[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Komet As other members have already said, Halo 3 marked the beginning of the end for exploration.[/quote]Pretty much the only way to exit a mission in Halo 3 is to get on a Phantom turret. Exploration was less limited in Reach since you could get on a dropship and armor lock but even after exiting the map, you weren't in the clear. Furthermore, you couldn't continue the level this way. At least in Halo 3, you could get back into the game. On Sierra 117, [url=http://badcyborg.net/Halo3/Fun/Level1/BackRouteToDamArea.html]there's a lot of things you can do at the dam[/url] before triggering the cutscene to play as normally. You could kill off some of the toughest enemies in advance and block off other enemies using the scenery objects, as well as manipulate the Phantom so it appears elsewhere in the cutscene and the troops it drops off land elsewhere (i.e. in the water). [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Komet Currently it appears Bungie's idea of a good game includes polishing and perfecting its experience until there are absolutely no bumps or rough edges. This is especially true after Halo 2.[/quote]Especially true? It is the sad truth. Though I think you mean perfecting it's appearance. The experience of newer Halo games is far from perfect. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Komet In turn, this meant killing every bug, glitch, and exploit found in addition to making its games look more "professional" (funny how this contrasts with their own well established, informal culture). Killing off bugs probably meant removing things like rocket jumping, Banshee jumping, making map BSP behave correctly.[/quote]Why it had to extend to the campaign I do not know. It's interesting how Bungie kept [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvqP0Mi2h1k]this glitch[/url] in but got rid of other campaign exclusive glitches. I suspect the glitches and exploits weren't killed off merely for the sake of making the game look good but because of multiplayer. Indeed, Halo 2 brought with it a curse. A strong emphasis on the multiplayer. I surmise Bungie saw that the multiplayer was a better marketing pitch, which is why the campaigns of newer Halo games have been ridiculously short and are vastly sub par to the first two campaigns. Interestingly enough, ODST's main pitch was Sergeant Johnson advertising Firefight. I remember back in [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46AFpTwKvLk]CE[/url] and [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkCgDIhUJmQ]Halo 2[/url], it was about the campaign. Obviously, Bungie was trying to keep up with competitors, most of which were focused on multiplayer. Coincidence? I think not. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Komet Another good example of this polishing is how Bungie encrypted game assets used in Reach's game engine. Did that stop the modding community? No, instead it nearly leveled the modding community.[/quote]I know there are cheaters out there but most modders I know like to focus on the campaign. Bungie's methods of suppression inevitably include campaign, essentially killing off replayability for those who can't stand the normal gameplay or are left wanting more. I often mod CE and Halo 2 campaigns and find the gameplay much more enjoyable than I do with Halo 3 and Reach, which I can barely adjust (courtesy of [url=http://liberty.codeplex.com/]Liberty[/url]). [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Komet So where does that leave us? Well it certainly could be worse! Bungie's hosting of this particular forum despite Halo 2's age is evidence of their commitment to its core fans.[/quote]I don't know about you but I was very alarmed when I saw that all the Halo games but Reach were removed from the 'Community' drop down menu. Even though this forum still exists, it's been shoved aside like the others. On Waypoint, the forum topics are not nearly as interesting as they are in the Halo 4 forum. Pretty much the only thing you see in Halo 2 forums is Anniversary discussion and mp. Whereas CE forum only lives on because of Anniversary. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Komet Perhaps I'm giving Bungie too much credit, but you can't deny they haven't forgotten about the enthusiasts from their older games (if you can call Halo 2 old).[/quote]With Halo 3 and Reach, they've completely ignored the accomplishments of old school gamers: -cutscene glitching ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_HZQE4kOkE]this[/url] is a distant memory) -BAW, clipping, actually doing something about the fall timer -using easter eggs for glitching and for a large portion of the level -saving marines -using Pelicans and Phantoms (the best you could do with them in Reach is the Pelican to Pelican launch on TotS) -carrying over weapons to the next mission (completely absent in Reach while it is dumbed down in Halo 3, in which you can't bring a fuel rod gun from The Storm to Floodgate except on Co-op) -being unarmed for an entire level -[url=http://badcyborg.net/Halo/Fun/Level2/RM/Index.html]massive AI battles[/url] -collecting AI (vehicle collections on the other hand can be impressive. Banshees on Nightfall, Seraphs on LNoS) -bringing AI to impossible places ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bWqm4qSN1I]still possible as seen in Meta Stability 2.0[/url] though it's probably much harder) Death barriers are quite prominent nowadays (i.e. on The Ark, at the light bridge). AI get killed off mercilessly by the game (i.e. on The Storm, at the AA gun, right after the cutscene and on The Covenant, at Journey's End, if you skip all the enemies). Encounters are minimal and barely entertaining. They're overrated too (much more than in Halo 2 and Halo 3 tbh). The only thing from the older games that is fully intact is launching (which was pretty much expected). Trick jumping is much harder (the lack of Black Eye overshields and Invincibility has taken out one method for good). Grenade jumps are mostly useless. I would have dropped Reach sooner if it weren't for my impulses to prove a point. Recently, Bungie recognized [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEkQqkCNNdc]this[/url]. But that's about it afaik. With Bungie, it's all about luck and polish. CE and Halo 2 don't necessarily fit in those categories, which is why I've tolerated them so much more than newer Halo games and which is why they're rarely brought up these days. [Edited on 08.28.2012 1:39 AM PDT]