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Here's how I see it:

Halo 1: Good story, good gameplay, good multiplayer.

Halo 2: Crap story, excellent multiplayer.

Halo 3: Knew how crap its predecessor was when it came to storylines so it quickly tried to shovel it all into a closet by having you kill the big bad prophet from number 2 within the first 10 minutes of gameplay and then spend the rest of the story chasing your love-interest Cortana like a ravenous nerd seperated from his Apple Mac for more than an hour... In short, crap story (again). Same multiplayer from Halo 2 but a bit better.

Now, I'm actually a bit of a fan of the games... They had good replay, they were fun to play... But Jeez Louise why are there so many Halo FANATICS out there?

I'd probably buy the arguement that pre-CoD4 the Halo games were all the xbox had in terms of fun FPSes, but really that point just depresses me rather than satisfies me: Call me a high-and-mighty PC gamer (I spent a fair amount on my rig) who'll always look down on the ecksbawks players as a bunch of hyperactive kiddies and frat boys, but do they really have no experience of gameplay outside of this one franchise? I mean, as good as Halo was... It can't hold a flame to truly epic games: I enjoyed Halo 1 but it's not up there in my mind with, say, Half-Life 1, Age of Empires, Morrowind, Unreal Tournament, Metal Gear Solid, Knights of the Old Republic (sorry had to get a BioWare in there).

Maybe it just stems down to a generation-difference, but gah, I have peers that are mental about Halo....

Anyhoo, enough ranting about gaming elitism (and I am aware I am judging people for enjoying the best game on what could be their only gaming console), I'll attack the story now:

There's an arguement in general discussion (I think) about Spartans vs Space Marines... It seems that people really do seem to care about Halo's backstory, the fanfiction, etc... I actually fail to see the appeal: It's completely ripped from a very small number of sources (I am aware that 40k is pretty much a ripoff, but it comes from anything COOL, not just Aliens and... 40k, like Halo ) and there's just no originality there for me... Plus, the Halo universe contains grunts... who are like... grots... but just... well, not cool, damn that arguement failed.

Grunts belong with the Telly Tubbies.

Oh wells, to conclude on story: Why not bone Mass Effect? At least that has a large and impressive universe... Halo just has, well, nothing... I mean, even Halo 1's intro is ripped from Aliens

Rant over.

Halo stinks.

40k rocks socks.

...So does BioWare.

I'm not gonna touch this thread with a fething barge pole.

What fan fiction was ever actually cited in the thread?

Everything that was mentioned is from the 'official' novels(which with the exception of "The Flood" were written by one of the main authors of the game storylines).

And by the by:
Half-Life sucked. And KOTOR as your BioWare insert? Really?

How about Baldur's Gate(1 or 2; including expansions)? How about Icewind Dale?

And if you want to talk about fanatics?

Two words:

Spazz Mahrins!

While I agree that Halo stinks (oh dear lord does it ever stink!), I am afraid I cant back you up on 40K.

I cannot think of another intellectual property that so heavily steals from so many other sources of IP than does 40K. For a person to list all of the influences and blatant ripoffs which they claim as original IP would take a novel in itself without resorting to hyperbolic proportions of examples.

Not to mention that they are going so far away from the original vision of 40K that anyone who knew it 20+ years ago may be considerably challenged to find the similarity today.

In short, you're both right and wrong.

Halo 1 seemed to have the same intuitive controls as Goldeneye on the N64, so a new Goldeneye with updated graphics was good, even if it did waste some of that power on the squeaky little alien things. Didn't play any of the others though.

Yes of course Halo 1 was nowhere near as epic as Halflife 1. One of my friends really liked Halflife 2 and all the sequel episodes, shame for him that he never played the first game.

Nevermind what I just said. I don't see what the big deal is about IPs using elements from existing works. The idea that every new IP should be 100% original seems absurd to me - eventually you will run out of possible things to do. Both Halo and 40K have clearly used elements from existing sources, but neither relies solely on the borrowed elements. They are their own stories and universes, quite separate from the sources that inspired them.

Of course it doesn't really matter because no amount of discussion will change the minds of Halo-haters or fans alike.

Halo was a very good game. It wasn't quite the rocket ride to the Moon that Microsoft claimed but they had to big up something on their new system. Even allowing for that, it was a good game (Halo 1, anyway.)

The 'fanbois' are probably all mid-teenagers who were given it when they were 10, and it was the first really good FPS they ever saw.

I play Halo 3 alot for Custom Games and Forge, matchmaking is laggy and Im sick of screaming twelve year olds. There is alot of backstory for Halo, when I looked on Halopedia for the first time. I was suprised about the pages, and pages of background. I love the background, I love the idea of Spartans and I like that they brought in the Spartan III's even though there not featured in the games.

I dont like the 'Anime' graphics of Halo 3 and the childish Grunts etc. I hoped they sorted out the Grunts in ODST and made them more.... awesome. ODST was mega fail, It would be good if it had online and a more flexible campain. While playing ODST campain, it didnt feel like free roaming, I was constantly being told to go here or there, inbetween flashbacks. FireFight was boring, It had potential but even with the skulls, It was still boring.

I've seen some Reach gameplay now and I've seen some interviews with the designers etc. It looks like its going to be good, I cant wait for the BETA.

a bunch of hyperactive kiddies and frat boys, but do they really have no experience of gameplay outside of this one franchise?

This is your problem, while there alot of stupid screaming twelve year old Halo fans. There are SOME people who generally love the games for the background etc.

And BTW, I never played Halo 1 when It was released but it rocks.

I enjoy myself playing the Halo games. I play Halo 3 online probably more than any other game (it is probably the only game I play online really). It is easy to play seriously or just for fun and there are always people to play against. The single player story is OK, certainly better than many FPS games, but it is not the best in the world.

Although the number of people I have perma-muted is quite high. Mostly annoying children who are way too young to be playing the game in the first place.

I will agree that there are many better games out there, but Halo, because it is one of the leading games for the 360, is very easy to pick up and play whenever you feel like it.

"I am aware that 40k is pretty much a ripoff, but it comes from anything COOL"

I'll admit that's some pretty petty phrasing on my part... What I meant to say was that I am aware that 40k is ripped from a variety of IP... But it's drawn from a wider variety of sources... and IMO, the sum of the parts forms somethings pretty unique... unlike Halo, which I wouldn't really call discernable from most Aliens-inspired sci-fi.

I have played all 3 Halo games. I had the most fun with 2. 3 had a more entertaining story but the multiplayer just made me want to go play Halo 2 again. I didn't touch odst so I can't make an accurate comment about it. My biggest gripe i've had with Halo is they have guns that are useless. Why is it I can unload half a clip of a carbine into somebodies chest and they are still coming but just barely more shots from dual pistols drops them at the same distance? I will stick to COD where bullets hurt and any gun is poewrful in the right hands. Also why does getting smacked in the back of the head get through your shields and ignore that your wearing a helmet? I know it puts some balance into the game but still.

Why is it I can unload half a clip of a carbine into somebodies chest and they are still coming

Lrn2headshot

Aside from the Flood*, what does Halo steal from Aliens?

*Even those are only related in the sense that both involve using the humans for reproduction.

It is set in space! And there are space ships! And humans! and... erm... planets! And guns!

Dont give a gak about the campaign

Only play multiplayer.

Social account for playing about and drinking nights with friends.
Ranked account for the competative games with other friends and teams.



However, i think they made it too easy to get to a 50.

Halo is mostly overrated for the story, which it is. On the other hand, it does have solid multiplayer and that's what makes it sell units, not a crappy story.

I think Halo is pretty good, but then again, i`m probably one of the "mid-teenagers who were given it when they were 10, and it was the first really good FPS they ever saw".
BTW, i never play story, just multiplayer

Halo should've come out to be the Half-Life Killer in '99. Sadly it didn't, and forever remains the most over-hyped game in history.

It's a run-of-the-mill shooter that gets all the attention in the world because of what? It's multiplayer? It's multiplayer was a success because of X-Box Live!, not because of Halo itself.

However, it does have a very good multiplayer system in of itself. Not to mention it has very good developer support.

Because of its populatity.

Which then feeds back on itself to create more support, better maps, game modes, etc.

Which then makes it more popular.

Etc...

I hate halo with the bright burning passion of a thousand exploding Xboxes! Gaaaahhhh!!!!!!!

RustyKnight wrote:Aside from the Flood*, what does Halo steal from Aliens?

http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_References_to_Aliens_in_Halo

H.B.M.C. wrote:Halo should've come out to be the Half-Life Killer in '99. Sadly it didn't, and forever remains the most over-hyped game in history.

It's a run-of-the-mill shooter that gets all the attention in the world because of what? It's multiplayer? It's multiplayer was a success because of X-Box Live!, not because of Halo itself.

The first Halo game to have online multiplayer was Halo PC, which didn't come out until '03.

Get your damn facts straight before making sweeping assumptions.

I hate it too can I be cool now?

Halo was good for the lazy casual gamer. You didnt need to know anything to play and it was rewarding and brightly coloured.

Thats why I liked it but I dont anymore cause I want to be cool.

Cheese Elemental wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:Halo should've come out to be the Half-Life Killer in '99. Sadly it didn't, and forever remains the most over-hyped game in history.

It's a run-of-the-mill shooter that gets all the attention in the world because of what? It's multiplayer? It's multiplayer was a success because of X-Box Live!, not because of Halo itself.

The first Halo game to have multiplayer was Halo PC, which didn't come out until '03.

Get your damn facts straight before making sweeping assumptions.

Pssst. Cheese.
"Halo: Combat Evolved" had system link capabilities and split-screen.

The Dreadnote wrote:

Why is it I can unload half a clip of a carbine into somebodies chest and they are still coming

Lrn2headshot

Carbines are a seven shot kill, regardless of headshots and as there are fifteen shots in one clip that means you can unload half a clip into someones chest with a carbine and kill them.

OH SNAP!

Here's my quick summary of the Halo games.

Halo 1: Good Story, Crap Multiplayer
Halo 2: Great Story, Great Multiplayer
Halo 3: Crap Story, Decent Multiplayer.

It's a slow deterioration, IMHO.

It's a good game, but its got too many raging fanboys, IMHO (Not that every game doesn't, but the multitude of them annoys me)

Kanluwen wrote:

Cheese Elemental wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:Halo should've come out to be the Half-Life Killer in '99. Sadly it didn't, and forever remains the most over-hyped game in history.

It's a run-of-the-mill shooter that gets all the attention in the world because of what? It's multiplayer? It's multiplayer was a success because of X-Box Live!, not because of Halo itself.

The first Halo game to have multiplayer was Halo PC, which didn't come out until '03.

Get your damn facts straight before making sweeping assumptions.

Pssst. Cheese.
"Halo: Combat Evolved" had system link capabilities and split-screen.

My mistake, I meant to say online multiplayer.

RustyKnight wrote:Aside from the Flood*, what does Halo steal from Aliens?

*Even those are only related in the sense that both involve using the humans for reproduction.

When the MC wakes up pretty much everything in that room looks like it's ripped from the scene when the Colonial Marines wake up.

It looks like any scene where it calls for a cryogenic freezing system.

It's not exclusive to "Aliens". The idea of a cryogenic freezing chamber for interstellar/intergalactic flight(or a cryogenic freezing chamber period) is pretty simple and it's hard to be "original" about it without tossing the idea and going for FTL.

Kanluwen wrote:Everything that was mentioned is from the 'official' novels(which with the exception of "The Flood" were written by one of the main authors of the game storylines).

I enjoyed a few of the Halo novels, I thought they helped me get into the game behind just shooting-everything-that-moves . However, "The Flood" is absolutely the WORST book I have EVER read.

It's amazing that it's the second book of a trilogy (but by a different author than the first and third) but it is absolutely atrocious, unlike the others. It's like in the first and third books, the writer was allowed to extrapolate the story and improvise, but for the second, it sounds like a running script of watching the video game by a bored anouncer... "The Master Chief took two steps, and shot three grunts. Then he turned a corner and shot an Elite. Then..."

UGH! I wish I could have those few days of reading back...

The other books, on the other hand, are excellent for fun action reading to get more into the background story, imho