So I, along with many others, have not received an email with the specialization code and since I hear they have all been sent, I’m guessing I’m not going to. First of all, the method they are using for unlocking the specializations is downright befuddling. Sending that amount of emails from one address in a short time frame and stating they will only give it one try was extremely sketchy… Of course it won’t go through for absolutely everybody. Fans from Europe have my sympathy. That was definitely a cheap move by 343.
Now, I understand that some people will say “Who cares about the specializations? Games are just for mindless fun so just play the game if you like it.” Well there’s a problem with that. I personally do not enjoy “mindless fun”. I like to have goals and work to achieve them. THAT is fun. In Halo 2/3 we all had goals to play more skillfully and increase our rank as high as possible. Now Halo has turned into another FPS-RPG. So even though “leveling up” doesn’t mean anything anymore, it’s the only goal there is to achieve. That, coupled with an OCD I have with games where I don’t like to leave anything unfinished, means there is no incentive to continue playing the game after level cap. Ha, not only can I not gain a skillful rank, but the “RPG” leveling is revoked as well.
I guess I just don’t understand WHY this once amazing and innovative franchise is heading in the direction it’s going. They claim they are listening to the fans and trying to give the community what it wants. I think they are “listening” to the cash COD and other twitch shooters are rolling in and assuming they need to integrate characteristics from those games. Who and where are the people that are saying that is what they want for halo? All I see is everyone complaining about it. Yet it still happens.
There are a few critiques I’d like to make…
1) Attempting to add elements already perfected by other games.
They are adding casual elements and systems that mainly COD has been using and refining for years while attempting to also retain halo specific elements. Doing this does not work because the elements they are trying to copy from COD are implemented much better in COD, and they should be. COD has been doing it longer. Load outs, perks, kill cams, drop in matchmaking, ordinances, etc… COD does all this much better and the effectiveness will never be matched by Halo. It seems the idea of “innovation” has been somewhat misunderstood.
2) RPG style leveling systems in a FPS
by “RPG” I simply mean a system that reflects your time playing and not your quality of playing.
In order to create a great game or to just generally do something really well, you have to specialize your focus. If you practice writing a novel, playing basketball, playing a musical instrument, cooking, and clowning at the same time, you aren’t going to excel in any of those tasks the way you would if you spent all your time on one. Everybody knows this. I feel like it is the same situation with video games. There are many different genres of games and they all used to have exclusive characteristics. Not any more. Developers are now attempting to mesh these genres together. A FPS is a game of skill. especially on the multiplayer side. The “RPG” leveling system that Halo is growing accustomed to is taking away from what made it such a good game back then and diluting the overall experience. And guess what? COD does it better. COD at least gives skilled players the opportunity to level much faster than unskilled players. Halo’s XP is largely derived of a static number that appears after the game and is the same for everybody, regardless of your successfulness in the game. How is that fun? Where is the motivation?? Put more focus on perfecting what your game is known for rather than blend it in with the others.
3) In-game ranking system
I understand that the majority of consumers are casual players that somehow are offended by only obtaining a low rank in a competitive game, though I haven’t seen any proof of that actually being the case pertaining to Halo. But why do the rest of us have to take the biggest hit because of this? The solution that has been executed is unfair. Halo 3 did it the right way with ranked playlists for the hardcore and social playlists for the casual. that is a 50/50 split and fair. Having an “RPG” style leveling system does not necessarily bother me. What I’m bothered by is the fact that it is replacing skill ranks altogether within the game. Keep the leveling system and the aesthetic rewards that it grants. I know it is fun for people. But don’t completely remove skill ranks in the process. It is pushing the hardcore fans farther and farther away. Skilled ranking also prolongs the life of a game far longer.
4) XP bans
I don’t boost commendations, although the plasma pistol commendation was pushing it (that is, until I realized that having to fight people with better weapons so frequently was making me better at the game) Having said that, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. The fact of the matter is this: Anything that you can do within the game without using third party software or network manipulation is within the boundaries of the game and therefore a flaw in design and not the player. Having fun and taking advantage of the mechanics of the game is something that many people enjoy and is actually good for the game. Separate ranked playlists with capped party sizes would easily fix this.
5) Competitive Maps
Save for Haven, I’ve come to realize the 4v4 maps are not very good and some are just too big. One of the main characteristics a map needs to have is obvious call-outs. These are the worst maps I’ve seen in that regard. Haven is the one map that people seem to know about. I’ve had games where my teammates are calling out everything constantly on Haven, then completely silent on other maps… This is the only Halo installment where I had to find a guide online just to know the call-outs and I still don’t have them all down. They are not obvious and that is bad. More color in bases, hallways, rooms, and lifts would help a lot. Hopefully we get an MLG playlist pretty soon with refined maps.
Finally, I am quite impressed with the actual game-play mechanics. In that regard, 343 did a great job. In some ways 343 has taken Halo in the right direction since Halo: Reach but in other ways they have not. Armor abilities, reticle bloom, maneuverability, aesthetics, campaign, spartan ops, and even load outs and the specialization system is a step up from Reach. Competitive play, ordinances (instead of static weapon spawns on the map), maps, and in-game skill ranks (Reach had arena. This is the first Halo installment to completely eliminate the idea) are heading in the wrong direction.
That pretty much sums up how I feel about Halo 4. To those who did, thank you for reading.