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I just picked up the OXM October "Halo Issue" and the first thing I saw when I opened the mag was an advert for the new Halo: ODST.

As always there was a little blurb written about the game.

"For 30 years the Covenant has beseiged our civilization, annihilated our cities, and glassed our planets. It ends now. It ends with you. Volunteer for service and fight side-by-side with the fiercest warriors the human race has ever known: the ODST. Jump into hell--feet first. And when the Covenant look to the heavans and see our judgement raining down, they will understand that humanity's last breath is not so easily extinguished--and they will know fear.

Prepare to drop."

Does anyone else get reminded of the Space Marines when they read this?
fiercest warriors of man? look to the heavens for judgement raining down? they will know fear?

If not, re-read the paragraph and replace Covenant with an evil 40k race of your choice and ODST with Space Marine.

...and they will know (no) fear

What?
Is this some kind of "SPACE MAREENZ HURR" post?

Or is this some kind of poor comparison relating two completely different universes?

Because if it's the latter, do a smidge bit of research before comparisons. Spartans are the Halo equivalent to Space Marines, given that they are both genetically enhanced and given reactive powered armor.

The comparison you'd want for the ODSTs is the Imperial Guard's Stormtroopers or the Elysian Drop Regiments.

Everything in sci-fi is taken from everything else in sci-fi.

But hey, at least it's not a "WHO WUD W1N>? MISTER CHEEF OR A SPEHSS MAHREEN" post.

They're similar in that they're an elite strike force whose specialty is dropping from space, taking an objective, and going home. Nothing more.

Your right, ODST's are kinda like space marines, whilst Spartans are more like terminators or maybe even primarchs

...what?

How in any way, shape, or form are ODSTs like the Astartes?

If you say "because they both use drop pods to get into combat sometimes!", that's preposterous.
The ODSTs aren't genetically modified, power armored deathmachines like the Spartans/Astartes.
They're just men, heavily trained and decently equipped.

But I agree. The tone of the 'speech' given is very grimdark. If you posted that up, replacing 'Covenant' with 'enemy' and the single use of 'ODST' with 'us' then I wouldnt have been able to tell you if it was from Halo or from 40k. And to be completely honest, I don't fault Halo with trying to crib off of 40k to be a little more b.a. Let's face it, Halo needs all the help it can get.

That is what I intended to say, the tone of speech of the blurb in the add is very reminicent of the 40k fluff, not "SPACE MAREENZ HURR" (love the all caps)

ODSTs are more like the IG Storm troopers. In halo the spartans are the ones compaired to SM, they don't really have terminators.

jimsolo wrote:And to be completely honest, I don't fault Halo with trying to crib off of 40k to be a little more b.a.

The Space Marines actually stole all their ideas from Starship Troopers, published 1959. Discuss.

The Dreadnote wrote:

jimsolo wrote:And to be completely honest, I don't fault Halo with trying to crib off of 40k to be a little more b.a.

The Space Marines actually stole all their ideas from Starship Troopers, published 1959. Discuss.

You mean the Emperor and Adeptus Mechanicus stole the idea from Robert A. Heinlein

Though I believe the Power Armour he describes is more akin to that of the Tau Crisis Battle Suit.

yeah, they definitely stole this straight from GW.

ODST wins at live action trailers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dc7zGkW7g8

The Dreadnote wrote:

jimsolo wrote:And to be completely honest, I don't fault Halo with trying to crib off of 40k to be a little more b.a.

The Space Marines actually stole all their ideas from Starship Troopers, published 1959. Discuss.

Seriously, re-read Starship Troopers. I don't think it is what you think it is.

I love those Halo live action trailers, great find

RxGhost wrote:

The Dreadnote wrote:

jimsolo wrote:And to be completely honest, I don't fault Halo with trying to crib off of 40k to be a little more b.a.

The Space Marines actually stole all their ideas from Starship Troopers, published 1959. Discuss.

Seriously, re-read Starship Troopers. I don't think it is what you think it is.

"Volunteer for service and fight side-by-side with the fiercest warriors the human race has ever known: the ODST Space Marines Mobile Infantry. Jump into hell--feet first. And when the Covenant enemies of mankind Arachnids look to the heavans and see our judgement raining down, they will understand that humanity's last breath is not so easily extinguished--and they will know fear."

I read it the other week.

Boss 'eadbreaka wrote:Your right, ODST's are kinda like space marines, whilst Spartans are more like terminators or maybe even primarchs

Yeah... no.
Spartans are more like scouts.

I will grant that the Imperial Guard and the Mobile Infantry have a very similar theme. But, as much as I dislike the Black Library's technical skill, they are still better than Heinlein.

And my point is not that they are flat out stealing stuff from 40k, just trying to establish a tone by looking to something that already has a tone established. Because, well, I dont have a high degree of respect for Halo. (Or its legion of followers)

...

The Imperial Guard and the Mobile Infantry have no similar theme whatsoever. The Mobile Infantry is made up of heavily equipped shock troops fired at a target from low orbit, and told to go wreak havoc before the follow-up invasions of regular infantry. Add in that the MI is all-volunteer(which arguably, some Guard regiments are, along with some being trained in infiltration/sabotage) and there's a huge difference.

ODST stand for orbital drop storm trooper iirc. Space marines can somewhat be compared to this in that they both utilize quick rapid strikes.But space marines are in no way a spartan like the master cheif. But I'm sure we can all agree that Spartan-117 kicks abbadon or marneus calgars asses am I right?

Whilst the Inquisition calls upon Exterminatus on the planet, destroying not only Master Chief and his opponents, but the stupid notion that we really have to compare two separate universes.

I'd like to have the analogy of Master chief being in a different weightclass, like in boxing. He would be the best middleweight whilst Abbaddon or Calgar are Super-heavyweights. You can't compare them in a fair way

Nor should it be attempted, people get pissy about that for some reason

I don't think people would mind comparisons if people actually thought about the comparisons they want to make before they post it.

Frankly, I get annoyed by these constant Halo v 40k comparisons because you either get:
a) Master Chief is like a super Guardsman x1000 styled thread, where he suddenly cuts a swathe through entire Tyranid armies with no back up and using a lasgun.
b) This style of thread, where Space Marines are compared to modern styled forces(which is sheer stupidity, considering the genetic modifications, power armor etc of the Astartes).
c)The people who come out of the woodwork hooting and hollering about random things being similar through the universes(so what? It's scifi. Scifi ends up with alot of similarities).

But then again, I'm under the opinion that people need to shut their traps if they have a minor knowledge of a subject.

The holy inquisition of SHUT THE HELL UP has been announced just in case!

Halo vs. Warhammers = no point and leads to nerdrage and 11 year old kids googling facts to support their argument.

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Now to the topic, yeah I really do think that all sifi kinda melds. Look at the Wolves. Uhh Norse Mythology anyone?

Even games like WoW steal ideas from stuff like LotR and the Lovecraft series.

WH40k even steals ideas from Dune and some others!

It works so build on it!

EzeKK wrote:The holy inquisition of SHUT THE HELL UP has been announced just in case!

Halo vs. Warhammers = no point and leads to nerdrage and 11 year old kids googling facts to support their argument.

QFT

jimsolo wrote:I will grant that the Imperial Guard and the Mobile Infantry have a very similar theme. But, as much as I dislike the Black Library's technical skill, they are still better than Heinlein.

And my point is not that they are flat out stealing stuff from 40k, just trying to establish a tone by looking to something that already has a tone established. Because, well, I dont have a high degree of respect for Halo. (Or its legion of followers)

Kanluwen wrote:...

The Imperial Guard and the Mobile Infantry have no similar theme whatsoever. The Mobile Infantry is made up of heavily equipped shock troops fired at a target from low orbit, and told to go wreak havoc before the follow-up invasions of regular infantry. Add in that the MI is all-volunteer(which arguably, some Guard regiments are, along with some being trained in infiltration/sabotage) and there's a huge difference.

I see what's happed on the Starship Troopers front, here there's some confusion between the Book and the film.

Book - Highly elite, hi-tech fighting force (Tau XV Crisis suit)

Film - IG drop infantry regiment.

A wise man once said

"Never judge a book by it's film" - Wise Man


Automatically Appended Next Post:

EzeKK wrote:The holy inquisition of SHUT THE HELL UP has been announced just in case!

Halo vs. Warhammers = no point and leads to nerdrage and 11 year old kids googling facts to support their argument.

LOL

Lord of the Rings=Fantasy as we know it today
Starship Troopers=Scifi as we know it today

jimsolo wrote:But I agree. The tone of the 'speech' given is very grimdark. If you posted that up, replacing 'Covenant' with 'enemy' and the single use of 'ODST' with 'us' then I wouldnt have been able to tell you if it was from Halo or from 40k. And to be completely honest, I don't fault Halo with trying to crib off of 40k to be a little more b.a. Let's face it, Halo needs all the help it can get.

You can tell cause never in lolhammer 40k do they talk about glassing planets. Its just not grimdark enough.

Most best selling electronics are copies of a non-electronic game. Star Trek Troopers(Hope thats what they are called) has an entire race based off 'Nids. So yes, ODST is probably to close to space marines.

Tim the Biovore wrote:Most best selling electronics are copies of a non-electronic game. Star Trek Troopers(Hope thats what they are called) has an entire race based off 'Nids. So yes, ODST is probably to close to space marines.

You mean starship Troopers? That game based on a book that was released in 1959?