- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
I have to agree with the original post by -blam!-yov. It's true that the MJOLNIR armour has a lot of perks aside from protection, but, according to available HALO fluff (the novels), it's also pretty damn resilient. So, "realistically" (in terms of the HALO-world) it would probably take a *lot* of bullets to bring the MC down. Think of Robocop, Terminator, or other similarly metal-encased beings, and the way they shrug off direct hits from handguns and rifles. The MC may or may not have as potent protection as these other guys do, but it stands to reason that he should be able to withstand a whole lot more in the way of pistol or rifle rounds with his shields down.
My guess is that this "realistic armour" wasn't implemented in order to get a more balanced game. Personally though, I would rather have a tougher Master Chief and significantly less health-packs around in the single-player campaign. It gives a more realistic feeling in terms of protection from the MJOLNIR armour, as well as letting you feel you're getting by because you are a powerful character rather than because you happen to be lucky enough to have multiple medpacks scattered throughout every area you happen to visit. HALO's recharging shield-system was a stroke of genius and a brilliant way to reduce dependancy on various forms of health packs that tend to exist in each and every FPS - I would like to see this taken even further in HALO2, though. Make the MC tough as hell, and remove most of the medpacks.
Multiplayer is a separate issue here I suppose, since it might get a bit boring if you have to fire at a player (while lagging) for two minutes before he goes down.
Anyway, it can also be said that in the novels, an armoured Spartan is also capable of leaping three metres straight up with ease, punching through solid concrete, seeing in the dark, and sprinting at speeds of 55 km/h (roughly 34 mph) and up. As you may have noticed, the MC can't do any of these things in-game, just like his armour can't withstand as much punishment as you may think it should. Then again, the novels came after the game, so the extent of the MC's abilities may not have been that detailed when HALO shipped. With the astounding fanbase and amount of background information existing today though, some of this will hopefully be addressed in HALO2.