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Subject: Reach: a more Serious Tone?
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I loved the ad campaign for Halo 3 starting with the kids laying in the grass gazing at the stars, to the old men talking about the battles similar to how each episode of Band of Brothers starts... But the game Halo 3 itself didn't feel as serious as its ad campaign... I mean I loved it but I was hoping for a more serous feel. I think ODST is stepping that way, but I really want Reach to give that feeling, they should dirty the game up little bit, and I dont mean get rid of all the colors Halo uses but I want the new engine not to look so cartoony like at times Halo 3 did. I thought Halo:CE felt little more serious than both Halo 2 and 3... I want there to be a little bit more blood and gore, destructible buildings and what not... I dont mean Gears of War gore cause thats taking it to far and unrealistic, but something in between Halo and Gears for example like direct sniper shots to spartans' head shatter the visor and blood begins to spill onto the battlefield and the body drops to its knees and bleeds out onto the grass... Since Halo is already rated M why dont they push the maturity of the game a little bit more. It doesn't all have to be about the blood and gore but they could maybe ad some more sadness to into the game, what do you guys think?

  • 07.27.2009 11:40 AM PDT

He watches every Hodgetwin video they put up...on ALL their channels. He calls them the Hodge Triplets, and considers himself the 3rd triplet. He's started talking and acting like them now. Every other line out of his mouth "Thaaas some BULLLLLL**** maaayne" or "Gotta make dem gainzzzz". He calls his biceps "gains". When he eats post-workout, he talks to his biceps, "Don't worry gains, I'm feeding you. Daddys gonna feed you, gainz *kisses biceps*".

This is quite a valid point, IMO. I'd like to see a more "serious" Halo game as well. You points about the blood and gore are well taken, but I think that blood and gore effects are not the kind of thing that really adds seriousness to the game. Sure, they help a bit, and I like the idea of visors getting bullet holes or armor with plasma scarring, but ultimately, that's minor stuff.

Both environment and dialogue greatly enhance the seriousness of a game, though. I agree that Bungie should tone down the purples, golds, yellows, and reds a bit in favor of grays, browns, blacks, and whites. Make the game grittier in appearance than the prior Halo games and make the animation less cartoonish, but once again, don't take it to the GOW war level of ridiculous grittiness.

Dialogue is even more important: jokes should be kept to an absolute minimum and should be very dry, if you're making a serious game. Keep it straightforward and have minimal but well-placed language. And for the love of all that is good in life, make sure there is NOT ONE corny voice actor in the game. They'll utterly ruin it (I'm looking at you, Halo 3 Miranda Keyes).

So, yes, I basically agree with your overall premise. Reach ought to take a little of the nice shine off of Halo stylistically.

  • 07.27.2009 11:57 AM PDT
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yea i already wrote about this in another post but i thought Halo 3 was gonna be like that Believe commercial with all the Marines being killed by Brutes but yet they kept fighting anyway becuz as long as the MC was alive they had hope they could win the Battle id love to see blood spill on the field after you are takin out by a Head shot from a shotty or Sniper or the visor would crack if you were too close to a grenade and it didnt kill you but it toke your shiled away and now your vision was blurred from the hot metal sinking in your face they need to show how the books were like when John walked into camp and he saw a guy who had been shot by a needler and big chunks of his abs and shoulder were missing and were covered in blood drenched bandages just because the Chief may not be able to really get injured in Halo 1 -3 doesnt meen he is safe now because he doesnt have his great armor anymore and this was the time when he saw the Reality of war and brutal it can really be which is why i loved the Book so much they always make the marines joke around in Halo but id like to hear them, wince in pain or maybe even cry out for help if they were shot or dying and begging for a medic to help them b4 they bleed out...

[Edited on 07.27.2009 12:00 PM PDT]

  • 07.27.2009 11:57 AM PDT

i loved those ads with the old guy in the museum place.. those were the best to me.

you know the diorama. i think it was called like believe?

  • 07.27.2009 12:02 PM PDT
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Posted by: MLGxXBaCkStAb
i loved those ads with the old guy in the museum place.. those were the best to me.

you know the diorama. i think it was called like believe?

Yea i have that Diorama for my Background on my Desktop the old dude talking about the battle seemed like an actual war veteran talking about a fatreful day like D-Day

  • 07.27.2009 12:04 PM PDT
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yeah keep ur ideas coming, I dont mind jokes hear and there, for example Band of Brothers did it right to help break up the tension, as soldiers did in WW2 to keep them self's calm. I also want to feel more of a connection to the characters and feel sad when there gone.

  • 07.27.2009 12:08 PM PDT

Yessssss please, Halo 3 felt like it deserved the T rating. It actually almost ruined the campaign for me. The only level that felt serious was Halo (the last level) and some parts of other missions. Like some parts of The Covenant.

  • 07.27.2009 12:13 PM PDT
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Exactly i hardly saw blood in Halo 3 too be Honest Halo 1 was really bloody i remember when i first got it i just kept shooting a dead grunt when u are on the Pillar of Autumm and it kept spraying blood all over the ships wall but it doesnt do that in Halo 3 and didnt live up to the Believe trailer where it shows that crazy diorama of Marines crying and getting blown up and thrown around by Brutes

  • 07.27.2009 2:06 PM PDT
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Me too, except for the 'make it less cartoony than Halo 3' bit. I loved the look and I seriously wish that Reach would have Halo 2-type graphics - excluding the glitches and low quality. Keep the cartoon look, but make it higher quality.

EDIT: Above poster clearly has not done it enough to notice that the game first lags then locks up when you do it too much.

[Edited on 07.27.2009 2:14 PM PDT]

  • 07.27.2009 2:13 PM PDT
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I want to see some bigger battles in Campaign
For example Your a Spartan and are with 20 marines at a Bunker and then two Covenant dropships come by and drop off 50 Covie Elites Grunts and also Banshee's are flying toward you and you have to Hold them off this is how most of Reach was fought the Marines were at a base and then Covenant were charging at them with Wraiths ghosts etc. and they had to hold them off with Turrets and charged at the Covenant with their Warthogs to meet them head on
This happened in the book when the Spartans saw a Huge charred battlefield and then a Warthog came riding up to them and the Spartnas asked is the battle over and the Marine driving said "No that was just the first wave"

  • 07.27.2009 2:36 PM PDT
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Posted by: Uberdawg
This is quite a valid point, IMO. I'd like to see a more "serious" Halo game as well. You points about the blood and gore are well taken, but I think that blood and gore effects are not the kind of thing that really adds seriousness to the game. Sure, they help a bit, and I like the idea of visors getting bullet holes or armor with plasma scarring, but ultimately, that's minor stuff.

Both environment and dialogue greatly enhance the seriousness of a game, though. I agree that Bungie should tone down the purples, golds, yellows, and reds a bit in favor of grays, browns, blacks, and whites. Make the game grittier in appearance than the prior Halo games and make the animation less cartoonish, but once again, don't take it to the GOW war level of ridiculous grittiness.

Dialogue is even more important: jokes should be kept to an absolute minimum and should be very dry, if you're making a serious game. Keep it straightforward and have minimal but well-placed language. And for the love of all that is good in life, make sure there is NOT ONE corny voice actor in the game. They'll utterly ruin it (I'm looking at you, Halo 3 Miranda Keyes).

So, yes, I basically agree with your overall premise. Reach ought to take a little of the nice shine off of Halo stylistically.
Agreed with pretty much everything you said. I want Reach be much more serious, not by putting more blood and gore in it, but by changing the dialogue and getting rid of the golds and purples and other bright colors.

  • 07.27.2009 2:51 PM PDT
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Exactly but to be honest they do need more blood for the Marines at least because they never bleed when they are shot and die they just dissapear i want to see them get hit by a grenade and them fly back from the explosion and their helmet pop off and you can see blood coming out of their forehead not GoW where u can see their brains coming out of their skull(even though this is what a grenade wud do to ur Skull) but just blood trickling down their forehead chest arm back or leg when they are shot

  • 07.27.2009 3:08 PM PDT

On Waypoint I'm rocketFox;
http://halo.xbox.com/forums/members/rocketfox/default.aspx

Old GTs; RebelRobot, Flamedude

I hope for more seriousness too, after all Reach is doomed so it would be good if Marines didn't joke and say "funny" phrases all the time. A bit of desperation and foreboding would be good.

  • 07.27.2009 3:16 PM PDT

~the falcon doesn't hunt just to kill, but to survive~

halo could defiantly use a bit more blood, but not a whole lot
like, avoid dismemberment, but still beat the body up a bit, let's see real time damage to the armor

right now i honestly have to say modern warfare (forgive me) has the most realistic amount of blood out of any current games, it's not obscenely violent, and there's not too little

  • 07.27.2009 3:39 PM PDT
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I agree i always started laughing when the Ausrtralian marine said something no matter what it was i want to see some marines sitting in a Trench crying and going into shock from all the plasma burns, trauma his friends getting sniped clean right in front of him and all the stuff he has seen that day
It would be cool to walk into a camp or base and see bandaged up Marines laying on beds or attempting to walk on crutches
Some of their faces are covered black from soot because of a Explosion that happened when they were ambushed while in their Warthog and burn marks are all over their armor
A few are even sitting on benches crying with their hands over their eyes some with their heads down and a look in their eyes that makes you wonder what they must have seen or been through earlier that day some have bloodied lips
The Spartans look at each other and wonder what it must be like to have such a fear and are wondering why the Marines are not be able to get over whatever it is they have seen
That would set the mood for actual War in my opinion and make it look like a actual game that should be taken serious

[Edited on 07.27.2009 4:16 PM PDT]

  • 07.27.2009 3:40 PM PDT
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Posted by: xfalcon12
halo could defiantly use a bit more blood, but not a whole lot
like, avoid dismemberment, but still beat the body up a bit, let's see real time damage to the armor

right now i honestly have to say modern warfare (forgive me) has the most realistic amount of blood out of any current games, it's not obscenely violent, and there's not too little

Yea i dont really care 4 dissmemberment but i want the War experience to be real and actually bring some realism to the fights especially after a firfight because its dumb how all the surviving Marines are spotless and clean

  • 07.27.2009 4:23 PM PDT

~the falcon doesn't hunt just to kill, but to survive~

Yea i dont really care 4 dissmemberment but i want the War experience to be real and actually bring some realism to the fights especially after a firfight because its dumb how all the surviving Marines are spotless and clean

i really agree, and thanks for agreeing with me.
i hate seeing marines standing around after a fight just chatting without a care in the world. no blood on them or anything

  • 07.27.2009 5:15 PM PDT
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Yea if i wanted to see that i would buy a Rated E game Bungies needs to take advantage of their M rating not just have it
I like to see them holding their arm or checking to see how bad the shot got them or maybe trying to bandage it up on their own or another Marine trying to help him out

  • 07.27.2009 5:20 PM PDT

Keep these ideas coming. The fact that most people are agreeing with these ideas - to step up the more serious aspects - is amazing. Bungie should see what people think.

  • 07.27.2009 5:45 PM PDT

I want to actualy care if a marine dies

  • 07.27.2009 6:34 PM PDT
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Posted by: Gunman1208
I want to actualy care if a marine dies



I cared when Johnson died. my only wish was to serve in more combat situations then we had. I almost cried when he died.

  • 07.27.2009 6:38 PM PDT
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I too would like a grittier Halo game. Blood and dust on your visor, heavy breathing and slightly shakier and more frantic fights. Anyways, they might try to make Reach darker and more serious, but hopefully they can do it without adding an obscene amount of blood and gore, even though some might be necessary. A sense of hopelessness would help, as well as actually caring about the AI who are helping you, when they get injured or die, be it facial expressions or being visibly weaker, limping with worried looks on their faces, almost knowing they're probably going to die. I'm all for it, so long as they do it without taking any necessary steps.

  • 07.27.2009 6:43 PM PDT

I'd like to see that and more realistic gameplay

  • 07.27.2009 6:51 PM PDT

lol

Well, with the way combat is executed in the Halo series (run and gun/hide when out of shields), there's no way any Halo game could capture the real essence of war. In real war, people die instantly from one or two shots. Marines in Halo take foot long solid metal spikes to the head and do not die. With all the advanced weaponry on both the Covenant and human sides, you'd think that only single shot with any rifle(besides a sniper) would take out a marine or brute. To maintain realism, Bungie would have to rethink their weapons and the effect they have on targets. Look to COD 4: Bullet peneration through surfaces, realistic sniping, an AI dialouge that isn't corny or predictable, moderate dismemberment (WAW), and it isn't even in 2552. To make the war experience of Halo realistic, the game itself has to be, well, realistic!

  • 07.27.2009 7:14 PM PDT

Golf Wang. Brony.

There could be some easy ways to get there.

Keep the smart-ass comments to the characters that need them, the dry personality in this conflict. That should be enough instead of dividing them up between the regular marines.

More rough audio, much like Halo CE and the original AR, as a good example. Hard to explain, but I know Bungie is awesome when it comes to sound effects and music.


But no need for CoD4 sandbox quirks. All you need is a layer to cover up the normal gameplay, not a total dramatic overhaul.

  • 07.27.2009 7:22 PM PDT

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