The Current State of the Halo Franchise

[MstrChiefAlexEd]

Hello everyone!

 

I wanted to collect some information from each and every one of you to see what aspects of Halo you like the most. The questions are simple, and please feel free to share this poll and make any suggestions for questions that should be in here.

 

I will most likely be running it for a few weeks, and I will, of course, be posting the results once the poll is complete. Thank you for your time!

 

https://goo.gl/forms/mXnVaJhgCQs2lfKV2

[Unease Peanut]

Filled it out.

May I ask what you're going to use it for/do with it?

[Twinreaper]

Pointless. Anyone who is really interested in such a question or the results could literally just search this site for maybe about 10 minutes and get easily 1,000 or more opinions of a general theme.

[I_Make_Big_Boom]

Great idea.

 

Context for my decisions for the first series of questions:

 

 

 

1. Which Art Style is your favourite?

 

Halo 2: Anniversary.

 

It's a perfect blend of classic, and new design that should be the standard. 343's Halo has gotten too crazy with its aesthetic, and it's very hard on the eyes. Blur on the other hand.. they get it.

 

 

2. What is your favourite Halo FPS game?

 

Halo 3.

 

This was a tough one. Each Halo game has a different flavor, and the FPS aspect changes from game-to-game. You could like one game because of its gameplay, and like another because of its atmosphere -- but they are still FPSs at heart. But the thing I value more than fun is for a later question, and the game I regard highly in terms of *fun* would be Halo 3, hands down.

 

 

3. Which game features your favourite campaign in terms of GAMEPLAY? 

 

Halo 3.

 

It's Halo at its most epic, and grandness in scale. The Kraken of Halo 5 is a joke compared to the Scarabs which are always a blast to destroy. Halo 3 also likes to keep its environments open and clean whereas Halo 5 sticks to convoluted and crowded spaces for the sake of movement.

 

 

4. Which game features your favourite campaign in terms of STORY?

 

Halo 3 or Halo: Reach.

 

Halo 3 is an epic: the culmination to a grand journey across the galaxy, and then some. Halo: Reach on the other hand is a tale about the doomed fate of Reach, and the leadup to CE -- you know how this is going to end from the beginning. Both games have far too many cool shots, and symbolic imagery to count.

 

 

5. Which game features your favourite campaign in terms of ATMOSPHERE/TONE? 

 

Halo 3: ODST.

 

Two things stand out the most to me in video games: A: Story, and B: Atmosphere. While ODST has a strong premise it doesn't have the best story, at least in a Halo game. On the other hand, ODST has atmosphere in spades: a noir-like aura amplified by the somber soundtrack, laced with epic tracks like The Menagerie.

 

 

6. Which game features your favourite Halo soundtrack?

 

Halo 3.

 

Like the game itself, the music is friggin' grand. To put this in terms I can explain, the music of Halo 3 is like that feeling you get after downing some cold water on a hot day.

 

 

7. Which game features your favourite Halo multiplayer experience in terms of options and diversity?

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8. Which game features your favourite Halo multiplayer experience in terms of gameplay?

 

Halo: Reach.

 

I spent ALLOT of time in multiplayer, enough to be considered religious zealotry. Maps are great and iconic, most of the weapons are useful (keyword *most*. Friggin' Focus Rifle, hate that crap), the rewards for playing are immensely satisfying, the community back in those days was large and in charge... It has it all (or *had* it all). Unfortunately it was the turning point for Halo multiplayer, and from it spawned Halo 4 and beyond. The rest is history.

 

 

9. Which game features your favourite Halo multiplayer experience in terms of a competetive focus?

 

Halo 5: Guardians.

 

I would've given this to Reach if I wasn't so against playing competitively (not to mention I like Reach far more). But the deciding factor here is the response from 343 post-Halo 4 and MCC. The longevity, and support for Halo 5 is also really astounding. The campaign is a hot mess, but the multiplayer is nothing to shake a stick at despite myself not really being involved with it. As much as I trash on Halo 5, it takes the cake for comp.

 

 

10. Which game features your favourite Halo multiplayer experience in terms of social features?

 

Halo: Reach.

 

I'm not privy to socializing in Halo games, but in my experience the best social features are in Reach. Reach's sub-menus are allot easier to use, and comprehend than all this unfinished and convoluted crap we get nowadays.

 

 

11. Which game features your favourite Halo cooperative experience (be it Campaign, Firefight, or Spartan Ops)?

 

Imma cheat and say the entire Bungie Trilogy and the Anniversary games.

 

The era of Halo spanning CE-3 was Halo at its simplest, and less-taxing on the Xbox system. Past Halo 3 there's allot to take in, and quite allot of details will be missed in Co-Op that you would've seen in Single-Player. Also, getting out of the map to search for secrets, and loading up in a 'Hog in these games is god-tier.

 

12. Which game features your favourite UI/menu?

 

Halo 3.

 

The Halo 3 menus are the best in the entire franchise. Simple yet effective, and drenched in a series of beautiful bluish hues (Reds be damned). Though I will say Reach is a close second because of the animated concept-lookin' art backdrops.

 

13. Which Halo game was your first?

 

Halo 2 (I think).

 

I was totally floored upon seeing the game for the first time on my friend's Xbox. My mind was in a perpetual state of mindblown as the game rolled from the beginning cutscene to Cairo Station, and beyond. I clearly remember not having any idea what series this game came from (including its own name) as was as well as not tying things together upon seeing Master Chief. Methinks this was my first foray into Halo.

 

 

13. Which Halo game had the best comedy?

 

Halo 2 & Anniversary.

 

Sergeant Johnson. End of story.

 

 

14. Which Halo game had the best characters?

 

Halo 3.

 

By this point some of the best antagonists of the entire franchise are present, and at their best: the Gravemind, the Prophet of Truth, and eventually 343 Guilty Spark. This along with everybody else from the Human-Elite camps sets it in stone as the game with the best cast of characters. Unfortunately, this is the same game where most of these characters are killed off, or never seen again (in the games) :C

 

 

15. Which Halo game had the best customization?

 

Halo: Reach.

 

Like the community echo chamber at large likes to say, Reach has the best customization because of how accurate it looks to "real life" (forgetting the fact that this game takes place 500 years in the future where *real life* has changed considerably). The aesthetic is convincing, and memorable -- a general facet of Halo spanning the games prior to Reach, but something seemingly forgotten past Reach. As I said before, the rewards for ranking up are great, and meaningful. Tell me right now, did any of you NOT WANT Emile's helmet upon seeing it in the customization menu?

 

 

16. Which Halo game had the best sandbox? 

 

Halo 2 & Anniversary or Halo 3.

 

In terms of how you can utterly break the game with Skulls it goes to Halo 2, but mostly its Anniversary incarnation. In terms of refined elements instituted in Halo 2 it goes to Halo 3 (and hopefully its Anniversary incarnation, if it actually exists).

 

These are both games where you can make explosions bigger by finding hidden Skulls, which you can pick up, and use as bludgeoning weapons -- more so in Halo 2 than Halo 3, really. That alone would earn them a star, but to say that there's like friggin' 20 Skulls here?! Then we have our escapable environments, skippable story moments, easter eggs, huge spaces to thrash around in, a large arsenal of weaponry and vehicles all at your disposal, and then the colossal enemy variety... This IS the standard.

 

 

18. Which Halo game is your least favourite? 

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19. What is the biggest issue with this game that keeps YOU from enjoying it as much as the others? (KEEP IT CLEAN)

 

Halo 5: Guardians.

 

I've said my peace on it plenty a time, so I won't say any further. I'll just link you to my post in this thread.