After the recent play-through and terminal revelations of CEA, combined with the recent revelations in Cryptum, Halo: CE has became a truly immersive medium.
Coming into the FPS genre just after the Big Bang of it (Wolfenstein 3D on), I am very used to free roaming intricate maps with the seemingly only objective is to kill things in between finding keys/switches to open more.
With the geas, the acceptance of moving through an alien environment with confidence and direction for the “first time” is almost without any resistance.
Why do I know which way to go and why pressing a certain button on a keypad I’ve never seen before does what I desire? Because deep down inside, I already know.
Why do I not question the changes in visuals and sounds as I roam the surface of Halo? Because I’ve been here before… Long, long ago.
It’s different from before, time changes things. It’s still the same place I remember, though different due to the effects of time.
Destiny and chance have never been so blurred.
Reach is but the Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings that is the Halo trilogy… Even if due to the main medium, it’s more plot than story. (it’s our imaginations that make the rest).
The only real resistance I have towards CEA is the guitar. Quite the opposite of what I wanted from that solo. I prefer the sound of a good heavy-metal/grunge guitar strung low thrashing in my ears, not the piercing precision of distortion-less hairband guitar (as great as some of them are).
Slash is one of my favourie guitarists of all time and his style of solo is not the sound I was hoping for with the remix.
The occasional high string/tone is great for effect, but for the whole thing…
This or this for the the guitar type is my preference.
PS: Godsmack= grungy guitars, heavy and tribal drum beats, energy driven complete range guitar solos… ya know what I mean ;)?
> After the recent play-through and terminal revelations of CEA, combined with the recent revelations in Cryptum, Halo: CE has became a truly immersive medium.
>
> Coming into the FPS genre just after the Big Bang of it (Wolfenstein 3D on), I am very used to free roaming intricate maps with the seemingly only objective is to kill things in between finding keys/switches to open more.
>
> With the geas, the acceptance of moving through an alien environment with confidence and direction for the “first time” is almost without any resistance.
>
> Why do I know which way to go and why pressing a certain button on a keypad I’ve never seen before does what I desire? Because deep down inside, I already know.
>
> Why do I not question the changes in visuals and sounds as I roam the surface of Halo? Because I’ve been here before… Long, long ago.
> It’s different from before, time changes things. It’s still the same place I remember, though different due to the effects of time.
>
> Destiny and chance have never been so blurred.
> Reach is but the Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings that is the Halo trilogy… Even if due to the main medium, it’s more plot than story. (it’s our imaginations that make the rest).
And now that I am but a couple achievements away from CEA-perfection, I can look back and see what I have journeyed through.
Yes, yes CEA has recaptured my initial feelings of CE itself.
I was something of a hardcore gamer, FPSs and simulators my blood. And when I couldn’t get my PC-on, the N64 was my platform of choice for its easy carrying for travel and its ability to get 3 other friends gaming with me instantly.
And then along comes Halo.
A game that merged my console and PC ideals into one.
The set-pieces were amazing.
The lighting most gorgeous.
The sound intensely immersive.
The atmosphere… there was atmosphere (the light gave it away).
Halo: CE was a world brought life in a way that very few PC games had done themselves.
I tried to play in classic mode. I couldn’t. It was like going from CE to Turok2 when going from CEA to CE.
But what I saw in CEA… holy -Yoink-.
What I heard… dear lord the layers.
And the atmosphere, it brought it all together. Yes the atmosphere is part of the lighting, but I consider it an entity that though may not exist without the other, it is not the other.
Only a select few have the same feel that CEA brings. The same feeling that one can breath deeply and feel the warm coastal breeze. Or the thick and damp swamp. Or the foul stench of the Library.
My most favourite scene? The light illuminating the halls of the PoA in the Maw right at the start.
Followed by the Two Betrayal’s moon-lite sky. It’s like taking off a helmet when switching from classic to CEA.
And thirdly, the Control Room. It is such a show-off room for the new lighting. It’s no Club Errera, but it’s beautiful nonetheless.
Thanks to all that made me sit through over 15 minutes of credits. You allowed me to sit through thousands of hours of another world.
> And now that I am but a couple achievements away from CEA-perfection, I can look back and see what I have journeyed through.
>
> Yes, yes CEA has recaptured my initial feelings of CE itself.
>
> I was something of a hardcore gamer, FPSs and simulators my blood. And when I couldn’t get my PC-on, the N64 was my platform of choice for its easy carrying for travel and its ability to get 3 other friends gaming with me instantly.
> And then along comes Halo.
> A game that merged my console and PC ideals into one.
> The set-pieces were amazing.
> The lighting most gorgeous.
> The sound intensely immersive.
> The atmosphere… there was atmosphere (the light gave it away).
> Halo: CE was a world brought life in a way that very few PC games had done themselves.
>
> I tried to play in classic mode. I couldn’t. It was like going from CE to Turok2 when going from CEA to CE.
>
> But what I saw in CEA… holy Yoink!.
> What I heard… dear lord the layers.
> And the atmosphere, it brought it all together. Yes the atmosphere is part of the lighting, but I consider it an entity that though may not exist without the other, it is not the other.
> Only a select few have the same feel that CEA brings. The same feeling that one can breath deeply and feel the warm coastal breeze. Or the thick and damp swamp. Or the foul stench of the Library.
>
> My most favourite scene? The light illuminating the halls of the PoA in the Maw right at the start.
> Followed by the Two Betrayal’s moon-lite sky. It’s like taking off a helmet when switching from classic to CEA.
> And thirdly, the Control Room. It is such a show-off room for the new lighting. It’s no Club Errera, but it’s beautiful nonetheless.
>
> Thanks to all that made me sit through over 15 minutes of credits. You allowed me to sit through thousands of hours of another world.
Agreed. 110% agreed
I kept switching from classic to new in certain parts of the game, 343i did a great job, on classic mode some parts were grey, bland and kind of lifeless, but on new graphics, everything is full of color and light, its bright and vivid ( ) and the music, great, just great, they managed to recreate Marty´s soundtrack in such an splendid way, I found myself humming the remakes of Under the Cover of Night and A Walk in the Woods.
And the terminals were incredible, specially the one from Keyes, VERY well done.
I really liked Anniversary, and well, I wouldnt mind a Halo 2 Anniversary.
) and the music, great, just great, they managed to recreate Marty´s soundtrack in such an splendid way, I found myself humming the remakes of Under the Cover of Night and A Walk in the Woods.