Halo 3

[Swallow]

I haven't had any problems, like I said, other than thinking the Halo story has always been very hokey.

I would like someone to grasp videogame storytelling by the scruff and, you know, improve it. Make it worthy, and accessible.

I thought, with Halo 3 being such a high-profile release, and MS constantly bringing out the line that "we define the demographic" that overdue improvements were bound to be made. They certainly have defined their demographic now, a line has been drawn, and we shall see the Xbox brand remain as insular as it ever was.

[Concept]

Halo 3 doesn't define the entire audience base of the console, and to write the entire system's library off on the basis of one game is a little premature. Wait until Mass Effect comes out at least. :P

Swallow, have you played BioShock and Condemned?

[Dirty Sanchez]

Swallow. You are talking complete bollox mate, me thinks you are just having a laugh trying to stir up the Halo 3 love in.

[Swallow]

Ah, of course, it's all bollocks. Valid criticisms equate to stirring, opinions which run in different directions are laughed at. Apologies.

No, I haven't played Bioshock yet Concept. I see what you're getting at though.

[rmoxon]

hmmm, The cut scenes in the Halo games have never really made much sense to me, but to be honest in my opinion its never really mattered, they are just really damn cool and the score is enough to give you goosebumps, you are totaly pumped to play the game... well I have always been anyway.

Also, I'm all for a good narrative in games, but this being the type of game it is, im much more concerned about the gameplay, and Halo 3 has fantastic gameplay. ANyone who says the levels arent as good as in previous games needs to play those games again or somthing, compared to the repetative environments in the previous two games (Radom Halo gamer: "hey didnt i just go through this corridor 6 times already?) , the level design in this is brilliant.

[EvilBoris]

I'd have to second that, when I think back the original Halo , I on't recall the story, I recall landing on that beach and driving around in Warthogs.

[prinnysquad]

Only a complete retard would buy the final game of a trilogy and expect to be given a blow-by-blow account of the story so far.

As someone who hasn't played the first two games, I feel that a detailed expose of the first two games would
1) spoiler alert! I might actually want to go back and do them myself.
2) be so crammed full of undecipherable story-babble it would make my head spin.
3) waste time.

I play the game to enjoy a superb gaming experience. If I understand the story, great. If I don't, so what. I have the freedom to choose how to understand it - via Halos 1 and 2 or wiki, whatever. For the series fans, too much exposition would be totally patronising.

My bird went to see ROTK at the flicks with me without seeing the first two. She didn't really understand what was going on but still enjoyed the spectacle. This drove her to finding out about the story by watching the first two. If she and I had had to watch a tedious 'the story so far' thing at the beginning, she would have given up after the first 8 characters were mentioned and I would have sat there pissed off.

When I read a George Martin book, I wouldn't start at book three and expect a 'story so far' prologue. If there was, I guarantee I wouldn't understand it.

Similarly a short intro would be an absolute and total farce. If the story is supposed to be involving in any way, then how would a quick summary do it justice? It would feel very arbitrary and tagged on.

[Concept]

One thing I've read that makes little sense is that apparently the explanation for the way in which Chief lands on Earth is due to the recently released comic books which explain the gap between Halo 2 and Halo 3, and why

->Open Spoiler<-

Johnson/Arbiter are there before him.

That's a pretty stupid move in terms of continuity considering it's the opening of the game. About 99&#37; of the game's potential audience won't have read them or even know they exist.

[Mardigan8]

The same thing happened between 1 and 2 did it not, but the gap was explained through the 'First Strike' novel... great read by the way.

[Concept]

Yeah, but the difference there is that there isn't a continuity error (or lack of knowledge) for people who haven't played anything but the games. I'm all for expanding the fiction so long as it doesn't screw up scene transitions, and I'd say the beginning is ever so slightly important in terms of establishing momentum from Halo 2. Did Bungie really want keen players scratching their heads wondering how the Chief came down like a comet considering he was last on High Charity... instead of immediately concentrating on with the scene setting exposition in the jungle?

Anyway, small(ish) point.

[Mardigan8]

So what is the explanation in the comic then Concept?

[Concept]

I don't know. I just read it on Halo 3's wiki entry here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_3#Plot_summary

In infinite wisdom the comicbook series hasn't been completed so it may be explained post-release.

[chopemon]

Sorry if this has been answered in the thread before but how does the Believe museum diorama tie into this?

Not sure how sensitive people are about spoilers for this.

->Open Spoiler<-

Have I totally missed its connection to Halo 3? I don't recollect that battle in the game much less Chief's capture.

Cheers!

[Keith]

It doesn't tie in at all apparently - the folks that wrote the ad campaign weren't privvy to any details of the game's plot.

[Mardigan8]

Sorry if this has been answered in the thread before but how does the Believe museum diorama tie into this?

Not sure how sensitive people are about spoilers for this.

->Open Spoiler<-

Have I totally missed its connection to Halo 3? I don't recollect that battle in the game much less Chief's capture.

Cheers!

->Open Spoiler<-

Hype mate bastards!! I was praying to see a cut scene involving that setting but alas... I guess it would have been too obvious having it in the gamea fter everyone has seen it.

I guess it puts a lot of other real War memorials into perspective... did they actually happen