Reaching into the Past

Bungie's last Halo
Halo Reach will be Bungie's last Halo game, a sequel to Halo 3 in spirit if not story. It will feature a new engine, just like all the previous main Halo titles before it and has received the same amount of developer attention and resources as it's predecessors. Let us take a look back at the past to see if we can gather some hints for the future.

This post was originally posted on NeoGAF as a thread before the Halo Reach VGA reveal.


Features
  • The game that introduced millions to FPS's on a console and brought the First Person Shooter into the living room, improving further on the success of Goldeneye 64 of making the FPS accessible to non PC gamers
  • Popularised regenerative shields and extremely limited weapon carrying mechanics, that games even today use and probably wouldn't have without it's success
  • Dynamic foot, vehicle and air combat seamlessly integrated in a single engine and gameplay scenarios
  • Fantastic, open ended design and brilliant AI that made encounters different and enjoyable on multiple playthroughs
  • -Popularised and cemented dual analogue stick control as the best control scheme for console shooters

Multiplayer Elements
  • Fully developed co-operative campaign (two player splitscreen)
  • Thoughtful, addictive multiplayer (four player splitscreen and LAN support) that birthed modern console LAN parties
  • Popularised online console multiplayer FPS's via Xbox Connect before the advent of Xbox Live
Legacy
  • The flagship console FPS that became the industry standard in terms of gameplay and success
  • Introduced/Popularised LAN parties and online gaming into the living room
Features
  • New engine, same hardware, provided a graphical leap forward from Halo:CE with some of the best sub-HD graphics on the Xbox console
  • Kick started the expanded universe, Halo was no longer confined to Sci-Fi cliché, providing an expanded narrative, detailed character backgrounds and deeply rooted mythology
  • Changed up the Halo gameplay sandbox with the introduction of dual wielding, new weapons, new enemies and tactics and gameplay from a different character's perspective (the Covenant's the Arbiter)
Multiplayer Elements
  • Fully developed co-operative campaign (two player splitscreen)
  • Expanded and added depth and customisation, built strongly around the new modified sandbox (Four player splitscreen and LAN support)
  • Shaped modern online console gaming infrastructure through Xbox Live
  • Brought Clans, Partying and Matchmaking from the desktop to the living room
  • Added and continued support for Halo 2 post release in the form of playlist updates, map pack releases and also provided direct support for Halo 2 content directly from another developer in the form of additional multiplayer maps

Legacy
  • The Halo universe wouldn't exist in it's current form without the expanded narrative pioneered by Halo 2's bold narrative ventures
  • The definitive and industry leading online console title of the previous generation, Halo 2 defined what the online console experience was and became the template for other games after it
  • Showcased Bungie's dedicated post release support (in conjunction with others) that had playlist updates and map pack releases up until a few months before the release of the sequel, Halo 3
  • Became the industry leading standard in online statistic track with the use of Bungie.net
Features
  • Features the largest battlefields and scope of any of the main Halo titles in the series, a new next generation engine brought foot, vehicle and aerial battles to a new massive, epic scale
  • Brought closure to the storyline running through the main Halo video games series whilst also featuring a deep back story that was hidden deep within the game world and required and rewarded player that sought it out
  • Introduced four player online co-op to the main campaign whilst still retaining two player splitscreen co-op
  • Introduced meta-game scoring and game modifiers (skulls) that enhanced the re-playability of the campaign with achievements encouraging the player to replay
  • Screenshots, saved films and free camera exploration during playback allowed folks to show off and explore the campaign in ways never before seen in a Halo title
Multiplayer Elements
  • Set the standard for the next generation console online experience with superb UI, industry leading matchmaking, armour customisation, player controlled parties and pre and post game personal and team statistics
  • Introduced Forge, a simple weapons and items re-arranging tool that the Halo community itself took and transformed into a powerful mini map editing and creation tool, with Bungie themselves acknowledging the transformative use by the community with additional Forge support in the post release downloadable content
  • Continued the strong post game release support with numerous map pack releases and strong playlist support that is still very much active
  • Carried over the saved films, film clips and screenshot functions from the campaign
  • Created an on online space for showcasing community made screenshots, film clips, custom game types and user created maps (Bungie Favourites) accessible to everyone that played the game online, in addition, allowed players to host files on an online profile (via Bungie.net) that allowed them to showcase and share custom content easily both in game and over the internet
Legacy
  • Demonstrated Bungie's unquestioned ability to lead the industry in terms of an online experience which has resulted in millions of players still playing Halo 3 today, seen Halo 3 ride high on the Xbox Live activity charts for the past two years
  • Dived deeply into the community with enhanced Bungie.net support and community created content and interaction, above and beyond the scope of any other video game on a console
  • Halo 3 has become the poster child for success, profitability and player support, the defining online shooter of the current generation of home consoles, in the same vein as Halo 2 before it
Features
  • Introduced the hub world concept into the Halo universe with a number of missions, unrelated in the context of gameplay and developed a relationship between them utilising a strong, tightly focused narritive that showed Bungie could shine with smaller personal stories set within the deep and complex Halo storyline.


Multiplayer Elements
  • Pre-packaged with the full suite of Halo 3 multuplayer features and levels, however the uniquely designed Firefight mode, whilst not having the longevity of the traditional Halo multiplayer, showed Bungie could deliver a fresh and entertaining new multiplayer mode for the franchise.
Legacy
  • ODST's single player narrative, almost a galaxy away from the epic, universe spanning, traditional Halo fare, is also one of, if not the, strongest storyline in a Halo game so far.
  • Firefight shows the kind of promise traditional multiplayer did back with Halo CE. It lays a strong foundation on which Bungie could build a strong secondary multiplayer experience which perfectly complements the online shooting spree we have been playing for years.
Reach Speculation
What to expect?

Bungie has shown with each main Halo game that they like to add more options instead of taking them away. More choice, bigger, better. With Reach being a standalone title set within a familar universe it gives Bungie a chance to once more put the narrative at the forefront of the experience, ala ODST, rather than hiding it behind the gameplay in the previous main Halo titles. The story must begin when we press start and must finish when the credits roll. With ODST, Bungie have shown that a tight narrative can work exceedingly well in a deeper universe, and there is no doubt many cues will be taken strongly from the previous titles and it will nicely link back into the rest of the Halo universe.

Additionally, with a brand new setting, the planet Reach, there is plenty of scope for new gameplay options, new types of enemies and twisting of expectations. Booster jet packs, dinosaurs (Halo Legends) Red Energy Swords (Halo Evolution) Rhino and Wolverine tanks (Halo Wars) may or may not feature, but Bungie is perfectly capable at throwing something unexpected in faces and having us come back asking for more (an example would be the opening of the expanded Halo universe which began with Halo 2's narrative switch to the Arbiter and the Covenant).

Yes, we will have large epic battles, in corridors, in the open, in vehicles and in the air. This is still Halo and this amazing war zones are it's signature piece, the scale becoming grander and grander with each game.

The AI will be smarter than ever - the Covenant will be taunting us yet again, the music will be both strongly familiar and fittingly new and suitable.

And yes, the co-operative elements, the meta games, the skulls, all will be present, if not inflated, enhanced and fleshed out even more than before.

Multiplayer features?

Screenshots, gameplay clips, forging, user created and edited content, customs matches, industry leading online gameplay and popularity. These would be the minimal expectations set out for Reach coming off the back of Halo 3. No small target, but Bungie have the proven track record of bringing the goods to the table. With the shopping cart full of returning and maybe even enhanced features, we are almost greedy to expect more, but we do and Bungie aren't ignorant to the demands of the fans.

I'd wager on an enhanced Firefight. The initial outing with ODST has shown the promise this mode has and I'm fully expecting that if this mode returns, Bungie will have taken note of the understandable shortcomings and worked their darnest to have them addressed.

Forging was the unexpected golden egg laid by the loving Halo 3 goose. Not even Bungie could have foreseen the amazing creativity and development Forge has undergone with the blood, sweat and tears of the Halo community. Already, with the post release DLC support of Halo 3 it's already clear that Bungie both acknowledges and endorses the community's love of Forge - releasing Foundry solely for the Forge users and then one upping themselves with the amazing sandbox of... Sandbox. The future of Halo needs a new Forge as much as any other multiplayer aspect.

Legacy?

This is the final chapter in Bungie's Halo saga. Their final game in the Halo universe. Will Bungie meet the high expectations? No doubt. Will it sell millions? No doubt. DLC support? No doubt. More Bungie.net stats? No doubt. Will Halo fans be playing this three, four or five years down the line? Again, no doubt.

Whilst Halo may not have been Bungie's first game, it has certainly been the game that made them a household name. As the Bungie ships sails into new waters, you can be sure the bounty they leave behind will be keeping millions of gamers playing for years to come.

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Hello World

Can't be a good thing when your updates are this late, eh?

Well, no, it's not.

This blog needs a good going over, I have to widen the content. Wait, that should be "I have plans for content.?

Levelling Up: Penguins, Baal and the Never-ending Hunt for Pirates


How many people have heard of Final Fantasy? Millions? Hundreds of millions? Would it be true to say that majority of those folks are aware of the actual games that sport the moniker? Probably. Well, how many of you are familiar with the world of prinnies, Overlords and the Cave of Ordeals? Simple answer: not enough.


Most folk have heard of Japanese RPG’s like Final Fantasy, they know what to expect as they have been coming out of Japan steadily for almost two decades. As usual, the bigger developers and publishers are names most gamers would be aware of, from Square-Enix to Namco. The big publishers have exposed millions of players to the staple Japanese RPG and gamers themselves have trusted these companies branching out the RPG genre with tactical RPG’s, real-time RPG’s and more. Square-Enix’s Final Fantasy Tactics was for many gamers, their first experience of a Tactical RPG. That was then however, these days there are more out there, many series have tactical spin-offs hoping to emulate Square-Enix’s success with its Final Fantasy heavy-weight.

Ever hear of Nippon-Ichi Software? Its name means “Japan One” or “Number One in Japan”, however the reality if far from that. They are just a small time developer, only recently have they started to attract any attention in the West, and it took them some time to gather gamer familiarity in Japan. Today however they are number one. In Japan and outside of Japan. Why? N1 are simply the best tactical-RPG developers in the world. That’s a fact dood.

Coming Up Next : Welcome to the Netherworld

Driving the Pig


For some reason, I decided that it would be a good idea to learn to drive the Warthog during online games with a friend of mine, Sphiralis. Maybe it was how successful some other people have been driving around online have been, maybe it was due to the fact I was getting bored just shooting people, but whatever the reason, I decided I was going sharpen my driving skills and thunder across the online terrain in Halo 3.


Now, there is one thing to bear in mind when considering to an online driver in Halo 3. Unless your vehicle of choice requires only one occupant, you will need a gunner. A good gunner. Luckily for me I had a gunner, a friend of mine. Sphiralis has gunned before, most Halo players have - but not at length, so this was going to be a learning experience for him as much as it was for me.

Right, so I have my gunner. One problem, even the best driver will be stumped unless they play on the right map. Halo 3 has a good few maps but not all are suitable for vehicles. Additionally, not all Halo 3 playlists are supportive of 'hog driving. After extensive playing, I have found that Sandtrap, Rat's Nest and Standoff are best with Valhalla and Last Resort being the worst. (This does not take into consideration maps that do not support vehicles, such as Guardian =P).

Finding out which maps is best for driving is better done by going online and driving and seeing what is best for yourself.

Some things to take into consideration;

Communication

This, I have found, is the most important aspect of driving. You will be blown up, lasered, stuck or flipped unless you communicate carefully with your gunner. When driving around, it is a good idea to have good two communications with the gunner, it comes in handy when trying to avoid problems and for tracking down other players for the gunner to kill. One thing, and I have found that this is really beneficial for people starting out, is going through the maps and becoming familiar with landmarks. In the heat of battle, it is very easy to get confused about the location of incoming enemies or where your gunner might want to suddenly go to chase someone. I played the maps offline with Sphiralis to build up a good playing knowledge of call out locations on a few of the maps.

Map Control


This is something that you have to work with the rest of your team (everyone on your team that isn't you or your gunner). A hog can dominate the map, but unless your team is backing you up, you will probably be destroyed very quickly, so it's a good idea that you communicate your intentions and progress with the rest of your team.

Splazer


Avoid it. (No shit! =P) Seriously though, make sure that someone on your team controls the laser and rocket launchers. These weapons will take you down very quickly.

Nades

A fresh hog can take a battering. It can take a direct hit from a grenade. However, when it comes to explosions, chances are that the driver (me!) will die and it will be up the gunner to get down, get in the driving seat and go someplace safe. The amount of times this has happened to me are uncountable, for some reason the gunner is more likely to survive. Thankfully I don't care for my kill death ratio.

Spawns

Learn where the enemy spawns are on the map and haunt them. Especially if you kill a lot of enemies at once, they will usually spawn together (making it easier to kill a lot of enemies at once, repeat).

Velocity

As any passenger in a hog will tell you, it's a bumpy ride. As you drive around you find yourself being flipped, turned, blown, shunted and airborne. But, I have noticed that you can control your velocity a little a bit when the unexpected happens. You cannot control the hog in an emergency 100% of the time, but with a little practice, you can, more often than not, drive safely away.


I have learned a lot as a Warthog driver. I have a lovely collection of Wheelman medals that I intend to add to, but there is plenty of room for improvement for me.

Communication

"Behind me" - as I turn the hog one hundred and eighty degrees
"Top, front, right, right, ahead" - Where?
"Over there! There!" Could be anywhere! =P

Third Wheel

A driver and gunner. Perfect? No, the Warthog can have three people, and a good third passenger should be able to help the gunner clean up. Right now we are missing a good passenger, and I cannot wait to see the difference it makes.

Welcome

This is the first post here on Mediocre Gamer and so I think it is right to explain the purpose of this blog and who I am.

I am gamer. I have played games all my life, beaten many, unfinished loads more. Just like millions of other gamers across the world I suppose.

The thing is, I want to make it clear that I am mediocre (as if you couldn't guess from the blog title). Many people use the term "mediocre" in a negative way and I can't blame them. When it comes to many thing you usually don't want mediocre. You wouldn't accept a mediocre book, film or game, and it's not an adjective you want usually from the lips of people being critical of yourself or your work. Well, I think in terms of being a gamer, it accurately sums up my abilities. In some games I am very good, in others I'm abit clueless, but overall mediocre is good description. Sure I can pull off a no-scope headshot whilst playing Halo 3 online, but it's a one in a million chance, accident or not.

In the game non-existant line graph of player abilities or skill in games, I tend to fall in the middle.

One thing I wish to point out that despite my inability to stack up countless headshot kills or have a flawless online scorecard, I still have fun. Yes, you can have fun whilst not being number one. You can have fun whatever rank you are because, really, that is what games are about, fun. Sure, ranks are cool, and I do take pride in my little accomplishments, but they aren't the be all and end all of games. I have shared in the fraustrations that all gamers endure "damm, I almost beat that boss", "Crap! I went down a rank", etc - but in the end, I am still playing games despite not reaching the top of leaderboards.

This blog will include thoughts and analysis of my experiances and encounters and whatever else I think is cool. What it won't include are whiny posts every time someone t-bags me online (if only I had a penny...) or blurts out smack talk.

Well, hope you enjoy yourself.

-Dani