line spoke volumes of Noble Six’s vast experience on the battlefield, so much so nobody in Noble team even questioned it. This is true of most of the dialogue found throughout the game. It almost felt a bit more mature in the sense that Noble team’s speech was directed to Noble team, not the one behind the controller; for this reason it was difficult at times to pick up on certain cues but that made it all the more engaging. That paired with the gritty atmosphere masterfully captured the game not only made this an immersive experience, but an emotional one.
Now we go to Halo 4 and Halo 5. I have to say, I have never been so disappointed in the dialogue of a game. I found myself cringing most of the game because of the cheesy dialogue. Throughout Reach, the adjective “Spartan” was used very subtly but each time it left impact. It had more meaning than being an augmented soldier, it represented being a hero and humanity’s last hope; almost as if a wake up call to get their head back in the game. 343 have effectively nullified this by throwing in “Spartan” to nearly every sentence throughout Halo 4 & 5, giving it no meaning and even making it sound annoying in a horrid attempt to be badass. Now that was only one word. The writers attempt to make light-hearted, witty dialogue that often times fails even worse. Words are used in place of subtle emotional expression, something that Spartans were key for. It almost makes the new breed of Spartan IV’s seem more childish.
I hope 343 fire whoever has been scripting/writing the story thus far because honestly, a grade schooler could do as good if not better of a job.