What's so great about Halo?

[quote name='jer7583']
How can you say halo is not innovative without sounding like a complete moron?[/QUOTE]

Improvement and innovation are two different things.
 
[quote name='captainfrizo']Improvement and innovation are two different things.[/quote]Yeah, Halo refined almost everything about a console FPS and made the experience about as good as you're gonna get without a keyboard and a mouse.

Halo may not have pioneered dual analog control, but I daresay it perfected it.
 
[quote name='jer7583']Timesplitters doesn't have the balance, controls, or widespread audience Halo has. Try asking your buddies to come over and play timesplitters, it'll be a yawnfest. Now Halo? People will be shouting at each other, getting competitive, and enjoying every min of it.

To whoever said that Halo did no control innovating, get out. Halo's control/gameplay innovations to FPS are on the same scale that Mario 64's control/gameplay innovations are to 3D platformers.

It goes beyond the dual analog setup, to the responsiveness, aiming, sensitivity, Grenade Buttons, Quick (and useful) melee attacks, and also the idea of swapping out weapons rather than carrying around 10 weapons at a time. Add to that concepts like the motion tracker that rewards stealthy movement, rechargeable health, the whole system link/social aspect of FPS gaming.. all innovations by Halo, all things that Console FPS games have used as a template since then. Halo 2's matchmaking and online are a whole different topic that set the standard for console online FPS games that has yet to be matched.

That's even restricting things to the Multiplayer.. In single player, the Vehicles and AI were absolutely remarkable at the time. Try playing the first game on legendary and see how much fun good AI can make a game.

How can you say halo is not innovative without sounding like a complete moron?[/QUOTE]

Couldn't have said it better myself.
 
[quote name='jer7583']Timesplitters doesn't have the balance, controls, or widespread audience Halo has. Try asking your buddies to come over and play timesplitters, it'll be a yawnfest. Now Halo? People will be shouting at each other, getting competitive, and enjoying every min of it.

Try playing the first game on legendary and see how much fun good AI can make a game.[/QUOTE]
Actually, its the opposite. Me and my friends have a blast playing co-op in Timesplitters and we find Halo boring. Only one of my friends even owns Halo and he's planning on getting rid of it.

It really is all a persons preference in games. I like the humor and different enviornments and characters in the Timesplitters games, not the bland environments in the Halo games. At certain parts in the Halo campaign the only way I knew where to go was by looking at the arrows on the floor because all the rooms were near identical.

We once had 3 TV's and 3 Xbox's at one of my friends house for a LAN game of Halo...and it didn't last long. We played 2 games and ended up watching one of my friends play Ninja Gaiden followed by Advent Rising and then the unplugging of the Xbox's. Halo isn't for everyone, and that is something people have to accept just like how I accept not everyone is a big fan of Timesplitters or many of the games I really love.
 
[quote name='jer7583']Try asking your buddies to come over and play timesplitters, it'll be a yawnfest.[/quote]You need new friends.
 
[quote name='whoknows']Actually, its the opposite. Me and my friends have a blast playing co-op in Timesplitters and we find Halo boring. Only one of my friends even owns Halo and he's planning on getting rid of it.

It really is all a persons preference in games. I like the humor and different enviornments and characters in the Timesplitters games, not the bland environments in the Halo games. At certain parts in the Halo campaign the only way I knew where to go was by looking at the arrows on the floor because all the rooms were near identical.

We once had 3 TV's and 3 Xbox's at one of my friends house for a LAN game of Halo...and it didn't last long. We played 2 games and ended up watching one of my friends play Ninja Gaiden followed by Advent Rising and then the unplugging of the Xbox's. Halo isn't for everyone, and that is something people have to accept just like how I accept not everyone is a big fan of Timesplitters or many of the games I really love.[/quote]

Not to point fingers, but you sound like a person who is really trying not to like Halo. If the common demonitor was "Timesplitters> Halo"
you wouldn't have 2 billion games played over live and people dropping $100 for the Legendary Edition.
 
[quote name='captmurphy']Not to point fingers, but you sound like a person who is really trying not to like Halo. If the common demonitor was "Timesplitters> Halo"
you wouldn't have 2 billion games played over live and people dropping $100 for the Legendary Edition.[/QUOTE]
I tried to like Halo, I bought an Xbox because of Halo and the hype surrounding it. In short, I was extremely disappointed so now I have a bad taste left from that game. I even gave Halo 2 a shot after being disappointed by the first Halo.

I gave it more of a chance than needed.

And your attempt at copying my sig is lame and I don't care if people are dropping $100 for a game or the fact that 2 billion games were played online. Those people like Halo, good for them. I don't.
 
[quote name='whoknows']
And your attempt at copying my sig is lame and I don't care if people are dropping $100 for a game or the fact that 2 billion games were played online. Those people like Halo, good for them. I don't.[/quote]

It may have been lame, but it was relavent.
 
All of you can bicker on endlessly about insignifigant opinions and only one thing is important.................

Halo + Halo 2 sold a shitload of copies, made a shitload of money, and is Largly reasonsible for the Xbox+Xbox 360's existence/Success.
 
[quote name='Zoglog']All of you can bicker on endlessly about insignifigant opinions and only one thing is important.................

Halo + Halo 2 sold a shitload of copies, made a shitload of money, and is Largly reasonsible for the Xbox+Xbox 360's existence/Success.[/QUOTE]


I wouldn't say it's important... more like it's just a fact that it sold money and saved the xbox from the death bed.

I think what this thread is mainly trying to do is pinpoint why it sold a shitload.

My perception is that colleges are why it took off so well. Frats and dorms loved the game (probably due to the military-like sci fi setting) and it created a social scene (mainly due to the lan-party like system link). It's basically a more user friendly lan party. From there it extended into high schoolers and the rest is history.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']I wouldn't say it's important... [/QUOTE]

I would since it's the only real thing that matters.
 
I forgot to mention one of the most important things about Halo. It just "feels" right to me. The way it controls, the way it moves, and just the weight of it. You forget your holding a controller to a point.

I hear Timesplitters being mentioned alot and to me that is a prime example of a game that doesn't feel right at all. Something just feels completely off about it. It's a hard thing to describe but the pieces just don't come together.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Did you read the post you were responding to?

No, don't answer that yet. Because you're going to say "Yes", but we both know the answer is "No". You did not read the post above yours. So here you go - I'll save you some time, and paraphrase your conversation:

Zoglog: Halo sold a lot of copies.
Rolento: Yeah, we know that. It's a very well established fact. We're talking about why.
Zoglog: Halo sold a lot of copies.


Jer: I think grenade/melee buttons and stealth were around before Halo. Maybe not on console FPS', though...[/QUOTE]

Not really, all I see from this thread is bickering. It sold because people like it and it's fun, there's no mystery to that =p

And once again another element that lacks any importance.
 
I really don't think there were any relevant developed for Console FPS games before halo other than Goldeneye, the first Timesplitters, and perhaps Disruptor? Really it was more about (poorly) porting PC FPS games. None of those incorporated the kind of innovations I cited.

Custom design maps playable online is irrelevant. I don't want to play a map that the kind of kids whom I don't want to even talk to on xbox live made. I want a consistent, and excellent group of maps that a talented developer has put together with balanced and fun gameplay in mind.

Maybe if I had a group of people who played timesplitters I'd enjoy it, but those people are so few and far between that regardless of quality, what's the point? I may think Cricket is the most fun game on the planet, but if nobody in the neighborhood wants to play, I'm just a dude in a field with a paddle, while everyone's tossing the pigskin around.
 
I didn't read all the posts but I'll lay down why Halo is so popular:

1. It's doesnt' have way too many options. Some games have like 100 guns, 50 types of armor, different classes etc. They kept it simple with limited options. Leaving mostly just useful items (save for the needler and probably the brute shot).

2. Everyone starts as the same character. No grenaders, medics and what not. It's simple....the other guy has the same exact character as you from the start so there's no advantage in any situation except your skill level and what power ups you obtained.

3.Multiple lives. In a lot of games you die once and you are forced to sit and watch everyone else until the next game starts. In Halo you play from beginning to end.

I think these are the reasons people (myself included) enjoy Halo so much. Games like Gears of War where you die once and have to wait are a borefest in my eyes. I tried to get into it, but getting dominated and then waiting 5 minutes to play again isn't my idea of a good time.
 
i think custom maps are cool, and would be awesome - sure talented developers design great maps - but so do up and coming college kids who will be developers in the future.

Halo was great when i was in highschool - but I did prefer timesplitters - mostly becaus for me, recreating a "i actually have a gun and am shooting people" was all about Q3 True Combat and then CS.

TimeSplitters was fast, funny, unique and had a lot of depth.
 
[quote name='whoknows']uhhhhhhhh....or not[/QUOTE]

Welcome to my ignore list. It's quite Ironic that the only people on it are exclusively are diehard Sony slaves. Feel free to waste your time responding to this though.
 
[quote name='Zoglog']Not really, all I see from this thread is bickering. It sold because people like it and it's fun, there's no mystery to that =p

And once again another element that lacks any importance.[/QUOTE]

but why is it fun?

jk, don't take that one seriously... just jabbing at you ;)


and I never thought I would be saying this, but thx for backing me up The Crotch.
 
[quote name='jer7583']Custom design maps playable online is irrelevant. I don't want to play a map that the kind of kids whom I don't want to even talk to on xbox live made. I want a consistent, and excellent group of maps that a talented developer has put together with balanced and fun gameplay in mind. [/quote]

I think that's what threw me a bit off. I loved the Timesplitters series, and I certainly was thrilled by the ability to make custom maps of many different varieties in Future Perfect, but after downloading the dozen or so top-tier/quality maps available over Live that was...pretty much it. There were only so many people really putting out worthwhile, interesting maps and once new games hit that sort of dried up pretty quickly.

Well, that and you could only see so many variants of someone else's magnificent work before it starts getting silly. I think customized maps and weapon placement and the like are great additions, don't get me wrong, but only a portion of the community really supported it. I wish I could have had a map editor like that way back in the day so I could have had time to give something back to the community, but...what can you do?


Fascinating insight throughout this thread, though, both for and against Halo. That and the mention of Disruptor...quality FPS from back in the day, especially when some levels really emphasized taking different approaches other than your standard "hey, let's gun everything down!" gameplay. Stealth was of the utmost importance, you had to balance your psychic abilities along with whatever ammo and weapons you had on hand...really top-notch, divergent thinking from other console FPSes for its time.
 
[quote name='whoknows']Ok, then what is original about it?[/QUOTE]
You sure are being objective, hiding behind a sniveling, one-liner, where you, yourself, didn't support your own claim to begin with.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']It's similar to the iPod really... Once you get brainwashed you pretty much go along with it and want it.[/QUOTE]

isn't it so cool to be against the mainstream? Wow, you fight the power man, you're a total rebel. Don't you be seen within the sight of anything the majority likes.

*gag*

Brainwashed into buying the Ipod and playing halo. Funniest thing i've heard in a while.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']One thing that definitely wins in my book with timesplitters against halo is the custom design maps playable online. bungie should take note on that.[/quote]

At face value, custom maps sound great.

Here again though, it comes down to seeing just how solid Halo is. The maps are second to none. In a Halo map, every advantage puts you at another disadvantage. Even the most disadvantaged position is moments from a rock to hide behind. Halo maps are just one of the things that make the gameplay mechanics so incredibly solid - that make it the game it is.

A map like Zanzibar looks simple at first, but offer numerous strategies for any game type. If someone is bored of it they are probably the same ones that have played a few hundred games on it.

User created maps CAN reach that level, with talented design and repeated rework, but few if anyone puts in the effort, especially in the console world. Then, with the abundance of garbage, few will be lucky to find it.
 
[quote name='Pucker']At face value, custom maps sound great.

Here again though, it comes down to seeing just how solid Halo is. The maps are second to none. In a Halo map, every advantage puts you at another disadvantage. Even the most disadvantaged position is moments from a rock to hide behind. Halo maps are just one of the things that make the gameplay mechanics so incredibly solid - that make it the game it is.

A map like Zanzibar looks simple at first, but offer numerous strategies for any game type. If someone is bored of it they are probably the same ones that have played a few hundred games on it.

User created maps CAN reach that level, with talented design and repeated rework, but few if anyone puts in the effort, especially in the console world. Then, with the abundance of garbage, few will be lucky to find it.[/quote]

True that, just look at counter-strike, some of the Popular custom maps are pure shit. Developing maps on the PC is no doubt better suited than developing on the console as well.

Having a custom map feature is a benefit, yes, but it's(Timesplitters) lacking in so many other areas compared to Halo.
 
Halo and Halo 2 are great games. One thing I like about Halo are the controls. They just feel right for a console. Simple and intuitive. Timesplitters always seemed loose to me. The controls left alot to be desired.

One thing I know is this, the more "mainstream" and popular something is, the more people will hate it. It's the reason why certain people like indie movies and music over movies with large budgets and popular artists. As if by default something less known and less popular is better. I've seen alot of crappy indie movies and listened to alot of crappy indie music, and their crappiness highlights just why no one could be bothered about them.

Hell, look at that Ipod comment. I remember when the first and second gen Ipods came out, you had to be a non conformist to have one. To have anything Apple, you pretty much were. I remember when I would whip one out in class, my God the stares I got. So know what has happened over the years? The design of the Ipod has gotten sleeker, we have videos, larger file storing capacity, cheaper prices etc.....but it's popular, so we've been brainwashed. If Halo was a less successful game, it would not receive half the backlash it receives. Some people just detest things that are in popular culture, from music, to clothes, and games even.
 
[quote name='atane']Halo and Halo 2 are great games. One thing I like about Halo are the controls. They just feel right for a console. Simple and intuitive. Timesplitters always seemed loose to me. The controls left alot to be desired.

[/quote]

That was EXACTLY what I was going to post.

I have played a some good PC FPS.


Quake III
Unreal Tournament
Half Life
Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force
Star Trek: Elite Force II
No One Lives Forever
Medal of Honor Allied Assault
Battlefield 1942

The only one in that group I like as much as Halo is the Elite Force games (primarily the first one).
 
my favorite thing about halo is all of the multiplayer custimization. I love making my own game types
 
[quote name='atane']Halo and Halo 2 are great games. One thing I like about Halo are the controls. They just feel right for a console. Simple and intuitive. Timesplitters always seemed loose to me. The controls left alot to be desired.

One thing I know is this, the more "mainstream" and popular something is, the more people will hate it. It's the reason why certain people like indie movies and music over movies with large budgets and popular artists. As if by default something less known and less popular is better. I've seen alot of crappy indie movies and listened to alot of crappy indie music, and their crappiness highlights just why no one could be bothered about them.

Hell, look at that Ipod comment. I remember when the first and second gen Ipods came out, you had to be a non conformist to have one. To have anything Apple, you pretty much were. I remember when I would whip one out in class, my God the stares I got. So know what has happened over the years? The design of the Ipod has gotten sleeker, we have videos, larger file storing capacity, cheaper prices etc.....but it's popular, so we've been brainwashed. If Halo was a less successful game, it would not receive half the backlash it receives. Some people just detest things that are in popular culture, from music, to clothes, and games even.[/QUOTE]
Playa haters.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']one bripe I also have against halo is no bots... would be nice for practice.[/QUOTE]
You can't have "think fast; press the appropriate button" moments against bots.

At least, no in Halo 2.

It might be fun to snipe a ton of bots, but the challenge is no where near as comparable to playing skilled humans -- thus not practice.
 
[quote name='SilverPaw750']It's fun. It's not amazing, flawless...no, none of that. But it's fun.[/QUOTE]
Halo was an amazing game. So was Halo 2.[quote name='RelentlessRolento']one bripe I also have against halo is no bots... would be nice for practice.[/QUOTE]
Yeah.... meh.
 
[quote name='PyroGamer']Halo was an amazing game. So was Halo 2.[/quote]Halo was amazing. Not so much for Halo 2. Had too much of an aire of a rush job.
 
[quote name='daroga']Halo was amazing. Not so much for Halo 2. Had too much of an aire of a rush job.[/QUOTE]
u shittin me?
 
Halo got its reputation for multiplayer. I can't count how many times we'd hook up LAN games to play 8 way capture the flag. The controls are easy to jump into for new players (we'd constantly invite people to our games), and the game just feels SMOOTH. Played with the right people, games can last forever with plenty of tense moments.

Halo 2, eh. Looking back, there's something to be said for it - it took the best of MP from the first game, and put it online. The problem is that it didn't age well - too many cheats and holes were exploited, and playing online eventually lost its "fun" factor. Huge CTF games are still great, but deathmatches usually devolve into a race for the sword. Being able to customize your own games (as with the first) is a huge help to the MP though.

Everyone says FPS games are miles ahead of console games when played on PC, and I can't argue that, as I've never really played PC games. The biggest thing I've noticed is that PC gamers tend to be able to get into Halo pretty easily. I'm almost hesitant to just call Halo a FPS, when it's more than that with the right group of people. Halo was the first big "party" game for the Xbox, and one of the first big party games on a console in a long time.
 
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