If you have been around Halo long enough than you know what I’m talking about; but this term, “it feels like Halo” seems to have people in a uproar.
Now I’m not here to tell you how to think about Halo 4 and sell you if it is good/bad, I just wanted to interpret what that “Halo Feel” is to me:
To me Halo is a very complex yet simple game, and this is felt the most in Halo 3. In Halo 3 there was a rhythmic feel to combat, every engagement is a dance. In every BR v BR battle there was more than just landing your shots because you had to assume that everyone was skilled enough to do the same thing. It also factored in strafe tactics and making our opponent miss while landing your shots.
In Reach this element was gone. Straight engagements where forced because of the change to mostly single-shot precision weapons. Couple this with the slower movement speed and strafe and it only further destroyed the “dance”. This can be seen if you play Reach for a long time and go back to Halo 3. You will really then see how movement and strafe plays such a huge role in Halo 3, and how it vanished in Reach.
From the little we have heard and seen from Halo 4 we know that the BR is back and as is the return of faster movement speeds relative if not faster than Halo 3.
My only suggestion? Play Halo 3 for at least one week before Halo 4 launches. If you can seamlessly blend tactics from Halo 3 to Halo 4, you’ll know its definitely got that “Halo Feel”.
For me gameplay has nothing to do with the “feel”. It’s the moment when you enter this universe, when you know you’re a supersoldier in some badd@ss armor kicking alien’s butt. The enviroment and story is what Halo makes Halo, that you realise you’re a 1000 pounds spartan and that you have an amazing and unique arsenal of weapons. And most important is that it entertains you, not that you just have to be the best, but that you can always improve yourself and find new strategies and tactics.
Reach “felt” really good to me. Like it was Halo. Was it the same as Halo 3? No, but then again it wasn’t 3 was it. I’m hoping for a “feel” that is very similiar to Reach.
Got to agree with the second poster too. It’s the world your in that gives you the feeling. I think OP is a little too focused on MP. Halo has a great MP, but the SP is there too. It’s added more to the universe then MP could ever hope to.
EDIT: Typo.
> Reach “felt” really good to me. Like it was Halo. Was it the same as Halo 3? No, but then again it wasn’t 3 was it. I’m hoping for a “feel” that is very similiar to Reach.
>
> Got to agree with the second poster too. It’s the world your in that gives you the feeling. I think OP is a little too focused on MP. Halo has a great MP, but the SP is there too. It’s added more to the universe then MP could ever hope to.
>
> EDIT: Typo.
Don’t mistake me, I love Halo’s campaign. Reach’s was good but disappointing because while it was still amazing and had that sense of exploration; it didn’t feel like a planetary wide invasion was happening. Not enough ground troops and battles were too small to sell it.
Now don’t take this the wrong way, but from the sounds of it you guys are not as invested in the MP as a lot of Halo players. So you probably do not fully understand what I am saying.
And I really really hope that Halo 4 DOESN’T feel like Reach.
> > Reach “felt” really good to me. Like it was Halo. Was it the same as Halo 3? No, but then again it wasn’t 3 was it. I’m hoping for a “feel” that is very similiar to Reach.
> >
> > Got to agree with the second poster too. It’s the world your in that gives you the feeling. I think OP is a little too focused on MP. Halo has a great MP, but the SP is there too. It’s added more to the universe then MP could ever hope to.
> >
> > EDIT: Typo.
>
> Don’t mistake me, I love Halo’s campaign. Reach’s was good but disappointing because while it was still amazing and had that sense of exploration; it didn’t feel like a planetary wide invasion was happening. Not enough ground troops and battles were too small to sell it.
>
> Now don’t take this the wrong way, but from the sounds of it you guys are not as invested in the MP as a lot of Halo players. So you probably do not fully understand what I am saying.
>
> And I really really hope that Halo 4 DOESN’T feel like Reach.
I was as invested in MP as anyone. I’ve probably played more Halo MP for each title then I have played any other game. (And I’ve racked up 400+ hours on Mass Effect.)
I disagree. I really hope that the MP is more like Reach that any other Halo title.
> > > Reach “felt” really good to me. Like it was Halo. Was it the same as Halo 3? No, but then again it wasn’t 3 was it. I’m hoping for a “feel” that is very similiar to Reach.
> > >
> > > Got to agree with the second poster too. It’s the world your in that gives you the feeling. I think OP is a little too focused on MP. Halo has a great MP, but the SP is there too. It’s added more to the universe then MP could ever hope to.
> > >
> > > EDIT: Typo.
> >
> > Don’t mistake me, I love Halo’s campaign. Reach’s was good but disappointing because while it was still amazing and had that sense of exploration; it didn’t feel like a planetary wide invasion was happening. Not enough ground troops and battles were too small to sell it.
> >
> > Now don’t take this the wrong way, but from the sounds of it you guys are not as invested in the MP as a lot of Halo players. So you probably do not fully understand what I am saying.
> >
> > And I really really hope that Halo 4 DOESN’T feel like Reach.
>
> I was as invested in MP as anyone. I’ve probably played more Halo MP for each title then I have played any other game. (And I’ve racked up 400+ hours on Mass Effect.)
>
> I disagree. I really hope that the MP is more like Reach that any other Halo title.
If it is then, the player will drop like you see now with Reach. All the players who were deeply invested in Halo 3 have left. All there is now is kids that WANT to ruin the game. So respectfully Halo 4 NEEDS to be like Halo 3 for the population to return.
Sooo “Halo” is nothing but sidestepping with the BR? …
> Sooo “Halo” is nothing but sidestepping with the BR? …
When you twist my words, then i guess so. But in actually, and what you missed from my post, is that Halo is more than landing shots. It incorporates movement strategies into every engagement. In Reach you do not worry about this because the DMR and MANY other weapons are single shot, plus movement speed is slow. So many engagements to me, and many many others, lead to slow gameplay.
Slow gameplay is not Halo.
> Slow gameplay is not Halo.
Maybe that is why 343i has decided to make Halo 4 move quicker then. If you watch the videos that they have released of multiplayer, then I think you can see that they are moving faster. But I think that they also are including the BR and DMR because of the reason you stated.
I actually preferred the DMR over the BR because I like the single shot.
> Sooo “Halo” is nothing but sidestepping with the BR? …
snicker Pretty much. That’s what it felt like to me. At least in reach they could dodge roll, jetpack, or sigh armor lock. Halo 3 MP was very simple fun. Fun, but a simple.
> > Sooo “Halo” is nothing but sidestepping with the BR? …
>
> When you twist my words, then i guess so. But in actually, and what you missed from my post, is that Halo is more than landing shots. It incorporates movement strategies into every engagement. In Reach you do not worry about this because the DMR and MANY other weapons are single shot, plus movement speed is slow. So many engagements to me, and many many others, lead to slow gameplay.
>
> Slow gameplay is not Halo.
…Halo, a console game, is about precision shooting?
Slow gameplay is not Halo? Then why was it designed as a slower paced Arena game?
> > Slow gameplay is not Halo.
>
> Maybe that is why 343i has decided to make Halo 4 move quicker then. If you watch the videos that they have released of multiplayer, then I think you can see that they are moving faster. But I think that they also are including the BR and DMR because of the reason you stated.
> I actually preferred the DMR over the BR because I like the single shot.
Right, and thats what I implied that Reach was, slow. I do know that the movement speed is faster in Halo 4, and that both the DMR and BR are in, which is awesome. But both weapons inherently require a different play style. You’re not going to use the DMR the same way you would the BR, and vis versa.
> > > Sooo “Halo” is nothing but sidestepping with the BR? …
> >
> > When you twist my words, then i guess so. But in actually, and what you missed from my post, is that Halo is more than landing shots. It incorporates movement strategies into every engagement. In Reach you do not worry about this because the DMR and MANY other weapons are single shot, plus movement speed is slow. So many engagements to me, and many many others, lead to slow gameplay.
> >
> > Slow gameplay is not Halo.
>
> …Halo, a console game, is about precision shooting?
>
> Slow gameplay is not Halo? Then why was it designed as a slower paced Arena game?
More than just precision shooting. And I’m not sure were you ever got the idea that Halo was designed as a slow game. Unless you have a quote of this I’m going to have to say you’re wrong.
“Halo Feel” - depends on what Halo. I prefer CE, mixed in with a little 2:
1. Fast base movement speed, crisp strafe - in CE and 2, you could actually use strafe to throw people’s aim off. With the heavy inertia of 3 and Reach, this ability is greatly reduced
2. Low bullet magnetism - hate it when I can see that I missed someone’s head but the game gives me credit. It just breaks the immersion and makes headshots too easy
3. Fast minimum kill time, medium average kill time - in CE the minimum kill time was < 1 second. But people rarely got it (making it feel like an accomplishment), the average kill time was probably about the same as Halo 2 and slightly faster than 3 or Reach
4. Responsive aiming - low to zero aim acceleration or input lag. If any of you have CE Anniversary, try the campaign (particularly using classic graphics mode) - aiming is so smooth compared to 3 and Reach. It’s difficult to overemphasize how important this is, as it’s the base of the game!
And that’s really it. The game is about moving and shooting. I want moving and shooting to feel crisp and responsive. And I want there to be a big gap between fastest kills and average kills so that moving and shooting accurately feel important.
> “Halo Feel” - depends on what Halo. I prefer CE, mixed in with a little 2:
>
> 1. Fast base movement speed, crisp strafe - in CE and 2, you could actually use strafe to throw people’s aim off. With the heavy inertia of 3 and Reach, this ability is greatly reduced
>
> 2. Low bullet magnetism - hate it when I can see that I missed someone’s head but the game gives me credit. It just breaks the immersion and makes headshots too easy
>
> 3. Fast minimum kill time, medium average kill time - in CE the minimum kill time was < 1 second. But people rarely got it (making it feel like an accomplishment), the average kill time was probably about the same as Halo 2 and slightly faster than 3 or Reach
>
> 4. Responsive aiming - low to zero aim acceleration or input lag. If any of you have CE Anniversary, try the campaign (particularly using classic graphics mode) - aiming is so smooth compared to 3 and Reach. It’s difficult to overemphasize how important this is, as it’s the base of the game!
>
> And that’s really it. The game is about moving and shooting. I want moving and shooting to feel crisp and responsive. And I want there to be a big gap between fastest kills and average kills so that moving and shooting accurately feel important.
This right here is what I’m talking about. This is why I love Halo, the fact that a weapon like the BR was a normal 5sk, but if you were good it was a 4sk. Plus the perfect strafe to dodge a shot so you can land a extra one. This is what separates Halo from other games. Not who shot first, but who is better at strafe and landing shots.
I can’t tell you how many times (and recently) in Halo 3 I’ve been quarter shields and taken on two players and won by just landing perfect shots and dodge strafing.
You mean the “Halo Multiplayer feel”? Because the Halo feel should definitely include its other modes like campaign and Forge
> > “Halo Feel” - depends on what Halo. I prefer CE, mixed in with a little 2:
> >
> > 1. Fast base movement speed, crisp strafe - in CE and 2, you could actually use strafe to throw people’s aim off. With the heavy inertia of 3 and Reach, this ability is greatly reduced
> >
> > 2. Low bullet magnetism - hate it when I can see that I missed someone’s head but the game gives me credit. It just breaks the immersion and makes headshots too easy
> >
> > 3. Fast minimum kill time, medium average kill time - in CE the minimum kill time was < 1 second. But people rarely got it (making it feel like an accomplishment), the average kill time was probably about the same as Halo 2 and slightly faster than 3 or Reach
> >
> > 4. Responsive aiming - low to zero aim acceleration or input lag. If any of you have CE Anniversary, try the campaign (particularly using classic graphics mode) - aiming is so smooth compared to 3 and Reach. It’s difficult to overemphasize how important this is, as it’s the base of the game!
> >
> > And that’s really it. The game is about moving and shooting. I want moving and shooting to feel crisp and responsive. And I want there to be a big gap between fastest kills and average kills so that moving and shooting accurately feel important.
>
> This right here is what I’m talking about. This is why I love Halo, the fact that a weapon like the BR was a normal 5sk, but if you were good it was a 4sk. Plus the perfect strafe to dodge a shot so you can land a extra one. This is what separates Halo from other games. Not who shot first, but who is better at strafe and landing shots.
>
> I can’t tell you how many times (and recently) in Halo 3 I’ve been quarter shields and taken on two players and won by just landing perfect shots and dodge strafing.
Really? Halo 3 already felt pretty slow in terms of movement (strafing was just as bad as Reach). I’m surprised you can go 2 v 1 at quarter shields and win, given the slow strafe and high bullet magnetism…
> For me gameplay has nothing to do with the “feel”. It’s the moment when you enter this universe, when you know you’re a supersoldier in some badd-Yoink!- armor kicking alien’s butt. The enviroment and story is what Halo makes Halo, that you realise you’re a 1000 pounds spartan and that you have an amazing and unique arsenal of weapons. And most important is that it entertains you, not that you just have to be the best, but that you can always improve yourself and find new strategies and tactics.
First off, great post. I feel the same way. I’ll explain: I love the idea of virtual reality. Think right now; what is the closest thing we have in 2012 to actually being in another reality? When I play Halo I put on my headphones, I tell my girlfriend to occupy herself for about an hour and I get close enough to the t.v. (47 inch 1080p 120htz LED, Get One! It’s awesome!) to where it feels like a window into another reality. I feel like I’m “driving” a 900lb spartan around this world that I can manipulate. And for that hour or so (until my dog has to pee or something) I’m in that world. We can talk about specifics all day, but that feeling is what I love about Halo. And I’ve tried to do that with Gears, COD, Uncharted, and other popular franchises but nothing feels quite like Halo. With what they’re doing with the immersion in Halo 4 I’m very excited, and all of you should be as well. Who cares about the small changes, I get to explore a new world that is completely alien to me on nov 6th, that’s what it’s all about.
> > For me gameplay has nothing to do with the “feel”. It’s the moment when you enter this universe, when you know you’re a supersoldier in some badd-Yoink!- armor kicking alien’s butt. The enviroment and story is what Halo makes Halo, that you realise you’re a 1000 pounds spartan and that you have an amazing and unique arsenal of weapons. And most important is that it entertains you, not that you just have to be the best, but that you can always improve yourself and find new strategies and tactics.
>
> First off, great post. I feel the same way. I’ll explain: I love the idea of virtual reality. Think right now; what is the closest thing we have in 2012 to actually being in another reality? When I play Halo I put on my headphones, I tell my girlfriend to occupy herself for about an hour and I get close enough to the t.v. (47 inch 1080p 120htz LED, Get One! It’s awesome!) to where it feels like a window into another reality. I feel like I’m “driving” a 900lb spartan around this world that I can manipulate. And for that hour or so (until my dog has to pee or something) I’m in that world. We can talk about specifics all day, but that feeling is what I love about Halo. And I’ve tried to do that with Gears, COD, Uncharted, and other popular franchises but nothing feels quite like Halo. With what they’re doing with the immersion in Halo 4 I’m very excited, and all of you should be as well. Who cares about the small changes, I get to explore a new world that is completely alien to me on nov 6th, that’s what it’s all about.
Oh, very important. Small little breaks every 15 minutes to give your eyes a rest… Trust me.
> > > “Halo Feel” - depends on what Halo. I prefer CE, mixed in with a little 2:
> > >
> > > 1. Fast base movement speed, crisp strafe - in CE and 2, you could actually use strafe to throw people’s aim off. With the heavy inertia of 3 and Reach, this ability is greatly reduced
> > >
> > > 2. Low bullet magnetism - hate it when I can see that I missed someone’s head but the game gives me credit. It just breaks the immersion and makes headshots too easy
> > >
> > > 3. Fast minimum kill time, medium average kill time - in CE the minimum kill time was < 1 second. But people rarely got it (making it feel like an accomplishment), the average kill time was probably about the same as Halo 2 and slightly faster than 3 or Reach
> > >
> > > 4. Responsive aiming - low to zero aim acceleration or input lag. If any of you have CE Anniversary, try the campaign (particularly using classic graphics mode) - aiming is so smooth compared to 3 and Reach. It’s difficult to overemphasize how important this is, as it’s the base of the game!
> > >
> > > And that’s really it. The game is about moving and shooting. I want moving and shooting to feel crisp and responsive. And I want there to be a big gap between fastest kills and average kills so that moving and shooting accurately feel important.
> >
> > This right here is what I’m talking about. This is why I love Halo, the fact that a weapon like the BR was a normal 5sk, but if you were good it was a 4sk. Plus the perfect strafe to dodge a shot so you can land a extra one. This is what separates Halo from other games. Not who shot first, but who is better at strafe and landing shots.
> >
> > I can’t tell you how many times (and recently) in Halo 3 I’ve been quarter shields and taken on two players and won by just landing perfect shots and dodge strafing.
>
> Really? Halo 3 already felt pretty slow in terms of movement (strafing was just as bad as Reach). I’m surprised you can go 2 v 1 at quarter shields and win, given the slow strafe and high bullet magnetism…
Fairly easily, boasting aside however I doubt it could be done against two players of equal skill. And I would love to show you a average gameplay video but I don’t believe there is a way to access Halo 3 file share online anymore.