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  • Subject: How Would You Have Done the Halo 4 Campaign?
Subject: How Would You Have Done the Halo 4 Campaign?
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CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!!!


I am the alt of Masterchief9095.

Dragons.




Dragons everywhere.

  • 12.31.2012 8:39 AM PDT

Turkey


Posted by: HistoryHighlight
How the hell is it your favourite campaign?

How can it compare to the first two Halos?


I liked the fact that the Chief was actually a character, a HUMAN, rather than being some gigantic war machine who never talks. I felt that the Didact was an awesome villain, although his "defeat" was a bit too anti-climactic for his awesomeness. I like that they're actually starting to reference the book series in the games. Speaking of which, I really like the elaborations we're getting on Forerunner lore with the Mantle and the Didact's burning hatred towards humanity. And of course, I LOVED the bittersweet ending. When a story can invoke that much emotion in me, it's succeeded.

I played through Halo 2 again when I marathoned through the Halo games preparing for Halo 4, and to be honest, Halo 2's campaign really wasn't that great. It was an all-over-the-place, unfinished mess. The only things I felt were done well were everything in the Covenant's part of the story (the introduction of the Arbiter, the Great Schism, etc.) Even though it was my first Halo, when you take the nostalgia glasses off, it hurts.

CE's campaign was great, but again, Chief wasn't as much of a character as he was in Halo 4. The characters, I feel, were really what Halo 4 succeeded in.

I respect your opinions, my friend, but these are mine. :)

[Edited on 12.31.2012 8:43 AM PST]

  • 12.31.2012 8:39 AM PDT
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Posted by: Bigfoot1010
Not a damn thing. People need to quit their -blam!-in over a video game. They did just fine for their first installment.


*cough* Halo: CEA *cough*

  • 12.31.2012 8:41 AM PDT
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Posted by: Malceor

Posted by: HistoryHighlight
How the hell is it your favourite campaign?

How can it compare to the first two Halos?


I liked the fact that the Chief was actually a character, a HUMAN, rather than being some gigantic war machine who never talks. I felt that the Didact was an awesome villain, although his "defeat" was a bit too anti-climactic for his awesomeness. I like that they're actually starting to reference the book series in the games. Speaking of which, I really like the elaborations we're getting on Forerunner lore with the Mantle and the Didact's burning hatred towards humanity. And of course, I LOVED the bittersweet ending. When a story can invoke that much emotion in me, it's succeeded.

I played through Halo 2 again when I marathoned through the Halo games preparing for Halo 4, and to be honest, Halo 2's campaign really wasn't that great. It was an all-over-the-place, unfinished mess. Even though it was my first Halo, when you take the nostalgia glasses off, it hurts.

CE's campaign was great, but again, Chief wasn't as much of a character as he was in Halo 4. The characters, I feel, were really what Halo 4 succeeded in.

I respect your opinions, my friend, but these are mine. :)


Good post, but about your "disappointing defeat" for the Didact:

I think they're saving the climactic final fight with him for the last game. I don't think they'd want us to have a full fight with him, only for him to escape. It would feel pointless.

  • 12.31.2012 8:42 AM PDT
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Posted by: Malceor

Posted by: HistoryHighlight
How the hell is it your favourite campaign?

How can it compare to the first two Halos?


I liked the fact that the Chief was actually a character, a HUMAN, rather than being some gigantic war machine who never talks. I felt that the Didact was an awesome villain, although his "defeat" was a bit too anti-climactic for his awesomeness. I like that they're actually starting to reference the book series in the games. Speaking of which, I really like the elaborations we're getting on Forerunner lore with the Mantle and the Didact's burning hatred towards humanity. And of course, I LOVED the bittersweet ending. When a story can invoke that much emotion in me, it's succeeded.

I played through Halo 2 again when I marathoned through the Halo games preparing for Halo 4, and to be honest, Halo 2's campaign really wasn't that great. It was an all-over-the-place, unfinished mess. Even though it was my first Halo, when you take the nostalgia glasses off, it hurts.

CE's campaign was great, but again, Chief wasn't as much of a character as he was in Halo 4. The characters, I feel, were really what Halo 4 succeeded in.

I respect your opinions, my friend, but these are mine. :)


I agree with pretty much all of the points you made about Halo 4 in the first paragraph (apart from the one about the Chief being more human). Halo 4, no doubt, had good aspects but in my own opinion it doesn't beat any of the original trilogy games in the campaign aspect.

Love it's multiplayer though.

  • 12.31.2012 8:43 AM PDT
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Two movies you should watch: Fight Club and Pineapple Express

"Wait. What do you mean, it's dead?"
"If marijuana is not legal within the next five years I have no faith left in humanity, period. Everyone likes smoking weed. They have for thousands of years. They're not going to stop anytime soon. You know? It makes everything better. Makes food taste better, makes music better. It makes sex feel better for God's sake. It makes -blam!- movies better you know?"


Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Posted by: Bigfoot1010
Not a damn thing. People need to quit their -blam!-in over a video game. They did just fine for their first installment.


*cough* Halo: CEA *cough*

Ik all the backtracking. Right? Don't really care what point you were trying to make with that statement.

  • 12.31.2012 8:44 AM PDT
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Posted by: Aang the Avatar

Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Posted by: Aang the Avatar
I still love it too, but it can definitely be compared to Halo 4. And IMO Halo 4 exceeds it.


If 343i doesn't improve the quality of the games they make then I think Halo 2 will always be my favourite Halo campaign.


I can understand other's views on multiplayer, but to me Halo 4's campaign was absolute top quality.


I don't think they bastardised the multiplayer as much as most people are making out. It doesn't excell when compared to H3 or HR but I don't think it misses the mark.

  • 12.31.2012 8:45 AM PDT
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Posted by: Bigfoot1010

Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Posted by: Bigfoot1010
Not a damn thing. People need to quit their -blam!-in over a video game. They did just fine for their first installment.


*cough* Halo: CEA *cough*

Ik all the backtracking. Right? Don't really care what point you were trying to make with that statement.


I was making the point that Halo 4 was not 343i's first video-game.

  • 12.31.2012 8:46 AM PDT
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Two movies you should watch: Fight Club and Pineapple Express

"Wait. What do you mean, it's dead?"
"If marijuana is not legal within the next five years I have no faith left in humanity, period. Everyone likes smoking weed. They have for thousands of years. They're not going to stop anytime soon. You know? It makes everything better. Makes food taste better, makes music better. It makes sex feel better for God's sake. It makes -blam!- movies better you know?"


Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Posted by: Bigfoot1010

Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Posted by: Bigfoot1010
Not a damn thing. People need to quit their -blam!-in over a video game. They did just fine for their first installment.


*cough* Halo: CEA *cough*

Ik all the backtracking. Right? Don't really care what point you were trying to make with that statement.


I was making the point that Halo 4 was not 343i's first video-game.
installment not a remake

  • 12.31.2012 8:48 AM PDT
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Posted by: Bigfoot1010

Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Posted by: Bigfoot1010

Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Posted by: Bigfoot1010
Not a damn thing. People need to quit their -blam!-in over a video game. They did just fine for their first installment.


*cough* Halo: CEA *cough*

Ik all the backtracking. Right? Don't really care what point you were trying to make with that statement.


I was making the point that Halo 4 was not 343i's first video-game.
installment not a remake


Heh, H4 practically is a remake.

  • 12.31.2012 8:51 AM PDT
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Set it 1000 years after the events of Halo 3.

  • 12.31.2012 8:52 AM PDT
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Posted by: ODST Apache
I'm sorry that I made you guys mad but I hate people that are muslim do to the fact that the quaran specifically says kill or convert the infidel. You can look it up if you want. I have a mild learning disability. And I am being serious that I have a mild learning disability. I'm in LLD classes for acedemics.


Posted by: DELTA STRIKE
I wouldnt have.

  • 12.31.2012 8:53 AM PDT

Turkey


Posted by: Aang the Avatar
Good post, but about your "disappointing defeat" for the Didact:

I think they're saving the climactic final fight with him for the last game. I don't think they'd want us to have a full fight with him, only for him to escape. It would feel pointless.


Hell yeah, I feel the same way. This is about a completely different game series, but if there was one thing that Darksiders II didn't do well, it was including Samael as a boss fight. As awesome as it was to see him again, I'm expecting to have some CRAZY fight with him in Darksiders V including ALL of the horsemen after hearing how powerful he is, and how even MORE powerful he's become since War got him the four hearts of the Destroyers' chosen during the first Darksiders. You fight Samael as Death later in Darksiders II (although a past version of himself, so it's sort-of okay), he gives you what you came for, and he lets you leave. That's it. They shouldn't have included him as a boss fight, IMO, seeing as they're setting him up to be the primary antagonist later in the series. They should've saved the fighting for later, when the four horsemen face him at FULL strength.


Anyway, back to Halo. I'm picturing a huge climactic fight between the surviving Spartans and the surviving Forerunner Prometheans. The Chief, with Kelly, Fred, Linda, Ash, Tom and Lucy (and any other SII's/SIII's that I'm forgetting) at his side, facing their final conflict together as they did before. It would be AMAZING, although this is probably wishful thinking.

I'm still expecting these characters to appear in one of the next Halo games, though.

[Edited on 12.31.2012 8:57 AM PST]

  • 12.31.2012 8:53 AM PDT
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Two movies you should watch: Fight Club and Pineapple Express

"Wait. What do you mean, it's dead?"
"If marijuana is not legal within the next five years I have no faith left in humanity, period. Everyone likes smoking weed. They have for thousands of years. They're not going to stop anytime soon. You know? It makes everything better. Makes food taste better, makes music better. It makes sex feel better for God's sake. It makes -blam!- movies better you know?"


Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Heh, H4 practically is a remake.

Whatever makes you feel better.

  • 12.31.2012 9:00 AM PDT
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Posted by: Bigfoot1010

Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Heh, H4 practically is a remake.

Whatever makes you feel better.


Just a joke, buddy. 343i hasn't broken my heart.

  • 12.31.2012 9:07 AM PDT

If I had complete creative license-- including throwing away canon completely...

Exposition:
Master Chief and Cortana continue to drift towards the mysterious planet. Back on Earth, ONI and Halsey are busy analyzing info from the Halo rings, Ark, UNSC helmet footage, and other sources. Through analysis of the radiation on the FUD, they realize the slipspace portal was rerouted... and Cortana is the only one who would have been able to do it.

The UNSC Infinity has been in development for years; its purpose is to serve as a mini-Earth, complete with cultural, historical, and scientific data. Its mission is to explore space, to understand the universe around us and engage in diplomacy with any aliens we might encounter; essentially, its mission is to avoid the catastrophic damage that has been inflicted on the human race for so many years.

But there's something it needs to find first. Cortana is Earth's single greatest source of knowledge on the Covenant and, more importantly, the super-advanced Forerunners. Realizing Cortana is entering Rampancy, Halsey builds a new AI to assimilate Cortana's data... and then destroy her. The Spartan IV's, armed with Earth's most advanced arsenal, are tasked with delivering and retrieving the AI.

The UNSC Infinity and its crew catch up to the FUD as it nears the mysterious planet. Chief is awakened and taken on board, but Cortana is nowhere to be found. The New AI takes her place for the time being, and Chief receives his new armor. Requiem's gravity well opens and draws the ship in.

Rising Action:
On Requiem, the UNSC are pleased to find that the Infinity has incurred no significant damage. The Chief and UNSC hatch a plan to find Cortana - for their own reasons, though Chief doesn't know theirs - and they follow a distress beacon coming from the center of Requiem that the New AI detects. They fight Prometheans along the way.

The Chief is the first to get to a central structure, and he's immediately separated from the rest of the UNSC. The New AI is inserted into a nearby data port. As she begins searching for Cortana, she shows up in a port at what appears to be the center of the room. She's in bad shape, and begs Chief to rescue her by activating a release module. Before he can do so, the New AI begins fulfilling her mission: assimilation of Cortana's data... and obliteration of the empty shell. Chief attempts to stop her, but a Promethean contingent is summoned to get in the way. He breaks through and activates the module, sending tremors through the room and revealing it to be a massive sphere.

Cortana is suddenly revitalized, but her voice seems different, if familiar. Chief recognizes it as Guilty Spark; the monitor explains how he was able to preserve his data core and take over Cortana, rerouting their destination and sending them to wake his masters. The room is a huge cryo chamber, housing hundreds of Forerunners.

Climax:
Spark/Cortana easily destroys the New AI, and spark ejects Cortana, leaving her to waste away as Spark absorbs her architecture to rebuild his. Chief escapes and meets up with the UNSC: they hatch a desperate plan to stop the awakening by interrupting the procedure right as the life support is shut off, thus killing the Forerunners. Though they sustain heavy losses, they are successful... or so they think.

One Forerunner, their leader, has survived; he summons Spark to his suit, which seems impervious to damage. The Didact then heads to a control room, planning to recalibrate the Halo rings to destroy humanity once and for all. He leaves the Prometheans to finish off the ragged group on Requiem, which, as a shield world, is protected from the blast.

Falling Action:
Cortana reappears, having used bits of New AI's architecture and whatever else in Requiem to piece herself back together. It's decided that Chief+Cortana will go after Didact+Spark while the UNSC hold off Prometheans. Lots of Spartan IV's are killed as Chief frantically makes way to Didact's Control Room. Spark attempts to block Chief by destroying the path; Chief grabs a Warthog and plays through Halo 4's iconic Warthog Run. They reach Didact, and an epic battle between two seasoned warriors and two seasoned AI's ensues. Chief seemingly emerges as the victor and inserts Cortana to stop the countdown, thus saving humanity in the nick of time, just as they always do...

...But not this time. They watch the monitors in horror as the Halo rings detonate and the human race is reduced to the few hundred on Requiem. Didact reawakens, having occupied the Chief long enough to let the rings fire. Now exercising his full strength as a Forerunner, he crushes Chief's armor with his bare hands and gashes his body. He attaches Cortana to Chief and throws the mangled body to the eager Prometheans below. He and Spark leave on his personal warship to awaken Forerunners on other worlds.

Resolution:
Chief and Cortana are rescued by the UNSC, who are now aboard the Infinity; Cortana, in better shape, is informed by the ships medics that even if the Chief can be saved, he will never quite be the same. The small group, now part of a truly endangered species, leave Requiem as they are pursued by Prometheans. They realize that the galaxy is no longer safe for them: there are no more safe places to hide and, just as the human population has been so quickly erased, the Forerunner population will soon quickly jump.

Cortana proposes an unlikely safe house: while in Requiem's system, she picked up a Reclaimer symbol attached to a pair of coordinates she had no knowledge of. The UNSC make use of Requiem's massive energy stores to create a slipspace portal that will lead them out of the galaxy itself...

[Edited on 12.31.2012 11:57 AM PST]

  • 12.31.2012 9:27 AM PDT

Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.

More character development for Didact and Palmer,

  • 12.31.2012 9:28 AM PDT
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Posted by: TransmutationXx
More character development for Didact and Palmer,


You get some character development for the latter in Spartan Ops but, to be honest, I never really cared for her in the first place.

  • 12.31.2012 9:53 AM PDT

Posted by: AngryBrute1
Oh yeah, since somebody does not believe what YOU believe; that makes us vapid...
I cannot grasp that what you call "Something happened to nothing, and that nothing became something, and it was smaller than than a period."

Everything is more canonical, the look and design of Forward Unto Dawn is the same as it was in Halo 3, maybe some design changes to the Storm Covenant, basically just improvements to canon. I liked the rest of the campaign.

  • 12.31.2012 9:59 AM PDT

KOTOR Join the Dark Side...we have cookies!~

Needed more explosions.

  • 12.31.2012 10:11 AM PDT
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Posted by: Aang the Avatar

Posted by: HistoryHighlight

Posted by: Malceor
I would've shifted more focus on the campaign than the multiplayer and made it a bit longer; probably give the Didact a few more physical appearances before the end of the game.

Despite its length, Halo 4's campaign was still my favorite in the series. Can't wait for Halo 5. I only hope that my wish comes true and 343 start paying more attention to the campaign, story, and universe rather than the multiplayer (like Bungie did for CE). Halo will always be a single-player shooter in my eyes, and its main appeal has been and ALWAYS will be its story. If I want multiplayer, I'll go play Hawken.


How the hell is it your favourite campaign?

How can it compare to the first two Halos?


Halo 4's campaign is much better than Halo CE's. It was good for it's time but to think it's still amazing and that it will always stay supreme is laughable.
-H4 surpasses in graphics but deloads enemies more often, as well as dropped guns
-H4 brings back checkpoint delay using Banshee plasma cannon but leaves out timed checkpoints
-H4 brings back a useful sandbox but restricts it's usage to particular situations
-H4 brings back Elite dominance in cqc but makes them so cheap (i.e. sword lunge) it's not nearly as engaging

Halo 4 is not better than CE. It brought back plenty of stuff from CE but made sacrifices.

  • 12.31.2012 10:22 AM PDT
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Posted by: Hoggs Bison
Bloody brilliant!

I especially liked the idea of using the Infinity for exploration than 343's 'send it in to show off like US did with it's atomic bombs'.

And I'd just love to play Requiem with marines on my Hog. Hell, I'd love it if the Elite snipers easter egg spawned a Pelican with a bunch of marines who followed you to the end of the level. Would be way better than a bunch of weapon crates containing already available weapons...

[Edited on 12.31.2012 10:27 AM PST]

  • 12.31.2012 10:24 AM PDT

I would've re written it so Cortana, instead of telling Master Chief that if they can get back to Earth and can be saved, tells MC that she is dying and there is nothing he can do about it.

The story unfolds as Chief tries to deny Cortana's claims, and both find themselves unhinged by Cortana's spiral towards rampancy (possibly leading into some tense gameplay sections where Chief's HUD is off, or his shields are down), and Chief is revealed to be unable to cope with the death of Cortana, and is crushed by the realization that despite all the weapons and power armor he is utterly powerless in the face of mortality.


Also, I would make sure the final boss battle wasn't a load of old -blam!-.

  • 12.31.2012 10:33 AM PDT
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Dolphins, man. Dolphins. They are gonna take over the world, and kill us all, man! THEY'LL KILL US ALL! Oh no, they will start with Gondile. Haha, hell if they are gettin' me! No way man, I'll kill 'em. I'll kill them all!!!

That ending boss fight? No good. Here's how I would have done it.

First, in true good development style, right before the boss fight you find a cache of Forerunner grenades, and there is an energy door in front of you. You notice there's electronic pillars that have shielding akin to an Elite. If you throw a Forerunner grenade at it, it connects like a magnet and explodes, opening the electronic door.

Now then, you go through and it's boss time on top of the light bridge. The Didact, however, has shields that cannot be damaged. (This can be revealed by obvious bullets ricocheting) However there are 4 pillars. While dodging the Didact's attacks you have to destroy the pillars using the scattered Forerunner grenades. Once done, the Didact's shields will break and he'll let out an obvious grunt.

You go in in standard FPS boss fashion dating back to Wolfenstein, and that involves lots and lots of shooting. Crawlers will join the fight, so that guns will be in constant supply. Once you empty his health, a cutscene will enact and he'll do that strangling thing. Suddenly, a pelican that was getting a bit too close is sucked into the field and crashes right into you and the Didact, sending you flying towards one of those structures that you had to clear earlier to get to him.

You get up and notice the Didact gets up too, but noticeably stronger. However the pelican had a good supply cache, and is stocked with Rocket Launchers, Shotgun, Magnum, DMR/BR, and a Saw. Finally comes the final battle once again. Destroy the energy barriers all while dodging the Didact and when they are down, you let him have it. Finally you go up to him and shove a Forerunner grenade up his armor and he explodes into a mess of sweet, sweet Forerunner goo.

You activate the nuke, Cortana saves you, etc etc.

  • 12.31.2012 11:01 AM PDT
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“Strange,” mused the Director, as they turned away, “strange to think that even in Our Ford’s day most games were played without more apparatus than a ball or two and a few sticks and perhaps a bit of netting. imagine the folly of allowing people to play elaborate games which do nothing whatever to increase consumption.”

The Black Chapter!

The whole "too many buttons" thing isn't really a concern. Opening doors isn't a massive issue for me. What did annoy me was the little cutscene each time. Just let the door open by itself rather than watching your character push a button.

  • 12.31.2012 11:04 AM PDT