- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
The complete and total lack of dismemberment in the game is.......astonishing to say the least. I mean, stop trying to be PC (I know you're desperately trying to look sane for everyone) and look at the arsenal. Huge crystals the size of an average man's forearm going into AND ALMOST THROUGH your torso and exploding. No mark. Scratchless. wtf?
What about the brute shot? It shoots GRENADES at you with enough force to barely be affected by gravity. What happens when it hits your kneecap? Nothing. Of course. I mean, why would an explosive traveling at least 80mph out of a metal tube mangle you in any way? Also, what about the blade at the end of it? If you're excuse is that the armor takes all the damage and holds the body together, then why the HELL does the brute shot melee even affect me? Why does ANYTHING affect me if master chief's wonder armor can stop anything and everything from ripping him apart? What about campaign? Why are brutes indestructible? Why are grunts indestructible? Why are the BARELY ARMORED MARINES indestructible? The only reason to hold back these things are to be kid friendly. They have an M rating already, what are they trying to do? They're gore system has worked fine since Halo 1 as proven with the flood, so that's no excuse. (also, I miss how you could shoot their bellies out) There are multiple unused mangled marine corpses in Halo 1. Men with their entire chests cracked open. Arms missing. Everything in the series should logically lead to more violence (or at least people that don't all come from krypton) than it has. The storyline, the weapons, the god damn RATING. So why doesn't it deliver? What's holding them back? This isn't like bungie.
PS: There are subtle hints in the Halo universe that say that energy swords don't generate heat.
PSS: Gore being unnecessary is no excuse. NOTHING is necessary. The normal mapping isn't needed, the beautiful lighting in the maps aren't needed, the small props laying about the scenes aren't needed, the good acting isn't needed, the tiny puffs of vegetation aren't needed, the water physics isn't needed, the rag dolls aren't needed, the excellent hand keyed animations aren't needed, the beautiful soundtrack isn't needed, the great sound effects aren't needed, the dynamically swaying trees aren't needed, the great explosions effects aren't needed. NOTHING in the game that we see or hear beyond what's needed to let you know where the bad guys are is necessary. But why are they there? They put you into the experience. They help you to believe the world that you are playing in is real enough to care about. Grenades shot out of a metal tube that travel at least 80mph and hitting someone in the face without it damaging their person in ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM pulls me right out of an experience. Just like me walking around a room of dead bodies and dropping ammo out of my inventory, only to see that the half pound pulse rifle clip causes a nearby body to explode into bloody chunks on impact. (Dead Space)
Hell, HALO isn't needed. FIRST PERSON SHOOTERS aren't needed. VIDEO GAMES aren't needed. ENTERTAINMENT isn't needed. And yet, we have it all.
Halo is Halo. It's not a gory shooter. If you want blood, go play Dead space.