Removal of Original's Servers is Very disappointing

Games Halo: The Master Chief Collection
1

Halo MCC has done great things, I won’t downplay it, but shutting down the legacy game’s servers is a big mistake. You can buy the old version of Skyrim, Dark Souls 2, and many other games on steam. MCC just feels cheap, really cheap. Like a cheap rip of the classics. The original games felt more… heavy, I guess. More impactful. MCC is just another ‘colorful and seasonal’ game like fortnight. It fails to capture the lobby ambience and tone of the originals, and therefore isn’t a solid, definitive replacement. The blue flames and other things were more rare in the original, now everyone has them. The Reach opening isn’t even in the game. But the ODST one is. Perhaps the ambience can be remedied with ‘themes’. I have an idea. A solution:

Players can choose the splash screen opening. Whether it be the majestic Reach opening or from any other legacy game, or just the unified MCC one which would be the default. Players can choose the background. Perhaps a theme would change the background, ui textures, opening, and add menu ambience (distant sounds). Plus the original loading screens which were much more artistic. This would bring back the tone of the original. Perhaps add proximity chat like Players have been begging for. How about depending on what theme you have selected changes the engine your Spartans are rendered in. Also reach, a 10+ year old game, has faster, way faster, almost instant menu swapping. Like why is everything so slooooowwww. But my biggest gripe with MCC is its lack of ambience. Also, did they forget about avatars when they went all out with nameplates? There again is only ODST stuff there but no Reach. Why not custom avatars based off of your character. Idk, so much potential. This could be the definitive experience but honestly I enjoy the original more. It feels like Reach, or 3. This just feels cheap. Are they desperate to remove Bungie from everything and take credit for all the great games that they never created. I dunno. Also the season garbage is nothing compared to the solid CR system. I played the original Reach not too long ago, just seeing the CR gained in the corner felt so much more nostalgic.

For a company that raves about player choice as they make everything cross compatible, they sure don’t care about Player choice with this. Well I guess emulation is gonna come in real handy. Though most new people will just settle for the dumbed down experience of MCC sadly, so a lot of people won’t experience the CR system, the lobby ambience. I guess I’m just back in time lol bur honestly things keep feeling cheaper and cheaper and less original. I’m glad to be a part of the generations that started gaming. Anyway, rant aside… 343 seriously you got a lot of work to do to make this live up to the original.

5 Likes
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I’m very sad the 360 Halos’ servers are being shut down, but I don’t think MCC is cheap at all. MCC has been a dream come true for me, even back when it was a broken mess when it first launched 7 years ago. And now with the custom game browser that’s even more so (just wish they’d add 2 to it). I was always going to play MCC way more than the originals, but I will still greatly miss being able to play the originals online. You’re right in that it’s a different experience, and MCC doesn’t perfectly recreate that.

2 Likes
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While the 360 games are timeless, MCC is the best way to experience these games, Halo 3 mods on PC? Tell me the Halo 3 community wouldn’t be popping off if this happened back in 2007/2008.

Halo Reach has pilotable Sabres and Seraphs in Forge on MCC, something that you could only accomplish via jtag on the 360.

Halo 4 has a pilotable pelican on MCC, I don’t think this one requires explanation.

ODST is getting FLOOD FIREIGHT on MCC, something the community has BEGGED for since the inception of Firefight.

Halo 2 Anniversary has the Macworld armor, Master Chief’s OG 1999 armor, 'nuff said.

Halo CE actually has more customization in MCC than ever before.

MCC is a Halo paradise, that while a bitter pill to swallow, eclipses the original versions in it’s current state.

4 Likes
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While standalones for Each would have been preferred, if it weren’t for MCC Halo’s Reach, 4, and 2A MP would not be on PC.

it’s a mixed bag and multiplayer did suffer for it, but the old titles were never going to be around forever.

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MCC has a lot of graet stuff, and I’m grateful for it. But I agree, losing the original experience is a massive disappointment. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning on the 12th playing Reach, and it’s a very different experience to MCC. I miss it so much. I miss the pregame lobbies, I miss voting, I miss playing BTB Slayer on Hemorrhage. Sigh…

I would have preferred if MCC was just a launcher for all the games, and each game kept it’s original UI and matchmaking experience. I want to be able to veto and party up in Halo 3, and I want to be able to vote and look at everyone’s armor in Reach. The way 343 did it, bringing all the games under a unified interface, seems like it would have created a lot more work for them and contributed to the game’s numerous problems. Being able to select multiple titles in the Match Composer is kind of neat, but IMO completely unnecessary.

I started with Halo 3, so I never got to play Halo 2 matchmaking. It would have been nice if MCC let me experience that with the original UI and everything. And I know there’s plenty of people who never got to enjoy Halo 3 or Reach multiplayer in their original forms. It’s sad.

2 Likes