They’ve moved on. Some left to experiment with PC gaming while some have dedicated themselves to other games on the 360. Most notably of which, is Black Ops II. Why? Because BLOPS II doesn’t try to be something else to attract other crowds and sticks to its guns.
This is by no means a thread made purely with the intention of criticizing or complaining about Halo 4. I’ve made enough of those, and frankly, I’m tired. I’m tired of complaining about this game. I was nearly ready to give up - until today’s bulletin -
343 knows we’re not satisfied with the game’s current state. And they’re on it. But it will take time before we see changes implemented. And we know they’re on the way at the very least.
However.
There are some changes that haven’t been discussed by 343 that I feel are a necessity to extend this game’s longetivity and maintain a healthy audience. I mainly refer to the game’s custom options by this.
They were unquestionably responsible for Halo 3 and Reach’s high replayability. They were fun, and we miss having such options at our disposal. They kept us entertained and wanting more.
We need a Custom Games finder. I wholeheartedly believe that this will be a massive(yet fairly small) and extremely beneficial addition to the game. But before this can even be considered, the actual options in Custom Game creation need a revamp. 343 needs to use TimeWarp’s thread and the logical suggestions made by the community as a reference to modify and enhance Custom Games. This is part of why Halo appealed to so many. There were virtually endless possibilities in these modes and there was always something new and fun to experience each day you played.
It was an escape from the competitive side from Halo. There was no need to play other games to keep your mind off Halo. Custom Games provided the tools to create and experience modes that made the gameplay feel like something else entirely and consistently stay fresh.
Hell, I’ve had better Racing experiences in Reach’s ‘Race’ mode(Which is missing from Halo 4) than I ever did in Need For Speed: The Run or Most Wanted.
The other issue is that the current state of Halo 4’s competitive suite is also largely flawed. Fixes must be applied, and they must be applied as soon as possible. For players like myself, there’s essentially no reason to return to Halo 4. I can’t look to Matchmaking or the custom features to keep me satisfied.
It’s not fun.
For the sake of both my interest and my friends’ interest in Halo, listen to us. I understand 343 Industries certainly is not Bungie nor are they attempting to be. And that’s admirable. But one thing Bungie did - and did very well - was have an enormous focus on creativity. Bungie encouraged players to aim for the stars and create genuinely fun experiences.
That’s a trait that I believe 343 Industries needs to adopt.
I really, really want to love this game. I love Halo and believe it can have a great future. But until substantial alterations are made, all I can do is cross my fingers and hope that action will be made to better Halo’s future.
Let’s make it happen. Not just 343 Industries, all of us. We all play an integral roll here. Halo is a machine. We are all parts of this enormous machine, and if one component of the machine fails, we all do. We need each other. We’re a team.