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Edited by kgj:
11/16/2013 2:28:40 AM
31
So... 12 Years Ago...
[quasi-narcissistic informal self centered disorganized rambling blog-type-thing]You see, while these are some completely asinine assumptions, I have to say that whenever someone who knows me in #Gaming thinks of me, they usually think of one of these three things:
"Well he's Godzilla."
"some kind of fgt that likes halol 4 lynch him"
"artistic integrity"
I can see exactly where you're coming from if you think of this stuff when my name is brought up.
But there's another set of people who know me on here. And they think of me not as Godzilla, which I am; a Halo 4 supporter, which I can't say I'm not; or a deliverer of artistic integrity, which I often do with my friend Damien Sandow. They think of me as that one guy who still supports a certain game that has largely been dismissed in the wake of its sequels.
And that game is Halo Combat Evolved.
Today is November 15th, 2013. It's been 12 entire years since Halo CE's original birthday in 2001. I admittedly can't remember that because, well, I was sort of a (stupid) kid at the time (and now I'm a stupid teenager :P). I started Halo with Halo 2, in 2006. Soon after, I played CE. I realized, very quickly into my playthrough with CE, that it was a far, [i]far[/i] more enjoyable experience than Halo 2.
I basically fell in love with the game. I couldn't stop playing it, and I wouldn't stop playing it either; I still play the game today. It's not the quintessential Halo game for me, as Halo has veered [i]far[/i] off of the path that CE set it on (thanks, Halo 2/3/Reach/4... :/) It's the quintessential sci fi shooter. Everything about the game had an odd sense of laid back charm to it. Until recently, I couldn't put my finger on what it is. Is it the music? The art style? The enemy AI? The lack of hand holding gameplay mechanics? The marines' feet sliding around in that first cutscene? No. Instead, it has something to do with the very core of the game design philosophy itself.
Halo CE isn't an epic space opera like the sequels. Halo CE is a true, honest to goodness [i]adventure[/i] story. It's got action, heart, and with 343's contributions (specifically, from Silentium and the new Halo 4 Chief/Cortana dynamic) the game also takes on a whole new level of depth. And in my opinion, Halo games are at their best when it [i]doesn't[/i] focus on the epic bombast of large scale war. It's why CE, ODST, and 4 are among my favorites of the series: they forgo the "epic war" and instead focus on something else entirely. CE's focus was adventure. ODST's focus was mystery. 4's focus was a relationship. All three stories are incredible, in my opinion, but it's CE's that feels most like Halo to me. I don't know why, but CE's emotional tone [i]perfectly[/i] reflects everything I've come to love about Halo at its best. An atmospheric adventure which is laid back while also possessing a hidden layer of depth (which makes analysis so fun).
Of course, I've probably lost 85% of the community here by praising Halo 4 and Silentium (see ya around? XD), but whatever.[/quasi-narcissistic informal self centered disorganized rambling blog-type-thing]
So yeah. Halo CE's 12th birthday. <3
[spoiler]What about Halo CE PC? Sure, the netcode is like Halo 3 meets Bad Company 2, but the population remains at a consistent 500-3000 players. Hell, in a few years, CE will have a higher population than 2, 3, Reach, and 4 [i]combined.[/i] If that isn't flat out bada$$ then I don't know what is. Basically, get it.
What about Halo Custom Edition? Again, horrid netcode, but the mods that you can download are splendid at times. And no, I have no idea what the hell is going on with SPV3 (typical CMT *rolls eyes* [j/k i wuv u masterz <3]). Basically, get it.
What about getting novel fun out of the campaign? A la BadCyborg's megabattles? ZealotSG's "Halo done pro" series? Warthog jumps? etc.[/spoiler]
A lot of stuff happened on November 15th. But even in spite of console launches and other titles, I prefer to remember the day as something different; not as the day Xbox/PS4 began; not even as the day Halo began; but as the day Combat Evolved.
So yeah there's my rambling incoherence of a post.
[spoiler]forgive me for grammatical errors and random diction inconsistencies and sh1t i'm writing this up on my phone in an attempt to not fall asleep on the bus :/[/spoiler]
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1 ReplyI'm just wondering why didn't you make your name Godzilla to begin with? Has it really already been taken?
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I still play this game on pc online almost everyday. I own the xbox and anniversary edition and play them from time to time.
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Here's to Roach, we shared the same beginning. Here's to CE, I still play it online regularly, it's on my hard drive.
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Very good read, I agree with you
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It [i]is[/i] an adventure, isn't it? I really hope that now that I'm better able to appreciate things, Destiny can be that adventure memory for me. Excellent read.
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Reading some of the stuff in this post... makes me smile. To know that we're all connected, over the whole globe, by the single love of one game... its for moments like this why I choose gaming. And In the heat of debates and arguments over platforms I think we forget why we're here, to love games. Rock on Halo. I thank you.
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Very good read
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3 RepliesI honestly don't know if I'll ever be able to adaquetely explain why CE was so amazing. I first heard about it from my brother's friend back in 2004. Keep in mind I didn't know Halo 2 was almost out until maybe it was 2005. Anyway, he told me stories of the game. Bits and pieces of the plot. I was hooked instantly. Then came the day where I would be able to play it. I still remember my first Multiplayer match ever on Blood Gulch. The true magic really started to happen when I saw and played the campaign. Just... Everything was perfect. It was so cinematic. And even after the scripted sequences stopped on the Autumn, it felt cinematic for the rest of the game. The set pieces are so incredible, and the enemies and allies that filled them really brought it to life. I really don't think any Halo game to date has been able to convey the same sense of scale and enormity that Halo, Assault on the Control Room, and Two Betrayals had. Most people say the most identifying moment with Halo is when they step out of the Bumblebee and see the world curve up before their eyes. Words can honestly not explain why, but after you cross the Forerunner tube, that trek up that hill next to the cliff wall is easily the most nostalgic moment I have ever had. Maybe it's because at that moment, Halo felt truly alive to me. The Covenant were searching for survivors, we're stranded on a mysterious ring world, and we're completely lost with no back up. Then, two strange craft would appear and spot you. The light string instruments playing while you hear the ghastly whine on the Banshee's Anti-Grav engines is so amazing. I've tried the best to sum it up, but I still don't feel like I've explained that raw emotion from that simple trek up the hill. As a kid who was into Star Wars and aliens, Halo was truly a godsend. And unlike Star Wars, I was directly linked to the action. Halo has been such an incredible ride for me. I cannot stress the fact enough that I really would not be who I am right now if it weren't for Halo. I'm not even joking, Halo has shaped my morals directly and indirectly more than my parents have. And as I sit here typing this, I'm reminded of when my brother got his 360, and I bought Halo 3. My brother and I came together and actually assembled the halves of the Janus Key. Halo 3 was my most prized possession, yet it would not work without my brother's Xbox. That night, playing Halo 3 was perfect... In retrospect, it was not Halo 3 that was so exciting. It's what Halo 3 meant compared to CE. It was finishing what was started. My hype for Halo 3 was the fact that it would conclude the conflict that arised in CE. Who knows, maybe the power of the Xbox One will make Halo 5 a magical journey like Halo CE. If Chief is on the Ark, it'll be so full of adventure and mystery. Halo CE was about unlocking the secrets of Halo. I'm hoping Halo 5 will be about unlocking the secrets of Mendicant Bias. Who knows, we hardly know anything. But gosh darn it, I love Halo.
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Still one of the best games ever made.
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3 RepliesI never got to experience CE at the time. I was hardly a gamer in my younger years, only really playing GBA and PS2 and later the 360 casually. I never played Halo until Reach back in '10, and I really, really didn't think anything of it. I dabbled in a ton of other FPS franchises. Tried some CoD, some BF - neither really provided what I wanted. Then, I got Cryptum in a bookstore - and it convinced me to give the rest of the franchise another go. So - I bought CE from the Xbox classics section on the Marketplace. When it started up and I heard those monks chanting - I new this would be different. I started the campaign. Keyes from Reach was there - and so was the AI from The Package. But she was different to the boring, monotone Auntie Dot - she was an actual character. The first mission was Eh - Boring linear corridor shooter - the same reason I disliked CoD and BF. When I was handed my first M6 from Keyes - I took aim at him, expecting nothing to happen like every other shooter. To my surprise - something did happen - he died. And then, the game recognised what I did. Announcing that I'd gone "Rampant" over the intercom, a squad of marines were sent to kill me. I died - but I enjoyed it. So I did it again. And again. And Again. Then, when I stepped out of the lifeboat on the first mission. The first thing I noticed was the Halo, rising up into the sky and looping back behind me. I turned around and looked out to the sea. Even though the graphics were shit, I was still mesmerized by the view. This was unlike anything I'd ever seen in an FPS before. Then, after crossing a bridge and dealing with some Covenant. I ended up in a vast open plain with a structure in the middle. After killing some more guys a few marines came up to me and said some stuff. The following encounter was the best thing I'd ever done in an FPS. I had a choice - I could defend the marines up on the structure with them - or take the fight to the Covenant below. This is what makes Halo great. There's no forced stealth missions, no forced vehicle missions, no forced approach to any encounter. I could do anything I wanted - and It was awesome. Before playing CE, I had read Cryptum. I knew what a Halo was, what a Forerunner was etc. In Cryptum - The Flood was mentioned. This extragalactic, all consuming parasite. I expected it to only appear in the Saga - I thought the Halo game were only about the conflict between Humanity and these four alien types that want us dead for reasons that aren't explained. But then, while trying to find Keyes in a "Weapons Cache". I uncovered a traumatised Marine - what exactly made him so crazy? I immediately thought of the Timeless One - and the Humans who had taken their own lives after learning a horrible truth. I was expecting something new, something different. And when it came - it was all kinds of awesome. What followed next was amazing. Three way battles between Covenant, Flood and the Monitor's (I honestly feel sorry for Chakas) sentinels. This was unlike anything I'd ever played before. It wasn't just the gameplay that was different. It was the characters too - they didn't feel like the bland military types I met throughout Reach and other games. These felt different. Even the marines were different to the bland cannon fodder in other games. Topping it all with an epic run to a Longsword. Then, when the credits rolled - I wanted more. I went out and bought every book I could - at the same time, I bought Halo 2. TL;DR - This quote sums up what CE was to me: "We did what we had to do ... for Earth. An entire Covenant armada obliterated, and the Flood... we had no choice. Halo ... It's finished." "No...I think we're just getting started."
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1 Replyhalo 1 pc is the only halo also thanks halo for regenerating health and two-gun limit you unfun shit
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8 RepliesI would argue that CE also focused on mystery.
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Halo 1 - ODST were fantastic games. Reach and 4 had good campaigns, but terrible MM.
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Holy crap! I was playing CE yesterday and I didn't even realize it the significance of the day!
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3 Repliesur a halo 4 likin fgt goji go dye in a hle
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Mother of mercy somebody else actually has the same lines of thought as I do! Although I never really noticed the charm up until later when I was older, I first noticed it in the novels. What I liked about the novels was, although battles and war are at their core a part of Halo, the novels gave it another side. It wasn't just simply "shoot the aliens as a soldier." You had points of view from both sides, different characters that you get to know over the course of the novels, and so on. And as such, having read through the novels, I found the games got a lot richer as a result. And, although many people on here say they hated the novel The Flood, I enjoyed it a lot more compared to the other novels. Something about knowing what was going on in the background while we were out stomping about as Chief simply thrilled me. And this is what I hope continues on in the Haloverse. There's so much potential for storytelling, like a big canvas. All these places, times, events, and alien cultures to look at. In fact I hope they take it farther than what we have now. That was, utterly what disappointed me the most with Reach in fact. That time would have been perfect to set a story down in regular human boots. I wanted to see all these locations described in the books, be a partial witness to what transpired. In a way, this all reminds me of the first Mass Effect. The game had such a different tone and feeling that came along with it compared to it's sequels. And I will forever remember the very first time I beat it. As I sat in my darkened house at 4 o'clock in the morning, watching the credits roll, listening to perfect track they picked. I just sat back in awe, as the entire experience suddenly dawned on me as I listened to the credits. It was something indescribable for me.
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Edited by thefartassassin: 11/16/2013 4:45:18 PMhalo CE was arguably the greatest shooter of all time
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Edited by abba61: 11/16/2013 6:11:46 PMI agree 90% with -Halo 4 -Halo 3: ODST -Halo: Combat Evolved [duh it's top notch] -Halo 2 [first part is great but 1/2 to almost the very end was WAY to dark] -Halo: Reach [Had great things like campaign customization but was, by halo standards, ok] Disagree 10% -Halo 3 [might be nostalgia but every time I see H3 chief and H3 Marines I get all giddy] And there is a certain novelty when I start up my Xbox and plug in CE or either Battlefronts (1&2) that games just don't capture anymore... And happy birthday to an era of gaming, and era that brought me through depression and a quite depressing childhood. And a game that defined a generation.
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7 RepliesPlease don't categorize Halo 4 as an epic space opera. It's a slap in the face to the authors that actually have constructed them.
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I remember in the Christmas of 2001 I got a new Xbox and Halo CE. From there I was hooked I couldn't stop playing, well until H4 came out.
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Started with CE (PC/MAC) in '03, then got an XBox and Halo 2 in '05. Finally got a 360 two years later sling with Halo 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance.
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2 Repliesinb4 plagiarize
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You like Halo 4, nerd. (I do too.)
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I still play Halo CE. :)
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Edited by The Random: 11/16/2013 3:32:18 AMHappy birthday to the videogame that got me addicted to videogames! :D
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2 RepliesI'm going to play Custom Edition for a bit right now before I go into work. ^.^
