Even though I hate Halo, I hate myself even more...

Over the years, I have really come down hard on Halo. I think it's only fair though. If you're going to be a franchise that people point to and say "That's the one. That's the game that innovated the genre." you better well innovate the genre. To me, the only thing the Halo franchise has achieved is bring a watered down PC experience to the home console. This really shouldn't be reason to hate a franchise that is at least half decent and it really isn't mine. The reason I hate Halo, and I have said it before, is because I fall for it every time.

Well, it's happening again. There's a cool new short film, a bunch of shiny screenshots and a wide spread beta. Being a gaming nerd, I can't help but to get a little tight in the pants over all of it. Then it happens... The tweet that will likely get the better of my common sense.

I have a very specific list of things I don't like about Halo. The generic cookie cutter combat is one of those things. There's a reason that I like games like Team Fortress, Battlefield BC2, Star Wars Battlefront and Tribes. Classes. The game allows people to play in a way that takes advantage of your natural playing style. Medics, Snipers, Engineers, Spies... They all come together in this amazing KFC Famous Bowl meal that makes for a truly satisfying experience. No race to the most powerful weapon on the map. Just a balanced game where working well together can achieve some amazing things and overcome tremendous odds. So with Halo adding classes and jetpacks, I might start running out of stuff to put on my "Why Halo is only mediocre at best" list.

If I secure a place in the Beta, I will let you kids know what I think. BTW, if I hate this game I am totally blaming Gabe...

Devil went down to Bungie

In a press release issued this morning, Activision announced that they have signed a ten year deal with development studio Bungie. Under this new deal, Activision will receive "exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices." Bungie is best known for it's ongoing Xbox exclusive franchise Halo. So does this mean Halo is coming to the PS3?

Under the terms released so far, it seems as only new properties from this point will be released via Activision, so existing franchises such as Halo will not be included with the deal. What is interesting is how Activision states it's a "partnership to bring Bungie's next big action game universe to market." So will Bungie be leaving the Halo universe for good and start a brand new franchise?

While Bungie will remain an independent developer and retain all rights to their intellectual property, this is a major boon to Activision that has recently more or less lost their prized in house development studio Infinity Ward. Will Acitivision continue it's domination of the FPS market with the combined force of Call of Duty and an as yet unannounced Bungie project? Only time will tell.

I Hate Your Favorite Game

I will not apologize.

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.

Halo. I will despise this game till the end of time. Though I am man enough to admit that my rage towards this franchise is also compounded by my own stupidity and general lack of pattern recognition. You can count on Microsoft running some of the coolest ads of all time whenever something comes out with “Halo” in the title. You can also bet that every video game centered media outlet will also be covering it like the second coming. Without fail, whenever I see these ads and TV specials, I think to myself, “Maybe this time will be different. Maybe I will like this newest version of Halo.” It never happens. I get the game home, play it a few minutes and then I remember that there are hundreds of FPS games that are better than Halo.

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.