RE: The SAW

[Mkoll]

I just wanted to express my opinion on the SAW. It strikes me as a non-Halo weapon. This isn't CoD, we aren't playing as some ordinary *****-*** Marines. I'm a goddam 8 foot tall, 1000 pound super soldier. If you want a heavy machine gun in Halo, you rip off a turret like a man.

It just strikes me as an easy-out, pray and spray weapon. At least with the turrets you have a decrease in speed to balance it out. The SAW looks cool in the Chief's hands, but there's more to it than that.

I guess my primary issue is that it seems redundant given all the other automatic weapons that're already established. The argument could be made that it's meant to bring in new blood, but LMGs have been done a bajillion times already, and what I always loved about Halo was that it was different from other shooters.

By the way, hello everyone, I'm Mkoll, and I'm opinionated.

[Cocoa]

I have to agree, why bother with the Assault Rifle ehen they have the superior SAW. Maybe if it had been a Covenant or Promethean style weapon it not seem so out of place.

 

[FleshBack]

I would have rather them give you two ultra powerful SMGs that perform similarly to the SAW than getting that machine gun. It would have been more faithful to the series.

 

That is how I feel about the SAW. As long as we were getting a power weapon with close range rapid fire, I would have rather have them put in two similarly performing SMGs.

[Mkoll]

That is how I feel about the SAW. As long as we were getting a power weapon with close range rapid fire, I would have rather have them put in two similarly performing SMGs.

Here's an option I hadn't considered but am totally behind.

 

And as a side note, it kind of emasculates the regular AR, which has always been the Chief's workhorse. I love that weapon, if not always for its use in combat then for sentimental value. If I had a nickel for every enemy that's fallen at the barrel of my trusty AR, I'd be able to have a working replica of it built.

[Frankenzer]

When I first got the saw I was like: is this CoD?

[Kiing 0f Coffe]

Im inclined to agree. All power weapons should be different from the others. The SAW is an assault rifle on steriods.

[Seeker of Truth]

AFAIK the SAW is just an AR with a larger clip and slightly increased damage. The SMG meanwhile was balanced. Please replace the SAW with SMGs for Halo 5, 343.

[Sadly Just AL]

It's a decent weapon In my opinion, it's a more powerful SMG.

[Dr. Halsey]

Uhh Why people say "This isn't COD" COD did not invent guns from/similar to real world ones. Come on there are other games using almost same guns /gameplay mechanics etc. I think SAW is good for gameplay purposes but doesn't feel like "a halo gun".

 

In fact all human weapons are a bit boring. Now that humans start understanding Forerunner tech 343 could make more imaginative and unique human weapons.

[Mkoll]

The comparison comes up because CoD is the shooter that's furthest from a Halo experience, in terms of characters, gameplay, weapons, etc. That, and it's the game that just about every other tactical shooter is ripping off nowadays, so that's the one I compare it to. And CoD carries the general connotation of 12-year-olds camping with LMGs and blowing through clips in two seconds.

[Composite Armour]

More weapons = Better.

[Chris Hansen]

It's a weapon that has no reason to exist. It's niche is essentially an assault rifle plus.

 

That's one of my biggest problems with this game, weapon variety is awesome, don't get me wrong, but in other halo's every weapon had a specific niche that it out performed another weapon in SOME area. In halo 4 there are weapons that perform in the same niche, and are just better in every category.

 

The BR vs the DMR is a good example. Yes, the BR can beat the DMR but most of the time this doesn't happen, even at ranges where the BR should clearly have an advantage. So why does the DMR or BR exist? They both fill the same role except one does it better. Take the DMR out of the game, and increase the range of the battle rifle to what the DMR use to have. Weapon niche problem solved. The DMR has no place in the halo series anyway, just bring back the pistol.

[Banehalo]

SAWS one of those weapons where it is a god tool cause that thing can still kill you even from a distance if anything that needs to be cut down rather than a boltshot. 

[Mkoll]

I'm glad I'm not alone on this one. Halo isn't a "****loads of the same kind of gun, pick one" game, it's a "Take this, it's the most badass version of this type of gun" game.

[fatalred alarm]

It is a power weapon no? I don't see the problem.  Got to agree it reminded me of cod, it did not look like a halo weapon at all....but it's supposed to be a power weapon so i kinda think it works.

[Chris Hansen]

It's definitely a power weapon when used correctly, try this some time:

 

Don't hold the trigger down, but hit it as fast as you can. You're fire rate will be similar, but the weapon will be 3 times more accurate, just dropping people at DMR ranges if you're a good enough shot.

[FleshBack]

Are you talking about the SAW, Chris? That is unbelievable.

[WonderWombat]

I just wanted to express my opinion on the SAW. It strikes me as a non-Halo weapon. This isn't CoD, we aren't playing as some ordinary *****-*** Marines. I'm a goddam 8 foot tall, 1000 pound super soldier. If you want a heavy machine gun in Halo, you rip off a turret like a man.

Then each Spartan precedes to use a rifle...

[BearClawsKiller]

The Saw is just like a tommy gun blended with a mega canon.... that will kill you sooo fast you won't even finish the banana your eating...

[Mkoll]

Then each Spartan precedes to use a rifle...

What do you mean by that?

[WonderWombat]

What do you mean by that?

Your manliness is at stake.

[LiQuid BioniX]

I'm gonna be honest, if they called this gun ANYTHING but the SAW (or some other gun that ACTUALLY exists in real-life), I don't think people would be complaining about it and about how it's like CoD and all that nonsense. 

[Mkoll]

I'm gonna be honest, if they called this gun ANYTHING but the SAW (or some other gun that ACTUALLY exists in real-life), I don't think people would be complaining about it and about how it's like CoD and all that nonsense. 

I'm not concerned with the name at all, my issue lies in the fact that I don't feel like a badass when I'm walking around with an ordinary machine gun. I don't play Halo to do stuff any ordinary soldier could do. That's why I made the point about the turret: I thought that was probably the coolest innovation in Halo 3 because it was just unprecedented awesomeness to rip a turret off and walk around with it. I also see it as redundant when you consider there's already an overabundance of close-range assault weapons, but even that's secondary. And in any case, I always liked the name SAW, it sounds cool, though you're right, it did make me instantly connect it to the many tac-shooter games out there. CoD is the one I compared it to because it's the most over-hyped, in my opinion. I can't speak for everyone else, obviously.

To bookend that, fellow Illinoisan.

[LiQuid BioniX]

 Also, fellow Illinoisan.

 

 

Represent  

[Bloody Initiate]

My big problem with the SAW is that the AR sucks.

 

"What?"

 

It creates a new power weapon, but is basically just a really badass AR/Storm Rifle/Suppressor, which means in order for the SAW to become/remain badass, those weapons can't get any better lest they "become a friggen SAW!"

 

What people in this community (I refer to the Halo community, not the people on this site) fail to realize is that when you get something nice 343 has taken something else away (Bungie did the same thing before them) or at least made their final nerf to it.

 

Player base speed went down in Halo 2, then again in Halo 3. By that point people were complaining about how slow they were and they wanted sprint.

 

So they got sprint.

 

...but they also got slowed down EVEN MORE, after all, now you could sprint to make up for it right? No, you HAD TO SPRINT to get ANYWHERE. You wanted sprint or jet pack to make up for your lack of speed in Reach.

 

So the AR got a massive clip nerf in Halo 3. In Reach it got so bad that the game would have literally been much better without it (No "personal preference" BS, if you used the AR a lot in Reach you sucked).

 

People likely said "PLEASE give us a better automatic weapon"

 

"BUT we still hate the AR and melee."

 

So now we get the SAW, which has effectively staked out a claim in the automatic weapon turf that keeps the loadout automatics from ever being considered for improvement.

 

I like the SAW, but I don't like what it does to the weapon balance. No arguments that loadout automatics DON'T suck will be heard, because they do, invariably, inarguably, suck. As long as the SAW is around they'll stay that bad too. Or perhaps more accurately, as long as the community is full of idiots who can't identify the source of their problem, we will never have good automatic loadout weapons. The SAW is just the face of that problem.

Edited March 2, 2013 by Bloody Initiate