Support NeoGAF

[Matsuchezz]

And Ninja Theory and Double Fine and Compulsion and inXile and Obsidian and Playground and Undead Labs.

Cuz all the games they made were mismanaged right?
Right?

Probably not mismanaged but they are greenlighting "hot fire".

 

[Black_Stride]

Probably not mismanaged but they are greenlighting "hot fire".

Im not from your neck of the woods.
What does "hot fire" mean?

 

[Jaybe]

I don't blame her one bit.

 

[jm89]

I don't blame her one bit. I think 343i did an amazing job in a challenging set of circumstances, one of which the incredible pressure to launch with the console or bust. Once that initial delay happened, a 2 year delay simply would have demolished the Xbox brand and seriously hurt Game Pass. The decision to launch when they did was the correct one.

Bonnie Ross made sure Halo: Master Chief Collection lived up to its full potential. They didn't abandon it on her watch, which many would have forgiven them for doing. That isn't just an ordinary game collection. It's the best ever game collection of its kind ever with so many additional connecting features and enhancements across the entire slat of past Halo games. Shame when Halo Infinite ends up proving just how wrong some people truly were the entire time, likely by the end of 2023, Bonnie won't be there to celebrate that huge turning of the corner. Everybody is free to have their opinions, but to me 343i under her leadership saved Halo as a franchise. Under Bungie it wasn't being treated in those last few games like the massive juggernaut I felt it was. It was a great game, but it seemed stuck in so many original xbox paradigms, especially with relation to how the campaigns were done. Halo just didn't feel like as big a sci-fi epic as it should be.

Mass Effect 1-3 and COD 4 had me feeling like, "Halo needs to feel like it's this grand, like the stakes are this big." For me Halo 4 did that, bringing more of the Halo novels into the games than ever before, and for that I will forever be thankful to Bonnie Ross and 343i for making THAT Halo a reality, and for bringing the type of depth to the Master Chief that had always been there in the best books. Halo 5 didn't stick the landing on story, but I sure loved what it attempted to do, and it dramatically improved Halo's core gameplay and the amount of verticality to be expected in the games.

What Halo 4 and 5 did right is they weren't afraid to dive headfirst into more of the Halo Universes' mysteries, more of the ancient civilization or secrets of the universe that were responsible for the Halo rings. We got shield worlds, prometheans, the didact, the librarian, Blue Team, a badass team of Spartan IVs led by Locke (a character I'm still a huge fan of), we got Laskey, we got deeper, more up to date Halsey stories, we got the UNSC Infinity, the forerunner domain, Zeta Halo, Atriox, the Banished, Jega 'Rdomnai, Escharum (best main Halo game villain to date), The Weapon, we got more RPG elements in Halo, an open world, way more boss fights, mini-bosses via high value targets, outposts assaults, forward operating bases.

What I love most about 343i under Bonnie Ross is they NEVER play it safe, love it or hate it. And going forward I hope that mentality does not change. I even loved the squad commands of Halo 5, and hope they eventually make a return. So, all in all, for 343i's body of work, the metacritics of what they've done under her watch is there for all to see, and it's an impressive body of work they should be proud of. I may not like how Bonnie Ross was dealt with, but I will always respect what she has done for Halo, and I'm as excited for 343i and the future of Halo as I've ever been, and that Halo Infinite Campaign is what makes me so damn confident. That ambition in the campaign was meant to be the "dialed back" vision. I can't wait to see the full fledged plan when everything is coming together for them right with timing.

 

[oldergamer]

Hey bud, you should tweet this Bradley Samms and tell him he’s full of shit!

Is this the same brad sams that people here say is an unreliable source when it suits them? Yeah, ok... Sure!

 

[SenjutsuSage]

100%. 343i has not released a single bad game in her entire time at the helm. Results speak for themselves.

 

[Topher]

Is this the same brad sams that people here say is an unreliable source when it suits them? Yeah, ok... Sure!

The same brad sams that people here say is a reliable source when it suits them? Yep....same guy. Works both ways.

 

[ZehDon]

If Sams is on the money, then apparently there's still more to come in terms of reshuffling 343i. Sounds like the studio as a whole was really in a bad way and in need of house cleaning.

 

[Matsuchezz]

Im not from your neck of the woods.
What does "hot fire" mean?

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hot fire

I must confess I have been watching a lot of Dave Chapelle specials on Netflix.

 

[Max_Po]

We all know ....

 

[Klayzer]

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hot fire

I must confess I have been watching a lot of Dave Chapelle specials on Netflix.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

100%. 343i has not released a single bad game in her entire time at the helm. Results speak for themselves.

All B-grade scores. One an amalgamation Halo game consisting of all 90+ A-grade games still got a B under 343.

Why we argue about "what could have been" is exactly the point your own post makes for us. Halo under 343 is not the pinnacle of gaming nor Halo entries themselves. Halo Infinite should have been a 95+ game and expanded on what Halo has to offer, not contract it.

 

[Jaybe]

100%. 343i has not released a single bad game in her entire time at the helm. Results speak for themselves.

Those user scores

 

[LordCBH]

She had to have seen it coming.

She probably should have seen it coming when Infinite released half baked as fuck after years of work

 

[LordBlodgett]

I will just say that Infinite is irredeemable. Sunset it. Start afresh. No more pandering. No more agency staff. Jettison the Xbox One and in 2026 we may have a Halo to be proud of.

Irredeemable? Really?

The campaign was great and the multiplayer gameplay feels amazing. The problem with Infinite is a lack of variety in the maps and modes. There is a reason Halo peeps have gone back to MCC, but it isn't Infinite being horrible, more just not being able to keep your attention when you have to play the same maps over and over with little variety.

I feel really good about having the production lead behind the MCC revival now running the studio. MCC is one hell of a game these days, and you wouldn't have believed that it could ever get to its current state even a year after its release. Hopefully he can get some fires lit under some asses and get the content flowing more regularly

 

[Thief1987]

100%. 343i has not released a single bad game in her entire time at the helm. Results speak for themselves.

Lol MCC was literally broken. For years. Only showing how much these scores worth.

 

[OverHeat]

Nothing new we already suspected as much

 

[Bernardougf]

Nah. I'm in corporate America. I see this shit all the time, whether it's a man or a woman, black, white, etc.

Fair enough... not a Halo super fan but hope they can turn things around ... I played MCC and was starting to like halo when things went to shit ... its a fun franchise to keep alive

 

[SlimySnake]

Bonnie Ross is / was in charge of Halo was she not?

Ultimately the buck stops with her. You can’t blame Spencer or Booty, they had given her the responsibility and it’s on her and her team to deliver. The only blame any superiors should have is for diversity hiring when millions, if not billions are at stake.

Why not? They hired her and stuck with her fuck up after fuck up. The buck stops with them.

And this is not the only studio thats having problems. Many of the studios that showed CG trailers 2 years ago have simply gone MIA. Whats going on with Rare? Everwild was revealed in 2019. Where is it? Hellblade 2 was revealed in 2019. We've seen one gameplay trailer that looked more like a cutscene in 3 years. Why was it missing at E3? Where is the next Gears? The last one was released 2 years ago in 2019. State of Decay, Avowed, Fable, Perfect Dark.

It seems every studio is having problems and you have to wonder why. If MS has $70 billion to spend on Activision why cant they outbid Infinity Ward, SSM, ND, Insomniac, Bioware and Rockstar? Hire the best talent. Nah, they go with their ridiculous contractor approach that worked for them as they grinded out Windows updates, but clearly isnt good enough for a more artistic venture. You have to build studio culture instead of hiring free lancers who come in and go in a year or two without ever seeing the game launch. Even now they contracted out the development of PD to fucking Crystal Dynamics. They literally built a new studio for this game and now that studio isnt good enough to make this game. What?

And thats not on Matt Booty???

 

[AmuroChan]

Wait, so you're telling me that the whole having to leave because of family issues reason was all BS?

 

[Hawking Radiation]

This is shit stirring and it does Microsoft no favours. Not sure why everyone is so excited that she may have been fired instead of stepping down for the reasons she stated.

Halo deserves a lot more.

 

[Gambit2483]

Wait, so you're telling me that the whole having to leave because of family issues reason was all BS?

I mean...isn't getting fired a "family issue"?

 

[Topher]

100%. 343i has not released a single bad game in her entire time at the helm. Results speak for themselves.

So if Sams is right then Phil Spencer is in the wrong for firing her? Please....no more bullshit paragraphs. Yes or no.

 

[Frank Horrigan]

well according to some 343 employees there was one higher up in the studio (forgot his name) that constantly lied about the state and progress of the game to management at Microsoft.

the Studio is simply a hot mess

Even if true, what kind if manager doesn't check in on the progress of their flagship product?

A shit one.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

She had to go. Phil should have done it after MCC launched - that’s all I mean. Infinite could have been avoided if Phil was more decisive earlier.

MS problem is that they have too much money. All of that money

What are you talking about? They're doing great work. Curious to know where the issues are in your opinion

Gee, let me see.

They can’t release a major game without it being delayed 100 times. Even when those games come out they get plagued with issues. Numerous stories of first party games changing management. Aside from Forza and Gears, they fail, to have a steady stable of games on a regular basis. With their resources and money, they should have 2-3 major exclusives coming every year like Sony who has their own issues, but still gets that part right. Don’t give me this bullshit about game development takes time, they’ve had many studios for years and they still can’t get game development right. They bought up all these studios, but they’re dead in the water without direction. This is a pattern with MS and it starts with them thinking that they can fix every problem by throwing money at it.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Yiuk!! No wonder why they bought Bethesda and Activision.

More than likely MS will run them into the ground.

 

[chromhound]

 

[//DEVIL//]

You mean a shitty ugly woke cancel purple ugly people in a forum acting like fucktards and can’t accept truth ? Shocking

 

[SenjutsuSage]

So if Sams is right then Phil Spencer is in the wrong for firing her? Please....no more bullshit paragraphs. Yes or no.

I already said Phil fucked up in other threads. It looks like a firing or at the very least a relieving of responsibilities, hence a public demotion. I don't fault her for stepping away after the years of good work the team has done under her leadership, and all she has meant to Xbox for years even before 343i. Mark my words, she will be quickly snapped up by a major studio, and it could very well even be bungie.

This is a very bad look, and it's on Phil for never coming out and showing public confidence in her amidst all the mean spirited bs sent her way. Nevermind the fact they should have never been in a position to be forced to make launch in the first place, but with the track record of the studio and the amazing reception of Infinite at launch, you couldn't at least allow a year two years to pass to evaluate the situation then? So as to not be overreacting to a development cycle impacted by a global pandemic?

It especially looks inconsiderate since I believe specific project leads died during the pandemic, if I'm not mistaken. Not small roles at all last I looked. But anyway, yea, those extra paragraphs were just for you.

 

[TheUndeadGamer]

No. It was scheduled for she to leave in November but some family matter expedited the process.


That is the truth. No speculation, no nothing, staph.

EDIT: and by the way if you say otherwise, you will get banned for such insensitive comments.

Is this supposed to be a parody of ResetEra?

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

I'd be ok if they had a new multi only release in 2 years based on an friendly engine. I have seen the extent of what Halo sp can offer, and the canon just isnt interesting. The can sort that out after they have a lively online game.

 

[Hobbygaming]

I really don't blame Bonnie Ross for any of this crap.

Yeah I actually think the problem was the ancient coding systems in Halo's engine

New engines are hard to make and they had to get Halo Infinite out the door at the same time

It helps to have a better studio to deal with it though

 

[Sosokrates]

All B-grade scores. One an amalgamation Halo game consisting of all 90+ A-grade games still got a B under 343.

Why we argue about "what could have been" is exactly the point your own post makes for us. Halo under 343 is not the pinnacle of gaming nor Halo entries themselves. Halo Infinite should have been a 95+ game and expanded on what Halo has to offer, not contract it.

So these are B grade scores too then

 

[BadBurger]

I mean, I don't follow the industry that closely, but it was really surprising to me after the previous batch of bad news from Halo Infinite's developments that someone wasn't fired. It felt like 343i had been working on Infinite for six years, was only able to put out a barebones product compared to previous Halo releases, then went right back to doing fuck all for a year.

If she wasn't fired, she was at least asked to leave on her own accord first.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

I am truly shocked.

Good riddance.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

So these are B grade scores too then

By definition yes they are, generally accepted anything 80-89 range is B grade.

 

[Graciaus]

Who could have guessed after 4 failures in a row heads would roll? The IP should just be given to another studio at this point.

 

[TransTrender]

Yup.
She was fired but pulled in her forced departure date in November due to family illness. Knowing the next season will be late and a shit show any way, she decided to leave early and get some headlines.

343i was a complete disaster under her reign.
If MS paid $500 Million for Infinite then they should clean house or just shutter it.

 

[Banjo64]

Is this the same brad sams that people here say is an unreliable source when it suits them? Yeah, ok... Sure!

Weak bro

 

[Banjo64]

So these are B grade scores too then

In my opinion? Yes. None of those games are genre defining. A lot of them play it very safe. B is bang on.

Some A games? OOT, Breath of the Wild, Mario 64, TES V & The Witcher 3.

 

[Sosokrates]

By definition yes they are, generally accepted anything 80-89 range is B grade.

It's funny how games in that list are not held to the same standard as Halo infinite. People say it's because true hardcore halo fans want the best, but if they really wanted the best they would realise just focusing on the negatives does more harm then good.

 

[Sosokrates]

In my opinion? Yes. None of those games are genre defining. A lot of them play it very safe. B is bang on.

Some A games? OOT, Breath of the Wild, Mario 64, TES V & The Witcher 3.

I think when you get to the higher end of the review scale, the line becomes so thin that quantifying quality becomes nonsensical.

For example there are plenty of 90-100 games which I think should be in the 80s and vice versa, I mean the difference between a 90+ and a 80+ meta game is that portion of people gave it 9 instead of an 8 and vice versa.

 

[DaedalusGrim]

I gotta keep it real. That same thing happens over here, too. You showcase a tiny bit of backbone in a response to somebody or call it it as you see it, and you're getting a warning over inappropriate behavior. Seems kinda tame and out of step for the kind of discourse I see commonly allowed on here, and I'm certain I never step to deeply into disrespect when having discussions, but the way it's moderated you seem like you have to really cater to specific poster's feelings here or you're pretty much hit with a ban.

But when a certain type of user who maybe has a different set of preferences gets abused and disrespected, there's a higher degree of tolerance and acceptability for that. So neither side is flawless on moderation, and that's just me being honest. And attempts to directly address it with moderation never seems to generate a response or any discourse that doesn't come off seeming like a direct threat of shut up or you're gone. So yea.

Ngl, I've seen the shit you say on twitter, so its unsurprising that you get modded and then ignored.

Its easy not to get in trouble lmao

 

[Banjo64]

I think when you get to the higher end of the review scale, the line becomes so thin that quantifying quality becomes nonsensical.

For example there are plenty of 90-100 games which I think should be in the 80s and vice versa, I mean the difference between a 90+ and a 80+ meta game is that portion of people gave it 9 instead of an 8 and vice versa.

I don’t think many people would argue that The Last of Us Part 1, Gears 5, Halo Infinite, Spider-Man or Horizon should be in the same category as Breath of the Wild, Skyrim or The Witcher 3. However you are correct that it all comes down to opinions, and you’re entitled to yours.

 

[Banjo64]

Its easy not to get in trouble lmao

Correct.

There’s a recurring theme on GAF where the people who complain the most about the mods are usually the ones who do deserve to be moderated because of the way they conduct themselves.

 

[TheUndeadGamer]

That’s a little sad if reading 5 paragraphs is too much work.

 

[Sosokrates]

I don’t think many people would argue that The Last of Us Part 1, Gears 5, Halo Infinite, Spider-Man or Horizon should be in the same category as Breath of the Wild, Skyrim or The Witcher 3. However you are correct that it all comes down to opinions, and you’re entitled to yours.

Kinda beyond the point, but yeah, sure.

 

[Banjo64]

Kinda beyond the point, but yeah, sure.

Sorry, I thought we were ranking games. My mistake.

 

[MasterCornholio]

Correct.

There’s a recurring theme on GAF where the people who complain the most about the mods are usually the ones who do deserve to be moderated because of the way they conduct themselves.

Heed your warnings and stay away from tags. That seems to work for me.

 

[Sosokrates]

Sorry, I thought we were ranking games. My mistake.

Well you say that everyone can generally agree that 90+ games are better then 80+ games. I don't think that's the case.

I mean if a game gets 87 or 88 or 89 and a game gets 94 or 95 what does 5 or 6 points even mean..... The margin is to small to really matter. I'm sure there plenty of people who prefer forbidden west over BOTW and vice versa.