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This topic has moved here: Subject: The Master Chief hardly ever talks.
  • Subject: The Master Chief hardly ever talks.
Subject: The Master Chief hardly ever talks.

Posted by: permit2kill
I got a girlfriend. Then I dumped her. And now I play more Halo again.

He has no personality.

He has no feelings.

He doesn't display his thoughts, his emotions, his opinions.

He has no body language. He has no expression.

Halo bred the entire stereotype of "Mindless, walking, stoic mass-murdering space marine".

Even Duke Nukem had a personality - which he displayed.

I will mention this again when Reach is released and we all find out what happens. And I want you to think about it when you do.

  • 08.27.2010 2:37 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Agreed. The games depict him as a horribly bland character with little emotional integrity, one might argue that this is what most Spartan-IIs were like but it's just boring to have them this way.

Spartan-IIIs are one of my favourite things in the Halo canon. They've got to work as a team and they're characters we can relate to much easier because they're more "human" than the S-IIs.

  • 08.27.2010 3:00 AM PDT
  • gamertag: jat666
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Born in 1991
Casually gaming since 1997
Playing Halo since 2003


Posted by: ajw34307
Agreed. The games depict him as a horribly bland character with little emotional integrity, one might argue that this is what most Spartan-IIs were like but it's just boring to have them this way.

Spartan-IIIs are one of my favourite things in the Halo canon. They've got to work as a team and they're characters we can relate to much easier because they're more "human" than the S-IIs.

then you have Johnson who's beleived to be a Spartan-I
best personality in the game xD

  • 08.27.2010 3:06 AM PDT

Posted by: permit2kill
I got a girlfriend. Then I dumped her. And now I play more Halo again.


Posted by: ajw34307
Agreed. The games depict him as a horribly bland character with little emotional integrity, one might argue that this is what most Spartan-IIs were like but it's just boring to have them this way.

Spartan-IIIs are one of my favourite things in the Halo canon. They've got to work as a team and they're characters we can relate to much easier because they're more "human" than the S-IIs.

I'm glad you see it my way. I haven't seen much of Halo: REACH's singleplayer but it does look like it has a lot more personality in general compared to the first 3 games.

Looking back on it perhaps this belonged in the HALO: REACH forums but meh.

I guess I should say campaign rather than single player considering the coop.

[Edited on 08.27.2010 3:09 AM PDT]

  • 08.27.2010 3:06 AM PDT

About SV

Posted by: III Kirby III
Most talented Halo player: Riot, Dominator, Louie, Cell & Cooper
Best forum debater: Cooper

Games, and especially first person games have been using blank slate characters forever.


Hell in games like bioshock and half life your character doesn't speak at all.


[Edited on 08.27.2010 3:12 AM PDT]

  • 08.27.2010 3:10 AM PDT

Posted by: permit2kill
I got a girlfriend. Then I dumped her. And now I play more Halo again.


Posted by: SV Cooper
Games, and especially first person games have been using blank slate characters forever.



And it is quite the shame.

  • 08.27.2010 3:11 AM PDT

About SV

Posted by: III Kirby III
Most talented Halo player: Riot, Dominator, Louie, Cell & Cooper
Best forum debater: Cooper


Posted by: Th3 Gunsling3r

Posted by: SV Cooper
Games, and especially first person games have been using blank slate characters forever.



And it is quite the shame.

Not at all.

Video games are interactive. A blank character allows the player to assume the role as the character.

  • 08.27.2010 3:12 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Posted by: SV Cooper
Posted by: Th3 Gunsling3r
Posted by: SV Cooper
Games, and especially first person games have been using blank slate characters forever.



And it is quite the shame.

Not at all.

Video games are interactive. A blank character allows the player to assume the role as the character.


But the canon of Halo has been developed for over a decade. John is more than just a blank character in the universe, he's much more significant - but he's presented as boring and bland in the games.

  • 08.27.2010 3:14 AM PDT

Posted by: permit2kill
I got a girlfriend. Then I dumped her. And now I play more Halo again.


Posted by: SV Cooper

Posted by: Th3 Gunsling3r

Posted by: SV Cooper
Games, and especially first person games have been using blank slate characters forever.



And it is quite the shame.

Not at all.

Video games are interactive. A blank character allows the player to assume the role as the character.


There's no such thing as a story that can't be made better if that story is focused around an individual who never speaks. I could take hours naming particular cinematics within all 3 halo games where the Master Chief could have spoken.

Stoicism behind a mask does not emphasize seriousness. It does not emphasize sadness or loss. It doesn't emphasize anything at all. It's a blank slate that for whatever reason, Bungie chose not to deal with. You'd think for someone in a suit all the time where his face is notoriously never shown that he'd at least have some type of body language - but he doesn't.

And there are better ways to assume the role of a character besides making him not talk. And you don't exactly need KOTOR/ME decisions to do that, either. The Master Chief is an established person with books behind his history and what he's like as a person. However, all of that is completely lost and brought to nothing come the Halo games because the games don't even TOUCH what he's like in the books. Why didn't they use the character he was from those into the HALO games?

You've got a good point on the "Blank Slate" allowing the player to more easily decide who the person is, though. If the HALO series had an ambiguous, unknown beginning where the Master Chief was a brand new figure, you'd certainly have a point. But while it is unfair to bring involve the books into this entire discussion and then say "But the books don't count because the game's what is important" - it's true nonetheless that the MC is already an established person.

Had he been a never-been-known figure, though, I'd agree entirely. But then I'd also have to say that if that were the case, the game should allow the player to at least partly emphasize the type of protagonist they want to see in the blank-slate.

[Edited on 08.27.2010 3:22 AM PDT]

  • 08.27.2010 3:17 AM PDT

About SV

Posted by: III Kirby III
Most talented Halo player: Riot, Dominator, Louie, Cell & Cooper
Best forum debater: Cooper


Posted by: Th3 Gunsling3r

Posted by: SV Cooper

Posted by: Th3 Gunsling3r

Posted by: SV Cooper
Games, and especially first person games have been using blank slate characters forever.



And it is quite the shame.

Not at all.

Video games are interactive. A blank character allows the player to assume the role as the character.


There's no such thing as a story that can't be made better if that story is focused around an individual who never speaks. I could take hours naming particular cinematics within all 3 halo games where the Master Chief could have spoken.

Stoicism behind a mask does not emphasize seriousness. It does not emphasize sadness or loss. It doesn't emphasize anything at all. It's a blank slate that for whatever reason, Bungie chose not to deal with. You'd think for someone in a suit all the time where his face is notoriously never shown that he'd at least have some type of body language - but he doesn't.

And there are better ways to assume the role of a character besides making him not talk. And you don't exactly need KOTOR/ME decisions to do that, either. The Master Chief is an established person with books behind his history and what he's like as a person. However, all of that is completely lost and brought to nothing come the Halo games because the games don't even TOUCH what he's like in the books. Why didn't they use the character he was from those into the HALO games?

You've got a good point on the "Blank Slate" allowing the player to more easily decide who the person is, though. If the HALO series had an ambiguous, unknown beginning where the Master Chief was a brand new figure, you'd certainly have a point. But while it is unfair to bring involve the books into this entire discussion and then say "But the books don't count because the game's what is important" - it's true nonetheless that the MC is already an established person.

Had he been a never-been-known figure, though, I'd agree entirely. But then I'd also have to say that if that were the case, the game should allow the player to at least partly emphasize the type of protagonist they want to see in the blank-slate.


Well the books came after HCE and it would have been really weird if all of a sudden in H2 he was a completely different character.

People just need to come to gripes with the fact that the books are just a cash grab.

  • 08.27.2010 3:43 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Posted by: SV Cooper
Well the books came after HCE and it would have been really weird if all of a sudden in H2 he was a completely different character.

People just need to come to gripes with the fact that the books are just a cash grab.


Fail.

The Fall of Reach was released before Halo CE. They're written to delve into aspect of the canon that the games don't detail, stop kidding yourself otherwise.

  • 08.27.2010 3:57 AM PDT

About SV

Posted by: III Kirby III
Most talented Halo player: Riot, Dominator, Louie, Cell & Cooper
Best forum debater: Cooper


Posted by: ajw34307
Posted by: SV Cooper
Well the books came after HCE and it would have been really weird if all of a sudden in H2 he was a completely different character.

People just need to come to gripes with the fact that the books are just a cash grab.


Fail.

The Fall of Reach was released before Halo CE. They're written to delve into aspect of the canon that the games don't detail, stop kidding yourself otherwise.


Even if it was it could have only been by a couple months and as such it would have had no impact on bungie's development of MC as a character for HCE.


Edit-more like couple days

book- October 30th 2001

game- November 15th 2001

[Edited on 08.27.2010 4:36 AM PDT]

  • 08.27.2010 4:34 AM PDT
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Posted by: SV Cooper

Not at all.

Video games are interactive. A blank character allows the player to assume the role as the character.


QFT

Having the character you play remain silent means it's easier to immerse yourself in the game and, as Coop said, to put yourself in their shoes (so to speak).

  • 08.27.2010 4:49 AM PDT

Thats what real spartans were like in battle though. No emotion, no relent, just keep going and killing with no remorse, and that why theyre called spartans.

  • 08.27.2010 4:59 AM PDT

Group is Soldiers of War, ask for invite if you're interested

I agree, in fact the only game that I've played that has first player and the character has somewhat of a personality to him was Brothers in Arms: HH, and even still that game has a very small 3rd person element to it and just has much to be desired anyways.

For instance, for the people that played the game, the voice acting for the cutscenes for some parts was just terrible.

  • 08.27.2010 6:03 AM PDT