This post is lengthier than the standard post on these forums. I would appreciate it, however, if you stuck with it until the end before replying
The Halo Universe has held a special place in my heart for its engrossing fiction, science fiction flair, and enjoyable games. I’ve been with the series since Combat Evolved, like so many others, and it’s hard to believe it has been over a decade since its inception.
The last time we in the community became so excited for an upcoming Halo game was the months preceding Reach’s release. Bungie’s last hurrah before departing the franchise was shaping to be the epitomizing Halo experience, combining not only a decade of work from previous Halo games, but over two decades of developmental insight.
Needless to say, when Halo Reach finally hit store shelves, I was beyond excited. Being a devout fan of the fiction, I had been waiting to play a role in the Battle of Reach ever since I read the novel by Eric Nylund several years prior. While I knew coming in that the experience would not follow Nylund’s work, I expected Bungie to provide a new perspective on the pivotal juncture in the canon we will all familiar with.
Upon finishing the campaign, I was left feeling with what could only be described as a big hole in my heart. In short, I did not feel that the events of the campaign reflected the scale and grandeur of the Battle of Reach as depicted on the novels; I felt the characters, while characterized to a certain extent, were not given any significant depth, which would make their untimely demises all the more insignificant. The only Spartan’s death which I felt emotional was Kat’s, due to its grim nature and excellent execution from a designer’s perspective. Overall, the campaign did not seem to be too faithful to the canon that the hardcore fans of the fiction had poured their hearts into. I played the campaign countless times, trying to find redeeming factors or a new perspective from which to play. In the end, I concluded that, while the campaign was not poorly designed by any definition, it left me incredibly disappointed.
343i caught my attention as a group that deeply cared about the canon even before they announced Halo 4. With the Defiant Map Pack, it was evident that their design inspiration came from the fiction of the Halo Universe, from Condemned’s visceral depiction of a molten Reach, to its battle scarred corridors.
However, what really surprised me, and engraved in my mind that 343i cares about this Universe’s canon deeply, was their announcement that the Halo 4 multiplayer will, for the first time in the history of the franchise, integrate itself within the fiction of the Universe organically. This represents, to me at least, a dedication which I had not seen in Bungie ever since Halo 3 was released. It is fairly indisputable that it would have been markedly easier to simply offer another standard multiplayer experience with new gameplay additions without going to the extent of weekly episodic story elements and Infinity multiplayer.
All of these aspects culminate as steps in the right direction for the franchise. While Bungie has held a special place in my heart for conceiving the Halo Universe, their recent lack of commitment to the lore was incredibly disheartening. I only hope the rest of Halo 4’s campaign weaves a meaningful story around an extremely interesting premise.