Alright, I think I speak for all of us when I say that Halo’s art style needs some changes done to it. For starters, while I appreciate what 343i does, and that Halo 5 did correct many of the mistakes in Halo 4, and felt infinitely more like a Halo game… The art style just isn’t there. We’ve got all these flashy a bright perfectly clean colours, painted over everything. Some things have been improved upon greatly, such as the armour, which doesn’t look like it’s 100% plastic, and many weapons are quite amazing as well (looking at you lightrifle). But the thing is… The environments lack that feel that is necessary. I’m not trying to bash, but the Forerunner structures look like they belong in Tron Legacy (A somewhat underrated movie). Some other things have been changed that shouldn’t have been, mainly the marine armour, and the undersuit on Spartan Armour. The Marine’s armour was iconic. It looked both realistically militaristic, and reasonably futuristic. Unfortunately now it looks like it would be worn in the battle of Hoth. Why is it white? Why do the marines have these huge, bulbous helmets? Why did this need to be changed? In truth, it didn’t. The old armour was amazing, and the updated graphics in both H2A, and the Halo Wars 2 trailer show just how amazing it is.
Which brings me to my next point. It dawned upon me, rather suddeny, as to how much the Halo Wars 2 trailer actually felt like Halo. This is despite the fact that it is an RTS game, which is not at all similar to Halo’s main gameplay in any fashion. Yet it still gave off those vibes. It was majestic in it’s simplicity, powerful in it’s nostalgia, realistic in it’s grit, and absolutely stunning in its application of Halo’s original art work. It wasn’t too flashy, it wasn’t shiny, or obnoxiously over complicated. And that’s what Halo is. Forerunner structures don’t need more neon lights then Vegas on a Friday night. Subtlety needs to exist. Mystery needs to exist. The Forerunner architecture (to me) looked best in Halo 3, Reach (firefight map, Tempest), and Halo 2 anniversary. All of these had subtlety. When I looked at them I saw majesty, and grace. It wasn’t being forced down my throat that it was alien, it didn’t have to. I knew it was. However in Halo 4, and Halo 5, the structures almost scream “HEY, LOOK AT ME, I’M A HUGE FLASHY NEON ALIEN THINGY, LOOK HOW AMAZING I AM!” we don’t need that. We know, we get it. Can we go back to the grace of the old designs, please?
Another point brought on is, well, the UNSC gear. It should look worn, rugged (sometimes) and like it was used in combat. The Falcon, for instance. It was green in colour (sort of an olive I believe). It didn’t look like we painted it bright green, and put a gloss over it. It looked an felt real. But with the new vehicles, well they tried to make them look worn, but it just comes out as awkward and jarring sometimes, because the two clash so horribly.
That’s UNSC, of course, and we have talked about the Forerunners, but what of the Covenant? The covenant have always had a sleek, amphibious design to them. It suited them well. Their weapons were sleek, and one could never tell if their weapons were painted, or somehow comprised of a blue or orange metal alloy. They didn’t have wear, they didn’t have scratches to the paint, and that was part of their character. They were not flat colours, if anything they were extremely glossy, and smooth. They also weren’t all the same colour. Am I the only one who remembers blue colouring, and a much different colour pallet? I’m fairly certain many of the structures were blue, along with the purple ones. Now see, for example the wraith. The blue armour has always been incredibly shiny, incredibly glossy, and smooth. But in Halo 5, the wraith has a flat colour to it. There was always and interesting dynamic between a wraith’s main blue armour, and the grey metal that lay beneath it. They contrasted well. Right now I can’t even remember if the current wraith has grey/silver on it.This part here is not to say that they can’t have dirt, or appear damaged. It’s simply saying that they shouldn’t look like the lovechild of the UNSC and the Covenant. They should BE covenant in design.
Whew, any way, thanks to those who read all the way through. As stated, I do love Halo 5, but this is one of my many gripes with the current set of games, and something that I think needs to be addressed. If I missed anything, or you just want to add something, feel free to. I’d like to have a friendly discussion about this, and hopefully get 343i attention on the matter.