Hello Waypoint,
As we all know, Spartan Ops is the new mode that is to take place of (in the eyes of many) our beloved Firefight mode. While Firefight was far from perfect and highly repetitive, its successor shows many of the same flaws that could easily be avoided.
I do enjoy Spartan Ops. As a major fan of the lore I enjoy having weekly updates to the story of Halo 4 that ties very well into the books. Unfortunately, Spartan Ops suffers from many flaws that hinder the gaming experience which I will list right now:
- No scoring
- Poor online support
- Being forced to play online (ties in with two)
- Poor in-game script
- The rehashing of maps
- The despawning of weapons in a matter of (I think) 12 seconds.
- Poor EXP implementation
I will now elaborate on these self-explanatory issues for those interested in learning exactly how these issues hinder my experience.
No scoring:
If anything, this is a flaw in Spartan Ops because it simply feels like a step back from where we were. Scoring would add a lot of replayability to Spartan Ops simply because it challenges the player to better their score on the second time through. And let’s face it, with the rehashing of environments we could use any and all features to add some longevity to the game mode.
WARNING
My internet connection is just fine. I would rather not have any Waypoint heroes saying that the solution to the lag is for me to get better internet. Lag in campaign, Firefight, and Spartan Ops is a damn-near universal problem and you should consider yourself lucky if you do not experience it. Many like myself, however, do.
Poor online support:
What I mean by this is simple: The lag in Spartan Ops is no different than campaign co-op or Firefight. This, to me, is unacceptable. This makes me feel as though Halo is a step behind the competition. When I play Horde mode I do not experience such game-breaking lag and it does not happen when I play Zombies mode in Black Ops, either. Nor did it happen in Spec Ops in MW3. I’m no “egghead” but I have heard it lags so badly because Spartan Ops and campaign do not have as much priority on the servers as multiplayer. This needs to change. Now.
Being forced to play online:
With the terrible lag I find that it is ultimately a trap by 343 (not an intentional one, mind you). We are forced to play Spartan Ops online which would obviously encourage the use of co-op and matchmaking. But when such attempts to play are met with terrible lag it feels pointless. I play solo because it works a lot better and I don’t have to worry about lag.
Poor in-game script:
The cutscenes themselves are awesome and really well done. However, I feel like a 7-year-old at times when playing Spartan Ops mainly because of how Palmer and Miller interact. Seriously, every time Miller opens his mouth to speak you can place a bet that it will be followed by Palmer essentially telling him to shut up. And then on the mission where we are given 3 tanks and a cache of weapons Palmer tells Miller to send down ordnance that NO ONE WILL EVER USE. Then on other missions she makes us kill 58 Promethean Commanders with nothing but a bloody pillow and a dream. I could rant all day about the lame dialogue but anyone who has played Spartan Ops knows exactly what I’m talking about. CRIMSON!
The rehashing of maps:
Prior to launch, 50 missions sounded incredible. By Episode 3 I lost my luster for the game mode because I realized it would be nothing but the same 6 or 7 maps done over and over again. This, also, is inexcusable. I realize it would have taken immense amounts of time to create fresh environments but, well, I’m going to be “that guy” when I say this…
CoD did it just fine.
Weapons despawning
Self-explanatory. If I die with a Bi-Ri with 9 or 10 rounds in it I don’t want to run back to the spot to pick it back up and there be a sticky note that says, “Viper, no one has ever cared about you. Quit.”
Poor EXP implementation
This is perhaps one that confused some people so I’ll sum it up in a rage-sentence… WHY DO I GET THE SAME AMOUNT OF EXP ON EASY AS I DO ON LEGENDARY???
Thank you for reading and thank you for your time. I hope you are all having a nice weekend. I’m working on my Spartan Ops guide now which is a guide on how to complete every mission on Legendary without dying once.