ZeroSuperman
Shared on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 12:11
Sometime in 2004, I bought an Xbox with the sole determining factor being Halo 2. I had played it with a buddy and was instantly addicted.
From there I fell back into Halo: Combat Evolved and grew to adore the universe Bungie had created for their masterpiece.
Halo 3 was announced and I went ape-shit crazy in anticipation. Bought the Legendary Edition and nearly bought the Halo 3 Xbox 360. My collection took off at that moment. A modest amount of Halo swag now clutters my bookshelf in my living room.
Halo 3, the game itself, offered so much to us Halo lovers. We stepped into the Mjolnir armor and finished the fight. We logged billions of hours gaming online. We loved Halo and Halo loved us right back.
When it was all said and done, there were 4 map packs released, and Cold Storage as a single free download. Then there were Bungie Day events, Ranked Infection on Halloween, Double EXP weekends and always the possibility of running into a flaming-head Bungie employee.
There was Recon and we all wanted it. A lot of great things came from the fans of Halo: Red vs Blue, Anoj’s Top Ten Series, Brian Simmon and his terrible (but lovingly hilarious) songs, Arby and the Chief and the list goes on forever.
After Halo 3, Bungie handed us Halo 3: ODST (formerly Halo 3: Recon). Not all of us hated it, not all of us loved it. It wasn’t bad. It had no DLC and it gave us Firefight. But it was a pacifier for the big Kahuna: HALO REACH.
Halo Reach had so much hype around it, there was no doubt to any of us that it was going to be the very best Halo game ever. Halo Reach launched and it was beautiful. Everything looked great, it felt great. There was so much to do, so much more than Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST combined! It was wonderful, until: Bungie announces their separation from the Halo Universe.
The moment that became an official announcement to the world, Halo Reach changed forever. Many gamers felt their hearts break. Let me say, a break-up like that isn’t easily forgotten. 343 Industries was announced as the company who would take over Halo Reach and would develop the next 3 Halo games, returning us to our beloved Master Chief Petty Officer John-117.
In the early part of 2011, I set down my Mjolnir armor and DMR and walked away from Halo Reach for a few months. My break-up with Bungie wasn’t setting well and Reach felt severely neglected. It was a hollow game, not all that different from the many games that come out each year and are discarded within 6 months. A temporary ban from the Bungie forums a few months prior had set this all in motion. I called a Timmy out for having an avatar that resembled someone flipping the bird and I got suspended for it. Boo-fucking-hooooo and Timmy can suck shit through a straw. It has only beena downward cascade since then.
Fast forward to October 30, 2011. I sign on to Reach for the first time since September 20, 2011. My screen is instantly violated by a wall of text from 343i explaining some crap about the no bloom and other changes or playlists or something. No, I didn’t read it all. For the record, I haven’t even been following 343i’s antics regarding Halo Reach. So, I skim over this text wall, hit the A-buttom and play my campaign mission with my buddy. Again, I’m brought back to the emptiness of Halo without Bungie. It felt stagnant. I didn’t’ even attempt multiplayer, because I knew it would only cause me anger.
I figured 343i (with Frank O’Conner as front man) would strive to continue Halo in its evolution, but it hasn’t been all that. Not even close. What has happened now is 343i has become desperate for the love of the Bungie Halo fans. 343i went as far as to start changing the absolute DESING of Halo Reach because a few crying ass babies couldn’t acclimate to the bloom.
343 Industries: You will never replace Bungie has the uber-Halo deity. Stop trying, because it’s embarrassing. Bungie EARNED their love from us because they spent 10 years making a universe we wanted to live in. If you want that same respect, earn it. Quit being a studio of try hards. Lastly, if players complain about a game, try doing the logical thing and design a better game, instead of changing everything up and chasing away the true fans of Halo.
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Comments
Submitted by buckeye75 on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 13:41
Submitted by ZeroSuperman on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 14:05
Submitted by OMGaLaserPewPew on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 16:01
Submitted by TANK on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 16:54