A more serious Halo Reach?

[aMoeba]

So I stumbled upon a thread in the Halo:Reach forum. It was a discussion about making Halo : Reach a more serious feeling game. Needless to say, this is one of the most intriguing topics for me to discuss. So I posted my thoughts there, and I thought I would share them with you guys. Feel free to discuss and add your own suggestions.


You want a serious Halo game? That was abandoned the day after the release of Halo CE. There are three major components to making a serious game, which might even top Halo CE provided the quality. In no order of any importance, read on.

1) Environment. Environments like The Ark or The Covenant in Halo 3 don't feel serious at all. They're large, open areas that feel like a personal play area. There's nothing serious about it. Shoot guns and blow up -blam!-, that's about all there is to it. A more grungy and gritty environment is the ultimate key to success. What about in Halo 1, traversing through the murky swamps with no one else to aid you. You're all alone, you're the hope of humanity, and there's blood splats on every wall. Your NAV arrow happens to follow them.

2) Dialogue. Although not as important as the other two in my opinion, dialogue should be kept to a minimum in any circumstance. Frequent dialogue detracts from the thoughtfulness that occurs when playing a serious mission. It makes the game feel more casual and friendly, as if someone is always there. If there is dialogue (which there should be, there can't be a total restriction of it) it should be low key and low tone. Spoken slowly and abruptly when possible. I can understand dialogue during a IWHBYD skull activation, but in a normal campaign mission dialogue should be kept where necessary and keep the player focused on the overall mission. Dialogue that doesn't pertain to the actual game should be tossed out and burned. Tones of voice should reflect the current mood and situation, and should set it, probably complemented by the environment.

3) Music. Probably my personal favorite of the three, music sets the mood for anything. I dislike this "march unto dawn" and "conquer the world" and maybe even "nuke the -blam!- out of every enemy" music. Don't try making serious music. Solution? Remake the music from Halo CE, and make it similar to that. Coin the music to where it fits the environment and sets the tone. Marines don't need to be talking when the music is quiet and building up. Dramatic music should appear in dramatic scenarios, and don't ever over do it. More than enough or over dramatic music only kills the moment. Use different types of sounds in moderation. Learn from the Halo CE OST.

Excel in these three categories, and you have yourself a mighty fine damn serious game.

[MultiLockOn]

I'm glad to see some people are using their heads. Honestly there are features about all three halos that I enjoy. I think if Bungie finds a good median Id be happy. For example, a certain level styled to one of halo1 and another styled to one of Halo 2 (Halo 3s campaign sucked to be honest) but bottom line is that there are features about all three games that I enjoy and if here was any way to incorporate them all into a game...

[l33tmeerkatslol]

The bright, colourful, open feel of halo 3 is one thing that I admire. It separates it from other games. I wouldn't want to lose that per se, but I would like to have more 'Grungy and Gritty' options. I mean, I know halo reach will have this feature more than halo 3, because of the story line, but I hope that's not it. I still like maps like The Pit. I actually like the less-seriousness of maps like the pit, because it's casual.

[aMoeba]

The bright, colourful, open feel of halo 3 is one thing that I admire. It separates it from other games. I wouldn't want to lose that per se, but I would like to have more 'Grungy and Gritty' options. I mean, I know halo reach will have this feature more than halo 3, because of the story line, but I hope that's not it. I still like maps like The Pit. I actually like the less-seriousness of maps like the pit, because it's casual.

I'm talking storyline/campaign. There were certainly colorful Halo CE maps, such as Blood Gulch.

[l33tmeerkatslol]

Oh. Well then I agree 100%. But I would like to have some nice colourful missions too. Not all ghetto.

[Hadokenchild]

The guy kind of contradicts himself a bit when he says he wants a more serious game, then complains if the music is serious. Music, or even the lack thereof, makes all the difference in mood. Happy strings make the mood lighter, long drawn out harmonies that softly change can evoke feelings of fear and sadness. Just look at how the reoccurring Halo theme is used at points where you're going to end up stomping some Covie skulls. It gets the adrenaline going and helps to accentuate the symphony of chaos you create as you blow stuff up. There's a reason why Marty O'Donnell get paid the big bucks, he knows what he's doing. Also, considering how the story of Reach is one of dread and hopelessness, I seriously doubt they'll make light of anything in it. It'll be dark, apocalyptic, with no sense of its salvation. I don't think he'll have to worry too much about Arcs or ringworlds here.

[Bunny]

I would honestly hate Halo: Reach if it tried to become like Call of Duty or Rainbow 6. I want Reach to have it's own uniquie features, like halo 2 and 3 had. And have the same weapons, gameplay, and multiplayer maps. And not pick up another first person shooter treand.

[Boston]

Well....here are my thoughts on the 3.

1) I would have to agree. I like the looks of The Ark and Covenant in Halo 3, but too felt they were somehow lacking that feel that Halo CE had given off in almost every level. That's not to say though that those maps weren't fun, because The Ark and Covenant are definitely in my top 5 favorite Halo campaign levels.

2) I disagree here. I think that to get you more into the storyline, dialogue is key. I don't want to be running through level after level feeling alone. I want others to be fighting along side me as well, and with their own personalities too. Tis what made Mass Effect an amazing game if you ask me.

3) As much as I want to agree here, I have to disagree. Halo 3 already tried and failed at re-creating Halo CE music. I seriously felt like there was no attempt at all, and instead just threw out the exact same music with minor changes for Halo 3. I don't want to see yet more rehashes. I want something new, and great at the same time. The music in Halo 2 was awesome, but I would want less "rock" music, and more songs like "Peril" and "Impend" (hopefully you guys know the songs. If not go to youtube and listen to those Halo 2 songs).

[aMoeba]

The guy kind of contradicts himself a bit when he says he wants a more serious game, then complains if the music is serious.

No no no, I wasn't contradicting myself, I was touching on the fact that Halo 3 tried to make serious music and failed at it, whilst Halo CE didn't and succeeded at it.

Well....here are my thoughts on the 3.

1) I would have to agree. I like the looks of The Ark and Covenant in Halo 3, but too felt they were somehow lacking that feel that Halo CE had given off in almost every level. That's not to say though that those maps weren't fun, because The Ark and Covenant are definitely in my top 5 favorite Halo campaign levels.

Of course they were fun, but were they serious? Not at all.

2) I disagree here. I think that to get you more into the storyline, dialogue is key. I don't want to be running through level after level feeling alone. I want others to be fighting along side me as well, and with their own personalities too. Tis what made Mass Effect an amazing game if you ask me.

Running through levels alone is what made Halo CE so gritty and serious. If you always have a partner it never feels tough, or dramatic. Mass Effect was based on squads, so I can't comment. I liked the squads in it too but the storyline really made it for me personally.

3) As much as I want to agree here, I have to disagree. Halo 3 already tried and failed at re-creating Halo CE music. I seriously felt like there was no attempt at all, and instead just threw out the exact same music with minor changes for Halo 3. I don't want to see yet more rehashes. I want something new, and great at the same time. The music in Halo 2 was awesome, but I would want less "rock" music, and more songs like "Peril" and "Impend" (hopefully you guys know the songs. If not go to youtube and listen to those Halo 2 songs).

Halo 3 tried making music more serious than Halo CE and failed at it, they didn't bother recreating anything. It felt like every piece was a minor alteration of the core soundtrack. I'm saying learn from CE and make it similar to CE (in the sense of a serious tone).

[MultiLockOn]

I think in some scenarios dialogue helps a lot. For instance, right after the Floodgate level when everyone is inside of the ship, that's probably my favorite scene in all of Halo 3 when they're all discussing.

[CO x Paladin]

Well, there's much I would like to discuss now. I'll start off with the levels "The Ark" and "The Covenant".

Maybe the story behind the two missions will get you to think about the mood or seriousness of it all.

In "The Ark", you need to get to the Cartographer to find Truth.

In "The Covenant", you must kill Truth.

I also think that openness can be a good thing, because having a straight path to a location is a little too helpful in some occasions. I know they are RPGs, but games like Fallout 3 and World of Warcraft are examples, and even Red Faction: Guerilla. I think that mother nature sometimes gives a hand that helps too much in some games.

For dialogue, there is a lot of talking in a battle, whether to each other or over radio. Halo has battle dialogue but it is much less serious. I think there needs to be more serious battle dialogue like "I need another clip!", "Covies to the north!", "Gimme some supressing fire!", "Don't let them break the line!" or "Someone get some fire on that (target of high importance)!"

I have to say, music like "Installation 00" and the "Mjolnir Mix" is actually pretty good. I'd like to see some rock music for more epic fights, and definitely there should be some drama too it as well, but not "let's get the violins up high", make it "flatliner", "going into shock because it is so suspenseful".

I also think that you should get more allies and you should be involved in more frontline battles. Usually you only have a "strike team" which will eventually die off, and you will get reinforcements at select points. Either you are not part of the main fights or Humanity is just about extinct. There should be fights where you get freaking artillery, tanks, air support, a crapton of allies and all that stuff (the same may apply to the enemy).

Well, that's my opinion.