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Forums - Microsoft - Is it too late to start playing Halos, for their story?

Mendicate Bias on 07 September 2010
Severance said:
BenVTrigger said:


The terminals in Halo 3.

They tell a story from over 100,000 years ago about the end of civilization, the last stand of the dying Forerunners against the Gravemind of the Flood and a rampant AI who betrayed them named Mendicate Bias.  About the Humans being their Reclaimers and John 1117, Master Chief being the instrument of Mendicate Bias's redemption.

http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Halo_3_Terminals

Halo's story is simply incredible for those who decide to dig past the surface. 

oh those.. well i AM talking about backstories =s, the terminals weren't part of the storyline in game, you know like mass effect or the other RPGs? , RPGs like mass effect also did a great job for reading the Codex for you if you ever wanted to know about something you missed and such ,while it still can be explained to you while playing the game and talking to people and all, it made the storyline very enjoyable, thats the main reason why a lot of people don't like FPS games , because you don't feel involved in the storyline , you just shoot stuff and finish objectives, because the other guys are bad, and should die.

The problem is a lot of people that play shooters don't care about the story and they don't want to be encumbered by long cut-scenes or the narrow gameplay avenues required a lot of the time to push a story heavy game forward like MGS. 

So while there is quite a lot of information to be garnered through cutscenes Bungie lets the people who are invested in the story to go out an explore the game world to discover it for themselves. It's just a different way of telling the story. The novels help a lot too of course.



                                           

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Severance on 07 September 2010
Mendicate Bias said:
Severance said:
BenVTrigger said:


The terminals in Halo 3.

They tell a story from over 100,000 years ago about the end of civilization, the last stand of the dying Forerunners against the Gravemind of the Flood and a rampant AI who betrayed them named Mendicate Bias.  About the Humans being their Reclaimers and John 1117, Master Chief being the instrument of Mendicate Bias's redemption.

http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Halo_3_Terminals

Halo's story is simply incredible for those who decide to dig past the surface. 

oh those.. well i AM talking about backstories =s, the terminals weren't part of the storyline in game, you know like mass effect or the other RPGs? , RPGs like mass effect also did a great job for reading the Codex for you if you ever wanted to know about something you missed and such ,while it still can be explained to you while playing the game and talking to people and all, it made the storyline very enjoyable, thats the main reason why a lot of people don't like FPS games , because you don't feel involved in the storyline , you just shoot stuff and finish objectives, because the other guys are bad, and should die.

The problem is a lot of people that play shooters don't care about the story and they don't want to be encumbered by long cut-scenes or the narrow gameplay avenues required a lot of the time to push a story heavy game forward like MGS. 

So while there is quite a lot of information to be garnered through cutscenes Bungie lets the people who are invested in the story to go out an explore the game world to discover it for themselves. It's just a different way of telling the story. The novels help a lot too of course.

Yes, thats why i think its a brave move to make FPS be story heavy, i'd like to see someone do it without being an RPG (like fallout) , more the lines of Metro and Halflife.



I live for the burn...and the sting of pleasure...
I live for the sword, the steel, and the gun...

- Wasteland - The Mission.

BenVTrigger on 07 September 2010
Severance said:

oh those.. well i AM talking about backstories =s, the terminals weren't part of the storyline in game, you know like mass effect or the other RPGs? , RPGs like mass effect also did a great job for reading the Codex for you if you ever wanted to know about something you missed and such ,while it still can be explained to you while playing the game and talking to people and all, it made the storyline very enjoyable, thats the main reason why a lot of people don't like FPS games , because you don't feel involved in the storyline , you just shoot stuff and finish objectives, because the other guys are bad, and should die.

Well I think that's mostly because that's how people decide to play FPS.  They rush through it for fun and just "shoot at the other guys because they are bad.  If you actually sit down and play Halo consciously trying to learn the lore and invest in it you can learn an incredible mythology.  In fact the terminals in Halo 3 are directly related to the story, not just back story.  In fact its Mendicant Bias who saves Johhn 117, Master Chief at the end of Halo 3 on the Ark.  Mendicant feels he must atone for the atrocities he committed and he feels saving Chief is the best way for him to express this.  In fact he even tells this to Chief face to face in the final terminal in the game, in some amazing writing.  Here's what he says to John in the final terminal.

"You don't know the contortions I had to go through to follow you here, Reclaimer.  I know what your here for.  What position do I take?  Will I follow one betrayal with another?  You're going to say I'm making a habit of turning on my masters.  But the one that destroyed me long ago, in the upper atmosphere of a world far distant from here, was an implement far cruder than I.  My weakness was capacity, unintentional though it was!  To choose the Flood.  A mistake my makers would not soon forgive.  But I want something far different from you Reclaimer. 

Atonement.

And so here at the end of my life, I do once again betray a former master.  The path ahead is fraught with peril.  But I will do all I can to make it stable - keep you safe.  I'm not so foolish to think this will absolve me of my sins.  One life hardly balances billions.  But I would have my masters know that I have changed.  And you shall be my example."

Halo is the single greatest story ever told in the FPS genre, without a doubt.



Severance on 07 September 2010
BenVTrigger said:
Severance said:

oh those.. well i AM talking about backstories =s, the terminals weren't part of the storyline in game, you know like mass effect or the other RPGs? , RPGs like mass effect also did a great job for reading the Codex for you if you ever wanted to know about something you missed and such ,while it still can be explained to you while playing the game and talking to people and all, it made the storyline very enjoyable, thats the main reason why a lot of people don't like FPS games , because you don't feel involved in the storyline , you just shoot stuff and finish objectives, because the other guys are bad, and should die.

Well I think that's mostly because that's how people decide to play FPS.  They rush through it for fun and just "shoot at the other guys because they are bad.  If you actually sit down and play Halo consciously trying to learn the lore and invest in it you can learn an incredible mythology.  In fact the terminals in Halo 3 are directly related to the story, not just back story.  In fact its Mendicant Bias who saves Johhn 117, Master Chief at the end of Halo 3 on the Ark.  Mendicant feels he must atone for the atrocities he committed and he feels saving Chief is the best way for him to express this.  In fact he even tells this to Chief face to face in the final terminal in the game, in some amazing writing.  Here's what he says to John in the final terminal.

"You don't know the contortions I had to go through to follow you here, Reclaimer.  I know what your here for.  What position do I take?  Will I follow one betrayal with another?  You're going to say I'm making a habit of turning on my masters.  But the one that destroyed me long ago, in the upper atmosphere of a world far distant from here, was an implement far cruder than I.  My weakness was capacity, unintentional though it was!  To choose the Flood.  A mistake my makers would not soon forgive.  But I want something far different from you Reclaimer. 

Atonement.

And so here at the end of my life, I do once again betray a former master.  The path ahead is fraught with peril.  But I will do all I can to make it stable - keep you safe.  I'm not so foolish to think this will absolve me of my sins.  One life hardly balances billions.  But I would have my masters know that I have changed.  And you shall be my example."

Halo is the single greatest story ever told in the FPS genre, without a doubt.


You seem to be confusing backstory to storyline, a backstory is something that didn't happen while playing the game, it happened before the events of the game (or after at some games), a storyline is something happening infront of you while playing.

sure it has the terminals but so did Bioshock with the Radio Messages, Call of Duty with the Missing Files and so on, its all not part of the game's storyline but is part of the backstory.

RPGs however even if the games are long , they give you the freedom to "Explore" the storyline more , VIA side missions, talking to other people...ect ect, even if the game turned out to be long (70 hours and up).



I live for the burn...and the sting of pleasure...
I live for the sword, the steel, and the gun...

- Wasteland - The Mission.

BenVTrigger on 07 September 2010
Severance said:
BenVTrigger said:
Severance said:

oh those.. well i AM talking about backstories =s, the terminals weren't part of the storyline in game, you know like mass effect or the other RPGs? , RPGs like mass effect also did a great job for reading the Codex for you if you ever wanted to know about something you missed and such ,while it still can be explained to you while playing the game and talking to people and all, it made the storyline very enjoyable, thats the main reason why a lot of people don't like FPS games , because you don't feel involved in the storyline , you just shoot stuff and finish objectives, because the other guys are bad, and should die.

Well I think that's mostly because that's how people decide to play FPS.  They rush through it for fun and just "shoot at the other guys because they are bad.  If you actually sit down and play Halo consciously trying to learn the lore and invest in it you can learn an incredible mythology.  In fact the terminals in Halo 3 are directly related to the story, not just back story.  In fact its Mendicant Bias who saves Johhn 117, Master Chief at the end of Halo 3 on the Ark.  Mendicant feels he must atone for the atrocities he committed and he feels saving Chief is the best way for him to express this.  In fact he even tells this to Chief face to face in the final terminal in the game, in some amazing writing.  Here's what he says to John in the final terminal.

"You don't know the contortions I had to go through to follow you here, Reclaimer.  I know what your here for.  What position do I take?  Will I follow one betrayal with another?  You're going to say I'm making a habit of turning on my masters.  But the one that destroyed me long ago, in the upper atmosphere of a world far distant from here, was an implement far cruder than I.  My weakness was capacity, unintentional though it was!  To choose the Flood.  A mistake my makers would not soon forgive.  But I want something far different from you Reclaimer. 

Atonement.

And so here at the end of my life, I do once again betray a former master.  The path ahead is fraught with peril.  But I will do all I can to make it stable - keep you safe.  I'm not so foolish to think this will absolve me of my sins.  One life hardly balances billions.  But I would have my masters know that I have changed.  And you shall be my example."

Halo is the single greatest story ever told in the FPS genre, without a doubt.


You seem to be confusing backstory to storyline, a backstory is something that didn't happen while playing the game, it happened before the events of the game (or after at some games), a storyline is something happening infront of you while playing.

sure it has the terminals but so did Bioshock with the Radio Messages, Call of Duty with the Missing Files and so on, its all not part of the game's storyline but is part of the backstory.

RPGs however even if the games are long , they give you the freedom to "Explore" the storyline more , VIA side missions, talking to other people...ect ect, even if the game turned out to be long (70 hours and up).

Your not understanding, everything I wrote takes place IN GAME during the final mission of Halo 3, NOT before.  That's the point of Mendicant showing you the history of the Forerunner - Flood War 100,000 years ago, to show you the mistake he made in betraying his creators and damning them to death.  He then saves you DURING THE GAME.  This isn't backstory, this is just how Bungie decides to tell the deeper elements of their story.  To go and explore yourself and seak out the story as Chief himself would.  Not everything would just be laid out for him.  Also this aids gameplay by not making it tedious.  

THIS IS STORYLINE AND HAPPENS IN GAME

And please don't compare Bioshock or Call of Duty's story lines to Halo. 



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kiefer23 on 08 September 2010
Severance said:

You don't play Halo for the story, but its good for an FPS, though if you are getting it for the story ,then look elsewhere.



I've been playing Halo for the story and everything else it provides since 2001.



welshbloke on 08 September 2010

I have recently got myself all halo'd up as I felt incomplete as a 360 user without owning the definitive games. It is actually an excellent time to buy as they are all cheap as chips to purchase. 

I am now Halo 1, 2 and 3'd up. Also ODST. I have Halo Wars as well but that is outside of the story topic. I actually found ODST the best at telling a story but enjoyed the others as well. I probably enjoyed Halo 2 the most although that was given to me years ago, it seemed more epic than 3 did.

I saw in the corner of my eye the first Reach trailer on TV last night and I am thinking that Reach is now a must have. Can I wait for the dust to settle though and be the person that gives this product legs (or do these creatures only exist in the GT5 universe)?



W.L.B.B. Member, Portsmouth Branch.

(Welsh(Folk) Living Beyond Borders)

Winner of the 2010 VGC Holiday sales prediction thread with an Average 1.6% accuracy rating. I am indeed awesome.

Kinect as seen by PS3 owners ...if you can pick at it   ...post it ... Did I mention the 360 was black and Shinny? Keeping Sigs obscure since 2007, Passed by the Sig police 5July10.
morpheusx on 11 September 2010

For the most part the story is average. Its the gameplay that is epic,  but if the story arc is important to you could just watch on YouTube.

 

Halo 2 clips (46 minutes)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hxGNQTf-sg

 

Halo 3 clips (54 minutes)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQHG_JO0AmU