Can I just vent for a minute? (Official Halo 4 Criticism)

[the kaTaLySt]

Let me begin with a little introduction, as this is my first post in the 343i forums.

 

I am a long-time fan of the Halo franchise. Since age 11 when my brother picked up a copy of Halo: CE from the local game store, I've been dedicated to the Halo franchise more than any other. From attending every subsequent Halo midnight release and beating every Halo campaign on Legendary, to ranking up competitively in multiplayer and playing on a few MLG Gamebattles teams, I've truly dedicated myself to the franchise in more ways than most.

 

I wanted to establish this to give credibility to the thesis of this post. I am no newcomer when it comes to Halo, and thus I feel this gives me some credibility to criticize the flaws I find incredibly irritating.

 

Now, obviously the past is in the past, and thus I will spare the criticisms of previous Halo installments (Halo: Reach would take me eternity to adequately criticize; aside from the story, it's arguably the worst game of the franchise, as the multiplayer was a complete disaster).

 

Halo 4 was supposed to be a resurrection for the franchise after Bungie drove it into the ground with Reach, and in some ways it is. 343 has done a great job bringing Halo back from the ashes in many ways. But I don't get online and create an account in these forums to praise the game, just as you don't call the McDonald's corporate office to praise how well of a job the cashier behind the counter did for you. I come here to vent and present my grievances. (Disclaimer: I do realize a lot of this is going to be just my opinion and not fact, though I still feel strongly enough about it to proceed.)

 

 

My first complaint is in regard to the rank cap. It's completely unfair that I have reached level 70 and can no longer progress because they just haven't gotten around to sending us the codes to unlock the other six specializations. First off, it's unfair that they need to be unlocked at all; why can't they just be unlocked from the start? Why do only limited edition game owners get to choose from all eight (while I didn't even know about the limited edition because the Gamestop employee said there wasn't more than one edition this time or else I would have purchased it anyway)? So now I refuse to play multiplayer because I'm not going to play for nothing.

And daily exp caps too? Also stupid. I bought a ton of Mountain Dew and Doritos for the double xp only to hit the exp cap almost daily now, whilst losing out on any commendation/challenge/game experience I rightfully earned passed the limit. Now I have to keep track of how much I earn daily, and that's not even a sure-fire method not to hit it because it varies almost every day; USUALLY it's around 150,000, but never exactly. So just like Halo: Reach when I hit Commander grade 3, now I have to stop playing until the "rest" of the community catches up. That's completely unfair and discouraging that I should be "punished" for playing too much, I guess.

 

My second complaint is the maps. Five total maps in standard matchmaking playlists, really? ...two of which suck. Solace is the worst map since Snowbound, Abandon is also terrible, and unless you use the Ghost or the sniper the whole time, Complex isn't that great either. Obviously Haven is a fantastic map and Adrift can be good too, but really? Five maps? This Halo game is by far the worst of them all regarding maps. And not only that, but they sell us the game for 65 dollars, and then say, "Oh you gotta pay 25 dollars more if you want all the maps," (the map packs). That's complete and utter bullsh** they sell us the game in two purchases just to make more money. And on top of both of these travesties, the new maps (from what I've seen so far in the Crimson map pack) are all vehicle-based, noob-favored, uncompetitive maps too. Really, 343, we can't have some good MLG-style competitive maps like, oh I don't know, let's go down the whole list of good maps they could have re-made or at least drawn inspiration from:

Midship,

Lockout,

Warlock,

Construct,

The Pit,

Guardian,

and the list goes on; these are just off the top of my head.

I am a competitive player, and I'd like to see some smaller, competitive maps; Haven is the only one close.

 

My next complaint is in regard to the skill-ranking system, or lack thereof rather. I understand it's in the works, so it's not a huge complaint, but really why couldn't they have it done for the game upon release? Or at least thrown in some simple Truskill system from the old Halos until the new one is completely beta-tested and ready? SR is only satisfying for so long. I realize the skill system in every Halo game has been broken in some form or another (Halo 2, if you were above 36 you were a cheater; Halo 3, the mu of Truskill stuck you at a level for eternity no matter how much you improved over time; and Reach had no real skill system at all worth even mentioning, it was such a joke, etc.), but nonetheless a broken one is better than a nonexistent one.

 

Next, why does the armor, nearly ALL of it, completely suck? I prefer any other Halo game over the armor mods in Halo 4, whether it be no mods at all, or simply the mods Reach or Halo 3 had. Nearly every single helmet looks absolutely awful. SOME of them are okay, but not more than what I can count on one hand. And on top of that, in order to unlock the best ones, you have to complete the impossible. Covenant Loadout Mastery? Who is gonna max out the plasma pistol, really? That means killing opponents with it, not just disabling vehicles and taking down shields. And not only this, for some unexplainable reason I have yet to understand, many people as low as SR 1 - SR 10 somehow have these armor mods that require the nearly impossible commendations to unlock. The same goes for Stances. Cheating, or am I missing something? I'll also note that nearly all the emblem options suck too (as they also sucked in Reach; what happened to all the good ones in Halo 2 and Halo 3?)

 

Next, and man this one really irritates the hell out of me, why in the WORLD can't you just pick up grenades from dead spartans like EVERY OTHER HALO GAME without Resupply? That makes no sense, and it's incredibly aggravating. I am forced to sacrifice all other tactical packages due to this injustice.

 

Next, armor abilities. Now let me begin by saying armor abilities are the absolute worst addition to the franchise by FAR, especially Armor Lock in Halo: Reach. However, after some tweaking and balancing, I have come to accept them as part of the game. I understand making Hologram more powerful, I fall for it all the time, and it's now a worthwhile ability to use. I understand toning down the jetpack (my personal choice of AA now), and thank GOD for making sprint a default ability (common sense that Halo: Reach lacked), but what I do not understand is Promethean Vision. It is completely overpowered, uncompetitive, and unfair. As if the motion sensor didn't make the element of surprise difficult already, now with PV it's nearly impossible in many cases.

 

Next, why the removal of Forge World? That was like the major selling point of Reach, one of the greatest additions to any Halo game ever, only to be removed with no explanation or trace. And I'll add here, why the removal of the party theater feature that was in Halo 3? I'll still never understand that; I and my friends miss it terribly. We want to watch one film all together in one party and discuss it, but only one person can watch a film at a time, why???

 

I almost forgot this one, but this might be the worst of them all. Why in God's name does the object in objective game types (the flag, oddball, etc.) automatically pick up when you go near it, and to make it worse you can't put the flag down once you pick it up??? There is NOTHING more aggravating than being in a BR/DMR battle and accidentally walking too close to the flag or oddball only to pick it up and die. Or worse, to have the enemy throw it at you and you have NO CHOICE but to catch it? This might be the stupidest thing in any Halo game ever. I have died SO many times from this. I made the "World of Warcraft kid freakout" sound normal after I once walked too close to the flag in a firefight I was so angry. And then once you pick up the flag you'd better be sure you wanna be the flag carrier or die trying because that decision is like a tattoo; it's final. And that's bullsh** and makes no sense.

 

 

I will surely think of my other complaints after I post this, as this is only what I could think of in the time it took me to write it, but it's a start. Feel free to disagree with me, because as I already stated a lot of this is mostly just my opinion, but nonetheless I felt strongly enough about these things to post it. I'd love other thoughts and opinions.

 

By the way, I have no complaints about the campaign...except that it's freakin hard as hell on Legendary. lol

In that regard, well done, 343.

[littletunny]

The beauty and addiction of Halo was simplicity.

 

Quite frankly the competitiveness has continued to be watered down. H2 was the peak of competitiveness. You could play for hours just to get one rank.

 

H3 was a better game overall but the die was cast as more and more lvl 50s would show up.

 

Reach continued the path of catering to noobs but the gameplay was still good.

 

Now we come to H4.....What the heck am I playing??? Terrible game engine, tiny text, NOOB city!!!!

[Lancer]

Everyone has their own opinion. I do agree that when it comes to Halo, simple is better. But, to make the sales to keep the franchise alive; the series has to evolve along with the other games. So, without these changes, the story won't continue. Personally, I still love it just as I've loved every Halo. Granted I did enjoy the first 3 games more than the newer games, but as we get older our standards get higher. I recommend looking for the qualities you like instead of the things you dislike about Halo now. If there arent any, find another franchise and move on. I'm sure at some point we all will. But, it is a shame to find more flaws in Halo now, after growing up with it. I'll agree with you, it is sad at times. But, I still find it very enjoyable. Thanks for your post.

[PopDeer]

Yeah I agree with almost everything you said. Forge World or just a flat map that isn't down in a dark hole or in space (Halo 3's Sandbox) is a necessity. They killed Custom Games by removing mainly the Infection game type and a few lesser options such as regenerating grenades. I personally did buy the Limited Edition and am only level 45 right now, but I understand your frustration. The armor isn't horrible, but the commendations for them are and I miss the days when you could just look at someone's armor whether it be Security or the prestigious Recon and know that this player is a fan, plays the game often, and more importantly is good at it. I enjoyed the campaign, but am disappointed with the fact that my favorite video game franchise's campaign is becoming like a silly cartoon like SpongeBob where the main character does something in one episode then they come out with the next which acts almost as if nothing ever happened before. Yeah MC fought the Didact in this game, but next game is going to be about something entirely different. Thanks for not leaving us with an awesome cliffhanger and/or continuing storyline. Also the music in the Infinity Lobby just makes me want to just go play Halo 3. I mean play some of that epic music that lies in wait in the campaign, not this repetitive background beat. It's just irritating and I hate how my rank is just 45. Why can't I be a first lieutenant? A captain? A freaking apprentice?! This just annoys me, don't make Halo just another first person shooter. It's such a small thing, but I don't want to be just a number that anyone can get by just sitting behind their TV. We need more things that truly show off your skill, not simply your dedication. Anyways yeah this is kinda my rant, still a good game, but needs improvements.

[LowrAtown NC]

I am about halfway done with my version of this type of H4 rant.

 

I agree with most of it. Though I think PV was ment to counter Active Camo which makes people completely invisible in H4 unlike Reach.

 

I just hit 70 a couple of minutes ago so I will finish my rant and post it here. I will leave out anything you have already covered.

[SaKenMadRaj]

Its funny but i can understand why a franchise would cater to noobs.. they need more people to buy the game.. and when you are new.. it sucks to be dominated every game but some nerd who spends his whole life playing all day... So i can undestand the balance.. to introduce the game to a new audience... with that being said.. i think you were on point with much of your criticism

[LowrAtown NC]

These are just 3 things that I would like to add to your list:

 

1. Boltshot. Remember when people would race to the bottom corner of Guardian, to that narrow hallway and sacrifice life and limb just to get the shotgun, even killing teammates in the quest for the most powerful close range weapon in the game. Now all you have to do it get to around lvl 20 (I am not sure exactly) to unlock the CheapShot, or Boltshot as it is officially known. This is my primary complaint only because every person in the game uses it now. Start shooting at someone and they just go and hide behind a corner and wait for you to follow. It would not even be that bad if it was ordnance but since everyone gets one it has ruined CQ combat. No more pumping each other with bullets circling with the hope of striking that final melee blow. Now it is turn up your volume so you can try to hear the charge up noise, and run like hell if you do. It should not be a one shot KO. Honestly I would not mind it taken out the the game (though that will never happen).

 

2. Ordnance, I understand the idea that 343 wanted to move players away from camping on weapon spawns, however their solution has flooded games with power weapons. Lost is the fundamental beauty of br/dmr battles. Now I fire one shot then get a face full of incineration cannon as a reply. I think 343 has taken a page out of the CoD book and tried to just give players cool thinks to shoot instead of a balanced competitive system. I am sure there is a way to make the drops less frequent or give the most powerful weapons less frequently so that the competitive nature will return to the game.

Also Ordnance drops need to be less random, I play big team and everyone on the other team has a sniper/beam rifle. Yet when I get ordnance, its a needler or shotgun. 343 should change it so ordinance is giving long range drops for both teams at the same time, or short range drops at the same time, the random system tends to screw teams over. Overall while I think it is a cool addition to the game, because of the gameplay it creates I wish Ordnance would go away as well.

 

3. Recent Games in Theater, I pulled off a lucky cross the map stick in a game last week and before I could leave to record it the next game started, I played through that game and went to theater mode looking to record the stick. However I could not find my old game, in Halo 3 it would save your last 25 or so matches, Halo 4 does not even save one old match. A great part of Halo 3 was playing with people, then afterwards maybe before you got off, looking through old games and watching funny moments or recording awesome gameplay.

[SykoWolf]

First of all, great job at keeping this as a civil issue, most people just complain with swear words.

 

You gave an actual reason.

 

I agree with many of the points you have given, but we all must realise that Halo 4 was gonna have issues from the start, NO big release is perfect. But when Halo 5 is released we can expect a much better Halo then Hao 4, and seeing as how much people love halo 4, we can expect to adore Halo 5.

so just hang in there, most of your issues will probably be fixed in the next halo

[Mariah Lay]

I also agree with a lot of the things said already.

 

The most annoying aspect of Halo 4 is the multiplayer. I can barely play it because I find myself being cheated by ridiculous lag, glitches, or just general gameplay problems that make the game impossible to stand.

 

It is MUCH better than having to deal with Halo: Reach multiplayer, but still, absolutely awful. The ranking system is horrible, the fact that they didn't even include all of the specializations at release is completely idiotic. Not to mention the epic screw up they created when trying to send them to everyone. Unbelievable. You'd think for a multi-million dollar company they could handle sending emails.

 

I do not like what they've done with the multiplayer at all. Feels way to much like they're trying to implement ideas from CoD, ideas that aren't even good. Why I always picked Halo over CoD was the fact that you could go into a game as equals, and the better player would win, based on skill. Now its turned into the player that can run to the Warthog first, or the player that picks up the incineration cannon. Seriously, where is the fun in a game where there are weapons like that, there is no way to dodge or counter some of the weapons.

 

Also, the sniping has changed, A LOT, and not for the better. It is twice as hard to snipe, and half the time when you hit them in the head its not a one shot kill. You have to aim around the neck to get a proper headshot. This is silly. It takes out all of the fun of sniping, which is to get headshots (IMO).

 

Halo 4 is a game that caters to noobs. Thats how I see it. Heavy vehicle use, cheap weapons. Don't even get me started on the bolt shot. WORST WEAPON EVER INVENTED. Its like starting the game with a shotgun. How does that take skill?

 

I miss the old Halo's where it took some skill and experience to be good at the game. Now its just not fun at all. Infinity Slayer is the worst game type of them all. Absolutely awful, crap. I can't believe I bought this game, and thats something I've said twice now. Halo 4 and Halo: Reach have really decreased my respect and love of the franchise.

 

There are things that I think 343 did right, but so many more that I don't. I can understand why some people love Halo 4, but I just think its awful. Multiplayer isn't worth the time. Really hope they change most of it in the next one.

[LiQuid BioniX]

Terrible game engine

 

I was with you until this. Are we playing the same game?

[BeckoningZebra1]

I can't really agree with everything because reach and H4 is all I've ever known in Halo. My only complaint is matchmaking almost always has some kind of glitch ????

[TheGodfatherS117]

I agree with some facts but I Don't agree that Halo Reach is the worst Halo.The custom game was the best of all Halo and the multiplayer was really nice too.

 

I agree for your opinion about the armor abilities. I was really disappointed when Bungie put armor abilities in Halo Reach. I hate SO MUCH the armor lock. It is a *noob ability* in my opinion. Each time you are killing someone, he start using his armor lock and he is waiting until there is one of his friend killing you. Then he stop using it. Also, in custom game, there was a lot of kids putting infinite armor ability. So in the match, when they are the last man standing, they use it and don't stop. So all the players are quiting because of Armor lock...I JUST HATE IT!!!!!

 

when Halo 4 came out, I was so happy that 343 removed the armor lock. But in my first match...there were people using:

 

invisibility : People were camping with it and were not playing as professionnals.

 

Promethean vision: That ability allow campers to know where are all the enemies around them. So if there is someone coming in there hideout, the campers will be ready to kill him...This is ridiculous.

 

I also don't like the custom game. The custom game of Halo Reach is better.

 

I just hate the abilities and custom game, but the rest is awesome.

[Soldier Sean]

@OP

 

I made this account just to come in here and say that I completely disagree with you and you do not speak for me or anybody else with your criticism.

 

We have in common that you seem to be a true halo fan , except that while you were an 11 year old child when halo CE came out , I was already an adult so I've always maturely appreciated the halo franchise and honestly believe that every new iteration , halo has gotten better. No game is perfect but they have been better than the last.

 

You seem to be part of this mlg community minority who clamor for small ugly maps where you are prohibited from using elements that the developers themselves put in the game for not only our enjoyment but for a more dynamic chess match like weapons , vehicles , and radars amongst other tweaks .

 

That trend is dying a slow death and now 343i is catering to other hardcore vets and casuals that love the game in all it's glory (with all its features) and that like to play on bigger , asymmetrical maps with vehicles. It's just more fun and equally as competitive.

 

So who is anyone to demand a limited version of an already incredible game? That's counter productive and a slap in the face to the developers who made this game for you to play it the way they intended it. Not someone's re-envisioning of it. It's pretty pretentious at its core.

 

The game is fine as is.

[MCPO Mayh3m]

I tend to agree. But what I am hoping for currently right now, is this: Bungie made Halo great in it's second and Third games. Lets hope 343 can do the same. :3

[Hater]

To: Soldier Sean

 

Unless you're blind, people say they agree with the OP.

 

If you think the game is fine as is, then I doubt you have even played Halo 4. There's a giant list of things missing from this game.

[Soldier Sean]

Not only have I played halo 4 but I'm in the top 2% according to halo tracker and in the top 1% in slayer with my kd of 2.77

 

I was good at the other halos as well , over 2.0 in reach , etc etc

 

I think that people who complain are just people who can't cut it and stink at the game. Why else would they feel so moved enough to come here , register , click on the activation link in their email , and then write a long thread about whats wrong with halo according to them.

 

My advice : don't get bitter , get better.

[Bloody Initiate]

I am bad at Halo 4, I have failed to adapt in this game and in Reach and I was bad at that game too.

 

That doesn't mean they were excellent games worthy of their predecessors, or that complaints I have are somehow invalid.

 

Nor does it mean that people who are better than me have more worthy views of the game or that they even know that much more about the game. Even bad as I am I still am better than some, and when I thought the BR was 4-shot at the beginning of Halo 4 I was still wrong and the people who were worse than me telling me it was 5-shot were right.

 

It also doesn't mean I'm always right or that people who are better than me are always wrong, it just means that your ability at the game only gets you so much information and add so much much worth to your views. You still have to know what you're talking about, and you still have to conduct yourself with civility.

 

I disagree with the OP on a lot of things. The campaign sucked, Lockout was never a good map, and I love Promethean Vision. I have the nuts to say so from my original account though, linked to my original and only gamertag, and I play Halo the same way. The OP doesn't speak for me, but neither does anyone else, and the fact that I suck at the game doesn't mean the game is good and I'm just somehow missing the point.

 

They designed Halo 4 to force a certain type of behavior and a certain type of result. They want you to keep moving, get one kill, then die, then repeat. That's how they built the game and that's how it plays, but that's not a good way to make a game. A good game allows you to do more of what you want, it gives you freedom to choose how you play without imbalancing things. Halo 4's multiplayer is a rat maze, and we're the rats. We're going only where they want us to go and we're not doing anything interesting or unique. One player is as good as the next, because even if one player is much better than the next the game won't allow him to distinguish himself as much. Better players obviously shine more, but they don't get to shine as much as they once did because even if they get more impressive numbers those numbers come from a less impressive game. It's like being awesome at chess, and also being awesome at checkers. When you brag you don't bother mentioning that you're also good at checkers, because you know no one cares and no one is impressed.

[Hater]

Not only have I played halo 4 but I'm in the top 2% according to halo tracker and in the top 1% in slayer with my kd of 2.77

 

I was good at the other halos as well , over 2.0 in reach , etc etc

 

I think that people who complain are just people who can't cut it and stink at the game. Why else would they feel so moved enough to come here , register , click on the activation link in their email , and then write a long thread about whats wrong with halo according to them.

 

My advice : don't get bitter , get better.

Better excuse than "I made this account just to come in here and say that I completely disagree with you and you do not speak for me or anybody else with your criticism."

[Soldier Sean]

Guys don't be offended , my point was that many players are able to adapt to halo 4 the way it is , they just put forth a little effort instead of coming here to complain on a forum about it. Also the point I was making was that in order to be in sync with the game , you have to appreciate and understand what they did with the game and adapt.

 

I don't agree that they made this game for a player to "get one kill and then die". Thats just your play style. How come I almost kill 3 before dying ? Surely I'm not the only exception.

[Bloody Initiate]

I don't agree that they made this game for a player to "get one kill and then die". Thats just your play style. How come I almost kill 3 before dying ? Surely I'm not the only exception.

 

That's exactly how they made the game. Your failure to grasp the fact doesn't change it. Good job being good at the game, you are not the only exception, but you are an exception.

 

Also just because they designed the game that way doesn't mean you have to play that way, but that IS how they designed the game. Give me another reason why you have to wait 6 seconds for your shield to start recharging, all weapons run out of ammo faster, and maps are designed so that you have multiple ways to attack every location and you can't defend any of them. They wanted players to get one kill then die, just because people don't automatically do that doesn't make it any less true. I kill more than 1 before dying too, but that doesn't change a fact.

 

It takes less than 2 seconds to kill someone, your shields won't begin recharging for 6, they'll take 2 seconds once they do, and everyone can respawn instantly and sprint. You are therefore weakened by a fight for 8 seconds after the fight, even though the fight only took 2 seconds to resolve. This isn't my opinion dude, it's data forcing a conclusion. I may not be that good at the game, but I can look at that and see the design.

[Twinreaper]

Soldier, while you may greatly enjoy Halo, you enjoy it for the gameplay. I like many others, have a huge problem.with Halo 4 and the development of the title. It was shipped with more flaws than I have found in any other Halo title. Gameplay in-game and development holes are 2 completely seperate beasts.

 

In all I do enjoy playing through campaign, but I do fail to enjoy MM.as they have stripped the playlists I love...things like Grifball, Hockey, Big Team Objective, KOTH.... But Ibrespect your view and do see your points.

[Soldier Sean]

^^^ so you've never heard of something called "cover"?

 

That was for bloody initiate

[117 Evan 117]

1. Not 343's website

 

2. Thats alot of venting!