Hello.
For the last month or so I’ve been seeing videos and reading posts about the halo 5 campaign. About how it what was really an epic story in the search for master chief and it became a… eem… well, what it turn out to be.
There are rumors on the Web about Microsoft wanting to capitalize on some aspects of halo 5 by messing with the creative process resulting in the game turning out to be the worst in sales records in the history of the franchise and if that’s true then it just make the whole situation sadder, and to be honest, really stupid.
Halo has been amazing in sales because of those authentic original stories that keep the continuity from game to game. Just look what happened to Bungie when they let someone else intervene with destiny. The game just doesn’t cut it. But I am getting of topic.
What I want to express is my reason why halo 5 turn out to be so, so… I even can’t explain what the game is. But I can tell you what it isn’t. It is not a halo game.
You’ll see. Halo was about epic battles in ancient artifacts and worlds disputing the fate of the galaxy. But at the center if it. We could find master chief and Cortana, Always master chief and Cortana. It didn’t matter if the enemy was the covenant trying to light an ancient artifact which only purpose was to wipe the galaxy clean of life, a sentient parasite wanting to eat everything in its path or battle an ancient enemy who wanted to enslave making.
We could put ourselves inside that half ton armor and battle unfathomable odds again certain death. I started to play halo in high school. Read the first 3 novels and in the skin of John 117 I’ve found a sense of duty and honor that I didn’t find anywhere else. I grow up seeing this armored character making amazing unbelievable prowess of war and Valor and in response I push myself to be the most I could be during those years. Trying to be that perfect knight in blood caked armor that stood against everything to fulfill his mission. Until halo 4 came. And just like I did, Master Chief change. But don’t take me wrong. The moment when Sierra 117 disobeyed a direct order, not just to complete what he was breed to do but to protect the one, the only one he love, shook me to my core. He shows something more than just armor. He shows a heart. The very thing whit out he couldn’t do the things he did.
I saw him evolve from this cold and distant figure into something more. Someone than care not only about his mission but about her… by that time I knew the one that is my fiancé now. And like I did John 117 grew up. He became a relatable character, not only a piece of armor that I could wear but a character I could relate to, but not only that, the story around it had the more epic dialogues and plot twists than I’ve ever seen .
That ending when he realize that Cortana was more human than he was, when he realized that he lost not only his companion, the only one outside of his brotherhood of Spartans, his only link with humanity, whit HIS humanity was so emotional and so amazing for the development of the character. It was the prologue to something epic, something life changing. Something than could not only redefine master chief, but the entire halo franchisee… but instead, we get Spartan Locke and a whole bunch of people that we didn’t care about surrounded by a bunch of events than no one give a damn. Not even the characters cared about the guardians waking up. Locke only cared about John and John only cared about finding Cortana.
The galaxy level threatening event went to the background and no one, not even the playable characters or the other protagonist give a damn. Not even Lasky cared about the guardians until the infinity became threatened so why we should? The entire construct of the game went down the drain and the evolution of master chief as a character not only stopped but went in reverse. And the worst part is than I don’t see a plausible way to fix it. I just don’t. I’ve seen videos from late night gamer or men of action and the way they display the current outlook is just discouraging. we went from a rich story full with a sense of urgency, the persecution of the didact, the degeneration of Cortana, the destruction of the composer, and suddenly the game took a glacial pace, somehow the finding master chief became more important than stopping the events that killed millions of people, and why does getting to john to prevent all of this is never revealed or even explained. the only moment when you feel some kind of urgency is when Cortana is going to leave with the cryptum with john, and somehow the guardian song is killing Loke, but again why is never revealed,
Halo 5 is just a bunch of unrelated events with no sense of relevance or urgency, the more you advance in the story the les you care about what is happening in the galaxy, there is no great threat, no great plot, no character development, even Buck became lame, without any sense of worth, somehow halo 5 became a bad cartoon
I hope than 343 doesn’t aloud corporate decisions to intervene with creative decision, specially when the entire franchise is at risk of disappearing into oblivion like many others great games that just heard the wrong people who just wanted money. Microsoft, please give 343 the room to make something amazing an epic like they did with halo 4. 343 please stop listening to what casual fans and trash talking elementary grade online gamers says star hearing real franchise fans… and please, stops fearing making your characters relatable. I just hope than this message reach Microsoft the same way that many YouTubers have and this lines reach the eyes of the important people making this king of decisions and please, please give halo Cortana and John 117 the epic ending that they need. Not the one that fans want, the one that the characters deserve.
