Gone are the days

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

Gone are the days.

Call me nostalgic, I don’t care. So much of what is in this video is missing from Halo 5.

The social inclusion, the competitive but friendly games, the ambition. All the little details that were made to make Halo feel alive and vibrant are just not there.

Blame 343i, blame MS, blame the community, it doesn’t matter. Just don’t pretend like supporting the drive towards “modern” gaming has resulted in a better experience.

I’ve always been a proud supporter of 343i understanding what made Halo great to begin with, to understand where Halo should go. It’s understandable they wanted to forge their own path with Halo. But taking on a loved and established franchise without apparent love or understanding of how Halo earned the love and dedication of so many millions (without the easy escape of “oh well every franchise declines, this is normal” while also conveniently removing all bits of personality from franchise to “keep it alive”) It’s just been a death sentence to that love and dedication of the franchise.

Halo 4 was built on casual play. Halo 5 was built on competitive play. The Halo franchise was built on social play, but supported all other types of play, including casual and competitive.

I argued along side many other when Halo 4 released that it was too casual and needed a competitive focus coming up for Halo 5. For whatever reason this was taken as a sign that we wanted 60fps over Split Screen, complex over simple yet deep controls, Warzone over social playlist, always online dedicated servers over LAN and so on.

But I want to stress right here, right now, that Halo needs everything.

Not as a focus but in support of its social experience. The gameplay and social experience is what we enjoyed, but the many different facets of the Halo community meant the multiple features gave us all a game that we could enjoy the way we wanted to enjoy it. The recent focus on smaller areas of the community has left huge parts of the community out to dry. As a AAA flagship title there is no reason why Halo wouldn’t have the financial and technical support from MS to bring this to life.

If gone are the days that Halo is a fun social shooter that included everybody, if gone are the days that the Halo games saw the support they and the community deserved, then gone are the days the community will stay, and gone are the days Halo brings people together.

(I wrote this really quickly because I’m starving and must eat. I know they’ll be the obligatory “why so dramatic, Halo is fine” posts, but I think it’s essential to recognise the drastic change in direction and the drastic negative effects it has had on the experience as a whole, and being in denial about it doesn’t solve the problem)

2

Gone are the days when people weren’t cynical out of spite.

3

> 2533274895603860;2:
> Gone are the days when people weren’t cynical out of spite.

I understand what he is saying. For one particular example he made about split screen my shipmates and I played Halo split screen constantly (no internet on deployment). We loved Halo with a passion, and played every single one at least once on split screen (I loved the times we played Halo CE in particular).

So if we just happened to only have Halo 5, we wouldn’t be able to do squat, except watch each other at campaign. It sucks that a core feature like that was taken out in lieu of other features, a feature that’s been in every Halo game practically.

4

> 2533274852660538;3:
> > 2533274895603860;2:
> > Gone are the days when people weren’t cynical out of spite.
>
>
> I understand what he is saying. For one particular example he made about split screen my shipmates and I played Halo split screen constantly (no internet on deployment). We loved Halo with a passion, and played every single one at least once on split screen (I loved the times we played Halo CE in particular).
>
> So if we just happened to only have Halo 5, we wouldn’t be able to do squat, except watch each other at campaign. It sucks that a core feature like that was taken out in lieu of other features, a feature that’s been in every Halo game practically.

343 arent as passionate as Bungie was back in Halo’s Golden Age.

5

> 2533274832183516;4:
> > 2533274852660538;3:
> > > 2533274895603860;2:
> > > Gone are the days when people weren’t cynical out of spite.
> >
> >
> > I understand what he is saying. For one particular example he made about split screen my shipmates and I played Halo split screen constantly (no internet on deployment). We loved Halo with a passion, and played every single one at least once on split screen (I loved the times we played Halo CE in particular).
> >
> > So if we just happened to only have Halo 5, we wouldn’t be able to do squat, except watch each other at campaign. It sucks that a core feature like that was taken out in lieu of other features, a feature that’s been in every Halo game practically.
>
>
> 343 arent as passionate as Bungie was back in Halo’s Golden Age.

Golden ages can’t last forever.

6

> 2533274832183516;4:
> > 2533274852660538;3:
> > > 2533274895603860;2:
> > > Gone are the days when people weren’t cynical out of spite.
> >
> >
> > I understand what he is saying. For one particular example he made about split screen my shipmates and I played Halo split screen constantly (no internet on deployment). We loved Halo with a passion, and played every single one at least once on split screen (I loved the times we played Halo CE in particular).
> >
> > So if we just happened to only have Halo 5, we wouldn’t be able to do squat, except watch each other at campaign. It sucks that a core feature like that was taken out in lieu of other features, a feature that’s been in every Halo game practically.
>
>
> 343 arent as passionate as Bungie was back in Halo’s Golden Age.

I wouldn’t say they aren’t passionate, because I see lots of love and hard work poured into their games. It is just certain decisions that they made that are questionable.

7

> 2533274809541057;5:
> > 2533274832183516;4:
> > > 2533274852660538;3:
> > > > 2533274895603860;2:
> > > > Gone are the days when people weren’t cynical out of spite.
> > >
> > >
> > > I understand what he is saying. For one particular example he made about split screen my shipmates and I played Halo split screen constantly (no internet on deployment). We loved Halo with a passion, and played every single one at least once on split screen (I loved the times we played Halo CE in particular).
> > >
> > > So if we just happened to only have Halo 5, we wouldn’t be able to do squat, except watch each other at campaign. It sucks that a core feature like that was taken out in lieu of other features, a feature that’s been in every Halo game practically.
> >
> >
> > 343 arent as passionate as Bungie was back in Halo’s Golden Age.
>
>
> Golden ages can’t last forever.

Halo doesnt have to be the top selling shooter it once was…it just has to be the best one! I think that is kind of a huge problem with the game…I’ve never played a halo so sweaty it literally turns me off from playing…Even with the old ranking system I would have some matches where I would get blown out and then some where I would win and we would do well…but even when I lost I felt like I could still do well personally. In this game when you get pooped on you get straight up pooped on…even the social playlists you used to have a mix of high level players and Johnny no thumbs some games you might stomp the other team some games you might get stomped that was the fun of social slayer…now its just sweaty even the social playlists have some form of skill based matchmaking…you cant even go anywhere just to practice and screw around anymore.

8

and with the loss of an PVE mode there is nowhere you can go to just chill and kill some stuff…I used to love in reach hopping on and just doing some firefight games…put it on Legendary with all Elites and practice strafing and aiming before I went online or just call it after that if I didnt feel like playing with other people.

9

Yeah I wish we could go back to the days of 2007-2008, when MLG and Halo was the game to play! Now all you see is League of Legends. Games have been such a let down lately. Games die after a week and everyone just goes back to playing league…

10

To be honest, I kind of wished halo died with halo 3 or reach (just my opinion) because at least then it would have preserved it’s dignity. Look at 90’s tv shows or any popular show, eventually the shows were canceled. I think halo is going through the same thing, the simpsons tv show is also having this issue. The early episodes were great but these new ones are well… dog -Yoink-. My point is every dog has it’s day, but halo is getting old. It’s a flower, It bloomed and it was beautiful but then winter came and it started to die, you tried to preserve the flower but you were just delaying it’s ultimate demise. Just my two cents, i know a lot of people like halo 5 but I just think halo 3 would have been a better swan song.

11

> 2533274852660538;3:
> > 2533274895603860;2:
> > Gone are the days when people weren’t cynical out of spite.
>
>
> I understand what he is saying. For one particular example he made about split screen my shipmates and I played Halo split screen constantly (no internet on deployment). We loved Halo with a passion, and played every single one at least once on split screen (I loved the times we played Halo CE in particular).
>
> So if we just happened to only have Halo 5, we wouldn’t be able to do squat, except watch each other at campaign. It sucks that a core feature like that was taken out in lieu of other features, a feature that’s been in every Halo game practically.

It’s certainly subjective. I personally never cared for it, but I can see why people do.

12

Today is someone else’s Golden age

13

> 2533274904245048;12:
> Today is someone else’s Golden age

So true. I can recall those golden days…my cousins and a lot of their friends would LAN up on the weekends with H1 through H3. I never really caught on to it until H3. While I’ve always enjoyed everything Halo, including 5, it is starting to get frustrating when when it seems like everyone is worried more about their stats and rank when there is only a sliver of really really good players that actually have a shot at making it to a professional level. Don’t get me wrong, dreams and aspirations are good if you’re young and have some talent at the game, but 95% of us are just chasing the dragon in Ranked Arena.

What I’m saying is we need more social presence in H5. 343i has tried to answer that call with the upcoming Fiesta, Oddball, and Grifball types. We shall see where that takes us.

14

> 2533274895603860;11:
> > 2533274852660538;3:
> > > 2533274895603860;2:
> > > Gone are the days when people weren’t cynical out of spite.
> >
> >
> > I understand what he is saying. For one particular example he made about split screen my shipmates and I played Halo split screen constantly (no internet on deployment). We loved Halo with a passion, and played every single one at least once on split screen (I loved the times we played Halo CE in particular).
> >
> > So if we just happened to only have Halo 5, we wouldn’t be able to do squat, except watch each other at campaign. It sucks that a core feature like that was taken out in lieu of other features, a feature that’s been in every Halo game practically.
>
>
> It’s certainly subjective. I personally never cared for it, but I can see why people do.

This is the type of thing I’m trying to address with this thread. Not every one played the Campaign split screen, not every one did LAN parties, but in losing these types of features we have lost fans. Or more fittingly, Fans have lost Halo.

People like AlaskanWhaler have found enjoyment in the Halo franchise in their own particular way. Things like 60fps, Warzone and Dedis would have been great additions to the franchise, sadly they’ve been replacements instead and it’s caused a complete upset to the way many people have enjoyed the franchise for so many years. Not every one has had the luxury of adjusting.

15

> 2547348539238747;14:
> > 2533274895603860;11:
> > > 2533274852660538;3:
> > > > 2533274895603860;2:
> > > > Gone are the days when people weren’t cynical out of spite.
> > >
> > >
> > > I understand what he is saying. For one particular example he made about split screen my shipmates and I played Halo split screen constantly (no internet on deployment). We loved Halo with a passion, and played every single one at least once on split screen (I loved the times we played Halo CE in particular).
> > >
> > > So if we just happened to only have Halo 5, we wouldn’t be able to do squat, except watch each other at campaign. It sucks that a core feature like that was taken out in lieu of other features, a feature that’s been in every Halo game practically.
> >
> >
> > It’s certainly subjective. I personally never cared for it, but I can see why people do.
>
>
> This is the type of thing I’m trying to address with this thread. Not every one played the Campaign split screen, not every one did LAN parties, but in losing these types of features we have lost fans. Or more fittingly, Fans have lost Halo.
>
> People like AlaskanWhaler have found enjoyment in the Halo franchise in their own particular way. Things like 60fps, Warzone and Dedis would have been great additions to the franchise, sadly they’ve been replacements instead and it’s caused a complete upset to the way many people have enjoyed the franchise for so many years. Not every one has had the luxury of adjusting.

i agree.