Might H4 end up even better than H2?

Games Other Halo
1

First of all let me say this:

I’m one of the guys who was excited for Halo CE before it ever launched. I’m one of the guys who played “claw” on The Duke. (And probably went through 5-6 of them because I played so much.) I’ve waited in line at every Halo title midnight launch. Point is, I’ve been a huge Halo fan for many years and I suppose I’m what you’d call a “Halo Vet.”

I’m also a very competitive Halo player.

I think competitive Halo players can generally agree that H2 was the pinnacle of online multiplayer competition. It is almost sacrilegious to even consider something may be better than H2 was. However, I think 343i may have created the bones for a game that could potentially be even better. Here’s why:

SOCIAL/UNRANKED

The gameplay in H4 is amazing, it is fun, it is pure chaos most of the time. From a social standpoint this is what everyone wants. Just get in the game and go crazy. Kill stuff. Have fun.

All of the new features like Ordnance Drops and Instant Respawns play into this perfectly. This game (to me) registers at a 10/10 for that wtflolololol fun factor that Halo is known for. All of the new additions to the gameplay mechanics are huge upgrades for the fun factor.

343i could literally change nothing about the core gameplay as it stands now and have probably the most enjoyable social/casual gaming experience out of any Halo title to date. They have accomplished a major goal in making the game fun for everyone. Kudos.

COMPETITIVE/RANKED

From a competitive perspective this game has the best shot registration since H2 hands down. I assume I’m not alone in realizing that these guns actually work. It’s refreshing, and it’s the basis for good competition in any shooter. If I lose a DMR 1v1 in H4 I (generally) know it is because I missed a shot and my opponent did not. I don’t find myself muttering, “that guy should have died…” nearly as often as usual.

There are some bugs to fix, patches to be released, sure. Remember though, Halo 2 was a steaming pile when it first launched. Guns didn’t work, grenades didn’t work, melees didn’t work. “I WANT THE HALO 1 PISTOL BACK WAAAAHHHHH!” Then came the patch and we suddenly found ourselves with the greatest online shooter of all time. The good news is that Halo 4 already has the combat aspects nailed…from launch. The real competitive gamers reading this have probably noticed this for themselves playing around in a few custom games. That elusive, intangible “x-factor” feels like it is back in this game. The key word here is “FEELS”… you guys know what I mean. It feels good and rewarding to win a 1v1, not just a matter of chance. Even a lot of the main guys over at MLG are impressed with how smooth the core system is on this game.

I think 343i listens to the community. They understand what people want, and I’m confident they will adjust gameplay settings for the competitive community in the coming weeks/months. If a few key elements are adjusted (consistent weapon spawn locations/times, no instant respawn, JiP fixes, no auto pickups for obj, etc) we could potentially have a shooter that could rival even the mighty H2 at a competitive level.

Throw in Forge, Theater, and File Sharing (none of which were included in H2) and upcoming DLC and you suddenly start to have a game that could potentially not only rival, but maybe even SURPASS H2 within our community.

As it stands now there is a lot of tweaking to be done to even approach this becoming reality. 343i, MLG, and the competitive community all share a responsibility to collaborate and make this actually happen. I would urge everyone to be respectful and patient towards 343i while they work out the kinks. Screaming at them with run-on sentences is not helping. They built the bones of a FANTASTIC game already, and I think that’s the hardest part. I’m pretty sure they can handle making a few adjustments based on our feedback with relative ease.

This game can easily bring Halo back to the top from both a casual and hardcore perspective, give it some time.

I’m very much hopeful and excited for the future of Halo. Given all of the ridiculous threads in these forums I just wanted to put this out there and let 343i know that we are appreciative of the work, and looking forward with high hopes.

2

tl;dr fix this -Yoink- noncompetitive unbalanced game

3

I don’t think this one will ever top Halo 2 in terms of re-playability and overall fun factor. H2 had the best MP maps ever. Ascension, Coagulation, Midship, Ivory Tower, Foundation, Lockout, etc. The whole vibe back then seemed different and jumping into a random MP match was more often a joy than a headache.

That being said, I do think H4 is the best MP since H2, but I don’t think it can compete with the classic.

4

Here, OP. Have a regeneration field. My buddy is on-route to provide hardlight shield cover. You’re going to need it for the incoming storm… wait, I’m too late, the baseless BS sarcastic comments have already come. QUICK GET IN THE GREEN BUBBLE!

That said, I… am awed by how well you hit that nail dead on the head. 1v1’s in this game feel along the lines of “holy crap this guy can aim” or “pow haha 5 shot DMR” or “jump over your BR burst while I AR you down with pinpoint accuracy” or “oh god I didn’t see that guy” over “holy crap lag how’d that not kill her”

And the teamplay is good, though I have mixed feelings about the lack of X on your MJOLNIR HUD. All in all, this is a wait-and-see, and you’re right about it feeling better than 2. So right. At least in base mechanics. The maps need a bit of tweaking, and to have more of them. There’s too little variety.

5

I agree that the combat is very smooth, and that makes for very rewarding 1v1 battles, especially when you beat someone with a Covenant
Carbine, knowing you can’t miss a shot, while they use a DMR.

However…I am very much looking forward to seeing what they decide to tweak as far as balancing weapons and other things. I do feel like they lost a little magic when it comes to vehicles. My problem with them is that they are too easy to kill when it comes to normal weapons. I have seen my entire warthog team get shot out of a warthog by one person with a DMR…which I am sure isn’t supposed to happen. I also hate the fact that there are SOOOOOOO many power weapon ordinance drops in big team infinity slayer…which makes getting in a vehicle worthless(unless its the mantis)due to the other team always having a laser, sniper, or other power weapons. I had a team of two spartan lasers and two snipers out of our 5 party members…a little ridiculous to say the least.

I am ready for an update, its just hard being patient when you play this game so much and see the areas that need some tweaking.

6

YESSSS there needs to be more maps! QUICK! These maps are getting very stale, very fast. I played haven about 10/15 times yesterday on infinity slayer…seeing as nobody likes complex hahahaha

7

Nothing will ever top Halo 2 for me. It was the best game I ever played. The community was fairly nice, everyone always had custom games planned, the matchmaking was awesome, loved nearly every map, etc, etc. I honestly could go on forever about Halo 2.

back to topic I went into Halo 4 with the mindset of it will probably only be better than Halo: Reach. i have been pleasantly surprised by this game though. It is much more Enjoyable than Halo 3/ Reach. So I am happy with that.

Yes, there are problems with the game but I’m hopefull that 343 will, at some point soon, acknowledge the problems and take care of them

8

My opinion

  1. Halo 2
  2. Halo CE
  3. Halo 4

Halo 4 is better then anything Bungie has done since 2004

9

To be clear, I don’t ever think anything will top Halo 2 for me either. Maybe just because of the nostalgia, who knows?

But this game, in terms of its MOST CORE GAMEPLAY BASICS, is poised to become something special for the competitive community. (What I really mean is that the primary weapons work amazingly well, most everything else can be tweaked.)

10

> Here, OP. Have a regeneration field. My buddy is on-route to provide hardlight shield cover. You’re going to need it for the incoming storm… wait, I’m too late, the baseless BS sarcastic comments have already come. QUICK GET IN THE GREEN BUBBLE!

I laughed at this. I also want to now try it in match making tonight with some friends…

Great post I agree with the OP. Game needs some time, but it will be a great one. I’ve seen a lot of Halo bashers join in on Halo 4.

11

Love the OP’s post, this game still gives me chills when I do good in matchmaking even though I know most of the mechanics now, some patches here and there and I think this could be an absolutely amazing game til Halo 5.

12

I couldn’t agree more with the OP. I can’t believe how many people are on these forums trashing this game everyday. It makes no sense to me to put so much effort into complaining about a game that you don’t like. I remember when Ninja Gaiden 3 came out, I felt that it was awful. It paled in comparison to the previous two titles. So what did I do? Did I go to Team Ninja’s forums and waste my time complaining? Nope, I took it in and traded it for credit towards another game. Sure, I took a bit of a loss money wise but I ended up being much happier with a game that I actually enjoyed.