Can't Enjoy This Game Anymore ... Sad

Games Other Halo
1

I used to come here and complain about all of the obvious issues with this game. I used to hope that a TU would at least fix a few. That someone from 343 would even so much as mention an attempt to fix such game-breaking problems.

I’ve been a Halo kid since Day 1. Lan parties back in the CE days, H2’s campaign was definitely a favorite and I piled up hundreds of online friends, and 10,000+ games between H3/Reach with something like a 1.8 k/d overall.

But when I made it to just roughly 1,500 games of H4, I was at end’s meet. Literally everybody on my friend’s list had given up, adding to the declining population (that has ruined TS’s impact, while increasing lag and making stuff like SPOPs unplayable) and moving on to other games. This game is just full of issues that ruin it.

Here on the Waypoint forums I was told to take a break. So I did just that.

I spent right around 6 weeks and totally took my time getting 100% completion playing Red Dead Redemption on PS3 (something I had never done before). And even as I did that, I became excited in the back of my mind thinking by the time I got back to H4 something would have changed … the game would be refreshed … I’d find a way to enjoy it.

And now here I am … in front of my TV, xbox360 fired up, H4 in … and I don’t even care to actually participate. A glance at some playlists with next to nobody in them, and all of 500 total people playing SPOPs online, and I already know it’s not going to be much different from before. I already know the game is still broken, random, senseless, sluggish, <mark>and driving people away by the day</mark>.

This just depresses me. It really makes me sad. I have always loved Halo, the storyline, the characters, the unique multiplayer, and getting my -Yoink- kicked as much as owning noobs. But it’s not like that anymore. It’s just not.

I feel so let down. But then again I’ve begun to think … maybe it’s not 343’s failures, as much as it’s me putting way too much stock in a game anymore.

2

Franchise fatigue and nostalgia combined with friends playing other games is a hard thing to overcome.

Relax though the Halo characters, story, campaign, books and matchmaking updates are all still going strong. I have the similar history as you do with CE, love the lore, played 10,000’s of games and many friends of mine moved away from Halo with Reach.

However I’ve found new friends with Halo 4 and I’ve been playing a few different playlists with great results. I find CTF to be quite good, perhaps not the feels of Halo 2/3 ranked objective but still great fun nonetheless.

If you can search the recruiting forums or other communities for the gametypes you like the game is far more enjoyable with a couple of partied up friends. Halo multiplayer has always been like that. However I find I’ve just started going back to the Halo campaign too. I also found getting into the books gives those Halo feels we always want to experience or relive.

Maybe try the new CSR and getting a team together for Throwdown or Infinity Slayer? I enjoy CTF and Infinity BTB with regular friends. The same ones that played and enjoy Reach, I guess that’s the difference.

3

> I feel so let down. But then again I’ve begun to think … maybe it’s not 343’s failures, as much as it’s me putting way too much stock in a game anymore.

You and me both buddy. But make no mistake, the downfall of Halo was brought about by 343’s failures and nothing else. Bungie started to take Halo down a different path, then 343 came along and threw it off a -Yoinking!- cliff.

4

I don’t want this to turn into a blame thread (@ the fellow above me)

Man, BTB didn’t even have a 1,000 people playing tonight … that’s insane!

True Skill is absolutely non-existent with so few people! I played a trio of BTB games, went 11-0, 14-3 and 18-1 against absolutely nobody, WITHOUT ever making it into a vehicle. This is terrible. There’s no way that I should be matched with/vs such poor players.

I’m thinking about picking up Tomb Raider, and eventually GTA or something and coming back with the next TU. Does anybody know what that is, and what all it’s supposed to entitle? Maybe a link?

I’m so out of the loop with the status of this game after so long. Has SPOPs Season 2 been confirmed at all or something??

5

tomb raider is brilliant.

6

Play other games.

This idea that one game NEEDS to give you 4 years of entertainment is unrealistic.

I am still playing Halo 4. But Tomb Raider, Bioshock, and a slew of other titles are on the horizon for me.

Heck GTAIV WOULD have been taking my time, if it were not delayed…

7

> <mark>Franchise fatigue and nostalgia combined with friends playing other games is a hard thing to overcome.</mark>
>
> Relax though the Halo characters, story, campaign, books and matchmaking updates are all still going strong. I have the similar history as you do with CE, love the lore, played 10,000’s of games and many friends of mine moved away from Halo with Reach.
>
> However I’ve found new friends with Halo 4 and I’ve been playing a few different playlists with great results. I find CTF to be quite good, perhaps not the feels of Halo 2/3 ranked objective but still great fun nonetheless.
>
> If you can search the recruiting forums or other communities for the gametypes you like the game is far more enjoyable with a couple of partied up friends. Halo multiplayer has always been like that. However I find I’ve just started going back to the Halo campaign too. I also found getting into the books gives those Halo feels we always want to experience or relive.
>
> Maybe try the new CSR and getting a team together for Throwdown or Infinity Slayer? I enjoy CTF and Infinity BTB with regular friends. The same ones that played and enjoy Reach, I guess that’s the difference.

THANK YOU finally someone said this it doesn’t matter what happens on the game. Halo is an old franchise regardless less people play over time it just happens.

8

> I feel so let down. But then again I’ve begun to think … maybe it’s not 343’s failures, as much as it’s me putting way too much stock in a game anymore.

This paragraph caught my eye. I think it’s pretty much understood at this point that Halo 4 was a flawed product. 343 said so, the community said so, etc. But that part about “putting too much stock in a game” struck a chord with me. I’ve read hundreds of the complaints on this forum, but the majority of them gives me the feeling they were written by, well, children. This isn’t an insult, just an impression.

But I don’t think I’m alone when I say there’s a lack of maturity behind a lot of the criticisms… so many people expect things there way and then throw around words like failure, disaster, ruination, etc etc. There is no room for growth, learning, or trying new things… it’s their way or the highway.

Your comment, however, is quite mature. This is a game, nothing more and nothing less. I think it’s pretty good for a flawed one… Don’t be afraid to try new things. Mix it up. Use weapons, AAs and loadouts you’ve never tried before. Set a goal to accomplish a Weapons commendation. There’s a lot of fun to be had in Halo 4. Some people just need to unstick their heads to see it.

9

heres my story

i do love halo 4 even though it has its issues or problems
but i played it every day and have done everything in the game so far and completed Weapon Mastery unlocking the Protector DRFT set of armour. after i unlocked that i took a break, played Farcry 3, the mass effect series and just played something different, even now after a while i am starting to miss halo and when im done with what im doing i shall jump back into halo 4 a fresh and hopefully really enjoy it once again

10

> heres my story
>
> i do love halo 4 even though it has its issues or problems
> but i played it every day and have done everything in the game so far and completed Weapon Mastery unlocking the Protector DRFT set of armour. after i unlocked that i took a break, played Farcry 3, the mass effect series and just played something different, even now after a while i am starting to miss halo and when im done with what im doing i shall jump back into halo 4 a fresh and hopefully really enjoy it once again

I think that it is the way to do it.

There are too many good games to devote all game time just to Halo.

11

> > I feel so let down. But then again I’ve begun to think … maybe it’s not 343’s failures, as much as it’s me putting way too much stock in a game anymore.
>
> You and me both buddy. But make no mistake, <mark>the downfall of Halo was brought about by 343’s failures and nothing else</mark>. Bungie started to take Halo down a different path, then 343 came along and threw it off a -Yoinking!- cliff.

That is just wrong. And anyone that honestly believe that as the truth really has no idea what they are talking about and is letting the differences in this game effect their opinion way too much. Grow up. There are several factors on why halo 4 wasn’t as successful as past halo’s. A good majority of them don’t directly involve the game itself more about the gaming industry and how consumers have changed. Anyone who only blames 343 clearly needs to be able to point their finger at one thing because they are incapable of seeing a bigger picture.

OT: I wasn’t too dissapointed with halo 4. Ill admit i don’t play it as often as i used to. But thats not really because it bores me. But its a combination of better games coming out (by better i don’t mean better then halo 4, i mean better quality games from other franchises that have had games before) and my friends playing other games.

A big source of fun for me is playing with friends. If i can’t i generally lose interest. My friends who bought halo 4 loved it. Just like me though they don’t belong to one game franchise. So we play other games too.

12

Same, I stopped enjoying back when reach came out and then I tried to stay optimistic that 343 would bring Halo back to it’s glory but sadly they didn’t.
For Halo CE,2, and 3 I played the multiplayer on a regular basis all the way up to the next title and completed at least 5-10 campaign play throughs for each but when it came to Reach I more or less stopped playing the multiplayer regularly about a month or two after launch and played through the campaign once, same deal with Halo 4.
By trying to make the game into something it’s not they’ve just ruined the classic feel of the series and took away the timeless longevity of the games. I honestly hope 343 comes to their senses and takes the feedback seriously and finally brings back the Halo we all loved and not this generic “Halo” we’ve been seeing the past few years.

13

I think that people should start being more precise and call Halo 4’s MP a failure rather than call Halo 4 a failure.

4 million copies sold. Most never played online…

That tell you that MP is not important for most purchasers.

14

Why do you think you can reach that conclusion?

The purchase is a non-reversible event - if you got sucked in by the Halo name, and the marketing spin, bought the game, and then think the whole thing is terrible, the sales counter does not decrease by one. The online numbers will.

Could there be other factors like competing games taking players away? Sure!

Sales - MP <> Campaign love…

15

> Play other games.
>
> This idea that one game NEEDS to give you 4 years of entertainment is unrealistic.
>
> I am still playing Halo 4. But Tomb Raider, Bioshock, and a slew of other titles are on the horizon for me.
>
> Heck GTAIV WOULD have been taking my time, if it were not delayed…

Halo should be able to keep it’s fanbase for more than 5 months.

I play other games as well, but I still get on one or two hours most nights to have a sit-down and chat and slay. But the general feel is we dislike Halo more than we like it now, and there is no alternative FPS like Halo to go to.

I personally would consider going to BF3 but that game can be downright hard to be good at and there are a few broken parts to it for me (One game I got 1SK from a tripoded LMG from a headshot about 15 times in 7 minutes).

16

> Why do you think you can reach that conclusion?
>
>
> The purchase is a non-reversible event - if you got sucked in by the Halo name, and the marketing spin, bought the game, and then think the whole thing is terrible, the sales counter does not decrease by one. The online numbers will.
>
> Could there be other factors like competing games taking players away? Sure!
>
> Sales - MP <> Campaign love…

Sure, you are right.

But placing equal weight on MP is problematic when on the first week (the honeymoon period) the daily population was no where near 4 million users.

This indicates that most purchasers do not care enough about MP to get disgusted by the MP aspect. Many simply do not have XBL.

Also, looking at the professional reviews of the game, we simply do not get that Halo 4 was a smash and grab like Crackdown 2 was. The game, like it or not, is critically lauded.

I am not saying that the population has not decreased. I am saying that the portion of people that play Halo primarily for MP is not as large compared to those that bought it for the campaign.

Again, I ask the question: If 400,000 people are playing Halo 4 daily. What happened to the other 90%?

One cannot say that they left Halo unhappy because they were not there during the honeymoon period.

Look, I am not claiming that MP is the best for everyone.

I am just saying that it is foolish and inaccurate to call ALL OF HALO 4, rather than Halo 4 MP, a failure.

If the sales were bad AND the reviews were -Yoink- then perhaps…

17

> If the sales were bad AND the reviews were Yoink! then perhaps…

Sales and reviews don’t really mean much in the grand scheme of things. Many bought this game because it had Halo on the cover, and because Chief was coming back, while most reviewers/critics don’t get to spend nearly enough time with some games to discover how broken they are.

I am a diehard Halo fan who, after the way 343 botched handling Reach’s TUs, lost faith and thus rented H4 prior to purchasing. I preordered nothing. I played the game for a good week via Blockbuster, was eventually convinced it was pretty good, and then purchased an LE online. And now here I am unable to even enjoy it anymore at all.

My initial review of this game would have been pretty solid. However several months in the reality is it’s not even worth putting in the xbox tray. Considering the way the online population has plunged, I don’t appear to be alone in this assessment.

18

> > If the sales were bad AND the reviews were Yoink! then perhaps…
>
> Sales and reviews don’t really mean much in the grand scheme of things. Many bought this game because it had Halo on the cover, and because Chief was coming back, while most reviewers/critics don’t get to spend nearly enough time with some games to discover how broken they are.
>
> I am a diehard Halo fan who, after the way 343 botched handling Reach’s TUs, lost faith and thus rented H4 prior to purchasing. I preordered nothing. I played the game for a good week via Blockbuster, was eventually convinced it was pretty good, and then purchased an LE online. And now here I am unable to even enjoy it anymore at all.
>
> My initial review of this game would have been pretty solid. However several months in the reality is it’s not even worth putting in the xbox tray. Considering the way the online population has plunged, I don’t appear to be alone in this assessment.

Sales and reviews indicate that the game was a critical and financial success.

Halo is a game, rather than a car. There are no long term reviews for videogames.

I fully understand that you feel that the game is not aging well. And you feel what you feel.

But once again, I feel that the MP aspect of the game is taking an inordinate amount of weight on the game’s overall worth.

19

> > I feel so let down. But then again I’ve begun to think … maybe it’s not 343’s failures, as much as it’s me putting way too much stock in a game anymore.
>
> This paragraph caught my eye. I think it’s pretty much understood at this point that Halo 4 was a flawed product. 343 said so, the community said so, etc. But that part about “putting too much stock in a game” struck a chord with me. I’ve read hundreds of the complaints on this forum, but the majority of them gives me the feeling they were written by, well, children. This isn’t an insult, just an impression.
>
> But I don’t think I’m alone when I say there’s a lack of maturity behind a lot of the criticisms… so many people expect things there way and then throw around words like failure, disaster, ruination, etc etc. There is no room for growth, learning, or trying new things… it’s their way or the highway.
>
> Your comment, however, is quite mature. This is a game, nothing more and nothing less. I think it’s pretty good for a flawed one… Don’t be afraid to try new things. Mix it up. Use weapons, AAs and loadouts you’ve never tried before. Set a goal to accomplish a Weapons commendation. There’s a lot of fun to be had in Halo 4. Some people just need to unstick their heads to see it.

I piled up a legit (no campaign boosting with the TL, etc) 92% commendations in Reach, and beat all missions SLASO amongst other things, so I’m more than familiar with setting goals. I’ve played/learned certain gametypes/playlists (Invasion was great for AR kills, like Anniversary was great for Small Arms kills) before to keep things interesting. Gained achievements …

… but there are just things in this game that aren’t fun to try and accomplish at all. Examples … when the sandbox is dominated by the DMR it makes it tough to get kills with the LR/BR. And getting the weapons to master certain ordinance for stances is completely random. It’s just a mess, really.

What I look forward to, more than anything, is the release of Destiny … because I know it will be both fresh, and solid, based on the fact that there was/is nothing to compare it to from the past.

20

Another thing… why people look at the population count is simply beyond me.

If you want to join a playlist, then do it! Guarantee you’ll find a game in short order if you’re on a halfway decent network with an open NAT.

The numbers can mean something… but only if you let 'em. 700billion people are playing COD but we’re not. Millions listen to Justin Bieber but I don’t.

This doesn’t make either of us right or wrong, and isn’t meant to be a judgment on the quality of either.

All I’m getting at it… don’t let the crowds sway who you are. If I stop playing Halo 4 it won’t be becaues of what others are doing… unless I’m literally the last person who wants to play :slight_smile: