Halo sells millions, it's a universally acclaimed by critics nationwide, and won many awards. But despite that, there has been a loud vocal group that dismiss the series as "just another average shooter". I realized that many who dismiss Halo as a "generic" shooter, are many of these so called "hardcore games". Believing that it's a "casual shooter", that anyone can be good at and doesn't do anything new. In reality, the Halo has greatly influenced the genre for consoles the way GoldenEye did. The original popularized off-hand grenade throwing, weapon bludgeoning, two weapon limit, and regenerating shield/health. Halo 2 revolutionized online multi-player for consoles, matchmaking is now used in nearly every console online multi-player game. Halo 3 didn't do anything groundbreaking like the first two did, it just refined the formula and brought two innovative features: Forge and Theater mode. ODST and Reach didn't do anything new, but they were solid installments in a successful series. Not to mention the great community support by Bungie.
The game is accessible, but the multi-player is fun and well-balance. It's easy to get into, which I find to be a good thing. It means it's easy to pick up and play, so everyone may enjoy it. It doesn't just cater to one specific group. I also don't like the discrimination of "casual gamers", because I believe gaming should to bring in a wider audience. Halo is overrated by the fact that none of them deserve scores of tens and they receive a bit more hype than they deserve, but they don't deserve anything below an 8 out of 10 or a 4 out of 5.. Also, there's nothing wrong with disliking the Halo series, as long as you don't be an ass about it like Halo haters do. Plus, the multi-player takes more strategy than your average twitch shooter, so it appeals to the "hardcore" gamers as well.
Halo is overrated by the media, underrated by "hardcore" gamers
If someone's going to describe Halo as "generic" or "casual," I'd love to see his definition of a "real" shooter. Not to say that Halo is the be-all-end-all of shooters, but the FPS genre doesn't really have a wide range of gameplay, you know?
It's perplexing to me that so many people seem to need to covey to others their stance on Halo. It comes out of nowhere too.
" It's perplexing to me that so many people seem to need to covey to others their stance on Halo. It comes out of nowhere too. "Seeing the amount of hatred and flak the franchise receives around these parts (And in most gaming message boards in general), I thought I could defend the series. Pointing out that it may not be th messiah of gaming culture as the gaming media hypes it up to be, but it certainly isn't the "generic average shooter" than many gamers throw away these days. I'm certainly going to be flamed one of the most hated games on "teh internetz". Then this thread will become blood bath between Halo fans and haters. I really hope it doesn't.
I am not ashamed at all when I say that I genuinely don't like the gameplay Halo provides. By the same token, I have IMMENSE amounts of respect and admiration for the guys over at Bungie and I will fully admit that Halo is a very, very good game. I do agree that Halo is overrated by the media, but that still doesn't dismiss the fact that Halo bridged the gap between us and the general population, more or less. In this case, something is better than nothing. There are probably tons of people out there that got into gaming specifically because they heard so much about this game called Halo, and while most of them were probably content with the experience Halo provided them and stopped there, there's no doubt in my mind that at least some percent of that population went on to try different games and can now be considered "hardcore gamers". And for that, I thank Halo. It increased the gaming population and introduced the gaming world to the general population in a way that no other game really did.
Also, I'd just like to say that Halo is way harder than any twitch shooter can ever hope to be. And this is coming from someone who plays an insane amount of CoD.
" @JJWeatherman said:Everyone with even a bit of common sense knows this. Radical groups (on both sides) form--and debate over--pretty much every issue. I thought everyone knew by now that the truth almost always lies somewhere in the middle." It's perplexing to me that so many people seem to need to covey to others their stance on Halo. It comes out of nowhere too. "... it may not be th messiah of gaming culture as the gaming media hypes it up to be, but it certainly isn't the "generic average shooter" than many gamers throw away these days. "
I don't think you'll get flamed by anyone though. There aren't many people like that here.
" @GhostlyEnigma said:Hmm, probably the amount of hate Halo troll thread motivated me to do this. I remembered a thread where someone asked "When did Halo became gay", and it turned into a bashing Halo-athon." @JJWeatherman said:Everyone with even a bit of common sense knows this. Radical groups (on both sides) form--and debate over--pretty much every issue. I thought everyone knew by now that the truth almost always lies somewhere in the middle. I don't think you'll get flamed by anyone though. There aren't many people like that here. "" It's perplexing to me that so many people seem to need to covey to others their stance on Halo. It comes out of nowhere too. "... it may not be th messiah of gaming culture as the gaming media hypes it up to be, but it certainly isn't the "generic average shooter" than many gamers throw away these days. "
I'm glad this place isn't a cess-pool like the gamefaqs, GameSpot, and Gametrailers message boards. I would also like to mention the escapist forums, as that message boards are filled with the "If you're not indie, f**k you" community of gamers.
" HALO REINVENTED THE FPS AND IS THE GREATEST FPS IN THE HISTORY OF GAMING I HAVE LEARNED HOW TO SAY FAGGOT IN MORE WAYS WITH FIVE MINUTES OF HALO THAN HEARING CHRIS ROCK TALK "Yes, like we all know assholes and bratty kids don't play Counter-Strike.
" @GhostlyEnigma: Dude, I'm defending Halo. I'll flat out admit CS 1.6 has some of the most hilarious dudes too. Check out the Bazooka Video on CS 1.6, I die watching that. "Really? I thought you hated the series and were more in favor for the UT franchise. Also, I never saw that Bazooka Video on CS 1.6. Was is it about exactly?
" @GhostlyEnigma: Any game that can cause the advancement of tweens into gaming is a fantastic game in my book. The Halo Generation is the greatest thing to happen to this industry.The "tween" or "fratboy" demographic only make up half or 25% of Halo's fanbase. The other percentage are made up by people who enjoy games, and there are a lot of fans who are invested by the series's rich mythology. It may not be as fascinating as the Mass Effect universe, but it's interesting to say the least. It's a shame Bungie never took the time to expand or explore the universe in their games. I consider the "fratboy" and "annoying tweens" to be a negative side-effect of the series. The similarly how Final Fantasy VII did by introducing creepy and annoying anime fans to the gaming industry. ;)
The Bazooka Video.
"
Also, that video made me giggle quite a bit. Internet asshole anonymity can be amusing at times.
I do agree with Halo getting a bad rap from a lot of people "in the know". I think it deserves (most of) its praise.
EDIT: Also, I've never understood the "Halo fanbase is a bunch of tweens/fratboys". COD, right now, is by far more popular and played by far more types of people. It is THE casual shooter at the moment, so by extension more of its fans are those joyful people.
@HarlequinRiot said:
" @dlwarner: I've found the opposite to be true, with COD being extremely easy and Halo being much more challenging. I know that for me picking up COD is a breeze even though I don't play it, but jumping into Halo takes way more time. I've found the same holds try for a lot of other people I know. To me, Halo requires a bit more thinking about what weapon your using and when to fire because of its slow, deliberate pace. Better players know these strategies and can work over new players. In COD, I've always felt it's just a matter of passing your reticule over a person, and the first person to do so wins (Halo, because of its shields often avoids this problem). And due to the fast pace of the game, people tend to just run in front of you without them even noticing you. But those are just my observations. I do agree with Halo getting a bad rap from a lot of people "in the know". I think it deserves (most of) its praise. "Both the COD and Halo franchise are fine, but Halo requires more tactics and allow for more countering than the COD series. Even with all the perks, whoever shoots first, basically wins. Not to mention that MW2 was completely and utterly broken. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game, but it's terribly balanced. The Halo series was always polished and well-balanced. Bungie puts a lot more effort and hard work into their multi-player components than Infinity Ward does. Not as good as Valve's take on multi-player, but they're better than most developers
I'm pretty sure that generalization came from Halo 2. An Xbox with an internet connection was probably much more accessible for Frat Houses and bedrooms, and 4 people could play at once, making it much more appealing for the frat boys / tweens. So they all played Halo, because Halo 2 was the only thing to really play at the time that was accessible. Now the horizon has broadened and they've moved to CoD, Forza, etc... But that generalization stays with Halo." @dlwarner:
EDIT: Also, I've never understood the "Halo fanbase is a bunch of tweens/fratboys". COD, right now, is by far more popular and played by far more types of people. It is THE casual shooter at the moment, so by extension more of its fans are those joyful people. "
" Master Chief is a pretty cool gai! "eh kills aleins and doesn't afraid of anything!
Halo: CE was, and remains, one of my favourite games of all time; Halo 3 is one of my favourite multiplayers of all time.
Halo fucking rules.
To me the Halo series is a fine shooter. If Reach is the final Bungie game then they went out in a high note.
" @dlwarner: I've found the opposite to be true, with COD being extremely easy and Halo being much more challenging. I know that for me picking up COD is a breeze even though I don't play it, but jumping into Halo takes way more time. I've found the same holds try for a lot of other people I know. To me, Halo requires a bit more thinking about what weapon your using and when to fire because of its slow, deliberate pace. Better players know these strategies and can work over new players. In COD, I've always felt it's just a matter of passing your reticule over a person, and the first person to do so wins (Halo, because of its shields often avoids this problem). And due to the fast pace of the game, people tend to just run in front of you without them even noticing you. But those are just my observations. I do agree with Halo getting a bad rap from a lot of people "in the know". I think it deserves (most of) its praise. EDIT: Also, I've never understood the "Halo fanbase is a bunch of tweens/fratboys". COD, right now, is by far more popular and played by far more types of people. It is THE casual shooter at the moment, so by extension more of its fans are those joyful people. "I agree that it does seem easier to kill in COD, but that is why I feel that it is easier for new players with Halo since they don't feel like they are dying almost right after they respawn.
" "The "tween" or "fratboy" demographic only make up half or 25% of Halo's fanbase." Where are you getting that figure from? "I'm estimating by the number of fratboys and annoying tweens I've encountered on Xbox live.com
" @GhostlyEnigma: Any game that can cause the advancement of tweens into gaming is a fantastic game in my book. The Halo Generation is the greatest thing to happen to this industry.I love this shit.
The Bazooka Video.
"
" Good, now make one about Modern Warfare 2. Because it was a great shooter, but people seem to dismiss it as one of the worst games that year. "Difference between MW2 and Halo, is that Halo is well-balanced and extremely polished.
Modern Warfare 2 on the other hand....
" Halo is definitely more accessible for new players than COD and still allows for the better players to dominate matches. "I'd argue the opposite. A new player in Halo is way more likely to never get a kill in a match then in COD. In fact, if I play good enough players I could probably go a game of halo without a kill if I don't get lucky.
God damn it! No one cares! I'm tired of seeing variants of this thread over and over and over again. Think Halo is the best game ever made? Good for you. Think only fratboys and tweens play Halo? Whoopty-shit.
No one fucking cares. Stop trying to convince people either way. It doesn't matter. Don't like the game, don't fucking play it. Love the game, don't try to force your opinion of its greatness on other people. Form your own goddamn opinion, then keep it to yourself.
FUCK! IT'S CHRISTMAS, FOR FUCK SAKES.
/rant
But, seriously, if I see another one of these threads on the main page over the next week, I'm going to go full-on homicidal.
" God damn it! No one cares! I'm tired of seeing variants of this thread over and over and over again. Think Halo is the best game ever made? Good for you. Think only fratboys and tweens play Halo? Whoopty-shit. No one fucking cares. Stop trying to convince people either way. It doesn't matter. Don't like the game, don't fucking play it. Love the game, don't try to force your opinion of its greatness on other people. Form your own goddamn opinion, then keep it to yourself. FUCK! IT'S CHRISTMAS, FOR FUCK SAKES. /rant But, seriously, if I see another one of these threads on the main page over the next week, I'm going to go full-on homicidal. "Eerrr... Did you even bother to read the original post? This isn't one of those "halos iz teh best game evar!" or "teh halos iz 4 tweenz and fratboyz!" thread.
Eerrr... Did you even bother to read the original post? This isn't one of those "halos iz teh best game evar!" or "teh halos iz 4 tweenz and fratboyz!" thread. "I did read the original post, but it's clear you didn't read mine in its entirety. The main message of mine was: "Keep your opinion on high-profile game franchises to yourself when on online forums, because it only breeds nonsensical arguing; what the fuck do you care if Halo is under- or overrated by anyone". It bothers me even more that a thread that was essentially the bizarro version of this one was created yesterday and deleted the same.
" The pacing feels off in that game. And this is coming from someone who plays ArmA II. "That's because it's a medium paced shooter. It's not as fast paced as something like Quake or UT, but it's not as slow as Rainbow Six or GoldenEye.
@blueduck said:
" Here is the difference between Halo and COD:MW2 + Black opps skill wise, you can get better at halo and increase in skill while COD:MW2+ Black opps is always random. "Actually, Black Ops takes quite a bit of skill. It's the most balanced COD game of them all. The poor map design ruins the flow of the multi-player however.
These threads need to stop. Projecting an obvious trolling opinion is really old. There have been thousands of other threads like this.
" These threads need to stop. Projecting an obvious trolling opinion is really old. There have been thousands of other threads like this. "This thread isn't intended for trolling. If it was, I would be saying either "teh haloez r da best game evar!" or "gaylo sux an u sux for liekin it!!!!'
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