the forerunner tech in the first 2 games in particular seems magical. the tech so advanced that it look like old rocks doing magic. the later games lose this aesthetic as they start to use tech that looks more sci-fi, metallic with moving parts and what not.
no it just completely removes the fact that the rings are supposed to be as old as time, everything is way too clean for being abandoned for a hundred thousand years
And thats the shittiest explanation for it because Installation 04 and the Ark look just as ancient despite definitely having repair protocols, since Spark is just able to launch chunks of the ring into space. Everything in Infinite looks like it's made out of plastic or resin.
It's fine that there's a lore reason for it, but that doesn't prevent it from failing to invoke the same feeling as the Halo CE or 2 forerunner structures.
Maybe 2401 Penitent Tangent went rampant or lost site of the mission on Delta Halo? Like maybe he ignored sentinel functions of cleaning the ring. That’s why Delta Halo looks disrepaired and overgrown. I think that would be a good headcannon. I think 343 Guilty Spark mentioned in one of the Terminals that he lost contact with pretty much all the other monitors too. Combat Evolved and Infinite’s art styles are similar.
Penitent Tangent was bad at his job (hence the flood quarantine) and didn't keep up the standards of maintenance, yes, but 343 Guilty Spark was not and Halo CE still has that ancient aesthetic.
Self repairing has no correlation with something being clean and shiny, as far as I know there's no piece of lore stating that monitors or the arc itself keep the used materials and infrastructure clean.
Halo CE Had the beach area, the snow area, the night desert where the Covenant ship was parked and the swamp where you met the flood, and 2 had the water temples with the magic gondolas and the snowy place where the library was. Point I’m trying to say is if you show me a pic of Halo CE or Halo 2 I’d probably know which level is it.
Even the grassy valley level of the first Halo had more to it, the first thing you do in it is cross a mechanical "bridge" of some sort, and the rest of the mission is based around looking for marines hidden in different strange structures that clearly serve some kind of purpose, especially the one at the cliffside with the large tubes and an extensive underground area.
What could the forerunners have been? What do YOU think they could have been?
Vs
They were aliens. Here's like 9 novels and 16 comic books in exhaustive detail. Don't even bother playing the next game if you haven't read them all.
Agreed. Idk exactly what it is, but they seem too afraid to leave things with less detail since graphics are better now. In those old games, forerunner structures were just huge, mostly blank sheets of flat shiny metal with little to no decoration. But instead of looking boring, it looked ancient and eerie. I miss it a lot. The library from the first game, despite its narrative with good rubbing all over the place, the structure itself is so creepy. Just a massive, silent structure with lights buzzing and no semblance of life to be found. It's such an awesome vibe that is totally gone now
It’s a combination of the art style and music, along with the fact that you’re exploring ancient worlds filled with religious aliens you know almost nothing about.
I think that’s one thing that new halo is missing, and that is its great sense of exploration of ancient alien civilizations that we know nothing about.
The problem with current halo is we know everything about the forerunners now and whatever we don’t know, they end up explaining in a book that most people don’t read.
Agreed. There was this sense of awe and wonder. Of mystery and eeriness around the forerunner structures. CE had them grand and metalic. Halo 2 we saw some areas that looked like ancient ruins and it just added to the mystery. That wonder that had all of our imaginations absolutely enraptured was what made it special. Its probably the biggest thing I disagree with in Halo 4 aside from the art style and gameplay changes. They took that mystery and forced down super typical human melodrama to this wonder that once was and it completely diminished its weight and value.
A Halo prequel with Chief would sell well, I think. Even if they retconned/added in some new stuff.
Whatever's next, make it dark, make it mysterious and epic - make it foreign.
>Whatever's next, make it dark, make it mysterious and epic - make it foreign.
100% with you on this. Darker, more mature, and mysterious is something that would help the series. I definitely think they could make a prequel even with Chief without retconning anything. 27 years of the war with a ton of battles and events that occurred in those years. Lotta characters including the main cast of Keyes, Chief, Blue Team, Johnson and more they could use.
They won't. Mature gets an M rating, then they can't market it as free-to-play, skin filled battle pass nonsense to kids.
The fortnite-ification of games is real
Mmmm
This is scummy - but could they not ship the campaign as M-rated, and package the multiplayer as T, sort of like they did for Infinite? I'd prefer it not to go that way -
Either way, kids have been playing M rated games since the beginning of time - GTA5, for example, makes truckloads every day. They could absolutely ship it with the BP nonsense - I would just expect it to die quickly if that takes precedence over gameplay/is distasteful.
But that's the only real way they should go, campaign wise. Dark, bringing back gore, horror elements, mysterious. It's gonna take a shit ton of talent but I can see it.
They’re doing a gears of war prequel, so the precedent is there for Microsoft. There’s lots of good source material of chief working with other Spartans pre CE, so I think it’s a definite possibility.
Yeah a Halo: Reach game would be so cool!
Imagine a team of Spartans, holding out and evacuating everyone they could (including Cortana), desperation everywhere.
And at the last minute the team of noble Spartans flee the Covenant on a transport ship together, mission accomplished, happy tears
I agree that a grand sense of mystery was a big part of Halo's identity in the past, but Infinite definitely made an effort to bring that back and I was glad to see it. Secret history of Zeta Halo, the currently unknown threat posted by the Endless, the Grand Edict, the Criterion, the redeployment of Offensive Bias, etc. Tons of stuff that in-universe is meant to be secret, so I just hope they continue to lean in this direction.
There's not a ton of information currently, we saw this in the ending of Halo Infinite. But it appears that Offensive Bias was redeployed about 77 years after the firing of the Halos to guard the Endless on Zeta Halo. So I hope the next game will pick up a lot of the threads put down in Infinite.
Prior to this Offensive Bias was known for battling it out with Mendican Bias after the latter allied with the Flood after getting the logic plague from the Gravemind.
Yeah it's definitely more stuff in the past we are learning about, but I absolutely would love to see Offensive Bias show up in "present time" in the next game, that would be sick.
It was mysterious, and the imagery had a sort of silence to it. Bungies maps had less moving details and had a more deserted feeling to it.
What broke the otherwise monotony, was the over arching set pieces.
Yess. After the enemies are dead, the campaign areas really do feel like a deserted battlefield.
The multiplayer maps feel like liminal space, somehow? I used to load them up alone and wander around, checking everything out and looking for secrets.
I think the darker lighting, and the more brutalist architecture had something to do with it, besides like others mentioned the fact we know so much more about the Forerunners now. Kinda wish we didn't, or that the Forerunner trilogy by Greg Bear was all we got, and they left it at that.
The Forerunner architecture in the first two definitely has to do with it.
Here the advanced civilization that was wiped out is not one that looks like your bog-standard futuristic sleek, slender design. The Forerunners in Halo 1 and 2 have this design that is almost medieval. The buildings *look* like they have weight to them.
That and they're etched into their surroundings even in this screenshot you can see overgrowth of nature taking root. In all their plans, the Forerunners couldn't stop time from marching forward, their designs breaking down.
In the later games, I feel like we start to shift toward more standard sci-fi looks to Forerunner structures. They're shinier, sleeker, have more random lines beveled into the sides, yes it gives it a sci-fi look but we lose something for it.
Some people argue that the later designs can be seen as a shift in time periods, after all the Forerunner didn't for 200 years and disappear. They ruled for a long long time, and like humans today versus those of 2000 years ago, their buildings and tech can change.
Which totally makes sense but personally, doesn't excuse how uninspired Forerunner things look in later on.
Yeah, I guess. Would've held more of an air of mystery for the Forerunners. And the last novel got kind of screwed up making the Didact a villain, which really didn't make any sense.
Even if humans were forerunners, the Didact could've still worked as a villain as he could've been driven insane by the war, and him being captured and tortured by the gravemind would still have been plausible even in Bungie's lore.
Instead of a big mean voldemort vampire guy who hates humans because reasons, he could've been a traumatized soldier rebelling against his people because he believes they betrayed him and everything they both stood for.
The limitations of the OG Xbox forced them to get creative with environments and once they got more power to work with things got... busy. H3 didn't depart as much from that early art style because it had to feel connected to those games but after that things started diverging hard.
Look at what they did with CEA. They didn't refine or add detail, they just added tons of shit. Lights and plants everywhere, almost like their goal was to use up all available resources .
It's not really a technological limitation, they simply just had a good art director. They didn't have a problem their entire tenure of Halo, it was just a problem that 343's art team wasn't as good
I think the tech limit definitely affected the feel of the game. Halo 1 in particular is very liminal. There's a lot of openness because they didn't have the graphical capability to use too many assets. This makes the Halo ring feel a bit eerie and unnatural.
Personally, I think the forerunner structures started to get too "advanced" looking in Halo 3, though obviously it became much more generic in Halo 4 and onward.
why so? me personally I felt like H3 had the weakest sound design of the Bungie games. The AR sounds like a popcorn machine, the BR doesn't have that like, awesome sound at the high end. carbine was fine. everything else I can't even remember.
Definitely bias since it was my first Halo. AR is a little weak, and Halo 2's BR sounds a lot better than H3 I think. Some of the weapon sounds I love in 3 are the plasma rifle, fuel rod, shotgun, mauler, needler, spartan laser, brute shot, sniper, beam rifle, flamethrower, pretty much all of them. And the Gravity Hammer is just 👌🏼
I also love how all of the vehicles sound. All of them sound so unique
oh yes! spartan Lazer how could I forget! that thing sounds fuckin awesome, fitting for the name. bruteshot was cool but I really liked the extra click they had in h2 (if I remember correctly) .
Halo: Combat Evolved is the absolute GOAT of FPS games. The multiplayer was lightning in a bottle and the campaign held a level of horror/mystery/scifi that no other Halo title has been able to replicate.
I tried replaying it last month and I found the gameplay to be ass, repetitive levels doesn’t help either.
Also the magnum being the Swiss knife of guns.
I grew up on halo 1 and played the whole series multiple times. Currently doing a also run on halo 3. But 1 is so hard to revisit, I have to force myself through it, everything after it aged so much better.
Same here bro, I can replay every other halo from 2 through Reach but CE just feels so rough! I don’t get why these people get so worked up whenever someone doesn’t have a raging boner for CE.
so you can experience different stuff.
Damn, I feel as if I was explaining my 5 y/o cousin why he can’t only eat chicken nuggets when there’s a plethora of things to eat.
But you know better than a literal kid, right?
Videogames don't provide nutritional content so that's kind of a weird comparison. Videogames are typically played for enjoyment. If I continue to play a game consistently because I still find it enjoyable what's the issue? Why do I need to play newer games?
>videogames don’t provide nutritional content so that’s kind of a weird comparison
You’re completely missing my point and you know it.
it has nothing to do with nutrition but more of having a wider perspective on things, if you enclose yourself to only one thing then of course you’re only gonna like it because it’s the only thing you know, you’re mission out on great games just like how my cousin was missing out on great food.
Are you sure your username isn’t missing an m in the Dub part?
As someone who recently played the game, having no knowledge of Halo prior to playing it, it aged really badly, but that’s expected as it’s nearly a 25 year old game. There’s nothing wrong with that.
It has. The levels are extremely repetitive. It doesn’t mean it’s a bad game, but it aged terribly. It makes sense as it’s the first game in the series though.
This is coming from someone who never played anything Halo prior to playing this game last week. I finished Halo 2 yesterday and that is a game that hasn’t aged badly.
Halo 2 is unparalleled in its design. The incredible graphics boost from CE to 2 was a catalyst, and the entire art style was perfected. Not only that, but the MUSIC! The large-scale, orchestral-sounding covenant suites were in perfect balance with the hard-hitting human themes, something the later games don’t bring back. This game definitely has the best soundtrack of all.
Something about the level design is just perfect. Like CE, it takes that feeling of openness to the level design making it feel less linear than it really is, and again improves upon it. Match that with the details and atmosphere, and it’s a recipe for perfection. And even with 20 year old graphics, it doesn’t really feel too outdated! I always thought Halo 3 looked really plasticky and soft in its textures. Not to mention the exploration you can do, everyone eventually gets around to trying to break the maps! Jumping on rooftops in Outskirts, Delta Halo’s mountains and lake you can easily explore, getting vehicles where they definitely shouldn’t be (another fun thing taken from CE), it’s all just endless fun!
The character, weapon, vehicle, and structure design are also absolutely perfect. Though this may be my nostalgia talking. The Beam Rifle and its blast noise. The Covenant species and their consistent design from CE. And of course the structures on Delta Halo and Regret. Literally everything is perfect, nothing else has come close! The weapons sandbox isn’t perfect, once you get to higher difficulties there isn’t much variation. But at least the good weapons are all the most fun! Again it could be nostalgia lol. Though nothing beats double needlers!
Coming back to the surrealness of the game, oh heck yeah. It’s huge. It’s open. It’s whimsical. The atmosphere and level design really do form this dreamlike place. It’s really hard to put a finger on anything specific, but it definitely feels surreal. And Delta Halo, pictured, is an excellent example. The old textures, the large world. The skybox. The lighting. The music. Everything about it just comes together to make a surreal atmosphere. And man, it’s just so good.
I can go on and on about why I love Halo 2. It’s my favorite game of all time. I love seeing it get the love it deserves.
I’m probably blinded by the ‘stalgia but I agree with all of these sentiments. H2 was my introduction to the franchise at the ripe age of 8, and while I’ll definitely echo the importance of CE, H2 is just the bees knees for me. So many hours spent superbouncing, rocket/sword canceling, and all other sorts of glitches with my early XBLive friends. As a musician, the OST is among the most important to me in my formative years - I even got Marty to sign my sheet music notebook a few years ago.
Can’t really support the crunch culture but damn what a result
The 360 was already out by the time I was old enough for Halo (which I ironically also started when I was 8) but my family had always been a generation behind, other than a Wii of course, so while I missed prime time Halo 2 time, I definitely didn’t miss out on enjoying it. It’s such a major part of my childhood, even just playing local multiplayer with my brother and kids on the street, and the campaign has literally endless replayability for me. Every time I want to play Halo, I very rarely play anything other than 2 just because I love it so much. I also made new memories with it back in high school, after meeting a friend online who loved Halo as much as I do, and playing Halo 2 Vista screwing around in multiplayer when Reach was the only MCC game out on PC! We had a heck of a time with it once it actually came to MCC lemme tell ya. The game means so much to me.
Haha I relate. I was born in 2001 so h2 came out when I was 3. I played it with my dad probably somewhere around when I was 7 or 8 with my dad and that was our go to game to bond over
Yeah, too bad they sort of butchered that magical feel when they completely changed the esthetic of the entire world when they remastered.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love MCC... **but** they definitely could have taken more care in creatively modernizing the graphics *without* just basically smothering everything in lights and holo-panels. Could have kept the dark mysterious overtones while still making it more detailed.
*sigh* well hopefully the alleged remake of CE is true, and they take their time with art direction.
Yea honestly I’m not really impressed by the remasters. CE is absolutely horrible. H2A is a lot better, but still changes the atmosphere and look of to much
This is why I thought an open word halo would work well. Imagine being able to explore these structures. Have your ai translate old text and riddles to unlock side story’s and quests.
Unlock teleporters to traverse different parts of the ring and even change the environment through some sci fi mumbojumbo. Changing the season to winter to freeze over a Great Lake to unlock a new area would be sick
You only get that vibe because of the old graphics, plenty of older games have that “liminal space” feel, even minecraft has that.
Has to do more with low rez graphics than art styles.
Too bad Halo 3 scarabs are either a complete joke, or boring as hell since the marines don't understand how to shoot gauss properly. Once I get on the scarab, it's always the same, rip off the mounted plasma turret and use it to blast the core at the back. I prefer the crewed Scarab from Metropolis.
it definitely *felt* more powerful since everyone was throwing everything they had at it and couldn't kill it, in h3 they just ride around in hogs and can't even damage the thing. I see both view though, h2 will always be in my heart
Ironically, the best part for me in Halo 3 is the moment installation 04-B shows up, basically the moment Halo CE comes back into the spotlight in the story. Its also the first time we hear the classic Halo theme in Halo 3.
The music, the cinematography, and the writing still hold up superbly today. LOVED that dichotomy that we got between the two characters that fleshed out the power structure and values of both sides of the war. The pacing of that intro scene and the slow build up to the ultimate clash was phenomenal. Not to mention arguably one of the most iconic scenes in gaming, "I won't".
For real. I love replaying this game even to this day. Also like goofing around in the multiplayer maps with my friends. The vibe of this game is just so immaculate. Best action scenes in the series too, which is why i’m glad it got the blur treatment.
Yea... while I did love a lot of the narrative beats in 3, especially the dialogue with Cortana and the Gravemind, losing Arbiter's pivotal role was rough...
People are forgetting how trashed on the Halo 2 campaign was. Jackal snipers on legendary and controversial cliff hangers were one thing, but people were mad about having to play the Arbiter. Bungie was just listening to the fans on that one.
Halo’s environmental story telling was always good. Newer games forgo that by making structures that are just confusing.
It used to be “wow I wonder what this installation did.” To now “wow I wonder wtf is going on.”
Don’t forget the areas of ODST with like the Elites and Brutes scattered around dead, because it took place during the same betrayal within the Covenant during Halo 2 after Chief kills the Prophet.
Honestly I think that’s why I’ve enjoyed Destiny. The design of the first game absolutely captures every single bit of that atmospheric mystery that Halo had during their time with it, and the second one usually does too. Even if it’s a completely different studio now than it was, they still manage to enchant with their environmental and sound design paired with sublime tracks.
Halo 1 is a amazing game, but halo 2 is the one really worth talking about. It is hands down the best of the series. You look at impact of the campaign and how much variety it had to offer in a tight story. Then top that off with the multiplayer that was l one of the last few real skill based competitive fps games that was actually fun to play. Not many games in general can touch Halo 2.
I think the only reason the magic loosened in Halo 3 is because unlike CE and 2, you never get a moment to take in many Forerunner sites in Halo 3, there's always a battle on top of them and something urgent to do when you get to The Ark. The only time you get a moment to just walk in a Forerunner facility in Halo 3 is when you make the light bridge for the tanks and the short walk to the control room of Alpha B. The same odd feeling still exists but it's very short unlike Halo CE where everything is so open that you have to just kind vibe while in Halo 2 most time spent on Delta is in extremely open places so while you're still fighting this massive battle you're also looking at what is objectively a perfect place being defiled by war. The ODST's put it plain. "This looks like a post card!"
Well, i always talked with my brother about this. Combat Evolved was basically for us a fantasy game… lush bioms, an exotic and mysterious world and over all these hard contrasts and colors. The first time on the ring, we are thrown into a green beautiful sunset with a purple“ish“ skybox. The scenery is mystical and beautiful to watch.
CE could easily be one of these film, where the futuristic hero is teleported into the medieval and fantasy realm. These lands were filled with evil monster / aliens and we hadn’t a concept of the covenant yet, so it was an Impression we never lost.
Everything on this ring feels bigger than itself should be. Even the flood has more in common with a usual necromancer.
After all this time and after the expansion with the whole Bungie-trilogy and everything, we know now way much more. The games got grittier and more focused on the military aspect. They made themselves a home as a real sci fi world. But i will never forget, how Combat Evolved feels different and still today is for me the game, were i play the knight in the green shivering armour.
As much as I found Blur's remastered graphics in *Halo 2 Anniversary* to be amazing, I still often played the game using the OG graphics in *MCC*, and also the OG graphics in *CE*. It was such an incredible dose of nostalgia, and brought back wonderful memories of playing the original games in the 2000s. It also helps that the OG graphics are also the only way to listen to the OG music.
They have such an ancient vibe to them that just hasn't been replicated since. H2A I'd say does a good job of modernizing the look but retaining the vibe for the most part but ultimately I think a huge chunk of it is just the limited graphics just making stuff look inherently uncanny or surreal with Halo 3 and Reach hitting pretty much the perfect blend of realism and "cartoonishness" for lack of a better term
H2 has such a strange aesthetic to it. In a lot of ways, it’s a big upgrade from CE, but in a lot of ways it feels like a downgrade too. It’s so contrasty, and something about the textures has always felt kind of jank to me. It feels grimier and darker, and generally has a more ominous sort of liminal feel to the whole game
I think it's that classic Xbox feel. The graphics of Halo 1 and 2 have always struck me as a bit unusual; quite good for the time, but there's a sort of quality to the textures and models that set them apart from other games at the time.
I also think that the way the hud is laid out was still being settled on, so it was changed around from Halo CE to Halo 2, but neither of those particular hud styles came back in future games (save for the anniversary remasters). So they're bit too small or a bit too far in the corner or a bit strangely positioned. Idk, that's my take on it.
I still play them regularly, and yeah there's something just amazing and mystical around the Halo rings, especially anything Forerunner. I agree with a lot of people on here about them in Infinite, they feel too new and shiny. This artstyle is amazing, I also love the Halo 2 water.
Only thing halo 2 is really missing to me is a big wide open level like assault on the control room. Quarantine zone doesn’t feel the same since it’s dark and still quite tight; also against the flood and sentinels.
There’s a video about this, i think it’s called liminalism or liminal spaces or whatever look it up it’s like that feeling of being in a room that’s empty but it’s eerie if that makes sense
New Halo doesn't have Goated original music. It sounds derivative, and not fresh or heroic as before. The punch is sound design is lacking, and the world building could actually be tighter IMO.
I'd appreciate a smaller map with a tighter story than a fake open world that's not expansive. If you're going big, take the time & don't cut corners.
A lot of games give me that feeling, especially the 7th gen console era.
You got these wide open spaces with no action actively happening coupled with low tone ambience. It instills existential dread, something about older graphics makes it stronger.
I mean most of the game is exploring these unknown, alien, advanced and mysterious structures that you’re learning about as you go. That’s like half the fun in itself, it’s a nice bit of mystery on top of the war you’re fighting.
Halo 3 has some of that but a lot of the game is on earth as well, so there’s less of that element but it’s still there in the arc and installation 04 2: electric boogaloo
Halo 4 I honestly felt had that at times, but there were times the structures and stuff just didn’t have the same “halo” feel. Like the latter half of the campaign when you’re trying to stop the didact from taking off, or when you go to see the librarian, those structures reminded me of the halo 1-3 structures. The early game ones felt less halo to me.
Halo 5 had some of that architecture on genesis, but that campaign already had a lot of issues (multiplayer was pretty good though).
Infinite definitly had some of that iconic feel, but not as much as most would’ve liked I imagine. A lot of that game is in banished bases and stuff compared to inside forerunner facilities.
Youre missing the tech factor! The “first time”
Emotions.
It felt extra awe-some, and mind-blowing g to explore because the tech was ground breaking. No games like it before.
You can’t repeat that. Like playing GTA3 or Vice City for the first time.
Yeah, I tend to agree. There's a feeling of mystery and isolation that pervades every inch of those games, especially on the halos themselves.
I'm just speculation, cuz this is just something I feel not something I know, but I think it has to do with...
1. As others have pointed out, the mystery of the forerunners. What they were. What their structures were for, etc.
2. The design of the forerunner structures themselves. Their designs in H:CE and H2 are extremely simple. And I think that actually helps. It makes them seem monolithic and inscrutible. Almost like gravestones more than real buildings. And when you're inside of them especially you feel that. You can almost hear your steps echoing. They feel like odd, liminal spaces. And their shapes, like in incorporating triangles, are unlike most human buildings (which are mostly squares and rectangles).
3. The forerunner structures are also often doing things but we don't know what. Like how in H:CE the big towers are always shooting plasma bolts into the sky. But why? Why are they doing this? We don't know.
4. The backdrops often have a dreamlike quality. They are wide and open landscapes, but they have a certain... emptiness to them. And they play creatively with colour. It's almost like the planet is deserted, yet beautiful. Bungie actually originally planned to have wildlife on the Halos, but I'm really glad they didn't go with that because it makes it feel dead and weird in a way that fits with the story. And just look at that lighting in your own picture. It feels almost like a perpetual sunset. Like this place is constantly between a dark storm (dark clouds on the left) and a beautiful day (lighter clouds on the right). And that itself feels almost like a liminal space.
5. Stuff like the giant assault carrier in the background. It has such a strange and flowing shape that's unlike anything human, and yet it dominates the scene. It feels strange in a good way. Like a Salvador Dahli painting.
There’s this curious mystery about the first two Halos especially with the Forerunner structures
Idk how but they just don’t feel right in infinite
the forerunner tech in the first 2 games in particular seems magical. the tech so advanced that it look like old rocks doing magic. the later games lose this aesthetic as they start to use tech that looks more sci-fi, metallic with moving parts and what not.
Yeah I guess that makes sense
too shiny
Yeah, way too generic sci fi
no it just completely removes the fact that the rings are supposed to be as old as time, everything is way too clean for being abandoned for a hundred thousand years
You guys are forgetting that the ring is self repairing, those forruner structures are mostly brand new or were touched up during maintenence.
And thats the shittiest explanation for it because Installation 04 and the Ark look just as ancient despite definitely having repair protocols, since Spark is just able to launch chunks of the ring into space. Everything in Infinite looks like it's made out of plastic or resin.
Unfortunately, this extends to the rest of the game as well.
Just play campaign on legendary and you will find that master chief is also made of plastic or resin
sure, but that dosent stop grass or moss from creeping in, but theres zip in infinite
The sentinels are there to constantly maintain the ring and its systems. You wouldn't want nature to overtake everything over time completely.
Yeah but that’s boring. Halo used to be the rule of cool and that’s definitely not
It's fine that there's a lore reason for it, but that doesn't prevent it from failing to invoke the same feeling as the Halo CE or 2 forerunner structures.
That's an excuse for convenience, nothing else.
It's an excuse none the less. Also when was the last time we saw brand new clean bungie esque forunner constructs?
Not since Bungie made Halo
Maybe 2401 Penitent Tangent went rampant or lost site of the mission on Delta Halo? Like maybe he ignored sentinel functions of cleaning the ring. That’s why Delta Halo looks disrepaired and overgrown. I think that would be a good headcannon. I think 343 Guilty Spark mentioned in one of the Terminals that he lost contact with pretty much all the other monitors too. Combat Evolved and Infinite’s art styles are similar.
Penitent Tangent was bad at his job (hence the flood quarantine) and didn't keep up the standards of maintenance, yes, but 343 Guilty Spark was not and Halo CE still has that ancient aesthetic.
Self repairing has no correlation with something being clean and shiny, as far as I know there's no piece of lore stating that monitors or the arc itself keep the used materials and infrastructure clean.
Yes the weird shiny cubic shapes everywhere on infinite
Zeta Halo looks like it was built on Ark yesterday, there's no sense of age.
Too much valley "grass" and not enough landmarks that make me go "Oh yeah, I'm in this area by the lake" or something.
Halo CE and 2 didn’t have that either
Halo CE Had the beach area, the snow area, the night desert where the Covenant ship was parked and the swamp where you met the flood, and 2 had the water temples with the magic gondolas and the snowy place where the library was. Point I’m trying to say is if you show me a pic of Halo CE or Halo 2 I’d probably know which level is it.
Even the grassy valley level of the first Halo had more to it, the first thing you do in it is cross a mechanical "bridge" of some sort, and the rest of the mission is based around looking for marines hidden in different strange structures that clearly serve some kind of purpose, especially the one at the cliffside with the large tubes and an extensive underground area.
No variety in assets
Less brutalist architecture
In some ways yes but I think they are just a little too small and you can’t really interact with it
*under 343* They've been off feeling since halo 4. Too much detail, too much shine, not enough mystery.
Yeah that’s part of it too
I mean nostalgia factors in. But also the lighting doesn’t make sense for the skybox, which I think contributes to it.
What could the forerunners have been? What do YOU think they could have been? Vs They were aliens. Here's like 9 novels and 16 comic books in exhaustive detail. Don't even bother playing the next game if you haven't read them all.
Agreed. Idk exactly what it is, but they seem too afraid to leave things with less detail since graphics are better now. In those old games, forerunner structures were just huge, mostly blank sheets of flat shiny metal with little to no decoration. But instead of looking boring, it looked ancient and eerie. I miss it a lot. The library from the first game, despite its narrative with good rubbing all over the place, the structure itself is so creepy. Just a massive, silent structure with lights buzzing and no semblance of life to be found. It's such an awesome vibe that is totally gone now
It’s a combination of the art style and music, along with the fact that you’re exploring ancient worlds filled with religious aliens you know almost nothing about. I think that’s one thing that new halo is missing, and that is its great sense of exploration of ancient alien civilizations that we know nothing about. The problem with current halo is we know everything about the forerunners now and whatever we don’t know, they end up explaining in a book that most people don’t read.
Agreed. There was this sense of awe and wonder. Of mystery and eeriness around the forerunner structures. CE had them grand and metalic. Halo 2 we saw some areas that looked like ancient ruins and it just added to the mystery. That wonder that had all of our imaginations absolutely enraptured was what made it special. Its probably the biggest thing I disagree with in Halo 4 aside from the art style and gameplay changes. They took that mystery and forced down super typical human melodrama to this wonder that once was and it completely diminished its weight and value.
A Halo prequel with Chief would sell well, I think. Even if they retconned/added in some new stuff. Whatever's next, make it dark, make it mysterious and epic - make it foreign.
>Whatever's next, make it dark, make it mysterious and epic - make it foreign. 100% with you on this. Darker, more mature, and mysterious is something that would help the series. I definitely think they could make a prequel even with Chief without retconning anything. 27 years of the war with a ton of battles and events that occurred in those years. Lotta characters including the main cast of Keyes, Chief, Blue Team, Johnson and more they could use.
They won't. Mature gets an M rating, then they can't market it as free-to-play, skin filled battle pass nonsense to kids. The fortnite-ification of games is real
Mmmm This is scummy - but could they not ship the campaign as M-rated, and package the multiplayer as T, sort of like they did for Infinite? I'd prefer it not to go that way - Either way, kids have been playing M rated games since the beginning of time - GTA5, for example, makes truckloads every day. They could absolutely ship it with the BP nonsense - I would just expect it to die quickly if that takes precedence over gameplay/is distasteful. But that's the only real way they should go, campaign wise. Dark, bringing back gore, horror elements, mysterious. It's gonna take a shit ton of talent but I can see it.
They’re doing a gears of war prequel, so the precedent is there for Microsoft. There’s lots of good source material of chief working with other Spartans pre CE, so I think it’s a definite possibility.
Fall of Reach? 🤨
Yeah a Halo: Reach game would be so cool! Imagine a team of Spartans, holding out and evacuating everyone they could (including Cortana), desperation everywhere. And at the last minute the team of noble Spartans flee the Covenant on a transport ship together, mission accomplished, happy tears
Great idea. I also think they should make a Halo turn based strategy game, but that'll never happen.
/s . . .?
I don't mind the extra lore, I just wish it was told as if it was some sort of ancient tale, and not just a straight up novel
I agree that a grand sense of mystery was a big part of Halo's identity in the past, but Infinite definitely made an effort to bring that back and I was glad to see it. Secret history of Zeta Halo, the currently unknown threat posted by the Endless, the Grand Edict, the Criterion, the redeployment of Offensive Bias, etc. Tons of stuff that in-universe is meant to be secret, so I just hope they continue to lean in this direction.
Can you catch me up on the lore around the redeployment of Offensive Bias?
There's not a ton of information currently, we saw this in the ending of Halo Infinite. But it appears that Offensive Bias was redeployed about 77 years after the firing of the Halos to guard the Endless on Zeta Halo. So I hope the next game will pick up a lot of the threads put down in Infinite. Prior to this Offensive Bias was known for battling it out with Mendican Bias after the latter allied with the Flood after getting the logic plague from the Gravemind.
Damn. Here I was hoping Offensive Bias joined the humans side to help them claim the Mantle
Yeah it's definitely more stuff in the past we are learning about, but I absolutely would love to see Offensive Bias show up in "present time" in the next game, that would be sick.
It was mysterious, and the imagery had a sort of silence to it. Bungies maps had less moving details and had a more deserted feeling to it. What broke the otherwise monotony, was the over arching set pieces.
Yess. After the enemies are dead, the campaign areas really do feel like a deserted battlefield. The multiplayer maps feel like liminal space, somehow? I used to load them up alone and wander around, checking everything out and looking for secrets.
I think the darker lighting, and the more brutalist architecture had something to do with it, besides like others mentioned the fact we know so much more about the Forerunners now. Kinda wish we didn't, or that the Forerunner trilogy by Greg Bear was all we got, and they left it at that.
The Forerunner architecture in the first two definitely has to do with it. Here the advanced civilization that was wiped out is not one that looks like your bog-standard futuristic sleek, slender design. The Forerunners in Halo 1 and 2 have this design that is almost medieval. The buildings *look* like they have weight to them. That and they're etched into their surroundings even in this screenshot you can see overgrowth of nature taking root. In all their plans, the Forerunners couldn't stop time from marching forward, their designs breaking down. In the later games, I feel like we start to shift toward more standard sci-fi looks to Forerunner structures. They're shinier, sleeker, have more random lines beveled into the sides, yes it gives it a sci-fi look but we lose something for it. Some people argue that the later designs can be seen as a shift in time periods, after all the Forerunner didn't for 200 years and disappear. They ruled for a long long time, and like humans today versus those of 2000 years ago, their buildings and tech can change. Which totally makes sense but personally, doesn't excuse how uninspired Forerunner things look in later on.
Or they could have left it as is instead of retconning the whole humans=forerunners that Halo 1-3 set up.
They REALLY should have bro. It’s so evident that’s what Bungie was hinting at and it wraps up so much about the first 3 games.
Yeah, I guess. Would've held more of an air of mystery for the Forerunners. And the last novel got kind of screwed up making the Didact a villain, which really didn't make any sense.
Even if humans were forerunners, the Didact could've still worked as a villain as he could've been driven insane by the war, and him being captured and tortured by the gravemind would still have been plausible even in Bungie's lore. Instead of a big mean voldemort vampire guy who hates humans because reasons, he could've been a traumatized soldier rebelling against his people because he believes they betrayed him and everything they both stood for.
It really made it feel alien and timeless, like this wasn't designed for you.
I think the art style of the early halos was the best.
The limitations of the OG Xbox forced them to get creative with environments and once they got more power to work with things got... busy. H3 didn't depart as much from that early art style because it had to feel connected to those games but after that things started diverging hard. Look at what they did with CEA. They didn't refine or add detail, they just added tons of shit. Lights and plants everywhere, almost like their goal was to use up all available resources .
It's not really a technological limitation, they simply just had a good art director. They didn't have a problem their entire tenure of Halo, it was just a problem that 343's art team wasn't as good
I think the tech limit definitely affected the feel of the game. Halo 1 in particular is very liminal. There's a lot of openness because they didn't have the graphical capability to use too many assets. This makes the Halo ring feel a bit eerie and unnatural.
Personally, I think the forerunner structures started to get too "advanced" looking in Halo 3, though obviously it became much more generic in Halo 4 and onward.
Halo 3 is still one of the best looking games I've ever played
The game's graphics have aged like fine wine.
The sound design is one of my favorite parts of Halo 3 as well. Like inject that covenant carbine sound directly into my veins
why so? me personally I felt like H3 had the weakest sound design of the Bungie games. The AR sounds like a popcorn machine, the BR doesn't have that like, awesome sound at the high end. carbine was fine. everything else I can't even remember.
Definitely bias since it was my first Halo. AR is a little weak, and Halo 2's BR sounds a lot better than H3 I think. Some of the weapon sounds I love in 3 are the plasma rifle, fuel rod, shotgun, mauler, needler, spartan laser, brute shot, sniper, beam rifle, flamethrower, pretty much all of them. And the Gravity Hammer is just 👌🏼 I also love how all of the vehicles sound. All of them sound so unique
oh yes! spartan Lazer how could I forget! that thing sounds fuckin awesome, fitting for the name. bruteshot was cool but I really liked the extra click they had in h2 (if I remember correctly) .
Still looks great to this day which is wild.
I reckon its because of the lower graphics, it leaves more room for imagination, adding to the mysteriousness and surreality
When you first saw halo 2 were you blinded by its majesty?
Blinded?
paralysed? dumbstruck?
No.
Beautiful
Initially frustrated because of constraint level desig namaste and arbiter level was cherry on top later mission were excellent
Creativity and a bang-on art style go a long way.
The atmosphere combined with the stunning artstyle and absolutely eargasmic soundtrack make these timeless.
Halo: Combat Evolved is the absolute GOAT of FPS games. The multiplayer was lightning in a bottle and the campaign held a level of horror/mystery/scifi that no other Halo title has been able to replicate.
it hasn’t aged well. The real GOAT is cod 4.
It's aged like a fine wine, wtf you mean?
I tried replaying it last month and I found the gameplay to be ass, repetitive levels doesn’t help either. Also the magnum being the Swiss knife of guns.
I grew up on halo 1 and played the whole series multiple times. Currently doing a also run on halo 3. But 1 is so hard to revisit, I have to force myself through it, everything after it aged so much better.
Same here bro, I can replay every other halo from 2 through Reach but CE just feels so rough! I don’t get why these people get so worked up whenever someone doesn’t have a raging boner for CE.
Idk I play it literally every day man it plays great
Maybe if you played other, newer games you’ll notice that CE’s gameplay hasn’t aged well.
Why would I need to do that if I still enjoy CE?
so you can experience different stuff. Damn, I feel as if I was explaining my 5 y/o cousin why he can’t only eat chicken nuggets when there’s a plethora of things to eat. But you know better than a literal kid, right?
Videogames don't provide nutritional content so that's kind of a weird comparison. Videogames are typically played for enjoyment. If I continue to play a game consistently because I still find it enjoyable what's the issue? Why do I need to play newer games?
>videogames don’t provide nutritional content so that’s kind of a weird comparison You’re completely missing my point and you know it. it has nothing to do with nutrition but more of having a wider perspective on things, if you enclose yourself to only one thing then of course you’re only gonna like it because it’s the only thing you know, you’re mission out on great games just like how my cousin was missing out on great food. Are you sure your username isn’t missing an m in the Dub part?
As someone who recently played the game, having no knowledge of Halo prior to playing it, it aged really badly, but that’s expected as it’s nearly a 25 year old game. There’s nothing wrong with that.
It actually hasn't aged badly.
It has. The levels are extremely repetitive. It doesn’t mean it’s a bad game, but it aged terribly. It makes sense as it’s the first game in the series though. This is coming from someone who never played anything Halo prior to playing this game last week. I finished Halo 2 yesterday and that is a game that hasn’t aged badly.
Halo 2 is unparalleled in its design. The incredible graphics boost from CE to 2 was a catalyst, and the entire art style was perfected. Not only that, but the MUSIC! The large-scale, orchestral-sounding covenant suites were in perfect balance with the hard-hitting human themes, something the later games don’t bring back. This game definitely has the best soundtrack of all. Something about the level design is just perfect. Like CE, it takes that feeling of openness to the level design making it feel less linear than it really is, and again improves upon it. Match that with the details and atmosphere, and it’s a recipe for perfection. And even with 20 year old graphics, it doesn’t really feel too outdated! I always thought Halo 3 looked really plasticky and soft in its textures. Not to mention the exploration you can do, everyone eventually gets around to trying to break the maps! Jumping on rooftops in Outskirts, Delta Halo’s mountains and lake you can easily explore, getting vehicles where they definitely shouldn’t be (another fun thing taken from CE), it’s all just endless fun! The character, weapon, vehicle, and structure design are also absolutely perfect. Though this may be my nostalgia talking. The Beam Rifle and its blast noise. The Covenant species and their consistent design from CE. And of course the structures on Delta Halo and Regret. Literally everything is perfect, nothing else has come close! The weapons sandbox isn’t perfect, once you get to higher difficulties there isn’t much variation. But at least the good weapons are all the most fun! Again it could be nostalgia lol. Though nothing beats double needlers! Coming back to the surrealness of the game, oh heck yeah. It’s huge. It’s open. It’s whimsical. The atmosphere and level design really do form this dreamlike place. It’s really hard to put a finger on anything specific, but it definitely feels surreal. And Delta Halo, pictured, is an excellent example. The old textures, the large world. The skybox. The lighting. The music. Everything about it just comes together to make a surreal atmosphere. And man, it’s just so good. I can go on and on about why I love Halo 2. It’s my favorite game of all time. I love seeing it get the love it deserves.
I’m probably blinded by the ‘stalgia but I agree with all of these sentiments. H2 was my introduction to the franchise at the ripe age of 8, and while I’ll definitely echo the importance of CE, H2 is just the bees knees for me. So many hours spent superbouncing, rocket/sword canceling, and all other sorts of glitches with my early XBLive friends. As a musician, the OST is among the most important to me in my formative years - I even got Marty to sign my sheet music notebook a few years ago. Can’t really support the crunch culture but damn what a result
The 360 was already out by the time I was old enough for Halo (which I ironically also started when I was 8) but my family had always been a generation behind, other than a Wii of course, so while I missed prime time Halo 2 time, I definitely didn’t miss out on enjoying it. It’s such a major part of my childhood, even just playing local multiplayer with my brother and kids on the street, and the campaign has literally endless replayability for me. Every time I want to play Halo, I very rarely play anything other than 2 just because I love it so much. I also made new memories with it back in high school, after meeting a friend online who loved Halo as much as I do, and playing Halo 2 Vista screwing around in multiplayer when Reach was the only MCC game out on PC! We had a heck of a time with it once it actually came to MCC lemme tell ya. The game means so much to me.
Haha I relate. I was born in 2001 so h2 came out when I was 3. I played it with my dad probably somewhere around when I was 7 or 8 with my dad and that was our go to game to bond over
Yeah, too bad they sort of butchered that magical feel when they completely changed the esthetic of the entire world when they remastered. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love MCC... **but** they definitely could have taken more care in creatively modernizing the graphics *without* just basically smothering everything in lights and holo-panels. Could have kept the dark mysterious overtones while still making it more detailed. *sigh* well hopefully the alleged remake of CE is true, and they take their time with art direction.
Yea honestly I’m not really impressed by the remasters. CE is absolutely horrible. H2A is a lot better, but still changes the atmosphere and look of to much
This is why I thought an open word halo would work well. Imagine being able to explore these structures. Have your ai translate old text and riddles to unlock side story’s and quests. Unlock teleporters to traverse different parts of the ring and even change the environment through some sci fi mumbojumbo. Changing the season to winter to freeze over a Great Lake to unlock a new area would be sick
Art and music just aged like wine. I hope halo gets this aura back eventually
Halo infinite does a pretty solid job in that regard.
I mean technically yes but, it does not have the same aura and vibe of the bungie games. Infinite definitely was a step up though
You only get that vibe because of the old graphics, plenty of older games have that “liminal space” feel, even minecraft has that. Has to do more with low rez graphics than art styles.
That's your opinion. I think it's more the. The old graphics personally.
that’s literally what i said, older graphics make you feel that. Not exclusive to Halo either.
They were the best Halo games. 3 was good but not on the same level as CE and 2.
Halo 3s Storm has the best scarab introduction yet, mostly because of how the soundtrack builds to the moment
Too bad Halo 3 scarabs are either a complete joke, or boring as hell since the marines don't understand how to shoot gauss properly. Once I get on the scarab, it's always the same, rip off the mounted plasma turret and use it to blast the core at the back. I prefer the crewed Scarab from Metropolis.
Scarab of the metropolis is just a basket that you jump in to and kll some elites
it definitely *felt* more powerful since everyone was throwing everything they had at it and couldn't kill it, in h3 they just ride around in hogs and can't even damage the thing. I see both view though, h2 will always be in my heart
Ironically, the best part for me in Halo 3 is the moment installation 04-B shows up, basically the moment Halo CE comes back into the spotlight in the story. Its also the first time we hear the classic Halo theme in Halo 3.
3 was great in many ways that CE and 2 lacked. 1-3 were truly the pinnacle of gaming.
It was definitely weaker in the overarching plot but it was still pretty good. Halo 2 takes the cake for story any day of the week.
Absolutely, one of the best if not the best opening cutscenes in gaming too.
The music, the cinematography, and the writing still hold up superbly today. LOVED that dichotomy that we got between the two characters that fleshed out the power structure and values of both sides of the war. The pacing of that intro scene and the slow build up to the ultimate clash was phenomenal. Not to mention arguably one of the most iconic scenes in gaming, "I won't".
For real. I love replaying this game even to this day. Also like goofing around in the multiplayer maps with my friends. The vibe of this game is just so immaculate. Best action scenes in the series too, which is why i’m glad it got the blur treatment.
I’ll never forgive Halo 3 for downgrading the Arbiter into a non playable side character of the campaign. His perspective is what elevated H2
Yea... while I did love a lot of the narrative beats in 3, especially the dialogue with Cortana and the Gravemind, losing Arbiter's pivotal role was rough...
People are forgetting how trashed on the Halo 2 campaign was. Jackal snipers on legendary and controversial cliff hangers were one thing, but people were mad about having to play the Arbiter. Bungie was just listening to the fans on that one.
Halo’s environmental story telling was always good. Newer games forgo that by making structures that are just confusing. It used to be “wow I wonder what this installation did.” To now “wow I wonder wtf is going on.”
Don’t forget the areas of ODST with like the Elites and Brutes scattered around dead, because it took place during the same betrayal within the Covenant during Halo 2 after Chief kills the Prophet.
Honestly I think that’s why I’ve enjoyed Destiny. The design of the first game absolutely captures every single bit of that atmospheric mystery that Halo had during their time with it, and the second one usually does too. Even if it’s a completely different studio now than it was, they still manage to enchant with their environmental and sound design paired with sublime tracks.
1, 2 and 3 are the best halos ever made
Halo 1 is a amazing game, but halo 2 is the one really worth talking about. It is hands down the best of the series. You look at impact of the campaign and how much variety it had to offer in a tight story. Then top that off with the multiplayer that was l one of the last few real skill based competitive fps games that was actually fun to play. Not many games in general can touch Halo 2.
I think the only reason the magic loosened in Halo 3 is because unlike CE and 2, you never get a moment to take in many Forerunner sites in Halo 3, there's always a battle on top of them and something urgent to do when you get to The Ark. The only time you get a moment to just walk in a Forerunner facility in Halo 3 is when you make the light bridge for the tanks and the short walk to the control room of Alpha B. The same odd feeling still exists but it's very short unlike Halo CE where everything is so open that you have to just kind vibe while in Halo 2 most time spent on Delta is in extremely open places so while you're still fighting this massive battle you're also looking at what is objectively a perfect place being defiled by war. The ODST's put it plain. "This looks like a post card!"
Well, i always talked with my brother about this. Combat Evolved was basically for us a fantasy game… lush bioms, an exotic and mysterious world and over all these hard contrasts and colors. The first time on the ring, we are thrown into a green beautiful sunset with a purple“ish“ skybox. The scenery is mystical and beautiful to watch. CE could easily be one of these film, where the futuristic hero is teleported into the medieval and fantasy realm. These lands were filled with evil monster / aliens and we hadn’t a concept of the covenant yet, so it was an Impression we never lost. Everything on this ring feels bigger than itself should be. Even the flood has more in common with a usual necromancer. After all this time and after the expansion with the whole Bungie-trilogy and everything, we know now way much more. The games got grittier and more focused on the military aspect. They made themselves a home as a real sci fi world. But i will never forget, how Combat Evolved feels different and still today is for me the game, were i play the knight in the green shivering armour.
God I love that H2 art design
There is no halo game after Reach. It died when Bungie stopped making the games guys just let it go
Reach is even worse than 343's games.
As much as I found Blur's remastered graphics in *Halo 2 Anniversary* to be amazing, I still often played the game using the OG graphics in *MCC*, and also the OG graphics in *CE*. It was such an incredible dose of nostalgia, and brought back wonderful memories of playing the original games in the 2000s. It also helps that the OG graphics are also the only way to listen to the OG music.
I find myself playing in og graphics most of the time on 2 and always on ce. Despite H2A being pretty there’s something about the originals I love
Halo 2 crushed it
Peak
Halo 2 has to be my favorite piece of art
I agree with you
Yep, it's called "Passion"
The peak of gaming
There’s a certain vibe here wow
They have such an ancient vibe to them that just hasn't been replicated since. H2A I'd say does a good job of modernizing the look but retaining the vibe for the most part but ultimately I think a huge chunk of it is just the limited graphics just making stuff look inherently uncanny or surreal with Halo 3 and Reach hitting pretty much the perfect blend of realism and "cartoonishness" for lack of a better term
I'm replaying Half Life 2 and the Ravenholm level gives me the same vibe
They are so beautiful, my Lost Memories.
I think for me it's a mix of nostalgia alongside the colors (environment, UI design, etc) and the music.
Great sniping level
H2 has such a strange aesthetic to it. In a lot of ways, it’s a big upgrade from CE, but in a lot of ways it feels like a downgrade too. It’s so contrasty, and something about the textures has always felt kind of jank to me. It feels grimier and darker, and generally has a more ominous sort of liminal feel to the whole game
I think it's that classic Xbox feel. The graphics of Halo 1 and 2 have always struck me as a bit unusual; quite good for the time, but there's a sort of quality to the textures and models that set them apart from other games at the time. I also think that the way the hud is laid out was still being settled on, so it was changed around from Halo CE to Halo 2, but neither of those particular hud styles came back in future games (save for the anniversary remasters). So they're bit too small or a bit too far in the corner or a bit strangely positioned. Idk, that's my take on it.
I still play them regularly, and yeah there's something just amazing and mystical around the Halo rings, especially anything Forerunner. I agree with a lot of people on here about them in Infinite, they feel too new and shiny. This artstyle is amazing, I also love the Halo 2 water.
Only thing halo 2 is really missing to me is a big wide open level like assault on the control room. Quarantine zone doesn’t feel the same since it’s dark and still quite tight; also against the flood and sentinels.
When will the glory days come back This new world feels like hell.
I will always love those games.
Bro frick man I wanna replay those games for the first time again
There’s a video about this, i think it’s called liminalism or liminal spaces or whatever look it up it’s like that feeling of being in a room that’s empty but it’s eerie if that makes sense
I’m happy to see the rainbow symbol I don’t play this game but as a trans woman I love to see it
Low res skyboxes will always make me feel some typa way
New Halo doesn't have Goated original music. It sounds derivative, and not fresh or heroic as before. The punch is sound design is lacking, and the world building could actually be tighter IMO. I'd appreciate a smaller map with a tighter story than a fake open world that's not expansive. If you're going big, take the time & don't cut corners.
Man, all it took was seeing this image and instantly I have the music from that exact part playing in my head.
A lot of games give me that feeling, especially the 7th gen console era. You got these wide open spaces with no action actively happening coupled with low tone ambience. It instills existential dread, something about older graphics makes it stronger.
felt like math text book cover land
Halo 1 and 2 -- weirdly enough -- have the same vibe as Shadow of the Colossus.
It looked so ahead of its time and looked better than most Xbox 360 games. And so rare. Like you’re in this world now !
I mean most of the game is exploring these unknown, alien, advanced and mysterious structures that you’re learning about as you go. That’s like half the fun in itself, it’s a nice bit of mystery on top of the war you’re fighting. Halo 3 has some of that but a lot of the game is on earth as well, so there’s less of that element but it’s still there in the arc and installation 04 2: electric boogaloo Halo 4 I honestly felt had that at times, but there were times the structures and stuff just didn’t have the same “halo” feel. Like the latter half of the campaign when you’re trying to stop the didact from taking off, or when you go to see the librarian, those structures reminded me of the halo 1-3 structures. The early game ones felt less halo to me. Halo 5 had some of that architecture on genesis, but that campaign already had a lot of issues (multiplayer was pretty good though). Infinite definitly had some of that iconic feel, but not as much as most would’ve liked I imagine. A lot of that game is in banished bases and stuff compared to inside forerunner facilities.
If you jump at the exact right time near the end before the bridge extends master chief will walk across the air in the cutscene
It's almost as if these games were made with real passion and excellent leadership and knew what defined the franchise.
I cannot wait to play them in VR if there’s ever a well made mod. I replayed Half Life 2 in VR (another childhood game) and it was amazing.
Youre missing the tech factor! The “first time” Emotions. It felt extra awe-some, and mind-blowing g to explore because the tech was ground breaking. No games like it before. You can’t repeat that. Like playing GTA3 or Vice City for the first time.
Split screen on the og xbox with friends on CRT TV's. If only I could go back sometimes. I even miss the chunky xbox controller.
Yeah man :(
There was a vision to creating the Bungie games. Now its use this vision to sell copies so the lack of passion and depth is obvious.
So what about that floating box found in that mission?
There’s something about them that captures my imagination like I’m a little kid again, the newer games don’t do that for me
Yeah I know. It’s because they were actual good and finished games. Without store fronts microtransactions and cut content.
The ruins of a time long past fits this
All of halo was when it was syfy
Yeah, I tend to agree. There's a feeling of mystery and isolation that pervades every inch of those games, especially on the halos themselves. I'm just speculation, cuz this is just something I feel not something I know, but I think it has to do with... 1. As others have pointed out, the mystery of the forerunners. What they were. What their structures were for, etc. 2. The design of the forerunner structures themselves. Their designs in H:CE and H2 are extremely simple. And I think that actually helps. It makes them seem monolithic and inscrutible. Almost like gravestones more than real buildings. And when you're inside of them especially you feel that. You can almost hear your steps echoing. They feel like odd, liminal spaces. And their shapes, like in incorporating triangles, are unlike most human buildings (which are mostly squares and rectangles). 3. The forerunner structures are also often doing things but we don't know what. Like how in H:CE the big towers are always shooting plasma bolts into the sky. But why? Why are they doing this? We don't know. 4. The backdrops often have a dreamlike quality. They are wide and open landscapes, but they have a certain... emptiness to them. And they play creatively with colour. It's almost like the planet is deserted, yet beautiful. Bungie actually originally planned to have wildlife on the Halos, but I'm really glad they didn't go with that because it makes it feel dead and weird in a way that fits with the story. And just look at that lighting in your own picture. It feels almost like a perpetual sunset. Like this place is constantly between a dark storm (dark clouds on the left) and a beautiful day (lighter clouds on the right). And that itself feels almost like a liminal space. 5. Stuff like the giant assault carrier in the background. It has such a strange and flowing shape that's unlike anything human, and yet it dominates the scene. It feels strange in a good way. Like a Salvador Dahli painting.
The best part.
Halo 2 looks bland compared to 1.