[quote]Which only half existed until Halo 4. Before that they were just partners who bantered around with each other. 343i turned it into some weird fanfic with Halo 4[/quote]That's not true in the slightest. There are multiple instances throughout the games and the books where interactions between the two or thoughts about one another go beyond a normal relationship/friendship. In Halo: Fall of Reach, Cortana divulges to Dr. Halsey that she finds John-117 attractive. In Halo: CE when Chief is given Cortana, they greet each other like old friends. Chief, a military man the vast majority of his life addresses Keyes with military respect and authority. However, the second Cortana makes an appearance Chief goes right from professional seriousness to casual jokes. The astounding thing about this is that it's only Chief and Cortana's SECOND time being with each other. In Halo: First Strike, John remarks to himself that all equipment and tech is expendable and replaceable. He quickly retracts part of his statement and exempts Cortana, clearly indicating he considers her more than just equipment or technology. In Halo 2, Chief agrees with Cortana's plan to stay behind and then tells her he will retrieve her even though that it is statistically unlikely. Plus the whole, "Don't make a girl a promise begins here. That's a pretty damn personal thing to say if you ask me. In Halo 3 humanity is hanging in the balance at the brink of extinction. John puts all his faith into Cortana when all signs point to her being corrupted. He put the entire fate of the human race onto Cortana. That's not a normal level of trust, especially coming from a guy who's said that technology can often be unreliable. [quote]Master Chief is being a baby about it and Cortana isn't dealing with the loss of Master Chief because shes -blam!-ing dead[/quote]In her dying, she loses the Master Chief. She is clearly poignant that their duties toward each other are over and that Master Chief must move on without her.

There's nothing to explore, also like destiny. :(

[quote]And the entire goddamn planet. A bastion of human civilisation and military might, obliterated. Reach nailed the invasion and destruction of humanity far better than H3's pitiful first half.[/quote]Probably because Halo 3 was only focused on Kenya, because that's where the relevant fighting was. What Reach did to make the planet feel like it was under heavy attack was really basic stuff. Almost everything you see in Reach is the sneaky behind the scenes stuff, not the actual battle. All Reach really does to give the image of the planet being under attack is background stuff that doesn't even affect what you're doing. In fact, save for two missions (Exodus and New Alexandria), you're on the offensive against the Covenant. [quote]Yah. I love a good Warthog run. Plus the Covenant arriving en masse in the background was spectacular (for once, ODST delivered the dynamite there. Well, and the opening, obviously). [/quote]Good level design and linear aren't exactly synonymous terms... And the cruisers arriving in the background aren't even relevant to the level design. [quote]Difficult to navigate,[/quote]Did you forget they gave the player a map, where they can see nearby troop movements, supply caches, and the layout of the entire city? Plus, the Superintendent is constantly pointing you in the right direction in-game. [quote]void of meaningful activity besides Sadie's Story.[/quote]Probably because it's a hub world. Where you go to select the main beef of the game. You act as if you expect a hub-world to be as fleshed out as an open world RPG. [quote]What side missions? The story missions?[/quote]I believe I meant story missions.