No more Chief? I'm done.

Games Halo 5: Guardians
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> > > > > > > > > > > Master chief can’t die. plain and simple, the series would cease to exist without him
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > If the fans don’t truly care about the series, yes.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > It really would not feel the same anymore for a lot of people if Chief died. I know that there’s plenty of characters to go around and although it wouldn’t make any of the games “bad”, it would definitely turn off a lot of people, fans included.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I think the major problem is that we haven’t seen any characters that could really replace Chief. And honestly, who ever could? John is the ultimate Spartan. He’s the best there ever is and ever will be. To have another character replace him as the main character would just be a sad attempt to relive Halo’s past glory.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I think the best route to go would be to have a Spartan Squad to become the new “main characters”. That way there isn’t really any one character that has to have the most screen time and such. They would all be important characters with their own conflicts and personalities, similar to Delta Squad in Gears of War.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > All that tells me is that fans don’t care enough about the series to give anyone a fair chance. And you know, it really isn’t about replacing Chief. He is an icon, I understand that. But that shouldn’t stop new faces from taking the stage and getting a shot. If all Star Wars was was Luke Skywalker, it would get boring really fast. Luke’s cool and all, but it is a big galaxy out there. Same with Halo.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Fans do care about the series. We just don’t want to see another Spartan try and take the spotlight away from the most Legendary Spartan that ever lived. We want a character that won’t be compared all the time to John, which is why I suggested the Spartan Squad idea.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > And yet saying the series as a whole would be over if Chief died strikes me as insulting to the series. Someone better tell Greg Bear and 343 the Forerunner novels were bad because they lacked Chief. Someone better tell 343 their new Buck short story sucks with Chief only a passing mention. Someone better tell 343 that Broken Circle is terrible because it focused on the Covenant and not Chief. Halo can work effectively without Chief, but it seems most fans don’t care enough to think outside of Chief being the only thing that makes Halo work.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > All those things you mentioned were spin offs. Spin offs are perfectly fine without the main character being involved. It’s a whole different story when you try to make the main story have a whole new main character to be at the center of the stage. Also, to be fair, the Master Chief has been at the core of this series since the very beginning. Are you really that surprised that fans would be upset if he wasn’t the main character anymore?
> > > > >
> > > > > Like I said before, John’s pedestal is right up there with Mario and Link. It just isn’t that easy to move on from a character like that especially when they have been the main character since the beginning and are also the main focus of the story in the current games. Having new faces around isn’t a bad thing. I loved Lasky in Halo 4, I liked Palmer as well. Even Del Rio was a well made character. Everyone hated him, but that was the whole point.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I’ve been disappointed with that concept for years. It is only after the accusations that 343 ruined Chief with Halo 4 that make the fans claims of the series being dead if Chief isn’t the spotlight anymore extra annoying. Hell, they brought the game Chief to the level of the book Chief and fans act as if 343 turned Chief into Shinji Ikari from Evangelion. If Chief talking a bit more is unacceptable, do they even care about Chief? Do they want what is best for the character or do they just want themselves to be Chief as was the case in Halo 1-3?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I personally think that 343’s take on Chief is awesome and was inevitably coming if they wanted people to take their new Halo seriously. The old trilogy MC was ok but that was a different time in gaming. Back then there didn’t have to be much explaining as to why someone is badass. Characters like Duke Nukem, Rambo, and Master Chief got away with being only badass with little to no actual character because that’s just the way games and movies were at the time. Nowadays people want more and they should. This is a new era of gaming. Games today are very cinematic and movie-like so it would just be laughable if MC didn’t change at all.
> >
> >
> >
> > Tell that to this community.
>
>
> You do know that this community represents a small portion of the whole Halo fanbase, right?

Of course and my main focus is directed here on Waypoint, but I’ve seen it elsewhere. My overall point still stands though. If people say they love the Chief and without him Halo is dead, yet any attempts to give him character development is meant with scorn, do they really care about the Chief OR do they want to be the Chief? I’m not really convinced both concepts can exist at the same time. If anyone can pull it off it is 343, but I have to see what they end up doing first.

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> > > > > > Master chief can’t die. plain and simple, the series would cease to exist without him
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > If the fans don’t truly care about the series, yes.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > It really would not feel the same anymore for a lot of people if Chief died. I know that there’s plenty of characters to go around and although it wouldn’t make any of the games “bad”, it would definitely turn off a lot of people, fans included.
> > > >
> > > > I think the major problem is that we haven’t seen any characters that could really replace Chief. And honestly, who ever could? John is the ultimate Spartan. He’s the best there ever is and ever will be. To have another character replace him as the main character would just be a sad attempt to relive Halo’s past glory.
> > > >
> > > > I think the best route to go would be to have a Spartan Squad to become the new “main characters”. That way there isn’t really any one character that has to have the most screen time and such. They would all be important characters with their own conflicts and personalities, similar to Delta Squad in Gears of War.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > All that tells me is that fans don’t care enough about the series to give anyone a fair chance. And you know, it really isn’t about replacing Chief. He is an icon, I understand that. But that shouldn’t stop new faces from taking the stage and getting a shot. If all Star Wars was was Luke Skywalker, it would get boring really fast. Luke’s cool and all, but it is a big galaxy out there. Same with Halo.
> >
> >
> >
> > Fans do care about the series. We just don’t want to see another Spartan try and take the spotlight away from the most Legendary Spartan that ever lived. We want a character that won’t be compared all the time to John, which is why I suggested the Spartan Squad idea.
>
>
> And yet saying the series as a whole would be over if Chief died strikes me as insulting to the series. Someone better tell Greg Bear and 343 the Forerunner novels were bad because they lacked Chief. Someone better tell 343 their new Buck short story sucks with Chief only a passing mention. Someone better tell 343 that Broken Circle is terrible because it focused on the Covenant and not Chief. Halo can work effectively without Chief, but it seems most fans don’t care enough to think outside of Chief being the only thing that makes Halo work.

Exactly, it all is a bit insulting, isn’t it? It’s like if you show your parents or your friends The Dark Knight and they all only liked it for the fight scenes, and you try to bring up how it was an intelligent version of batman and their eyes glaze over, or seeing a beautiful animal and having them make a joke about how good it might taste. It seems to me like a really shallow way to perceive something as amazing as halo. I’m probably missing something, I just don’t see it.

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> > > > > > > > > > > > Master chief can’t die. plain and simple, the series would cease to exist without him
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > If the fans don’t truly care about the series, yes.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > It really would not feel the same anymore for a lot of people if Chief died. I know that there’s plenty of characters to go around and although it wouldn’t make any of the games “bad”, it would definitely turn off a lot of people, fans included.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > I think the major problem is that we haven’t seen any characters that could really replace Chief. And honestly, who ever could? John is the ultimate Spartan. He’s the best there ever is and ever will be. To have another character replace him as the main character would just be a sad attempt to relive Halo’s past glory.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > I think the best route to go would be to have a Spartan Squad to become the new “main characters”. That way there isn’t really any one character that has to have the most screen time and such. They would all be important characters with their own conflicts and personalities, similar to Delta Squad in Gears of War.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > All that tells me is that fans don’t care enough about the series to give anyone a fair chance. And you know, it really isn’t about replacing Chief. He is an icon, I understand that. But that shouldn’t stop new faces from taking the stage and getting a shot. If all Star Wars was was Luke Skywalker, it would get boring really fast. Luke’s cool and all, but it is a big galaxy out there. Same with Halo.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Fans do care about the series. We just don’t want to see another Spartan try and take the spotlight away from the most Legendary Spartan that ever lived. We want a character that won’t be compared all the time to John, which is why I suggested the Spartan Squad idea.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > And yet saying the series as a whole would be over if Chief died strikes me as insulting to the series. Someone better tell Greg Bear and 343 the Forerunner novels were bad because they lacked Chief. Someone better tell 343 their new Buck short story sucks with Chief only a passing mention. Someone better tell 343 that Broken Circle is terrible because it focused on the Covenant and not Chief. Halo can work effectively without Chief, but it seems most fans don’t care enough to think outside of Chief being the only thing that makes Halo work.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > All those things you mentioned were spin offs. Spin offs are perfectly fine without the main character being involved. It’s a whole different story when you try to make the main story have a whole new main character to be at the center of the stage. Also, to be fair, the Master Chief has been at the core of this series since the very beginning. Are you really that surprised that fans would be upset if he wasn’t the main character anymore?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Like I said before, John’s pedestal is right up there with Mario and Link. It just isn’t that easy to move on from a character like that especially when they have been the main character since the beginning and are also the main focus of the story in the current games. Having new faces around isn’t a bad thing. I loved Lasky in Halo 4, I liked Palmer as well. Even Del Rio was a well made character. Everyone hated him, but that was the whole point.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > I’ve been disappointed with that concept for years. It is only after the accusations that 343 ruined Chief with Halo 4 that make the fans claims of the series being dead if Chief isn’t the spotlight anymore extra annoying. Hell, they brought the game Chief to the level of the book Chief and fans act as if 343 turned Chief into Shinji Ikari from Evangelion. If Chief talking a bit more is unacceptable, do they even care about Chief? Do they want what is best for the character or do they just want themselves to be Chief as was the case in Halo 1-3?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I personally think that 343’s take on Chief is awesome and was inevitably coming if they wanted people to take their new Halo seriously. The old trilogy MC was ok but that was a different time in gaming. Back then there didn’t have to be much explaining as to why someone is badass. Characters like Duke Nukem, Rambo, and Master Chief got away with being only badass with little to no actual character because that’s just the way games and movies were at the time. Nowadays people want more and they should. This is a new era of gaming. Games today are very cinematic and movie-like so it would just be laughable if MC didn’t change at all.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Tell that to this community.
> >
> >
> >
> > You do know that this community represents a small portion of the whole Halo fanbase, right?
>
>
> Of course and my main focus is directed here on Waypoint, but I’ve seen it elsewhere. My overall point still stands though. If people say they love the Chief and without him Halo is dead, yet any attempts to give him character development is meant with scorn, do they really care about the Chief OR do they want to be the Chief? I’m not really convinced both concepts can exist at the same time. If anyone can pull it off it is 343, but I have to see what they end up doing first.

Well obviously there are people , and I’ve heard this from one of my best friends before, who believe the Chief doesn’t need a character, which in my opinion is pretty dumb and ridiculous. That said, i’m pretty sure that 343 will develop Chief’s character, but they won’t be RUSHING that development due to the fact that some people may not be able to follow the transition right away. And some would never forgive 343i and will cry about it, but hey, there are a lot of controversial stuff 343i has been doing, and they do have the balls to stick with their decisions in all honesty. (For example, sprinting is hated by many, but instead of removing it, they balanced it out. Not a spot on analogy, but you get the point)

50

I sort of expect master chief to die and if they kill him off then they have to do t PERFECTLY. But even then it will be strange to play as a new character who is supposed to be the “new master chief”. So no I don’t think its wrong of you to think this way about the franchise. I hope that if john does die that the halo community give him a awesome tribute.

51

For myself I wouldn’t mind if Chief passed, he has had a long and strong series going for him. I can understand your point though, but sooner or later it will happen.

I would love another Reach style game where you have a squad (either a set squad where each player in the game can take control of one or your own spartan). Fighting to protect earth from whatever threat faces them.

52

The Chief is Xbox’s Mario. For marketing alone, killing him off would be a bad move.

53

If Microsoft is going to kill off Master Chief, don’t actually kill him. Make it like Halo 3, which left Chief’s fate open for a sequel. Then after that, have a 5 game spree about the Squad fighting the Covie Remnants and the Forerunners. That is what I want.

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> > > > > > > > > > Master chief can’t die. plain and simple, the series would cease to exist without him
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > If the fans don’t truly care about the series, yes.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > It really would not feel the same anymore for a lot of people if Chief died. I know that there’s plenty of characters to go around and although it wouldn’t make any of the games “bad”, it would definitely turn off a lot of people, fans included.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I think the major problem is that we haven’t seen any characters that could really replace Chief. And honestly, who ever could? John is the ultimate Spartan. He’s the best there ever is and ever will be. To have another character replace him as the main character would just be a sad attempt to relive Halo’s past glory.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I think the best route to go would be to have a Spartan Squad to become the new “main characters”. That way there isn’t really any one character that has to have the most screen time and such. They would all be important characters with their own conflicts and personalities, similar to Delta Squad in Gears of War.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > All that tells me is that fans don’t care enough about the series to give anyone a fair chance. And you know, it really isn’t about replacing Chief. He is an icon, I understand that. But that shouldn’t stop new faces from taking the stage and getting a shot. If all Star Wars was was Luke Skywalker, it would get boring really fast. Luke’s cool and all, but it is a big galaxy out there. Same with Halo.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Fans do care about the series. We just don’t want to see another Spartan try and take the spotlight away from the most Legendary Spartan that ever lived. We want a character that won’t be compared all the time to John, which is why I suggested the Spartan Squad idea.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > And yet saying the series as a whole would be over if Chief died strikes me as insulting to the series. Someone better tell Greg Bear and 343 the Forerunner novels were bad because they lacked Chief. Someone better tell 343 their new Buck short story sucks with Chief only a passing mention. Someone better tell 343 that Broken Circle is terrible because it focused on the Covenant and not Chief. Halo can work effectively without Chief, but it seems most fans don’t care enough to think outside of Chief being the only thing that makes Halo work.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > All those things you mentioned were spin offs. Spin offs are perfectly fine without the main character being involved. It’s a whole different story when you try to make the main story have a whole new main character to be at the center of the stage. Also, to be fair, the Master Chief has been at the core of this series since the very beginning. Are you really that surprised that fans would be upset if he wasn’t the main character anymore?
> > > >
> > > > Like I said before, John’s pedestal is right up there with Mario and Link. It just isn’t that easy to move on from a character like that especially when they have been the main character since the beginning and are also the main focus of the story in the current games. Having new faces around isn’t a bad thing. I loved Lasky in Halo 4, I liked Palmer as well. Even Del Rio was a well made character. Everyone hated him, but that was the whole point.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I’ve been disappointed with that concept for years. It is only after the accusations that 343 ruined Chief with Halo 4 that make the fans claims of the series being dead if Chief isn’t the spotlight anymore extra annoying. Hell, they brought the game Chief to the level of the book Chief and fans act as if 343 turned Chief into Shinji Ikari from Evangelion. If Chief talking a bit more is unacceptable, do they even care about Chief? Do they want what is best for the character or do they just want themselves to be Chief as was the case in Halo 1-3?
> >
> >
> >
> > I personally think that 343’s take on Chief is awesome and was inevitably coming if they wanted people to take their new Halo seriously. The old trilogy MC was ok but that was a different time in gaming. Back then there didn’t have to be much explaining as to why someone is badass. Characters like Duke Nukem, Rambo, and Master Chief got away with being only badass with little to no actual character because that’s just the way games and movies were at the time. Nowadays people want more and they should. This is a new era of gaming. Games today are very cinematic and movie-like so it would just be laughable if MC didn’t change at all.
>
>
> Tell that to this community.

I am not the community, but I think I’m the demographic you speak of. My demographic isn’t this community either. “This community” is a nebulous construct completely irrelevant to the discussion, people like and dislike Chief in 4 and both views are very present in “This community.” Don’t play victim Cobra. You’re smarter than that.

I have no serious qualms with Chief in 4. I’ll -Yoink- about what they did to Cortana all day, but Chief was fine. That was all. He was fine.

He wasn’t dynamic, inspiring, interesting, relatable, intriguing, mysterious, angry, sad, happy, a machine, a person, or something in between. He was fine*.*
It’s not that I hate it when other characters take the helm either. Halo 2 gave me the Arbiter. I loved every single one of his missions and enjoyed his story, as well as the new insight into the inner workings of the Covenant Empire. In fact, “This community” might agree.

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> > > > > > > > > > > 2533274844258015;31:
> > > > > > > > > > > Master chief can’t die. plain and simple, the series would cease to exist without him
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > If the fans don’t truly care about the series, yes.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > It really would not feel the same anymore for a lot of people if Chief died. I know that there’s plenty of characters to go around and although it wouldn’t make any of the games “bad”, it would definitely turn off a lot of people, fans included.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I think the major problem is that we haven’t seen any characters that could really replace Chief. And honestly, who ever could? John is the ultimate Spartan. He’s the best there ever is and ever will be. To have another character replace him as the main character would just be a sad attempt to relive Halo’s past glory.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I think the best route to go would be to have a Spartan Squad to become the new “main characters”. That way there isn’t really any one character that has to have the most screen time and such. They would all be important characters with their own conflicts and personalities, similar to Delta Squad in Gears of War.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > All that tells me is that fans don’t care enough about the series to give anyone a fair chance. And you know, it really isn’t about replacing Chief. He is an icon, I understand that. But that shouldn’t stop new faces from taking the stage and getting a shot. If all Star Wars was was Luke Skywalker, it would get boring really fast. Luke’s cool and all, but it is a big galaxy out there. Same with Halo.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Fans do care about the series. We just don’t want to see another Spartan try and take the spotlight away from the most Legendary Spartan that ever lived. We want a character that won’t be compared all the time to John, which is why I suggested the Spartan Squad idea.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > And yet saying the series as a whole would be over if Chief died strikes me as insulting to the series. Someone better tell Greg Bear and 343 the Forerunner novels were bad because they lacked Chief. Someone better tell 343 their new Buck short story sucks with Chief only a passing mention. Someone better tell 343 that Broken Circle is terrible because it focused on the Covenant and not Chief. Halo can work effectively without Chief, but it seems most fans don’t care enough to think outside of Chief being the only thing that makes Halo work.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > All those things you mentioned were spin offs. Spin offs are perfectly fine without the main character being involved. It’s a whole different story when you try to make the main story have a whole new main character to be at the center of the stage. Also, to be fair, the Master Chief has been at the core of this series since the very beginning. Are you really that surprised that fans would be upset if he wasn’t the main character anymore?
> > > > >
> > > > > Like I said before, John’s pedestal is right up there with Mario and Link. It just isn’t that easy to move on from a character like that especially when they have been the main character since the beginning and are also the main focus of the story in the current games. Having new faces around isn’t a bad thing. I loved Lasky in Halo 4, I liked Palmer as well. Even Del Rio was a well made character. Everyone hated him, but that was the whole point.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I’ve been disappointed with that concept for years. It is only after the accusations that 343 ruined Chief with Halo 4 that make the fans claims of the series being dead if Chief isn’t the spotlight anymore extra annoying. Hell, they brought the game Chief to the level of the book Chief and fans act as if 343 turned Chief into Shinji Ikari from Evangelion. If Chief talking a bit more is unacceptable, do they even care about Chief? Do they want what is best for the character or do they just want themselves to be Chief as was the case in Halo 1-3?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I personally think that 343’s take on Chief is awesome and was inevitably coming if they wanted people to take their new Halo seriously. The old trilogy MC was ok but that was a different time in gaming. Back then there didn’t have to be much explaining as to why someone is badass. Characters like Duke Nukem, Rambo, and Master Chief got away with being only badass with little to no actual character because that’s just the way games and movies were at the time. Nowadays people want more and they should. This is a new era of gaming. Games today are very cinematic and movie-like so it would just be laughable if MC didn’t change at all.
> >
> >
> >
> > Tell that to this community.
>
>
> I am not the community, but I think I’m the demographic you speak of. My demographic isn’t this community either. “This community” is a nebulous construct completely irrelevant to the discussion, people like and dislike Chief in 4 and both views are very present in “This community.” Don’t play victim Cobra. You’re smarter than that.
>
> I have no serious qualms with Chief in 4. I’ll -Yoink- about what they did to Cortana all day, but Chief was fine. That was all. He was fine.
>
> He wasn’t dynamic, inspiring, interesting, relatable, intriguing, mysterious, angry, sad, happy, a machine, a person, or something in between. He was fine*.*
> It’s not that I hate it when other characters take the helm either. Halo 2 gave me the Arbiter. I loved every single one of his missions and enjoyed his story, as well as the new insight into the inner workings of the Covenant Empire. In fact, “This community” might agree.

i wouldn’t mind the Arbiter either, but I remember the outrage his presence sparked way back in the day and do wonder what really changed in the span of a few years that make people yearn for his return. It’s a mystery to me. Perhaps using the community angle was a mistake, but I’ve noticed the “Chief was ruined in Halo 4” a lot here on Waypoint. That’s just my experience. Still think 343’s approach based on what little we know is a strange one. To explore a character while still allowing players to project themselves on them? I just can’t see that working. Locke offering an outside perspective will likely help, but I worry Locke won’t get a fair chance in the community and any perspective he brings will be ignored because “Chief is the greatest!”.

56

> 2533274812652989;55:
> > 2535421619942348;54:
> > snip

I don’t think any secondary characters got a fair chance in 4’s base campaign. Despite Spartan Ops’ boring as fudge gameplay, Lasky, Palmer, Halsey and Majestic had great screen time when they weren’t basking in Chief’s awesome.

I have to say we may be in full agreement towards Chief. I won’t blame the community any more than I think it deserves, but I can’t imagine exploring Chief yet being able to project onto Chief. That may have been why I always thought he was meh in 4. They didn’t go down the route of making him emotionally unstable but they didn’t commit to having him utter nothing but one-liners in his usual badass way either. The result was some weird character who talked more than usual but didn’t say anything. They couldn’t have gone with either extreme and fulfill the fan’s expectations, I get that. At the same time though, who kindled the fan’s expectations?

I wonder if Chief was really designed for the players to put themselves inside his shoes the way they do in CE, 2 or 3, or whether that was a happy accident resulting from little dialogue and the player’s complete control over him. It’s a decent approach, imo, one that works well for the trilogy’s intended purpose and could have worked well for 4 and 5. However, I also think being able to identify with Chief would be great, if we were to cut the “project yourself onto him,” element from his character. Using Locke is the perfect way to do this. If it’s done well, I think the smartest parts of the community will understand and applaud the decision.

But doing both at the same time really doesn’t work, does it? I think that’s what Chief in 4 was, to me at least. There’s nothing wrong with that, but nothing inherently right about it either - especially when you don’t care about the Cortana subplot, the enemy, the secondary characters, the visuals or the multiplayer.

Basically, I agree, but I don’t blame a community 343 is purposefully riling up to get money from, or believe Chief in 4 is a very golden standard to be achieved. Rather, transcended.

57

> 2535421619942348;56:
> > 2533274812652989;55:
> > > 2535421619942348;54:
> > > snip
>
>
> I don’t think any secondary characters got a fair chance in 4’s base campaign. Despite Spartan Ops’ boring as fudge gameplay, Lasky, Palmer, Halsey and Majestic had great screen time when they weren’t basking in Chief’s awesome.
>
> I have to say we may be in full agreement towards Chief. I won’t blame the community any more than I think it deserves, but I can’t imagine exploring Chief yet being able to project onto Chief. That may have been why I always thought he was meh in 4. They didn’t go down the route of making him emotionally unstable but they didn’t commit to having him utter nothing but one-liners in his usual badass way either. The result was some weird character who talked more than usual but didn’t say anything. They couldn’t have gone with either extreme and fulfill the fan’s expectations, I get that. At the same time though, who kindled the fan’s expectations?
>
> I wonder if Chief was really designed for the players to put themselves inside his shoes the way they do in CE, 2 or 3, or whether that was a happy accident resulting from little dialogue and the player’s complete control over him. It’s a decent approach, imo, one that works well for the trilogy’s intended purpose and could have worked well for 4 and 5. However, I also think being able to identify with Chief would be great, if we were to cut the “project yourself onto him,” element from his character. Using Locke is the perfect way to do this. If it’s done well, I think the smartest parts of the community will understand and applaud the decision.
>
> But doing both at the same time really doesn’t work, does it? I think that’s what Chief in 4 was, to me at least. There’s nothing wrong with that, but nothing inherently right about it either - especially when you don’t care about the Cortana subplot, the enemy, the secondary characters, the visuals or the multiplayer.
>
> Basically, I agree, but I don’t blame a community 343 is purposefully riling up to get money from, or believe Chief in 4 is a very golden standard to be achieved. Rather, transcended.

See, even if Chief didn’t talk a lot still, how he talked says it all. Do his reassurances to Cortana feel awkward? I feel that is the point as her situation is unfamiliar territory to him. Yet some people conflate that with this. shrug

58

> 2533274812652989;57:
> > 2535421619942348;56:
> > > 2533274812652989;55:
> > > > 2535421619942348;54:
> > > > snip
> >
> >
> >
> > I don’t think any secondary characters got a fair chance in 4’s base campaign. Despite Spartan Ops’ boring as fudge gameplay, Lasky, Palmer, Halsey and Majestic had great screen time when they weren’t basking in Chief’s awesome.
> >
> > I have to say we may be in full agreement towards Chief. I won’t blame the community any more than I think it deserves, but I can’t imagine exploring Chief yet being able to project onto Chief. That may have been why I always thought he was meh in 4. They didn’t go down the route of making him emotionally unstable but they didn’t commit to having him utter nothing but one-liners in his usual badass way either. The result was some weird character who talked more than usual but didn’t say anything. They couldn’t have gone with either extreme and fulfill the fan’s expectations, I get that. At the same time though, who kindled the fan’s expectations?
> >
> > I wonder if Chief was really designed for the players to put themselves inside his shoes the way they do in CE, 2 or 3, or whether that was a happy accident resulting from little dialogue and the player’s complete control over him. It’s a decent approach, imo, one that works well for the trilogy’s intended purpose and could have worked well for 4 and 5. However, I also think being able to identify with Chief would be great, if we were to cut the “project yourself onto him,” element from his character. Using Locke is the perfect way to do this. If it’s done well, I think the smartest parts of the community will understand and applaud the decision.
> >
> > But doing both at the same time really doesn’t work, does it? I think that’s what Chief in 4 was, to me at least. There’s nothing wrong with that, but nothing inherently right about it either - especially when you don’t care about the Cortana subplot, the enemy, the secondary characters, the visuals or the multiplayer.
> >
> > Basically, I agree, but I don’t blame a community 343 is purposefully riling up to get money from, or believe Chief in 4 is a very golden standard to be achieved. Rather, transcended.
>
>
> See, even if Chief didn’t talk a lot still, how he talked says it all. Do his reassurances to Cortana feel awkward? I feel that is the point as her situation is unfamiliar territory to him. Yet some people conflate that with this. shrug

Yeah, they do. But they may conflate that all they like. We disagree but we’re both powerless to stop them. They may also compare it to Shakespeare. (Trust me, I’ve seen that too) I disagree but I can’t stop them from thinking this. Opinions are difficult to change on the interwebz.

I didn’t find it too awkward. Perhaps a little, but not enough to be seriously noticeable or influence my decision about Chief’s character. If anything, I found it forced. A bit of awkward is alright, it deconstructs Master Chief, like you’ve mentioned in those posts you write. That would’ve been good, but there wasn’t enough or too much awkward for me to really care about it. I think that’s the problem with him in 4. He’s exactly what you’re afraid he’ll become, imo.

I can think of two alternate ways Halo 4 could have gone down, using either extreme.

  • MC and Cortana have a very business-like relationship. This story centers around destroying the Didact in their usual business-like fashion, killing aliens and taking names, so on and so forth - basically a giant “-Yoink- Yeah MC!” Both are virtually unchanged from Bungie’s approach to the characters. Chief is quiet, calm and confident. Cortana is witty, smart and slightly crazy. However, rather than introducing it the second cutscene in the game, Cortana would become erratic with no real explanation given until they reach Infinity, when Chief is too knee high in Promethean crap to stop killing now. They intend to fix her after murdering the Didact. They storm the Mantle’s Approach, something goes wrong, and the only way to end the Didact is for Cortana to suddenly and unexpectedly sacrifice herself, much to Chief’s immediate dismay. Her goodbye is a witty quote about the two of them kicking -Yoink- in outer space, then she’s gone. Chief gives a pained salute but the audience is forever unsure of what he’s actually thinking - so they project their emotions onto him.
  • MC and Cortana have a relationship similar to the one in 4, but with more reciprocation on Chief’s end. This story centers around getting Cortana to Halsey while being waylaid by the Didact, intent on stopping them knowing they’re pivotal to humanity achieving the Mantle. When they touch on Requiem, Cortana breaks the news to Chief and he understands what his mission is, vowing not only to get her to Halsey, but, like, actually trying to do it. They never reach Infinity but in passing, establishing communications for brief moments, but in order to get aboard the ship and go home, Chief and Cortana must wade through waves of Prometheans and Covenant. The emphasis is not on how messed up Cortana is, but on how Chief is certain to fix her, and her doubts about whether or not they’ll actually get home. The game finally culminates in the Didact himself being the last obstacle between Chief, Cortana, and salvation - and Cortana sacrifices herself to stop the Didact from killing Chief. They wouldn’t even need to change Chief’s personality all that much for this. He’d have to emote just a bit more. It would have to be obvious to the audience what he’s going through and what he’s thinking, so that they may empathize with him.This duality of focus Halo 4 had might work if given to another dev, one with a more experienced board of writers, if I had to guess. I simply didn’t enjoy the way Halo 4 played out. I think if they’d focused on either aspect of the game, it would’ve been stronger for it. As it stands, it’s a Halo that shoots for the stars, but misses, and does it without charm. A bit like 343 as a company, imo.

Okay, it’s 12:30. I’m done replying. :confused:

59

He will die at somepoint but won’t be a few game.

60

If the chief actually dies in a future Halo title, it’s gonna be pretty heartbreaking because in the main Halo games (Halo 1-4) we’ve been in the persona of the chief, we’ve made a personal attachment to this character and if he dies, it’s gonna be a tear jerking moment.

61

Personally (no offense guys) I kind of don’t have a attachment to chief. I don’t think this is my fault though because we never saw his horrible past, his childhood life, or even his attachment to his parents.

62

I am not sure how I would feel I just don’t think its Halo with Chief

63

Ya they can’t kill off Master Chief! Sure their were other Games like ODST, and Reach which were good, but killing Master Chief off would be the worst thing the series could have happen!

64

> 2533274890113063;63:
> Ya they can’t kill off Master Chief! Sure their were other Games like ODST, and Reach which were good, but killing Master Chief off would be the worst thing the series could have happen!

I don’t think 343 will kill off chief it just won’t happen.

65

Reach, Wars, and ODST had no Chief yet they were loved and welcomed. Chief ages along with the Halo universe. I don’t expect him to bash Grunts’ heads in at age 65. I would let him retire. He will be missed though.

66

I don’t understand. Game Chief was basically a cardboard cutout until Halo 4, so where does the attachment come from? He’s not an interesting character, he doesn’t contribute anything unique or special to the franchise… he’s mostly just some guy there to be the protagonist. Why should him dying change anything?