By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.
Posted by: DO0MTRA1N
Halo 4 is far from an original idea. It's theft. From Bungie, and from other FPS franchises.
This is a bad joke you're making, right? Halo has never been even remotely original in terms of story, aesthetics or gameplay mechanics. It's not theft, it's emulation. Bungie thought they could take what franchises like DOOM, Metroid, Wolvenstein, Quake, Half-Life and numerous other FPS games had done at the time with story, art and gameplay, and make their own mark on it.
Hitherto, all that still remains in the series. So what if elements have been emulated from the Call of Duty franchise? It gets so much hate these days it's ridiculous, especially since MW, Black Ops and Black Ops 2 were very good in terms of story and the former game is what made COD the success it is today.
Every developer steals things, don't even think it's rational to call 343i out for "theft" when it's what practically every developer has been doing for decades.
And that is why Bungie couldn't make the Spartans human - because they knew (felt!) it wasn't possible. They are almost robots. Bungie probably tried, but it wasn't very convincing and that is because they felt that the idea of Spartan, they created, just doesn't include much humanity. Sure, there is a bit - enough for us to play with the thought, but not too much.
Adding too much humanity to Master Chief doesn't make him more profound or broader. It actually ruins what he really is. A hero.
So because Bungie tried (and failed) to portray Spartan-IIs as human characters, that means it can't and shouldn't be done? Great, I guess we'll just ignore characters like Kurt, Jorge and Sam - the former and latter of whom had a heavy emphasis on being more 'human' characters, taking the time to socialise with others and even having a sense of humour.
The Spartan-IIs had their humanity suppressed due to the years of indoctrination and training, but that's because they were a product of that enclosed environment. When they're put into situations where they're forced to adapt and take stock of themselves, as 343 have pointed out, the process of development as a character begins and this is how we draw the line between characters and archetypes.
Do explain where the line is to be drawn where John gets "too much humanity"...
I'm also curious as to how you're going to explain how a character can't be a hero if they have a personality.
I just wanted to add that I think the humanity and emotions were left to you the player. Because of the Role that Chief plays and the fact that he is so unwilling to break makes us, the player, feel the emotions that John can't.
A character cannot remain unbroken forever, otherwise they become sterile, repetitive and boring. How can there be any drama or tension if it's not going to shape, threaten, and ultimately define the character? We are a product of our experiences, it's be bloody awful if John remained unaffected by events around him because he has reached a point where he is very much the symbol of humanity.
That's why we love him so much
No, that's why you love him so much. Don't go trying to speak for or generalise the views people have because your way of thinking is not the only way.
The way 3 ended was awesome and it should've been left there.
3 ended with absolutely no closure and literally a dozen major (and I want to emphasise this word so when you think "oh well did they need to be developed?" you will know my response) plot points either introduced or left unresolved in the last mission.
Lastly I would love to hear what Bungie honestly thinks of Halo 4. Sadly that will never happen seeing as it is probably a breach of contract somehow but still. I dunno if Bungie reads their forums but I'd like them to know that these opinions are out there and that fans stick by the beautiful and inspiring gameplay and story that once was the Halo franchise.
A number of Bungie employees (again, you're generalising - Bungie is not a single entity, nor a hive-mind, with a single opinion on anything) have spoken a number of times on their views about Halo 4.
Alex Seropian said back in February that he knows Halo 4 is in good hands, saying that the Halo universe is being treated with care and respect (inb4 snide comments on this subject). Another employee said that Bungie was proud of the universe they created and are "honoured" 343 are continuing it. There was a recent interview on Youtube uploaded with either Harold Ryan or Jason Jones (I think it was the latter) who said he has played Halo 4 and loved it.
While they're obviously not going to say outright negative things to the public and there will likely be employees with their reservations, we have been left with an overly positive response from Bungie on what 343i has done.