I have just finished watching a video on HaloFollower, and it made me want to post this on the forums to see if other people shared my concern and sadness over Halo 5/The Reclaimer series.
For the Record I’m loving halo 5! It is a big step up from Halo 4! HOWEVER, It is a far cry from Halo CE,2,3, or Reach… Why? you might ask? Some, including myself might say those games were released in a full and complete format! Things as important to Halo such as FORGE!, BTB, SPNKR, etc should have never been put in the game after release. Yes, they will be added eventually but what happens when the “unfinished” game becomes very dull, very quickly because they are missing so many things to begin with (ex. Why am I playing the same warzone maps over and over again, with nearly the same results)… 343 has done something great and said that all DLC will be free and that is commendable, but it doesn’t cover up the fact that once all this awesome DLC FINALLY “finishes” the game, the player base will have greatly been reduced due to the same games over and over!
Before I point out what I feel like is the main reason for the series relative lackluster performance, i’d like to mention that I do believe the gameplay in Halo 5 is tremendous! A few things could use tweeking (i.e. Spartan charging and boss scoring among the few). Aside from all that it is a pretty well polished game. Especially the arena side of the game (BUT seriously… give me “Living Dead” on Sword Base).
THE NUMBER ONE REASON!!!
- Unquestionably I believe the “failure” of the reclaimer series is due to the Terrible design of the single player! WHAT! REALLY! A triple A title being judge for its single player?? Well Halo holds a very unique spot in the world of gaming! A game with an incredible multiplayer, but the lore behind Halo is one of the greatest of ANY SCI-FI EVER!!! not just games but movies, books, etc… The Connection we felt to the Master Chief, the Music that could honestly bring a grown man to tears with amazing cut scenes. And even though some hated it, who can deny the connection to Noble Team and the Valiant sacrifices that they nearly all made (My boy Jorge!!!).
But now what do we have?? A Campaign that is packed full of potential but just doesn’t live up to lore of halo. Master Chief feels like just another character and Locke has again great potential but just so poorly executed. I feel closer to Buck in ODST than I did in Halo 5… I feel closer to SGT Johnson and CDR Keyes than I do to the Master Chief??? That should be the way it works. I plea with 343 to look back, so they can move forward. Evolve Halo, yes, but do it with the connection that has inspired dozens of Halo Cosplays, Fan clubs, etc… One of the few gaming series to inspire such things.
let me know what you guys think?
-GunsOfHonor