Support NeoGAF

[Woorloog]

Why was the Diact telekinetic?

Nope, the Forerunner tech gives him ability to manipulate certain energy fields. Very normal for Forerunner Warrior-Servants.

 

[bigace33]

Is this worth geetting a 360 for? I love the Halo series but I no longer own a 360.

 

[DocSeuss]

She clearly said most of her is "down there" referring to the just nuked space ship. I think it's going to be shitty if they just bring that Cortana back. They had their moment. She died. Leave it at that. Move on to something else.

She needs to go through SHODAN/Durandal-style rampancy. If she doesn't, then it will suck. :|

 

[NullPointer]

Hold on. Wait.

You mean ever since Reach came out I didn't know that it overwrote a good third of First Strike? Incredible.

I mean, First Strike is a ridiculous book for a variety of reasons, and Jun getting Halsey off the planet makes "more sense," but c'mon.

Not sure at all. This is only what I've gathered from people who have read Halsey's notes from Reach.

 

[Trey]

That doesn't retcon anything about Halsey though...

Good. Crisis averted.

 

[Proelite]

This story, acting, and its presentation...

Good enough to be Hollywood caliber.

 

[Woorloog]

I thought it was Jun that helped her get off Reach. Emile died in the game, but Jun took off.

Jun did not get Halsey off Reach. Jun got her to Castle base but as for what happened to Jun is left open. First Strike follows Reach, all Reach did was to retcon when the battle of Reach began, and that the PoA landed during the battle to get Cortana from Noble.

 

[BuckRobotron]

yep. a tiny dent on an otherwise awesome end sequence. my worst nightmare is for chief to get Other M'd. SO MANY FEELINGS I MUST EXPRESS THEM

Him having them is good, and him and Cortana together was (is? will again?) very good. MC with Cortana by his/our side is the main reason I've held onto the main numbered Halos while ultimately trading away ODST and Reach.

As we've suggested, they just tripped up a little bit right at the very end, as though assuming the audience wasn't paying attention to a very memorable comment from Cortana. If I recall though, MC was notably quiet and had no response when she said it to him. So maybe they thought at the end they needed an explicit statement to let the audience know it did affect him.

But it wasn't needed, so maybe next time they'll have a better handle on when to leave well enough alone.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

After a few days of reflection is all I can say is that I hope 343 back-off from trying to expand on the story if it means shitty QTEs.

Lame, bothered me at the time, but much more now, really vexes me.

There has to be a better way of integrating story in the game medium than fucking QTEs, but if there isn't then the story can go to fuck as far as I'm concerned - and I say this as someone that has all the Halo expanded universe books and is really looking forward to Silentium.

Death to QTEs! At least in Halo anyway...please Frankie & co, keep them out of Halo 5 & 6....

I would like to see BB (AI in Glasslands and The Thursday War) as Chief's AI, and it's a possibility as both books have emphasised BB's disdain for adopting a human avatar, and that might be an interesting counterpoint to Cortana - although BB has shown that he is intrigued by being Naomi's AI, and also has some kind of distaste for Cortana as well.

Of course, BB might be pushing rampancy by Halo 5 too...

 

[NullPointer]

After a few days of reflection is all I can say is that I hope 343 back-off from trying to expand on the story if it means shitty QTEs.

Lame, bothered me at the time, but much more now, really vexes me.

There has to be a better way of integrating story in the game medium than fucking QTEs, but if there isn't then the story can go to fuck as far as I'm concerned - and I say this as someone that has all the Halo expanded universe books and is really looking forward to Silentium.

Death to QTEs! At least in Halo anyway...please Frankie & co, keep them out of Halo 5 & 6....

I would like to see BB (AI in Glasslands and The Thursday War) as Chief's AI, and it's a possibility as both books have emphasised BB's disdain for adopting a human avatar, and that might be an interesting counterpoint to Cortana - although BB has shown that he is intrigued by being Naomi's AI, and also has some kind of distaste for Cortana as well.

Of course, BB might be pushing rampancy by Halo 5 too...

Right there with you. That ending QTE might be one of the lamest things I've seen in a Halo game. 1: Its a QTE, and so you have next to zero interaction with whats going on. 2: In co-op, everybody gets to sit and watch player one hit X.

Very Un-Halo, dude.

 

[The Elite]

Thankfully there were barely any QTEs and I don't think they are required at all to expand the Halo story.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

Thankfully there were barely any QTEs and I don't think they are required at all to expand the Halo story.

There should be NONE, and I think that was exactly why they were introduced - to try and push a more 'cinematic' story. The story was great with cutscenes and exposition, without the need for rubbish QTEs.

Press 'A' to win is the antithesis of what made Halo great IMO.

 

[jediyoshi]

There should be NONE, and I think that was exactly why they were introduced - to try and push a more 'cinematic' story. The story was great with cutscenes and exposition, without the need for rubbish QTEs.

The distinction between cutscene and the QTEs here is pretty light aside from the last one. Infact if the facade of pushing a cinematic story along is a complaint with QTEs, I don't see how cutscenes aren't the logical conclusion to that seeing as they're only one step removed from having to push buttons to advance.

 

[MisterAnderson]

As someone who hasn't read any books but has decent knowledge of Halo expanded universe, I was under the impression that MC was the last Spartan after what happened on Reach. That woman on Infinity in Spartan armor (forgot her name), is she a Spartan? They don't make a big deal about it but when I saw another Spartan it seemed like it should have been at least acknowledged or explained how she exists.

 

[Pooya]

so that place in the ending where the pelican lands and some dudes come out, Is that supposed to be where composer fired at Earth? or is it not related.

 

[Biggzy]

As someone who hasn't read any books but has decent knowledge of Halo expanded universe, I was under the impression that MC was the last Spartan after what happened on Reach. That woman on Infinity in Spartan armor (forgot her name), is she a Spartan? They don't make a big deal about it but when I saw another Spartan it seemed like it should have been at least acknowledged or explained how she exists.

She is a spartan IV. I believe they were commissioned after the events of 3.

The MC is the last known survivor of the spartan II program.

so that place in the ending where the pelican lands and some dudes come out, Is that supposed to be where composer fired at Earth? or is it not related.

Yes it is.

 

[Blue Ninja]

so that place in the ending where the pelican lands and some dudes come out, Is that supposed to be where composer fired at Earth? or is it not related.

Yup. The smoking piles of ashes kinda give it away.

She is a spartan IV. I believe they were commissioned after the events of 3.

The MC is the last known survivor of the spartan II program.

The IV's were actually active before the end of the war, but only in very slight numbers, guarding Infinity.

And there's more II's left than just the Chief: Linda, Kelly, Fred and Naomi come to mind.

 

[Biggzy]

Yup. The smoking piles of ashes kinda give it away.



The IV's were actually active before the end of the war, but only in very slight numbers, guarding Infinity.

And there's more II's left than just the Chief: Linda, Kelly, Fred and Naomi come to mind.

Was this when the Infinity was under construction?

 

[TheOddOne]

The IV's were actually active before the end of the war, but only in very slight numbers, guarding Infinity.

And there's more II's left than just the Chief: Linda, Kelly, Fred and Naomi come to mind.

Yep, Halopedia also has an extensive list of who is still alive.

 

[Dreaver]

I just completed the game (loved it), however a few things that were vague to me:
- Why was the covenant on Requiem?
- Why were the covenant possessed?
- Why are the elite's back?
- I assume the Didact still lives? Because you hear his voice at the end of the game.
- Is there any reason why they were so harsh against the Chief when they found him (especially the captain)? He saved the world... He got handled like trash, is it because they are/were building a (new) spartan army? In the prologue they are talking that the Chief is replaceable.

I was a bit sad we didn't see the Arbiter somehow, I loved his character and I hope we'll see him again in a future Halo game.

 

[NullPointer]

- I assume the Didact still lives? Because you hear his voice at the end of the game.

But when and where does that Didact monologue take place?

In this hour of victory we taste only defeat.

I ask why?

We are Forerunners, guardians of all that exists.

The roots of the galaxy have grown deep under our careful tending.

Where there is life, the wisdom of our countless generations has saturated the soil.

Our strength is a luminous sun towards which all intelligence blossoms, and the impervious shelter beneath which it has prospered.

I stand before you, accused of the sin of insuring the Forerunner ascendancy.

Of attempting to save us from the fate where we are forced to recede.

Humanity stands as the greatest threat in the galaxy. Refusing to eradicate them is a fool's gambit.

We squander eons in the darkness while they seize our triumphs for their own.

The mantle of responsibility for all things belongs to Forerunners alone.

Think of my acts as you will, but do not doubt the reality. The reclamation has already begun.

And we are hopeless to stop it.

Edit: I'd guess it was before he was sentenced to imprisonment in Requiem? His last words before being released by the Chief?

 

[NobleGundam]

There should be NONE, and I think that was exactly why they were introduced - to try and push a more 'cinematic' story. The story was great with cutscenes and exposition, without the need for rubbish QTEs.

Press 'A' to win is the antithesis of what made Halo great IMO.

I have mixed feelings for them in Halo. I do welcome it in Halo 4 but I (at least) expected 343 to mix up the Boss Battle with Didact. Ex. Plant Grenade. Blasts His Builder Armor. Followed By A Fuck You Right Hook! Or BR Spread until his armor breaks to disrupt his Telekinetic Powers and toss Prom Nades, or something relatively awesome. That sounds abit satisfying, imo.

 

[Dreaver]

But when and where does that Didact monologue take place?



Edit: I'd guess it was before he was sentenced to imprisonment in Requiem? His last words before being released by the Chief?

The voice-over is when you see the pelicans land on Earth. You can see the "ash corpses" from the Forerunner beam so I assume it's after...

 

[NullPointer]

The voice-over is when you see the pelicans land on Earth. You can see the "ash corpses" from the Forerunner beam so I assume it's after...

But then who is he talking to? Who is he standing before? And what hour of victory? Seems like he's making the case among his own kind that they should have wiped out humanity while they had the chance. Something he seemed intent to do before being imprisoned.

I think they're being a bit poetic here. Also, ending the game with the chief removing his battle skin contrasts nicely with Didact's first scene, where he dons his own battle skin piece by piece, Forerunner style.

 

[zlatko]

so that place in the ending where the pelican lands and some dudes come out, Is that supposed to be where composer fired at Earth? or is it not related.

Is the composer just a weapon and not a forerunner too?

I could have sworn in one of the terminals it shows the Dedicant talking about waking the composer or some shit, and there was an image of someone that isn't shown. Or it was in game, forget which.

 

[TheOddOne]

But then who is he talking to? Who is he standing before? And what hour of victory? Seems like he's making the case among his own kind that they should have wiped out humanity while they had the chance. Something he seemed intent to do before being imprisoned.

To Chief, I think? He speaks to him pretty much the whole last level, Chief even ask Cortana is she can hear the Didact but she hears nothing.

 

[BigTnaples]

But then who is he talking to? Who is he standing before? And what hour of victory? Seems like he's making the case among his own kind that they should have wiped out humanity while they had the chance. Something he seemed intent to do before being imprisoned.

I think they're being a bit poetic here. Also, ending the game with the chief removing his battle suit contrasts nicely with Didact's first scene, putting his battlesuit on.

Yeah the voiceover is from the past, but the footage is from the present.


I assume the speech was made just before he was imprisoned. (I have only read Crytum and part of Primordium so far, so it may be clarified there.)

 

[NullPointer]

To Chief, I think? He speaks to him pretty much the whole last level, Chief even ask Cortana is she can hear the Didact but she hears nothing.

Could be, but Didact's use of "they" when referring to humanity makes me think he's speaking to his own.

Yeah the voiceover is from the past, but the footage is from the present.

Makes the most sense to me, yep. I think they wanted to show some of the cost of this latest battle.

Was New Phoenix the area that was hit? They refer to that location in Spartan Ops.

 

[Woorloog]

But then who is he talking to? Who is he standing before? And what hour of victory? Seems like he's making the case among his own kind that they should have wiped out humanity while they had the chance. Something he seemed intent to do before being imprisoned.

I think they're being a bit poetic here. Also, ending the game with the chief removing his battle skin contrasts nicely with Didact's first scene, where he dons his own battle skin piece by piece, Forerunner style.

I'm pretty sure he is talking to other Forerunners. When the Chief blew him off the bridge, he fell to what is seemingly a slipspace portal, but orange. I'm sure he is still alive and at large... We will meet him again.

Was New Phoenix the area that was hit? They refer to that location in Spartan Ops.

Yes. It is a enlargened Phoenix, Arizona, just like New Mombasa is a larger, newer Mombasa.

 

[strafer]

Why do people insist on cutting onions when Cortana says goodbye.

That was brutal.

 

[TheOddOne]

Could be, but Didact's use of "they" when referring to humanity makes me think he's speaking to his own.

I think he is speaking to Chief, because Didact said earlier in the game that Chief still has not taken control of them (the scene where we first meet the Didact, with "they" in that scene he references the Covenant and Prometheans). Maybe he sees Chief as some kind of leader/master?

 

[TacticalFox88]

Why do people insist on cutting onions when Cortana says goodbye.

That was brutal.

I'm going to miss the FUCK out of her sarcastic attitude. Death of a legend indeed.

 

[NullPointer]

I'm going to miss the FUCK out of her sarcastic attitude. Death of a legend indeed.

Well, presuming we'll see more of Halsey, maybe 343 thought it might be weird to have both Halsey and Cortana speaking in the same game.

I wonder what they'd say to each other.

 

[Paradicia]

To Chief, I think? He speaks to him pretty much the whole last level, Chief even ask Cortana is she can hear the Didact but she hears nothing.

Not too up on the fiction, but what are the chances he's talking to other high ranking forerunners?

I would have preferred to fight actual forerunner soldiers instead of the promethean Ais.

Akin to this:

 

[Petrichor]

Not too up on the fiction, but what are the chances he's talking to other high ranking forerunners?

I would have preferred to fight actual forerunner soldiers instead of the promethean Ais.

Akin to this:

This is what I hope for when halo 4 was announced.

Though this could still happen in halo 5. A forerunner army complete with forerunner soldiers, sentinels and revamped prometheans would be a good start towards replacing the covenant.

 

[Red_Man]

People actually think Cortana's gone for good? No way is 343 going to let the second biggest character in their franchise go out like that, especially in the first game of a new trilogy.

 

[Biggzy]

People actually think Cortana's gone for good? No way is 343 going to let the second biggest character in their franchise go out like that, especially in the first game of a new trilogy.

I think most people are in an agreement that we will get a 'new Cortana' in Halo 5.

 

[Flipyap]

Not too up on the fiction, but what are the chances he's talking to other high ranking forerunners?

I would have preferred to fight actual forerunner soldiers instead of the promethean Ais.

Akin to this:

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100920043018/halofanon/images/f/f7/Forerunner_Soldier.jpg[ IMG][/QUOTE]
In the past: very high.
In the present: impossibly, shark jumpingly low.

To make a conflict with actual Forerunners work, they would have to bring back a [B]significant [/B]number of them. They would have to outnumber what's left of Halo's current spacefaring civilizations to make the cost of war anything but stupidly suicidal, and a similarly huge number of them would have to support the Didact's xenophobic crusade, which in theory should go against their entire belief system. It just wouldn't work.

 

[Tunavi]

HOW DID CHIEF SURVIVE THE NUKE

 

[Woorloog]

HOW DID CHIEF SURVIVE THE NUKE

Cortana either teleported him away (or moved the nuke) and/or made a hardlight shield for the Chief.
Do note that after the Didact was incapacitated, Cortana didn't have to fight him to control the ship anymore (and thus had full access to teleportation fields and ships controls). Her chip getting destroyed doesn't destroy the AI, it is merely a means to moving the AI around.

EDIT also note that the Didact seemingly fell to a slipspace portal.

 

[Slightly Live]

Why was the Didact telekinetic?

http://www.halopedia.org/Constraint_field

 

[Tunavi]

Right there with you. That ending QTE might be one of the lamest things I've seen in a Halo game. 1: Its a QTE, and so you have next to zero interaction with whats going on. 2: In co-op, everybody gets to sit and watch player one hit X.

Very Un-Halo, dude.

I wanted a metroid prime-like boss battle with didact.

so disappointing, great campaign otherwise

 

[Woorloog]

I wanted a metroid prime-like boss battle with didact.

so disappointing, great campaign otherwise

How do boss battles work in Metroid?
Because HaloGAF goes nuts when you say you like boss battles in Halo 2. I found those awesome (if a tad too difficult, and too long) and would have liked such against the Didact.

 

[NullPointer]

HOW DID CHIEF SURVIVE THE NUKE

Everything that happened after the initial Composer blast was just John dreaming. He dreamt he was doing the Star Wars trench run before ending it with the Didact Modern Warfare 2 style. Just as things started to get touchy-feely with Cortana he woke up and found himself floating in space debris.

 

[Cuban Legend]

Everything that happened after the initial Composer blast was just John dreaming. He dreamt he was doing the Star Wars trench run before ending it with the Didact Modern Warfare 2 style. Just as things started to get touchy-feely with Cortana he woke up and found himself floating in space debris.

is this cannon? wtf lol

 

[Dictator93]

-
- Old Cortana becomes some super AI, eventually turns into fully human. MC and Cortana bang.

.

I would actually not mind having this happen

 

[MattKeil]

I also just rewatched Cortana's death scene and there are SO many times when Chief doesn't need to say a damn thing because his slight movements reveal his inflections to what Cortana is saying. It is SO awkward.

I don't see any place this is true. I think Chief's lines are delivered poorly a couple of times in that scene (which may be intentional), but his end of the conversation needs to exist. It just seems like you're trying too hard to cut a VGCats down to three panels here.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I don't see any place this is true. I think Chief's lines are delivered poorly a couple of times in that scene (which may be intentional), but his end of the conversation needs to exist. It just seems like you're trying too hard to cut a VGCats down to three panels here.

I suppose that last cinematic is rather VGCats like, isn't it?

 

[RealDeadOne]

I just completed the game (loved it), however a few things that were vague to me:

Let me answer these real quick:

- Why was the covenant on Requiem?

After the Human-Covenant War ended, some Elites were angry both at the Prophets for lying and the Arbiter and his followers for trying to make peace with humanity. This splinter group gathered a small fleet, and eventually found an artifact that gave them a hot tip about where to find the Forerunner's ultimate military leader who also happened to hate humans as much as they did. So these Elites pronounced this guy their god and went to Requiem to try and find him.

[QUOTE- Why were the covenant possessed?[/QUOTE]

They aren't possessed, they worship the Didact as a god and follow him.

- Why are the elite's back?

See above, they're a splinter group opposed to humanity and the Elites who are allying with them.

- I assume the Didact still lives? Because you hear his voice at the end of the game.

He supposedly does live, but the voice heard at the end of the game is a speech he made in the past, about ancient humanity, not current humanity.

- Is there any reason why they were so harsh against the Chief when they found him (especially the captain)? He saved the world... He got handled like trash, is it because they are/were building a (new) spartan army? In the prologue they are talking that the Chief is replaceable.

It was mostly just Del Rio, the Infinity's captain who would not respect the Chief, and I think it was just because he doesn't like having someone who holds more respect than himself. Other than him, everyone else seems to show reverence for Chief.

 

[Y2Kev]

As someone who hasn't read any books but has decent knowledge of Halo expanded universe, I was under the impression that MC was the last Spartan after what happened on Reach. That woman on Infinity in Spartan armor (forgot her name), is she a Spartan? They don't make a big deal about it but when I saw another Spartan it seemed like it should have been at least acknowledged or explained how she exists.

That was what I thought too, but apparently there has been a lot of retconning/rewriting/new programs.