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The bigger problem for me | |
Posted By: Schooly D <schoolyd@teamschoolyd.org> | Date: 10/1/12 10:11 a.m. |
In Response To: The wub (Archilen) I also hate the prevalence of dubstep in the game's advertising and soundtracks. But it's not necessarily because I hate dubstep. Rather, I see its usage here are just further evidence that Halo 4 is, at its core, really just a cynically manufactured product of focus group testing. When Bungie made Halo, they made it with the goal of creating a new game -- one they wanted to create, and one that would tell a story they wanted to tell. Yes, they wanted to make money obviously, but at the root of the project was a creative vision from a handful of employees. The multiplayer wasn't earth-shatteringly innovative, but it tried to be its own distinct game, and each game added something distinctly "Halo" to the mix. Even ideas like Armor Abilities that could have been done better were at least mostly original and attempted to further define Halo as its own experience. The single-player took us on a long and (mostly) beautiful arc from the moment when we entered the hero's body and he first woke up to the moment we exited him for the final time as he was laid back to rest, his job complete. But Microsoft needs more milk and this cow's not dry yet. So kick open his freezer, give him a gun and send him into battle Enemy X, there's Mountain Dew to sell! It's not that any one individual at 343i is thinking "fuck 'Halo' we have to get dat money." It's that, from its very inception, I think this new trilogy is tainted. I was wary of it at first, but with each new reveal and each new media spot I'm becoming more convinced of it. At the highest level, in the boardiest of boardrooms at Microsoft, the reasoning that created 343i and spawned this new trilogy is summed up by this fictional power point presentation I could imagine presented there: 1. we like money
Gone are the media spots of Prophets speaking menacingly to the viewer, replaced by ads of explosions set to WUB WUB WUB that feel more suited for a trailer for a summer popcorn flick. Gone are the distinctly "Halo" additions to multiplayer, replaced unabashedly by features lifted directly from COD (a wildly successful franchise) such as custom loadouts, perks, kill-cams, etc. Gone is the distinctly "Halo" soundtrack, replaced by soaring overtures that, while very pretty, sound like Hans Zimmer Epic Score #305. Remember that recent article from an ex-Ensemble employee who said Bungie was skeptical of Halo Wars and thought it was a "whoring out" of the franchise? The people who mandated Halo Wars' construction are the same people who created 343 Industries and are now in complete control of the franchise. Everything about the game seems relentlessly focus-group tested to me. I know for a fact that 343i has employees that love Halo and are die-hard Halo fans and I'm not accusing them individually of forsaking creative integrity to make a safe buck. But I think the studio itself is tainted by an original sin through its very existence borne from a very corporate desire to make the most money in the safest way possible, and it's not one that can be washed off by a Halo-loving animator or sound engineer. I do have faith that Halo 4 will be a good game, possibly even great. I'm still looking forward to the multiplayer and I'm curious to see how the campaign plays out. But I'm not hoping for a revolution like I was with Halos 2, 3, ODST, or Reach. For that I'm waiting on Bungie.
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Replies: |
Ragnarok/Mantis video up on Waypoint! | uberfoop | 10/1/12 2:33 a.m. |
I forgot: Also image gallery! | uberfoop | 10/1/12 2:36 a.m. |
Re: I forgot: Also image gallery! | Quirel | 10/1/12 2:48 a.m. |
ArmsTech Called | Hawki | 10/1/12 5:14 a.m. |
Re: ArmsTech Called | Quirel | 10/1/12 9:13 a.m. |
Re: ArmsTech Called | Grizzlei | 10/1/12 10:59 a.m. |
I'LL STOP IT FROM MOVING *NM* | Vincent | 10/2/12 9:01 a.m. |
Looks pretty. *NM* | Gravemind | 10/1/12 3:01 a.m. |
Thanks for the heads up on these! *NM* | nomis78 | 10/1/12 3:09 a.m. |
Re: I forgot: Also image gallery! | bluerunner | 10/1/12 9:45 a.m. |
Valhalla/Ragnarok comparison | bluerunner | 10/1/12 1:35 p.m. |
Re: Valhalla/Ragnarok comparison | robofin117 | 10/1/12 8:33 p.m. |
So does this mean.... Mantis beats Tank?! | JDQuackers | 10/1/12 3:01 a.m. |
Re: So does this mean.... Mantis beats Tank?! | nomis78 | 10/1/12 3:11 a.m. |
Re: So does this mean.... Mantis beats Tank?! | JDQuackers | 10/1/12 4:10 a.m. |
Re: So does this mean.... Mantis beats Tank?! | nomis78 | 10/1/12 4:20 a.m. |
Re: So does this mean.... Mantis beats Tank?! | NotTheVacuum | 10/1/12 7:59 a.m. |
Re: So does this mean.... Mantis beats Tank?! | JDQuackers | 10/1/12 8:07 a.m. |
Re: So does this mean.... Mantis beats Tank?! | Leisandir | 10/1/12 9:26 a.m. |
Re: So does this mean.... Mantis beats Tank?! | NotTheVacuum | 10/1/12 11:18 a.m. |
Tea bagging... | bluerunner | 10/1/12 8:45 a.m. |
Re: Tea bagging... | Louis Wu | 10/1/12 8:49 a.m. |
How long until someone makes Virtual On in Forge? | MoltenSlowa | 10/1/12 9:22 a.m. |
Re: So does this mean.... Mantis beats Tank?! | Beckx | 10/1/12 12:30 p.m. |
Hold the phone. | Quirel | 10/1/12 12:36 p.m. |
Re: Looks like yes, shields | pete_the_duck | 10/1/12 1:54 p.m. |
Re: Mantis is pure win. *NM* | Hedgemony | 10/1/12 5:02 a.m. |
Ragnarok looks great! | TDSpiral | 10/1/12 7:27 a.m. |
Re: Ragnarok/Mantis video up on Waypoint! | DEEP NNN | 10/1/12 7:43 a.m. |
The wub | Archilen | 10/1/12 7:43 a.m. |
Re: The wub | DEEP NNN | 10/1/12 7:47 a.m. |
Re: The wub | NotTheVacuum | 10/1/12 7:48 a.m. |
Re: The wub | JDQuackers | 10/1/12 8:00 a.m. |
Re: The wub | Ragashingo | 10/1/12 8:06 a.m. |
Re: I wuv the wub *NM* | pete_the_duck | 10/1/12 8:10 a.m. |
Re: I wuv the wub | JDQuackers | 10/1/12 8:12 a.m. |
Re: I wuv the wub | Phoenix_9286 | 10/1/12 1:26 p.m. |
Re: Because you are a wubber ducky | Hedgemony | 10/1/12 8:16 a.m. |
Re: The wub | RC Master | 10/1/12 8:55 a.m. |
Re: The wub | bluerunner | 10/1/12 9:16 a.m. |
Nailed it. *NM* | Revenant1988 | 10/1/12 9:26 a.m. |
Re: The wub | NotTheVacuum | 10/1/12 11:22 a.m. |
Re: The wub | RC Master | 10/1/12 12:18 p.m. |
Re: The wub | Louis Wu | 10/1/12 12:38 p.m. |
Re: The wub | bluerunner | 10/1/12 1:22 p.m. |
Re: The wub | Lurono | 10/2/12 6:43 a.m. |
Re: The wub | thebruce0 | 10/2/12 8:36 a.m. |
Good points, can't really disagree =) *NM* | Lurono | 10/2/12 5:46 p.m. |
*High Five!* *NM* | thebruce0 | 10/3/12 9:15 a.m. |
Re: The wub | RC Master | 10/1/12 2:53 p.m. |
Re: The wub | serpx | 10/1/12 3:09 p.m. |
Re: The wub | padraig08 | 10/1/12 9:47 a.m. |
The bigger problem for me | Schooly D | 10/1/12 10:11 a.m. |
Re: Star Trek | Beckx | 10/1/12 10:14 a.m. |
Re: Star Trek | Lurono | 10/2/12 7:03 a.m. |
Re: The bigger problem for me | DEEP NNN | 10/1/12 12:27 p.m. |
My thoughts exactly. | Nikko B201 | 10/1/12 12:46 p.m. |
Re: My thoughts exactly. | NotTheVacuum | 10/1/12 12:50 p.m. |
I like some electronic music, but not this stuff. | Gravemind | 10/1/12 6:22 p.m. |
I'm slowly getting stingy with my Skrillex tracks | Tex | 10/1/12 7:58 p.m. |
Re: Ragnarok/Mantis video up on Waypoint! | stabbim | 10/1/12 10:37 a.m. |
For those of you wondering... | INSANEdrive | 10/1/12 12:53 p.m. |
Ummmm. | zoojoo | 10/1/12 2:35 p.m. |
Re: Ragnarok/Mantis video up on Waypoint! | gamerguy2002 | 10/1/12 4:31 p.m. |
Re: Ragnarok/Mantis video up on Waypoint! | Louis Wu | 10/1/12 4:35 p.m. |
Huh. *Malcom Reynolds stare* | Chewbaccawakka | 10/1/12 5:35 p.m. |
Re: Ragnarok/Mantis video up on Waypoint! | DrDoctor | 10/1/12 6:19 p.m. |
Re: Ragnarok/Mantis video up on Waypoint! | gamerguy2002 | 10/2/12 10:31 a.m. |
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