yeah.
Deus Ex is the only decent story out of the bunch, really.
HL2: OMG TEH ALIENZ FROM OTTER DEMENSHIN TAEK OVER TEH HUMMANS U MUST LEAD RESISTANS.
GTAIV: OSHIT IM AN IMMIGRANT WHO DOES BAD SHIT AND IS ASHAMED OF MYSELF BUT DOES IT ANYWAY FOR NO GOD DAMN REASON. SOME MAIN CHARACTERS DIE 4 DRAMA AN SHOCK VALYOO LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!111.
Deus Ex is about tinfoil conspiracy theories being true.
I’ll be pre-ordering Halolz Reacharound tomorrow. I might even get the Ultimate Limited Special Legendary Edition, love me some statuette!
om nom nom :3
I can’t wait to see that statue up close.
GTA IV’s was pretty good, the best part of the game IMO. I agree that HL’s isn’t the best. Its more to me about the happenings of the universe and the characteristics of the Combine than an actual flowing story.
Half-Life 2’s story is all about the characters in it 
not the overview of the world. If the only part of a story you recognize is the grand scheme then I feel bad for you. What makes HL2’s story so great compared to Halo is that the characters are so well done you actually feel empathy for them. Halo the characters are so bland and the tension of the situation really isn’t shown, so it comes off as generic and uninspired.
Personal preference. I love the characters, but the world is my favorite part of it.
That really looks like it supports my assumption that Halo: Reach is basically Bungie’s answer to TF2. Confirming/refuting this impression was the reason I made this thread in the first place.
Also, my biggest beef is really with the multiplayer.
The Limited editions of the Halo games never include a soundtrack. That makes me not buy them, and the actual inclusion of a soundtrack is why I got Alan Wake limited. Probably the best CE I ever got.
HAHAHA
Halo Reach final version is leaked.
And a thousand companies tighten their valid-copy-rejecting DRM even more.
“Halo: Reach”? MORE LIKE “GAYLO: REACHAROUND”!
Because SOMEBODY has to say it.
I fucking hate these people. Then again, it is proof that PC games aren’t the only victims of piracy. too bad the companies will never change their stance on shit and I’ll still have to be online to play a fucking single player game.
You mean the ones that show up 25% of the time and only have something useful to say 15% of that time?
I challenge you to find a single meaningful character that you gave an actual shit about in the entire Halo franchise.
The drill sergeant. Fucking loved that guy. But he was in love with an elite. 
Until he died and then was resurrected in the second game. But yeah, he is the only good character, but had been done before better. They were just using a tried and true concept.
I don’t really see how this is an answer to TF2. TF2 has SFA of a player base on the 360.
Alright, easy. in order from greatest to “heh, I love this guy’s lines”. Though it may be biased, because I can’t unsee the way the books showed me some of the major character’s more subtle nuances.
The arbiter. Hands down. The definition of a fall from grace. I mean, he was one of the most powerful mother fuckers in the covenant (in his division), and in the blink of an eye he is disgraced, and the whole civilization wants to see him dead. Then, ironically, the faction that he despised the most, and the faction he was accused of being involved with (the heretics) was RIGHT about the covenant religion being false. Kieth David’s voice talent is also a plus.
Cortana. An AI that’s attracted to a human. To make matters worse, she’s a copy of the mind of someone who was a MOTHER figure to that same person. That’s fucked up. It also makes her character REALLY interesting. Also, Jen fucking Taylor. I mean come on.
Sergeant Johnson to a lesser extent. Just for cool factor. Also, (you saw this coming) I’m a fan of David skully.
Sgt. Pete stacker. He’s not a major character at all. Fuck, he’s named after the guy who does his voice, and his face is copypasta’d from the director of campaign content. Why is he awesome? His fucking lines. They’re just too damn good. Most are improvised.
This is all besides the point though. As said before, Halo’s story rides on events , with characters just there for exposition. Half life’s story is the same, but it’s emphasis on character is DISTRACTING from the story. No one in the game is really needed to the extent that they’re used.
Also, how could anyone possibly gather that this has ANYTHING to do with TF2? If anything, it’s more like shadowrun… But that’s because Sage Merrill was the lead (forget title that goes here) designer for both.
Halo has generic gameplay that actually manages to be great regardless. It really is the best game I can think of for introducing people to the fps genre… If you forget that it is a console game, I mean.
Halo has a generic story: War for the universe, and the enemies will try to destroy the universe, unintentional, and only one guy can save everything. Sounds a bit like Star Wars, tbh. The only part that makes it any better is the fact it’s a religious war, which is uncommon in scifi.
The art style seems nothing better than the average scifi stuff. The brutes reminded me of PoA though, so that’s a plus.
Graphics are quite good for a console game. So good, in fact, that I dare call them amazing. It’s still no GoW III though. It’s not that good.
Overall, I give Halo an 9, with only downsides being the fact it’s a console game and the art style being (mostly) generic. The only reason it’s not a 7 though, is that I dont care that much for story. If I want story I’d watch a good movie (even though those are rare) or a good book.
Just my 2 cents.
There is a difference between generic and quality generic. And it’s evident that a lot of money and effort was put into art direction, be it generic or not.
EDIT:
So basically what your saying is that “bland level design” is a valid point? It’s not that I’m accusing IGN or whatever for pointing that out. Nevertheless, it became a catchphrase for 13-year old haters on every single board, who read reviews without having their own e-pinions.
That is, unless they are trollin’
Fanboy or not, I will continue to insist that bland level design argument is bullshit. Halo has it’s flaws, but most come from the idiotic “community” of overhyped haters and fanboys, the game itself has little fault.
Lastly, what is the society you are talking about? These boards? Oh I’m touched.
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