There is a list of games. These games are the “best” games of all time. These games are your favorite games. These are the games that everyone with “good” taste likes. The games that are console sellers, killer apps and must plays. Games that you love more than some family members. I hate these games and I will not apologize.
Ok, maybe I am coming across a little strong. I don't hate every game that is popular or is a critical success, but sometimes it sure feels like it. When I worked at Gamestop, I could depend on the fact that almost daily someone would come into the shop and start talking about some lame game as if I cared. Here's a free tip, I don't. So without further ado, here is the first in a list of games you're wrong about.
Maybe the fact that I grew up playing games like Tribes, Team Fortress, and Unreal Tournament left me spoiled, but when I played Halo: Combat Evolved for the first time, I literally said out loud “It's ok.” When people say “Halo was the first game to bring a PC FPS experience to a home console,” what they mean to say is “Halo is a watered down version of a FPS that is adequate for consoles, but would not have mattered if released on the PC.” There is nothing that Halo does that hasn't been done better many times over, and with games like Call of Duty, it has now even been done better on the console.
The multi-player is repetitive and doesn't provide for a unique player experience. The game forces you to play exactly like everyone else or get left behind. Games like Tribes or Team Fortress encouraged players to find a play style that fit them and allowed people to be a benefit to their team even if they weren't the best with the two or three most powerful weapons. Halo is the NASCAR of shooters. It has a stock character with a stock selection of weapons that only lets you turn left repeatedly. Not to mention the online community that popped up around it is like a teenage tourette support group without all the laughs.
The story, while not terrible, is not original either. It borrows a lot from other sci-fi over the years, but still offers a somewhat new feel to it. But frankly, if you're playing a game for this sort of story you need to play Mass Effect instead.
In the end you get a generic game with good graphics and a rabidly stupid fanbase. I should be clear, liking Halo does not make you stupid, but it does increase the likelihood. I don't like your game, but hey, at least I have a diagram to support my opinion.
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Looks like its time for a FRIENDLY debate. While there is no need to apologize for your opinion, I feel there's a need to explain from a fan's point of view as to WHY Halo is as popular as it is. To be honest, the first time I played Combat Evolved, I didn't like it and thought it was stupid. However, with the installment of the second game I was hooked. The control scheme was WAY improved and it actually had a story line to it. With the addition of Halo Legends, Halo Wars, ODST and Reach (coming out this year), it's now a story more epic than anything you'll find even in the Bible. There are books that have been written about this as well. Kinda reminds me of the Star Wars saga.
ReplyDeleteThe 1st game set the standard for the control style for FPS games on the 360. To be honest, I own COD 4. I played it once, and never touched it again. I prefer a little fun over realism. I'm not in any way, shape or form, a COD fan. There's been more COD games than Halo games and they all feel the same to me. Boring. I'm not saying one is better than the other, I'm simply saying I much prefer one over the other. And from the fan's standpoint, the storyline is what makes each of the Halo games different from the other. While the weapons and gameplay seem repetitive at times, its all about the story. Unless one was a fan of the story, one would not like the games as much. However, its nice to say "Hey I know what that is from the last game and that thing is bad ass! I have to get it!"
So in conclusion, you do not have to like the game, But there are several people who are very into the saga because its a story that is VERY good and IS in fact fairly original in it's own right. Of course if you were so inclined, you could critique ANY story and say its copying the idea from another one. Originality does not exist any-longer; only influence. I challenge any "non-believer", read the books, and then play the games again. It puts it into a whole new perspective. It's like reading a book to get the story, except WAY more fun because unlike a book, it's interactive. Much more fun. :-)
HERE HERE!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, because I have to disagree with you on all counts lol.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I hate the controls on Halo. I could never get used to them. At first I thought it was because I was a keyboard and mouse type of guy, but I have played FPS games on consoles before and didn't have the same problem. For some reason, no matter how much I tweek and mess with the settings it always felt as if I was trying to push a boulder through the mud.
Secondly, no one should have to read a book to enjoy a game. This is the same conclusion I have come to with Star Wars. I realized that the only reason I liked the new Clone Wars animated series is because I read the book which was infinitely better than the "movie." I don't want to have to buy multiple paperbacks and a hardcover trade comic just so I can enjoy the plot a video game.
Now as for you Ryan... Fuck you. If I knew how, I would disable your ability to post comments till you wrote something again :P