With Halo 4 less than 40 days away, we are all looking forward to the revival of our beloved franchise with much hope and speculation. We all love Halo here, whether it be for the engrossing Story, the competitive and chaotic Multiplayer, or the limitless possibilities of Forge Mode. And while we all wait for Halo 4, there is undeniably one thing that we we are all excited for, and that’s the Armory.
Since the first Halo customization has been present. What was once a simple, “I want to be this color,” has now evolved into a plethora of color choices and unique pieces of armor that allow us to personalize our Spartans as we see fit. Customization in the Halo Franchise has been expanded from game to game. Halo 2 gave players a wider variety of colors, and an emblem to personalize as well. Halo 3 was the first ever game to allow players to don an entirely different set of armor than the that of Master Chief’s, and opened the door to a new range of possibilities. And finally Halo: Reach gave players an even more in-depth option to customize their Spartans with visor colors, armor effects, voices from our favorite characters in the series, and even wrist and leg utilities.
With the advent of Halo 4 there has been much debate over the games Armory. With nearly 40 helmets, the introduction of armor skins, and the option to customize nearly every major component of armor, it is more than obvious that 343 wishes to give the fans more than enough options to personalize their Spartans.
But with SO MUCH variety it comes into question, “Has 343 sacrificed the diversity of helmets and armor simply to give players more options?”
If it’s anything I enjoy more than Halo itself it’s being able to customize my Spartan the way I see fit, and I was more than excited to see what 343 would bring to the table. After the first bits and pieces of armor were shown the first thing I noticed was the amount of detail put into them, they looked, grittier than Reach’s, but at the same time more vibrant and solid like Halo 3’s armor. I was excited nonetheless and looking forward to the other variants to be revealed.
Fast forward to present time, and we now have the full (as far as we know) armory revealed to us. I browse many forums and Halo dedicated websites. I see hard core Bungie followers claiming that the armor severely lacks the simplicity that the past games had. And I go to other forums where fans claim that the armor makes Spartans look like robots than ever. I also see people welcome the additions just as much, praising the variety and vast selection of armor to choose from. It’s more than apparent that while fans are excited for the game, we all have different opinions on the new Armory.
Personally, I was dismissive of the armory at first. I thought many of the helmets without visors were ridiculous additions, and admittedly I was really pessimistic about the rest. But, after viewing and looking through the helmets and armor pieces after a countless set of hours and contemplating over them, I will also admit that the variations have soaked in. I really have to give credit to 343 for adding so much for players to choose from, and compared to Reach it’s a HUGE jump in terms of variety. I honestly can’t wait to start unlocking pieces, and I certainly can’t wait to see all the different Spartans(players) I will be fighting with and against on the battle field.
So now it’s your turn, forum. Let’s talk and critique the Armory like adults. What are you all looking forward too? What are you crossing your fingers to see being added in the future (if DLC is implemented)? What will you guys miss or want to see return?
