Thoughts of a Halo player

[Riseing]

So before you read what I have to say please take these points into account.

First, I am not attacking Bungie or 343i I am simply being honest with what I see.

Second, these are my thoughts and opinions I claim them as neither right nor wrong so do not assume otherwise. Third, if you post at least take the time to read what I’ve written.

 

I’m not quite sure where to start so I guess I’ll begin by talking about how I think Halo really changed direction starting with Reach. For the past few years I have continued to play Halo 3 instead of Reach, I even resisted ever owning my own copy of Reach. Now this is not because Reach was/is bad but simply because I never quite saw the logical jump from H3 to it. I started playing halo back when 2 was launched and when I had a chance to get H3 I jumped on it. The jump from H2 to H3 felt natural, easy like it was the logical progression. Sure the game had changed but on the base level it still felt the same. Weapons had changed, maps had changed but at the core it still had the same feel of H2.

Halo in those days was not what I would consider a very fast game, instead opting for a slower more calculated playstyle. In lower levels of matchmaking players could get away with a lone wolf playstyle. However, in higher levels teamwork was required to have any hope of winning. If your team wanted map control you would need coordinate when and where to push and keep track of where the power weapons where. A sniper rifle could (in the right hands) lock down large portions of a map and win you the game. That’s why small maps only had one, to promote balance and force players to work together. Halo games at this point never had that rushed COD feel to it. Don’t get me wrong I really like COD, but I played halo because it was a slower game. In COD you die in a blink, Halo always gave you time to prevent your death. At heart I think this fact alone is what drew me into the game.

 

Fast forward a few years

Halo REACH comes out, new weapons, new maps, and armor abilities. From a Halo 3 point of view it’s not the same game. Sure it has Halo in the title but it fails to play like the Halo that I love. The game is faster, jet packs now add a new level of play. Sprint is like a bad dream, the game no longer has that feeling of calculated play. I feel like it’s reverting to who sees who first....and I hate it. So I don’t play it, I ignore it. I keep playing halo 3 because what else can I do? So I wait hoping that H4 will be my savior. Hoping that H4 will return Halo to the play style that I love.

 

Halo 4

- Weapon spawns are no longer a huge part of the game

- Power weapons are given out like candy

- Everyone has sprint AND an armor ability

- Ordinance drops

- A single player with a DMR can hold down just about anything they want to

- Perks, I really miss powerup spawns

Halo 4 is also quite unbalanced. For example plasma pistols have always had the abality to shutdown vehicles, but now you can simply spawn with one....see the problem here?

 

My point is I think Halo has gotten too fast. Before it was never about speed but about tactics and true skill, I just don’t get that feeling anymore. I don’t feel like I’m playing Halo at all anymore but some hybrid monster. I don’t have the satisfaction of trying to gain rank as it’s exp based and not skill based. I doubt very many players would call H3 a “Stale copy” of H2, so why was the decision made to fix things that weren't broken. As a long term player I’m sad to see how the game has evolved, just another shooter with little to separate it from the rest. I will continue to play H4 because it's at heart a decent game, but the Halo that I knew died a while back.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Happy Gaming

[Zparxz]

I agree whole heartedly. I read everything. Every single detail that you just written was in my head, I just didn't know how to word it. I hate what Halo has become...

[Catman87]

Lets just hope they come out with a classic gametype soon. You start with an assault rifle and that's it. If you want a dmr you gotta find one and grab it when it spawns. Active camo and overshields that spawn on the map will be great, and active camo that is actually camo. None of this only being invisible when you are standing still crap. If they release a gametype like this I think halo 4 will be the best game ever... the best of both worlds.

[Joshua Broussard]

Needing an ARMOR MODIFICATION to Sprint is the most moronic retarded idea ever.

 

I personally LOVE the fact that a Spartan now can get the **** out of the OH **** zone.

 

Honestly if you lack the mental capacity to run........ your beyond help.

[TornadoFlame]

sprinting just promotes everyone sprinting to double beat down...

but i agree this is more cod then halo.

It's sad that if they just make it classic this game would probably top cod but i think if it doesn't go in the direction of Halo cod will dominate halo easily :/

[natbea09]

I am an old school halo 2 fan and player along with halo 3. I feel the sameway as the OP. I never owned a copy of halo reach, and now h4 is a copy from cod. Its still a good game, but what happened to halo being original? Halo is just.like cod/gears now. And the ranking system also takes away from the competitiveness. I still play hard, but the motivation is very low.

[Riseing]

I am an old school halo 2 fan and player along with halo 3. I feel the sameway as the OP. I never owned a copy of halo reach, and now h4 is a copy from cod. Its still a good game, but what happened to halo being original? Halo is just.like cod/gears now. And the ranking system also takes away from the competitiveness. I still play hard, but the motivation is very low.

Yea it just doesn't feel the same anymore.

[SatanicBagels]

Needing an ARMOR MODIFICATION to Sprint is the most moronic retarded idea ever.

 

I personally LOVE the fact that a Spartan now can get the **** out of the OH **** zone.

 

Honestly if you lack the mental capacity to run........ your beyond help.

 

Is this kind of post really necessary. There are perfectly logical reasons as to why Sprint should be a pickup as opposed to standard so it isn't really as obvious of a choice as you seem to think.

[The Director]

Is this kind of post really necessary. There are perfectly logical reasons as to why Sprint should be a pickup as opposed to standard so it isn't really as obvious of a choice as you seem to think.

Yeah, but not canon wise. That was one of the jokes that went around during the HCE-H3 days. The fact that the spartans in the books were so much better than the ones in the games, because they could run and swim. lol

[Metalunatic]

Sorry you see it that way, OP. I really enjoy H4 so far though sometimes I need a retreat from the armor abilities and thank god there is pro slayer for that.

[Riseing]

Yeah, but not canon wise. That was one of the jokes that went around during the HCE-H3 days. The fact that the spartans in the books were so much better than the ones in the games, because they could run and swim. lol

 

Yea, but no reason to change that now. I really feel like sprint unbalances the whole game.

[smitty49]

i agree with most of what the op wrote, it was more about tactics, but adding the br and dmr (and other guns like those) .... and make them as strong as they are now and were like in halo 3,,, and 2... really eliminated the skill needed and the tatics.

[JP.]

Halo was the bench mark for inovation.

And other games used the ideas.

But they were wanabe copy's.

 

Halo4 is now a copy of the copy!

This is not inovation, this is just a shadow of the masterpiece.

 

But saying that...

My favourite Halo was actually REACH.

 

Sorry 343 but no you didn't live up to the promiss.

Now all I want is the new masterpiece being created by Bungie and Activision.

 

 

[Caboose The Ace]

i welcome halo 4 new changes feels refreshing

[electr0nicninja]

Sorry you see it that way, OP. I really enjoy H4 so far though sometimes I need a retreat from the armor abilities and thank god there is pro slayer for that.

[DoctorB77]

Halo 4 might have new changes. But it feels more like halo 3 than I could imagine. It is just the same pace as H3 and is just as enjoyable. IMO we are back to the feel we want.

[Ventus]

Honestly, do you really want a game to stay the same all the time? Won't it grow stale after a while? If Halo 4 was just like Halo 3 with just better graphics and new weapons/maps, it would become boring pretty quickly in my opinion. I prefer changes that provide a refreshing and new experience. I understand that you want Halo 4 to feel like the Halo games you love, but times change and so do games. Cherish the old memories, but move on and create new memories as well. Don't just sit there and think back about what used to be great, that way you won't be able to enjoy anything new.

[Riseing]

Honestly, do you really want a game to stay the same all the time? Won't it grow stale after a while? If Halo 4 was just like Halo 3 with just better graphics and new weapons/maps,

 

I would love it.

 

Halo 4 might have new changes. But it feels more like halo 3 than I could imagine. It is just the same pace as H3 and is just as enjoyable. IMO we are back to the feel we want.

 

It plays nothing at all like Halo 3, or even reach for that matter.

[Riseing]

Well I tried SWAT...still hate the game. GTA V is sounding really good right about now.

[realitykid]

It plays nothing at all like Halo 3, or even reach for that matter.

 

I think that's a good thing though. Halo 4 needs to be able to have its own look and feel, not the same look and feel that has been offered in past Halo games. I'm sorry, but if Halo 4 were to be just like Halo 3, then I would not have wanted it. It would just be the same old game, and I already have the Halo 3 multiplayer so there'd be no point in me spending money on Halo 4 except for the campaign (would be better off to rent it at that point).

 

As far as balance goes, I feel as if Halo 4 is much more balanced than the past Halo games. So what if someone can get a DMR as soon as they spawn? So can you, if you want one. At that point, it just comes down to who is better. Everyone has sprint, and access to the same abilities.

 

In Halo 3, you had to know where the weapons would spawn, and hope to God that you got to a good one before someone else did. And if you were new to the game, then you'd be out of luck because the enemy team would already have all the good weapons and you'd just be getting creamed. Sure, that might be fun for the people who have the unfair advantage of knowing where all the good stuff is at. But, it's no fun for the new guys and they'll just leave Halo because they can't have fun. Halo 4 fixes that problem, IMO.

 

I honestly hope that Halo never goes back to its old style of gameplay. I much prefer the direction 343 is taking it now and I applaud 343 for being brave enough to make the changes.

 

Well I tried SWAT...still hate the game. GTA V is sounding really good right about now.

 

What has GTA V got to do with Halo 4?

[Riseing]

I think that's a good thing though. Halo 4 needs to be able to have its own look and feel, not the same look and feel that has been offered in past Halo games. I'm sorry, but if Halo 4 were to be just like Halo 3, then I would not have wanted it. It would just be the same old game, and I already have the Halo 3 multiplayer so there'd be no point in me spending money on Halo 4 except for the campaign (would be better off to rent it at that point).

 

As far as balance goes, I feel as if Halo 4 is much more balanced than the past Halo games. So what if someone can get a DMR as soon as they spawn? So can you, if you want one. At that point, it just comes down to who is better. Everyone has sprint, and access to the same abilities.

 

In Halo 3, you had to know where the weapons would spawn, and hope to God that you got to a good one before someone else did. And if you were new to the game, then you'd be out of luck because the enemy team would already have all the good weapons and you'd just be getting creamed. Sure, that might be fun for the people who have the unfair advantage of knowing where all the good stuff is at. But, it's no fun for the new guys and they'll just leave Halo because they can't have fun. Halo 4 fixes that problem, IMO.

 

I honestly hope that Halo never goes back to its old style of gameplay. I much prefer the direction 343 is taking it now and I applaud 343 for being brave enough to make the changes.

If I play a game for hours and hours I expect to better then the new kids that play. Why should they have a built in advantage? I took the time to look up your service record on battle.net, you have 219 multiplayer kills and only 32 matchmade games. I submit that you like the new playstyle because you were never very good at the old one. This is not an insult but I feel that the new playstyle has been dumbed down and made simple. They even failed to take the time to balance the damn game, for gods sake plasma pistols have always stunned vehicles but now you can just spawn with one and shutdown anything. If you like games that are fair to new players then I should point out that Halo 4 gives major advantages to players to play more but giving access to better weapons, loadouts, and perks.

The only advantage players in Halo 3 had was knowledge of maps and weapon spawns.

 

People buy new games because they like the old ones, and they expect the game to keep to its roots. Had I known how this game would turn out like this I would have never bought it.

 

 

What has GTA V got to do with Halo 4?

Nothing

[Twinreaper]

Riseing, your argument is completely without any merit. Simply because you cannot successfully combat people who you claim are "newer" to the franchise, just simply shows that you cannot and could not completely adapt to the new gameplay, nor successfully outwit or properly pay attention to players loadouts. The reason they give you access to multiple loadouts, is sot that you can choose counter-active measures against players who give you a big challenge in-game. By not utilizing a proper loadout, you fail to completely compensate for any issues you may face in battle.

 

As for the PP, it does not stun long. They changed the vehicle reaction time to stunning to be quite a bit less than in previous Halo's. The reason behind this was likely the fact that players could spawn with one, and they saw the PP spam fest coming ahead of time. Also, charging the PP takes a slight bit longer, and also drains the energy of the weapon as you hold the trigger down. So in reality, the changes negated anyone from charging one, and just sitting there waiting to spam people with it. Again, a moot and not very thought out response on that one my friend. For that matter...when and where are these "power weapons" that are handed out like candy? Last time I played....people were fighting tooth and nail over the spawn point of the power weapons on the map by default.

 

Also, where do you get off thinking that just because you play Halo for more time than someone else, that it should equate to you being better? Time put in, does not make you better than the next person in anything that you do. It is all about how you effectively apply the expereince going forward. Not everyone can effectively apply what they learn, or retain that knowledge. It is human nature, and it works against us at multiple times.

 

As for Halo 4 not having Halo roots, again, Halo means different things to everyone. Yes it will not please all people, but you cannot say that a game has no "Halo roots". It is Halo in the end, and it was made in the same fashion as the others. Newer features or tweaks does not make something not a part of the original expereince, it is YOU who sees it as such, and your opinion cannot be counted as fact nor proof that Halo 4 has failed. If you want to prove that Halo 4 is just bad or wrong in any aspect, you need to show data or examples that clearly dictate the point you are trying to make. For example, look at my posts about Halo 4. I can give and cite a myriad of comparison data and proof to show why I feel the way I do, and prove where they took 5 steps back with the title.

 

Again people...unless you can contribute something meaningfull to threads like this, stay the hell out and keep it shorter than it becomes. Spamming and posting nonsense makes it harder to read thru these threads and find relevance.

[Riseing]

Riseing, your argument is completely without any merit. Simply because you cannot successfully combat people who you claim are "newer" to the franchise, just simply shows that you cannot and could not completely adapt to the new gameplay, nor successfully outwit or properly pay attention to players loadouts. The reason they give you access to multiple loadouts, is sot that you can choose counter-active measures against players who give you a big challenge in-game. By not utilizing a proper loadout, you fail to completely compensate for any issues you may face in battle.

 

As for the PP, it does not stun long. They changed the vehicle reaction time to stunning to be quite a bit less than in previous Halo's. The reason behind this was likely the fact that players could spawn with one, and they saw the PP spam fest coming ahead of time. Also, charging the PP takes a slight bit longer, and also drains the energy of the weapon as you hold the trigger down. So in reality, the changes negated anyone from charging one, and just sitting there waiting to spam people with it. Again, a moot and not very thought out response on that one my friend. For that matter...when and where are these "power weapons" that are handed out like candy? Last time I played....people were fighting tooth and nail over the spawn point of the power weapons on the map by default.

 

Also, where do you get off thinking that just because you play Halo for more time than someone else, that it should equate to you being better? Time put in, does not make you better than the next person in anything that you do. It is all about how you effectively apply the expereince going forward. Not everyone can effectively apply what they learn, or retain that knowledge. It is human nature, and it works against us at multiple times.

 

As for Halo 4 not having Halo roots, again, Halo means different things to everyone. Yes it will not please all people, but you cannot say that a game has no "Halo roots". It is Halo in the end, and it was made in the same fashion as the others. Newer features or tweaks does not make something not a part of the original expereince, it is YOU who sees it as such, and your opinion cannot be counted as fact nor proof that Halo 4 has failed. If you want to prove that Halo 4 is just bad or wrong in any aspect, you need to show data or examples that clearly dictate the point you are trying to make. For example, look at my posts about Halo 4. I can give and cite a myriad of comparison data and proof to show why I feel the way I do, and prove where they took 5 steps back with the title.

 

Again people...unless you can contribute something meaningfull to threads like this, stay the hell out and keep it shorter than it becomes. Spamming and posting nonsense makes it harder to read thru these threads and find relevance.

 

I never said it was fact, it's my opinion. And I will continue to say what I believe is true whether you like it or not. You state your opinion I state mine, but you posted in my thread for the purpose of arguing. Make your own thread.

Thanks for the bump.

[Dawn Wolf]

Oh please. This business about Halo not playing like Halo, or even funnier, Halo playing like CoD is quite silly.

 

Halo 4, plays NOTHING like a Call of Duty game. Anyone who actually think it does either:

 

-Has never played Halo 4

-Has never played CoD

-Lacks the intelligence to understand either one of them

 

As it so happens, at their very core, these two games play fundamentally different from each other. Halo, at its core, is about:

 

-Accurate Hipfire Combat

-Gladiatorial Combat

-Weapon Variety

-Abstract, Functional Map Design

-An engine designed to make you feel like a supersoldier

-Dynamic, three dimentional, engagements, that make use of the Halo triangle

 

These things have NOT changed.

 

They could change things like:

 

-Loudouts

-Bells and Whistles

-Progression System

-Killcams/Spawning/Balance

 

Not necessarily for better or worse, and the game would still be Halo at its core.

 

If you think Halo plays like CoD, you really, REALLY don't understand these games. And for the record, I love both games.

 

Also, what is this nonsense about 343 ruining Halo by giving everyone rifles? Throughout my H3/R career, I can remember countless bitching from myself and others about spawning with ARs, and having little chance to turn a game around once the other team got control. Players were always complaining about the AR in general, and that the weapon takes "no skill to use". In fact, I recall people 9 out of 10 times voting for BRs instead of Slayer when it would come up, because that was the type of game that really dominated Halo. I remember playing AR slayer on Valhalla and thinking, why does this option even exist? Yes, its true, AR slayer does bring something to the table that Rifle slayer does not. It can be interesting, and I wouldn't mind seeing options for both at times. But if we had to choose? Come on now.

 

When playing H3/R, I never would have thought people would COMPLAIN about being given a DMR/BR every game. And in Reach, everyone and their moths complained about Bloom. Now that it's gone, and we have DMRs, people complain, of all things, that the game takes no skill. My god.

[Riseing]

Oh please. This business about Halo not playing like Halo, or even funnier, Halo playing like CoD is quite silly.

 

Halo 4, plays NOTHING like a Call of Duty game. Anyone who actually think it does either:

 

-Has never played Halo 4

-Has never played CoD

-Lacks the intelligence to understand either one of them

 

As it so happens, at their very core, these two games play fundamentally different from each other. Halo, at its core, is about:

 

-Accurate Hipfire Combat

-Gladiatorial Combat

-Weapon Variety

-Abstract, Functional Map Design

-An engine designed to make you feel like a supersoldier

-Dynamic, three dimentional, engagements, that make use of the Halo triangle

 

These things have NOT changed.

 

They could change things like:

 

-Loudouts

-Bells and Whistles

-Progression System

-Killcams/Spawning/Balance

 

Not necessarily for better or worse, and the game would still be Halo at its core.

 

If you think Halo plays like CoD, you really, REALLY don't understand these games. And for the record, I love both games.

 

Also, what is this nonsense about 343 ruining Halo by giving everyone rifles? Throughout my H3/R career, I can remember countless bitching from myself and others about spawning with ARs, and having little chance to turn a game around once the other team got control. Players were always complaining about the AR in general, and that the weapon takes "no skill to use". In fact, I recall people 9 out of 10 times voting for BRs instead of Slayer when it would come up, because that was the type of game that really dominated Halo. I remember playing AR slayer on Valhalla and thinking, why does this option even exist? Yes, its true, AR slayer does bring something to the table that Rifle slayer does not. It can be interesting, and I wouldn't mind seeing options for both at times. But if we had to choose? Come on now.

 

When playing H3/R, I never would have thought people would COMPLAIN about being given a DMR/BR every game. And in Reach, everyone and their moths complained about Bloom. Now that it's gone, and we have DMRs, people complain, of all things, that the game takes no skill. My god.

 

I see you failed to understand my point.

Thanks for the bump