• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Halo Lore Thread

W

wesleyshark

Banned
At first I thought it would be a bigger deal.. But then I realized how truly emotionless the Spartan IIs are, by default. They were bred killing machines. Humanity ripped from them. MC is discovering his again, and I'm sure so are the other members of Blue, and in that context I don't see overly emotional reunions being something that would realistically occur... Yet.

Now, that being said... The actual comic itself is not free of scrutiny. For one... Why are they all looking in different directions, here, when Chief is obviously the off-page point of focus lol.

The_Remnants_of_Blueteam_in_2557.PNG


I hope we get a refresher of sorts in-game for those who wouldn't really know who Fred, Kelly and Linda are. Perhaps even a simple and quick showing of their history.

Or even better, maybe the terminals will help fill in these gaps for players.

And, though it's external media, there's also the Fall of Reach Animated Series.
 
C

Christof

Neo Member
I have eaten up so much Halo lore this year! I have definitely fallen off the wagon: this is as bad as Halo 2 speculation hype was for me.

Fall of Reach
#HuntTheTruth
Cole Protocol (audio book)
Kilo 5 trilogy (audio books)

Halo Spartan Assault (finally finished)

Halo 2 campaign (hard/coop in MCC)

Halo 3 terminals
Halo 1 Anniversary terminals
Halo 4 terminals
Halo 2 Anniversary terminals

Halo escalation

Halsey Journal

Halo Spartan Ops videos


in-progress
Halo 1 CE (MCC: legendary solo - currently on silent cartographer)
Halo 4 (MCC: hard/solo on level 3)
Halo Spartan Ops(MCC: normal/coop - currently on episode 3)
Halo 3 ODST (on level 2)

Forerunner trilogy (audio book - on book 2)

NEXT
Going to try and play through halo 3, finish the forerunner trilogy and read new blood


One thing I will say is that, on forerunners, I am pleased with how the story is shaping up.
What really drew me into the lore of Halo CE was the mystery about the flood and the forerunner. We basically only had 343 guilty Sparks ramblings to go on for our speculation and it was all very intriguing. I believe some people feel let down and dislike how 343 has removed a lot of that mystery (by telling the story). Personally I'm glad to get answers to questions I have had for a long time.
 
G

greenleafcm

Neo Member
wesleyshark said:
At first I thought it would be a bigger deal.. But then I realized how truly emotionless the Spartan IIs are, by default. They were bred killing machines. Humanity ripped from them. MC is discovering his again, and I'm sure so are the other members of Blue, and in that context I don't see overly emotional reunions being something that would realistically occur... Yet.
Click to expand...
I'm actually going to contest this. Because it really should have been a bigger deal. This reunion is the most personally significant thing that has happened to the Chief since the events of the games, and it was way too underplayed. The entire "Next 72 Hours" arc was rushed; with sloppy art, writing, and editing. And Blue Team's characterization definitely suffered for it.

Compare that moment in the comics to the Spartans' reactions to seeing each other again in 'First Strike', where the Chief risks everything to go down to the surface of a Covenant-infested Reach to look for his teammates:
A private COM channel snapped on: “Master Chief, relax. It’s me.”
Another Spartan stepped out from the cover of the rock. His armor - while not as battered as John’s - was covered with scuffs and burns; the left shoulder pauldron had been dented.
The Master Chief felt a surge of relief. His teammates, his family, hadn’t all been killed. He recognized the Spartan from his voice and the subtle way he glanced right and left. It was SPARTAN-044, Anton. He was one of the unit’s best scouts. The two stood there a moment and then Anton moved his hand, making a quick, short gesture with his index and forefinger over the faceplate of his helmet where his mouth would be. That was their signal for a smile - the closest any Spartan got to an emotional outburst.
John returned the gesture.
Click to expand...
From a pile of shattered stone, a pair of battered Elites struggled to rise. Blood and bone exploded outward from their chests, and they spun around toward the source of this force - boulders pushed away from the blocked passage. Three Spartans emerged from their cover, assault rifles smoking from their recent discharge.
John knew instantly the three were Kelly, Fred, and Will.
He ran forward to meet them.
Fred lowered his weapon. “Anton…Grace…John?” he said disbelievingly.
The Master Chief opened a COM channel to his Spartans. “It’s me. I wish I had time to explain everything. I will - later. Let’s get the hell out of here first.”
Kelly quickly reached out and swiped her two fingers across John’s faceplate.
Click to expand...
Obviously they're not shedding tears or getting into group hugs...but it's the little things like the way they approach one another and exchange the Spartan-smile gesture. We're told many times in canon how significant those things are for them. The Spartan-IIs may keep their emotions largely in reserve, but they haven't had their humanity "ripped from them" - the books prove this over and over and over. Especially for both the Chief and the other members of Blue Team. Maybe a comic is not the best way to get across the subtleties of Spartan-II communication (particularly since a lot of the emotion we get in the books comes from internal monologue), but there is simply no excuse for why we didn't at least see a Spartan-smile there. It was just bad writing.

Hopefully 'Halo 5' does a better job of getting across the way Blue Team relates to one another and how important they are to the Chief.
 
K

kosmologi

Member
greenleafcm said:
I'm actually going to contest this. Because it really should have been a bigger deal. This reunion is the most personally significant thing that has happened to the Chief since the events of the games, and it was way too underplayed. The entire "Next 72 Hours" arc was rushed; with sloppy art, writing, and editing. And Blue Team's characterization definitely suffered for it.

Compare that moment in the comics to the Spartans' reactions to seeing each other again in 'First Strike', where the Chief risks everything to go down to the surface of a Covenant-infested Reach to look for his teammates:


Obviously they're not shedding tears or getting into group hugs...but it's the little things like the way they approach one another and exchange the Spartan-smile gesture. We're told many times in canon how significant those things are for them. The Spartan-IIs may keep their emotions largely in reserve, but they haven't had their humanity "ripped from them" - the books prove this over and over and over. Especially for both the Chief and the other members of Blue Team. Maybe a comic is not the best way to get across the subtleties of Spartan-II communication (particularly since a lot of the emotion we get in the books comes from internal monologue), but there is simply no excuse for why we didn't at least see a Spartan-smile there. It was just bad writing.

Hopefully 'Halo 5' does a better job of getting across the way Blue Team relates to one another and how important they are to the Chief.
Click to expand...

Well said. The Next 72 Hours was indeed very disappointing. Comparing the Spartan II's reactions after just a few weeks of separation (your example), and many years of separation (2552-2558), the reunion in Escalation should've been a "bigger" event.
 
W

wesleyshark

Banned
Christof said:
I have eaten up so much Halo lore this year! I have definitely fallen off the wagon: this is as bad as Halo 2 speculation hype was for me.

Fall of Reach
#HuntTheTruth
Cole Protocol (audio book)
Kilo 5 trilogy (audio books)

Halo Spartan Assault (finally finished)

Halo 2 campaign (hard/coop in MCC)

Halo 3 terminals
Halo 1 Anniversary terminals
Halo 4 terminals
Halo 2 Anniversary terminals

Halo escalation

Halsey Journal

Halo Spartan Ops videos


in-progress
Halo 1 CE (MCC: legendary solo - currently on silent cartographer)
Halo 4 (MCC: hard/solo on level 3)
Halo Spartan Ops(MCC: normal/coop - currently on episode 3)
Halo 3 ODST (on level 2)

Forerunner trilogy (audio book - on book 2)

NEXT
Going to try and play through halo 3, finish the forerunner trilogy and read new blood


One thing I will say is that, on forerunners, I am pleased with how the story is shaping up.
What really drew me into the lore of Halo CE was the mystery about the flood and the forerunner. We basically only had 343 guilty Sparks ramblings to go on for our speculation and it was all very intriguing. I believe some people feel let down and dislike how 343 has removed a lot of that mystery (by telling the story). Personally I'm glad to get answers to questions I have had for a long time.
Click to expand...

Wow that's a lot!

Looking forward to your thoughts on Silentium. 👍
 
Captain Zyrain

Captain Zyrain

Member
B

Bsigg12

Member
Welp, just preordered Last Light on Amazon for $9. Can't wait to get some Blue Team action. Is there a reason why New Blood is only available digitally on Amazon right now? They won't ship a physical copy until next March...
 
Captain Zyrain

Captain Zyrain

Member
Bsigg12 said:
Welp, just preordered Last Light on Amazon for $9. Can't wait to get some Blue Team action. Is there a reason why New Blood is only available digitally on Amazon right now? They won't ship a physical copy until next March...
Click to expand...

It was a digital only title originally I thought?

I think they announced that they'd be doing a physical release a little while ago.
 
W

wesleyshark

Banned
Bsigg12 said:
Welp, just preordered Last Light on Amazon for $9. Can't wait to get some Blue Team action. Is there a reason why New Blood is only available digitally on Amazon right now? They won't ship a physical copy until next March...
Click to expand...

It was digital first, as is Shadow of Intent. The physical copy of New Blood went up for preorder about a month ago or so. I'd imagine SoI will get a physical release as well later in '16.
 
Monocle

Monocle

Member
Ein Bear

Ein Bear

Member
I re-played ODST over the weekend, so decided to sit down and read New Blood.

Have to say, it left me really sour about how that squad of likeable characters wound up.

Romeo is a douchbag, the Rookie dies, Dutch retires, and Mickey turns traitor?

I read it hoping to get hyped about seeing Buck again in Halo 5, but it had the opposite effect really. ODST is such a fantastic game, but all his new backstory really bums me out. Just a terrible direction to go in all round.
 
Monocle

Monocle

Member
Ein Bear said:
I re-played ODST over the weekend, so decided to sit down and read New Blood.

Have to say, it left me really sour about how that squad of likeable characters wound up.

Romeo is a douchbag, the Rookie dies, Dutch retires, and Mickey turns traitor?

I read it hoping to get hyped about seeing Buck again in Halo 5, but it had the opposite effect really. ODST is such a fantastic game, but all his new backstory really bums me out. Just a terrible direction to go in all round.
Click to expand...
Oof, what a downer. Glad I skipped that book now.
 
G

GringoSuave89

Banned
Ein Bear said:
I re-played ODST over the weekend, so decided to sit down and read New Blood.

Have to say, it left me really sour about how that squad of likeable characters wound up.

Romeo is a douchbag, the Rookie dies, Dutch retires, and Mickey turns traitor?

I read it hoping to get hyped about seeing Buck again in Halo 5, but it had the opposite effect really. ODST is such a fantastic game, but all his new backstory really bums me out. Just a terrible direction to go in all round.
Click to expand...

I wasn't too bummed about the characters from ODST, since Buck was really the only one with a character arc. R
omeo was always an ass and Mickey whined all the time, so his heel turn and eventual defeat isn't a stretch. Dutch was a bummer but at least it was a happy ending, and the Rookie death was just kinda needless.
 
T

Toa TAK

Banned
Ein Bear said:
I re-played ODST over the weekend, so decided to sit down and read New Blood.

Have to say, it left me really sour about how that squad of likeable characters wound up.

Romeo is a douchbag, the Rookie dies, Dutch retires, and Mickey turns traitor?

I read it hoping to get hyped about seeing Buck again in Halo 5, but it had the opposite effect really. ODST is such a fantastic game, but all his new backstory really bums me out. Just a terrible direction to go in all round.
Click to expand...

That's a shame. :( I really enjoyed it because I feel it was faithful to the characters in the game. The new backstory really fleshes out these character's stories and makes them interesting.
Romeo was always a jerk in the game, and he's no different here. Dutch retiring was great, too. Dude knew when enough was enough and he already had his spouse waiting for him. Mickey turning traitor was great and it didn't come off like he was some supervillan or anything. It felt like he was struggling to make sense of where he was at this point in time. An internal conflict that he couldn't resolve properly. Dare was kept the same as well.

Even loved seeing the Sadie's Story characters come back, even VRGL.
It's the ODST companion novel for sure. If anything, it amps my appreciation of the game even more to see where these characters end up.
Monocle said:
Oof, what a downer. Glad I skipped that book now.
Click to expand...
Don't do that, give it a go.
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
wesleyshark said:
At first I thought it would be a bigger deal.. But then I realized how truly emotionless the Spartan IIs are, by default. They were bred killing machines. Humanity ripped from them. MC is discovering his again, and I'm sure so are the other members of Blue, and in that context I don't see overly emotional reunions being something that would realistically occur... Yet.

Now, that being said... The actual comic itself is not free of scrutiny. For one... Why are they all looking in different directions, here, when Chief is obviously the off-page point of focus lol.

The_Remnants_of_Blueteam_in_2557.PNG


I hope we get a refresher of sorts in-game for those who wouldn't really know who Fred, Kelly and Linda are. Perhaps even a simple and quick showing of their history.

Or even better, maybe the terminals will help fill in these gaps for players.

And, though it's external media, there's also the Fall of Reach Animated Series.
Click to expand...


Be interesting to see reactions to FoR animation . It's almost finished now. I've said this before but the ending is truncated (not changed) because the PoA stuff makes no sense tonally or logically unless you're about to play Halo CE in 2001.

But that basically means you're "missing" about two minutes of events.
 
P

Poodlestrike

Banned
Stinkles said:
Be interesting to see reactions to FoR animation . It's almost finished now. I've said this before but the ending is truncated (not changed) because the PoA stuff makes no sense tonally or logically unless you're about to play Halo CE in 2001.

But that basically means you're "missing" about two minutes of events.
Click to expand...

Wait, does this mean we aren't getting this "Q explains the toys" scene where Keyes gets the breakdown on the Autumn's capabilities?

Bummer.

Tho I can see why the thermodynamics defying power core is getting the boot.
 
W

wesleyshark

Banned
Stinkles said:
Be interesting to see reactions to FoR animation . It's almost finished now. I've said this before but the ending is truncated (not changed) because the PoA stuff makes no sense tonally or logically unless you're about to play Halo CE in 2001.

But that basically means you're "missing" about two minutes of events.
Click to expand...

That makes sense to do it that way. If folks want that gap filled, they can grab the book. It shouldn't take away from too much, if at all.
 
A

AgentOtaku

Member
Decided to man up and finally get started on the Forerunner Trilogy.... via Audiobook :p

Only complaint thus far is the reader himself... sounds like a 17 year old kid, which, doesn't necessarily bring, you know, a sense of depth and gravitas I guess?

Might eventually switch back to just reading them but audiobook is damn convenient for my work commutes, so who knows...
 
W

WhiteRabbitEXE

Member
AgentOtaku said:
Decided to man up and finally get started on the Forerunner Trilogy.... via Audiobook :p

Only complaint thus far is the reader himself... sounds like a 17 year old kid, which, doesn't necessarily bring, you know, a sense of depth and gravitas I guess?

Might eventually switch back to just reading them but audiobook is damn convenient for my work commutes, so who knows...
Click to expand...

Haven't heard what Cryptum's narrator sounds like, but I do know Primordium is narrated by Tim Dadabo, the voice of Guilty Spark, which is pretty cool.
 
P

Poodlestrike

Banned
shoreu said:
BRUH! BRUH! What if the Halo Wars 2 Campaign follows him too? Like OMG i'd die.

Man the OP really needs to be changed it's out of date.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but OP is banned so

And Halo Wars 2 could totally be set during the Great Schism. It'd line up with the Wars timeline pretty nicely.
 
S

shoreu

Member
Poodlestrike said:
Yeah, but OP is banned so

And Halo Wars 2 could totally be set during the Great Schism. It'd line up with the Wars timeline pretty nicely.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know it sucks. Was it a perma? Nevermind lol he fell pretty hard on the way out smh.

That would be pretty cool I just hope Red Team makes it through the game Douglas wasn't looking too good in that trailer.
 
Captain Zyrain

Captain Zyrain

Member
"Halo 5’s campaign provides a huge variety of experiences: from giant battles amidst large-scale destruction to quieter moments spent exploring the ruins of alien civilizations or interacting with the habitants of a human colony beyond the reach of the UNSC."

https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/halo-5-guardians-building-an-epic-campaign

Squeeee! Innies? Maybe some folks who just hauled ass away from UNSC space to avoid getting killed by the Covenant? Maybe one of those worlds we saw in the comics & K5 where humans & aliens just co-mingle on the fringe?

Month and a half to go!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

HALO Trailer 2022: TV Series Episodes Breakdown and Easter Eggs
7
1K
Sosokrates replied
Halo Infinite Firefight Announced - December 5th
News 2
98
8K
twilo99 replied
Some thoughts on Halo Infinite from the perspective of someone in it for the lore. Unmarked spoilers inside.
46
4K
LordOfChaos replied
Halo TV Series | Discussion
|OT| 7 8 9 10 11
544
36K
Ozzy Onya A2Z replied
Is there a more f'd up disconnect between games and lore than Halo?
14
2K
TheMay30thMan replied
Top Bottom