The Halo saga...

[chosen_one666]

I was actually waiting for the copout at the end of First Strike, for the remaining SPARTANs to get wiped out by some random plasma fire or something as I couldn't see how they were going to fit into the story if they survived, but alas, Bungie decided just to ignore their existence entirely in Halo 2!!

I'm not so sure they did ignore the existence of the other Spartans.

Remember when you see the Scarab take out the Scorpion tank just before you have to get inside it and blow it up? The Chief approaches the Leuitenant and he says "When I asked for reinforcements I didn't think they'd send a Spartan.', implying that there is more than one Spartan out there.

Of course that could just be done to the fact that dead Spartans are listed as MIA on official casualty lists to add to the illusion that Spartans cannot be killed.

Also, remember that there are three other Spartans out there that were not called back to Reach before the Covenant attacked. So on top of the Chief and the three (was it three, or two?) Spartans that survived First Strike, there are three more out there somewhere.

Halo 3 would be the perfect time to introduce these other Spartans into the games, even if we don't see them. The Covenant is attacking Earth, so it stands o reason that the other Spartans would be on Earth somewhere, leading the fight against Covenant (think along the lines of the Jedi acting a generals during the Clone Wars).

[Flabio]

Few random points:

What makes us think Halo 3 is going to spend more than 5 minutes on earth?

Given there's another book to come, we don't even know who's going to still be alive come the start of Halo 3.

If you read the recent graphic novel, you can see that they've retconned out one or two bits from the novel. Notably:

->Open Spoiler<-

Sgt. Johnson's escape from the flood in Halo 1 is now down to him being badass rather than immune to them.

There's also

->Open Spoiler<-

a story with a 'retired' spartan testing the new version of the armour that the Master Chief is given in Halo 2. It's obviously set just before the start of Halo 2, but could quite easily be after First Strike, which would make it one of the spartans that came back with him.

[Mardigan8]

I dont think the Lieutenant say "a SPARTAN" is enough to explain the fact the Chief is on his own at the start of Halo 2. They ignored the fact that Nylund had surviving SPARTANs at the end of First Strike when they made Halo 2, we can only hope they dont make the same mistake with Halo 3.

The next book must somehow explain the activities of the other SPARTANs while The Chief was fighting in Halo 2. Nylund cannot ignore the existence of these characters as he has already established them so they must re-appear in the next book, even if it is only to explain their fate. The problem is what do Bungie choose to do with the existence of the other SPARTANs in Halo 3 as I feel it something they really should be using!! We can only hope the other SPARTANs survive to the start of Halo 3 and get the glory they deserve!!

I have played out scenes in my head with The Chief in action with the SPARTANs so many times through the books, I just pray they bring it to the game!!

And about the survivours who are with the Chief in First Strike, who really should all get airtime in Halo 2 but dont...

->Open Spoiler<-

there is 3 SPARTANs Fred, Will, and Linda then Sgt Johnson and then you have Dr Halsey and the final SPARTAN Kelly.

[Concept]

Halo 3 would be the perfect time to introduce these other Spartans into the games, even if we don't see them. The Covenant is attacking Earth, so it stands o reason that the other Spartans would be on Earth somewhere, leading the fight against Covenant (think along the lines of the Jedi acting a generals during the Clone Wars).

Bang on. That's what I'm hoping for. Increased com catcher or some such to give a sense of scale to the conflict on Earth with the other Spartans. You could have them clearing out areas for the Chief to make his way into or simply fighting on another continent. It'd not only serve the fans but it'd help provide depth to the level of the Covenant invasion.

I'd personally like to see Bungie use the 360 to do all sorts of cool things with the HUD (not as cluttered, but in a similar vein to Ghost Recon) so people talk to you through video-link in the corner and upload maps/data/relevant objectives inside the Chief's helmet, though I can see how that might piss off some purists.

It's like you suggest though... to place in the other Spartans in there (be it cutscene or com chat) would increase the sense of anticipation for the game. Imagine the cheer and instant buzz the Halo 3 trailer would have generated if the camera had pulled back to show the other three in active service with him? I'm surprised they didn't go for a small twist like that to get people going, but it could be considered a plot spoiler which Bungie are trying to stay away from.

Few random points:

What makes us think Halo 3 is going to spend more than 5 minutes on earth?

User feedback mostly, and the fact that Bungie aren't oblivous their to fans. That's not to say they'll place anything in Halo 3 that's for high demand, but I think they're well aware of the criticisms levelled at Halo 2 and they'll be looking to address them.

This why I think it'll be Master Chief all the way (no secondary characters) for a good portion of the game on Earth as it's been called for time and time again (though I don't think it'll end there). I'd also harbour a guess that there's no way in hell that Halo 3's end won't be anything less than spectacular to make up for the rushed feel to Halo 2's. All speculation of course, but I think the uneven pacing is going to be one of the first things they'll set out to get right this time (a recent Bungie update said the game is currently feeling more like the original Halo which is a good thing).

The next book must somehow explain the activities of the other SPARTANs while The Chief was fighting in Halo 2. Nylund cannot ignore the existence of these characters as he has already established them so they must re-appear in the next book, even if it is only to explain their fate. The problem is what do Bungie choose to do with the existence of the other SPARTANs in Halo 3 as I feel it something they really should be using!! We can only hope the other SPARTANs survive to the start of Halo 3 and get the glory they deserve!!

There's a good chance the next book could be before Halo 2 starts as it's 20th October when Earth is hit (I think) and First Strike ends sometime mid September, so that's why I feel there's a possibility of the Spartans being culled as it wouldn't impact on the storylines of 2 or 3, and they'd know that 1 didn't really suffer from not mentioning them to stay believable in terms of narrative. Having said that... from the story side, the fact that Chief has been with all these characters throughout his entire life would make no mention of them at all -if they were to die before Halo 3- odd.

You never know, with the book out early November, MS might release another short trailer at the X06 event (wherever it's being held this year) or delay it for the PS3. It's unlikely, but with no E3 next year we might not be seeing or hearing anything of the game until late 2007.

[chosen_one666]

I'd personally like to see Bungie use the 360 to do all sorts of cool things with the HUD (not as cluttered, but in a similar vein to Ghost Recon) so people talk to you through video-link in the corner and upload maps/data/relevant objectives inside the Chief's helmet, though I can see how that might piss off some purists.

If they do include the other Spartans, and they do make contact with the Chief they could easily do something like how the HUD is described in the books, with acknowledgement markers from the other Spartans flashing when orders are given (perhaps to give a few levels a slight Rainbow Six or Ghost Recon feel to them). A bit of team based combat with the other Spartans could be a laugh.

[Mardigan8]

Picture it though... The Chief surveying a Covenant invasion force numbering in the hundreds of ships, you hear a voice ask him a question and then another SPARTAN comes into shot as 2 more follow behind... every jaw would be on the floor and it would set the scene for Halo 3 like no other game has done before!!

Plus, the other SPARTANs are total badasses...

->Open Spoiler<-

Linda coming back to life after saving The Chief at the end of "Fall of Reach" and being the most deadly Sniper in the galaxy... Fred leading his team on Reach against impossible odds and Kelly always being at the chiefs side, sustaining ridiculous injuries to protect the doctor and then being kidnapped by her

... the potential for these characters is insane and Bungie would really be doing themselves a diservice if they didnt tap this!!

[Concept]

Don't highlight the spoiler if you've not completed Halo 2.

Coming back to the gameplay, and having completed Halo 2 again the other day, anyone else think that the second level Earth mission should have been rejigged and used after the

->Open Spoiler<-

last level with the Arbiter? It would have ended the game on a higher note and given it that obviously cleaved final section it's climax fails to lead to.

Bungie could have used escaping from the ship the Chief's on to a Covenant crusier (without a bomb) akin to the announcement trailer and have it slip-jumping out to the other Halo instead of him piggybacking on Regret's carrier. I suppose one drawback of that is starting with a level similar to the Pillar of Autumn, followed by one with the Arbiter playable for the first time... well that would have probably pissed some people off even more.

I can't help thinking if the level design had been arranged and scripted differently (the stuff that was already there) the lack of a proper climax to Halo 2 could have been avoided (yes, I know it's the second in the trilogy, but there's no sense of resolution to it as a standalone segment). Perhaps Delta Halo could have been used before the Arbiter was introduced on the remnants of the 04.

Agree on the other Spartans. If they don't make it into a Halo game perhaps there could be room for side-cut scenes after Halo 3 is finished to tell what happened to them on Earth (akin to the ODST cutscene accompanying the multiplayer pack). It'd be a lightweight solution though.

[Flabio]

Books books and more books...

http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?cid=8849

[Concept]

Coming off the back of reading the novels and playing through the games in chronological order, the news couldn't have come at a better time.

I kind of wish they'd kept the 'Ghosts of Coral' name, but the fact there's going to be three more is superb. I wonder what the 'exciting' news is going to be?

[Mardigan8]

Cant access that link in work, aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... what is the timeline for these new books? Where do they fit in the current saga?

I want to maintain what I have started and play and read along the defined timeline.

[Concept]

The Next Halo Novel: Ghosts of Onyx
Posted by Frankie at 8/29/2006 2:51 PM PDT

The next Halo novel is Ghosts of Onyx, by Eric Nylund. Let the celebrations begin! Our new publishing partner, Tor, will release the latest novel in November, 2006 continuing and expanding the scenarios and characters created by Nylund, and expanding the Halo universe a little bit more.

?Halo has established itself as one of the finest science fiction universes to emerge from the video game industry,? says Tor editor Eric Raab. ?The first three novels merely scratched the surface. The storyline that the folks at Bungie have created is phenomenal, and its characters are begging to be explored further in novels.?

The announcement of the new novel also heralds the fact that (at least) two other Halo novels will be published by Tor, and those will have some very exciting news attached to them, but we'll tell you more about that much later.

Fans of the Halo novels and followers of Nylund's fiction probably already saw the leak of the book's production title, "Ghosts of Coral." The novel's actual title, "Ghosts of Onyx" will reveal its fictional origin in November. So if you're interested, you can pre-order it now.

The cover art for the new book was actually created in-house by a Bungie artist, and we look forward to revealing that very shortly. Maybe even in the next week or two.

It did say three books at one point. Probably still to be determined.

No mention of any specific content.

[Uli]

Picture it though... The Chief surveying a Covenant invasion force numbering in the hundreds of ships, you hear a voice ask him a question and then another SPARTAN comes into shot as 2 more follow behind... every jaw would be on the floor and it would set the scene for Halo 3 like no other game has done before!!

Plus, the other SPARTANs are total badasses...

->Open Spoiler<-

Linda coming back to life after saving The Chief at the end of "Fall of Reach" and being the most deadly Sniper in the galaxy... Fred leading his team on Reach against impossible odds and Kelly always being at the chiefs side, sustaining ridiculous injuries to protect the doctor and then being kidnapped by her

... the potential for these characters is insane and Bungie would really be doing themselves a diservice if they didnt tap this!!

exactly my point too. and just imagine the possibilities they had for co-op gameplay. play through the campaign, or parts of it at least, as a Spartan team with your online buddies! what a blast!

if Bungie doesn't manage to incorporate co-op gameplay through Xbox live this time they will get punished for doing a lazy job!

[Flabio]

Cover and plot synopsis for the new book revealed:

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/11770/Cover-Art-for-Halo-Ghosts-of-Onyx-Revealed/

[JohnMcL7]

What do people think of the graphic novel? I have to say I was quite disappointed, especially since I've recently been reading through the excellent Empire Trilogy graphic novels based on Timothy Zahn's books.

John

[chopemon]

What do people think of the graphic novel? I have to say I was quite disappointed, especially since I've recently been reading through the excellent Empire Trilogy graphic novels based on Timothy Zahn's books.

John

agreed, i was very disappointed with it

some of the art was atrocious