Halo is an endangered video game. Skip to the end if you want to avoid my entire explanation.
No, this isn’t a hate rant on 343i. Consider this more of an article. Wall of text incoming. This is an in-depth look at why Halo is no longer the console-selling, smash-hit game that made Microsoft millions. Note: If you read the long version, be warned, I’ve omitted the section on the MCC due to size of the post. I can explain it in a separate post.
Halo has a future problem, and it’s from the business perspective. This game isn’t Call of Duty. In fact, it is the polar opposite. The Red to Cod’s Blue, if you will.
Why is Microsoft losing the grasp? Money. They’ve got it, and they want more of it, but they aren’t hitting the right nerves in the body that is the Halo fanbase. And not just vets from CE, 2, or 3, I’m talking about everyone. There’s a few people out there who are happy with Halo 5. There’s even a small few who were ok with Halo 4, or the MCC. But the rest of us haven’t been so forgiving. 343 is on thinner ice than I believe they realize. But I’m not naïve. Halo will continue to sell at least until 6, maybe limp on to a new trilogy, but it’s name alone will carry it, and it will carry it on broken back and blown out knees. Why?
Because 343 has done so much wrong and so little right. By everyone. I’m not going to cast blame on anybody or swear up and down that they all need firing. I’m going to present a few solid facts here that, once everyone has come to terms with, we can all move forward and potentially save the franchise.
So, here it goes.
-Halo 4. New ownership, not sure quite where to go, I get it. But one thing that will totally sell is the long awaited return of the main character. Good start, good nostalgia, but when the game came out, it was terribly executed. The game had a decent story that was enjoyable but the new art style and music was so far from the old ones that the game seemed like a Halo spinoff to many people. It still performed well, though, and is held in good regards as far as campaign with most players. The multiplayer was a disaster. The game attempted to put the old halo in with the more recent Halo Reach, but then also add new non-Halo elements, while simultaneously dumbing-down the Halo Reach elements that some players didn’t like. The result? Most Halo vets didn’t enjoy the similarities to COD and other shooters, most Halo Reach fans didn’t enjoy the watered-down versions of the armor abilities and most new players were confused on where to start with learning the game.
It should be no stun to you that this was a cash grab. A campaign revolving around Master Chief carried a lot of weight, and a multiplayer they hoped would please everyone at once. The game was aimed at the world. But that’s a problem. Not everyone is a Halo fan. So why would you attempt to cash in like everyone is one? They burned Halo fans on the terrible visual style and lack-luster music. They burned Halo fans on the multiplayer and lack of content, and they managed to scrape by with a pretty good storyline.
PS, they also released MOBILE GAMES while this was going on.
-Halo 5
Commercials during peak episodes of the Walking Dead. An entire online Hunt the Truth documentary-esque show. A beta included with the MCC. Different pre-order bonuses at every different retailer. A Legendary edition, a massive budget, a mini series/movie directed by Ridley Scott, and a deal with Monster Energy for REQ packs.
The game had buzz. It looked bigger, better, it was designed to be the perfect Halo. It had Chief, it had some other new badass. You didn’t know who he was but who cares he was badass. Him and Chief were gonna show down like Chuck Norris vs The Predator. Batman v Superman. Right?
No, wrong. That’s exactly what they wanted you to believe. They wanted you to think the main man, Chief, was going to actually have a threat this time, and be bigger and badder than ever when he overcame it. Meanwhile, the multiplayer, other than Beta play and Youtube, got much less marketing attention.
The game comes out, and the campaign isn’t at all what anyone expected. This campaign made the mistake that Halo 4’s multiplayer made. The campaign tried to cater to die hards by cramming tons of lore and legend into obscure dialog and tons of “ohhh I know what that means” moments that shot over most people’s heads. The campaign also tried to appeal to everyone’s inner child by showing us beautiful scenery, which was definitely better than the last attempt, but there was a disconnect. The scenery art and vehicle art, as well as weapons and enemies all had a more real feel this time. But the Spartans still look like glossy plastic dolls that were never taken from the package? Humans are custom creatures. No way a Spartan would get a suit and then not scratch his name in it. Or a skull into his visor. Or something.
The helmet designs were also still terrible, and the nice, smooth feeling 60fps actually brought more negatives than positives.
Because of the new engine and graphics,
-Split-screen was cut, a staple of Halo players for, well, since Halo.
-Game types, maps, and entire story missions were dropped to be able to make the deadline for enhancing what was already there.
-Forge was delayed
-Any PvE other than Campaign was not even brought into discussion, instead favoring the Warzone mode.
Were these sacrifices worth it?
To me and you, probably not. Halo has always been slightly behind the curve in graphics because it instead focused on bringing tons of varied content to it’s players.
But to someone who needs a game to appear up-to-date and just as good as the competition, yes, those sacrifices were worth it.
Now, 343 did listen when it came to multiplayer and delivered on a more competitive and simple design that is closer to the older games, but they also compromised on features like bullet magnetism to hopefully keep any new players here.
So after the breakdown of each game, why is it that I’ve typed this massive–Yoink- wall of text?
To show you what I believe could be Halo’s doom.
Business.
Microsoft is pushing 343 to sell this game to everybody, and make it current with what is expected of an fps rather than what has come to be expected of Halo.
My message is this: Forget about the sales figures. Make a good Halo game. Get your story a great plot, get the characters fleshed out, make the lore and Legend tangible and understandable to new and old players alike. Make the mechanics as nostalgic as possible, but push some boundaries and add new abilities that we haven’t seen in any other game yet. Because that is what Halo does. Make the art beautiful and yet rough, not too polished, make the music emotional and soul-stirring as the Halo 3 soundtrack with energetic battle trances like Halo Reach. Make the possibilities seemingly limitless with customization and game modes. Take your time with it. But most importantly, when you come to a decision, step back and look at it and ask “Is this Halo?”
You do that, Microsoft, 343, and I guarantee you with the right advertisement, you will sell better than you have sold in quite some time.
