On updating a classic (Off-Topic)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 19:00 (2045 days ago) @ CruelLEGACEY

I had a similar experience. Most Halo players did. And that’s where subjectivity and relativism start to wash away. Plenty of us have our own personal likes, dislikes, agreements, and disagreements around a game like Halo 4. But there is no questioning the simple fact that it failed to connect and resonate with gamers the way Halo CE did. Maybe that’s impossible. Maybe what Halo “is” (whatever that is) just isn’t as impactful anymore. But I’m not so sure. I’ve had moments playing other games in the past 5-6 years where I feel like something hits me in the head and I realize “holy crap, this is Halo. There is a mission in the Titanfall 2 campaign that feels more “Halo” to me than anything in the Halo 4 or 5 campaigns. There’s something there I think. I don’t exactly have the language or understanding of it to describe it (much less make it!). But I’d bet money that sooner or later, either intentionally or by accident, some developer will make a game that instantly and undeniably jumps out to us as the new “Halo”. And I’ll bet that game will be a huge hit :)

It is like everything a product of its time.

Playing the MCC you realize how Halo now feels off; you glide around surfaces when you run instead of that kinetic feeling in Destiny where your character has weight. But at the time it was the best feeling game out there. Remember: FPS games on consoles were pretty much all terrible (Goldeneye was unplayable even then). But it contrasted with PC FPS games at the time with its slower pace and more intelligent feeling AI.

But if Halo were released today, I doubt it would make a splash.

Nothing is timeless. There will never be a new HALO. Because it'll just be something else. A lesser company would have just made another Marathon game for the XBox. But Bungie left behind what was done and went forward.

I wish they would do that with Destiny right now though…