How Halo: Reach could have been combined with TFOR

Games Other Halo
1

It would have to be believable, but it would also have to maintain the characters, locales and general story that Bungie and Nylund thought up.

Since bungie decided to alter existing canon, they could’ve just…made noble team spartan-IIs, and have them more involved with the rest of the spartans/plot. there are easily 6 unused spartan-IIs that they could’ve used.

They take 6 of the spartans that were originally in red team and make them noble team. It could open up similarly, noble team is on reach, the com goes offline, they investigate blah blah. They neutralize the covenant scouting party thanks to Jorges sacrifice. However, the “real fleet” does not arrive instantly, there is a slight lull. Since the covenant know about reach, humanity knows that their time is running out, so they organize operation red flag. There is a scene where all the admiralty (including lord hood) plus keyes and halsey meet to devise the plan in some grand meeting room on reach. Noble team joins the rest the spartan-IIs aboard the pillar of autumn to start the mission, because they know that if they dont do something crazy and desperate now, reach and eventually earth is doomed. So they formulate operation red flag and their attempt to capture a prophet to use as a hostage, because they don’t know when the whole covenant fleet will arrive, so they gotta hurry. They assume it will be a week or two because that’s how long slipspace travel takes but…

While aboard the POA, preparing to slip into covenant territory, the entire fleet of particular justice warps to reach. Turns out the covenant fleet found what they wanted with the scouting party noble team was fighting earlier(forerunner artifacts) and they had already set the fleet to reach to recover them and burn the humans.

So the real fleet arrives on august 15th, just like in the game. Now, noble team drops to the planet with the rest of red team just like in the books. Once they land noble team splits up from red team and does pretty much the exact same stuff they do in game. The “real” fight lasts 2 weeks just like in the game. Obviously red team and blue team would be fighting the full 2 weeks vs the 1 day they fought in the book, so they wouldn’t all die the first day.

That makes noble team feel a hell of a lot more important already since they have a connection to master chief, captain keyes, cortana and 16 other spartans.

In dr halseys journey it is noted that on aug 27th, right in the middle of the battle for reach, the spartans meet dr halsey to discuss the state of things. They talk about operation red flag and such. They discuss how desparate the situation is. Note that this is before halsey discovers that the artifact the covenant are looking for contains the coordinates to halo. This could be used to set up the hopelessness and desperation. They have no plan and reach is going to be turned to glass in a matter of days. everyone more or less thinks they are all doomed.

So after parting ways you partake in levels “the package” and “pillar of autumn”. It is revealed that the main inspiration for the covenant attacking reach was to get the data that dr halsey and cortana manage to get from the artifact. As spartan-IIs, noble team already know who cortana and dr. halsey are and you know just how important her discovery is: it is a glimmer of hope for the future, even if reach does fall. For the last mission you are to meet with the other spartans at the POA with the package, then you are to go with them to wherever the coordinates lead (halo). Of course the entirety of noble team dies doing their mission and almost all other spartans are (presumed) dead at this point too.

When you reach the POA, the only spartans there to greet you are master chief and linda. Chief tells you that freds team is on their way. But the covenant decide to send waves of enemies after the POA, and in the ensuing battle linda gets severely injured (basically, the injury she received at the end of TFOR is going to happen here instead). Emile dies in the mini-mac.

Keyes says the’re out of time. They cant wait any longer and need to get out of there, they can’t wait for red team. Chief carries linda body aboard the pelican and being the selfless hero says he will man the cannon (he wants to wait for fred team anyways, even if he knows deep down none of them will make it off the planet). But Noble 6 basically forces chief to let him stay behind, saying “She(cortana) chose you for a reason…I have the gun.”

Extremely similar to the current game, but it feels a heck of a lot more connected to the grand story. You feel more important because you have an actual connection to established characters.

Or even…noble 6 could have been a spartan-III still, so through the game he has to prove himself to the “superior” spartan-IIs in noble team. And while most of noble team keep to themselves, emile would be the one to voice how he doesn’t like having a “weakling” on their team. And he would be pretty unhappy about cortana choosing noble 6 to carry her over the rest of the team, as he doesn’t consider 6 worthy to carry master chiefs “girl” (master chief of course being someone all spartans look up to). But in the end they all are happy to sacrifice themselves for noble 6. Making their deaths, and your character in general more meaningful. Bungie said they referenced the seven samurai as material right? Remember how the younger samurai was trying to be as worthy as the other much older samurai? I see it similarly here.

2

I love your spirit but not so much where your heart is at.

3

Whatcha mean

4

Awesome summary.

5

There is nothing that says 343i can’t or won’t bring out a directly tied in videogame to the events surrounding the novel the Fall of Reach with enough fan support.

And I agree, it’d be cool. I envisioned it once myself.

But the arm chair quarterbacking in this case I believe is very misplaced.

Hence, I love your spirit but not so much where your heart is at. I enjoyed the story not the criticism.

6

I’m giving a very general layout of stuff I’d like to see. It’s not like I’m going to send this to Hollywood to get made into a movie.

Not sure what you mean by criticism either. Where did I criticize anything? I liked both the stories of TFOR and H:R. But I think they would go even better if they were intertwined rather than completely oblivious of each other.

Not sure I even understand what “armchair quarterbacking” is. I am giving my personal feelings on how I think the story could have gone, not asking or forcing anyone to do a damn thing with it.

7

I actually disagree with this. I like Noble Team being a team of Spartan-IIIs for a few reasons:

  1. MJOLNIR. Spartan-IIs all wear uniform Mark V MJOLNIR armor, and Spartan-IIs are mostly the same size – It would be hard to tell the difference between the members of Noble Team themselves, and much harder to tell them from the rest of the Spartans.

  2. It introduces Spartan-IIIs to the series. A lot of people didn’t (and admittedly still don’t; unless they’re read up on the novels) know about Spartan-IIIs before Reach came out. It’s nice to have that in the realm of established canon now (as with Halsey). As an addendum, the multitude of people on Bungie.net saying Reach’s canon was more important than that of the books obviously forgot that Halsey and the Spartan-IIIs (basically MOST of the point of the video game) were all previously ONLY featured in novels. I just always found that humorous that people would disregard the books but neglect to mention that Reach is built on book canon. The setting, the characters, etc.

  3. I think the alienation between Halsey and Noble Team was important and interesting. Halsey knows all her children. If Noble were hers, she would be sympathetic toward them; cooperative even. They would bend to her will quite easily, like Jorge. It was important to me that they DIDN’T do this.

  4. In my opinion the scope of this would be too large. Most of The Fall of Reach consists of Spartan-II origins, and it’s a part of the story that MUST be told to better understand why the Spartans sacrificing themselves in vain is important. The best you could do is catch the very end of The Fall of Reach; like you said, the Spartans on the ship, etc. This would hardly be involving the novel, in my opinion. It would simply be impossible to meld together (well) The Fall of Reach and Reach the video game. They’re two different tales, one meant to be a book, one meant to be a video game. It’s respectable this way.

8

> I’m giving a very general layout of stuff I’d like to see. It’s not like I’m going to send this to Hollywood to get made into a movie.
>
> Not sure what you mean by criticism either. Where did I criticize anything? I liked both the stories of TFOR and H:R. But I think they would go even better if they were intertwined rather than completely oblivious of each other.
>
> Not sure I even understand what “armchair quarterbacking” is. I am giving my personal feelings on how I think the story could have gone, not asking or forcing anyone to do a damn thing with it.

“Armchair quarterbacking”, just think about it. You’re in an armchair watching a football game. You criticize the quarterback and formulate your own ideas on what you would do. Etc. For the record. In simpler terms, you’re not a universe manager, but a reader/player of the series.

Not necessarily agreeing that you were “armchair quarterbacking” but just trying to clarify for you.

9

I see.

If that was armchair quarterbacking, then anyone who has a different opinion than yours could be considered an armchair quarterback. Anyone who writes a fanfic could be an armchair quarterback.

10

It has nothing to do with your opinion on what you’d like to see in a videogame. It has to do with this specific instance. Thanks for turning a compliment into an opinion war.

Had to edit this in:

It isn’t writing a fanfic when you tell an author how they should have written their work. It’s fanfic when you add your own fiction in addition to an author’s work.

11

First off, this is not a fanfic.

And I’m not addressing the authors specifically, not like I came forth with the purpose of hoping the authors see it. I am curious what the public thinks about my opinion…that’s what forums are for eh? So not sure what you’re getting at.

Sorry if disagreeing with something makes it an “opinion war”.

12

I have to point it out 2 things.

  1. It is that you disagreed with my opinion and that is how all this hoopla has occurred. Don’t ask a question if you won’t like the answer.

  2. "Since bungie decided to alter existing canon, they could’ve just…made noble team spartan-IIs, and have them more involved with the rest of the spartans/plot. there are easily 6 unused spartan-IIs that they could’ve used…" Is telling us what you think the author should have written.

Are we to continue?

13

I sooooo want a Team Black game.

14

> I have to point it out 2 things.
>
> 1) It is that you disagreed with my opinion and that is how all this hoopla has occurred. Don’t ask a question if you won’t like the answer.
>
> 2) “Since bungie decided to alter existing canon, they could’ve just…made noble team spartan-IIs, and have them more involved with the rest of the spartans/plot. there are easily 6 unused spartan-IIs that they could’ve used…” Is telling us what you think the author should have written.
>
> Are we to continue?

Please. Keep it clean. Wazooty is explaining how the two stories could have tied together and not what should have happened. We are all entitled to our own opinion.

> Since bungie decided to alter existing canon, they could’ve just…made noble team spartan-IIs, and have them more involved with the rest of the spartans/plot. there are easily 6 unused spartan-IIs that they could’ve used.

I like the idea in theory. You’ve thought of some really cool ways for the narrative to mix both stories as well. From declaring Winter Contingency to fighting off the first scouting parties, to seeing the war room counsel itself, the desperation of Operation: RED FLAG, the extended ground battle and finally ending with Noble Six sacrifing himself for Master Chief. Wow.

There were many unnamed Spartans at Reach and Halsey’s journal suggests that there could have been even more SPARTAN-IIs in service. My point being is that if these new characters, Emile, Kat, Carter, Noble Six and Jun were introduced as SPARTAN-IIs instead of SPARTAN-IIIs, I don’t think it would be a major problem. The age and call sign of the members would have to change though, as 1. They’d all be too young to be S-IIs and 2. Red Team’s splinter groups were named after the Greek Alphabet. But I don’t think it would have been an impossible story to create… in theory.

15

I’m replying because you addressed me.

This is what I said:“I love your spirit but not so much where your heart is at.”

He asked me to explain myself. I am not a bad guy here for explaining myself nor am I the one with the understanding problem.

16

Like I said, we are all entitled to our own opinion. That includes you. :wink: It just felt like things were getting a touch heated with the “armchair quarterback” accusation. I’m sure that no-one here is a bad guy, apart from maybe bs angel. =S

No I’m just kidding! xD

Please… if you read this bs angel… don’t kill me.

17

Then the situation has hit an all time of true irony for my experience.

18

I’m sorry, what do you mean?

19

Not getting sucked into that one again. :smiley:

20

> I actually disagree with this. I like Noble Team being a team of Spartan-IIIs for a few reasons:
>
> 1. MJOLNIR. Spartan-IIs all wear uniform Mark V MJOLNIR armor, and Spartan-IIs are mostly the same size – It would be hard to tell the difference between the members of Noble Team themselves, and much harder to tell them from the rest of the Spartans.
>
> 2. It introduces Spartan-IIIs to the series. A lot of people didn’t (and admittedly still don’t; unless they’re read up on the novels) know about Spartan-IIIs before Reach came out. It’s nice to have that in the realm of established canon now (as with Halsey). As an addendum, the multitude of people on Bungie.net saying Reach’s canon was more important than that of the books obviously forgot that Halsey and the Spartan-IIIs (basically MOST of the point of the video game) were all previously ONLY featured in novels. I just always found that humorous that people would disregard the books but neglect to mention that Reach is built on book canon. The setting, the characters, etc.
>
> 3. I think the alienation between Halsey and Noble Team was important and interesting. Halsey knows all her children. If Noble were hers, she would be sympathetic toward them; cooperative even. They would bend to her will quite easily, like Jorge. It was important to me that they DIDN’T do this.
>
> 4. In my opinion the scope of this would be too large. Most of The Fall of Reach consists of Spartan-II origins, and it’s a part of the story that MUST be told to better understand why the Spartans sacrificing themselves in vain is important. The best you could do is catch the very end of The Fall of Reach; like you said, the Spartans on the ship, etc. This would hardly be involving the novel, in my opinion. It would simply be impossible to meld together (well) The Fall of Reach and Reach the video game. They’re two different tales, one meant to be a book, one meant to be a video game. It’s respectable this way.

The item that i find most interesting in this opinion is the premise. Your major point is that one story is good for a book, and one story is good for a game. Does this imply that the stories be seperate? Because the way i see it, the Reach storyline stole important characters and settings from the book, but did not do them justice. Halsey was nearly portrayed as a traitor. The timeline for the spartan III’s was way off.

Now, i understand that opinions are like -Yoinks!-. Everyone has one and they all stink. But i can’t help but feel that reach was a dissapointment for many who did have a thorough understanding of the Halo universe. This, ofcourse, is a generalization but i for one was upset to see the campaign include parts of the whole in such an akward and iffy way.