The connection between games and books

Community Halo Universe
#1

I think the community is getting a little overzealous when playing up the connection between the books and games. A lot of people are saying Glasslands and Halo 4 will connect. While I don’t doubt that, I mean the UNSC Infinity was on the Halo 4 concept art wall for a reason, what that reason is though, I don’t know. None of us do.

However, I don’t think the connections are going to be as monumental or expansive as some of you guys think they are. Frankie said that you don’t have to read the books to understand the story between the games.

“We made a decision about two years ago, that every story we made from now is going to matter and have some connections and have some real resonance in the Universe,” he said in a recent interview. ”So if you’re watching one of the terminals in Halo Anniversary or you’re reading one of the books or one of the comics in the next few years, they’re all going to have a meaning. That doesn’t mean you have to buy a novel to understand the game – in fact we want to make absolutely sure that all of the stories are self contained; that they are fun to understand with or without the deeper resonances and connections – but if you invest in the Universe, you will get a pretty good return on that investment.”

-Frank O’Conner to EGM

Having the UNSC Infinity and Spartan-IVs and such on a full scale in Halo 4 kinda screams in the face of that established notion don’t you think? I mean, yeah, those of us reading the books will know what they are, but what about the vast majority of fans who don’t read the books? Quite the curveball for them.

Honestly, I predict more Halo: CE-Ghosts of Onyx connections to be honest with the games influencing the books. When Chief activated Alpha Halo, things on Onyx started to change, Dr. Halsey correlated the two based on the time between the events.

Just throwing that out there.

#2

The good thing about connections between them is that John isn’t aware of anything from the new books. Any new characters/events/concepts will have to be introduced to him.

#3

First level in Halo 4 will be a flashback “dream” John has in cryo from when he was a part of blue team.

It will be used to introduce Fred, Linda and Kelly, who will be aboard the UNSC infinity searching for John.

ahem

#4

> First level in Halo 4 will be a flashback “dream” John has in cryo from when he was a part of blue team.
>
> It will be used to introduce Fred, Linda and Kelly, who will be aboard the UNSC infinity searching for John.
>
> ahem

How do you know?

#5

We could say that any story that was started could connect back with the main story.
The Cole Protocol has Gray Team, They could have been sent for the Spartan IV project.
ODST could have virgil return on the infinity.
Some loose ends like Black team, I love bees, Halo Wars and other canon story parts could easily be linked with the more connected part of the story if effort is put into it.(Black team could be put in the Spartan IV project if you thought about it)

So I agree with frankie that stories have to be self contained but still matter, as even though I thought it was a great story, does Black team make any major effect in the universe. Do they effect the main story in anyway. Would we hear of them again other than a very hidden reference in Halsey’s Journal or a short story in a book. Yea I know they make sence in the story if you looked into it but thats not the point.

Though I do like it when story’s are not linked with the main one, it gives a little freedom in the story. Thats my personal view.

Also I agree with reptile Master Chief hasn’t seen the infinity or the Spartan IV so they’ll have to be explained to him to a certain extent. Making the book not fully needed to understand the game.

#6

> We could say that any story that was started could connect back with the main story.

We could, yes.

> The Cole Protocol has Gray Team, They could have been sent for the Spartan IV project.

Maybe. That said, we still don’t know what happened to them and their mission. Perhaps the newer post-Halo 3 novels will shed some light, but we don’t know. This whole Spartan-IV thing still bugs me to no end.

> ODST could have virgil return on the infinity.

I think I would like that.

> Some loose ends like Black team, I love bees, Halo Wars and other canon story parts could easily be linked with the more connected part of the story if effort is put into it.(Black team could be put in the Spartan IV project if you thought about it)

I’m not too sure about Black Team. Last we see them, they are far from UNSC space, on a Forerunner installation set on an asteroid, or was it a moon(?), with a whole Covenant army coming their way with ammo running low for Black Team. Terrible odds even for Spartans.

I Love Bees is something that shouldn’t be canon in my opinion, but Frankie is already going off about how it is. I mean the whole Spartan-1.1 thing is okay, but once you incorporate time travelling AIs, even time travel in general, it gets messy.

The Spirit of Fire’s fate I can MAYBE see tying in Halo 4, but even I think it’s a stretch to assume the SoF’s crew would survive in cryo for nearly 30 years in deep space. Call me a pessimist, but that’s just how I feel.

> So I agree with frankie that stories have to be self contained but still matter, as even though I thought it was a great story, does Black team make any major effect in the universe. Do they effect the main story in anyway. Would we hear of them again other than a very hidden reference in Halsey’s Journal or a short story in a book. Yea I know they make sence in the story if you looked into it but thats not the point.

Black manages to down a Covenant fleet, but it didn’t make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things.

> Though I do like it when story’s are not linked with the main one, it gives a little freedom in the story. Thats my personal view.
>
> Also I agree with reptile Master Chief hasn’t seen the infinity or the Spartan IV so they’ll have to be explained to him to a certain extent. Making the book not fully needed to understand the game.

That’s the question though, how is it going to be explained. Most fans still think Chief is the last Spartan-II, much less about the remaining IIs or the IIIs. How 343 expects to full explain their origins in a cutscene adequately is beyond me.

#7

If someone is a casual fan, then they probably don’t care a ton about the story anyway.(Not saying that there aren’t casuals that do like the story.) Most casuals just play for the multiplayer. I remember playing Halo 3 and checking everyone’s service record. I’m willing to say over half of the people I encountered hadn’t beaten the campaign at all. The hardcore fans are the ones that are going to notice the links between the books and game. Games nowadays don’t need a good storyline to get a good rating and sell a bunch of copies. Ill take a storyline heavily linked with books over some garbage storyline that they would’ve had to come up with because they didn’t want to rely too much on book information. That’s just my personal opinion.