I remember being a kid and being absolutely blown away by Halo:CE, not just the story and game play but also by the shear size and scale of some of the engagements. there was a couple moments during that campaign that I actually felt like I was taking on an army that was well supplied, dug in, and had its own objectives. the game play although it was still linear still gave you enough room to move around that the battlefield felt full and chaotic.
My best example of this glorious artistry of mayhem would be the level where you are trying to deactivate the energy pylons after you retrieve Cortana from the control room. no matter which way you looked there was well dug in covenant fighting flood, fighting sentinels, and then fighting you. It was a true battlefield where you could see and feel the chaos. The only reason it was just you in that scenario was backed up by the fact that your lone ship with only its compliment of marines and assets landed, and that was only a fraction of them at that.
Fast forward to H2-H5: the games were better in every way than thier predecessor in some form or another… except in one area. where Halo:CE was still linear it didn’t feel that way. however with H2,H3,H4,H5 everything seemed to give you the answer on where to go. Firefights although they may have had alot of enemies only felt exactly what they were, small engadements. even the large battles only seemed to fit the “boss battle” routine…I’m talking to you KRAKEN, it would have been better to destroy the kraken as it attacked Thel vadamee’s keep instead of someone taking their biggest weapon right into a choke point. But I digress, with the advancements in tech and power for these systems I always thought things would get bigger not “made” to look bigger.
another good example is that in H2, H3 we are fighting on earth, invasion or not there was not one full scale battle with more than 10 to 15 marines. I’m sorry but even short handed earth had more time to prepare than any colony. divisions should have been on standby all across the globe ready to engage. to me this was a huge let down.
Now I get to my biggest tease of this thread…HALO REACH…does everyone remember the commercial and cut scene where you are in a convoy full of tanks and warthogs and your riding into battle to what looks to be a scene from Halo Wars only to be jerked to the right to an off-ramp of all the action to another linear mission? this to me solidified my frustration…I had been so close to that all out, chaotic, insane amount of not knowing whats coming next…only to be let down once again.
I believe that this issue is the only thing that Bungie and 343 have not really touched on in almost every installment since H1. really this is just me thinking or it could be a PSA if enough people comment their feelings on the issue. thanks for reading my thoughts, I hope I’m not the only one who has felt this way.
I totally understand how you feel.
I love every Halo equally. (Halo 2 was my first the CE)
I get it. It would be really great to have large open environment’s like in CE but honestly I’m just as happy being led down a path as I am exploring an open environment. I’m glad no Halo has multiple endings because then it messes with the lore timeline. Same could happen with an open map. In the end, for me, it comes down to the story and the lore and as long as that part is solid and consistent then the gameplay, as great or as bad, is irrelevant.
Great post and thanks for opening up a great discussion.
I completely agree. Halo CE still has the best campaign in my opinion. It makes you feel like you are on a Halo when you are dropped off and then the rest is up to you. I have always thought they would expand on how they did Halo CE campaign but they haven’t. It just keeps getting more linear.
Err halo CE didn’t feel more large scale than the next ones much.
And halo 5 probably feels the most like this so far. Especially during Sunaion where it feels like this epic giant battle you’re taking part in.
The story of a guy that was amazed by something as a kid but got cynical as he got older.
Gripping stuff.
Each Halo had a sense of a large scale at certain points, just some more than others
> 2533274805497312;5:
> The story of a guy that was amazed by something as a kid but got cynical as he got older.
>
> Gripping stuff.
How am I being cynical? I’m simply stating my opinion on an issue I feel should be looked at within the games themselves. its not a degradation, merely a facet of game play I wish had been more fleshed out.
with a comment like that I think it might be that you are the more cynical one. No?
I’ll never forget stepping onto Halo that first time.
> 2533274809220485;4:
> Err halo CE didn’t feel more large scale than the next ones much.
>
> And halo 5 probably feels the most like this so far. Especially during Sunaion where it feels like this epic giant battle you’re taking part in.
I dunno, the campaign level “Halo” was pretty large to me. And the Silent Cartographer… and Assault on the Control Room/Two Betrayals.
> 2533274883030212;2:
> I totally understand how you feel.
> I love every Halo equally. (Halo 2 was my first the CE)
> I get it. It would be really great to have large open environment’s like in CE but honestly I’m just as happy being led down a path as I am exploring an open environment. I’m glad no Halo has multiple endings because then it messes with the lore timeline. Same could happen with an open map. In the end, for me, it comes down to the story and the lore and as long as that part is solid and consistent then the gameplay, as great or as bad, is irrelevant.
> Great post and thanks for opening up a great discussion.
Yeah the old games had so much open world to them. 2007 on the 360, we got to fight TWO scarabs in hornets and flying in-game stuff. In the SAME LEVEL!
Now it’s all so simple, just get it done, the only thing that does it great is the detail. I say they should stop working on detail and work on Brian Reed’s writing. Hire joseph Staten 343!
I see what you’re saying. Rather than a straight forward arena style campaign, you want an open arena. A map that is larger and open and free roam ready. One that has many objectives and places to see. I’m not saying open world; but, rather, open arena. A good example would be the missions “Silent Cartographer” or “Halo” from Halo CE. These are just two of many open arena missions from Halo CE, that were fun and memorable. Free roam around an island while desperately searching for a map, only to have it blocked off by an elite. Then, you had to travel across the island to another location to fight your way through a facility in order to unlock the door to the map room. Then, you had to fight across the island again to the map facility. After taking out your opponents and finding the map, you have to fight your way back out to the pelican. Finally, after reaching the pelican, you don’t even have to enter it the finish the mission. You could spend hours just running around the island exploring and looking for easter eggs. The island had many structures to admire, events on the beaches, hidden routs, and so on. That is just one explanation of the Halo CE campaign. I know what you’re talking about, and wish to see that return again.
> 2533275050532363;10:
> > 2533274883030212;2:
> > I totally understand how you feel.
> > I love every Halo equally. (Halo 2 was my first the CE)
> > I get it. It would be really great to have large open environment’s like in CE but honestly I’m just as happy being led down a path as I am exploring an open environment. I’m glad no Halo has multiple endings because then it messes with the lore timeline. Same could happen with an open map. In the end, for me, it comes down to the story and the lore and as long as that part is solid and consistent then the gameplay, as great or as bad, is irrelevant.
> > Great post and thanks for opening up a great discussion.
>
>
> Yeah the old games had so much open world to them. 2007 on the 360, we got to fight TWO scarabs in hornets and flying in-game stuff. In the SAME LEVEL!
> Now it’s all so simple, just get it done, the only thing that does it great is the detail. I say they should stop working on detail and work on Brian Reed’s writing. Hire joseph Staten 343!
Halo needs larger, more open setpeice battles, so… get a new writer?
I don’t follow.
> 2533274900911359;11:
> I see what you’re saying. Rather than a straight forward arena style campaign, you want an open arena. A map that is larger and open and free roam ready. One that has many objectives and places to see. I’m not saying open world; but, rather, open arena. A good example would be the missions “Silent Cartographer” or “Halo” from Halo CE. These are just two of many open arena missions from Halo CE, that were fun and memorable. Free roam around an island while desperately searching for a map, only to have it blocked off by an elite. Then, you had to travel across the island to another location to fight your way through a facility in order to unlock the door to the map room. Then, you had to fight across the island again to the map facility. After taking out your opponents and finding the map, you have to fight your way back out to the pelican. Finally, after reaching the pelican, you don’t even have to enter it the finish the mission. You could spend hours just running around the island exploring and looking for easter eggs. The island had many structures to admire, events on the beaches, hidden routs, and so on. That is just one explanation of the Halo CE campaign. I know what you’re talking about, and wish to see that return again.
This^^
Is exactly what I meant by it may have been linear, but it didn’t feel that way.
> 2535408098758027;13:
> > 2533274900911359;11:
> > I see what you’re saying. Rather than a straight forward arena style campaign, you want an open arena. A map that is larger and open and free roam ready. One that has many objectives and places to see. I’m not saying open world; but, rather, open arena. A good example would be the missions “Silent Cartographer” or “Halo” from Halo CE. These are just two of many open arena missions from Halo CE, that were fun and memorable. Free roam around an island while desperately searching for a map, only to have it blocked off by an elite. Then, you had to travel across the island to another location to fight your way through a facility in order to unlock the door to the map room. Then, you had to fight across the island again to the map facility. After taking out your opponents and finding the map, you have to fight your way back out to the pelican. Finally, after reaching the pelican, you don’t even have to enter it the finish the mission. You could spend hours just running around the island exploring and looking for easter eggs. The island had many structures to admire, events on the beaches, hidden routs, and so on. That is just one explanation of the Halo CE campaign. I know what you’re talking about, and wish to see that return again.
>
>
> This^^
> Is exactly what I meant by it may have been linear, but it didn’t feel that way.
Have you played the new Wolfenstein?
> 2533274805497312;5:
> The story of a guy that was amazed by something as a kid but got cynical as he got older.
>
> Gripping stuff.
exactly
> 2535408098758027;1:
> I remember being a kid and being absolutely blown away by Halo:CE, not just the story and game play but also by the shear size and scale of some of the engagements. there was a couple moments during that campaign that I actually felt like I was taking on an army that was well supplied, dug in, and had its own objectives. the game play although it was still linear still gave you enough room to move around that the battlefield felt full and chaotic.
>
> My best example of this glorious artistry of mayhem would be the level where you are trying to deactivate the energy pylons after you retrieve Cortana from the control room. no matter which way you looked there was well dug in covenant fighting flood, fighting sentinels, and then fighting you. It was a true battlefield where you could see and feel the chaos. The only reason it was just you in that scenario was backed up by the fact that your lone ship with only its compliment of marines and assets landed, and that was only a fraction of them at that.
>
> Fast forward to H2-H5: the games were better in every way than thier predecessor in some form or another… except in one area. where Halo:CE was still linear it didn’t feel that way. however with H2,H3,H4,H5 everything seemed to give you the answer on where to go. Firefights although they may have had alot of enemies only felt exactly what they were, small engadements. even the large battles only seemed to fit the “boss battle” routine…I’m talking to you KRAKEN, it would have been better to destroy the kraken as it attacked Thel vadamee’s keep instead of someone taking their biggest weapon right into a choke point. But I digress, with the advancements in tech and power for these systems I always thought things would get bigger not “made” to look bigger.
>
> another good example is that in H2, H3 we are fighting on earth, invasion or not there was not one full scale battle with more than 10 to 15 marines. I’m sorry but even short handed earth had more time to prepare than any colony. divisions should have been on standby all across the globe ready to engage. to me this was a huge let down.
>
> Now I get to my biggest tease of this thread…HALO REACH…does everyone remember the commercial and cut scene where you are in a convoy full of tanks and warthogs and your riding into battle to what looks to be a scene from Halo Wars only to be jerked to the right to an off-ramp of all the action to another linear mission? this to me solidified my frustration…I had been so close to that all out, chaotic, insane amount of not knowing whats coming next…only to be let down once again.
>
> I believe that this issue is the only thing that Bungie and 343 have not really touched on in almost every installment since H1. really this is just me venting or it could be a PSA if enough people comment their feelings on the issue. thanks for reading my rant, I hope I’m not the only one who has felt this way.
I would like to see how 343 goes ahead and formats Halo 6’s story. It might be the Halo we’re waiting for, maybe not.
> 2533274831998765;15:
> > 2533274805497312;5:
> > The story of a guy that was amazed by something as a kid but got cynical as he got older.
> >
> > Gripping stuff.
>
>
> exactly
still don’t see how ya’ll think this was a cynical rant.
> 2533274953123640;14:
> > 2535408098758027;13:
> > > 2533274900911359;11:
> > > I see what you’re saying. Rather than a straight forward arena style campaign, you want an open arena. A map that is larger and open and free roam ready. One that has many objectives and places to see. I’m not saying open world; but, rather, open arena. A good example would be the missions “Silent Cartographer” or “Halo” from Halo CE. These are just two of many open arena missions from Halo CE, that were fun and memorable. Free roam around an island while desperately searching for a map, only to have it blocked off by an elite. Then, you had to travel across the island to another location to fight your way through a facility in order to unlock the door to the map room. Then, you had to fight across the island again to the map facility. After taking out your opponents and finding the map, you have to fight your way back out to the pelican. Finally, after reaching the pelican, you don’t even have to enter it the finish the mission. You could spend hours just running around the island exploring and looking for easter eggs. The island had many structures to admire, events on the beaches, hidden routs, and so on. That is just one explanation of the Halo CE campaign. I know what you’re talking about, and wish to see that return again.
> >
> >
> > This^^
> > Is exactly what I meant by it may have been linear, but it didn’t feel that way.
>
>
> Have you played the new Wolfenstein?
I have not, does it play along these same lines?
I feel a lot the same way. I do really like every Halo campaign, including H5, but I don’t get why you keep hearing how great Silent Cartographer was, or Assault on The Control Room, and no one has tried to recreate that, mechanically, in any way. 343 Themselves have talked up Silent Cartographer on a number of occasions, and here we are still, with the biggest open playable area in Halo 5 being… maybe one of the arenas on Sanghelios?
I mean yeah, the levels LOOK bigger. The skyboxes and scenery definitely give a greater feeling of scale than before. (Halo 4’s Forerunner structures genuinely made you feel like an ant) but it’s that issue of seeing a place, but not being able to go there. In CE, if you saw a ledge, you could probably go there. “Oh look, there’s a weapons cache up there, let me see how I can make that jump.” We don’t really get that anymore. There’s a few secrets, sure, but it all feels so… planned? If that makes sense. In CE when you found something cool, you felt like you weren’t supposed to be there, like you beat the system somehow. In H5, all the little secret tidbits feel like you were always meant to find them, and if you didn’t you’re a noob.
I remember alway hating Two Betrayals, mainly I think because I was younger and not nearly as skilled at shooters as I am now, and now I really kind of miss it. That ability to grab a banshee and go places out of order, “disobeying” Cortana and clearing out areas before you were “supposed to.” The ability to make those choices made me feel more powerful than holding a rocket launcher did.
> 2535455771499455;16:
> > 2535408098758027;1:
> > I remember being a kid and being absolutely blown away by Halo:CE, not just the story and game play but also by the shear size and scale of some of the engagements. there was a couple moments during that campaign that I actually felt like I was taking on an army that was well supplied, dug in, and had its own objectives. the game play although it was still linear still gave you enough room to move around that the battlefield felt full and chaotic.
> >
> > My best example of this glorious artistry of mayhem would be the level where you are trying to deactivate the energy pylons after you retrieve Cortana from the control room. no matter which way you looked there was well dug in covenant fighting flood, fighting sentinels, and then fighting you. It was a true battlefield where you could see and feel the chaos. The only reason it was just you in that scenario was backed up by the fact that your lone ship with only its compliment of marines and assets landed, and that was only a fraction of them at that.
> >
> > Fast forward to H2-H5: the games were better in every way than thier predecessor in some form or another… except in one area. where Halo:CE was still linear it didn’t feel that way. however with H2,H3,H4,H5 everything seemed to give you the answer on where to go. Firefights although they may have had alot of enemies only felt exactly what they were, small engadements. even the large battles only seemed to fit the “boss battle” routine…I’m talking to you KRAKEN, it would have been better to destroy the kraken as it attacked Thel vadamee’s keep instead of someone taking their biggest weapon right into a choke point. But I digress, with the advancements in tech and power for these systems I always thought things would get bigger not “made” to look bigger.
> >
> > another good example is that in H2, H3 we are fighting on earth, invasion or not there was not one full scale battle with more than 10 to 15 marines. I’m sorry but even short handed earth had more time to prepare than any colony. divisions should have been on standby all across the globe ready to engage. to me this was a huge let down.
> >
> > Now I get to my biggest tease of this thread…HALO REACH…does everyone remember the commercial and cut scene where you are in a convoy full of tanks and warthogs and your riding into battle to what looks to be a scene from Halo Wars only to be jerked to the right to an off-ramp of all the action to another linear mission? this to me solidified my frustration…I had been so close to that all out, chaotic, insane amount of not knowing whats coming next…only to be let down once again.
> >
> > I believe that this issue is the only thing that Bungie and 343 have not really touched on in almost every installment since H1. really this is just me venting or it could be a PSA if enough people comment their feelings on the issue. thanks for reading my rant, I hope I’m not the only one who has felt this way.
>
>
> I would like to see how 343 goes ahead and formats Halo 6’s story. It might be the Halo we’re waiting for, maybe not.
I think, as long as 343i is on the kick of wanting to phase out MC, which is a F’n HUGE MISTAKE if they go through with it, H6 will probably not exactly be the Halo we’re waiting for, but I completely agree with the OP on the scale/scope of the campaign of CE compared to every other subsequent game. In all honesty, Bungie got part of this equation right once again with Destiny, it’s open world to a point. Problem is, there aren’t enough new regions to explore and all the missions are WAY too short and finite. 343i, IF YOU’RE LISTENING, I seriously hope you can use WZFF to you advantage and determine how much you can work with MASSIVE CAMPAIGN BATTLES that actually involve a scenario similar in scale to the Spire invasion mission in Reach, WITHOUT the total tease. Please and thank you.
Oh, and make MC the main character again!!! 'Nuff of this BS. =P