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So after getting my first ever suspension on a forum and getting some nice time to just look at all the Halo 4 information and just sit and think. And I’ve got something for 343i; and its not a threat.
Its a promise.
I will not buy, participate in, support or otherwise give anything related to Halo 4 or its sequels unless 343i shows a significant change of heart and makes significant, meaningful changes to Halo 4 and its sequels. I will discourage anyone who inquires about the game from buying, and I will never recommend 343 or any of its products to anyone.
Big words. That’s a lot of talk for something as simple as a game I don’t like, right?
Well, a significant part of that time thinking was spent considering how to articulate the following. Because the above deserves an explanation.
It all began some years ago. My family was never terribly wealthy, so I never had the newest toys or gadgets, if I ever got them at all. But I had a cousin who did, and one day he invited me over to play this new “Xbox” and what he was calling “the best game he ever played”. I got dropped off on a Saturday morning, about an hour later.
The game he had in mind?
Halo: Combat Evolved.
To this day, I remember the play-by-play of my first game ever. It was 2 Flag on Beaver Creek. It was splitscreen with 8 people. My team still lost 3-1, but that one Flag cap was mine. And it was glorious.
Over time I beat the campaign at that cousin’s house, even beating Legendary before him.
And then Halo 2 launched. It was the only thing I wanted for that next Christmas. I told every relative I thought might get me a present I wanted it. Christmas Day came and went…and it wasn’t there, just some clothes and some minor toys. I was understandably sad.
But my birthday is a mere day after Christmas. And what do I see when I get to the kitchen table? The unmistakable wrapped form of an Xbox box with a single, game-sized present on top of that.
Do I even have to say what game it was?
I played the ever-loving hell out of that game. It was brilliant, and I loved every moment of it. I even went out and bought the DLC map pack on disc, even though I didn’t have Live at that time. The game was just that good.
It was great. Life-changing even for some.
Well, I got a bit older. Got myself a 360. Still played Halo 2, but mainly stuck with newer games.
And then that day came.
The day Bungie set the world on fire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5EroNgD54k
We all know what happened next. The world went nuts - myself among them. Bungie was releasing the next installment of what was probably the best franchise in gaming at that time.
Everything about that game, from the overall design, the campaign, multiplayer tot he marketing was lovingly crafted and design to be perfect.
And it was. Halo 3 blew everything, and became the the de-facto gaming experience of the time.
It was brilliant. Everything about the series was well-designed, working, done with excellence, enjoyable and balanced (with a couple of missteps early on - God Pistol etc.). Bungie new and understood what Halo could do, was meant to do, and did that. The result was like none other.
Halo 3 was the first ever midnight launch I went to. I saved up and got that amazing Legendary Edition. For me, gaming couldn’t have gotten much better. I bought every single Halo book the day they came out. For a time, I damn near lived and breathed the game.
But then, things started to get dark.
Halo: Reach was announced. How could this be a bad thing? From the beginning it looked amazing, and could be an interesting side story in the Halo universe. After all, the series had done no wrong since that green, power-armored giant had come into our lives and said he needed a weapon.
But so, so much did go wrong. We saw it early, but many of us quieted our discomfort. We thought that maybe it was time for a little change in Halo, that maybe the series could benefit from a bit of an overhaul. We ignored the warnings of our fellow gamers, who argued with logic and reasoning and examples.
And when the game finally launched, everything they said was vindicated. Gone was the amazing balance from previous games. Randomness and BS had taken its place. The campaign felt unfocused and sloppy. The retcon was strong in this one. The amount of rage over a Halo game reached (heheh) unheard of levels.
People were pissed.
And Bungie did nothing.
YOU, 343i did nothing until backed so far into a wall you were worried we were going to crush you.
But ti still didn’t make it good enough. Halo had forever been tarnished by Reach.
But when Halo was handed over to you 343i, I had some hope. Some faith. At first, you seemed to earn it. A good Title Update. An excellent map pack. A beautiful HD-remaster of one of the best games of all time. Things were looking good.
But then you started down the path of failure. Massive retcons and character assassinations in the lore. A revocation of the Title Update. A poorly planned, executed and terrible response to our complaints. Just plain not listening.
But when I saw the Halo 4 announcement, I had hope. Perhaps Halo was coming back. Back to show gaming how fantastic campaigns and competitive multiplayer is done.
Now I only have sadness and bitter disappointment. Every single thing shown to date about Halo 4 has been a massive disappointment. The complete re-design of iconic characters, weapons and vehicles into almost unrecognizable forms. A complete doubling down on the things that made Reach so unpopular and hated. A complete lack of regard and respect for the core elements that made Halo multiplayer so good.
The complete and utter murder of CTF. An obvious lack of concern for balance and competition. This latest trailer for the Mantis is a disgrace to the series - you basically just backhanded balance and sensibility in the face with that trailer.
What makes it worse is your attitude. People have argued with facts. Logic. Reasoning. Examples. Rage. Sadness. You ignore us or give us answers that amount to “because we wanna”. Worse is having to deal with the sycophants making the same arguments in defense of you that they made in defense of Reach; arguments which failed them already.
So you know what makes me even sadder to have to make that promise? That I’m actually interested in the core game you’re making here; that it seems to be a solid idea with merit and heart behind it. But you’re mutilating one of the best franchises of all time to make it, and that I can’t support.
So when you’re collecting your paychecks and clapping each on the back for a job well done, I want you to take a moment to stop and think. To stop and think about the lifetime of memories and feelings you’re stamping on to make your fortune. Take a moment to think about how someone who has been with this series from beginning and loved it all the time would feel