Thursday, February 26, 2009
Hello. Today is the final post on the Halo series. The topic for today is:
If you are not too familiar with video games, you will be surprised at how much fans a single video game can have. Most games, even the less known ones, can easily have thousands of fans. When it comes to bigger games, like Mass Effect or Resistance, the fan base can reach hundreds of thousands. But with the Halo franchise, it's not hundreds of thousands of fans we're talking about.
More like millions.
Halo is the series with the most hardcore fans. Flame Halo in forums, and you'll get a bunch of fans on you. However, in recent years, many of the once hardcore fans, myself included, started drifting away from the series. Things like this don't just happen. There are reason that cause us to lose interest in the game.
To fully understand why the Halo series has lost its appeal, here's a time line of the series, from the first game to the third, and the impact of each one, and other factors that caused the fall of the series.
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HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED
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This is the first Halo game ever to be made, and it is also the game that shook the game industry so hard when it was released that the industry would never be the same again. The game was an instant classic.
The story line was epic, the characters were interesting, the weapons felt good to use, and the alien environments were fun to explore. Halo: CE also had a solid multiplayer component that could be played by 4 players in the same room.
Halo: CE is often considered to be the game that started the whole console first person shooter trend. Before it, FPS games were strictly PC only, but after the phenomenal success of Halo: CE, many other developers started making FPS console games as well.
Among all three Halo games, Halo: CE is the best. Playing it for the first time was like a breath of fresh air. No one had ever played such a game before, so it was a new experience for all who played it.
Halo: CE may not be as appealing to look at as most games today, but it had a certain magic to it. Now, about 6 years after I first completed the Campaign mode of Halo: CE, I can still remember the levels clearly.
From the eerie silence of the jungles and underground facilities in the level 343 Guilty Spark, to the adrenaline rush of speeding down path ways in a Warthog trying to escape the exploding fusion core of a battleship in the level the Maw, Halo: CE provided gamers with something to remember.
Multiplayer was a memerable experience as well. In fact, the multiplayer of Halo: CE is what made me get into gaming. I still remember the late nights I spent playing the multiplayer with my father and brother.
I remember how the sniper was ridiculously easy to use, and how grenades could be thrown so far and accurately. And of course, Halo: CE also has every one's favourite beast of a pistol. You know, the one that could put an enemy down hundreds of meters away with three shots.
In fact, to this day, I don't think any FPS game has managed to top the story mode of Halo: CE yet, and I don't think there ever will be. Those were the times when people, regardless of which console they owned, truly respected the name.
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HALO 2
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After the success of the first Halo game, Microsoft gave the green light to Bungie studios to start work on a sequel. The series now had millions of fans worldwide, and many of them were craving for more. After Microsoft made the announcement that Halo 2 was coming, fans finally had concrete evidence that it was coming, and the waiting began.
Bungie teased the fans by releasing information slowly, and the anticipation and hype of the game slowly built up. When the game was released on November 9th 2004, thousands attended the midnight launch of the game. I was at the Singapore launch of Halo 2, which was held at Funan.
While Halo 2 showed massive improvements over Halo: CE, the story mode just didn't pack the same punch as the one in the original game. Still, Halo 2 was packed to the brim with new features. Dual wielding, vehicular hijacking, new weapons, new game modes, and one of the best multiplayer modes of all time.
Halo 2 is the game that showed everyone just how important multiplayer was to a game. Xbox Live activity increased by more than 80% after the launch of Halo 2. People loved it, and they played it everyday. In fact, even now, five years after the launch of the game, people still play Halo 2 online.
After introducing a robust multiplayer element to the gaming world, many other games have tried to mimic its success, but few have managed to do it. Halo 2 is the game with the best multiplayer among all games on the Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube.
It is only now, in this generation that we are currently in, that games are starting to have great multiplayer modes. But no matter what it is, everyone will remember that it was Halo 2 that started it.
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HALO 3
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Halo 2 had a cliff hanger ending, so fans knew that Halo 3 was definitely on the way. Bungie, being Bungie, decided to tease fans again by giving very little information at the start, but gradually more and more as the release date grew closer.
When the game launched, the reviews were all positive, but many hardcore fans were disappointed. Sure, Halo 3 was a good game, but it didn't do much to improve on Halo 2. If Halo 3 was the first Halo game you played, you would be in love with it, but not if you've been with the series since the beginning.
That doesn't mean that Halo 3 didn't have any improvements at all. The graphics were obviously better, and there were new weapons. The idea of equipment and portable heavy weapons were also introduced, and these ideas are being used in other recent games. Still, it didn't do much that Halo 2 already had done.
Overall, Halo 3's multiplayer was satisfying, but the Campaign mode was a disappointment. The story was good, but it was played out well enough in the Campaign mode. A lot of potential to be the best Halo game, but Bungie wasted their chance with Halo 3.
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After the launch of Halo 3, the amount of Halo fans decreased by quite a bit. Before Halo 3, if some one flamed Halo in forums, a bunch of Halo fans would defend the name. Now, no one really cares. Also, while Halo 2 constantly remained the top of the Xbox Live charts, Halo 3 is never at that position for more than a month.
So why the sudden change? I've been thinking about it for a while, and I've come up with several reasons.
~~~
#1: Halo 3 was over hyped. This is definitely true. Trailers for the game aired on television screens internationally. Skyscraper sized posters of the Master Chief were put up as the release date grew closer. The Halo 3 launch event was so huge that in New York, the entire Times Square had to be closed down for it.Basically, what I'm trying to say is, no matter how good Halo 3 is, there is no way it can live up to the hype. It could have been the best game in the world, and still it wouldn't be able to deliver on the hype. So obviously, many people were disappointed.
~~~
#2: Halo 3 had strong competition. When Halo 2 launched, there was nothing at all that could compete with it on any console. However, Halo 3 already had Gear of War to compete with before it launched. To make things worse, Call of Duty 4 was released a few months later.
I'm going to be honest here. If Call of Duty 4 was never released, I would really think that Halo 3 was the best multiplayer experience available, and I would be playing it everyday. But the truth is, Call of Duty 4 is better. That is probably why it is on the number one spot on Xbox Live most of the time.
#3: Halo 3 simply isn't as good as the other Halo games. The story mode wasn't memorable in any way. It was great at its best, but could become downright irritating at some points. Also, Bungie decided to kill off certain fan favourites, like Sgt. Johnson, and not everyone was pleased with that.
While Halo 3's multiplayer is fun, it isn't near as good as Halo 2's. Back then, Bungie really knew what they were doing. Maps and weapons were balanced, and the game played out at just the right speed, and with just the right intensity. Halo 3's multiplayer does these as well, but just not as well as the previous game.
#4: Halo 3's online community is filled with jerks. Racists, smart ass kids, people who just love spewing vulgarities, Halo 3 has them all. It really spoils the experience. They are the reason why I play online without my headset.
It's not as if there aren't any nice people online. There are, in other games, but for some reason, they just don't want to play Halo 3 online. Probably the same reasons why I don't want to play it online.
#5: The difficulty curve of learning how to play Halo 3 online is crazy. When it first launched, there were still tons of noobs online, but after not playing the game for a long time, everyone playing Halo 3 online is either a pro, or a noob. There isn't really an 'average' Halo 3 player, because if you are in the middle, noob players see you as a pro, and pro players see you as a noob.
Although there is match making, it doesn't really work since most people will have a higher rank than you. Also, why the hell does it take so long to get into a match. I can get into a Call of Duty 4 match in 20 seconds, while I have waited to get into a Halo 3 match for 20 minutes before.
Although the Halo series might have lost many fans, and it may seem that no one really cares about it anymore, it is slowly regaining its popularity again. With Halo Wars and Halo 3 ODST coming out this year, I am seeing the amount of positive Halo related comments increase in forums and chat rooms.
The main Halo trilogy might have ended, but the Halo universe is still young, and there is still a large portion of it left unexplored. Other than Halo Wars and Halo 3 ODST, there are three other untitled Halo games in the works that are due in 2010 to 2011. In fact, it is rumoured that a launch title of the next Xbox will be a Halo game.
Halo started off as a small name, it gained popularity after Halo: CE, continued upwards with Halo 2, and while it might have stumbled and fell after Halo 3, the franchise is slowly picking itself back up and moving on.
I may have lost faith in Halo for a while, but now, with Halo 3 ODST on the way, I am slowly feeling that sense of excitement again. The one I had while waiting for the previous games. Looking forward to play Halo 3 ODST. Maybe it'll be the game that makes me a Halo fanboy again. We'll see.
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I saw a few videos on the Internet today.
First, this is a video of local band 'A Vacant Affair'. They appeared on Live n Loaded a few weeks ago, and they are actually quite good. This, compared to local music a few years ago, is pretty damn amazing.
I'm going to be honest here. If Call of Duty 4 was never released, I would really think that Halo 3 was the best multiplayer experience available, and I would be playing it everyday. But the truth is, Call of Duty 4 is better. That is probably why it is on the number one spot on Xbox Live most of the time.
~~~
#3: Halo 3 simply isn't as good as the other Halo games. The story mode wasn't memorable in any way. It was great at its best, but could become downright irritating at some points. Also, Bungie decided to kill off certain fan favourites, like Sgt. Johnson, and not everyone was pleased with that.
While Halo 3's multiplayer is fun, it isn't near as good as Halo 2's. Back then, Bungie really knew what they were doing. Maps and weapons were balanced, and the game played out at just the right speed, and with just the right intensity. Halo 3's multiplayer does these as well, but just not as well as the previous game.
~~~
#4: Halo 3's online community is filled with jerks. Racists, smart ass kids, people who just love spewing vulgarities, Halo 3 has them all. It really spoils the experience. They are the reason why I play online without my headset.
It's not as if there aren't any nice people online. There are, in other games, but for some reason, they just don't want to play Halo 3 online. Probably the same reasons why I don't want to play it online.
~~~
#5: The difficulty curve of learning how to play Halo 3 online is crazy. When it first launched, there were still tons of noobs online, but after not playing the game for a long time, everyone playing Halo 3 online is either a pro, or a noob. There isn't really an 'average' Halo 3 player, because if you are in the middle, noob players see you as a pro, and pro players see you as a noob.
Although there is match making, it doesn't really work since most people will have a higher rank than you. Also, why the hell does it take so long to get into a match. I can get into a Call of Duty 4 match in 20 seconds, while I have waited to get into a Halo 3 match for 20 minutes before.
~~~
Although the Halo series might have lost many fans, and it may seem that no one really cares about it anymore, it is slowly regaining its popularity again. With Halo Wars and Halo 3 ODST coming out this year, I am seeing the amount of positive Halo related comments increase in forums and chat rooms.
The main Halo trilogy might have ended, but the Halo universe is still young, and there is still a large portion of it left unexplored. Other than Halo Wars and Halo 3 ODST, there are three other untitled Halo games in the works that are due in 2010 to 2011. In fact, it is rumoured that a launch title of the next Xbox will be a Halo game.
Halo started off as a small name, it gained popularity after Halo: CE, continued upwards with Halo 2, and while it might have stumbled and fell after Halo 3, the franchise is slowly picking itself back up and moving on.
I may have lost faith in Halo for a while, but now, with Halo 3 ODST on the way, I am slowly feeling that sense of excitement again. The one I had while waiting for the previous games. Looking forward to play Halo 3 ODST. Maybe it'll be the game that makes me a Halo fanboy again. We'll see.
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I saw a few videos on the Internet today.
First, this is a video of local band 'A Vacant Affair'. They appeared on Live n Loaded a few weeks ago, and they are actually quite good. This, compared to local music a few years ago, is pretty damn amazing.
Next, a video review of the Watchmen movie. I wasn't too eager to watch it, because the comic series it is based on has a really complex storyline, little action, and deep characters, so I knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Many people felt that Watchmen would fail, but this review says otherwise. Now I really need to watch it.
Here is a video of the one of the freakiest things I have ever seen.
Finally, this is the announcement trailer of Last Planet 2. The first game was good, and the second on looks even better. Huge bosses. 4 player co-op. Most importantly, no more snow. Seeing white all the time gets a little boring after while.
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Played a whole lot of Oblivion today. Thieves Guild is awesome!! Infinite lockpicks, and it is fun to sneak into some one's house and steal every single thing from them, from the valuable things like gold, to the pointless stuff like fruits. I also went out for dinner.
Ok, I'm done for today. Thanks for reading. Ending off, see you tomorrow.
posted @ 11:22 PM
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