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[RoadHazard]

No because halo by its nature is effectively about one story. Whereas with cod, each game is a different story and setting.

Also halo was bungie. Whereas cod from almost the get go was made my multiple studios. So allowed longer developments times etc.

You think the people who play these games online (which is really what matters in this conversation) give a shit about story? Doubt.

 

[Del_X]

Bungie and Halo decayed terribly post-MSFT breakup. I still think it’s more likely we get a great Halo game in the future than a great output from Bungie.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

The handoff from Bungie to 343 was always strange to me, as the quality of the novels shot up considerably, while the game writers decided to insert their dick into a blender by requiring you to read all those books to understand the games.

I'm quite serious when I say that Halo 4, 5, and Infinite have very good plotlines that make perfect sense......................if you've read every single novel in the entire franchise like I have. It's an unforgivably bad method of storytelling to bury important plot points, and character development in other media than the one you're telling the story in. FF15 had the same problem, a very poignant Hero's Journey with memorable, and likeable characters, an amazing villain, and they fucked it all up with needing all the DLC, and watching a feature length movie plus a short anime series to understand anything.

 

[{insert code here}]

It could have if maintained dominance I think if:
1) Bungie stayed at the helm
2) Bungie left the single player story as ended after 3 and pivoted Halo to be online MP/Coop games only after Reach was finished.

Might have worked and I'm certain would've been leagues above the garbage that was 343 Halo. They could've even made a game built around the Halo 3 forge, online only, and that would've been better than anything 343 has ever done.

 

[Codes 208]

to 343i’s credit, i do honestly believe halo shouldve taken destiny’s spot for best on-going game since infinite has come a long way since launch. Its a shame it was mismanaged to such a severe degree and that the tv show completely dropped the ball, thus further severing good will with halo fans (and charging $20 for a classic skin…)

But with the newer updates, firefight, infection, halo infinite is at least playing again

 

[BennyBlanco]

This may be a scorching take but Halo peaked with the first game. That multiplayer + the maps are fun as hell. I still fire it up in the MCC from time to time.

 

[Danjin44]

Nothing is consistent, things change.....there is not much anyone can do.

 

[Badlucktroll]

Is Peter Jackson's the Halo Chronicles going to be made?

 

[diffusionx]

COD4 stole a lot of Halo 3's thunder in 2007, so, probably not. The fact that MS built a shitty studio to keep the franchise going then let the most incompetent people run it for about 10 years too long didn't help.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

It tuned into Destiny.

Pun not intended.

I agree with this.

When it comes to shooters, there's only so many that want to keep playing that sci-fi setting like it's the Unreal days. You got Halo, Destiny, Warframe etc... Destiny does looks kind of Halo-ish. Not in that red vs blue TDM way, but you got big booster jumps, sci-fi, big bright colours, aliens, lasers and shit like that. Destiny and Destiny 2 just took it over with the looty raid game mechanic.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Bungie left because they didn't want to do it anymore, so Halo died

CoD doesn't have that problem, everyone at Activision Blizzard knows they are shackled to CoD for life because it is what puts the food on their table so to speak

 

[cash_longfellow]

Nope, because they were unwilling to put out a reskin cash grab year after year.

 

[diffusionx]

Bungie left because they didn't want to do it anymore, so Halo died

CoD doesn't have that problem, everyone at Activision Blizzard knows they are shackled to CoD for life because it is what puts the food on their table so to speak

COD has consumed the entire company. It's fucking grim. Look at this shit: https://www.activision.com/games

Back in the 360 and PS4 days they released a lot of stuff. But it's COD-Blizzard right now. And even with that, the games are total shit. The past three have been abominations. I know they keep selling but this doesn't seem sustainable anymore.

 

[T-0800]

I would say after 4, that game had an incredible campaign, stellar music, new cool enemies, and awesome new weapons,

 

[Sony]

The biggest differences between Halo and CoD is the skill level required to enjoy the game, the movement and the low TTK. It makes cod more approachable to casuals. Halo didn't really have competition.

Also, Halo should have gotten a spinoff series with more CoD like mechanics. Tampering with the formula of mainline Halo always rustled the fanbase' Jimmies.

 

[Robb]

I don’t think anything’s ever destined for anything. It’s probably more about their approach.

CoD is easy to jump into, while the stories in the singleplayer mode are somewhat connected they can also be played without any past experience. With Halo they haven’t really gone the same route and the story has just become more and more convoluted over time.

If CoD still had numbered sequels (i.e. the latest game being CoD 21) a big focus on singleplayer that followed the same main protagonist through a confusing story that had been going since the very first game, and also depended on you having played past games to understand the plot, I don’t think it’d be where it is today.

 

[havoc00]

Also, Halo should have gotten a spinoff series with more CoD like mechanics. Tampering with the formula of mainline Halo always rustled the fanbase' Jimmies.

I didnt even hate Halo 4 tbh, I dont mind them trying some new stuff I mean Gears is the poster child of never tampering with the formula and they arent in the best spot either

 

[Ian Henry]

It served it's purpose. It's peak was mid-late 2000s, the following installments just didn't live up to epicness that period. Microsoft also didn't provide the franchise with the right care and attention after Bungie left. As evidenced with 343's handling of the franchise.

Just like Gears, crazy how Xbox had the gaming world by storm with the 360. Only to just let the aura falter in a flash.

 

[Starbuck2907]

Halo is a weird series where the quality of the campaign was the initial draw (before online multiplayer was really a big thing on Xbox). And basically since then, if the campaign isn’t fantastic, the multiplayer hype just isn’t there either.

I played Halo a lot through Halo 3, but the “Brutes” were the beginning of the end for me. I wanted more Flood, another ring, etc, and instead we got weird bears (brutes), floating alien popes on hover rounds, and teleporting robots/aliens. And the plot just went bananas in a bad way.

Interestingly, I would also say that Gears of War is a little similar. The campaign quality seems to have a big impact on multiplayer population. Edit: Gears 5 has a decent campaign and GREAT horde mode.

 

[tmlDan]

Honestly, we need to let halo go. I was a massive fan of H:CE on PC and played a bunch of Halo's after that with friends.

But it's so old, the arena shooter is outdated - It's story is over, stop trying to continue it.

Why don't they completely reboot it? 500 years into the future or some shit

 

[MagnesD3]

The biggest differences between Halo and CoD is the skill level required to enjoy the game, the movement and the low TTK. It makes cod more approachable to casuals. Halo didn't really have competition.

Also, Halo should have gotten a spinoff series with more CoD like mechanics. Tampering with the formula of mainline Halo always rustled the fanbase' Jimmies.

Its called Swat lol, casuals can go play in the social lobby or Big team battle if they wanna chill and play. Or Casuals can play the great custom games that were available to download.

 

[Sushi_Combo]

COD has consumed the entire company. It's fucking grim. Look at this shit: https://www.activision.com/games

Back in the 360 and PS4 days they released a lot of stuff. But it's COD-Blizzard right now. And even with that, the games are total shit. The past three have been abominations. I know they keep selling but this doesn't seem sustainable anymore.

I feel this is just the trend we see from all major publishers. It's too risky now to release a game like Singularity since costs for development, marketing etc are so high.

 

[Rob_27]

343 ruined it.

 

[Adam_802]

Nothing lasts forever. Halo doesn't need to remain the biggest game ever, it already was once which is way more than most franchises will ever be able to say.

Halo's gunplay/physics/sandbox are still unmatched in the FPS genre, and there's certainly something to be said for games that still have a campaign mode and a full MP suite as well. (A rarity nowadays)

 

[crazepharmacist]

Could it have? I’d say no because the developer had no desire to continue the franchise. Not to be pedantic but that’s all it comes down to. Activision have been able to keep churning these games out. Bungie didn’t want to do the same. If Bungie did have the will, would current day Halo still be pulling in 1m concurrent players like it was during Halo 3? IMO no, but it’d be putting in similar numbers to Destiny and would therefore be a lot more successful than it is with 343.

Wait. You’re conflating two different things here. Bungee, a developer, with Activision, a publisher. Bungie didn’t want to keep making halo but neither did infinity ward. If I remember, there was that whole controversy with the cod4 development team and Vince Zampella and crew, where they wanted out of their contract.

Microsoft and activision both wanted to continue their franchises. Microsoft’s reformed bungie into 343 and activision reformed infinity ward’s development team.

 

[diffusionx]

Wait. You’re conflating two different things here. Bungee, a developer, with Activision, a publisher. Bungie didn’t want to keep making halo but neither did infinity ward. If I remember, there was that whole controversy with the cod4 development team and Vince Zampella and crew, where they wanted out of their contract.

Microsoft and activision both wanted to continue their franchises. Microsoft’s reformed bungie into 343 and activision reformed infinity ward’s development team.

there is definitely a studio named 343 working on a game named Halo, and there is definitely a studio named Infinity Ward working on Call of Duty, but to call them "reformed" from anything is a massive stretch as they are not a shadow of what came before.

 

[Krappadizzle]

343 ruined it.

Chasing trends ruined it.

 

[crazepharmacist]

Halo actually had a soul so there was no way it would have been number 1 forever like COD. Also its a slower paced game and as we know the mainstream trends towards twitch shooting and realism so no not unless it became a different game (which it tried to do with 5 and Infinite).

Warzone is not that twitch based. Reminds me of halo because of the much higher TTK and having to plate up (health packs). I could envision a world where halo captured the Fortnite/warzone crowd.

 

[crazepharmacist]

there is definitely a studio named 343 working on a game named Halo, and there is definitely a studio named Infinity Ward working on Call of Duty, but to call them "reformed" from anything is a massive stretch as they are not a shadow of what came before.

Per Respawn Entertainment’s Wikipedia page:

“As of July 10, 2010, 38 of the 46 Infinity Ward employees who resigned from that studio following the firings of West and Zampella revealed through their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles that they had signed on with Respawn Entertainment.[7][8]”

That certainly sounds like a shadow of its former self when it comes to Infinity Ward.

 

[crazepharmacist]

I love the fact in Halo you can get shot in the back and turn around and out play them if your a good player, one of the best feelings, but yes Im sure that feels like ass on the other end haha.

You can do this in Warzone. I used to shit on cod and say it took no skill to play because of the near instant TTK and it devolving into who sees who first. Warzone changed my opinion on cod. Warzone takes a ton of skill to play.

 

[RickMasters]

Remember how desperate Bungie was to get out of Microsoft’s corporate structure? Once Microsoft got hold off Halo and started enforcing their vision into the ip instead of letting the devs create… It was pretty much a done deal.

From Marquee franchise that created momentum, to Craig.

Meanwhile bungie went from a marquee franchise that created momentum to a franchise that turned them into a money gouging husk of their former selves that are now on the brink of a hostile takeover by the company that bought them ( Sony)…… let’s not act like it turned out to be a bed of roses for them, in the end.



And halo infinite is a far more enjoyable, far more balanced experience than destiny’s MP ever will be. Bungie are not even the same company anymore. They lost their best talents and now they just….. nickel and dime their fans….. former destiny player here. Tunes out of that game after that last DLC. Halo on the other hand is fucking amazing right now.

 

[simpatico]

Halo was always transitory. Bungie polished FPS controls on dual analog sticks in an era where it really hadn't been perfected. The slow speed was a compromise because no one was familiar with these mechanics on dual analog. It was bound to get left behind once people were a little quicker with their thumbs. Franchises don't have to live forever. Should have left it at 1,2,3, Reach and people would have always looked back very fondly. Games do not have to have unlimited sequels to be great. Bungie themselves knew this and bailed at exactly the right time.

I do like small SP romps through Infinite. I wish they'd get that price down on Steam. $23 is still too much. Need that $12.49 sweet spot so I can grab it for my archives.

 

[Danknugz]

Halo actually had a soul

no it didn't. lmao halo was pure derivative garbage

 

[FireFly]

no it didn't. lmao halo was pure derivative garbage

Yeah, you had guns and you shot enemies. Was clearly a massive Doom clone.

 

[twilo99]

The only thing saving CoD is Warzone

 

[Kamina]

It had the potential but Bungie didn’t want and we see what 343 is capable of.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Old Halo and it's formula doesn't hold up

Infinite's gameplay is far better.

 

[Syphon Filter]

Halo was dead the day Bungie left, it was ruined due to 343 copying COD and it not feeling like a Halo anymore. That is the reason Halo died.

 

[Danknugz]

Yeah, you had guns and you shot enemies. Was clearly a massive Doom clone.

Did you know that Shakespeare plagiarized cause he used words?

 

[Ribi]

It stopped being huge once halo 4 came out

 

[Codes 208]

It stopped being huge once halo 4 came out

The longevity of the series died with halo 4 but it didnt stop being huge here. 4 became the third best selling game of the series behind only reach and 3

Halo 5 and infinite is when we saw the major decline in retention

 

[MagnesD3]

You can do this in Warzone. I used to shit on cod and say it took no skill to play because of the near instant TTK and it devolving into who sees who first. Warzone changed my opinion on cod. Warzone takes a ton of skill to play.

Im sure it takes skill (never touched Warzone yet), most things can, I just love how Halo's gameplan is less about who gets surprised by someone whos not in your vision, its about constantly making little plans to adapt to control the environment/weapons your in and the the more skilled player will usually rise on top without forcing the player to rely on a team, the TTK and the powerful radar allow for this. Also the variety of interesting weapons used is alot of fun to master and keeps games fresh.

 

[Thaedolus]

You can only finish the fight so many times…or do pretty awesome prequels like Reach. But I never got far into 4, had no interest in 5, and while the Infinite campaign was fun, I had no idea what the point of any of it was. It felt like they just said hey let’s try going back to the quasi Halo environment and pretend nothing that came before matters. Again, I had fun, especially being Spider-Master Chief, but I couldn’t tell you shit about who I was fighting or why…and that was a big part of the original trilogy and Reach

 

[MagnesD3]

Just for some fun my Halo rankings for perspective

Overall: 3 > CE = 2 > 4 > Reach > ODST > Infinite >>>>> 5

Campaign: CE > 4 > 3 > 2 > Reach > Infinite (terrible story fun grappling hook) > ODST >>>>> 5

Multiplayer: 3 > 2 > CE > ODST (firefight rules) > Reach = 4 (one is less fun and the other is weaker competitively) >> Infinite (fake halo) >>> 5 (definitely not halo)


Personal favs (Halo Ce, Halo 3 and Halo 4)

 

[dem]

The Halo story is just too dorky