Having replayed all the halo’s on MCC. I definitely think sprint ability needs to be seriously revised in future Halo’s and hopefully in Infinite. The combat in Halo CE, 2, 3 & ODST felt much more tactical and strategic.
PvP on Halo 3 is the preferred MP in my view for a reason. It feels way better than the others for a number of logical reasons, to list two:
- No sprint.
- The lack of loadouts made it feel rewarding to get different weapons.
The outcomes for the above is that skillful play feels rewarded, timed pushes and thought-out attacks can be done and the gameplay feels better balanced. You know what the enemy has and they know what you have, it feels more like a battle of wits for the added utility of drops on the map and objectives when similarly skilled players are in the game.
Sprint speeds up the pace of the play and more often than not leads chaotic cluster blobs of nonsensical combat. You can no longer control the engagement as easily and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by multiple players. Its Introduction is justified by people portraying sprint as “modern.” But really all it does is negatively impact combat flow in Halo.
A soldier in a live combat situation is almost never sprinting. Progressing forward with minimal cover is the only time sprinting is something you see. Advancing in any other scenario you will never see someone with a weapon not at the ready, not prepared to fire. The jog of halo was the middle ground between overly tactical and too fast. Which is why it was more enjoyable. You had a decent window of opportunity to catch players in compromising situations and capitalise.
In the newer Halo titles there are no disincentives for sprinting in multiplayer. Some gameplay mechanics just don’t feel good for the vibe of the game. Similar thoughts on the UNSC alien armor sets and weapons. Halo fans like a little more human with spartans and a lot less alien power rangers.
Extra:
Has anyone seen a real Elites since Halo 3? Nothing but hairless brutes on steroids.