An interesting conversation with a mate from work

Community Halo Universe
1

So, my good friend Nathan told me about an email one of his other friends sent 343i. Apparently, this friend suggested to 343i that they make a standalone Halo game based on the Arbiter and the Elites. Which would be awesome.
But even more exciting, apparently 343i responded saying they’d considered it! Apparently it was supposed to be between Halo 3 and 4. However, they apparently also said in the email that the Arbiter wasn’t “popular” enough with Halo fans, so they decided not to go ahead.

But I disagree, I love the Arbiter and would LOVE to see a standalone Arbiter and Elite game. What do you guy think?

2

I certainly preferred the Arbiter to a character such as Agent Locke, who 343 quite literally pulled out of nowhere and shoved into the forefront of Halo 5 Guardians.

We’ve had threads on a Sangheili only game before. I personally like the idea, but I think the main problem would be that unless the story was handled just right, people would quickly loose track of who is who as most Sangheili characters would like look almost identical.

Take the addition of support squads that we see in Halo Reach and Halo Guardians. Bunge & 343 were able to give Noble, Osiris and Blue Team quite different cultural traits in terms of nationality, race group and background that we audience could understand, which in turn makes all of those character memorable. It we were given as squad of 4-6 Sangheili Special Op’s warrior’s plus additional supporting Sangheili characters, I think it would be really difficult to make each character different enough for the player to be able to differentiate between them, and the last thing I would want is for a game primarily featuring the Arbiter and the Sangheili is for that story and its characters to be forgettable.

I think a full length feature novel or series of novels covering the Arbiter’s rise to Supreme Commander before and during the human-covenant war would do both his characters and his race more justice, but a spin-off game primarily centred around the Sangheili and the Arbiter would be really good as well.

A fan can dream.

3

Dear God no…

I have had enough with Sangheili focused works.

I would rather play a Halo game, where you play as an investment banker, who gets killed by a Sniper as he runs to an evac shuttle. That would be a million times more tolerable and interesting than more Sangheili fluff.

You never REACH the evac shuttle, but you can take 1000s of different paths to the shuttle, each path with its own mini story.

4

> 2533274800842897;3:
> Dear God no…
>
> I have had enough with Sangheili focused works.
>
> I would rather play a Halo game, where you play as an investment banker, who gets killed by a Sniper as he runs to an evac shuttle. That would be a million times more tolerable and interesting than more Sangheili fluff.
>
> You never REACH the evac shuttle, but you can take 1000s of different paths to the shuttle, each path with its own mini story.

With all due respect Naked Crook you knew from the OP’s post that this was about the possibility of a Sangheili focused game. If you’ve got no interest in this topic you didn’t need to post.

Halo Sci-Fi, its suppose to revolve around alien civilizations and the Sangheili were one of the first aliens races introduced to the franchise.

If you just want COD in space, go and play Killzone or Destiny.

5

Playing as the Arbiter was legitimately one of my favorite things about Halo 2 and why I still say it has the best campaign in the series.

6

> 2533274853837831;4:
> > 2533274800842897;3:
> > Dear God no…
> >
> > I have had enough with Sangheili focused works.
> >
> > I would rather play a Halo game, where you play as an investment banker, who gets killed by a Sniper as he runs to an evac shuttle. That would be a million times more tolerable and interesting than more Sangheili fluff.
> >
> > You never REACH the evac shuttle, but you can take 1000s of different paths to the shuttle, each path with its own mini story.
>
>
> With all due respect Naked Crook you knew from the OP’s post that this was about the possibility of a Sangheili focused game. If you’ve got no interest in this topic you didn’t need to post.
>
> Halo Sci-Fi, its suppose to revolve around alien civilizations and the Sangheili were one of the first aliens races introduced to the franchise.
>
> If you just want COD in space, go and play Killzone or Destiny.

So what, anyone who doesn’t agree with the idea should just leave and not offer up any counter opinion whatsoever?

7

> 2533274875814858;6:
> So what, anyone who doesn’t agree with the idea should just leave and not offer up any counter opinion whatsoever?

Is that what I stated in writing?

If that how it’s been interrupted I apologize, that was not my intent.

The OP’s post revolved around the viability of a game focused on the Sangheili. The counter post just seemed to be trolling the Sangheili as a race and all subsequent lore involving them rather than an actual rational opinion, which I think is unfair on the Sangheili as a literary creation.

There a Sci-Fi alien race, and this is a Sci-Fi universe at the end of the day.

8

I imagine Naked Crook, like many others, would like a focus on some other aspect of the Halo Universe rather than the same old UNSC/Elites we always seem to get. The Elites have had so much limelight, what about the other races? Couldn’t we get a game/book/show that explores the broader picure of the many different races/aspects of the universe?
Don’t get me wrong, love the Elites, they are up there with the Klingons, Shi’ar, Jaffa, Jem’Haddar, Hirogen, Predator’s etc as your warrior type alien species; but as of late it feels a bit over saturated, with all the other races just being scenery; how about a story on some poetry singing Hunter bond brothers? Or a story about how the Grunts are shaping their society now they are ‘free’? Maybe something about some Brute scientists or philosophers? Ancient Humans? That ship that crash landed on Halo? - ANYTHING other than Wort,wort,wort for a change.

9

I’m fairly sure Arbiter is immensely popular with the Halo fanbase. I would definitely love rolling around in his new armor and cutting down traitors with Prophet’s Bane.

10

> 2533274853837831;4:
> With all due respect Naked Crook you knew from the OP’s post that this was about the possibility of a Sangheili focused game. If you’ve got no interest in this topic you didn’t need to post.

The OP wanted to know what people thought. I told him what I thought. Need proof of that?

> 2533274852187545;1:
> But I disagree, I love the Arbiter and would LOVE to see a standalone Arbiter and Elite game. What do you guy think?

I am entitle to voice my opinion on the matter. Ley Machine57 wanted opinions, so I gave him one.

> 2533274853837831;7:
> The OP’s post revolved around the viability of a game focused on the Sangheili. The counter post just seemed to be trolling the Sangheili as a race and all subsequent lore involving them rather than an actual rational opinion, which I think is unfair on the Sangheili as a literary creation.

How am I trolling by saying that I dislike all the Sangheili centric lore? That is not trolling, that is just honesty. I am sick of all the Sangheili lore, and if I had it my way, there wouldn’t be any more Sangheili lore until all of the other races were fleshed out more. It is bad enough the Sangheili dominate the written EU. The last thing I want is them dominating the video games as well.

To be clear, I would be highly opposed to a Sangheili focused game.

> 2533274853837831;7:
> There a Sci-Fi alien race, and this is a Sci-Fi universe at the end of the day.

Then you should have no problem with a Jiralhanae only game. Two birds, one stone; you get to flesh out a less developed species, and you satisfy your point about sci-fi races and universes and what-not. However, I am going to say right now that you are virhamently opposed to this idea, and you would not like it.

Now who is trolling? By your logic…it is you.

11

While the Elites are an interesting race and have some interesting characters (Jul for instance, who was sadly butchered by bad writing), I ink it’s time to move on from Sangheili related media and focus on the other, more unexplored aspects of the universe, such as the Brute, the Yonhet, the S-IIIs. Maybe a Halo title that doesn’t revolve around pointing your gun at somebody (a telltale short of game would be interesting, though it may cause some lore issues). There is too much Sangheili related media at the moment and I think, especially with the release of Halo 5, that many Sangheili related plot elements should be put to rest, at least for the time being.

12

I want to see a game based around Locke as an ONI agent the most. But I would also like an elite based game but I would want it to be about a new elite not the arbiter just because there should be more than one boss elite in the games.

13

If the Elites took center stage for once instead of Spartans I would play it.

14

> 2533274825230411;13:
> If the Elites took center stage for once instead of Spartans I would play it.

You mean Halo 2? I’m pretty sure Thel was certainly the centre of the story. The Chief was just… There. Not that I’m discounting the Chief’s actions in Halo 2, but Thel was certainly the main character in Halo 2.

15

> 2533274875814858;6:
> > 2533274853837831;4:
> > > 2533274800842897;3:
> > > Dear God no…
> > >
> > > I have had enough with Sangheili focused works.
> > >
> > > I would rather play a Halo game, where you play as an investment banker, who gets killed by a Sniper as he runs to an evac shuttle. That would be a million times more tolerable and interesting than more Sangheili fluff.
> > >
> > > You never REACH the evac shuttle, but you can take 1000s of different paths to the shuttle, each path with its own mini story.
> >
> >
> > With all due respect Naked Crook you knew from the OP’s post that this was about the possibility of a Sangheili focused game. If you’ve got no interest in this topic you didn’t need to post.
> >
> > Halo Sci-Fi, its suppose to revolve around alien civilizations and the Sangheili were one of the first aliens races introduced to the franchise.
> >
> > If you just want COD in space, go and play Killzone or Destiny.
>
>
> So what, anyone who doesn’t agree with the idea should just leave and not offer up any counter opinion whatsoever?

It wasnt really a counter argument, it was more blatant attacking orvI guess trolling.

16

Elite game between 3 and 4?

My dream game.

17

id like the play as a brute instead.

18

> 2533274800842897;10:
> Then you should have no problem with a Jiralhanae only game. Two birds, one stone; you get to flesh out a less developed species, and you satisfy your point about sci-fi races and universes and what-not. However, I am going to say right now that you are virhamently opposed to this idea, and you would not like it.
>
> Now who is trolling? By your logic…it is you.

The original post wasn’t asking about a Jiralhanae focused game; though for the record did I ever state I would be opposed to the prospect of a Jiralhanae focused game?

I personally think races such as the Jiralhanae do deserve more lime light along with other races including the Sangheili and San’Shyuum. Ever since Halo 4 the games and lore have been focused far too heavily on ONI and the UNSC to the point where even the Master Chief was forced out of the limelight in Halo 5 Guardians in favour on an ONI affiliated character 343 literally pulled out of nowhere.

And it’s not like the Jiralhanae were a onetime wonder Bungie & 343 never revisited. They featured in almost as many games as the Sangheili have, and they provided central characters in at least two feature length novels.

Again for the record, exactly as I said before a Jiralhanae focused game would run into the exact same problems a Sangheili focused game would run into. Namely that without human characters to anchor the plot, the human audience would quickly become confused over general story as they would be unable to tell different characters apart, as Jiralhanae like Sangheili almost always look the same or very similar.

> 2533274800842897;10:
> How am I trolling by saying that I dislike all the Sangheili centric lore? That is not trolling, that is just honesty. I am sick of all the Sangheili lore, and if I had it my way, there wouldn’t be any more Sangheili lore until all of the other races were fleshed out more. It is bad enough the Sangheili dominate the written EU. The last thing I want is them dominating the video games as well.
>
> To be clear, I would be highly opposed to a Sangheili focused game.

Your thought on the Sangheili are well known, to the point where you’ve described ONI’s plan to create a bio-weapon designed exclusively to target the Sangheili genome as “God’s work”, despite the fact such a weapon would result in the death of billions of Sangheili non-combatants. (Women, children, infants infirm etc.)

Whenever I or anyone else challenges your argument, you rarely respond, and even when you do you lack any facts to back up your argument.

Seriously, what have you got against the Sangheili as a race and a literary creation to the point where it seems you only want them inserted into the games or lore if there casualties?

If you’re going to continue to attack the Sangheili in every post that their mentioned, at least have the courage to stay to back your opinion up with hard facts rather than just quoting ONI saved humanity. (If you are actually going to continue this debate but it doesn’t relate to a Sangheili based game or book, do us all a favour and go back to one of the original posts me, Antony or anyone else challenged you on in the first place. I really don’t want to fill up this thread with a topic that isn’t relevant to the OP’s original thread)

> 2533274926227685;14:
> > 2533274825230411;13:
> > If the Elites took center stage for once instead of Spartans I would play it.
>
>
> You mean Halo 2? I’m pretty sure Thel was certainly the centre of the story. The Chief was just… There. Not that I’m discounting the Chief’s actions in Halo 2, but Thel was certainly the main character in Halo 2.

I’d say it was 50/50, though I’d need to have an exact look at the breakdown by mission.

At the end of the day some kind of perspective from within the Covenant was 100% needed as without the Arbiter’s perspective, I doubt the Great Schism would have made much sense to the player. The Arbiter’s personnel story set up the back-story for Halo 3, which was then entirely focused on the Master Chief.

On the other hand, Locke’s hogging of the Halo 5 Guardian’s story really didn’t seem to add anything to the plot.

19

That could be a cool game

20

A game only focus on Arbiter and his Sangheili? God, this is gonna be amazing <3