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Subject: What do the Bungie classic/Marathon fans think about Halo?
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What do the Bungie classic/Marathon fans think about Halo? What Bungie game(s) is your favorite and what do you think about Halo compared to Marathon or your favorite Bungie game(s)? I would like to hear your opinion about Halo especially from one of the veterans like Surge or Durandall(numbers)...

In my opinion Halo is better because of many reasons.

1: The co-op function
It doesn't fit in with the story but what the heck it's so much fun to do cool moves and plan tactics with your friends!

2: The books
They're amazing! Great writing about a great game!

3: The music
I think the music alone is as good as the game. It fits perfectly to the story and the environment and to my stereo ofcourse. My amplifier (NAD) and speakers (DALI) just love to play nr. 14 on the Halo soundtrack it's like going to the park with your dog in a summer day when the sky is blue and the water is warm. You see your dog running around like a little kid like if it was in heaven...

Well I have many more reasons but if Wrote them all down I would bore you guys (girls) to death so please answer and argue if you like...

-Belsebub

  • 08.27.2004 8:41 AM PDT
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It wasn't actually a "wich is better" topic I just thought about what the Marathon/Bungie classic fans thought about Halo if they thought it was as good as the old games and could stand up and hold Bungies reputation for quality and good story...
PS Tanks for a good answer it was presicely what I was looking for...

  • 08.27.2004 9:14 AM PDT

-S

Posted by: Belsebub
What do the Bungie classic/Marathon fans think about Halo? What Bungie game(s) is your favorite and what do you think about Halo compared to Marathon or your favorite Bungie game(s)? I would like to hear your opinion about Halo especially from one of the veterans like Surge or Durandall(numbers)...


1: The co-op function
It doesn't fit in with the story but what the heck it's so much fun to do cool moves and plan tactics with your friends!


As I recall, Marathon 2 was the first one to have co-operative mode. Also, it was 8 player co-op.

2: The books
They're amazing! Great writing about a great game!


They're not that amazing. With respect to Nylund who I believe to be a good author, the Flood was a second rate sci fi novel. Dietz took Nylund's "Legendary Difficulty" and toned it down to "easy" when he wrote the Flood.

Besides, through the terminals in Marathon, there was enough writing there to fill up a book for each game. And it wasn't presented in such a straightforward fasion. In fact, many of the answers have never been given. Intellectually, the Marathon storyline is far deeper than Halo's.

3: The music
I think the music alone is as good as the game. It fits perfectly to the story and the environment and to my stereo ofcourse. My amplifier (NAD) and speakers (DALI) just love to play nr. 14 on the Halo soundtrack it's like going to the park with your dog in a summer day when the sky is blue and the water is warm. You see your dog running around like a little kid like if it was in heaven...


And I'm sure had chant been a viable option when Marathon's midi music was being written, they'd have had it. Of COURSE Halo's music will be better than Marathon's, there's a span of 6 or so years between the two games creation. The mp3 file didn't even exist when the first Marathon was released.

Also, it's worth noting that if one Marathon fan starts humming a song from the game, other Marathon fans are sure to accompany.

  • 08.27.2004 11:14 AM PDT
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Would you beleive for years I didn't know Marathon even had music? One day I was in the prefrences and I saw music and im like "what the -blam!- ?!"

I've always viewed Marathon as like the great-grandaddy of Halo.

  • 08.27.2004 11:51 AM PDT
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I dont think of either Marathon or Halo as 'better' than the other. They both are great games, and are a perfect example of how story should be integrated into a game, although Marathon does have Halo beat there. Marathon also beats Halo in the 'length' area; there is easily 3-4 times more gameplay to be had in the Marathon Trilogy.

That said, if Jason Jones put a WSTE-M5 up to my head and screamed "Pick one, you indecisive SOB!" into my face, I'd have to pick Halo, if only because of it's multiplayer. And I'm kinda a sucker for pretty, which Halo definetly is.

  • 08.27.2004 11:58 AM PDT

Ach! Was ist los?

I agree with MC420; Each game has its strong points.

I like Marathon for its storyline and Halo for its weapon and environmental effects. Personally, I wouldn't ever choose one over the other.

  • 08.27.2004 12:07 PM PDT
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Heh. I'm one of the few people around who will go to no end trashing Halo as the pile of crap that it is.

The points about Marathon and co-op and story and etc have been made for me, so I'll skip them.

But music... the original Marathon had some good music, yeah, and it added to the mood. Music was taken out of 2 and Infinity because the ambient sounds proved to be a lot cooler. Personally I don't believe in background music in games, it's not realistic, it doesn't really add to the immersion. You might think it adds to the immersion because it's music that might put you into a certain mood, but that's not immersion, that's cinematics. While striding down the hallway of a Lh'owon compound, do you think some scary music would be playing over the loudspeakers? No. You might hear the grinding of machinery, though, and that's a lot cooler sound.

I detest Halo's story. The whole game is centered around a big ring in space. Uh huh. Righto. That's not reallly close to making any good sense. If it were a ring around a planet... that's another thing. But no, it's just a ring in the middle of space, floating around. Congratu-freakin'-lations. A bunch of mutant parasites called 'The Flood'? Cheap excuse for a seemingly endless supply of enemies to blast with your shotgun. To me Halo is nothing but a regular cheap FPS marketed for the 13-year-olds who want nothing more than big guns and lots of enemies to shoot while God-mode is toggled. Not to mention Halo abusing a hell of a lot of Marathon concepts and icons.

The Marathon trilogy will always reign supreme as a pinnacle of gaming. Halo is just a sad cousin.

  • 08.27.2004 2:06 PM PDT
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Yeah, fair enough, ForceMorph. But I still think you're coming down too hard on Halo. You may think it is inferior to Marathon (and I understand that), but c'mon...'pile of crap'?

Although this is a discussion about Bungie games, allow me to diverge for just a second and ask this...how do you feel Halo compares to other FPS games of recent times?

You have to admit that even if you think Halo is Bungie's darkest hour, they still remain far superior to most other developers out there

  • 08.27.2004 3:00 PM PDT
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Halo is a pretty great game by today's standards, but it's not up to Bungie snuff.

[Edited on 8/27/2004 3:12:33 PM]

  • 08.27.2004 3:12 PM PDT

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I love both games.

I started a post describing the differences between the two, but have decided to delete it. Too much depends upon how you weight relative merits... it really is a matter of taste. Too often debating personal taste turns into a petty squabble; it's best if I just comment on the similarities.

Both are excellent examples of what their respective platforms can do. Both have been crafted with care and attention to gameplay and game balance. And both are damned fun.

That's why I love both games.

-- Steve's aware that there's plenty to go 'round as far as Bungie games go.

  • 08.27.2004 3:19 PM PDT
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Posted by: Recon Number 54
When I first saw this topic, the absolute initial thought in my head was, "This question is SO written for ForceMorph!"

You did not disappoint. As always you express your opinion with passion, and back it up with reasonable statements. While I may not completely agree with your conclusions, I cannot argue with either your reasoning or your ability to have your point of view.

Well put, and I am glad that you found this topic!


Thanks. This place is full of Halo fanbois, somebody has to be here to slap em, just for the sake of balance.

And how Halo compares to current FPS... I really don't think it's all that great. When I 'come down hard' on Halo, I'm doing so in context of Bungie's record and not the entirety of gaming. When put in context of gaming itself, Halo seems to be a mildly okay game. Not the best, but not the worst. Giants like Unreal Tournament 2k4 and Doom III and Battlefield 1942 outweigh Halo on sheer principle and awesome gameplay. In the colsole world Halo might be great, but it can't hold much in the overall gaming world - which includes the PC. Consoles are almost completely inferior to the power of PC gaming.

  • 08.27.2004 3:22 PM PDT
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I cut my gaming teeth on Marathon, so I will always have a place for it in my heart. The story line is, at this time, much deeper, and much more effecctively told. The AI's in the Marathon series are also much better. I mean, I'd love to see fight between Cortana and Durandal, but I'm not exactly wondering who would win.

But Halo has its good points as well. It looks beautiful, despite being years old. I know it is unfair to compare their graphics, as Marathon is much older than Halo, but still. Halo is a great looking game. The gameplay, while not better or worse, is different, another product of its more recent development. And while the story of Halo is not as deep, the Halo series is still early in its life cycle. Remember, it took three Marathon games before its story was fully told. Only 1 halo game has been released. I suspect its story has a long way to go before the series runs its course.

So which game do i think is better? Marathon. It was more inovative for its time, and it was arguably the first FPS with a storyline that anyone cared about. But Halo is still my favorite modern game.

  • 08.27.2004 3:30 PM PDT
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HALO RULES!!!! HALO HALO HALO HALO HALO HALO HALO HALO HALO !!!

  • 08.27.2004 3:35 PM PDT
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Posted by: Belsebub
I would like to hear your opinion about Halo especially from one of the veterans like Surge or Durandall(numbers)...


Sorry Belsebub, but Durandal(bunchanumbers) is me, but thanks for the ntoe as being a veteran... it's always amusing to call a 16 year old a vet... But as it has been noted, this was very much asking ForceMorph for his contribution ;-)

Now I'm going to take the side of Marathon as a better game, I know that isn't what this thread is about but bear with me... Alot of what has already been said by other people is my firm belief as well... "Halo is good but not up to Bungie snuff" is a good way of summing things up.

I totally agree, as always, with Recon. (How does he always manage to say exactly what I want to before I get teh chance) And I agree with a fair bit of what ForceMorph said, also a normal occurrence. I think everybody who has posted so far has made their good points... but getting back on track...

All of the things you listed for Halo, also appear in Marathon. In 10 yearstheir advancement was...? Graphics, sound quality, game physics, music... those are your answers.

I'm a big fan of music, but for some strange reason I have to agree with FM... while playing M2 I felt no need for there to be any because it would detract from the tension of the situation. If you have dark, evil music playing your senses are ready for something to happen (we've all tuned our bodies into games and movies right now) but playing M2 there is deathly silence and you turn round a corner to find a cyborg twice the size of your own inhuman stature... needless to say on many occaisions I have fallen out of my chair while playing! (sure when I first started playing I was maybe... 8, but I still do it now)

Graphics... well sure Marathon would have been all prettied up with 3D graphics and all, but it worked the way it was meant to. In fact, a boost in graphics would have probably detracted from the game at that time... think about it... you're playing a shooter that requires almost no upwards/downwards movement of your screen... It was only when I got the first two Mara games again that I even used mouse, before it was the whole keyboard set up.

Physics- Marathon had pretty advanced ones for the time. You had blast radius, button toggling, overloading weapons, monsters with AI good enough to hear your gun shots... so what if they spent half the time mincing up their own friends trying to hit you... it fit their story line :P

Sounds- this is the same as graphics I think... to tell you the truth, I LOVED the sounds in marathon! There is nothing quite like the sound of the rocket launcher firing or the (ORIGINAL) zeus and pistol... (the M2 and Moo ones were a bit dodgy.... (hahahaha Moo))

Now you may be asking "whats this guy on about? this is about Halo!" well now we swap over. Halo is a game that, to fit it's audience and release date, probably sacrificed alot of it's Bungieness. Graphics and sounds are phenomenol, and I love to hook it up to the tv with surround sound and turn it up. Graphics, well good for that moment in history, but I look forward to Halo 2 and Halflife 2 for almost totally interactive scenery... the music is good, but silence is also effective as I said above... I'm a soundtrack junkie, and I'll probly get the Halo one (if thee is one) but it has its good and bad sides.

I feel the major problems were to do with story line and the lack of leaps in Multiplayer. You guys go on about Multiplay bein the best thign in the world, but Marathon was revolutionary, it had co-op, and 5 or more type of multiplayer... I used to sit at my mac watching the original multiplay films wishing I could play with Carnator, gregisstupid, superoperaboy, ribfeast and the rest of the gang... I think Halo left alot in that field... maybe it's more designed for team play with huge numbers of people (me only playing 2 player vs or co-op) but I don't see any real revolutionary jumps except maybe vehicles...

Anyway... I have a feeling this post is getting far too huge so I'll stop here and let you guys comment... have fun reading :P

Tristan ;-)

EDIT- a prime example of what I HATE about halo... see above... BLASTem has said what I could have whinged about for ages... and that is a BIG REASON FOR HALO NOT BEING AS GOOD. I'm sorry but you can't talk me out of this one!

[Edited on 8/27/2004 4:07:25 PM]

  • 08.27.2004 4:05 PM PDT
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I've been a Bungie fan ever since I picked up Halo. That was before I
even knew the game Marathon existed, and Marathon only made me
an even bigger fan.

I see Halo as an unfinished product. The game was rushed, so Bungie
didn't have time to work their magic mojo on it to produce the calibur
of product that longtime diehard fans expect. I wasn't a Bungie fan
before Halo, so I had no idea what I was getting. What I got was one
of my favorite games of all time.
I think what we're seeing is a rift between new and old Bungie fans
formed by the, uh. . . *clears throat*. . . "management shift." I think
it's more because they abandoned their Mac/PC platform than
anything however, and I totally agree that Mac/PC gaming is
superior to consoles. The reason I bought an Xbox was to play
Halo, and I'm very happy with that decision.



  • 08.27.2004 4:23 PM PDT
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ForceMorph, I'm sorry but that's just wrong. You don't like Halo's story? The storys awesome man! Plus, yeah, okay, you don't here music, but don't you feel that mood? Oh yeah, and another thing, have you even played Halo? Because it deserves a TON more credit than your giving it.

  • 08.27.2004 4:34 PM PDT
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Okay, and another thing Halo slaughters UT and Battlefield. Especially battlefield. Battlefield is EXTREMELY glitchy, and Halo actually has a real storymode unlike UT. Halo is currently the best FPS on the market, and it will be put 2 second when Halo 2 comes out.

  • 08.27.2004 4:37 PM PDT
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Okay... this is going to come out badly no matter what, but it's best I get in before ForceMorph...

PLAY MARATHON.... then you will know what a REALLY GOOD storyline is... Halo doesn't compare in that respect.

2nd, trying to turn ForceMorph's opinion around is like trying to fight a nuclear bomb with no arms and legs... He is entitled to his opinion and you are allowed to argue that point, but you know what? To do that you need to base your argument on something... simply coming in and saying "no you're wrong, you suck" isn't going to change anytrhing... it will start a flame war. So, think about what you want to say, then say it, and don't tell people they're wrong when it is a matter of opinion... yes Halo is good... and yes you're obviously a fan... But from the sounds of it you're not a Bungie fan because you don't have any experience... playing Halo is not enough to be a Bungie fan in my opinion. You're welcome to argue that too, but not without some sort of sensible reason.
Tristan

  • 08.27.2004 4:50 PM PDT
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Posted by: Recon Number 54
It's what I get for working with a bunch of women! Oh, well, there are other aspects that aren't so bad.

Hehe. I always thought you were a ladie's man Recon.

Posted by: Gaara of Sand
2nd, trying to turn ForceMorph's opinion around is like trying to fight a nuclear bomb with no arms and legs...

I learned the hard way.

Oh, and listen to Tristan. Don't flame.

  • 08.27.2004 5:13 PM PDT
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Whoops... sorry... stupid post... EDIT- Got rid of it ;-)

[Edited on 8/27/2004 5:26:11 PM]

  • 08.27.2004 5:24 PM PDT
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Posted by: Gaara of Sand
playing Halo is not enough to be a Bungie fan in my opinion.


I'd agree with that wholeheartedly, as there seems to be far too many fans of Halo that didn't even know Bungie existed before 2001. It really makes me happy though, when people just becoming familiar with Bungie take the time to go back and play some of their classic games, so they can get a feel for what makes Bungie, well...Bungie

  • 08.27.2004 5:58 PM PDT
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*mutters to self*

no one talks about Myth enough on these forums

*scutters off to go play some Myth 2 multiplayer*

  • 08.27.2004 6:09 PM PDT

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