Posts on Current Forum | Archived Posts
|
|
|
||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
| Frequently Asked Forum Questions | |
|||
|
||||
|
|
|||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| Search Older Posts on This Forum: Posts on Current Forum | Archived Posts | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| Legendary Observations (very long, minor *SP*) | |
| Posted By: mike miller <mikem60430@aol.com> | Date: 11/16/04 4:22 p.m. |
|
Despite my original plan to go through the campaign on normal the first time, I ended up restarting after the second level and playing through the whole thing on legendary (thereby taking Finn up on his challenge :-) ). Mainly, I did so because after flying through Cairo and Outskirts, I felt that I was missing a lot, and that it would be over before I knew it. Well, I finished it on Friday, and after a second playthrough of most of the levels over the weekend (which was MUCH easier the second time around, once I knew what to expect) I thought I’d post some of my initial reactions/observations/etc., mainly regarding how the game compares to Halo 1. My main question going into Halo 2 was how different the combat would feel. Well, it’s definitely different. That’s not to say it’s necessarily worse, but they changed enough of the little things (grenade speed, distance and blast radius, melee range and timing, jumping, the “feel” of the plasma pistol, etc.) that there was, for me at least, a period of awkward transition. Even after some time, something about it (that is, the chaining together of weapon switching, grenades, and melee attacks that is so useful in combat in the original game) still doesn’t feel as smooth as the combat in Halo 1, though my perception of that may change as I grow more familiar with it. It also seems to me that it’s noticeably tougher this time around, for a few specific reasons apart from my lack of familiarity. Enemies have a lot more damage-absorbing capacity. Even grunts are no longer negligible: I remember watching in amazement as I bashed a white grunt in the face 3…4…5 times with the carbine and it still didn’t die. Meanwhile, the Chief, with his health bars missing in action, is more fragile. Combined with such added factors as increased rate of fire of the plasma rifle, nastier weapons, like the insta-hit carbine, in the hands of your enemies, dual-wielding enemies, and the tendency of elites to be more aggressive with melee attacks at close range even after a charged plasma shot, and it’s much easier to go from full to dead before you even realize it. …Which brings me to a second reason: the reduced effectiveness of the plasma pistol. The PP was the ultimate all-around weapon in Halo 1. It fired faster and more accurately than the PR, letting you cut through grunts and jackals with ease, and the charged shot, in combination with grenades, melee attacks, or the pistol, was the single best counter to elites, letting you cancel any action and stun them long enough to finish them off. It was even pretty respectable against the flood. While still very useful, I don’t think it’s quite as dominating as before, though part of that may be the increased health of the enemies. For one, it seems to overheat more quickly relative to the number of shots needed to kill. For another, it doesn’t seem to fire as rapidly. For yet another, the charged shot doesn’t seem to home quite as well, or have quite as dramatic an impact on the elites (I remember one bashing me to death even after absorbing one), and doesn’t seem nearly as effective against jackals. The old standby tactics from Halo 1 are still pretty effective. Charged shot+Battle rifle headshot at long range works like a charm. Charged shot+plasma stick at close/medium range is still good, but not as overwhelming as before in anything more than a one-on-one situation, since you can die so quickly even in the short amount of time that this maneuver exposes you to fire, and because the charged shot doesn’t home as well as it used to. Charged shot+melee attacks seems riskier than before, because it’s not always possible to juggle elites with punches like it used to be. Generally, I found myself relying much more on long-range tactics (either sniping outright with the SR, beam rifle, or carbine, or the PP/battle rifle combo) than I am usually accustomed. I was a little disappointed that that I didn’t find dual wielding more useful. I had high hopes for the PP/SMG combo, or two plasma rifles as a close range shock tactic. Unfortunately, while these weapon selections did have their uses at times (I remember one stretch on Delta Halo that I just tore through with dual plasma rifles), enemies can take so much damage now that it’s tough to rely on in most circumstances. The time it takes to kill even a single elite is usually more than enough time for you to die. The best dual combo that I found was probably the PP/magnum, since you can kill elites almost instantaneously with a headshot after dropping their shields. This technique can be very effective; unfortunately, magnum ammo isn’t very easy to find on most levels, and from anything farther than face-to-face range, you’re probably better off just using the PP/battle rifle combo, especially given how long the magnum takes to reload. Still, as I practice this more, I may get more comfortable with it; if there’s one single answer to aggressive close combat in Halo 2, the PP/magnum combo may be it. I was able to tear through the first hangar bay on Cairo, and most of the second using this combo. It doesn’t seem to me that the AI has been too radically changed, which means it’s still very good. Grunts seem to be more aggressive about throwing grenades (and don’t always announce their intent before hand). Jackals seem to be better at moving while shielded. Elites seem to be more aggressive with melee attacks up close. On the other hand, I had the impression that the elites were easier to stick with grenades, even without stunning them first, and often have a tendency to stand around during battle in unwise locations. I also felt that they were more narrow in their line-of-sight (for example, if you fire from alternate sides of a box in the hangar bay, each time you switch, they will usually stay very focused on your last position, giving you a lot of time to line up your next shot. I don’t remember it being quite so noticeable in Halo 1, though I may be wrong.) The brutes were, IMO, the most intimidating because of their tendency to close rapidly with you; on the other hand, they’re large and easy to stick with grenades. As for the vehicles, their utility doesn’t seem greatly changed from the original, so there’s not really much new to say. The progressive destructibility is nice, from a visual standpoint, and it’s nice not having to worry about the “health” of the covenant vehicles like in Halo 1. On the other hand, that means the fragile health of the chief basically carries over to the vehicles. The turrets both appear fairly puny-looking this time, unlike the covenant shade, and since standing around in one spot is usually an open invitation to death, I didn’t use them any more than I did in Halo 1. The covenant shadow seemed to be fairly under-utilized in the campaign. I really liked the new covenant dropship: it looks much cooler than the old one, and the red plasma turrets make it much more dangerous. The ghost boost is a nice addition, and I found it very helpful in a number of situations, both defensively and offensively. The specter was fun, though it seems to be pretty much just a covenant warthog. Speaking of the warthog, the radically altered handling is, at the very least, going to take some getting used to. It’s probably too early yet to say whether it will make maneuvering better or worse in the long run, since I still keep trying to drive it like the old hog. The vehicle boarding is a nice option to have, and it did save me in a few memorable situations. It’s definitely a lot of fun, and looks badass when you can pull it off. Overall, though, it didn’t have a tremendous impact on my tactics, though I was reminded a few times that I needed to be aware enough not to let myself get jacked :-) . Overall, I thought the level design was excellent. For one, there was a lot of variety in the terrain. I often found myself stopping just to look around and admire the magnificent scenery. For another, the situations were very inventive. In the first few levels alone, you find yourself fighting across a platform in space as an enormous gun fires above you, a bombed-out futuristic city under attack by a gigantic walking tank, an alien facility plummeting into the atmosphere of a gas giant (wow), and the ruins of another halo (after performing an insane drop from orbit). What can I say…I thought all of this was just cool as hell. There was generally a good balance of outside/vehicle and indoor fighting. I was disappointed that there weren’t more large-scale battles, or more situations like the building defense scenario in outskirts or the beginning of Delta Halo. Also, like many people, I would have liked to have seen more of the game take place on earth, and I thought that some of the later levels did not live up to the promise of the earlier ones. I’m also not too thrilled about the invisible barriers and insta-kill zones that conveniently obstruct access to some areas. You know what, developers? You made this spectacular looking level, and if I want to jump off the moving platform and wander around pointlessly on the floor of the library, why not just let me? One thing, however, that pretty much ruins some parts of the levels are the sniper jackals. I’m sorry, but did anyone play test this? I’m obviously not one to avoid challenges, but this is almost game-breaking in parts. It’s simply no fun when you can’t stick your head out for more than a second before some barely visible enemy kills you in one shot. There’s basically no way to get past some parts aside from the brute force trial and error of dying endlessly until you learn the locations of all of the concealed snipers. Halo 1 was difficult, but to its credit it always felt fair, and when you died you knew it was your fault. The sniper jackals, on the other hand, just feel cheap...what the hell are you supposed to do when you’re constrained to approach an area from a particular direction, and you can’t even observe the area to try to locate the snipers before they shoot you in the head? This factor alone makes me simply not want to replay some parts of the game. A close runner-up for dumbest addition must be the inexplicable decision to include boss battles. Again, one of the best features of the original Halo was the avoidance of the lame and archaic video game convention of boss battles. Some genres are conducive to the inclusion of such battles; the military-themed FPS is not one of them. Nothing breaks the feeling of immersion more than suddenly running into some magical enemy that defies the otherwise consistently-applied rules of the game. From an aesthetic standpoint, I have mixed feelings about many of the changes. Visually, the level design, as I said, is beautiful, and much improved over the original. Some of the weapon effects, on the other hand, are not. The plasma weapons used to make cool glowing scorch marks on the wall; now, the effects are much less visible. The charged shot used to sizzle and send out a little shower of debris, but no longer. The new energy sword looks ok, but I liked the more light-sabery look of the original. I used to love to look back over a hallway after a battle and survey the carnage; but now it seems like the presence of decals, alien blood splashes, etc. is less apparent. On the other hand, I love the red plasma from the dropship/turrets…very cool looking. For some reason, the elites’ armor looked better to me in Halo 1 (now it seems duller and more plastic-looking, and where are the glowing Forerunner symbols?), though I think the rest of the character models are generally improved and well-animated. The music was excellent—even better than the original, which is saying a lot--and generally very appropriate to the action. I liked the new battle rifle sound, the ghost engine sounds, the melee attack sounds, and the satisfying smash of the new hunter melee attack. I basically like all of the crunching metal from the destructable vehicles, though it often sounds a bit “thin” to me, like they’re made out of tinfoil or something. I don’t understand why they changed the warthog sound—it sounds more like a radio-controlled car to me now than a military vehicle—any more than I understand why they changed the warthog handling. In general, I think many of the sounds would have been better off had they been a bit lower pitched. Some people have complained about the marine/grunt dialogue, but I think it's even better then the original: more varied and context-appropriate. It seems to me that those of us who like to play battles more aggressively will probably have to use a bit more balanced approach this time around (no more magic-bullet plasma pistol), with more of a reliance on long range tactics to thin out some of the tougher enemies. Perhaps this is what the developers were aiming for. Speedrunning will also be lot more tricky, it seems—the sniper jackals alone will make it a nightmare in some places. The bottom line: It’s a fun, well-crafted game whose brilliance in most respects outshines the shortcomings. It’s tougher, with a bit different feel, though still quite manageable. Enemies can deal and receive more damage, and you can take less, making close combat much riskier than in Halo 1. Aggressive combat will probably require a more balanced approach. Speedrunning promises to be a much greater challenge. Notable: Best new feature: vehicle boarding. I don’t think there’s a more badass looking move in the game than jumping onto a wraith, smashing through the armor, and shoving a grenade inside. Worst new features: sniper jackals/boss battles. Enough said. Best new weapon: the carbine. Probably the best all-around weapon in the game. Best level: Outskirts/Metropolis. I also loved Delta Halo/Regret. Beautiful, open, varied missions. Worst level: High Charity. A short, dreary retread of previous levels, filled with the hated flood. Hardest battle: The beginning of Gravemind. It’s like Belly of the Beast, but with no marines, two doors opening at once, no active camo, and no opportunity to prepare before hand. Best personal moments so far: --Defending the building at the beginning of outskirts. It felt like a Christmas present, as I had always wanted to play a mission like this in Halo. I wish there had been more of this sort of thing. --In the arena area in Metropolis, after I finally had enough of the sniper jackals, I made a mad dash around the outside wall, and got a checkpoint right at the entrance to the next area. At that point, I had almost no ammo left, and I quickly used up all of my rockets against the onslaught of ghosts. With another ghost on the way, I ducked behind some crates nearby, hijacked it when it slowed down, and boosted right past the wraith out of danger, running over one of those damn sniper jackals in the process. This was the first time I really tried to use the vehicle boarding, and it worked like a charm. --On Regret, I managed to get these two hardcore marines with me—a guy and a girl-- that absolutely would not die. We plowed through room after room, over land and sea, through elites and sniper jackals, through hunters and drones, kicking ass and taking names, making wisecracks all the while. Eventually, they fell in battle in that big underwater room, and I actually missed them, and felt kind of sad afterward. --After getting mobbed by banshees near the end of the last level, I figured screw this…I parked the banshee on top of the scarab and ducked inside. Of course, after getting a checkpoint, I realized that the enemy banshees had actually knocked mine off the top, leaving me stranded. I almost reset, but then I remembered about vehicle boarding. I managed to stick two of the banshees with plasma grenades, hijacked the third, and used it to shoot down the fourth. I think this sort of exemplifies the open-ended combat possible in Halo, which lets me enjoy these games so much. Funniest moment: The first elite in the building at the beginning of outskirts kills me, and then stands over my body gloating, saying something about his great prowess. Right as he gets to “prowess,” a marine sniper drills him in the head, and his body falls on top of mine while the camera just hovers there for a few more moments. I laughed my ass off, and my spirit could rest, having been suitably avenged.
| |
|
| Replies: |
The HBO Forum Archive is maintained with WebBBS 4.33. |