RisingPho3nix

Oh I know the lore. Doesn't make me hate the Flood any less.

I have to admit, I am shocked and depressed by how many people want the Flood to come back. The Halo games I have enjoyed the most, with the exception of Combat Evolved, have all been the games WITHOUT the Flood. I might actually cry if the Flood come back for Halo 5.

If you want a more in depth answer, read the Kilo-Five book trilogy. It starts with Halo: Glasslands and continues with Halo: The Thursday War, but I don't think the third book has been released yet. In any case, these books are what bridge the gap between Halo 3 and Halo 4.

Call me crazy, but I actually really like Palmer. She's the only Spartan IV besides Thorne who I think could prove themselves worthy of the Spartan name. I wasn't too sure I'd like her in the beginning, but she's grown on me. Personally, I hope she gets a much bigger role in the main campaign of Halo 5.

So after a fair bit of thinking and playing a TON of Spartan Ops, I'm starting to think that with the death of Cortana, John's new partner in crime could become Commander Sarah Palmer. The way she leads Fireteam Crimson is not that different from the way Cortana helped John. While we would all like Cortana to return, I would rather the Chief partner up with Palmer than be paired with another AI.

So I've had a couple friends tell me now that I can advance my weapon commendations in Spartan Ops matchmaking, but mine still say that I can only advance them by killing enemy spartans, and when I tested in anyway, it didn't work. Are my friends pulling my leg or am I missing something?

Quite honestly, I think 343 is taking the whole Halo Universe far more seriously than Bungie did. I think they're going to build him up in Spartan Ops and then have him really jump onto the scene in Halo 5.

You know, that point about Spartan Ops is a pretty good one. I think that would be the perfect way to set up Cortana's return. But maybe save it for Halo 5, should Spartan Ops return. That way, it serves as a prequel of sorts to the ending clip of her return.

You know, I usually hate that equation, but having actually given it some real thought, I can't help but agree with it. Cortana is an integral part of the Halo formula, and Halo would not be the same without her. The Master Chief and Cortana have become one of those inseparable duos where it's either both of them, or none of them. That said, I think given the goal of humanizing the Master Chief, that strength of partnership makes her "death" pretty much mandatory. And also makes it even more important that she does not return in Halo 5 (unless it's in a bonus legendary ending clip). The Master Chief needs a serious taste of life without her. What would be really interesting, story wise, is if Halo 6 was a conflict between stopping Didact and saving Cortana. As in, make it seem like you can either stop Didact or save Cortana, not both. And to prove that his humanity is winning out over the soldier/machine side, have him choose to save Cortana. And then, through the kind of daring and luck the Master Chief is known for, have him do both anyway. That way, you can complete the humanizing arc by ending it on the point that our humanity is what gives us the greatest strength.

I think making her human with the Composer is exactly what they set out to do. My guess is that we'll learn of her possible return at the end of Halo 5, maybe as a small clip in the legendary ending.

I wrote the title as it is to avoid spoilers. I figured that anyone who had beaten the campaign would know what I was talking about.

So the one thing I'm noticing in Halo 4 Matchmaking is a distinct lack of attack/defend gametypes. Specifically, the absence of Single-Flag CTF, which was hands down my favorite multiplayer gametype since Halo 2. I miss it. I miss it badly. And after playing obscene amounts of Rush in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3, I find myself feeling like I need Single-Flag CTF in Halo 4. Anyone else feel like it needs to make a return?

Troll hard my friend, troll hard. As for me, the only shooter that could pull me away from Halo is Battlefield 4. Or Battlefield 3 if 343 doesn't add single-flag CTF.

About the Chief/Cortana thing? Check out a thread I started: http://www.343industries.org/forum/topic/17116-opinion-why-cortana-was-a-good-thing/ That'll give you my thoughts on that particular aspect of the story. Also, I would point out that the Chief was actually not on Reach when the Covenant invaded. He was not part of the ground team that was sent to guard the reactors. Fred-104 was the Spartan in charge of that op. As far as John-117's luck is concerned, that ties in with the main point in my Cortana thread, which was that the time has come for change. John-117 has been the lucky/unstoppable badass for 3 amazing games, but it's time for his character to evolve into something more. To do that, he has to be thrust into a situation where not even his luck can save him. Hence, Cortana.