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  • Subject: I'm playing through Halo 4's campaign again.
Subject: I'm playing through Halo 4's campaign again.
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Posted by: omg a bannana
One of the most hysterical parts of the campaign is that the only reason you get(without reading the books) that the Covenant are back is "A lot can happen in 3 years!"
LOL 343I
There's a simple fix for that too. Just a few lines of dialogue.

"Lasky, why are the Covenant attacking us? I thought we had a truce."

"They're a rogue faction, Chief. They call themselves the Storm."

That's it. That's all that was needed.

  • 01.07.2013 7:28 AM PDT

Quick as a razor, sharp as a bullet.

Posted by: ajw34307
2) The last 2 missions lose the core value of a Halo campaign - huge, open environments with gorgeous vistas. Halo has never, and never will, worked as a linear corridor shooter so I was a bit disappointed with some of the level design.

The Maw and Assault on the Control Room.

Your argument is invalid.

  • 01.07.2013 7:32 AM PDT
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Posted by: ajw34307
My 3 biggest complaints however:
1) Needs another 3 levels. There should have been another level of exploration between Forerunner and Infinity where you walk down the mountain and into the jungle. A two-part mission on Installation 03 before heading to Ivanoff Station where you go through an almost ODST-style series of flashbacks to the Didact's point of view further developing his character (like the Terminals did).

2) The last 2 missions lose the core value of a Halo campaign - huge, open environments with gorgeous vistas. Halo has never, and never will, worked as a linear corridor shooter so I was a bit disappointed with some of the level design.

3) We need campaign theatre. Halo 4's campaign has some truly beautiful environments and it sucks they can't be captured in Theatre.

Overall though the campaign is fantastic, currently on my 6th playthrough now and it's still gripping me.
1. I think the Covies team up with the Prometheans too early and their team up is not very evident (the only regular encounter is Knights leading Grunts in place of suddenly absent Elites).

There ought to be 1 more level with Covies vs. Prometheans, and it would be an opportune time to throw in Hunters.

And I agree, Halo 4 is noticeably missing a hell descent level. *cough*The Library/High Charity/Cortana*cough* Shutdown doesn't come close.

2. Absolutely.

3. Agreed. The third person shots in the trailers and ViDocs was one of the main reasons I was excited about the Campaign. Now looking at it, it's not nearly as stunning.

[Edited on 01.07.2013 7:34 AM PST]

  • 01.07.2013 7:32 AM PDT

If I ever get AIDS, I'm going to sleep with another AIDS person so my AIDS cancel each other out, or I'm going to make the AIDS I already have worse.


Posted by: AK 47625714

Posted by: omg a bannana
One of the most hysterical parts of the campaign is that the only reason you get(without reading the books) that the Covenant are back is "A lot can happen in 3 years!"
LOL 343I
There's a simple fix for that too. Just a few lines of dialogue.

"Lasky, why are the Covenant attacking us? I thought we had a truce."

"They're a rogue faction, Chief. They call themselves the Storm."

That's it. That's all that was needed.
The Storm Covenant didn't just poof into existence, first of all the Covenant shouldn't have even been brought back because that's just poor story telling second, they'd need to go into MORE detail as how the Storm was started,

  • 01.07.2013 7:32 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.


Posted by: omg a bannana

Posted by: elsnben

Posted by: Smoke
Posted by: xBADMAGIKx
I really have no idea why people don't like it.

>It feels forced
>You need outside knowledge to understand half of it
>Boring missions and objectives
>"Flip this switch! Now hit this button!" x100
>Poor AI

Most of those are gameplay elements, the campaigns main purpose is to tell a story, the fact that saying you need outside information to understan it is irrelevent, someone who actually cares about the Halo universe will have that information.
A story that no one will get if they don't read 4 -blam!- books before hand. And a -blam!- story at that.


It's funny because I know a lot of people who haven't touched the extra fiction and understand the story entirely. The game covers the basics of what you need to know, the Terminals also supplement that. Yes, it's stupid that they have to be accessed on Waypoint which not everyone has, but there's this other wonderful thing you can use called YouTube which is available online and as an app for the Xbox.

Much of Halo 4's fiction is based around the framework Bungie created in and before Halo 3 with the IRIS campaign, the Ceadle of Life and the Halo 3 Terminals. This stuff has been around for HALF A DECADE. Why should people who haven't paid any attention to that be placated when this fiction has been whacking us over the head for so long?

That said, it is annoying for those of us who HAVE been invested in the story that Silentium hasn't been released yet and we only have the official description to go off showing the transformation of the Ur-Didact's character. It should have been released alongside Halo 4 because the full picture hasn't been revealed yet - which will be appreciated a lot more once it's known.

Also, there's nothing bad about the story, it's by far the best since Halo 2 and the way Halo has gradually expanded from a story to a universe has done nothing but good for the integrity of a series founded on sci-fi cliches.

  • 01.07.2013 7:35 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.


Posted by: omg a bannana
The Storm Covenant didn't just poof into existence, first of all the Covenant shouldn't have even been brought back because that's just poor story telling second, they'd need to go into MORE detail as how the Storm was started,


How is it "poor storytelling"? Halo 3 established that the return of the Covenant was nothing short of inevitable.

Let's look at the Elites, who have been deeply religious for over 2000 years - much of that time has been spent with the Covenant with generation after generation being raised to accept the Writ of Union and do their duty. The only thing that fragmented the Elites was an event where the Brutes replaced them as the Honour Guard and a very small minority discovered the Great Journey was a lie.

This doesn't inherently mean that suddenly EVERY Elite is going to abandon their beliefs because of the word of 1 shamed warrior. There are going to be hundreds of thousands who wouldn't believe that anyway because they're zealous in the beliefs, literally the only thing that changed was the recognition of the Brutes and Prophets as traitors which made them the enemy. That's why the Elites in Halo 3 are identified as COVENANT SEPARATISTS.

Then look at things post-war. The Elites relied on the Prophets for everything, now that they're gone Sangheili society is inevitably going to stagnate because they can't perform simple living tasks like farming. At this point, they're going to be looking to their religion to provide them solutions because the "gifts" of the Forerunners were what sustained their society for thousands of years. The Covenant offers them order, stability, and most important of all - purpose. To find, to seek, and not to yield - to paraphrase Tennyson.

As for things like where their supplies came from, look back to Halo 3. Specifically the multiplayer map Assembly, which clearly states that the Covenant war machine still continues to produce armaments despite Truth's death. We also see in Halo 4 how rugged their equipment is, with their ships not having adequate shielding anymore and more primitive looking armour.

Granted that the game gave no real explanation for this, but then Halo's story has come to a point where it assumes you're not stupid and can actually think for yourself - an approach which has left those who do not meet that criteria entirely lost.

[Edited on 01.07.2013 7:53 AM PST]

  • 01.07.2013 7:48 AM PDT

Don't mistake a temptation for an opportunity.

The only thing I have done in Halo 4 is war games

  • 01.07.2013 7:50 AM PDT

The definition of "insanity" is: Doing the exact, same -blam!- thing, over and over again, expecting -blam!- to change. That is "crazy".

Also, I make pone wellpoopers.
http://clueless313.deviantart.com/

Did I ever tell you the definition of "insanity"?

What even happened in it?

I honestly don't remember.

It was forgettable and I stormed through it fairly quickly.

My main problem with it is the same one I had with Reach; it feels like MISSION MISSION MISSION MISSION. Rather than AAAADDVVEEEENNTTTUUURRRREEEE.

  • 01.07.2013 7:54 AM PDT

I enjoyed it as far as Halo campaigns go. It's much better than Reach's but to me it still loses to Halo 2. Goddamn I love that game.

  • 01.07.2013 7:57 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.


Posted by: Tartan 118
Posted by: ajw34307
2) The last 2 missions lose the core value of a Halo campaign - huge, open environments with gorgeous vistas. Halo has never, and never will, worked as a linear corridor shooter so I was a bit disappointed with some of the level design.

The Maw and Assault on the Control Room.

Your argument is invalid.


AotCR was amazing because of the massive outdoor sections like the Control Room at the end guarded by the Wraiths and Banshees, not winding through repetitive corridors.

The Maw was great because of the Warthog Run at the end, not backtracking the whole first mission.

  • 01.07.2013 8:27 AM PDT
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I do not want to stop asking. I do not ask to stop wanting.

-Respect and evolution of Halo's thematic principles

-Subtle evolutions of Chief's character (especially through his dialogue in the last scene as he tries approaching the conflict at hand normally at first, and then realizes that he has truly lost this time)

-"AI is more human than the humans"

-"Broken character becomes human trying to save the human character from becoming broken"

-several metaphors and allegories (ex. how Chief's body armor, for the first time, is taken off at the end of the game- symbolizing how the level headed, always calm, damn near stubborn Chief has become human)

Goddamn it. I really have to type up my analysis on the story soon. I've got a hell of a lot more points to make.

  • 01.07.2013 8:37 AM PDT

This thread was obvious flamebait...

  • 01.07.2013 8:39 AM PDT
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I do not want to stop asking. I do not ask to stop wanting.


Posted by: Haloroach
-Respect and evolution of Halo's thematic principles

-Subtle evolutions of Chief's character (especially through his dialogue in the last scene as he tries approaching the conflict at hand normally at first, and then realizes that he has truly lost this time)

-"AI is more human than the humans"

-"Broken character becomes human trying to save the human character from becoming broken"

-several metaphors and allegories (ex. how Chief's body armor, for the first time, is taken off at the end of the game- symbolizing how the level headed, always calm, damn near stubborn Chief has become human)

Goddamn it. I really have to type up my analysis on the story soon. I've got a hell of a lot more points to make.

- Perfect "Hero's Journey"- Chief's machine like, faceless hero character turns human, meaning he now has to become both a human and a hero.

- Halo's Military Sci Fi theme- WWII Symbolism- How nationalist leader treats minions like Machines and loses despite efficiency of machines- Didact turning Prometheans into machines as soldiers and Chief still wins

- Organic Life always overcoming

- Freudian relationship of Chief and Cortana (Outside Chief being id- acting impulsively, physically, Cortana being ego- Cortana acting thoughtfully, Chief's human side being superego- now that Cortana's lost, what will happen to Chief's character?)

etc.

[Edited on 01.07.2013 8:43 AM PST]

  • 01.07.2013 8:42 AM PDT

As far as campaign goes

4 > 2 > 3 > CE > Reach

As far as multiplayer

2 > CE > 4 > 3 > Reach

and overall game

4 = CE = 2 > 3 > Reach

  • 01.07.2013 8:47 AM PDT
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I do not want to stop asking. I do not ask to stop wanting.


Posted by: bothegrunt
3 > CE


I disagree with your opinion, but I understand and accept your right to express it.

*tears out hair*

  • 01.07.2013 8:55 AM PDT


Posted by: Haloroach

Posted by: bothegrunt
3 > CE


I disagree with your opinion, but I understand and accept your right to express it.

*tears out hair*


CE didn't have an amazing campaign or story, it was fun playing it but that us about it. Multiplayer was amazing though.

  • 01.07.2013 9:05 AM PDT

Posted by: IrIsHmAn04
no its legit, i used coordinates, set weapon timers the works.


Posted by: bocajbee
The Campaign was horrible.

"PRESS THIS BUTTON, GRIND PAST THESE BULLET SPONGE KNIGHTS, PRESS THIS BUTTON, GRIND PAST THEE KNIGHTS!

Rinse, repeat.

Whatever happened to the open sandbox level design from halo 1 where you could drive around the island and do objectives to your liking in whatever order and tackle situations in different ways? Not just advance from point a to b to c while killing dudes along the way.

Even Reach was more open than this. I guess you had the pelican mission but you still had little freedom to go and do different objectives as you wished.

Also, bring back scoring.


lol. Did you even play CE?

CE had you running around the same gray hallways for like 2 hours pressing buttons. If you took off your foggy nostalgia goggles, you would know that.

  • 01.07.2013 9:16 AM PDT

Online ID: GriffGraff15

The campaign is boring me. I haven't even beaten it yet, I just finished the level with the Mammoth and destroying the Forerunner orbital cannons

^Yeah, CE was more linear than Halo 4, except for the Silent Cartographer level. Actually, besides ODST, every Halo game made you do the objectives in a certain order in a linear area with a few rare exceptions.

[Edited on 01.07.2013 9:23 AM PST]

  • 01.07.2013 9:21 AM PDT

Dear tomorrow, Find some sensibility, Respond to emotion.
Dear Politician, Define sagacity,
All chances of survival are beginning to diminish.
Comedy is no excuse for our own blasphemies.
Mass media, Mass pessimism, Mass Denial.
My television tells me to panic, but I don't think I'll listen.
The apathetic force us to persevere, with their backwards priorities.

Something about the story felt off for me. I don't know what it was. Maybe the "romance" that was starting to spark between MC and Cortana.

  • 01.07.2013 9:23 AM PDT

Posted by: Slothful Koala
Posted by: Hylebos
Posted by: xBADMAGIKx
I really have no idea why people don't like it. It's awesome.
That's because you've historically had a problem with reading other people's posts.

The Halo 4 Campaign has it's fair share of gems from a gameplay standpoint, but the midgame is held back by a certain terrible character (*Cough* Del Rio *Cough*), and forgetable levels like Reclaimer and Shutdown.
Why the hate on Del Rio? He's an incompetent prick, but he certainly didn't ruin the game.
He, along with levels like Reclaimer and Shutdown, definitely ruined the midgame for me. Luckily Composer did a nice job of picking up the pieces with a very nice portrayal of Tillsman to make up for the terrible writing and acting for Del Rio, and my favorite level of the campaign to make up for the previous two levels.

Posted by: Zomechin
I thought Del Rio was very believable given the circumstances, context, and of course his character.
Everyone I've shown him to in real life has said otherwise.

Posted by: Wolverfrog
Lasky was intended to be Infinity's real commander from the very beginning. Del Rio did make some sound decisions, though; Cortana was clearly displaying rampancy and so he obeyed UNSC protocol and moved to destroy her. That we're emotionally invested in John and Cortana doesn't matter; he was just doing his job. His decision to return to Earth was a sound one also - he had no information about the Didact outside John's claims; for all he knew, the orb could have been just a machine. Rather than risk the UNSC's most valuable ship and its tens-of-thousands strong crew against an unknown quantity, he decided to return to Earth and inform HIGHCOM of the situation.

There were some daft moments, like sending John and company to destroy the particle cannons without recon, but in fairness Infinity was in hostile territory with no means of defense - it's understandable he'd want to change that as quickly as possible.

Del Rio was a fine character, and I can understand all the decisions he made. Technically, John committed treason against the UNSC when he defied him. Wouldn't be surprised if he got in trouble for that.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that he is unsalvageable as a character, in fact I agree with you that he, despite poorly articulating them, made a lot of good decisions overall. However, since he reeks of incompetency, insecurity, and general doucheyness every single time you interact with him, it's hard to see him as a deeper character when you are facepalming at how hard 343 Industries is trying to make you hate the guy.

They could have EASILY wrote him to be 20 times more subtle. At first, portray him as a decent person, then over time, let his distrust of Chief and Cortana come out as the stress of their present situation builds, and then finally at the end of Reclaimer, have the tension break and have a confrontation between the two over what should be done to protect humanity. Perhaps at this point, make him go over the line a little bit, to sour the player's view of him rather than having him be blatantly dancing across the line on your mother's grave the entire campaign. Have him glare at you, have him say something along the lines of "Fine. You can pursue the Didact, but there is no reason for me to waste the lives of my crew members on such a hasty assault." and have him walk away.

Campaign believeabillity preserved!

Posted by: Cortland_Brewer
I don't get the hate for placing Cortana. Between that, and her story in the game, she really felt like a character and not a voice in your head that magically fixed things..

Haters gonna hate I suppose, but it's sad that all the complaining are likely going to remove that element from Halo 5.
Um, perhaps I simply don't understand your post, but aren't they not going to put her in Halo 5 because she... you know... died?

Posted by: Metalignus
Posted by: xBADMAGIKx
I really have no idea why people don't like it. It's awesome.


I'd tell you, but your threads have a habit of you going all aggressive and name-calling if someone disagrees with your opinion.
More often than not I find that he simply ignores people who are right :D

  • 01.07.2013 9:25 AM PDT

Posted by: IrIsHmAn04
no its legit, i used coordinates, set weapon timers the works.


Posted by: westpointusma15
The campaign is boring me. I haven't even beaten it yet, I just finished the level with the Mammoth and destroying the Forerunner orbital cannons

^Yeah, CE was more linear than Halo 4, except for the Silent Cartographer level. Actually, besides ODST, every Halo game made you do the objectives in a certain order in a linear area with a few rare exceptions.


Then stop playing video games. Like 99% of all single player games make you go a particular way in the way because IT'S THE -blam!- ING STORY!

  • 01.07.2013 12:45 PM PDT
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I generally love the campaign, it's the multiplayer I have beef with.

  • 01.07.2013 1:12 PM PDT

I have a banana booty!

The one major problem with the campaign for me is it won't show me the legendary ending. I've beaten on legendary co-op from start to finish and it didn't show me it.

  • 01.07.2013 1:14 PM PDT

Posted by: IrIsHmAn04
no its legit, i used coordinates, set weapon timers the works.


Posted by: DampestTyler
The one major problem with the campaign for me is it won't show me the legendary ending. I've beaten on legendary co-op from start to finish and it didn't show me it.


that's because you have to do it by yourself smart guy.

  • 01.07.2013 1:15 PM PDT

"Banhammer" - Post anything on the Waypoint forums -50g
Never forget:
Porch Day
lolReach
Gen Petitt Day
Night of the Living Alts


Posted by: Hylebos
Posted by: ROBERTO jh
>No you don't, just a brain and some common sense
You couldn't really come up with a better response than "You're wrong and stupid"?

  • 01.07.2013 1:18 PM PDT