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My thoughts exactly.
Posted By: Nikko B201 <unendingdawn@gmail.com>	Date: 10/1/12 12:46 p.m.
In Response To: The bigger problem for me (Schooly D) : 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 : 2. halo is still worth money : 3. create a studio who will use halo to make more money in the safest, most : risk-averse way possible : 4. welcome to St. Tropez : 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. I think this may also be behind the persistent decisions to model stuff after, and carry stuff over from, Reach, instead of Halo 3 (DMR was REPLACED by the BR! arhgrhrh). Reach was more recent, and thus casual gamers who never play the campaign/only play the campaign for achievements, will be more familiar with Reach's MP than Halo 3's, and be more attracted to an MP that follows on from Reach. ...Moooore On Topic. Ragnarok looks nice; dubious about all the rocks lying around. Reach was the Mountains Everywhere Planet, while Halos/Shield Worlds seem to have less rocky terrain. Except for Requiem, apparently. Mantis: Ehhh...combat mechs. If you remember, the Mark I MJOLNIR started off pretty close to a combat mech. The UNSC deliberately tried to make it smaller. (Before you say it: IIRC the Cyclops was a repurposed cargo hauler, and that bigass thing from Legends...well...~anime~) Also what is with the newNSC (no I will not apologize for that) and their obsession with prominent...frontal pelvic armour? GEN2 MJOLNIR has a large..."pad" on the front of it (and zero waist armour; it's like a big MY DICK IS HERE AND NEEDS THIS HUGE PLATE BECAUSE IT IS HUGE sign), and now there's the Mantis with something that looks like it nearly reaches its knees. [/bitter-cynical]

you spin me right round baby right round

Message Index

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.