The forums are just lit up right now with people screaming about this and that with little reasoning behind what they are saying. Let us use this thread to have a decent conversation, not one that goes like “gooo back to h3”, and “your a noob so your opinion doesn’t count”.
It has been mentioned that the game is practically done. -Yoink!- and moaning now does not solve anything. So lets look at what this game is going to be and from a logically point of view, dissect it to get to the root of things.
First thing to be mentioned is the Armor Abilities. In Reach, it is pretty much agreed by all that the majority of the AA’s did not work as intended to compliment the game flow. What I mean is that the maps were not designed with sprint in mind, and thus gameplay suffered greatly. Some AAs were next to useless (I am looking at you hologram) and some were just downright cheap (that’s right armor lock, you heard me). The great thing is that in 343i has seen this also. There really isn’t a AA that is so dominating that it breaks the game, nor one that is completely useless (even though hologram STILL looks lame, and if you fall for it you should be ashamed). They actually look balanced and every single one of them has a counter and way to beat it, and this is terrific news.
Second thing is that the guns actually look useful and make sense with the slight exception of the BR’s TTK (but at this point, its whatever). The better person is going to win in this game because the bloom on your “precision” weapon doesn’t screw you over. For me personally this was the most infuriating thing about Reach, because the shots were so random that the better player didn’t win when they should have. Base player speed has increased and with that, strafing should matter again, and individual skill will shine again.
Third issue is the perks and specializations that are in Halo 4. I honestly don’t mind them, seeing as they are minor additions and won’t really affect the outcome. All they do is just assist the player and help them achieve the little things a little easier, plus allow players do help with their type of playstyle and give us more customization. The CoD references in this part of the game cannot be ignored, simply due to how obvious it is that they are taking parts of the most successful FPS in the world and incorporating it into one of the most loyal fanbases in the world.
Fourth issue is the confusion and lack of clarification on a ranking system. It could just be me, but I don’t think that the specializations are all-she-wrote when it comes to a ranking system, but they enhance the replay-ability of H4 which I am all down for. However, there needs to be a place where the best players play the best players, and the worst players play the worst players. Don’t get me wrong, running across and pro or simi pro team in matchmaking is fun and pumps you up, but when you and your team are significantly better than most other players and you dominate most every match that gets old, for both the better team, and the players getting dumped on. Matchmaking in Reach just wasn’t a good place to practice due to the inconsistency in competition levels compared to H3 and H2. Lets hope that a legitimate ranking system is present in H4.
The hardcore competitive players (the ones who live to win and excel in whatever activity they endeavor) have legitimate arguments (I personally have been pretty vocal about many issues) but the casual players do as well. What everyone wants is a game that is balanced AND fun. Halo 4 looks to be just that. Nothing looks broken beyond belief and yes the better player will win due to the game mechanics in this game, and yet H4 looks to have everything that casual players love and more.
I believe that the classic playlists just won’t seem as fun, and MLG would be wise to incorporate the loadout freedom into its playlists. The reason that MLG and Halo were so successful was because in H2 and H3 MLG and regular playlists really were not that far apart and so it was easier for a casual person to watch, understand, and appreciate. There was a tremendous divide in the MLG Reach community mostly due to weapon bloom on the DMR, and some of the AAs that simply didn’t work well in Reach. This needs to change for MLG’s community to get back to where it was a few years ago (I really miss MLG H3, the mainstage, the events, the community ahhhhh).
At the end of the day, Halo had to change. It was absolutely necessary for it to keep pace with other FPS. Microsoft simply cannot afford for it to be a niche shooter. Halo 4 looks like a great game that is going to satisfy a lot of players for a long time. 343i’s name and reputation is at stake and for us players that is incredible. That means they will actively and aggressively address the plaguing issues that arise. Bungie did the bare minimum and for a lot of us, ruined what good they had built.
I for one cannot wait for 11.6.12 to get here. My LE copy will be so sweet:)
