Hello forum goers. Hello 343i. Let me begin by congratulating 343i on an incredible, extremely worthy installment in the Halo saga. You’ve earned the right to step out of Bungie’s shadow, and I can’t wait to see how you build off of these first successes with the continuing Reclaimer Trilogy and whatever else may come (side stories, other genres, more trans-media endeavors…yes please!). I also appreciate the humility shown by Frankie in the most recent Bulliten, owning up to missteps, communication problems, and cut features, but I for one applaud the dedication to the franchise that we love and the obvious passion put into this most recent and most incredibly daunting project, although at least half of the posts in this forum seem to think otherwise.
Back to my mention of cut features (and my post title), I would love to see SpOps and Firefight co-exist. Don’t get me wrong, I am crazy excited about the concept and potential of Spartan Ops. Are things perfect in Majestic and Crimson land right now? No. Are 343i sort of feeling things out as they go? Yes. Are they attempting to deliver a very ambitious episodic story, the likes of which have never been seen (at least within this universe)? Yes. Is there too much of a disconnect between the gorgeous cut scenes and the missions? Definitely. Do I think that things can improve as 343 settles into what SpOps is? Yes. And I’ll be first in line to PAY for Season 2 (and 3, and 4…)
Now I myself am a lore geek, proudly owning every bit of Halo fiction and re-reading most a number of times. I’ve been with Halo since the first days of CE, and have fond memories of the awe, mystery, and wonder experienced in that first campaign. Guess I’m showing my age a bit. 
Needless to say, I’m thrilled that 343 is giving us more story, more adventure, and more progress through Spartan Ops. It can feel cruel to have to wait 3 years between every 8-10 hour campaign. But I DO feel like Spartan Ops and Firefight can (and should) co-exist together! I’m sad that Firefight was sacrificed to make way for Spartan Ops. There’s a big gaping hole in that Infinity sub-menu where it should say Firefight!
Is it difficult to plug in Firefight, or add it on as DLC? Probably harder than I think it is, but I hope 343 will do this in the not too distant future. Then hopefully Spartan Ops can grow into its own unique section of the Halo 4 package, and not be shoehorned into an ‘online co-op only’ experience with simple objectives on repeptitive maps with a story thrown on top. The story, the lore, is important to me. I would love to feel more engaged with it, more drawn into it and intrigued by it. It has the potential to be quite riveting , but the cut scenes aren’t quite jelling with the missions yet, and I don’t really feel like a part of Crimson. Maybe 343 should consider taking Spartan Ops offline as well, and if I play it single player, please fill out the rest of Crimson with AI controlled Spartan IVs. Make it feel like it matters, like the story matters, like I’m shaping the ongoing story of the Infinity exploring Requiem, not just tossing me an excuse to supplant Firefight with a new mode trying to kill two birds with one stone.
Let Spartan Ops be Spartan Ops. Let it be story driven. Let it be episodic. Let it be meaningful. I’ll pay for it. I swear. And let Firefight be Firefight. The incredibly fun and highly addictive co-op arcade-y survival experience that it is. There’s certainly room for both to co-exist, and 343, we’ll love you even more for it.
Skulls and such