"To be fair:" A collection of compliments and critiques

[Bloody Initiate]

I've been complaining too much about this game. That doesn't make me happy or give me any kind of pleasure, it just feeds itself. It's also not fair or accurate, because there are plenty of things I love about the game.

 

The rules: For each critique, there must also be one compliment. Basically each time you want to complain about something done poorly you must also list something done well. It is not vice-versa.

 

1a: I actually like the DMR quite a bit, and in fact take some pleasure in using all of the marksman rifles.

 

1b: I don't like that there has always been one king gun. The DMR should draw its power from its excellent accuracy and superior zoom, it shouldnt just be better.

 

2a: I love Promethean Vision, I use it all the time. I love how I can pre-fire corners with it and get an edge in a DMR fight, or pre-fire with a sniper rifle every now and then completely destroy my opponent's chance of threatening me.

 

2b: I find it disappointing that the maps seem designed to give the jet pack very little to do. Ever since Reach map designers keep taking the easy way out and just smother every map in soft kill zones. It seems fair to me that someone who foregoes another AA for the jet pack should be allowed to go somewhere with it. This is especially true in Halo 4 where you can get ordnance. No longer can the guy just ****** the power weapon and disappear to the top of the map, prohibiting everyone else access to said power weapon. Now anyone can get a sniper rifle or whatever might help them take that guy down.

 

3a: I've always loved the hologram, I never used it much because it isn't my style, but every time I get fooled by one I smile. I like that there is a weapon whose power is creativity.

 

3b: I hate that the AR and weapons like it have always struggled in this series. I love going full auto, I just wish it were the smart thing to do every now and then. I don't want it to be a king gun, I just hate having an AR and knowing that literally every weapon in the game can beat me if they're used right and I don't surprise them. I was never a fan of rushing in for the melee, but I like the mobility you can employ when your weapon is more forgiving. I never use it in a loadout, but sometimes when I'm out of ammo on my primary I'd like to see an AR on the ground and know I"m not doomed. I'd also like it to be a legitimate choice for a loadout.

 

4a: I think BTB is looking to be much better now than it was in Reach. I even think it can be better than it was in Halo 3 because things have the potential to be more balanced now. I know I've already been thrilled to see how my beloved Valhalla/Ragnarok plays just a little bit differently with AAs and DMRs. It's exciting to think of what could be done.

 

4b: One side gets the Gauss in Exile? Seriously? There is no justification or argument for this, a shorter run to the tank is nothing near balanced.

 

5a: I thought the Prometheans were an interesting new enemy in campaign. The knights were especially challenging. I also found the binary rifle in the hands of prometheans was appropriately shocking. You see something red and you're like "They're getting ready to do someth-" BLAM you're ashes. That is way better than the jackal snipers from Halo 2 Legendary, because you get a sense of something nasty but you often don't have time to stop it. The same doom, just more cinematic. Of course the bit of warning and less-than-perfect accuracy makes them less deadly, but dying instantly to an unseen sniper was never that cool in Halo 2, it was just an irritating memorization game.

 

5b: The marines are worse now than ever, which is impressive because they were god-awful in Reach. These guys literally died instantly upon contact with the enemy. Why Bungie and then 343 decided that the allies should just sputter like that confuses me. I always enjoyed trying to keep them alive in Halo 2 and 3 on Legendary, now they're just a waste of time. The reason you always wanted them alive before is because they gave you your choice of a bunch of weapons and vehicles, but you obviously couldn't take them all. So you'd outfit your marines and get a badass posse. Now you just ignore them, which doesn't feel right. What kind of hero doesn't give a damn if his comrades get smoked?

 

6a: I like the hardlight shield, the regen field, and the autosentry. I generally am not going to use most of them, but that again is more due to my personal play style than flaws with the AAs.

 

6b: Thruster pack throwing you out to third person and being somewhat bizarre to aim is generally not worth the effort in my opinion. No reason you shouldn't be able to shoot.

 

7a: I like the recoil on the BR believe it or not. I generally haven't liked a lot of recoil in the Halo series because I think the game just works better if the spartans are way too cool too suffer recoil. However I like it on the BR, I like that it's there but also that it's a predictable pattern. It feels good to master recoil. I always loved in Rainbow Six 3 how I could aim for the chest but rely on my recoil to carry it to a headshot.

 

7b: I don't like that the BR suddenly forgot how to 4-shot. That was dumb. It would be balanced if it could 4-shot. As it is, use the DMR instead. BR should do well at mid-range and lose at long or close. Instead it just loses.

 

8a: I like that there is a railgun

 

8b: I don't like that the railgun sucks.

 

9a: I love the Mantis. No complaints on that one. Just love that thing. I don't even know that I'd call it good, but I don't care because I love jumping in my giant suit and tromping across the battlefield with actual foot soldiers who can't do the same thing. It's better than having a mech in a mech game, because everyone else has mechs in mech games. The Mantis feels special, and that's all that matters. I tend to hang back with the thing because having it and not accomplishing anything is so much better than not having it. Who doesn't want to own a killer suit?