- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: SpartanCom
In keeping with the overriding epic themes of the franchise, with Spartan 117 being the lone savior of humanity, wouldn't the most dramatic story element to seal his heroic nature be his death? I can't think of any ending (or pre-ending) to Halo 3 that would be more powerful. Now, if he somehow transcended physical form as a result of the activation of some Forerunner technology, it'd be icing on the cake.
But could true closure of the Halo story arc be acheived without the finalization of the MC's labor? Personally, I don't think so. Could John eventually grow old? The Arbiter could conceivably survive and go on to be a political force among the remnants of the Covenant, but I don't exactly see how Bungie could manage such a thing with the MC.
The events surrounding his death, obviously, would have to be well-orchestrated. At or near the ending of the campaign the player could reach a point where he is surrounded by enemy forces, or running to reach some objective, and there is absolutely no way to meet it. Health would quickly drain, and the MC's death would trigger a cinematic. Or, the entire sequence could be scripted, with the MC going down in either a blaze of glory or in a desperate attempt to activate some Forerunner tech or even after completing his objective and finally succombing to his injuries. Or, he could just get hit by a Warthog.
It has to be done well, of course, because otherwise it'll be just as laughable as seeing a Spartan get nailed by a sniper round in multiplayer or creamed like in RedVsBlue.
However it goes down (and I don't claim to know), I think there will be some important elements/impressions left with the player.
1.) We never get to see John's face, and after his death, we are left with profound disappointment that we weren't able to know him in this way. It's hard to imagine Bungie allowing players to foster their own mental impressions of what his face would be like, to suddenly dash them in Halo 3. The MC is an almost unknown savior, not Darth Vader waiting to be revealed.
2.) The MC is resurrected in some way. Not in a way to be exactly as he was before, but possibly in a form that transcends the physical. The "Cloistered Expectancy" referred to in the Halo soundtracks might concern the Forerunners. Cloistering, of course, refers to an ancient practice of Japanese samurai emperors (and other medieval rulers) to retire from public rule and sequester themselves within monastery-like structures far away from civilization. Some of the greater ones still exerted influence over public affairs even from this position. I believe that the Forerunners have now cloistered themselves, somehow, and aren't truly all wiped out as has been implied. The MC, in death, could possibly meet the Forerunners, and eventually understand the "big picture," whatever that may be.
3.) The theme of sacrifice will be hammered home to the player, and create a bitter-sweet lense through which to view the MC's actions over the course of the previous games.
I don't know. Just from my own personal examination of the themes prevalent in the Halo story arc, I think the death of Spartan 117 would be a natural conclusion of sorts. Anyway, do you think he should be bumped off, and if so, how?
That was amazing! and true! i cant think of any way to end the story without the Chief dieing *sob sob sob* in one last blast of heroism. the end cut scene could be like the button mashing dodges in Resident evil 4 (but just a cut scene, no button combos) where the Chief is desperately trying to dodge something or get to something but he gets hit worse and worse each time until he finally dies about 3 inches from his objective. there could be dramatic music the whole time and have someone watching, like a restored cortana maybe