What makes Halo.HALO

[ARES GW]

With the release of Halo Reach I started to wonder what makes Halo "Halo". I know there are plenty of first person shooters on this platform and other platforms, but I wanted to know what makes it stand out from the rest.

I have heard Halo is not even the best FPS and there are better FPS games. So what is it about Halo the keeps us coming back? Is it the books and storyline of the game building upon each other.

What makes the Halo franchise?

Thoughts? Halo haters welcome too....

 

[Russ257]

It was the first so people have fond memories of the franchise, matchmaking is good and fast, its the most popular you want to play what your friends are playing (although I will just wait for COD blackops)

 

[firesprite]

For me, it's all about the characters and the storyline. I suck at first person shooters, generally speaking, but I will play HALO given the chance because it does have a good storyline to it. Love the Masterchief!

 

[Wes R]

I agree. It was the storyline and characters (especially Cortana hehehe). Sadly without her and the Chief its not the same. I'm hoping they stop with this alternate crap and bring those two back.

 

[JediG60racer]

Pretty sure the first FPS multiplayer was Goldeneye... but Halo does have a very involved and well developed story and universe. Makes it very satisfying to play, more so than just killing aliens with various weapons.

 

[JediG60racer]

I agree. It was the storyline and characters (especially Cortana hehehe). Sadly without her and the Chief its not the same. I'm hoping they stop with this alternate crap and bring those two back.

I really liked the ODST storyline, those guys to me were the equivalent of modern day Navy SEALs, and it was cool to see them in action. Plus Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin and the other guest voice characters made for an entertaining story.

 

[ARES GW]

I really liked the ODST storyline, those guys to me were the equivalent of modern day Navy SEALs, and it was cool to see them in action. Plus Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin and the other guest voice characters made for an entertaining story.

To be honest I did not like ODST at first. The weapons seemed wrong or at least weaker. Took more shots to kill target..maybe just me. But once I got past all the nick pick stuff..I liked the open feel of the game. The environment really gave me a sense of being alone. I remember screaming like a little girl when one of the Hunters came after me..the AI got smart in that game.

 

[Wes R]

In ODST I like how the flashbacks let you play the storyline, that was an interesting way of doing things.

 

[rollerboi]

The first what?? Am I really this old? I remember Castle Wolfenstein, and DOOM. A lesser known footnote would be Rise of the Triad (ROTT), one of my favorites.

A quick googling turns up the first FPS being traced back to "Maze War", starting development in 1973.

 

[ARES GW]

The first what?? Am I really this old? I remember Castle Wolfenstein, and DOOM. A lesser known footnote would be Rise of the Triad (ROTT), one of my favorites.

A quick googling turns up the first FPS being traced back to "Maze War", starting development in 1973.

Wasn't there an Win 95 screen saver that mimicked that?

 

[Russ257]

When I said the first I meant one of the first. I think if they redid goldeneye it would catch on.

 

[rollerboi]

Goldeneye and Halo are not even close to being one of the first FPSs. Unless you mean on console games only? I'm talking FPSs in general.

 

[Watson]

Orginal Half Life Team Fortress........so many hours of my life down that drain :lol

 

[dualedge]

I like to say I loved Halo when it was just a glimmer in Marathon's eye.

Marathon was the kernel of the idea but with the addition of the Forerunners, the Ringworld inspired Halo constructs, Cortana as a rather sexy A.I., the concept of the Spartan IIs with the heavy military themed scifi aspect, it's just pure gold for me.

It also didn't hurt to have Eric Nyland right some of the novels. I don't know how much of the story details were fleshed out before he wrote some of the novels but I really, really enjoyed the Fall of Reach, First Strike and Ghosts of Onyx.

The Fall of Reach covers the creation, success and virtual death of the Spartan II program. Ghosts of Onyx covers the creation of the Spartan III program.

The ODST's are very much like Navy Seals however... shock troops sent in when the regular forces can't quite cut it.

I don't disagree with the fact that they made the Spartans in the Fall of Reach game different although in the novels all of the Spartan IIs wore identical Mjolnir armor to that of MasterChief. It's not really a gripe because the change makes sense but it is still taking me time to get used to the idea. That's what I hate about prequels - they inevitably "revise history." Only a fan of the novels would care though I think...

 

[ARES GW]

I don't disagree with the fact that they made the Spartans in the Fall of Reach game different although in the novels all of the Spartan IIs wore identical Mjolnir armor to that of MasterChief. It's not really a gripe because the change makes sense but it is still taking me time to get used to the idea. That's what I hate about prequels - they inevitably "revise history." Only a fan of the novels would care though I think...

Speaking of that, I caught a mistake in Birth of a Spartan on the med screen showing vital stats it says Spartan Class III.

 

[Solo4114]

Pretty sure the first FPS multiplayer was Goldeneye... but Halo does have a very involved and well developed story and universe. Makes it very satisfying to play, more so than just killing aliens with various weapons.

No, the first multiplayer FPS in the modern sense of the term was, I believe, DOOM. Certainly DOOM is what popularized the genre. GoldenEye might've been the first console multiplayer FPS, but DOOM was THE first multiplayer FPS on any system, I believe. Unless Battlezone beat it to the punch, but then we get into definitional issues.

 

[hankey01]

Don't forget about Faceball 2000!

 

[Pilot]

We used to play multiplayer games like DOOM over the phone lines on the aircraft carrier in 1996, before any such newfangled thing as a shipwide LAN was available.

THOSE were the days, I tell ya.

 

[JediG60racer]

The first what?? Am I really this old? I remember Castle Wolfenstein, and DOOM. A lesser known footnote would be Rise of the Triad (ROTT), one of my favorites.

A quick googling turns up the first FPS being traced back to "Maze War", starting development in 1973.

Those were great FPS games, but they did not have multiplayer.

I specifically said Goldeneye was the first FPS with multiplayer. I could be wrong on that... but I recall that one being groundbreaking for the split screen multiplayer FPS mode. And yes I'm talking console games that can be enjoyed by multiple people in one room. Am not talking about playing over BBS or weaksauce laggy early internet or LAN parties involving lugging your entire desktop to someone's garage. Just sit down, pass out the controllers, and play. Was there one like that before Goldeneye?

 

[Art Andrews]

The first what?? Am I really this old? I remember Castle Wolfenstein, and DOOM. A lesser known footnote would be Rise of the Triad (ROTT), one of my favorites.

Well, mark two of us as "old" because I very distinctly remember all three, especially RotT.