HAL-OHCRAP: Halo and the Death of FPS
Combat Evolved
Like most other people on the launch of the Xbox, I was plenty excited. Who wouldn't be? Promised online play, new graphics, a cool look, and most importantly, the promise of a new generation of games.
At the front of this promise was Microsoft's future free meal ticket of a game named "Halo: Combat Evolved." Well, when I bought the game, I popped it in the disk tray and was treated to pretty action sequences and unbelieveably long levels. It all pulled me in. I felt I was the Master Chief blowing through all of the levels and picking pieces of alien flesh off of my shiny armor. Remember the incredible feeling of accomplishment when you first stuck an enemy with a plasma grenade or made the perfect shot, blowing an elite's head off at a mile away? All of this combined with an interesting storyline made for a pretty fair day at the console.
"The Greatest Game of All Time"
The first Halo left us all with a feeling of awe. For the first time in a long time, we as players had been treated to a wonderful game which we hadn't seen the likes of since the late 90's and the masterpiece Goldeneye: 007. We were all left breathless when it was announced that Bungie Studios would follow up their best seller with a sequel that would surpass all of our dreams. Enter Halo 2 "The Greatest Game of All Time." Even those who weren't fans of the franchise were taken in by Halo mania. On G4 we were hit with "Halo Day" and the fellas from Rooster Teeth showed us humor in uniform. The likes of Private Church and the Sarge entertained us and plugged the new game in Wal-mart and on G4. Amidst all of this, somewhere, the actual game was released and the informed of the gaming community said "Huh?"
The Fall of Reach
Now we had Halo 2, a game that pulls no punches and shows all of it's secrets after about 6 hours. The younger of the gaming community didn't have the experience to give this game the comparison it deserved. The older gamers had grown up with classics like Doom and Goldeneye. When Halo 2 was finally unveiled to their scrutiny, there was a great feeling of having been lied to. Normally as time goes on, technology improves. To play Doom followed by Doom 2 and then Goldeneye shows a great progression of concepts and gamings elements. To play Halo then Halo 2 makes a person wonder what exactly had been improved to warrant the release of a sequel. Dual wielding? The Arbiter? Hardly elements to make a person cry out for a sequel. Pretty much the only thing making Halo 2 noteworthy was the inclusion of Xbox live capabilities, but the community had Halo online with certain innovations like Aquaduct which mimicked a lan party and allowed users all over the world to hook up without paying for Live or dropping 50 bucks to buy a new game. Maybe I'm wrong. Halo 2 probably has some redeeming qualities I have omitted, but one thing is certain. Halo and it's successor have started a disturbing trend.
Not So "Perfect Dark"
After Halo 2, the Fps genre went a little stagnant. Some entries were made, but nothing with lasting power. Hope was on the horizon though with the introduction of the Xbox 360 and Perfect Dark 0. There were months of build up including movie trailers and television commercials all promoting the return of Joanna Dark to the console world. All looked well with the inclusion of many many weapons and levels that actually vary in appearance in contrast to Halo 2's repetition in level textures and a full weapon array countable on one hand. The gaming community was to find though that the greatest thing about Perfect Dark's return was the return of Perfect Dark. After release day, things went way downhill. Question abound on video game forums including: "Would this game be famous if it didn't have anything to do with Perfect Dark?" The answer simply: no! The reason for the questions? Anyone who had played the previous Perfect Dark installment would be more than happy to say that this game had absolutely no relation to the N64 classic. The feel had changed, the look had changed, the characters had changed, everything down to the control scheme had been changed. The control scheme seemed to resemble a certain game released a few years earlier: perhaps Halo 2? In fact after a few hours of playtime, all aspects of the game reveal themselves to be reskinned and rehashed from the Halo series.
Halo Legacy
The sad fact of the Halo era is that the game presented a drop of water to a parched community. Gamers needed a thick, grade A steak of a game and they got a quarter-pounder hamburger from a fast food joint. Gamers ate it up because they didn't know any better. What's worse is that video game companies saw this and also found a successful template to base future games on. The template is used to death and companies rake in millions of dollars in nearly pure profit saved from the money not used in development. Perfect Dark is just the first series killed by this template and who is to guess what is next. One thing is for sure: unless someone breaks the mold and makes a game that current technology is capable of, the gaming community will be buried in Halo clones and failed attempts at making incompatible games conform to what has been identified as the financial safe formula. It's time for someone to stand up and say enough, to say what no one else will: HALO BITES!
Sharde26
About Author
Sharde26 is a blogger and editorial writer looking to spread his opinions on the internet with his site
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Source: ArticleTrader.com