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Posted by: ajw34307
Posted by: ThePredkiller2
sucked
ODST
These 2 words should never be in the same sentence. Anyone who says that ODST sucked has no appreciation for art, classical literature, stellar storytelling or good music.The only reason one could legitimately dislike it is because it played like H3 at it's core. Personally, I just didn't like how short it was now that I see that the story atmosphere can easily change H3 gameplay for the better.
OT:
Story - ODST >= CE > H2 > H3 > Reach
I say ODST is greater than or equal to to CE's story because 1. both have different settings. CE's was no doubt futuristic at time of release. ODST clearly wins against H2 and H3 but against CE, it's different grounds 2. CE did not have to use a lot of scripted moments for the story. The gameplay and cutscenes were balanced. Cutscenes didn't steal moments from the player. Also, as much as first person cutscenes are supposed to add to the immersion, I'd have liked to observe Regret's carrier myself.
Gameplay - CE > H2 > ODST > H3 > Reach
I place H3 before Reach because 1. I have played it as nearly as long as I've played CE and 2. there is greater opportunity for AI manipulation, AI glitching, and observing unnaturally occurring noncombat AI.
AI (reasonable difficulty) - CE > ODST > H3 > H2 > Reach
H2 did have seemingly infinitely spawning Jackal snipers... but it wasn't that hard. I suppose Gravemind was punishing though. The Flood/Arby levels were also brutal. I shudder at the thought of playing Uprising on Legendary.
I put Reach at the bottom because I find it's AI appalling.
AI (intelligence) - CE >= H2 >>>>> ODST > H3 > Reach
I really love responsive enemies and enemies that respond to sound. Great for LASO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fskIxWmOAQ8, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpCbrJxRDrg
One of the major disappointments of ODST is that the silenced weapons were aesthetic. I would have liked to manipulate the AI with gun fire like I do in CE. Have you ever jumped into a room of sleeping Grunts, wreaked havoc, hid then came back to find them sleeping in different locations/positions? It's very amusing. This game has recently caught my attention. I like how the Predator can distract marines. I also like how Sniper Elite V2 lets you mark targets. While ODST did great with the weapons and VISR, it could have expanded on them. Such as allowing us to switch between VISR and a flashlight. CMT SPV3 implemented that but you had to go to the menu to do it. On the controller, most of the d pad is unused and could be used for that.
AI (aggression) - H2 > CE > Reach > ODST > H3
I only put H2 at the top since AI had faster rof and tended to shoot at you even after you went into cover. Cairo Station's bomb room was enough to persuade me but I think the H2 Flood may have done a better job scaring me. CE's second because Zealots, Hunters, and Flood (including Carrier Forms) were fast and persistent (and Goldies could jump!!). Also, enemy Banshees were more aggressive since they didn't do much damage. Nowadays, they're passive because they're op. Enemy Wraiths were also more aggressive. It was actually hard to get past them and fighting them on foot is scary.
AI (fun) - CE > H2 >= H3 > ODST > Reach
Zealots, Flood, Hunters, Ultra Elites, Councilors, Grunts, Arbiter <3
The purpose of my channel is to demonstrate this. I used to pwn the bomb room Ultra Elites with all skulls on and unleash my army on Tartarus. ;)
Immersion - CE >>>>>>>>>> ODST > H2 > H3 >= Reach > CEA
Measuring it by good stuff like a big draw distance, big fov, little to none lag, consistency (as opposed to dropped weapons and dead bodies getting deleted when you're looking at them and dropped weapons fall through the geometry), reasonable scripting, non-excessive amount of scripting, responsive AI.
While Reach did have a bigger fov, it did not have a big draw distance, there was noticeable lag at some points, the game seemed to be at it's limits, the scripting was excessive and absurd (Noble Team...), and the AI weren't generally responsive/I didn't feel like I was anything to do them. You know I was expecting Hunter blood when I meleed a Hunter in his back but I didn't see any. Stealth was only possible at scripted moments. At other times, the marines and Noble Team blow your cover although they can provide a distraction for assassinations.
I put CEA last due to all sorts of problems with both graphics.
Exploration - H2 >= CE >= ODST > Reach > H3 > CEA
Personally, I think CE had the best exploration due to the size of the levels. Even a level like Metropolis has it's limits, especially at the beginning of the level.
10 second countdowns were stupidly placed in Reach. Why is there a countdown when I go right under the dock on LNoS? When I barely go into the water? If this was Bungie's plan for keeping players in the fail story/immersion, it didn't work. Nevertheless, I put Reach third to last because at least the 10 second countdowns didn't stop you like invisible barriers. Jetpack comes in handy in such scenarios yet I have never had the chance to use them. CEA's last because of how both graphics can kill the experience.
Overall Campaign
CE > H2 > ODST > H3 > Reach
[Edited on 04.30.2012 9:30 PM PDT]