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09-28-2009, 11:50 AM
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I’ve always been “on the fence” with Halo, and I’ve made no attempt to hide that fact. I’ve scorned both haters and fanboys of the series, because neither side ever makes a compelling argument. Which is kind of like my last break-up, no sense on either side and then suddenly I had free time again.
Fortunately, this little rant will make sense. For those of fair opinion at least.
Every Halo game has ended with the same thought running through my head. I love what Bungie was trying to do, but I’m left apathetic about the whole experience. I won’t delve into the inner workings of my opinions of the previous games too much here, however, as I want to focus on ODST.
When I first heard this would be semi open-world, I was intrigued. Halo has always felt disjointed to me, each level throwing you into an entirely different environment with only a vague FMV sequence to explain how you got there. An open-world environment, on the other hand, would allow for seamless joining of the different settings á la Far Cry 2 or Fallout 3. HOPE WAS PRESENT IN MY BRAIN! Unfortunately, this hope was dashed when I discovered the “open-world” was in fact a boxed-in maze of misdirection and monster closets.
THERE’S A WAYPOINT HERE. GET THERE. GO THROUGH THESE EXACT STREETS AND TUNNELS.* This may as well have been what the HUD told me when playing as the Rookie.
Which brings me onto my next point of contention: The Rookie. Here we have a character who never speaks throughout the entirety of the game, is featured in only mundane roles within the FMVs in which he plays a part, and who – by the end of the game – I could not possibly care any less about.
Throughout the campaign I was treated to several memorable characters, all voiced by memorable talents, all placed in Halo-esque epic situations in which I actually play as them. Then in between all of these fantastic, moving scenarios, I’m thrown back to “play” as the Rookie.
This inane character serves no greater purpose in this game than to bore you into a comatose state whilst shooting your way to a trigger point that will allow you to once again be invigorated by how good the game really can be when playing as another character.
I’m really not sure what Bungie were going for with this guy (is it even a guy?). Were they looking for an “everyday man becomes a hero” angle? Because they failed there. Maybe a Gordon Freeman for the Haloverse? With deep character progression through subtle gameplay mechanics? Again, if that’s what they were going for, they failed.
THE VOCALISED CHARACTERS ARE FANTASTIC BUT THE ROOKIE IS A PERSONIFIED CAR…WITH A GUN. HE’S A PERSONIFIED DRIVE-BY. I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED IF HE SHOT TUPAC.
Another thing that bugs me to no end with Halo games is the requirement to end the game with a “vehicle section.” Fortunately, although there is a vehicle section at the end of ODST, it isn’t the final battle. That comes in the form of a round of Firefight based in the story, which is an excellent idea given that Firefight is a big selling point. No complaints from me there at all.
My last frustration is the effectiveness of strategic combat; i.e. It’s not effective to be strategic. Sure, you can take down enemies from a distance if you want, but it’ll take a LOT more ammo than you have available. I’ve always made this complaint with Halo games, and this is no different. The only way to win the more generic battles in the game is to shoot whilst strafing toward an enemy, melee its face, and sticky-grenade its closest friend. Rinse. Repeat. Never. Fail. I enjoy the potential put forward by Halo 3’s combat mechanics, but that potential remains unrealised by its creators.
So here’s my final summarised thoughts, with “The Rookie” replaced by Greg (because that’s what I think he should’ve been called):
Things I liked:*Story; the seamless integration of the story into the existing plot; not playing as Master Chief; characters that WEREN’T Greg; gameplay sections that didn’t involve Greg (except the end, but even then Greg was unnecessary); the final showdown
Things that needed work:*Every part of the game in which I played Greg; the character of Greg; effectiveness of the weapons when firing and not bludgeoning; the open world (it needed to be truly open, with interesting places and people to find, and situations to get in to); Greg
__________________
That’s my take on the whole thing anyway. I realise this game has already taken a bit of a beating from Sarcastic Gamer this past week, but this article isn’t meant as a dig at it. I like this game, I really do. But it infuriates me that Bungie are still – four games in – making the same mistakes they made with Halo 1. And what infuriates me more is the fans are too enamoured to realise it, so they’ll never change it. It’s a vicious circle. That said, I know I’ll be back for Reach. And I will hope against all my better judgment that I will be entirely pleased with that product.
Okay, fire away opinionators! The comments in this thread are reserved for only the greatest arguers and complainers! (And to a lesser extent, people who agree with me, who probably number in the 10s).
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=yIl2AUoC8zA (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=dnMXMwOfBR0 (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:dnMXMwOfBR0) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?i=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:gIN9vFwOqvQ (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:gIN9vFwOqvQ) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?i=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:V_sGLiPBpWU (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:V_sGLiPBpWU) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=qj6IDK7rITs (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:qj6IDK7rITs) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?i=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:F7zBnMyn0Lo (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:F7zBnMyn0Lo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?i=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:D7DqB2pKExk (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=7Q72WNTAKBA (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:7Q72WNTAKBA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=l6gmwiTKsz0 (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:l6gmwiTKsz0)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheSarcasticGamer/~4/K8deYhi2XBY
Click here to view the article. (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSarcasticGamer/~3/K8deYhi2XBY/odsts-campaign-almost-converted-me-god-damnit-rookie.html)
I’ve always been “on the fence” with Halo, and I’ve made no attempt to hide that fact. I’ve scorned both haters and fanboys of the series, because neither side ever makes a compelling argument. Which is kind of like my last break-up, no sense on either side and then suddenly I had free time again.
Fortunately, this little rant will make sense. For those of fair opinion at least.
Every Halo game has ended with the same thought running through my head. I love what Bungie was trying to do, but I’m left apathetic about the whole experience. I won’t delve into the inner workings of my opinions of the previous games too much here, however, as I want to focus on ODST.
When I first heard this would be semi open-world, I was intrigued. Halo has always felt disjointed to me, each level throwing you into an entirely different environment with only a vague FMV sequence to explain how you got there. An open-world environment, on the other hand, would allow for seamless joining of the different settings á la Far Cry 2 or Fallout 3. HOPE WAS PRESENT IN MY BRAIN! Unfortunately, this hope was dashed when I discovered the “open-world” was in fact a boxed-in maze of misdirection and monster closets.
THERE’S A WAYPOINT HERE. GET THERE. GO THROUGH THESE EXACT STREETS AND TUNNELS.* This may as well have been what the HUD told me when playing as the Rookie.
Which brings me onto my next point of contention: The Rookie. Here we have a character who never speaks throughout the entirety of the game, is featured in only mundane roles within the FMVs in which he plays a part, and who – by the end of the game – I could not possibly care any less about.
Throughout the campaign I was treated to several memorable characters, all voiced by memorable talents, all placed in Halo-esque epic situations in which I actually play as them. Then in between all of these fantastic, moving scenarios, I’m thrown back to “play” as the Rookie.
This inane character serves no greater purpose in this game than to bore you into a comatose state whilst shooting your way to a trigger point that will allow you to once again be invigorated by how good the game really can be when playing as another character.
I’m really not sure what Bungie were going for with this guy (is it even a guy?). Were they looking for an “everyday man becomes a hero” angle? Because they failed there. Maybe a Gordon Freeman for the Haloverse? With deep character progression through subtle gameplay mechanics? Again, if that’s what they were going for, they failed.
THE VOCALISED CHARACTERS ARE FANTASTIC BUT THE ROOKIE IS A PERSONIFIED CAR…WITH A GUN. HE’S A PERSONIFIED DRIVE-BY. I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED IF HE SHOT TUPAC.
Another thing that bugs me to no end with Halo games is the requirement to end the game with a “vehicle section.” Fortunately, although there is a vehicle section at the end of ODST, it isn’t the final battle. That comes in the form of a round of Firefight based in the story, which is an excellent idea given that Firefight is a big selling point. No complaints from me there at all.
My last frustration is the effectiveness of strategic combat; i.e. It’s not effective to be strategic. Sure, you can take down enemies from a distance if you want, but it’ll take a LOT more ammo than you have available. I’ve always made this complaint with Halo games, and this is no different. The only way to win the more generic battles in the game is to shoot whilst strafing toward an enemy, melee its face, and sticky-grenade its closest friend. Rinse. Repeat. Never. Fail. I enjoy the potential put forward by Halo 3’s combat mechanics, but that potential remains unrealised by its creators.
So here’s my final summarised thoughts, with “The Rookie” replaced by Greg (because that’s what I think he should’ve been called):
Things I liked:*Story; the seamless integration of the story into the existing plot; not playing as Master Chief; characters that WEREN’T Greg; gameplay sections that didn’t involve Greg (except the end, but even then Greg was unnecessary); the final showdown
Things that needed work:*Every part of the game in which I played Greg; the character of Greg; effectiveness of the weapons when firing and not bludgeoning; the open world (it needed to be truly open, with interesting places and people to find, and situations to get in to); Greg
__________________
That’s my take on the whole thing anyway. I realise this game has already taken a bit of a beating from Sarcastic Gamer this past week, but this article isn’t meant as a dig at it. I like this game, I really do. But it infuriates me that Bungie are still – four games in – making the same mistakes they made with Halo 1. And what infuriates me more is the fans are too enamoured to realise it, so they’ll never change it. It’s a vicious circle. That said, I know I’ll be back for Reach. And I will hope against all my better judgment that I will be entirely pleased with that product.
Okay, fire away opinionators! The comments in this thread are reserved for only the greatest arguers and complainers! (And to a lesser extent, people who agree with me, who probably number in the 10s).
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=yIl2AUoC8zA (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=dnMXMwOfBR0 (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:dnMXMwOfBR0) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?i=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:gIN9vFwOqvQ (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:gIN9vFwOqvQ) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?i=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:V_sGLiPBpWU (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:V_sGLiPBpWU) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=qj6IDK7rITs (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:qj6IDK7rITs) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?i=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:F7zBnMyn0Lo (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:F7zBnMyn0Lo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?i=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:D7DqB2pKExk (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=7Q72WNTAKBA (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:7Q72WNTAKBA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?d=l6gmwiTKsz0 (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheSarcasticGamer?a=K8deYhi2XBY:q9pl-Y0jsf4:l6gmwiTKsz0)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheSarcasticGamer/~4/K8deYhi2XBY
Click here to view the article. (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSarcasticGamer/~3/K8deYhi2XBY/odsts-campaign-almost-converted-me-god-damnit-rookie.html)