How Halo 4 "Should" Be

Games Other Halo
1

Halo 4 should be Halo 4, not Halo 2.5, not C.E.5, not 3.5, not Reach.5.

Halo 4 should be Halo 4. Yes, there are obvious mechanics that have developed over the iterations that have been reused, but in every single one (including Halo: Reach) what makes Halo “Halo” has remained. Whether it be the base mechanics or the actual story, characters, etc… They all have it.

I come to the forums daily and every single time there’s a thread on what Halo 4 “should” be, or what it “should” have or what it “needs”. I have come to the conclusion that the community doesn’t truly know what they want and what Halo 4 truly should be. Don’t take me wrong, the same could be said about any video game community, but that doesn’t make it right. It’s not what Halo 4 “should” be, or what it “needs” to have, it’s about what they want.

We must have faith in 343 Industries in making the right choices, if they choose to keep in bloom (whether it be properly tweaked or whatever), then we must respect their decision. If 343i chooses to bring back Armor Abilities in some form, then we must respect their decision.

The Halo franchise must continue to evolve and develop. This idea of what is “Halo” and what is “not” only restricts the development of the franchise and leads to monotony. New features need to be implemented to keep the franchise unique and alive, otherwise it would turn into another Call of Duty, where each game is nearly identical to the last, of any of the numerous annual sports titles that do the same.

Every title in the main series has brought something new to the franchise than the last. Halo 2 introduced Dual Wielding. Halo 3 introduced Equipment, Armor Customization, Theater, and Forge. Halo 3: ODST introduced Firefight, Halo: Reach changed Equipment to Armor Abilities, significantly amped up Customization across the board, and brought Forge to a whole new level. Halo: Reach also introduced bloom.

There is a pattern here. Each game has brought more and more new features and upgraded staple features significantly. Staying along this path only shows that Halo 4 will be different than any past Halo, just as they have been in the past.

I know this is just my opinion, although there might be some truth to it. I come to the forums and I see all the threads and I feel ashamed to be apart of this community sometimes. To see how quickly the community turned on Bungie post-launch with Halo: Reach, only to see that same fickle hate continue on here. To see the ignorance when someone says what they think is “Halo” or what is “not”.

I hope those who read this through agree with me and try to make a stand and say “This kind of behavior must stop.”

2

THANK YOU!!!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people say, “Halo 4 should be like Halo 2/3.” My translation:“Were afraid of change after Reach, so we have to resort to the past for answers.” I am NOT trying to bash on the community, but 343 is ultimately the decision maker here. Also, I’ve seen so many people just step on other people’s ideas and say, “That isn’t Halo.” So I have one question for those people:

What is Halo?

But anyway I agree with you completely. The games have to move forward.

3

You are entitled to your own opinion and in my opinion it’s a very good opinion. But one thing we must come to realize that more often than not have the additions impacted gameplay in a bad way.

The majority of complaints have originated from the fact that halo has continuously been catered to certain type of players. While probably not intentional, I think 343i should start off from fresh table with Halo 4. I don’t mean completely fresh that they should scrap everything and make Halo something completely different, but fresh in a way that it would return to the time when the balance between casual and competitive sides was good.

Of course I am referring to the Halo CE/2 era, but I don’t mean halo 4 should be a copy of those games. All I am saying that the absolute core mechanics should follow those games, then 343i could build around that, while still keeping the balance between competitive and casual.

Halo has had a decade of invention, still from a gameplay mechanic perspective the game has got nowhere. Sure, we have Forge, Teather and a bunch of custom game options. But what we don’t have, is gameplay that caters to all kinds of players. In fact, once we had that type of gameplay, Bungie partly intentionally scrapped that.

There are very few people who can say that they didn’t have fun playing Halo 2, but there is whole bunch of people who can say they didn’t have fun playing Reach. Wouldn’t that be evidence that there is something wrong with the current state of Halo? Possibly.

But I must say, I can’t just get out of my current standpoint. I always judge the gameplay quality of Halo objectively, or at least try to. But my judging is always based on skill. You could say that skill is subjective, it may be to a certain degree, but not too much. I’m still not claiming I am always right at everything. What is fun to someone isn’t fun to the other.

I can’t really say anything further because I’d probably run out of space before I got to any kind of conclusion. I must say that this is a rather hard subject. No one should be favored over another, but on the other hand my opinion is that the gameplay should be as skillful as possible, but that’s just me. We just have to wait and see what Halo 4 turns out to be, there is no way we can affect what it’s going to be.

4

Reach just doesn’t have the same feeling as all the other Halo titles did. Don’t get me wrong I’ve played the game since it came out and am now questioning myself “Why?”. Matchmaking is just horrible between constant bad teammates to people quitting from kids picking the same gametype over and over. Firefight is just terrible. The things they changed in firefight from ODST to reach was not good. I go back and play ODST firefight and the only time I play Reach’s firefight is when I am getting a challenge done. I don’t even play it for commendations. Forge was the only improvement and even that I still don’t like because EVERYTHING is gray. The campaign was really the only thing I liked. Halo Reach was just too much of a drastic change from halo. What Halo 4 NEEDS to be is Halo 3 with a few thing changed and somethings added. Halo 3 was really Halo 2 with updated graphics and physics. I’m talking core gameplay here thats where bungie messed up with Reach. Anyways I just can’t wait for the Halo 4 beta.

5

> Halo 4 should be Halo 4, not Halo 2.5, not C.E.5, not 3.5, not Reach.5.
>
> Halo 4 should be Halo 4. Yes, there are obvious mechanics that have developed over the iterations that have been reused, but in every single one (including Halo: Reach) what makes Halo “Halo” has remained. Whether it be the base mechanics or the actual story, characters, etc… They all have it.
>
> I come to the forums daily and every single time there’s a thread on what Halo 4 “should” be, or what it “should” have or what it “needs”. I have come to the conclusion that the community doesn’t truly know what they want and what Halo 4 truly should be. Don’t take me wrong, the same could be said about any video game community, but that doesn’t make it right. It’s not what Halo 4 “should” be, or what it “needs” to have, it’s about what they want.
>
> We must have faith in 343 Industries in making the right choices, if they choose to keep in bloom (whether it be properly tweaked or whatever), then we must respect their decision. If 343i chooses to bring back Armor Abilities in some form, then we must respect their decision.
>
> The Halo franchise must continue to evolve and develop. This idea of what is “Halo” and what is “not” only restricts the development of the franchise and leads to monotony. New features need to be implemented to keep the franchise unique and alive, otherwise it would turn into another Call of Duty, where each game is nearly identical to the last, of any of the numerous annual sports titles that do the same.
>
> Every title in the main series has brought something new to the franchise than the last. Halo 2 introduced Dual Wielding. Halo 3 introduced Equipment, Armor Customization, Theater, and Forge. Halo 3: ODST introduced Firefight, Halo: Reach changed Equipment to Armor Abilities, significantly amped up Customization across the board, and brought Forge to a whole new level. Halo: Reach also introduced bloom.
>
> There is a pattern here. Each game has brought more and more new features and upgraded staple features significantly. Staying along this path only shows that Halo 4 will be different than any past Halo, just as they have been in the past.
>
> I know this is just my opinion, although there might be some truth to it. I come to the forums and I see all the threads and I feel ashamed to be apart of this community sometimes. To see how quickly the community turned on Bungie post-launch with Halo: Reach, only to see that same fickle hate continue on here. To see the ignorance when someone says what they think is “Halo” or what is “not”.
>
> I hope those who read this through agree with me and try to make a stand and say “This kind of behavior must stop.”

i totally agree

6

> Reach just doesn’t have the same feeling as all the other Halo titles did. Don’t get me wrong I’ve played the game since it came out and am now questioning myself “Why?”. Matchmaking is just horrible between constant bad teammates to people quitting from kids picking the same gametype over and over. Firefight is just terrible. The things they changed in firefight from ODST to reach was not good. I go back and play ODST firefight and the only time I play Reach’s firefight is when I am getting a challenge done. I don’t even play it for commendations. Forge was the only improvement and even that I still don’t like because EVERYTHING is gray. The campaign was really the only thing I liked. Halo Reach was just too much of a drastic change from halo. What Halo 4 NEEDS to be is Halo 3 with a few thing changed and somethings added. Halo 3 was really Halo 2 with updated graphics and physics. I’m talking core gameplay here thats where bungie messed up with Reach. Anyways I just can’t wait for the Halo 4 beta.

and this guy ignores everything said in OP

7

Cool opinion, OP.

8

> > Reach just doesn’t have the same feeling as all the other Halo titles did. Don’t get me wrong I’ve played the game since it came out and am now questioning myself “Why?”. Matchmaking is just horrible between constant bad teammates to people quitting from kids picking the same gametype over and over. Firefight is just terrible. The things they changed in firefight from ODST to reach was not good. I go back and play ODST firefight and the only time I play Reach’s firefight is when I am getting a challenge done. I don’t even play it for commendations. Forge was the only improvement and even that I still don’t like because EVERYTHING is gray. The campaign was really the only thing I liked. Halo Reach was just too much of a drastic change from halo. What Halo 4 NEEDS to be is Halo 3 with a few thing changed and somethings added. Halo 3 was really Halo 2 with updated graphics and physics. I’m talking core gameplay here thats where bungie messed up with Reach. Anyways I just can’t wait for the Halo 4 beta.
>
> and this guy ignores everything said in OP

What do you mean I ignored what he said?

9

> > > Reach just doesn’t have the same feeling as all the other Halo titles did. Don’t get me wrong I’ve played the game since it came out and am now questioning myself “Why?”. Matchmaking is just horrible between constant bad teammates to people quitting from kids picking the same gametype over and over. Firefight is just terrible. The things they changed in firefight from ODST to reach was not good. I go back and play ODST firefight and the only time I play Reach’s firefight is when I am getting a challenge done. I don’t even play it for commendations. Forge was the only improvement and even that I still don’t like because EVERYTHING is gray. The campaign was really the only thing I liked. Halo Reach was just too much of a drastic change from halo. What Halo 4 NEEDS to be is Halo 3 with a few thing changed and somethings added. Halo 3 was really Halo 2 with updated graphics and physics. I’m talking core gameplay here thats where bungie messed up with Reach. Anyways I just can’t wait for the Halo 4 beta.
> >
> > and this guy ignores everything said in OP
>
> What do you mean I ignored what he said?

griping about Reach, saying Halo 4 NEEDS to be like Halo 3

i didnt think i had to explain it

10

> > Reach just doesn’t have the same feeling as all the other Halo titles did. Don’t get me wrong I’ve played the game since it came out and am now questioning myself “Why?”. Matchmaking is just horrible between constant bad teammates to people quitting from kids picking the same gametype over and over. Firefight is just terrible. The things they changed in firefight from ODST to reach was not good. I go back and play ODST firefight and the only time I play Reach’s firefight is when I am getting a challenge done. I don’t even play it for commendations. Forge was the only improvement and even that I still don’t like because EVERYTHING is gray. The campaign was really the only thing I liked. Halo Reach was just too much of a drastic change from halo. What Halo 4 NEEDS to be is Halo 3 with a few thing changed and somethings added. Halo 3 was really Halo 2 with updated graphics and physics. I’m talking core gameplay here thats where bungie messed up with Reach. Anyways I just can’t wait for the Halo 4 beta.
>
> and this guy ignores everything said in OP

On the other hand, his opinion is as valid as your, OP’s or mine. I can’t be without agreeing with him to some degree.

After thinking for a while I came to the conclusion that the core of Halo gameplay shouldn’t change, at least not as drastically as it changed for Reach. After all, if you want to play a game that plays so differently from a Halo game, nothing really is stopping you from finding another game.

Halo CE estabilished a very good formula that doesn’t really need much changes, it just needs more stuff around it.

If we were to define Halo by the game mechanics, Reach would barely count. It plays completely differently from every other Halo game, no addition should change the gameplay mechanics that drastically.

11

You say we have to keep Halo fresh or it would turn into call of duty where each game is nearly identical to the last, but look at CoD. It is at the top of the LIVE charts by far and is extremely successful.

Maybe that’s because they stuck to what made CoD, Cod.

Minor improvements for an identical game > drastic changes that make me hate the game.

12

> You say we have to keep Halo fresh or it would turn into call of duty where each game is nearly identical to the last, but look at CoD. It is at the top of the LIVE charts by far and is extremely successful.
>
> Maybe that’s because they stuck to what made CoD, Cod.
>
> Minor improvements for an identical game > drastic changes that make me hate the game.

Exactly what I mean. There can be minor additions, but nothing that would impact the core of the game and make it feel different. We have to remember that Halo had a succesful formula that Bungie nearly scrapped.

13

I’d just like to point out all the people saying, “we need to keep Halo fresh and innovative!” are as bad as the people saying “that’s not Halo! Halo 4 should be more like insert older Halo here!”. News flash! They’re both opinions, and saying one opinion is right and the other isn’t… is an opinion. What is this-I don’t even-

Regardless of what goes on in the forums 343 will do what they feel is right. If the entire community on this site said, “yes! Halo 4 should have hats!” it doesn’t mean we will see hats in Halo 4. You shouldn’t take the forums so seriously.

Once CE was released the mechanics of “Halo” were established. In order to be a ‘Halo game’ they must follow CE’s mechanics. Reach didn’t, and thus you get a lot of hate. It simply wasn’t Halo. It looked like Halo, but it didn’t play like Halo. Halo 4 can continue to be ‘fresh’ and ‘innovative’ without changing the core mechanics and gameplay (2 did this well, 3 did it too). If you want Halo to be changed so badly move on to another franchise.
Problem?

14

> > You say we have to keep Halo fresh or it would turn into call of duty where each game is nearly identical to the last, but look at CoD. It is at the top of the LIVE charts by far and is extremely successful.
> >
> > Maybe that’s because they stuck to what made CoD, Cod.
> >
> > Minor improvements for an identical game > drastic changes that make me hate the game.
>
> Exactly what I mean. There can be minor additions, but nothing that would impact the core of the game and make it feel different. We have to remember that Halo had a succesful formula that Bungie nearly scrapped.

In other words what we mean is that halo is, metaphorically a cake, but not any cake. It was a choclate cake(HaloCE). Everyone(us) loved it so much that the baker(bungie) decided to try out different frostings(H2&H3). Everyone loved the cake so much they bought every cake that had different frosting when it came out. Then after 10 years of successfully selling cakes the baker decides to ditch the base choclate cake for vannilla cake(Reach) instead and kept using the same frostings thinking people bought his cakes for the different frostings. What he didn’t realise is that the choclate cake was the reason people bought itin the first place and the different frostings made it better. After that everyone stopped buying his cakes and he went out of business.

THE END

Basicaly bungie strayed too far from what really made ‘Halo’ ‘Halo’. This is exactly why CoD is more succesful then Halo. They were smart and still made choclate the only difference is that the Halo choclate cake was made with time and effort and the CoD choclate cake was made on an assembly line. In other words Halo was made with quality and CoD was made in quantity. Lets hope Halo 4 is a choclate cake.

15

I personally don’t find Halo: Reach playing as radically different as people make it out. Still looks, sounds, and feels like Halo to me.

16

> I personally don’t find Halo: Reach playing as radically different as people make it out. Still looks, sounds, and feels like Halo to me.

Well it doesn’t to a lot of people.

17

> In other words what we mean is that halo is, metaphorically a cake, but not any cake. It was a choclate cake(HaloCE). Everyone(us) loved it so much that the baker(bungie) decided to try out different frostings(H2&H3). Everyone loved the cake so much they bought every cake that had different frosting when it came out. Then after 10 years of successfully selling cakes the baker decides to ditch the base choclate cake for vannilla cake(Reach) instead and kept using the same frostings thinking people bought his cakes for the different frostings. What he didn’t realise is that the choclate cake was the reason people bought itin the first place and the different frostings made it better. After that everyone stopped buying his cakes and he went out of business.
>
> THE END
>
> Basicaly bungie strayed too far from what really made ‘Halo’ ‘Halo’. This is exactly why CoD is more succesful then Halo. They were smart and still made choclate the only difference is that the Halo choclate cake was made with time and effort and the CoD choclate cake was made on an assembly line. In other words Halo was made with quality and CoD was made in quantity. Lets hope Halo 4 is a choclate cake.

lol
I love this post!

18

> > In other words what we mean is that halo is, metaphorically a cake, but not any cake. It was a choclate cake(HaloCE). Everyone(us) loved it so much that the baker(bungie) decided to try out different frostings(H2&H3). Everyone loved the cake so much they bought every cake that had different frosting when it came out. Then after 10 years of successfully selling cakes the baker decides to ditch the base choclate cake for vannilla cake(Reach) instead and kept using the same frostings thinking people bought his cakes for the different frostings. What he didn’t realise is that the choclate cake was the reason people bought itin the first place and the different frostings made it better. After that everyone stopped buying his cakes and he went out of business.
> >
> > THE END
> >
> > Basicaly bungie strayed too far from what really made ‘Halo’ ‘Halo’. This is exactly why CoD is more succesful then Halo. They were smart and still made choclate the only difference is that the Halo choclate cake was made with time and effort and the CoD choclate cake was made on an assembly line. In other words Halo was made with quality and CoD was made in quantity. Lets hope Halo 4 is a choclate cake.
>
> lol
> I love this post!

It’s the truth! lol

19

> > > In other words what we mean is that halo is, metaphorically a cake, but not any cake. It was a choclate cake(HaloCE). Everyone(us) loved it so much that the baker(bungie) decided to try out different frostings(H2&H3). Everyone loved the cake so much they bought every cake that had different frosting when it came out. Then after 10 years of successfully selling cakes the baker decides to ditch the base choclate cake for vannilla cake(Reach) instead and kept using the same frostings thinking people bought his cakes for the different frostings. What he didn’t realise is that the choclate cake was the reason people bought itin the first place and the different frostings made it better. After that everyone stopped buying his cakes and he went out of business.
> > >
> > > THE END
> > >
> > > Basicaly bungie strayed too far from what really made ‘Halo’ ‘Halo’. This is exactly why CoD is more succesful then Halo. They were smart and still made choclate the only difference is that the Halo choclate cake was made with time and effort and the CoD choclate cake was made on an assembly line. In other words Halo was made with quality and CoD was made in quantity. Lets hope Halo 4 is a choclate cake.
> >
> > lol
> > I love this post!
>
> It’s the truth! lol

A tasty truth :]

20

> > > > In other words what we mean is that halo is, metaphorically a cake, but not any cake. It was a choclate cake(HaloCE). Everyone(us) loved it so much that the baker(bungie) decided to try out different frostings(H2&H3). Everyone loved the cake so much they bought every cake that had different frosting when it came out. Then after 10 years of successfully selling cakes the baker decides to ditch the base choclate cake for vannilla cake(Reach) instead and kept using the same frostings thinking people bought his cakes for the different frostings. What he didn’t realise is that the choclate cake was the reason people bought itin the first place and the different frostings made it better. After that everyone stopped buying his cakes and he went out of business.
> > > >
> > > > THE END
> > > >
> > > > Basicaly bungie strayed too far from what really made ‘Halo’ ‘Halo’. This is exactly why CoD is more succesful then Halo. They were smart and still made choclate the only difference is that the Halo choclate cake was made with time and effort and the CoD choclate cake was made on an assembly line. In other words Halo was made with quality and CoD was made in quantity. Lets hope Halo 4 is a choclate cake.
> > >
> > > lol
> > > I love this post!
> >
> > It’s the truth! lol
>
> A tasty truth :]

Add me on xbox my GT is my user name. I dont havea mic ATM my beaches broke a month ago and now my xbox mic broke so yeah. I can still play though.