So while Chief’s communication with Cortana was perfect, emotional and deep…does anyone else wish Chief interacted with other characters better? In the books, at least how I read them, he seems much more invested in his relationships and dialogue with other people than he was in Halo 4. Just some examples:
Lasky: It seemed like the relationship between Chief and Lasky was going to be a bit closer and deeper than his relationships with other human characters, like Miranda and Johnson. But when they first meet, Lasky seems positively ebullient at seeing Chief and gives a little nod to Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn…and Chief just seems to stand there oblivious. Would’ve been nice to see Chief actually seem to remember Lasky and make a remark. Maybe when Lasky gives Chief a Pelican to go after the Didact, Chief could’ve gone, “Now we’re even?” considering Chief did save his life way back when. Here’s hoping for Halo 5 I suppose.
Didact: I find it odd that 343i billed the Didact as Chief’s first true nemesis and yet he never speaks to the Didact once aside from painful grunts. I suppose being crushed may make it hard to get a word in edge wise, but even people being choked by Darth Vader got to spout off sentences. There seem to be plenty of parts of the Didact’s dialogue for Chief to flow in naturally and talk back. Not really asking for Shakespearean counter-replies for the Chief, but some “Who are you?” and other bits of dialogue would’ve livened things up more than both times the two meet result in Chief getting Force choked while the Didact talks -Yoink-.
Also, why is it that Chief never seems to ask any questions about anything? He just seems to accept everything and go on his merry alien killing way. I mean he gets on the Infinity and never even bothers to ask, “So about those Covies…”. Tons of people say they see themselves as the Chief, but following that logic, if I were Chief I’d be a bit more inquisitive.
Honestly, I’m just happy they got Chief talking more, but I think they could’ve done more with the characters. They all just seem to orbit Chief and while I know Halo 4 was his and Cortana’s story…would a little bit more of Chief acting like a normal human being hurt?
I understand what you’re saying. But no, Chief isn’t supposed to be human, all spartans are military machines, they’ve been dehumanized. They have no 2nd names, they have numbers. They have no true family but their squads. They’ve be indoctrinated into a military program from a young age and know no different.
The spartan IIIs and IVs are bit different and tbh the cocky spartan IVs kind of get on my nerves, they seem a lot less professional.
MC isn’t an 80s action movie hero with cheesy oneliners, thank god.
> I understand what you’re saying. <mark>But no, Chief isn’t supposed to be human, all spartans are military machines, they’ve been dehumanized.</mark> They have no 2nd names, they have numbers. They have no true family but their squads. They’ve be indoctrinated into a military program from a young age and know no different.
>
> The spartan IIIs and IVs are bit different and tbh the cocky spartan IVs kind of get on my nerves, they seem a lot less professional.
>
> MC isn’t an 80s action movie hero with cheesy oneliners, thank god.
They seem to manage just fine in the books. Sure they aren’t out cracking jokes with the Marines…but they acknowledge that people exist.
I read the books too,the inconsistencies are quite annoying, still good books though. 343i might deepen the character more in future games but I’d rather see gray team or some of the other spartan IIs return, like the remants of blue team. Majestic is no blue team.
In a book, a charter need to speak a lot to know it’s emotions, it’s moves, it’s motivations. In a game, everything can be told without a single word. Actually you can see emotions in Chief. Cortana always spoke, always said everything so Chief doesn’t need to speak a single word. Also, as it mentioned before, they have been brainwashed, they have difficulty with socialization. John actually cares a lot about people, maybe more then some of the other Spartans does. But if your entire life was covered with pain and death, what do you can say for normal life people? Chief must be struggling with that. Maybe he is just a mindless machine in someone’s eyes, but he is still a human inside he still have emotions. This is he’s weak side, to show emotions. We don’t know whats the Chief dream about.
> In a book, a charter need to speak a lot to know it’s emotions, it’s moves, it’s motivations. In a game, everything can be told without a single word. Actually you can see emotions in Chief. Cortana always spoke, always said everything so Chief doesn’t need to speak a single word. <mark>Also, as it mentioned before, they have been brainwashed, they have difficulty with socialization.</mark> John actually cares a lot about people, maybe more then some of the other Spartans does. But if your entire life was covered with pain and death, what do you can say for normal life people? Chief must be struggling with that. Maybe he is just a mindless machine in someone’s eyes, but he is still a human inside he still have emotions. This is he’s weak side, to show emotions. We don’t know whats the Chief dream about.
I think one of the best interactions he had behind only Cortana and Lasky was with Tillson. Her character was very well done, albeit it was short, yet their time together was really engaging.
> I think one of the best interactions he had behind only Cortana and Lasky was with Tillson. Her character was very well done, albeit it was short, yet their time together was really engaging.
Looking back that was pretty good interaction. Can’t really say I agree with the Lasky part though, Lasky’s character made a good attempt, but Chief was kinda there not making an effort.
343 though that having him only interact with Cortana would make him seem more human, while they did achieve this, they failed to make him more human in this aspect, something which I think was a complete oversight.
His lack of interaction with other characters make him seem more unsociable and less human, Laskys line “Never thought I would see you again” when he first saw John again would leave a person who had not seen Forward unto Dawn completely confused.
His lack of questions and conversation also makes him seem like a guy who has no questions and just follows orders, why are the Covenant back? Who cares, orders are orders.
To make matters worse, he says almost nothing at times where he is directly spoken to by other characters in his first cut scene with them, first impressions count, and that was not a good impression.
However, I did like his lack of speech to the Didact, it made John like a puppet compared to the Didact, making him seem a little less significant and the Didact all the more powerful.
Its a shame really, however, the lack of Cortana makes me hope we will see more John to other people interactions in Halos 5 and 6.
> > I think one of the best interactions he had behind only Cortana and Lasky was with Tillson. Her character was very well done, albeit it was short, yet their time together was really engaging.
>
> Looking back that was pretty good interaction. Can’t really say I agree with the Lasky part though, Lasky’s character made a good attempt, but Chief was kinda there not making an effort.
Honestly if I was the Chief I wouldn’t remember Cadet Thomas Lasky. The Chief must be nearly sixty years old, he has met thousands - maybe millions - of marines, civilians, children, teenagers, rebels. Pretty much every part of humanity and most of the time he is helping them escape.
Lasky may have been one of the three people evacuated from New Harmony, but I wouldn’t remember him. He would just blur into every other person I’d have rescued.
And the way the Covenant’s onslaught was presented in Forward Unto Dawn, I got the distinct impression that three survivors wasn’t a rare event. As the war progressed fewer and fewer people survived Covenant assaults. Probably none as I’d imagine that evacuation shuttles from spaceports would get shot down very quickly.
I totally agree. He didn’t really talk with anyone else much, and when he did, it was never very exciting. I definitely would’ve liked to see some kind of reference to FuD, even if it was small like that!
> I totally agree. He didn’t really talk with anyone else much, and when he did, it was never very exciting. I definitely would’ve liked to see some kind of reference to FuD, even if it was small like that!
Definitely. For so reason, with his communication and response towards other officers…he reminds me so much of Clint Eastwood. With that tough, professional, straight-forward attitude.
> I think one of the best interactions he had behind only Cortana and Lasky was with Tillson. Her character was very well done, albeit it was short, yet their time together was really engaging.
Dr. Sandy Tillson was absolutely spectacular! While 343 may definitely suck with multiplayer, they definitely know how to tell a story.
It isn’t often games have characters that make you feel as much as you did for Tillson. I cried at the mention of the nukes, she was so broken, it was deeply saddening.
> > I think one of the best interactions he had behind only Cortana and Lasky was with Tillson. Her character was very well done, albeit it was short, yet their time together was really engaging.
>
> Looking back that was pretty good interaction. Can’t really say I agree with the Lasky part though, Lasky’s character made a good attempt, but Chief was kinda there not making an effort.
I think I’m filling in some of the blanks for the sequences with Lasky. I like to think Chief acknowledged that Lasky was being incredibly helpful, but was worried about Cortana and the Didact to show it. It’s just the way I interpret it so it can’t really be counted I think. I agree that there should have been more in the scenes with Tom, though.
> Honestly if I was the Chief I wouldn’t remember Cadet Thomas Lasky. The Chief must be nearly sixty years old, he has met thousands - maybe millions - of marines, civilians, children, teenagers, rebels. Pretty much every part of humanity and most of the time he is helping them escape.
> Lasky may have been one of the three people evacuated from New Harmony, but I wouldn’t remember him. He would just blur into every other person I’d have rescued.
> And the way the Covenant’s onslaught was presented in Forward Unto Dawn, I got the distinct impression that three survivors wasn’t a rare event. As the war progressed fewer and fewer people survived Covenant assaults. Probably none as I’d imagine that evacuation shuttles from spaceports would get shot down very quickly.
I have to say, a recruit who went out to be a distraction against numerous Covenant forces would likely stand out in my mind. Heck, didn’t Chief even give him a piece of the Hunter’s armor? I don’t know, you raise a fair point, I just wish more was done.
Chief SHOULD’VE said “Now we’re even?” to Lasky, or something along those lines. You know dang well Chief remembers…
But he is getting older, and at heart he is human, so his human side starting to poke out is somethin I agree with and am glad 343i is going this way. After 3 games his character needs to be more…outspoken. Feels nice lol