Halo 4 is a great game, at least to the casual video game player. But to the diehard Halo fan like myself, it is the joke of the franchise. I know 343 faced several challenges; they had to expand their studio while at the same time create the next big game in the franchise. Mistakes were inevitable. However, some of the mistakes that 343 made are inexcusable (lack of Custom Game options, popular gametypes missing, etc.). I have faith that 343 will listen to the community and fix these mistakes in Halo 5, yet I still feel the need to make some suggestions on how I think the Halo series can redeem itself…
The Campaign stories should be more understandable to the casual Halo players who don’t read the books. Although I highly recommend that fans should read them, I still accept the fact that there are people who are just interested in the gaming experience (which is perfectly fine). Based on what I’ve heard from my friends and seen on the forums, Halo 4’s campaign story was difficult to understand, and I had to admit that some of the information was just thrown at me with no real elaboration. As for the gaming experience, I couldn’t help but notice that the campaign levels were somewhat more linear than past installments, and the final boss fight was too reminiscent of a Call of Duty sequence. Halo’s strength is its open world sandbox feel, and this should remain true in ALL Halo games. Campaign scoring and having to locate the skulls should also make a return to give the campaign more replay value and to give give it a more “arcadey” and competitive feel.
Ranked and social playlists are a must to satisfy both the competitive and casual players. CSR should be visible in the ranked playlists, while join-in-progress should be strictly reserved for social. And honestly, there needs to be a greater penalty for quitting the game or team-killing, such as going back a rank/level. Game types that must return include Invasion, Race, BTB Objective, Juggernaut, and Assault. Custom Game options have to be more variable, especially for gametypes like Flood, which is, right now, a cheap knock-off of Infection. There is already a major forum thread about the lack of Custom Game options. Campaign matchmaking is a must.
Infinity Slayer needs to be completely revamped. Loadouts just don’t belong in Halo. Being able to spawn with Plasma Pistols and Plasma Grenades makes vehicles redundant. If loadouts must be included, they should be
restricted to primary and secondary weapons (minus the Plasma Pistol) and armour abilities. Ordnance should be limited to just power ups, minor weapons like the Sticky Detonator and Plasma Pistol, extra grenades, and armour
abilities/equipment. Power weapons should only be found in random spawn points (still labeled for all to see). This would also allow for longer weapon despawn times since there won’t be an abundance of power weapons everywhere. A traditional Slayer mode should also be included.
Sprint in Halo is a controversial topic amongst fans. In my opinion, it belongs in the game. We’re playing as highly advanced super soldiers; we should be able to sprint. It also makes the gameplay slightly more fast paced. However, I’ve also heard several good reasons as to why it shouldn’t be in Halo. All in all, it should be a customisable option in Custom Games.
If we can’t have both in Halo 5, I would rather have Firefight instead of Spartan Ops. We can’t let people without XBox Live Gold out to dry, and Firefight satisfies both online and offline players. FF also has more replay value and skulls can be used. 343 could mix it up by adding objectives every few waves. Optional secondary objectives during waves could make the coming waves easier or give the team temporary buffs if they are completed. I just don’t like SPOPS because it is essentially a second campaign, and I don’t see the point.
The Forge and Machinima communities are an integral part of the Halo Nation. The green screen should be an item in all forge maps. I’ve recently seen a video showcasing the problems with creating Machinima in Halo 4. Weapons raise when the Spartans are walking, and the text in Theater, such as who killed who, is displayed and has to be edited out. Machinimators and Forgers are just as important to the Halo series as the gamers, and it’s important that 343 does not let them down either.
This is all I have to say. This is in no way a bash to 343, but they need to know what needs to be fixed for future installments of Halo. Did I miss anything?