- ethanhatami17
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- Exalted Heroic Member
I would have to go with the CE campaign. I've had discussions / arguments with my friends over this preference many times. And to be sure, there are obvious technical achievements in the H3 campaign that I wish could have also been in CE (online 4 player, sweet graphics, sound, etc); but for me, there simply isn't a video game experience out there (H2 and H3 included) that beats playing campaign on Legendary in H1. Its tough to explain why I like it more. Designers have all sorts of strange jargon they use to describe "AI / player interaction model tree" or whatever...I don't know how to involve myself in those discussions using developer speak, but I'll try to give you my two cents as best I can...
As a player who's logged hundreds (if not thousands) of hours on the Halo series, I found the AI in Halo 1 to be more engaging than the rest of the series. I think this may relate to an overemphasis on making AI "smarter", which I think tends to make the gameplay more stale. I know that may seem like a weird point. A friend of mine still refuses to acknowledge how sometimes less is better.
Also, the level design seemed off in H2 and 3. Yes, the levels looked pretty cool and they often made for a good screenshot. But I don't think designers did a very good job of A) coming up with areas of combat that gave priority to gameplay rather than graphics / coolness and B) using the few good spaces they did make (by scripting AI behaviors and populating enemy troops) into solid gameplay.
One of my biggest gripes with 2 and 3 were their failure to implement vehicular combat into gameplay. Engaging enemies in vehicles isn't that much fun (at least for me). I'd much rather assault 50-75 covenant on foot rather than covs in ghosts, banshees, scarabs, etc. In H2 and H3, there were some great areas what were ruined because rather than putting groups of cov on foot, they decided to put cov in ghosts and tanks instead. Again, that same friend of mine refuses to acknowledge how less cov firepower can add more to gameplay.
Also, the pacing has quickened in H2 and H3 to the point where I feel like its a different game. The designers seemed to have structured "event triggers" and AI behaviors in such a way as to force to into fewer decisions and making you go directly into confrontations the way they want you to. In H1, I felt like I had more control over when, where, and how I get to attack the enemy. In fact, my control was so great that, at times, mastering a certain way of beating a level became an art form. It just doesn't feel that way in H3 and H2. And trust me, I have the maps memorized...