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HALO


HAZMAT

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So last month I got a 360, and not just any 360: THE HALO 4 LIMITED EDITION XBOX360 TM ©.

Since then I've been making my way through the series in order of release except for 2; I didn't order it at first to wait out the inevitable HD remake a la Combat Evolved Anniversary but since then have gotten it and backlogged it. Me and a friend recently started CEA co-op so 2 will be up next.

ANYWAY

Earlier today I finished 4, completing the series. What an experience it has been. Playing CEA really hit me hard right in the nostalgia, and it was quite a ride through the series. Definitely not disappointed with my 360 purchase, even though I've not even played half the games I bought yet.

I haven't played any multiplayer in any games because I don't have Gold, but I have a trial code and UK has graciously offered me some of his own, so I may foray into MP sometime soon.

 

After blasting through all of them sans 2 in such a short amount of time, it made it simpler to choose favorites, so from best to worst IMO:

 

Reach

4

ODST

Combat Evolved Anniversary

3

 

I'll touch on a few points to explain my choices:

-I'm not a fan of the Flood, hence my top 3 not having them

-Reach's emphasis on a squad lent itself well to gameplay, as I love having allies with me. It also made for the most engaging and interesting story, because instead of introverted Chief, you had a lot of interplay between squad mates. Also since you were your own Spartan instead of a predefined one, it made me feel more involved in the whole thing. Though I feel many of the deaths were cheap and thrown in solely for gameplay purposes; especially Kat's, seriously what was up with that????? ALSO SPACE LEVEL, it reminded me of Star Wars Battlefront

-ODST also dropped you into a no-name character like Reach, but the story didn't really engage me at all. Perhaps if I played 2 I'd have been better in tune with what was going on. I really liked the open hub level you were thrown in between "real" levels, it was a nice break from more linear offerings. ALSO NATHAN FILLION!

-4 hooked me in easily with the neon TRON effect on Promethean stuff and the disassembling weapons. It had some really great and challenging gameplay, sometimes borderline frustrating, but it never went overboard. The graphics were phenomenal for such dated hardware. The story felt pretty cheesy and honestly I had no idea what was going on most of the time (I'll get to that in the point about 3). Unfortunately it followed the trend of having no separate health bar, but it was just so fun I can forgive it.

-CE... it's just a classic. While it may be meandering or confusing at some points, it was a great game at it's time and still holds up. The improved graphics in Anniversary looked great and are a welcome addition.

-3... oh man, 3. Such a TERRIBLE GAME. The simplest of issues is the lack of a separate health bar, but that seems to be the norm today. The new Pure Flood Forms are a pain in the butt. The story made no sense (hence me barely following 4's), partly from my lack of playing 2 immediately before hand, and partly because it was SO BORING. Not just the story was boring though, throughout the entire game all I was thinking was "this is gonna be getting good soon!" but it never did. Though there were times I thought "this is terrible," i.e. the Flood Ship, which may be the worst level of all time ever. This apathy towards the game led to me barely being able to follow the story. There was nothing that made me excited to play, nothing I can think back on and go "that was pretty neat." Not everything was bad though, like turrets and ripping said turrets off their mounts, but overall it was definitely the weakest in the series. For being the intended end of the trilogy, it really was a let down.

 

 

I ended up typing way more than I originally planned, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on my thoughts, and how you would rank the games based solely on the campaign.

 

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I'm very surprised you didn't like 3. I think it's one of my favorite games of all times, both campaign and multiplayer wise. And I loved ODST's story. It might have also helped that it had like, half the firefly crew in it though.

 

I'm just gonna give you my list first.

 

ODST

Halo 3

Halo Reach

Halo CE

Halo 4

Halo 2

 

-ODST is only barely above Halo 3, and if it didn't have me going to the same area which I kept getting lost in over and over, it would definitely be one of my favorite campaigns of all time. Great characters, great story, just great overall.

-I love Halo 3 to death. Siding with the elites (especially the Arbiter) was awesome. Finishing the fight was awesome. Everything was awesome. I loved the variety of levels and enemies. Seriously, who doesn't have fun fighting two scarabs? I will agree with you that the flood level is my most hated level. I don't think anyone likes that level. I think pure form are really easy to kill though. A sticky grenade or sword swipe will instantly kill them. Unless you're taking about the shooting mouth pure forms. Screw everything about those guys. Also, The last level will always hold a special place in my heart. Fighting through flood with the Arbiter at your side, then Johnson's death (even if the fight with 343 was lame), to the warthog run at the end. You'd have some good memories if you tried beating that level with 4 people on ghosts on legendary with the iron skull on (any death brings you back to the checkpoint). I can see why you wouldn't understand it as much, especially since not playing halo 2. That game goes into why the covenant are doing what they're doing and everything.

-I really liked the squad of Reach. And playing as your own spartan was awesome. Made it a lot more personal. The gameplay was great, the levels were memorable, and most of the characters were awesome. I don't really have anything bad to say about it, other than Kat's death. That just seems really silly to me. Kat is dumb.

-Good ol' Halo CE. What memories I had with you. The only reason I think I put it this far down on the list is because I like the things about the other games more than this one. Can't think of anything wrong with this game other than the awful library. Also, Cortana was totally ugly. They fixed that in anniversary though.

-Now the newest addition. I loved the forerunner stuff about Halo 4. Loved it. Especially the Terminals. Seeing Chief return was awesome, but there's a couple things I did not like about it. First off, the Chief's new armor. I've finally warmed up to it, but I hate the shoulders and the chin/nose of the helmet. Next, the Covenant returning. I get that they're a splinter group and all, but I still find it very silly that after all you did in Halo 3, they were just like "Oh yeah, they're just back fighting you, no big deal", with no real explanation in game. Next is the UNSC's reaction to the Chief. Most people treat him like just another Spartan 4, ignoring for the most part all that he's done in the past like it was no big deal. What's up with that? Also, this isn't as big a deal, but the focus on Cortana was a little too much for me. Cortana has never been one of my favorite characters of Halo. I've liked her, but other than when I finally found her in Halo 3, I've never cared that much for her. The new look she has also throws me off a bit. It's just weird for me seeing her like that. And maybe her death would've meant more if it hadn't been spoiled for me. Besides, I'm not fully convinced she's dead. The gameplay was spot on though. Also, I very much understand you not understanding the story. The game is very unforgiving if you haven't read some of the newer books, and know the lore a bit better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

-Halo 2 is only on the bottom of the list only because I don't remember a lot of it. I only ever played through it once with my brother a long time ago when I was younger, and I guess it didn't have that big of an effect on me. I will say that I remember loving playing as the Arbiter and seeing a bit into how the Covenant worked, and a few other things I remember that were awesome, but don't want to spoil for you. This would probably be higher on the list if I could remember more.

 

So yeah, there's my list and reasons why. And the 3 games are only at the bottom of the list because of how much I liked the others better, not because they were bad (except a bit in the case of Halo 4).

 

/end rant

 

~U_K~

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Maybe I'll like 3 more when I give it another go in co-op, games are more fun with friends.

 

I agree about Halo 4 being too Cortana-centric and nonsensical. The whole story felt like bad fan-fiction, which it sort-of was in a way, since it's a new studio.

 

I did play Halo 2 before, many times; I just forget most of what happened like you because it was so long ago. Too bad there's no online co-op, we could've replayed it together.

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Man, Halo 3 was the pinnacle moment@ I think gameplay wise Reach was better, but emotionally it hits you right in the guts. Yes, it makes no sense if you haven't played Halo 2...but I mean that kind of seems obvious, no?

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I didn't find the story engaging at all because the gameplay wasn't engaging

 

Also, as I mentioned above, I did play 2 awhile ago. While I don't remember specifics I remember the gist of it + I read a plot summary before starting 3

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