Halo Confessional a'la Snerts

Fans, friends, and foes alike know how much I love the Halo franchise. The first game blew my mind, and gave me a new perspective on the first person shooter. Halo 2 and 3 were fantastic upgrades that, particularly for the multiplayer segment, raised the bar significantly for all contenders in the genre.

Not many titles provides a map maker; campaign mode with four player co-op options; amazing multiplayer; and a recording system that captures the fun in every match played. They also provided numerous DLC packages, for a cost of course, and unprecedented website support that tracked an insane amount of stats--something previously excluded from console players. The folks at Bungie could do no wrong!

Then, years later the contenders challenged that notion. Today Call of Duty and Battlefield reign supreme for action packed shooters. The latest Call of Duty's also provide a theater mode, but still lack any map builder options. Other games like Left 4 Dead and Mass Effect 3 provide alternatives to the more traditional route that provide unique on-line co-operative experiences.

The Halo franchise responded to these changes with ODST, Reach, and now Halo 4. The first introduced a non-spartan perspective, and a new mode called Firefight. This co-operative game pitted players against unending waves of enemies. ODST was overall a neat game, but couldn't compare to the previous tittles.

The second response was Reach, a prequel to the events in the first game, which really tried hard to deliver a compelling story. I think to a certain extent Bungie succeeded. Unfortunately, by this time, the changes to the gameplay felt like a vain attempt to catch up to the top contenders.

Reach introduced armor abilities, which is arguably the most significant upgrade to the franchise. Players can now activate a variety of power ups like invisibility, or equip a jet pack. Oddly enough sprint was also an armor ability; a standard for most shooters on the current console generation. Another important feature was the pregame load outs that became available for multiplayer games.

Just like Call of Duty, Spartans can now sprint and pick which guns they start with. Just like Tribes there are now jet packs. The Halo franchise has an odd habit of just borrowing ideas from other games. Hoping the extra topping on that old pizza makes it more appetizing.

Now there is Halo 4. The culmination of years of catch up. A new studio gave me the naive impression that something new, bold, and exciting would be produced. Especially with the big bucks from Microsoft funding this project for years. Yet after three levels of the campaign, an hour of multiplayer, and thirty minutes of the new mode Spartan Ops; I was already sick of the game.

Mind you I played many more hours since that moment and writing this post. Trying desperately to find something that I found fun and addictive. I couldn't. After playing other modern FPS games I just couldn't find the fun in Halo anymore.

Halo 4 was advertised, like all the big blockbuster games, as a the next new adventure for the Master Chief. What's so new about this game? 343 Industries took away multiple enemies, weapons, and multiplayer game modes. Guess they thought removing some of those old toppings would make that decade old pizza look tasty again.

Players face off against a Covenant force that excludes Brutes and Drones. The Flood is also absent from the campaign. To make up for their absences the developer added Promethean's (cough Mass Effect cough), which includes three new enemies. There is the flying unit that buffs allies, the fast enemy who runs in packs, and your standard strong solider. Sorry to say these additions aren't enough to make up for the subtractions, and the encounters get boring quickly.

Changes to weapons in Halo 4 echoes the issues with the enemies. The new weapons from the "new enemies" amount to nothing but clones of what was already available. A sniper rifle is a sniper rifle no matter what reload animation the game displays. I cannot think of one new weapon that was significantly different then any of the previous titles. Additionally some really awesome guns were excluded from Halo 4 like the Needler Rifle or the sticky grenade launcher.

Then there is multiplayer. Gone are such MP modes as Free for All, Firefight, and Invasion. The only significant changes to gameplay are the mech vehicle, a sprint button (finally), and strike packages that are awarded for kill streaks in certain game modes. Spartan Ops, the new co-op experience, is like CoD's Spec Ops with more cut scenes. Overall the MP was the most fun, but also reaffirmed my disappointment with Halo 4.

Finally there is the story. The plot to Halo 4 makes Halo 2's annoying cliff hanger look awesome. Why do I have to watch hours of video, outside of the game, to understand the convoluted plot presented to me? Where's my action packed experience? There was nothing gripping, or exciting, about the campaign in Halo 4, and that's with one of the major character being killed (or at least she's dead for now).

All in all, if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm over the Halo franchise. Short of an epic movie, I do not feel compelled to buy anything Halo for a very long time. I love the universe, but I'm sick of being disappointed. Which oddly enough reminds me a lot of the Matrix.

Snerts recommends a rental for Halo fans and avoid at all costs for FPS pros.

Nerd Rage a'la Videogames

An aspect of life is competition. Economics, politics, mother nature, and sports are just a few examples that readily illustrate this concept. It should be no surprise that competition flourishes amongst the videogame industry and its community.

Below are a handful of my favorite rivalries--the brother of competition.

PC                    &              Console

Mario (SNES)                   &               Sonic (Genesis)

        Half-Life 2                 &                      Halo 2   

        Activison             &            Electronic Arts 

All of the above have seen its fair share of senseless shit talk. A couple decades ago I would argue with friends--the fleshy non-Facebook type--about the merits of owning a Sega Genesis console over the Super NES. I would brag about the systems line up, and how the graphics were obviously superior. As I grew older I began to realize that everyone has different tastes, and such discussions are rarely relevant to the grand scheme of things. Still, I'd find myself sucked into the occasional pointless discussion about which game/system is "better."

As the years went by the arguments evolved, and with the aide of the internet they rapidly expanded. Now anyone and everyone, including me, will lay down their side of the argument without the repercussions of face to face interactions. This wouldn't be an issue if internet comments were overwhelmingly level headed, well thought out, tidbits of communication. Unfortunately the opposite seems to be more prevalent. (Of course I'm an exception to this trend.)

The most recent example in the videogame community can be found on the website Metacritic. The average Metacritic score for Modern Warfare 3 is 89 out of 100, and the user score is 3.1 out of 10. A couple days ago it was 90 and 2.3 respectively. Now check out Battlefield 3, and you'll notice a similarity. Each franchise shows a dedicated fan base that seems hell bent on verbally sabotaging the other.

Reading the user review comments are simultaneously enlightening and disturbing. By the time my tolerance gave out a few interesting observations came to mind. Gamers still love rivalries and competition, and will go to great lengths to prove their personal tastes are the best thing ever. Their cyberspace rants can be fantastically ridiculous. At the same time I find it sadly pathetic that a number of people would rather read/write internet comments then actually research the topic at hand.

Hawthrone wrote, "Accuracy is the twin brother of honesty; inaccuracy, of dishonesty." Contributions to a discussion, that you find important, should never boil down to irrelevant dribble. Such rhetoric cheapens an already poor discussion. Yet in so many segments of our lives this ends up being the case.

Attack of the Clones!!!

I started writing a review for Homefront, but then fell into a rant. Enjoy. 

Homefront has everything that a solid FPS should have. Dynamic characters, solid gameplay, and well done cinematography. Despite having all this I will inevitably don the score of Gamefly--rent, play, move on. Why? Because I'm bored. 

Yes bored. 

I am tired of the tedious clones and other crap that graces the current console generation. 

There are a plethora of great shooter franchises to pick from, and I seldom find the new comers (Bulletstorm, Homefront, Borderlands) worth the full price of admission. The genre is overloaded with gimmicky copy cats. They add one or two neat ideas that often fail to hold interest over the coarse of the game. Bullet-time in FEAR. The leash in Bulletstorm. The nano suite in Crysis. All were fun at first, but didn't add enough to the basic formula. Shoot, run, shoot, find cover, reload/heal, repeat. The best I can hope for is a decent story that encourages me to finish the game. 

I find myself buying sequel after sequel. I have five Halo's, three Call of Duty's, two Left 4 Dead's, and one Bioshock. Each of the sequels offered something new, and often have the multiplayer community to warrant the purchase. Still I doubt Halo 4 and MW3 will offer anything substantially different. Yet I, and millions of others, will probably buy the next sequel because it's better then the clones. 

Hack n' slash games fair no better. God of War and Ninja Gaiden were games that broke barriers. The sequels were fantastic additions to each of the franchises, but it was more of the same. A few new comers pop up hear and there. Bayonetta was decent, and so was Heavenly Sword. I also enjoyed Force Unleashed and Afro Samurai. None had the same impact as the first God of War. None were as challenging as Ninja Gaiden. 

Next up on the chopping block is Bioware. I've thoroughly enjoyed most of their games, but I'm no fool. I can see a pattern that started with Knights of the Old Republic on Xbox. Moral choices, elite secret organizations, wacky friends, love affairs, and deep conversation trees; all while touring world/galaxy. This is in every title since KOTOR, and I doubt Mass Effect 3 will be any different. 

Similar statements can be made about the Fable and Fallout franchises. The first Fable and Fallout 3 were fantastic, but the sequels tended to be more of the same. A young child has something traumatic occur that leads him/her on a life long path to redemption...or revenge! Along the way they have to perform a bunch of tasks to become famous...or infamous! You make allies, gain abilities, and complete quests in the same world over and over again. RPG developers are also notorious for bugs, which is pretty sad considering the lifespan of the current console generation. 

Genres I'm unfamiliar with will only lead to speculation. So here we go!

Open world titles are series of already known mini games spread across a vast area.  New sports games, and fighters, offer roster updates and a few new moves. Racers are the same old tired franchises. JRPG's seem to be stuck in a rut, and RTS games still suck on consoles. Music inspired games is a dead genre beaten by Activision and slightly kicked by EA. Finally, since 2004, the MMORPG genre continues to be equated with World of Warcraft. Everywhere you go it's clones and sequels (or expansion packs and dlc).

I want a new and amazing videogame. I want that same feeling I got playing Splinter Cell, Shadows of the Colossus, or Halo for the first time. I want to play a game over and over again because it's that good. Something that hasn't happened since Batman: Arkham Asylum. 

One day my Gamefly account will be used for something besides sequels and clones. I'll be patient, and save money. I don't have any fantastic ideas after all....just complaints. Perhaps it's just me, or maybe developers need start coming up with better material to earn my money. Either way I'm bored. Time to take up some new hobbies, and catch up on that reading list; in between the drum n' bass events and pool parties.

A Decade of Bungie

Game: Halo: Reach

System: Xbox 360

Release: September 2009

EPIC!

Halo: Reach is the last game in the franchise developed by Bungie. In 2001, one of the best independent studios released Halo: Combat Evolved. Since then there has been Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: ODST. Each successor added new features and a new story, but they all felt very similar. Halo Reach, however, is an entirely new experience unlike any FPS on the market. Bungie utilized the best from games like Unreal Tournament, Tribes, Call of Duty, and of course older Halo's. The end product is a well polished game with hours upon hours of fun content.

Halo Reach is divided up into three game modes: Campaign, Firefight, and Multiplayer. All three can be played on or off line. They also come with a ton of options to customize your experience as you see fit.

Snerts in action!

The Campaign tells the story of Noble Team a group of Spartans on Reach. Any fan of the Halo universe knows Reach is a doomed planet. The Covenant destroys Reach and leaves few survivors as they make their way towards Earth. Knowing that the ending wouldn't be happy gave the game an Empire's Strikes Back feeling. The colors are more subtle with less bloom effects. The characters display a sense of desperation as the invading aliens decimate their planet. By the end just about everyone you have met dies. Bungie also does a great job of tying Noble's story to the events in Halo 1-3. Finally they break up the FPS action with a few turret rail gun segments, and a outer space dog fight mission that is reminiscent of the N64 game Rogue Squadron.


Like previous Campaigns, there are dozens of options to keep things fresh. Skulls from Halo 3 make a return, and so does Scoring Mode. These features, however, are nothing compared to what Firefight has to offer. (Firefight is a cooperative game mode where a team fights wave after wave of enemy AI.) You can customize just about everything for this cooperative game type. You can tweak: damage output, shields, health, weapons, infinite ammo, what enemies appear each wave, how the enemies appear, AI damage and shields, etc. etc. etc. I literally spent an hour just thumbing through all the options. I also enjoyed the different Firefight modes like Gruntpocalypse--all Grunts all the time. Firefight as sure come a long way since ODST.

Multiplayer is also full of new features. Most notably Invasion. This game mode pits Elites vs. Spartans. The objective is defense for the later, and offense for the former. There are three sections per round, and completing a section unlocks more load outs, weapons, and vehicles. The game ends when time runs out, or the Elites have completed all three objectives. This game mode is unlike anything I've seen before. It has all the chaos of a Big Team Battle with a hint of Assault and King of the Hill.

As I mentioned in my review of Halo Reach Beta, there are other new game modes like Headhunter and Stockpile. So far the additions have been very enjoyable, and supplement the traditional game modes nicely. The armor abilities, however, are what really distinguish Reach from other Halo's. Being able to sprint, use a jet back, become invisible or invincible, etc. adds a new layer to the tasty gameplay cake. Check out my Beta review for more details about armor abilities.

Rocket Hog FTW!

Do you think I'm done writing about new features? Well guess again buddy. Reach also has a leveling system that unlocks new armor for your Spartan. The system is cumulative, and is very similar to the recent Call of Duty tittles. The unlockables are for functionality and aesthetics. Some pieces will allow you to carry more ammo, health, or grenades.  In addition to armor you can unlock character voices for Firefight, and other surprises that I won't ruin in this review.

Halo: Reach is what fans of Halo: Combat Evolved have been waiting for. A truly new experience that feels more complete then the rehashes of Halo 2, 3, and ODST. Bungie has stepped their game up, and illustrated why they are one of the best FPS developers in the business. Reach has more game modes, features, and options then any other title on the market. Snerts Snazzy Score is a 6 out of 5---yes it's that good! So go ahead and buy yourself a copy. Then say goodbye to all non-gamer friends and family.

Reaching for a New Halo

Game: Halo Reach (MP Beta)

System: Xbox 360

Release: Finished Game is due Nov. 2010.


Halo has stuck to the same formula over four games. Minor adjustments and additions have occurred with each release, but the thirty seconds of fun remains the same. All Halo games consist of the following.

Grenades and melee supplement standard gunfire.
Shields regenerate.
Vehicles a plenty.
Aliens aka Covenant.
Space zombies aka Flood.
Space marines.
Campaign supports co-op, but story is meh.
Multiplayer is fun with a variety of game types.

Recently Bungie and Microsoft launched a beta multiplayer test for Halo: Reach. I have never experienced a Halo like Reach. The controls have been changed for the better. No longer will you have to remove your thumb from the right analog stick to melee. Right bumper is melee. “X” is finally reload/use. Left bumper activates armor abilities—more on that later. “B” changes grenade type, and everything else is unchanged. This minor tweak does wonders for the gameplay, and is a welcomed change to the traditional, and outdated, control scheme. Armor abilities are the most exciting addition to gameplay. Players can select between various load outs before spawning in. This dictates your weapon selection and armor ability. Four different armor abilities exist for Spartans, and two options are given to Elites. The later can utilize invisibility and a handy dodge move. The former is given sprint, armor lock, jet pack, and invisibility. Armor lock temporary makes the Spartan invincible and releases a EMP shock wave. The others are self explanatory. These new moves really spice up the battlefield, and create an extra layer of strategy to an already fantastic franchise. New moves are not the only add on for Halo Reach. Players will get to experience a variety of fresh game modes. Headhunter, for example, puts a new spin on King of the Hill and Deathmatch. Kill an opponent so they drop a skull. Turn the collected skull(s) into the nearest objective point before someone kills you. Stockpile is a capture the flag (CTF) game. Three or more flags spawn across the map. Gather up the flags and return them to your base. Keep the flags in your base until the count down is over. Rinse and repeat.

The most original Halo game type is Invasion. Spartans defend key objectives as Elites attempt to capture said objectives. Three separate zones provides different armor abilities and weapon load outs. Vehicles come into play, and up to twelve players can participate. Fans of Big Team Battles will love this new mode. ODST had me worried that Bungie's day in the sun were over. The Reach Beta has decimated those concerns. New game modes. New abilities. New maps. New weapons and more that I didn't even mention in this post. I am officially excited about Halo Reach, and if your a fan of MP FPS action so should you.

Halo

Games: The Halo Trilogy

Systems: Xbox and Xbox 360

Release: 2001, 2004, 2007

Halo. Few words can produce such chills and thrills in the gaming community. For anyone who ever owned an Xbox or Xbox 360 this series was probably the deciding factor for your console purchase. Out selling pretty much every console game ever made Halo 3 is the latest and greatest from the folks at Bungie. The following article will attempt to lightly cover all three of these excellent games.

Halo: Combat Evolved was one of the first games I ever purchased for the Xbox. Unsure of what was in store, I popped in the disk hoping for the best. I was blown away! This game became the new Goldeneye, and spent hundreds of hours inside my Xbox. The graphics for the time were great, and there were so many new features. Vehicles, co-op campaign, and melee added a new twist to the FPS genre. Few games, if any, featured these ridiculously fun game mechanics, and Halo provided them in a fantastically set universe. The story was not the most original, but it was put together well. Add five excellent novels to flush out some of the nerdy details, and TADA you have created another brilliant universe for the world to enjoy—and manipulate *cough* RED vs. BLUE *cough*. The sound was equally excellent, and the multiplayer is one of the most additive experiences the FPS genre has to offer.

Ok. Enough of the praising, lets get down to some of the nerdy goodness. Be warned some of the information provided is taken from my overall knowledge of this sci-fi universe and not the games themselves.

Halo puts players in the seat of the last remaining cybernetic super soldier aka Spartan. 117 is the main characters service number and his name is John. He is, however, first and foremost known as the Master Chief.

For the first game, the MC is on board an UNSC ship, Pillar of Autumn, under the command of Captain Keyes. Forced to make a blind space jump they arrive at an unknown “Halo” like object.

The human race, at this time, is fighting a losing war from a very hostile alien collective known as the Covenant. Fighting the Covenant, Captain Keyes is forced to make a crash landing on the remote construct called Halo. On the ring, with the help of the AI Cortana, the MC kicks some major alien ass and unravels some mysterious along the way.

The Flood would be the most relevant discovery. This is a parasitic species with a collective mind that uses sentient hosts to reproduce and thrive. They can also survive without a host for centuries, and are lead by the Gravemind—a giant thing that looks like the Venus fly trap.

By the end of the game, the MC has fought off thousands of Flood and Covenant baddies, ultimately decimated the Halo ring, and was floating in a loan fighter out in space. Only a few humans survived the Halo experience. Most importantly was the old time sob Cap. Johnson. This character provides much of the comic relief throughout the series, and is one of the most developed personalities. Captain Keyes passed away, but by the second game the player is introduced to his daughter.

Halo: Combat Evolved was so close to perfection that only one thing could halt a perfect score. Back in the day, Xbox Live was the “new” thing, and Halo did not support on-line multiplayer. This resulted in painstaking efforts to create LAN parties, and a missed opportunity at big bucks for Microsoft. Fortunately for everyone Halo 2 came out a few years later.

Halo 2 was the final confirmation that this franchise was a hug success. Millions of copies and dollars resulted from its release. The second chapter offered new features like duel wielding, and removed the health bars. Now players were only worried about their shields dropping before death. Vehicles became destructible, and more were added to mix. Most importantly, the multiplayer supported on-line play, and the exciting story was going to be continued.

The campaign, unfortunately, could not be experience on-line in a co-op mode. This lead to a slow steady process of not caring about the single player portion of the game. Multiplayer is where it was at. Sure the campaign introduced a new character called the Arbiter. He’s this really nifty Covenant Elite who eventually joins forces with the humans and the MC. (By the way, the Elite are just one of many alien species that make up the Covenant.) Together they stop the ape like Brutes and the Prophet of Regret from activating the Halo rings—which would result in a galaxy wide genocide of all life capable of Flood infection. But really, this was a minor thrill compared to the awesome times on Xbox Live. Multiplayer is so well developed in this series that it often takes priority to mastering the campaign mode. Hours were spent killing random players and massive amounts of shit talking took place. To top it all off all the on-line carnage is reported for all to see at www.bungie.net.

By the end of Halo 2, the MC was a stowaway on board the Prophet of Truth’s ship heading towards the invasion of Earth. Halo 3 picks up from there, as the MC crash lands from space somewhere in Africa. Unlike Halo 2, the only playable character in the story is the MC, but the Arbiter and other Elites fill the role of any friends that wish to play co-op. That’s right, “and others.” Halo 3 features four player co-op for the entire campaign, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Bungie went all out for this next generation game. The story is completed. Gameplay improved with the introduction of new and renewed weapons, equipment, and vehicles. On-line multiplayer is again present, in addition to level editors and recorded game sessions. As with the first two games Halo 3 set the bar astronomically high for console shooters.

At the end of the trilogy, the MC is floating in unknown space with Cortana. The Arbiter and the Elites take off into the sunset to settle their own affairs. Earth remembers the great loss from this horrendous war and begins to rebuild. Meanwhile, you can go on-line, kick some major ass, customize your armor, and create your own multiplayer maps. The few faults this series has—the over powered Battle Rifle and repetitive level design—are barely noticeable when looking at the overall package. Halo 3, and the series as a whole, gets nothing less then a perfect score: 5 out of 5.