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The One Most Overrated Game of All Time

Date: 2008-06-07

Author: Rafael Gamboa

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   Halo. Everyone is familiar with this gaming phenomenon, and everyone seems to have nothing but praise for this apparently revolutionary shooter. It sells as if it had been forged by a limited supply of solid God and was guaranteed to provide full-body orgasms lasting hours. Master Chief has been carried up the Mount Olympus of gaming by the critical community on a palanquin of perfect 10s to stand alongside other legends like Mario, Link, and Sonic.

Halo, in my infuriated opinion, is the most overrated and undeserving game series of all time.

   Maybe it's because when I heard that Microsoft was going to make a video game console, a significant portion of my soul turned black, never to regain its former luster. Maybe it's because every experience I've had playing Halo was with friends who were better than me only because they owned the game and not because they were gamers (which they inevitably weren't). Maybe it's because the game is more mainstream than greed and boy bands circa 1998, and my elitist games-as-art streak simply can't handle that. Maybe those are the reasons why I just can't seem to bask in the glory that is the Halo wet dream.

   Maybe.

   Or maybe it's because the game is more unbalanced than a cross-eyed toddler, offers no distinguishing features that separate it from the universes and capabilities of any other FPS, has a completely generic and unrewarding single player campaign, and boasts the most annoying and repulsive online community the world has ever seen.

   Halo 3 screenshot Let me address some of the backlash I can already hear coming:

   "Yeah, the single player isn't all that, but it's a multiplayer game and the multiplayer is teh awesome! XBOX Live roxors!"

   First off, if it's a multiplayer game, then why they hell did they bother with a single player campaign? Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer game that doesn't glue-stick in some hackneyed generic plot for you to slog through because it felt like it had to obey some arcane genre strictures. TF2 gives you a straight shoot-em-up multiplayer experience that is one of the most intense, well-balanced, and engrossing in a long, long time. There are things that annoy me about TF2, to be sure, but those are more personal preference issues and not issues of poor design on the part of the Valve team. So why didn't Bungie do something similar with Halo, since it obviously cared more about multiplayer than the single player campaign they put half the effort into?

   Secondly, if the single player is mediocre at best, then why the hell is the game getting perfect 10s?!?

   "Wat r u talking about? Halo has lotz of distinguishing featurez!"

   There's nothing innovative in Halo. Absolutely nothing. Anything that Halo feels proud of has been done before, and often better. Dual wielding? Goldeneye 007 did it in special circumstances, and Perfect Dark did it standard. Vehicles in multiplayer? Unreal Tournament, and those vehicles are cooler. Master Chief? The whole taciturn hero thing has been done many times before with more memorable and interesting characters (Gordan Freeman is the obvious example), and the only thing that keeps Master Chief from looking like every other space marine from Starcraft to Warhammer 40,000 is the fact that his power suit boasts a helmet with a cute little brim over the visor. Mixing up elements from previous distinguished games and then failing to improve these elements in any significant fashion does not make a game innovative.

   Halo 3 screenshot I mean, really, what about Halo is so new and different? Yes, Halo 3 allows you to record your multiplayer outings for future perusal and YouTube posting--which is quite nice, but it has nothing to do with gameplay. The Covenant weapons, though interesting designs, are never implemented in ways that are as interesting or as useful as the Maian and Skedar weapons in Perfect Dark. Heck, the human weapons don't match up well with that eight-year-old game. Perfect Dark even manages to outclass Halo's infamous sticky grenades, in that all manner of mines (timed, proxy, or remote) can be stuck onto a person for loads of fun.

   Oh, the weapons. This brings me to the problem of game balance, which for me was the fatal flaw in Halo. After having played for a couple of days, I came to realize that I wasn't losing so horrifically because I was a bad tactician or bad at shooters. I was losing for two reasons: 1) Somebody had a sniper rifle, and 2) bad respawns. Good lord, does this series have awful respawns! You don't even get a single measly second of invincibility to compensate for being placed right in death's merry path. I remember playing Halo 2, dying, and then remaining out of the game for the next twenty seconds as I died six times in a row without being able to take more than three steps. Of course, the respawns wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the goddamned sniper rifles.

   If you've ever played Halo, you know how good the sniper rifles are. They're supposed to be ineffective at close range, but we all know that's a fib. If you don't have a sniper rifle and someone else does, you're SOL until you get one for yourself. Unlike any other good FPS, any weapon that isn't a sniper rifle, sticky grenade, or beam sword is about as worthless as a mace made of toothpicks held together with old mayonnaise. Until you get your hands on any one of those three weapons, you might as well be running around furiously blowing bubbles. But at the very least, the sticky grenade and the beam sword have mitigating factors. Both can get guaranteed kills, but you have to get good at throwing to use the sticky grenades and you have to be up close and personal to use the sword.

   Halo 3 screenshot The sniper rifle has absolutely no mitigating factors. The fact that it has a four-bullet magazine never makes a difference, because in every other aspect the gun is perfect. In fact, it barely even resembles a sniper rifle. Sniper rifles are supposed to bestow the benefits of long range and precision accuracy in exchange for high recoil, low rates of fire, small magazines, longer reload times, and complete uselessness at short range and in tight spaces. Since most games can't replicate reality, some of these features are often represented abstractly. Sometimes you can't move and shoot at the same time, sometimes turning to look is much slower, etc.

   Halo's sniper rifle can be shot while running, jumping, or falling out of a vehicle from calamitous heights, and in any of those situations can be fired at full zoom without suffering any penalty to accuracy. You could be spinning like a top and the bullets you fire will still go directly to the spot your crosshairs were pointing at the moment you pulled the trigger. Not only that, but the bullets themselves can penetrate at least three helmeted heads and still have the momentum to traverse the entire real estate of the level without ever once changing trajectory. These bullets can also ricochet twice and still have enough killing power for a one-hit kill.

   The extreme deadliness of the sniper rifle is compounded by the extreme vulnerability of your power armor encased head. Halo is the only game I know of where you can get fragged by a flying traffic cone to the noggin. Or, for that matter, by getting bopped in the face by a flying corpse's knee. If Halo's physics engine and damage system had been placed in FIFA, half your team would be lying dead on the field before half-time because they all stupidly thought they could safely hit a ball with their head. Hell, maybe everybody would be dead by then, seeing as they don't even have the dubious benefit of Master Chief's helmet.

   In the course of three games, none of these egregious flaws have ever been addressed. The games are broken, and yet they still garner incredible critical acclaim. What the hell they see in the Halo series, I have no idea. All I know is that I'd much rather be shooting rebars from a crossbow in Half-Life 2, manhandling a Farsight in Perfect Dark, dual-wielding golden guns in GoldenEye 007, and absorbing the recoil from a .50 caliber sniper rifle in Rainbow Six for my one-hit kills, since they actually require skill, tactics, and battlefield awareness. The frat boys can have Halo, for all I care. I don't need overpowered weapons blowing away heads made of cotton candy to make myself feel more manly in a game.

- Rafael Gamboa



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(236 Comments, click to add yours)


On Sat, Jun 7, 2008, 06:26 PM Ken said:

I think the problem can be traced back to Microsoft HQ being built over an ancient temple and Bill Gates' pledging of his soul to dark forces.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 01:23 AM Lysithix said:

You dont suck at all, you are whining about the easiest game EVER, if you can't deal with a damn sniper rifle you can't strafe, sell your Xbox, gtfo the internet, and die a lonely death with your pokemon games.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 01:45 AM Jim said:

You dont suck at all, you are whining about the easiest game EVER
It's true, games without any sort of challenge are really fun...especially the bit where any beginner can pick up one of the better weapons and beat the hardcore gamers. Awesome replay factor right? :/

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 01:47 AM Anon said:

Lysithix seems to clearly prove the point about the horrid online community. I agree that is game is given way more credit than it ever will deserve, and I doubt that the problems Rafael mentioned will ever go away. But I have to give Halo one thing... it keeps the dregs of society away from the good online shooters.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:25 AM lolol WUT said:

halo CE revolutionized Console shooters as we know them now, and halo 2 revolutionized the online party and matchmaking system on Xbox live.  THATS why its so critically acclaimed.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 06:00 AM sodalis said:

I agree with your assessment of the sniper rifle. You failed to add the B-X-R. (Melee, cancel, fire) Insta-kill if deployed with full mag using the Battle Rifle.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 06:12 AM Shane said:

I dont play much Halo, but I think its not bad. I think your blatant hatred of Microsoft's console is odd. To completely deny the merit of any system is ungamer-like. Sega CD, that was a terrible console... add on thing, but I had one.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 06:17 AM This guy said:

you make several good points, including the one about you being elitist... but the sniper rifle isn't really all that--- if you hit some one while they're scoping the go back to normal zoom, - combinations of weapons can be very bad ass. - I haven't had the experience of (excessive) bad respawns except on CTF or bomb type games - and you always want to spawn near your own base then any way ....
i do like the single player campaign - I read a review about halo and i found i agreed with it- Its about pacing - You make progress without it feeling too easy -- i really enjoyed all of the vids - but come on -- these are not fair examples- bring me 500 vids of triple kill  sniper shots -- a LOT of ppl play this game - freak shit is going to happen --
Okay Xbox live is full of the lowest of the low--- no arguments there - but the matchmaking system is pretty good -- i never feel like the host is godzilla like with some games-
thanks for the good read...

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 07:34 AM \zx\ said:

well done fuck face im gonna come cut ur nigga face cos ur so shit and stupid  



On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 07:41 AM elfo said:

Halo - the most overrated shooter since the dawn of gaming. Seriously. What did it do well? [i]It was on a console[/i]. As far as gameplay goes, dozens of games had been doing exactly what Halo was doing for a decade on the PC.

I completely agree with the article.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 07:53 AM That guy said:

-You can change game settings before a multiplayer game to allow spawn protection, and most online games offer this anyway (your friends' fault for not turning it on)
-If you can't dodge sniper fire, learn to play properly. Running in a straight line isn't going to protect you
-Vehicles weren't introduced to the UT series until the 2004 version; the first Halo game was released in 2001.

Also, if you don't like the game, don't play it. You mentioned something about not liking some aspects of TF2 because of personal preference, and then claim that you don't like Halo because of some absolute, objective reasons - and yet people disagree with you. It's all personal preference when it comes to games. Stop being an elitist prick.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 07:56 AM That guy said:

Me again, forgot something:

The single player campaign for the original Halo game was amazing. The story line was excellent and the gameplay never got boring. You could finish the game, and then play it again on a harder difficulty, and it would still be exciting.

The later Halo editions improved on this. Playing the co-op campaign for Halo 3 on the hardest difficulty is really something.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 08:25 AM Anomie said:

While I am by no means a halo fan boy, I think that it really does do a few things right. There are some shortcomings, as with any game, and it obviously didnt deserve a 10, but it seems like you have some kind of vendetta against the game besides it being mediocre and overrated.

For starters, it has some of the most natural controls of a console FPS, which is hard to pull off. The auto aim is just powerful enough to keep you in control while not making the game a joke. One of my complaints with console FPSing is that no one can find an appropriate balance in auto aim sensitivity, and Halo now sets the standard for me.

Most importantly, for me, is that Halo has some of the most satisfying co op play in any game. The 4 player co op, combined with the ability to play on insane difficulty levels due to skull options, make for replayability, even if you only have a friend or two to play with. Nothing like taking a break with my brother and blasting some aliens.

Halo may not do anything completely new or exciting, but it takes the important elements from other FPSs and does them better. There is a reason that it is used as the bench mark for FPS console gaming, and that is because it is a well rounded game.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to mine, but it seems as if you take a certain satisfaction in being a "rebel", and are superior to us drones who cant think for ourselves. Maybe you should lighten up a little. Its only a game. Don't play it if you don't like it, but don't complain about balance and gameplay mechanics until you have played enough to actually be good at the game.

I understand that it can be frustrating playing against a veteran online community, and you feel completely powerless when you first jump in. The same is true for any game. You cant jump into Splintercell fo an hour, and then complain that the mercs are OP because you happen to be facing people who have been playing the game for years. You cant jump into World of Warcraft and expect to be on par with people who have been PVPing for years (even assuming equal gear etc). Hell, you cant even jump into Call of Duty 4 (one of the best balanced FPSs so far), and expect  to outclass the veterans.

Its the same case with Halo. You obviously dont like it, so you havent spent enough time playing to be good. Im sure you could be good at it if you cared to play it, but thats not the case. Thats perfectly fine. What is not fine is complaining about balance issues when you dont truely have the skill to determine if a weapon is overpowered, or if you just made a mistake.

I hope this doesnt come across as condescending or harsh, but the trend of new bloggers and reviewers attacking popular games is getting kind of tiresome. They feel it lends them credibility, as they arent blinded by the glitter and hype like the rest of us, but in all honesty it often leads them to be overly critical. We really only need one Yahtzee.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 08:27 AM Plank said:

So what frat are you bros in?

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 08:29 AM adam said:

Yeah, that's all great, but it's still a fun game.

Everything considered, i love Half-Life 2 and Counter Strike and Team Fortress and Unreal and all the other hallmark shooters and multiplayer games, but every now and then I like just playing a simple, fun, mindless game. And I don't know about your experiences with it, but it's always been fun for me, and I consider myself a pretty experienced player in FPS games.

It can be easy or difficult; the single player is rewarding, fun, and replayable; the multiplayer is exciting and just customizable and inviting enough that it makes playing with almost anyone a good time.

The thing is, I don't really give a crap which game innovated what first, and I don't mind that it didn't revolutionize first person gaming; I never played it for that reason.

It's like attacking a Die Hard movie because of a bad plot: we didn't come to the theater looking for an avant-garde, groundbreaking film. Some people just like explosions and punching sound effects every now and then. We still watch better movies afterwards; we just like a break now and then.

And there's nothing shameful in admitting that as long as you stop taking yourself so fucking seriously - cause it's just entertainment.



On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 08:43 AM james said:

this article is spot on. halo is a CRAP game. if you want awesome TF2, CoD4 or unreal, they are all much better than halo. jesus all weapons need have recoil, but apaprently in halo they DONT. wtf is up with that

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 08:53 AM Dapipminmonkey said:

Your slight rant about the sniper rifles seems to be a load of shit, you complained that your character is capable of running, jumping, falling all while holding/aiming/firing a sniper rifle?  Take in to account the back story on your character, he's a super soldier, not only wearing a kick ass, extremely sensitive armor, but also, Master Chief is genetically enhanced.  Don't you think that would be a completely legitimate answer as to why that's possible.

Furthermore, my friend who hardly games at all and had never played Halo 3 started playing as my guest a few months back.  We played one day a week for roughly 3 hours switching in and out with another friend.  Granted the first time he sucked balls, but after he played a short while he got better.  This actually happened quite fast after the third week he wasn't the lowest scorer in the game.  After the fifth week we were constantly taking the highest scores of the game.  Halo isn't that hard if you'd quit your bitching and actually try to play for a few moments.

As to Halo's campaign mode, for me, it's practice.  Set the difficulty to legendary, turn on some of the skulls and try to survive.  Going from that to half retarded 12 year olds isn't so bad.

Finally, Halo is an excellent game because you can simply pick it up and just play.  There's no complications to finding a simple game and fragging the hell out of it.  With Halo, i don't feel like I have to dedicate a few hours to it if I really want to play, if i want to play a single match, then that's all there is to it...

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:03 AM GoogleyMoogley said:

This comment contains no facts or real basis, that having been said.
Halo Blows, plain and simple, their is a cult following and as with many cult games they have and will stay alive much longer than they should.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:05 AM Kalga said:

This article is perfect. I agree with Every. Single. Word.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:20 AM Jon said:

I agree that the Halo series isn't quite as worthy of the position of one of the best FPS games ever made.
However i do understand the re-playability of it. You used TF2 to compare it to, but I personally find TF2 to be a complete pain to play, I really like it, and it's definately different compared to other FPS games, but whenever i hae played TF2 it's mostly just been a case of *spawn, run, die* for me. I may jsut suck at the game, but that's how it plays for me most of the time.
Your complaint about the sniper rifle is the thing I don't really udnerstand. Yes it is a good weapon in the game...but it is hard to use, considering how erratically a lot of players will move around, especially when they realise they are being watched. When you hurt someone who is scoped, they become unscoped. You have to be good to get a headshot every time.
If anything the msot over-powered and unbalanced weapon of the game has to be the plasma sword. Whenever someone has hold of it they instantly have control of the game.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:36 AM Maku said:

If I could give you a pat on the back, it'd be the best pat on the back you ever received. :D

Oh, and if you want to review a game with bad damn community, try Gunz: The Duel. *shudders* I get called a noob every three seconds.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:52 AM sam said:

i couldn't agree with this article more... the entire game is just bland, i don't understand what it revolutionised?
console multiplayer fps? did any of you play goldeneye 64?
halo is only popular because hordes of microsoft fanboys found that they had one exclusive game on the old xbox... and hyped it up something huge...
it's a conspiracy i tells ya

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:05 AM rob s said:

i only needed to read the title before i knew that you were wrong.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:09 AM dred said:

ok, i wanted to be on your side at first but...your wrong! YOU ARE A PANSY ASS GOOD FOR NOTHING DONT GIVE A SHIT DOUCHEBAG!!!!!
If you cant live with the fact that your new at a game and arnt good yet, you dont deserve to call yourself a gamer!!! Yah, i sucked at halo at first, but if you keep playing you get better!!Now im a god!!

P.S. While you suck at halo, and are getting better, its always fun to just mess around, try betraying!

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:18 AM Ephemeriis said:

I'll be honest with you, I enjoyed Halo's single-player storyline.  I've never done the multi-player.  But one of the main reasons I enjoyed the single-player is pure nostalgia.

I used to be a Mac gamer, back when that wasn't quite as oxymoronic as it is these days...  And I used to love the Marathon games.  And Halo plays just like a polished-up modern day remake of the Marathon games. 

Slight storyline modifications, sure...but not a whole lot.  Instead of playing an un-named cyborg security officer you're the Master Chief.  Instead of an AI named Durandal leading you around you've got an AI named Cortana.  Instead of the Pfhor you've got the Covenant. 

Dual-wielding?  Marathon had it.  Engaging storyline?  Marathon had it.  An enemy that corrupted your human friends and turned them into monsters to attack you?  Marathon had it.  Hell...Marathon Infinity even had a ring-shaped station that had to be detonated to keep an ancient evil from escaping its prison!

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:46 AM Jonathan said:

The whole premise of this article is flawed.

Yahtzee is the most overrated game of all time. You roll dice. That's it. $15 for a cup and five dice.

As for Halo, no matter how many flaws and shortcomings it has, you can't argue with success.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:28 AM Mark said:

Wait a minute...  Halo 3 has the worst online game experience?  I'm sorry but that's a bit off.  I have yet to play an online game that isn't full of idiots.  Halo 3's online community is horrible, no question there.  But what games are you guys playing that are free of 12 year olds telling you that you suck and that they did your mom?  Seriously.  I would like to play these games. 

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:40 AM jigga said:



On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:45 AM Raymond Bray said:

I have been saying Halo is overrated since the first one came out.The point is not that it sucks ,but that it truly is not revolutionary in any way. I.E. the overrated status. It only seems groundbreaking to people who hadnt seen this type of gameplay before. Being a PC gamer i had already played games with everything Halo has and more. UT was mentioned , but as someone pointed out that game didnt have vehicles untill after Halo. The game that really innovated the multiplayer battles with vehicles is Tribes 2. It is still more innovative than Halo even though its ancient by game standards and its still more fun. The console fanboys just dont know what they missed, so there happy with a mediocre game like Halo. Dont get me wrong i had a good time with the single player on Halo. They truely did a good job putting together a solid FPS. Its just that its not as great when you have seen and played everything it has to offer already. So once again the Halo doesnt suck. Its just overrated. They say ignorance is bliss

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:46 AM jigga said:

the halo series is the best, without a doubt. Your talk of bad respawns, is largely irrelevant except on a FEW maps (last resort enemies spawn behind you on the beach sometimes when your near the sniper) You say the sniper, sword, and sticky grenades are the only three useful weapons... sword SUCKS in halo 3, you forgot the battle rifle, shotgun, carbine, and also the assault rifle is plenty good

garbage review of h3


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:49 AM Chief said:

This article is completely true. In almost every single way. Everyone who flames this article should be named "the 8 year old fag who thinks they are the best player ever."

And guess why there is 8 year olds playing Halo 3? Bad parenting.

Back to the topic at hand, I quit Halo 3 after the the Heroic pack, but before the Legendary pack. Reason? There is no balance in the weapons. It just plain sucks, really.

Comparing with TF2, it takes A LOT more skill, and is BALANCED. Seriously. You have to counter one class with another.

But still, Halo 3 is all about the weapons, and since the weapons are not balanced, the game requires no skill.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 12:13 PM Rafael Gamboa said:

#1: I know how to strafe. Everybody knows how to strafe, especially people who grew up playing Goldeneye. Strafing is not the problem.

#2: I know how to get good at games. Everybody knows how to get good at games, and that's with practice. Practicing is not the problem. Obviously, you can practice the shit out of a game and become a master regardless of how good or how awful the game is.

The problem is that this game is relentlessly mediocre. It's not terrible, or nobody would play it. It's simply mediocre, and that mediocrity does not alleviate what I consider to be major game balance issues. To people who love to power game, a strict hierarchy of weapon deadliness fits perfectly with their method of playing, which is to simply collect the best weapons and items and then proceed to conquer. Sure, there is always room for skill, but the point is that somebody who has a sniper rifle has the cards stacked in his/her favor by a long shot.

Obviously, I'm not expecting a pistol to be as deadly as a sniper rifle. That's stupid. What I am expecting is for all the weapons to be effective in their own right. When two shots to the chest from a sniper rifle can do what thirty rounds to the chest from an assault rifle cannot, I would consider that a major balance issue.

"
\zx\ said:

well done fuck face im gonna come cut ur nigga face cos ur so shit and stupid"

If your mastery of cutting faces is anything like your mastery of language, I'm not worried in the least.


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 12:18 PM Lexx said:

WOW can you guess which comment posters are Xbox Fanboys? lol.
 I've thought the Halo series was overrated from the first one, i played through the game for many hours and it just felt like a chore but i kept playing it because of the high marks it was given by respected reviewers and i thought to myself "i must be missing something" or "it's going to get great in a second!" but alas no.

Halo is an adverage shooter at best with so many PC fps games (Single or online Multi) doing everything good it does better and they have been doing so for alot longer.
Edge magazine in the UK gave Halo and Halo 3 their highest mark 10/10 which they have only given out about 9 times in the last 15 years and i seriously considered stopping my subscription to the mag both times after playing these games and just KNEW they were payed off by Micro$oft to give those scores. NO WAY IN HELL is the Halo series worth even 10% of the hype it gets.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 12:41 PM Anonymous said:

You, sir, are a genius.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 12:47 PM Anonymous said:

hey in the end it's just a game...

what you're saying about the weapons is clearly a personal hatred of taking a head shot from 3 miles away, I'll admit the range on the thing is pretty extreme... but you're lack of understanding of master chief and his armour sort of labels you as someone who needs to do a bit more research...  Master Chief is a super human, in a suit in which he doesn't actually physically move, he thinks it; the suit moves for him, so why would he think he'd need wobble on his crosshairs??? he just thinks up down left right, squeeze trigger, no arm wobble involved...

and taking a round to the head kills master chief because the specs for that sniper rifle are insane, the bullets is like 15 cm long... even with his energy shields the shock would probably break his neck...

and the weapons are fairly balanced, admittedly there are the super weapons: sniper rifle, spartan laser, energy sword etc... the aim of slayer games is to control these weapons, each can be countered....

the sniper rifle is useless against someone with nerves of steel and a battle rifle at medium range, and blows moose testicles against something like a pair of SMG's or Spikers point blank... the infamous no scope head shot is most often more luck than skill... 

the Energy sword will teabag you in the face at close range: solution: don't get close, it's not that hard...  but even then I've beaten down an opponent sword lunging me after a few rounds to the head... it's just a way of tackling an opponent...

the weapons are there to counter each other... the classes that you boast of in TF2 I find restricting, I played it for a while and found the learning curve to be like running headlong into a wall... with spikes on... with Halo the weapons counter each other, meaning the classes are only who's good at using which weapons, I mean it's perfectly plausible for someone on Halo to practice constantly with a Pair of Magnums and just win almost constantly with them, until someone kills him from long range... so there's always a counter to the weapon you're using...

in the same way someone could practice on TF2 until the cows come home as a sniper... and then get raped by a heavy...  and the thing is that Heavy will almost always rape that sniper... in halo that sniper can be packing a shotgun as well, allowing him to fight back in a much fairer way rather than absorbing 500 rounds from a chaingun...  weapon choice is a skill too, so saying halo requires no skill is the same as saying that that heavy slapping around that poor sniper does require skill??? sort of an ant against an elephant really, I don't think it involves that much skill...

All in all halo wasn't revolutionary... it was by far one of the best CONSOLE shooters to be made, but it wasn't revolutionary it just took a lot of what made other games good and put it's own spin on them...

anyone can pick up halo and play it for a week and be acceptably good at it...  so theres no foul learning curve like with some other shooters...  it's not that amazing a game, but it is easy to pick up, with good controls, a physics engine that generates some hilarious outtakes (come on you have to admit you laughed when you got killed by a flying traffic cone???) and an online community that blows goats, but still for the few days I put up with the classes on TF2 no one spoke a word to me, at least on halo people are more vocal, even if it is only to question your parentage...

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 01:00 PM The Phantom Linker said:

Oh, so Co-Op was one of the defining features of the Halo series then? A feature that made single player a novel and entertaining experience. Where the heck was it for the PC users? Pulled out because they couldn't understand how to get it to work, despite the fact that the PC has been capable of handling Co-Op based campaigns since DOOM!

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 01:12 PM GrinMan said:

alright, I'm not the biggest Halo fan but I couldn't let one glaring error in your logic slide by.

You compared Halo to TF2. Yes, while both of these games are advertised for the online multi-player, but Halo couldn't be sold as just the online multi-player that TF2 is sold as. Imagine people spending 60 bucks on a game for their console, then realizing they had to spend another 60 just to be able to play it online. TF2 for the PC gives you free online play through Steam. I know it was also sold in The Orange Box but that came with other games that were single player (Portal, Half Life) so you weren't totally screwed if you bought the Orange Box and didn't have Xbox Live.

The backlash that microsoft would have received had they not put a single player campaign in Halo would have been horrible, so they were really just covering their own ass.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 01:26 PM Let me guess. said:

Your another team fortress cock sucker.  The games can't even be compared,  as they are complete opposites.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 01:29 PM James said:

I must admit, I don't see what your real issue is with Halo. Having gone through your article and considering what I know of FPS's, most of the points made seem a little weak.

I'll grant that Halo isn't for everyone, just as with any other game or activity in existence. That being said, it seems that your hatred of the game has less to do with the game itself and more to do with its popularity and public opinion. I can see where you're coming from, and yet I disagree with your points.

I've been playing FPS's since Goldeneye and Mission Impossible were big on the N64, recently I've spent a lot of time on Gears of War, Resistance, and Halo. I've found the following:

1. Halo has a significantly smoother feel to it. While I have nothing against either GoW or Resistance, Halo just plays smoother.

2. The multiplayer maps on Halo are significantly better than either of the others. They are all distinctive and unique when compared against others from the same game, something that I feel not many games can claim.

3. The single player campaign. Seriously. There's an actual storyline, one that is strong and well written. While I did enjoy the the plot of GoW, the fact is it seemed very choppy, the game more about playing than to have any real regard for the storyline. Indeed the story seemed like an afterthought at time, something the developers put in to make it a little longer and bigger.

These points having been addressed, I do enjoy aspects of GoW and Resistance that I miss in Halo, but not enough to claim them any better. I would agree that the ratings given to the game seem abnormally high, but it must be understood that the game is popular, an aspect of which is often understood in a rating system.

You mention sniper rifles in a rather derogatory fashion and I certainly agree. I find that when playing, my abilities with a sniper rifle are often incomparable to those I play with. The fact is, with one or two exceptions, every map in the game can be played with any other weapon against the sniper.

Ultimately I realize that this discourse is going to be labeled as the ramblings of yet another 'Halo frat boy'. The fact is, there seems to be a trend, at least on this article, in the amount of respect given by respondents. It would seem to me that for the most part, the 'frat boys' are the ones being respectful and clear in their responses, while those against Halo seem to lack the common curtsey's that I would hope you all actually had.

Also, if you actually played the game more than a few times, you 'd find that you'd get better at the game. This would prevent such ignorant and unnecessarily angry discourse.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 01:59 PM Siegfried said:

This guy isn't elitist, to do so, he would have to say he's better then everyone else, which he has done nothing to hint at that. He said that he doesn't like Halo and brings up the point that everything Halo has done has been done before, which is true, I haven't seen anyone refute that as of yet. I do agree about the sniper rifle and other weapons being unbalanced, and personally, that why I don't play the game.

p.s. Calling someone elitist and such is pretty damn elitist. Please refrain from being a hypocrite, you make the rest of humanity look bad.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:03 PM Kyle said:

Tampons are on aisle 6. Make sure to get the Ultra Absorbent ones. Sounds like you got a real gusher in your vagina area.

Also sounds like you are terrible at Halo and most FPS's in general. Please play more of them more often so that I can get easy kills.

I didn't even read your article in its entirety. Don't really have to.
I've heard it all before. Congrats that you escaped from whatever bridge you guarded, troll, but please just shut up. Whatever.

This sort of biased inaccurate swill belongs on some Sony fanboy's forum post. Please don't pass if off as editorial journalism.

Go back to your Unreal Tournament games against bots because I'm sure that's where you feel the most happy. Make sure to turn them on easy or n00b so that you get at least 3 kills.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:03 PM Ian said:

Right on brother.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:32 PM Rafael Gamboa said:

"Master Chief is a super human, in a suit in which he doesn't actually physically move, he thinks it; the suit moves for him, so why would he think he'd need wobble on his crosshairs??? he just thinks up down left right, squeeze trigger, no arm wobble involved...and taking a round to the head kills master chief because the specs for that sniper rifle are insane, the bullets is like 15 cm long... even with his energy shields the shock would probably break his neck..."

I'm sorry, but he can get killed by a flying traffic cone. You seriously can't tell me that a super suit that can absorb the immense shoulder-breaking recoil of such a god-gun is helpless against rubber. And let's assume its reasonable that the traffic cone somehow managed to get launched at Mach 2 from a barrel explosion, that still doesn't explain how someone's flying knee could kill someone in a super suit.

Also, you may have noticed that one of the videos I linked to shows someone getting killed by a headshot when the bullet clearly passed two feet from his head. How the hell did that bullet kill him if it didn't even touch him?

Some else here mentioned Gears of War and Resistance. Halo is, objectively, about as good as they are, all things considered. But none of them are masterpieces. They have their fans and their detractors. My big beef, apart from Halo having issues that rub me the wrong way, is that Halo has been called a masterpiece when those other two comparably competent shooters have not. It's simply not right.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:32 PM Cory said:

In my opinion, Halo is a decent shooter, but doesnt deserve to be up on the pedestal its on.  If only people would realize that...

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:33 PM mike said:

from the sound of it, it does not seem like you have played any other games other than just halo 3. the reason they did a single player is to finish the story arc that they did. bungie wanted to finish out the story that they started in halo 1. the big thing about halo was that in the first halo they made a console shooter really really work. that was what was such a big deal about the original. in halo 2 they had a really good matchmaking system that made it easy to find games and there was a reason it was xbox lives number 1 game since its release. the 3rd halo tried to take what was good about each of those respectively and make them better. not really sure why you have such a distain hatred of halo. but whatever to each his own

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:38 PM dob said:

    you obviously don't know what youre talking about... the sniper rifle is not as good as you are trying to play it up to be, and the rest of the weapons can easily beat it close range. the spawns are fine (unlike cod4) and you clearly just suck at using the controller.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:39 PM Cory said:

Me again. just thought id reply to Kyle's comment.

You, my friend, are the complete definition of a Halo Fanboy. I can understand that this article may have violated you and your fanboyism, but dont insult the guy when you havent even read the whole thing. Also, he said that he doesnt wanna be good at Halo because he doesnt really like it, so why bother? Also, dont criticize  him about being a Sony fanboy, because he clearly isnt as he mentions many Nintendo console video games. YOU are the one that needs to shut up, and stop trying to defend your little ALMIGHTY GOD THAT IS HALO and just go play it somemore, and leave us alone. thank you, and goodbye.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:44 PM Lord_Sloth said:

I love this article. It's oh so true.

PERFECT DARK 64 FTW!!!


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:48 PM Dan said:

Ignorance is bliss I guess ey Rafael. No the Halo series does not deserve perfect 10s (well besides the original) but it is a solid (contrary to your belief) balanced shooter. No offence you just sound like you are terrible at the game.

 Single Player in the first and third iterations in the series are brilliantly done. The game actually has a proper story with and a hell of a lot of lore if you know were to look.

Multiplayer also is great for the second and third halo game, actually requiring more skill then a game of COD4 or Gears of War.

But really the main reason why the series is so "Hyped" as you say, is because of the original game. It combined the great storytelling/Movie feel of Half-Life, with great fast paced action and threw in a host of things not seen in any FPS before it....

Like Health that recharge so you never get stuck in a certain spot because you just don't have enough health to get past the next room.

Or only having the ability to hold 2 weapons at once, introducing a smaller strategic element to the game "what weapon do I pick up? Will  I need this sniper rifle for the next area because its open, or will this assault rifle help more?"

Cohesively mixing fun vehicle game play within a FPS.

Numerous open levels which allow you to choose which direction to go instead of your completely linear Call of Duty style gameplay.

ALLIES, wow you have marines on your side helping you in your fights, sitting in the vehicles with you.

Immersive feel that your character is an actual hero, as you walk past marines and engineers/civis they spout comments to each other like "Wow its actually him" or "The cavalry has arrived"

Also the brilliantly mapped FPS controls for a console.

And it introduced Auto aim.

Those were just a few things off the top of my head but yeah, you get the idea.

Also if your having trouble being killed by the sniper rifle, you could always just, you know, shoot the person so they come out of zoom... because you like complain about it for half of your supposed (I guess) unbiased article which wasnt clearly influenced by you just plain being bad in a Halo match.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:57 PM Mounce said:

You pretty much said everything I would say, it is indeed overrated and I never enjoyed playing it because there is nothing special about it, it's an average every day shooter, nothing terrible but nothing better and it does nothing to improve itself over any other FPS. It's the exact same thing but merely overhyped with a horrible cliched Sci-fi plot and one of the most horrible character personalities ever, a dude who's a 1-man-army 1-line-using Face-hiding 'Super-Spartan-Soldier' its got overhyped and overrated written all over the game in every single way possible. Just to make as you said, those with heads made of cotton candy fly by such simplistic things. No one should be Wow'd so illogically, its humilating

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 02:57 PM dark said:

halo 3 suck

I agree with you

gears of war is better than halo3


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 03:09 PM Kyle said:

Hi Cory,

First off, what makes you think being called a Halo fanboy is a bad thing for me. Obviously I like the game and will defend it from people who make ridiculous arguments with poor points when he's trying to be professional.

And at no time did I criticize him for being a Sony fanboy. Don't tell me to read everything he's written and then not read my comment that you are responding too.

In fact all this really seems like a cheap and easy way to get site traffic. Who the fuck has even heard of Game Lemon anyways? Shit like this won't gain you constant traffic. All it does is start a whiny flame war. Why the fuck did the StumbleUpon Firefox add-on take me here? Damn my boredom


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 03:10 PM Xbot said:

I agree with this, halo is pretty generic.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 03:16 PM The Player True Gamer said:

this is  the biggest joke of a blog Ive ever read.

I could say the same thing with more evidence for every other fps out there. but guess what, halo did a lot of things first and best.

Matchmaking, first of its kind on XBL, and still the best (COD's mm is a joke, they just throw you in a room and split up the teams)

The controls were imagined by bungie and created to optimize performance on a gamepad.

Every shooter you play uses Halo's stick setup... unless its on the wii. and halo did it first.

The melee attack... ya, that was halo. Sure you could smack some1 with a wrench, but not until halo could you smack some1 with a rifle.

Seriously. dude needs to learn his videogame history.


BTW: the storyline in halo is very original, the only issue being that each game is predictable within the trilogy.

No other FPS has a story in which aliens try to destroy all life in the galaxy due to religion,and if you look into it has deep elements.


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 03:38 PM Chacron said:

It seems like the writer of this blog played a halo game once; the arguments he makes are vague and moot; and do not specifically refer to any of the games in the trilogy - but it seems that the writers favourite game series of all time is metal gear solid - what a shock.

I find it sad that people let console allegiances get in front of their enjoyment of good games - Halo and Halo 3 were fantastic single-player games on so many levels, and if you can't see that you're nothing more than a blind fanboy.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 03:44 PM PENGUINKK said:

I just love all of the Halo fanboys rushing to post here. It's hilarious.

Anyway, I mostly agree with you. While I believe Halo 2 and 3 are completely overrated, I'll admit I enjoyed the first Halo. I don't remember the sniper rifle being that insane, and the weapons weren't that over-the-top. I believe it's the accessability and replayability of the series that has created this mass praise of the game. I don't agree with it all, but the original did help, if not start, this FPS boom, so you have to give it that at least.


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 03:46 PM Cory said:

Kyle,

Dont tell me i didnt read your entire comment, because i did. And i understand that some of the points he made were pretty opinionated, but all in all he was right. Halo is a decent game, but it doesnt completely re-define the FPS genre like people seem to think it does.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 03:53 PM Lexx said:

OMFG i have to reiterate my line about "guess the Xbox Fanboys", OK fanboys you are missing the WHOLE point of this article that is that the Halo series IS NOT THE GOD OF FPS GAMES. While halo isn't the worst the whole point is that IT DOSEN'T DESERVE THE PEDESTAL IT'S BEEN PUT ON!!!

If you really believe that it's the be all and end all of FPS games then you really need to get the Xbox out your ass and play on something else because it's not. Yes it might be nice and polished to a certain extent but so it should be after the money that was spent on it but it's not original and it's not the best by a mile in either the single player game or the online multi. If you still think it is then you really are just retarded of have never played an online PC fps in which case you have no right to call yourselfs gamers.

Oh and to say it's "the best Console fps" is just BS from you trying to narrow the list of games, next you'll say "it's the best Xbox fps" then "the best Xbox fps released in 2007" etc..etc... Get over it fanboys it just doesn't stack up to the best of the rest.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 03:54 PM Jon said:

it sounds to me like you played the game one time with some friends online and got butthurt when playing shotty snipers on sandtrap or some shit. You obviously sucked and decided to BAWWWW about it on your only outlet available.

Halo is a great game, dont try to compare it to goldeneye because they both have guns, you couldnt duel wield in it unless you used the infinite ammo cheat anyways. YOU COULDNT EVEN FUCKING JUMP IN GOLDENEYE. Not to say it wasnt a fun game, it just isnt comparable to Halo.

IMO you are just some whiny loser trying to sound more intelligent than the rest of us "sheep" by having a different opinion than the mainstream. If the game truly, TRULY, sucked as much as you are making it out to, it would get more negative reviews than positive. I know this is true because there are a million and one other reviewers out there who would love to sound more intelligent then they are by giving this game a bad review, yet choose to stake their reputation by giving it ten out of ten.

tl:dr, OP is a whiny butthurt elitist faggot.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 04:02 PM Kyle said:

It may not re-define the FPS genre but it's overall mechanics are the best of any in it's field.

See how I just wrote that. In this comment. Not in the previous one. You might want to think about re-reading things a couple times before you respond to them. Also might want to consider proof reading your own comment. "I" is capitalized when used as a noun.

I suggest you just let it be. My fight is with the moron who started all of this. If he's letting people like you fight his battles for him. I've already won.

But back to the point of all of this, Halo is an incredible game that deserves most of its hype. It does alot of things right that most games struggle with.

Welcome to the minority people but the majority of us like the Halo series. Right now its an FPS world and Halo is King.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 04:18 PM Xbot said:

halo 1 was ok.
halo 2 sucked
halo 3 was terrible.

only 12 year olds that know nothing about FPS gaming can think halo is a decent FPS franchise.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 04:26 PM Harlequin said:

Hi there.

First off, I'd like to say that it was a reasonably well written review/criticism. It was coherent and I can see the gripes that you have with the game. However, I did notice a few flaws with your argument.

One of your points was the online community. Now, whilst undeniably having to play with idiots can spoil your experience, it is no fault of the game. There is (sadly) no anti-moron button for any online system; it's mostly a result of the massive popularity of Halo that so many people you find online are cretins, not the game itself.

Secondly, you criticise the Single Player campaign (partly in response to an imaginary question). Fair enough. It's by no means the most original story, and it has many shortcomings. As do many, many other games. The premise of the game's fiction is hashed and cliched but is still superior to a large amount of similar games. In addition, it's there as an option for the people who want to play it. If you enjoy (as I did) the Campaign, then you can play it. If not, then you can mess around in Multiplayer. It's no imposition on you.

Thirdly, since when does a game have to be innovative to be good? Is not not enough to simply be fun? First you criticise Halo for copying other games, and then you make a point of saying that other games had far better weapons than Halo. Not only is this a tad hypocritical, but it's also subjective. Personally, I prefer the weapon set of Halo to games such as CoD4 or UT3. It's a personal opinion. Sure, you can say that you didn't like it; but saying that a game is terrible because of this is generalising and, by implication, stating that your opinion is the only one that matters.

The rest of your argument seems to reside solely on the issues of spawning and sniper rifles, which seems to be rather particular. I concede that spawns can be a major issue. At times, they work reasonably well; at other times, they can prove infuriating. Annoying? Yes. Game breaking? No.

And the sniper? What can I say? Sounds to me that you're just playing in games with too much of a skill difference. Yes, if you're up against someone who's got several thousand games under his belt, chances are that he can anhialate you with a sniper rifle. The trick is to play the game in such a way as to bring it back under your terms; and whilst it's possible to no-scope people at close range, the reality is that unless they're running towards you in a straight line, it is incredibly hard.

And just to point out, Halo isn't intended to be realistic. The same criticisms you level at Halo's sniper rifle could also be leveled at UT's sniper. The fact of the matter is that Halo is an arcadey, fast-paced console shooter. It has no pretensions of being the best game ever; that is largely the opinion of the press, not that of Bungie. Yes, it has its flaws. But it also has its charms, and, for a large amount of people, is a great game.

Ultimately it boils down to subjective opinion. If you don't like it, fair enough. It isn't for everyone. Hey ho.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:07 PM Magioth said:

Its just a new generation of gamers that havent experienced real gaming.

Like how we are told about one religion as kids so we believe in that one religion.

They will realise how lame it is eventually.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:13 PM whatever said:

i'm sorry but i have to say this
you're fucking pathetic man, i mean, seriously, you might not like the game or even hate it but to say it's overrated is the dumbest thing i've ever heard
i don't like Ninja Gaiden for example but i know it's a good game, i hate Mario but i recognize that it is a good game.
i love Halo, and i recognize is a good game. the best of all time for me
its fun to play, it has the best storyline i've ever seen, the characters are simply awesome and funny
and the comunity might not be the best but there is no perfect comunity
and good dawn if it isn't fun to go and tea bag someone

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:14 PM Anon said:

 I really have to agree with everything this page has to say... Halo is one sided, poorly thought out, and at most... waves its dick in the face of other FANTASTIC Shoot-em up games.

also in my opinion,

Games without a decent plot.  Are not games.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:15 PM Jason said:

It takes guts to put an article on the internet saying "Halo isn't the top shit in the world  of awesome."  you'll take alot of hatred for saying such things.

However, I agree with you 100%.  I spent hundreds of hours playing multiplayer prefect dark on the old N64.  I loved the game.  many unique weapons, each with 2 functions.  punching allowed you to steal an enemy's weapon.   that is innovation.  

  I also never liked halo. mostly because the multiplayer came down to who could get to the big guns quickest.  Not owning the game and haveing memorized the levels and where the sniper rifle is means I stood no chance of ever winning.  that's not fun. 

 IN SHORT:   Only a fan of halo can truly enjoy halo.  and to them nothing can compare to its shear pwnage and they'll tell you so in multiplayer while T-bagging your corpse and insulting your mother.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:16 PM Teedo said:

lolwut what are you on? - yes it revolutionized online capabilities but that wasn't hard as it copied successful pc shooters, and if u had read the article, you would know that it had just copied the likes of perfect dark and goldeneye.

On a different note it's very fun to play, but no, definitely not deserving of the critical acclaim that it gets - i would say the metroid prime trilogy far out does the halo trilogy, shame nintendo didn't have the balls to market it at first, maybe poor old game cube could have done a little better :P


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:30 PM ferraridriver2b said:

the problem with halo is that there are people who go all racist and shout obscenities just because you are bashing a game. especially little kids on live, they just need to realize its a game

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:35 PM lungdart said:

I only played the first Halo regularly. And I thought it was awsome. Never had a problem with the sniper rifle, The pistol was off balance. But everyone had it as a starting weapon. not unfair at all.

And just in case everyone forgets, RIOTT (rise of the triads) was the first game to have dual wielding :P



On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:37 PM mc2w said:

" halo CE revolutionized Console shooters as we know them now,..."

What the hell did it revolutionize? A series of crappy, boring, dull, uninovative games? After the release of Halo, 97% of console releases have been crappy first person shooters where, as you can guess, you go up against an alien force! (This data excludes movie tie-ins, since nobody would really consider those 'games', right?)

And to the person who said you can't argue with success, you obviously can. Success does NOT equal quality. For example: Halo. The game brings nothing new to the genre, yet it has unlimited success. How? Magic. Not quality.


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:43 PM dgdsgag said:

thatz tru HALO is a stupid game but ther eis ONE even more stupid


Metal Gear Solid

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:45 PM UnsounderGnome said:

First of all, who gave Halo 3 a perfect score?  How can a game be over rated if everyone says it's not that good?  I prefer the Halo games to more "tactical" games because tactical often means camping.  I want to play a shooter, not hide and seek.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 05:59 PM ... said:

When you write 3 paragraphs bitching about the sniper rifle, we all know it's not the game your bitching about..

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 06:43 PM haloisgood said:

I fell like you are like every other pc gamer or person who can't play a game well so you complain about it. The game is fun and is not hard to pickup. The online matchmaking does a good job of matching players with similar abilities. I'd rather play with people I could potentially beat rather than get slaughtered (ex. say CS). Also, the sniper rigle is fine...heck can I recommend you try to get one. O and when you die six times in a row...pfft....get over it.
 

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 06:45 PM Chris said:

You say other shooters did what halo did before halo was even made. Those shooters didn't make it work well though. Sure, halo isn't the best of shooters, but it's fun and simple. I love the simplicity of halo because I can't split screen with my little brother on CoD4 because it's to complicated for him, but he can sure as hell lay down some competition in halo. And you must really suck if you're getting owned by a dude with a sniper rifle. Strafe and jump man...

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 06:50 PM Thomas Young said:

Your little rant actually amused me Gamboa. Considering the fact that every gun simply balances out the other. I have zero idea what it is your speaking about.

The Sniper, while it can be deadly in close range, can EASILY, be beaten. Unless you, like you probably are, rushing in, and pretty much allowing the entire team to target you.

Maybe if you played with a bit more brains, you'd know it's not smart to run toward a sniper, and the obvious second path is more likely to keep you alive. Because in Halo, there are about 3+ ways to get to a single area. If the sniper is by himself and you use strategy to flank him. Then you'll ultimately win.

Also, considering the fact that the Energy Sword/Grav Hammer are the most easiest weapons to counter. I've turned a significant portion of your rant void.  Unless you, of course, rush, and turn corners without paying attention. Also, you say that if you don't have a sniper you will lose.

You sir, can check just about every single Halo 3 service record, and I can guarantee you their top 2-3 weapons will not be a sniper rifle.  Mine actually end up being BR, Melee, AR, and THEN Sniper Rifle. Because honestly, like in ALL FPS', Sniping is the easiest method to victory. It keeps you far away, and if you have any skill, you can get a head shot. Or, you can play games such as CoD4 (not a hater) and simply shoot the guy in the leg for a single kill.

Also, your theory on the weakest heads in the land. Considering the fact that the projectile cones you spoke about were BLOWN, from fusion coils (you know, those little EXPLODING canisters), the velocity of it smacking into someones head, even that of a shielded man, can and will probably kill you. Because face it, the armor may protect him from getting shot, but it's not protecting him from getting a broken neck.

Also, to everyone in the comments who claims it's the first to get the better gun. Everyone knows that a POWER weapon, is meant to give a significant advantage, however, with what I told
Mr. Gamboa here, if you used your brain, you could easily defeat the wielder.

Also, it's roughly 500 years into the future, bullets may be ADVANCED, by then. However, you have no logic and seemingly think that.

Also, since you may want proof. The sniper rifle's bullet is an ANTI-TANK round. Here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14.5x114mm
Then look up the round used by the Halo Sniper Rifle and you'll get your explanation as to why an armor piercing Anti-Tank round can penetrate three armored heads.

You speak as if you attempt to employ logic into your little rant.
But in fact, you speak with nothing to back up your claims and no logistics to support your reasoning. You sir, have supplied the world with yet another, meaningless, and biased rant.

Congratulations on completing nothing. If you would like to continue this discussion, I entered my e-mail. Maybe next time you'll do some research before you spew nonsense and get every little Sony and Nintendo fan boy cheering for you.



On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 06:53 PM jimmy c said:

im dissapointed that an article like this hasnt come to light sooner, i agree with alot of what has been said (the main points anyway). Just shows the power of the Microsoft Marketing Machine. The majority of people just like what they are told to like, its a crowd mentality almost like fashions and music. cant wait for microsoft to die and their fackin xbox. OMG kill me what a controversial comment. well Fk off.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 06:58 PM Deith said:


halo got a meta of 94 and i feel it could be higher when u think about all the guns cars maps singleplayer multiplayer forge and theater, those last to being like totaly new and that inovation u were on about.

where as gta 4 got 98 and thats a really bad game on many levels

clearly u and everyone who agreyed with u r ps3 fan boys fueled by lack of good ps3 games hahaha

<--- xbox fanboy and proud of it

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 07:04 PM air1 said:

yea well it looks like over 8 million ppl dont agree with this guy. so as of today what beats halo than? didn't think so..

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 07:14 PM Trini said:

Ok dude, not tryin to pull you down or nothin, but, to me it seems like you're whining because you can't play the game well...Halo was never meant to be realistic, it's a science fictional game that boasts, (i would agree) some really weird things not based on reality....but I own all three Halos and at first, dying was a bitch for me, since no true gamer likes to lose....And i often thought to myself that the game was really slack, horrible and cheap. Then a few months later, i picked up myself and played it again, realizing that, "Hey it's just a game, and honestly it was a lot of fun to run and jump while shooting a Sniper Rifle with less recoil. Honestly you don't expect a game to always be as realistic as Call Of Duty or Battlefield....Sometimes you want an easy way out and still get a challenge out of it....That's what Halo is, a game that provides weapons that are cheap, (yes) but still great to use in difficult circumstances....I don't understand how you can say that Halo isn't tactical, because it is...If you play Halo as much as anyone else you would know that playing against really good snipers or just gamers in general, you have to think about what's your next move and not run in and get yourself killed. So Halo, to me, definitely deserved a 10 because it brought alt of things to the plate that really weren't exaggerated in other games, and the multiplayer is a great addition.....As for the story mode, I think it was a fantastic effort in terms of telling the story from both the Humans and Covenants aspect. We understood everything that was going on except for when the game ends and it starts again from a different part of the previous ending.....Don't hate on a game that made First person Shooters what it is today man....Because how i see it, most of the FPS that are out today or are still waiting to be released learned a good deal from Halo.....

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 07:52 PM PENGUINKK said:

"Games without a decent plot. Are not games."

I suppose you think Tetris, Super Mario Bros, sports games, racing games, puzzle games, ect. ect. are not games.


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 07:58 PM Antihero20 said:

Yes the game is BROKEN, i find the game to be below mediocre at best

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 08:40 PM Deal With it said:

Deal with it, Halo series is critically acclaimed and you either hate it because you suck at it or your a sony/nintendo fanboy. Dont sit here and cry on the internet it isnt going to change anything.


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 08:53 PM Viendin said:

Congratulations on being about 6 years late to hating on Halo for mediocre reasons.

The game is fun to play. It's not a low-quality game. It's easy to get into, and you can play it with friends, alone, or with people over the internet.

Hence, people enjoy it.

Why should you be so angry that people enjoy it and praise it? Is there some injustice done to you, some physical harm, done by IGN giving an enjoyable game a 10, when it may not be quite fully deserving a perfect score?

You're beating a beaten dead horse, in a city where people fucking love horses.

This just comes across trolling.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 08:55 PM Demos said:

"Also, you may have noticed that one of the videos I linked to shows someone getting killed by a headshot when the bullet clearly passed two feet from his head. How the hell did that bullet kill him if it didn't even touch him?"

Such a pro gamer would know should know about latency...

I'd also like to point out the ones who said something like "Whoever thinks Halo is the greatest is retarded and needs to play an FPS on PC" is the one who's retarded for basically saying that your opinion is fact.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:03 PM Wormdundee said:

Well the guy who wrote this should have at least attempted to bring up some semi-coherent arguments. I read some whining, and then bitching about the sniper rifle the whole rest of it.

Now, that's not to say I don't agree with his overall point, that being that the whole Halo series is indeed overrated. I was over at a friends house and someone had brought over Halo 3. Now I don't know what it was, and it hasn't been mentioned anywhere in the comments yet, but the whole 10 minutes we were playing all I was thinking was, "Damn, this game is SLOW".

It felt like I was plodding around through molasses or something. Within 10 minutes everybody who was playing decided to take it out because they couldn't stand the movement speed.

That's just one point. There are some others to say that it is overrated (NOT bad). I played through the single player on Halo 1/2 and the whole time I was really bored with the story. It was amazingly generic (seriously, I can't believe that guy who said that the story was incredibly original, that was hilarious) and the Master Chief is one of the most lifeless main characters in a game (he would go along well with Marcus Fenix, guy from Resistance, etc.).

The online multiplayer that I played on the PC was pretty good, but it wasn't crazy amazing or anything, pretty standard FPS multiplayer stuff. No, I haven't played Halo 3 online, and I have no desire to.

Overall, the series is pretty decent, but none of the games were deserving of a 10/10 (no, not even the first one whoever said that).

O by the way, someone mentioned way up in the comments about where they could find a game with a good online community. I recommend Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2. I've been playing it a ton and I have yet to encounter any retarded 12 year olds spewing nonsense. I think they're scared of it because it's a much more tactical squad-based shooter than anything like Halo, Call of Duty, etc.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:03 PM B said:

Wow.  Most of the stuff I agree with but you really discredited your opinion piece by throwing PDZ in there.  When comparing a bad game to a good game, PDZ should be no where on the list. Perfect Dark Zero was on of the worst games ever for the 360.  Single player Campaign was a good effort but when it came to multiplayer, the controls we god awful and nothing about it was enjoyable.


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:21 PM whatever said:

i love when people that's don't understand a shit about games go and start whining about the reviews that people with years of experience in the area gave to a game. if you don't like that's your problem.

you can go and tell the millions of people who have the game that it sucks and you problably get punched on the face by that

and Halo is tactical you assholes.

the problem with you is that you are so terribly bad that you can't even beat the rookies in the game

i'm getting sick and tired of this bullshit articles
DON'T LIKE, THEN GO FUCK YOURSELF, NO ONE IS GOING TO STOP PLAYING IT BECAUSE OF YOU

jeasus

get a life people

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:29 PM gjford said:

Dude! I Totally agree! Thats exactly what i tell everybody who asks me to play halo or why i dont have it. You are a smart person and i commend you for not holding back what you said.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:31 PM Skesku said:

MOTHERFUCKER

Halo is great! it maybe be terribly generic but maybe thats what i want, could it be that it's so good because it doesn't have several billion functions like other games i've played.
Alot of the time the best things in life are simple
Another thing i like is the whole engine thing the movement the weapons, it all works out nicely.
My geuss is that your complete shit at halo and you get your ass kicked by one of your friends alot of the time and you rarely win,
in my experiance people who suck at the game enjoy for a while then hate it cos they suck. but then get all giddy when they win once, then go back to hating it after they start sucking again.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:40 PM Cole said:

Wanna know what i think? who gives a shit. Obviously something is good about it if so many people play it each day. You pointed out all the things that weren't original, then you criticized about you never seeing anything like when you get "nubbed" in the head with a pylon. If you don't like it, don't play it. Don't try and convince people not to play it, it's their choice.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:45 PM HairyAsHell said:

Hahaha... this article is just one man's opinion and just look at all the Halo cocksuckers whine and bitch. I dont give a rat's ass about Halo but I think the article is a bit harsh. Then again, the media and critics already sucked too much of Halo's dick, so I guess it doesnt deserve any pity anymore. I'd rather play Gears over and over again.


On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:56 PM ehutch said:

in my opinion, halo is over rated undeserving a 10 score. my favorite multi-player  game at the moment is WARHAWK. i own both consoles before you attack. WARHAWK was only given an 8 score but is worthy of better. the game has a near perfect balance of weaponry and a complete scope of the battlefield  with planes, tanks, jeeps and  foot soldiers all able to hold their own against the other. it is a brilliant game which somehow escapes the attention it deserves. the game being a ps3 exclusive and also being released at a time when the console was not getting great press probably contributed. i cant help but think that if it were an xbox 360 exclusive, it would have garnered a 9+ score with the hype machine in full swing. if you havent played it, i suggest checking it out, its great.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:56 PM Caboose said:

You're complaining about a game that you don't even own?
Seriously? Get a fucking life.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 09:59 PM Daniel said:

I don't really play Halo much either, but this author is an idiot.

I think he just got merc'ed on with a sniper rifle and then cried the whole time writing this article.

also, battle rifle is way better than a sniper rifle.

This author is an idiot o.o

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:10 PM Vince said:

Okay, as a former(keep in mind, FORMER) fan of halo, I must say, I agree with the fact that halo is a terrible game, but not for the reasons you say.

I found the respawns fine. Yes, the sniper rifle is broken, but not as much as you say. The sniper rifle may not be realistic, but neither is a half ton super soldier with perfect accuracy, super strength, super speed, etc. The game's cartoony feel is what's really wrong with it. The utter lack of realism is where it hurts most.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the rocket launcher. Two barrels so that if your one-hit kill death machine somehow manages to miss, you have another to fire INSTANTLY, which they actually took a step backwards from halo one, where you had to wait a good two seconds before launching the second.

Let's address the sniper rifle's accuracy. Pretty much any weapon you find in the game can be fired at the hip with pin point accuracy. The sniper rifle isn't special because of it. Bungie never bothered to address lowered accuracy from running, jumping, or hurtling through the air at 150 kph. Hell, they even took gravitational damage out of the game entirely just so people could leap off a building, spraying wildly at their target over 500 yards away, and still manage to at least hit the fucker with no cost to his own personal well-being.

I'm pretty sure that Unreal Tournament's first instance of vehicles was in the 2004 edition, and halo 1 came out in 2001, but I believe, and I'm almost certain about this, that there have been games that have done it before.

But there you have it. My agreeing-yet-conflicting opinion. It's not the spawns or the rifle-it's the utter cartoon-style of it. When a game comes down to who can whore the better positions with better weapons(I.E. a team on high ground on the wall with a sniper rifle, rocket launcher, shotgun, and spartan laser, all with some hefty secondary should they run out of ammo) with no chance of being flushed out with proper tactile thinking, I'd sooner quit than play again.

Halo fanboys, go buy CoD 4 and be amazed at A. the higher framerate and better graphics, B. the customization yet balance between all the weapons, C. The varying-degree-intensity and well developed storlyine, and D. the fact that 4 dudes whoring superweapons in a single building can be sweeped out with a few well placed flashes, frags, and bullets.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:19 PM Vince said:

Now that I have maturely criticized, I must also add my immature, yet still quite accurate and true point(s).

-Aim assist is for pussies. Anyone who needs something like that when they already have the accuracy of a machine don't deserve to play shooters.

-The weapons are not that impressive or innovative compared to other weapons from the genre. There is not a single weapon that's very interesting or appealing to me. They all have preset defined borders between what they're supposed to be used for. There's no thought to how to use them, just what to use. I find it more interesting when a game makes it possible, but not smart or practical, to snipe with a weapon such as an SMG.

-The four types of grenades are nothing this world has never seen before.

-the only creative vehicle I find is the Wraith, because it's just a giant moving mortar.

-the spartan laser seems to be the ONLY superweapon with some sort of major drawback to it.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:21 PM whatever said:

hey vince go fuck yourself. the game is in the future you deep shit

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:27 PM joe said:

finally someone has the balls to actually print this in a internet site where everyone can read and not talk about it in a secure line. halo only got hype because it was a DECENT game on a crappy launch system(halo 1)and it seems all the annoying people migrate to this game and come together. halo sucks the mp sucks, the story sucks, halo is a poor man's perfect dark and golden eye.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:39 PM Licktenstein said:

Yes Halo has it's flaws, and yes it may be unbalanced, but it still remains to be one of the most enjoyable multiplayer shooters in the market. Though being completely owned by a sniper-rifle all day may suck, that doesn't mean every other weapon in the game is useless. Look at Halo 2, the #1 most effective tactic was plasma pistol + frag [or melee, or pistol, or swap to BR). If you're tired of the competitive game play because you want to bitch about how unbalanced it is, play something like infection, or any other non-frag-to-win game types.

As for the single player, or rather campaign seeing as it's been able to co-op since 1 and in 3 you can four play co-op, yeah it's not that great, except for Halo 1, it had an amazing storyline, and compelling characters.

So although that is just your opinion and this is just mine, hopefully you'll at least see that it's not 100% crap and come off of your high horse.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:42 PM Panther52799 said:

why is it that all the people whining about bad game ARE NOT making them to show us how to do it right??

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 10:55 PM banana said:

Too bad all the children are playing Call of Duty 4 now.

Enjoy your grenade spam and camping with sniper rifles.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:00 PM lordkertaz said:

After reading your article, I have to disagree.  You bring up very good points, but to some (like me), they just don't make too much of a difference.  Your main argument against multi-player is that the sniper rifle is overpowered.  Granted, due to my lack of consistent Xbox Live Gold, I haven't been able to play all that much, but I still disagree.  There are times when I have been shot almost instantly after spawning, but those times have not been very often.  I personally find that at least a small number of maps (mostly the small ones, with many rooms and pathways) can have a bit of strategy involved.  Though, to be completely honest, I may only be sayignt that because those are the maps in which I excel.

As for the single player, it can be misconstrued as generic by some people.  However, I highly doubt that those people have ever read any of the books about Halo.  After reading the books, the story has been a lot more interesting to me.  However, simply playing the game, it can seem generic to some.  I think the main problem with Halo's story is Bungie doesn't know how to convey it well enough within the confines of a video game.

Another point I should throw out there is the fact that, to me, the Halo series has a very arcadey feel.  It's not somethingt that should be expected to adhere to the physics of the real world.  It's a sci-fi game with an extremely powerful, fast and smart protagonist that went through intensive training since the age of six, who was then genetically enhanced and his ulte-powerful armor infused with a highly intelligent AI.  That doesn't really scream realism to me, and that's exactly the way I like it.

I implore you to argue with me, and try to put me down the way you would put down a fanboy or a frat boy, as I can promise you I am neither.  I simply have a different taste in games.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:02 PM Azuu said:

Lets be frank, (that means literal for all you 11yrolds) Halo didnt revolutionize the console gaming (that prize goes to goldeneye). While a good the game only revolutionized the XBOX! Since the Xbox was new and exciting for the little kiddies, they all got a console without any good games for it. Then once a game that was good enough to get the title of "good", it was put on a pedestal irregardless of flaws to be seen. I will say this now; I suck at shooters, I love shooters, but i have no true skill at shooters. If I can't beat the game on normal mode in a month-which generally happens-I lose interest in the game and move on. I beat halo, I was estatic to say the least. Then I played it on the hardest setting, I beat it then too.

A good game for beginners, but then i would like the beginners playing doom, duke3D, and quake, rather than this shithole of a game

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:16 PM Xbot said:

 ' ' Its just a new generation of gamers that havent experienced real gaming. ' '

Isnt the average age of people playing halo 3 online like 12 years old?

That explains alot.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:25 PM eman said:

Halo is a fun game and it is popular for a reason.  Videogames CAN be at but they don't have to be.  I thought halo 3's story was well done and engaging.  You hated it before you tried and and then nitpicked everything you could in order to justify your bias - basically so you could look down upon other gamers for enjoying something you prejudged as generic. 

You don't like halo, fine.  I never played halo before halo 3 and very quickly became a big fan of the series.  I dont see how it is overrated unless you are the type of person who tries to see fault in everything. 

basically what i'm getting at is you're a pretentious little bitch who needs to shut the fuck up before you make yourself look like even a bigger bitch than you already appear to be.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:27 PM eman said:

oh, and i missed the obvious one...

Oh, the weapons. This brings me to the problem of game balance, which for me was the fatal flaw in Halo. After having played for a couple of days, I came to realize that I wasn't losing so horrifically because I was a bad tactician or bad at shooters. I was losing for two reasons: 1) Somebody had a sniper rifle, and 2) bad respawns.

no, you are losing because you suck.  if you played a bit more, i imagine you would find yourself getting "luckier" more often, funny how that works. 

have your drowned in your tears yet, bitch?  soon... right?

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:35 PM J said:

Well put Rafael. I definitely agree. Halo is definitely one of the most overrated games ever made. Nothing new was ever introduced in those games over past shooters.

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008, 11:40 PM Gman said: