[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Uncle Kulikov I notice that most of the OP's complaints are based on improvements made in subsequent games, so be fair and remember those sequels could be adjusted with hindsight.[/quote]The op was made when I was still playing CE for strategies. I've come to reject most of those complaints and embrace CE... and play it for fun. And actually, the subsequent games have a lot more things I dislike: -checkpoints: +5 death cp reversion reversion is a pathetic feature. +Furthermore, there is no longer a pop up asking for confirmation if you want to revert. +Also, cp delaying has been severely changed for the worse. Other than certain cps (i.e. beginning of Quarantine Zone, I think there's a cp that you can delay to get it at the Mythic skull), I find that if I have enemies nearby or shooting at me or if I have delayed it too long, I don't get it. Also, you can only delay a cp for 5-6 jumps. Last but not least, infinite cps. They were on Halo, SC, AotCR, and some other levels but they are noticeably missing in the subsequent games. The only one I know of is when you enter the third tower on The Covenant. You can revisit that room about 6 times and get a cp. Finally, I get cps when I don't want them (i.e. when there's a bunch of enemies nearby) and don't get cps when I do want them. The subsequent games are somewhat linear in this aspect, and it is nearly impossible to obtain a cp after some points. In CE, cps were abundant yet [u]well distanced so you had to earn them[/u]. -AI: +they get removed a lot +they have so many advantages compared to the player +the skulls don't really add to their AI as much as they add their advantages +they're not as predictable. One of the things that made CE combat such a revolution (and fun) was that they were predictable yet still challenging. [b]Randomness kills fun[/b]. +they're not as bright. In H2 and Reach, I've assassinated enemies and their allies never noticed (H2 can be forgiven since it has Armory skull). In Reach, I've found myself [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5uusIYrKSM#t=26s]landing in front of a Jackal[/url] and he never noticed me, even when I killed his buddy [b]IN FRONT OF HIM[/b] as well as there being no enemies nearby to keep his attention. H3 is the only one that has an Armory skull type effect enabled [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ojM-LQDG7s]by default[/url], which is why the Brute noticed his dead comrade. Which is why if you melee a sleeping Grunt's dead body through another sleeping Grunt, he wakes up. In Reach, this has been completely abandoned. On LNoS, at the part with the Bob Elite and General, one can give away his position to the Covies by assassinating a Grunt or the Bob making him say something that alerts everyone. But that's about it afaik. +they're sometimes omniscient. You'd expect the AI that get dropped off by the dropship on LNoS in Reach to continue moving up the beach, never noticing the player perched behind a precarious point or on the high cliffs (he got out of the map via Pelican) but some of them actually look up at you. In Reach, when fighting with Noble Team, if you come out of cover, the enemies turn to you. In H3, the peeing Brute is hard to assassinate even if you were crouching. +too many of them are now territorial (meaning they cannot leave their spawning area). There goes the possibility of having 4 Hunters on The Ark +the lack of megabattles. [u]I consider megabattles as a sign of Halo trademark[/u]. H1 has 4. H3 has 1 (2 if you count the few Brutes, Jackals, and 33 Grunts on Sierra 117): The Storm, at the AA gun (but most of them become territorial and remain on the rock next to the AA gun. I plan on getting marines to participate in the battle). H2 has 1 (The Arbiter, but the enemy numbers are on a miniature scale. I'm currently working on it. I've managed to get friendly AI into the battle). But where's Reach's? That's how far Bungie has taken Halo. From interesting, impressive, immersive, intense, and nearly impeccable battles and encounters to boring linear, room to room street fighting. Not even Firefight has any value anymore. I've heard that it's just fuel rod gun spam and that the enemies always know where you are... As for ODST, I'm pretty sure it might have a megabattle (on the other hand, based on my memories of NMPD HQ, I doubt it). Take that [url=http://www.badcyborg.net/ODST/Fun/ONIAlphaSite/BridgeOnslaughtChallenge.html]battle at the beginning of ONI Alpha Site[/url] as an example of an interesting battle. So you guys might consider me now a CE purist, as I've been disappointed with H2 (recently) and H3, and especially Reach. [Edited on 01.15.2012 9:45 AM PST]