Halo was never visceral, not even when blood splatter existed. The only scene where blood was used in a “visceral” way was right before the introduction of the flood.
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Nothing to do with Hardware, I assume has everything to do with the direction of how they wanna take Halo Infinite.
Is it the end of the world if Blood Splatter’s gone? Ehh not personally. It sucks to see it go but most the time I’m too busy focusing on gunfights and the sorts anyhow.
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CoD caters to a slightly different audience. I think Halo is trying to be appealing to a younger audience or one that may have to get approval to buy games where the M rating would be a blocker.
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I find myself asking… why? Why do we need blood? And the short answer is we don’t. It doesn’t really add anything to the game or the feeling (outside of cutscenes), and if it can save on processing power, all the more to leave it out.
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I’ve come to find the physics and overall feel of combat in Halo games to be more a part of my immersion and overall enjoyment. Sending a squad of Grunts and their Elite leader flying with a Scorpion shell or a grenade, stuff like that. Blood was comical in Halo 2 and they definitely toned it down from there on out. I think that what 343i is going for with Infinite is that type of “clean but rugged” PG-13 sci-fi; there’s well-worn grit and scratches on armor, vehicles, etc. and in general things look real, but blood is either not there, minimal, or saved for effect/impact. I could see Jega stabbing a Marine from behind, fully cloaked, and you see the Marine coughing up blood before getting casually tossed aside like hay from a hay-bale.
As well, if Assassinations ever return, and they’re anything like the ones in Halo 5, those could bring some brutal bone-crunching “Ooough, that was rough!” vibes to multiplayer that I don’t think blood ever could.
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It’s 2021, people are WAY more sensitive to these things. So it’s probably best to not have it in and avoid angering the ivory tower that is Twitter 
(Some markets are really fussy about this too)
*That or they’ll be some update where they add blood and gore into the game, which will be blog fodder for a week or something. As I’m not sure what technical challenge it poses, although QHD blood patterns might actually be a giant PITA 
*
I want blood back, but proportional to the type of hit, like off the walls and skewers near walls, etc. Which Halo has never been like Tarentino/Doom level anyways.
IDK if M is needed for blood splatter in 2021? “Blood and Gore” is a listing for T.
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I rase you Halo: Combat Evolved; one hallway in 343 Guilty Spark that is practically painted in Kig-Yar and Unggoy blood, as well the ability to paint entire battlefields orange with Mgalekgolo gore.
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Painting a hallway with blue blood is not the same as red blood. You have to take that into account.
Also, I do not think that blood contributes anything to the game, it is a simple addition that immerses it, but I would not miss it either. Although I don’t see any problem adding it either. Games like Gears of War have a simple button in the options that completely removes blood and gore. Something like that would be fine for Halo Infinite, although it could affect the game’s age restriction.
It is when you know exactly what it is. It wouldn’t matter for an ESRB rating, I don’t think, but in relations to being “Tarentino levels”
But yes, a rating would have to take into account everything possible, so that much blood - red blood, particularly - would warrant an M rating.
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There’s quite a few instances of T rated games having blood, and seeing as it’s been present in the franchise since it’s inception, why is everyone suddenly adamant on keeping it out now? Halo isn’t a stranger to this, never has been. Look at Halo’s other media and expanded universe, there’s plenty of grotesque violence and gore, pretty vivid too. Even in Rise of Atriox there’s a few shots of complete mutilation, from Marines to Sig-Raan.
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I don’t think it’s so much adamance on keeping it out, just questioning why it’s needed.
People do realize halo is rated T and one of the reasons is “blood and gore” even gears level gore barely brings a game to M now days.
Halos blood has always been tame compared to other shooters. except in halo 1.
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Actually, none of the T-rated Halo games have “Blood and Gore” listed as descriptors, only “Blood”. “Blood and Gore” is only listed in Halo games that have the Flood, since that’s the only time Halo has gore.
Huh? Isn’t Gears, like, one of the most excessively gory game franchises out there? If Gears is barely an M, I’d hate to see something that’s a harder M. I’m pretty sure there are no T-rated games that come even close to getting anywhere near as violent as Gears.
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On topic, I’ll never understand how anyone can prefer games to be more gruesome, not less. I’d be fine if there was no blood at all in Halo, and my least favorite aspect of the game series is the gore that the Flood bring into the games whenever they show up.
My concern is, what sort of impact (or lack of) will zero blood have on Halo’s environmental storytelling? Battlefields painted with arrays of vibrant alien blood was always a huge part of Halo’s atmosphere when combating the Covenant. Why should this be taken away from the Banished? Moreso, what if 343i decides to include the Flood either in Infinite’s campaign or some future story? What would the Flood even be without its gruesomeness and gore?
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Because shooting things with projectiles or blowing them up tends to make things bleed?
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It’s great for environmental storytelling and adds ‘impact’ to combat. Being able to admire your handy work after a hard fought battle. Aka the aftermath. Is immersion building.
A toggle on/off option for blood in the game settings would be a win/win for both parties. Those who like blood can enable it and those who dislike it can disable it. I’ve never understood the mentality of trying to limit options in gaming.
I grew up on Bungie’s Halo installments. It’s weird to see the direction 343 are taking this franchise. In the way that it is following trends and losing identity. Live service game with zero impact to battles. Games that feel like you are playing an airsoft simulator.
Also they could rate this game a higher rating and kids would still play it. Because parents don’t care about ratings anymore and hence ratings hardly impact sales.
I was a kid and played Halo CE which had an M rating. As did many of us.
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F2P killed it, but also if it is War Games and all simulations than well you can expect its all not real. The Campaign may feature blood but for multiplayer its fine without it.
In the campaign I definately think there should be some more blue blood, improves the immersion
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They should simply let the choice : a child option and an adult option
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