Halo

Considering I am waiting in a pre-game lobby for BLaZE so we can play some Halo, I figured now would be a good time to post about what has been something of an obsession for me since the good ‘ol days of college. I was first introduced to Halo way back in freshman year by BLaZE. I started out as one may expect; a complete nub with no concept of the game mechanics. I was the bottom of the totem pole. However, I quickly found myself rising up the ranks. I passed a lot of good men on the way, Blue, Gecko, Trent Lott, and even Ball Cancer. Soon I was in the upper echelon with my creator: BLaZE. Since we were both so good at the game, we were generally on opposing teams. With our competitive nature, this lead to a lot of animosity, but I don’t want to get into that now. What I will get into is how much I miss the original Halo: Combat Evolved.

In college, we would stay up for hours playing Halo. After every game we’d all rush out to the hallway (pretty much everyone on our wing in the dorm played) for a post-game discussion. Life was good. I can remember all it would take was one person to start up their Xbox and play the Halo theme song. Soon 10 or so friends would be crowded around the door… or loading their Xboxes to join the game.

It just hasn’t been the same since the days of Halo: Combat Evolved. I think some of it is that my friends aren’t across the hall anymore and we can’t LAN. But there is also the evolution the game has taken. When Halo 2 came out, a lot of the game dynamics changed, and Halo 3 just solidified it. Granted I still enjoy the games, but it doesn’t compare. I think that Bungie has taken the skill out of the game. In Halo, if you were surrounded by 3 or 4 guys and were by yourself, you could easily emerge victorious if you had a steady aim. The game took skill. Since, it has been a downward spiral of suck. Bungie calls it “Equalization,” I call it pandering to the n00bs. They have adopted a ‘spray and pray’ tactic that has worked so well in the past. Hell, the US used that tactic in the Vietnam War, and look how that turned out. Now if you have a head to head battle, and you come out on top, your shields are most certainly gone and anyone that can send a few bullets your way will get a free kill.

I have a solution: Bungie, develop multiplayer over Xbox Live for Halo: Combat Evolved. I will never need another multiplayer Xbox game again. I'll be in the green pastures of Blood Gulch.