Gaming by GlossGreen

OK, I've had a chance to replay a significant portion of the game again, and guess what? I realized that I absolutely hate this game. I hate that level design (boring corridor after boring corridor). I hate that none of the characters (save Cortana) have any personalities. But, most of all, I hate the flood (nothing else needed to explain that here).

Let me tell you first that I really did try to like the game. I started out feeling pretty good about it, not great, but good. Then I started to realize a couple of things. First off, the story never pulled me in. Usually I just fall into a good game because the story grabs me and stimulates my imagination, this game just didn't do that. I felt like that each chapter was disjointed from the last. Instead of traveling to a new area you are just kind of dumped off there. Let me explain. First, you start out on the ship. From there you jump into a lifepod and crash land on Halo. OK, can't really do anything about that. Master Chief isn't going to just jump out of the ship and free fall to the planet, right? Next you travel around the Halo (not too bad here) and end up getting picked up in a Pelican. Here's where the problem starts. From now on you are just picked up and dropped off, no actual progression from one area to another is involved. You are just taken from one place to another without any kind of a decent transition. Because of this the story feels kind of pieced together and just doesn't coalesce.

My second problem, the level designs are some of the most boring ones I've ever seen in a game. The ship is incredibly boring and sterile. I know, it's a military space ship, it's supposed to be neat and clean; but the damn thing is in a battle and severely damaged. So why aren't there more scorched walls, objects on fire, caved in walls or even bodies lying around. What, are there like 15 people on this giant ship? Things don't really get better on the ground. The Halo itself is not bad, not great though either. Then there's the buildings. Endless rooms that look like the room I was just in a couple of minutes ago is unforgivable and here's the reason why. This game has no mapping function for the levels, which isn't a bad thing in itself. Here is the bad thing: When every room or corridor or outdoor environment looks identical to what you've seen a couple of minutes ago, that is unforgivable. Frequently, in the buildings, you are attacked from enemies from all different directions. It's easy to get turned around an lose sight of which way you entered the room. You then look around and see a door; that must be where you need to go right? Wrong. Because of the fact that several of the rooms look identical, the only way I was able to tell if I was going the right way was if there were bodies on the ground, the rooms themselves are no help. Very frustrating, and it gets old seeing the same thing again, and again, and again.

I really do understand why this game was successful though. It wasn't about Master Chief. It wasn't about defeating the Covenant. It wasn't anything remotely tied to the (mostly nonexistent) story. It's all about the multiplayer. Nothing beats getting the buds together and having a little battle to see who's best, and there is nothing wrong with that. I just think that the rest of the experience (the campaign mode) isn't up to par.

I think that's enough about this game, I am starting on Halo 2 as soon as I finish this. Buy first one last question: Why don't any of the characters (especially the Covenant) have an ounce of personality in this game?

I said a while back that in commemoration of the release of Halo Wars I was going to go back and play the previous three games in the series. Well, I finally have that damn power transformer so I started this not un-momentous task last night. I'm not going to rush. I'm not going to prejudge (again). I'm going to go through and just try to enjoy the games. After all, millions of people couldn't be wrong, could they? Don't answer that. Moving on.

First impressions (the second time) are good for the first Halo. I'm only a couple of hours in, but I have realized it's a pretty fun game. Kinda ugly looking in parts, but fun none the less. Now before you get all angry at me for calling it ugly, go back and play the ship level. OK, done yet? I don't agree with the level design, it is a bit on the sterile side, and tell me why all the corridors are two rights, two lefts, then repeat? I shouldn't get all fixated on the ship levels anyway. It was only one big tutorial level after all. But, once the action hits the ground on the Halo, things start looking much, much better. Anyway, I am not trying to hate on the game, I still like it and I'm having fun playing it. Again. Now, I have to get back to the game or I'll never finish all four. More useless impressions to come.

With Feeling

Way back in August of last year, I wrote about my experiences with the first game in the Halo series. Since then I have played all 3 games, well, 3 of 4 if you count Halo Wars. Speaking of Halo Wars, I do have a copy of it sitting here in my house waiting to be played. And why don't I? I'm playing through F.E.A.R 2 right now and want to hold off on a new game until I get through that one.

Since I'm turning a new leaf (read my last post) in my gaming habits, I think I have a plan with Halo Wars. See, here's the thing. I'm heading back downrange in a few days, and lucky me, I have an Xbox 360 (brand new in the box) waiting for me. I plan to pick up a TV when I get there, something big enough that I can actually see the figures on the screen with, meaning no 13 incher for me. When I get the set-up completed I'll have to have something to play, so I'm going to pull out Halo Wars, right? Nope. I'm going to pull out (pretend that you are hearing a big announcer type voice when you read this, I'm thinking of the scene with Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness when he has to say the magic words as he takes the Necronomicon) Halo: Combat Evolved. Why the first game? Well, as the title of this post may suggest, I may not have been completely...open with the game the first time I played it. Meaning, I may get more out of it the second time I play it. I was pretty harsh with my assessment last time. I blame a lack of caffeine at the time.

Now, after that game, Halo Wars, right? No, next is Halo 2, then Halo 3. See, I'm trying to go back through the story so I have it all fresh in my mind for Halo Wars. But, Halo Wars is a prequel. Why would I need to review the first three games if they happen after the events of the fourth? From what I understand about the game (I haven't read a lot about it yet, wouldn't want to spoil the fun) it does show the evolution of events and actually ties into the other games. This game is considered "canon". Basically, what that means is that Halo Wars is the historic set-up for the other three games. I think it will be interesting to see how the events in Halo Wars tie into the events of the other games and expanded universe (the books and such, and yes, I've read most of the books). I think it will be much more interesting to experience the events of Halo Wars if I have a better working knowledge of what has happened to date, and that will lead to the "oh, so that's why that happened in Halo X" ruminations.

Now after that is all over, and this course of action will take a long investment in time to follow through, I may have another plan for another series. Right now though, I've bitten off a huge gaming bite and hope I don't choke on it.

Quite a few years ago, Halo was released for the original Xbox. At the time I had a buddy that owned an Xbox and, of course, picked up THE game for it. I admit, I was a Sony fanboy at the time and thought that Microsoft getting into the console gaming business just had to be a terrible idea. Because of that attitude, I initially dismissed the notion of picking up an Xbox or even playing Halo. At the time, I don’t even think anyone else I knew had an Xbox. Bias? Of course, but I’ve matured and learned a lot since then. Like I’ve said before, it’s all about the games. And being all about the games, I recently decided the time was right, so I finally picked up all 3 Halo games.

Let me get this out right off the bat. The first Halo didn’t impress me, and honestly, I don’t get what all the hype was about. The game had decent graphics, a solid frame rate and decent (if limited number of) weapons. What the game didn’t have was a compelling story or very interesting characters. The story itself was standard sci-fi fare, and not very exciting at that. In the future, humans are at war with an alien species with superior technology. Hadn’t heard that one before, have you? The overwhelmed humans are then forced to fight in a previously unknown part of space. Now there’s some groundbreaking writing. And the clincher, both species are confronted by an even worse enemy. Wow, never would have seen that coming. Oh, yes I did. But sometimes even bad plot lines can be forgiven. Star Wars: A New Hope had an equally bad story, but what endeared that movie to fans were the unforgettable characters.

I know people are going to disagree with me about this, but after playing the first game did you have any idea who Master Chief really was? Of course not, how could you? He had no back story, very little dialog, not even a face to look at. The supporting cast of characters also gave me the same sense of…meh. Captain Keyes was just another character; other than the forced story element, I had no compelling reason to want to rescue him. Did seeing his final fate evoke any emotion from me? No, I didn’t care, and why should I? He was just a face with a name, a few forgettable lines of dialog, and nothing else attached. In this game, he’s not the only forgettable one, the enemies are no better. With the exception of the limited dialog of the Grunts, the Covenant forces have zero personality. All you hear from them are a series of shrieks, growls and howls; positively boring. These are supposed to be the baddest of the bad guys in the universe, but hell, they’re not even interesting enough to really want to kill. Oh, and don’t get me started on the Flood (For the record, my biggest gaming pet peeve ever is when constant waves of enemies jump out of some vent or other area that I can’t access. How can 30 of these guys hide in a place like that?).

The bullet sponges themselves may be pretty dull, but at least the act of killing them is interesting. There are several areas where combat is engaging with varied environments, but mostly you’ll fight in a nondescript outdoor area or the same endlessly twisting corridors (ala the library). The few weapons that you get are well designed and actually pretty fun to shoot. Plus, unlike most FPS games, the standard pistol is surprisingly useful in itself. I found myself relying on the M6D many times throughout the game.

Overall, the first entry in this popular series had a solid, if uninspired, start. More importantly, it helped to establish the Xbox as a legitimate gaming console in the eyes of hardcore players. All Bungie had to do next was make Halo better.