Can't relate? Yeah, I do kinda get that, even though I love Halo. Actually, I feel like Master Chief should be totally pissed off at what humanity did to him to make him what he is. He doesn't have much humanity left.

But to say that Halo is "shoot this, shoot this, and for a change of pace shove a grenade up this" is to miss the point. This is like watching the A New Hope and saying Star Wars is a shallow good vs. evil sci-fi serial. Of course, if you take that movie by itself, it is. But if you watch the other movies, read the books, play the games, and immerse yourself in the "universe" of Halo in a holistic sense, you start to understand better.

Of course, some people would rather be ignorant than realize they are wrong. They just can't handle it...

Edge of Blade

Kick ass.

elpierce

Us3dtab3

OK, not in the nuts. I just made that up to make it sound funnier.

The problem with trying to advertise Halo on story is that the story is not that great. While I liked the design of the original Halo space station, the character was very dull and generic - not as much a "hero" as a "grunt". He doesn't have enough "humanity" in him for the player to actually relate - he is literally a construct for the player to place themselves in so they can shoot something. However, this means that it is impossible to relate to him as he has no weaknesses.

If you want a proper story in a game about a hero's journey, how about Brothers in Arms? Or, if you want to be really artsy, Grim Fandango?

mcderek3000

mcderek3000

R3load

R3load

....And I like it.

augie_doggy

Gunhaver

No need to advertise the graphics or gameplay, as everyone knows Halo 2.

0starter0

Aged? Not at all. It still continues to be quite fun, actually. It's not like a game gets any worse just 'cause it gets old...

FlameEye

Samos42

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

daschupa

What I was trying to say: I don't like Halo.

MC2009

Croixtreize

"Because you are slow and Halo meets your needs better"

"Because you can't afford a PS3 to play Killzone 2, which will be totally awesome and will kill Halo... just like it did last time"

"Because you can't afford a real computer to play better FPS games"

"You are American. You can't help that you are a violent people who like guns."

Edge of Blade

I always wanted to do that! xD

-

LOL. Seriously?

Goldeneye was awesome for its time and my friends and I had many a sleepless night because of it. Hell, we used to have a big piece of cardboard down the middle of our TV so the other 2 players couldn't see where we were.

But play it now and you'll notice it hasn't aged well at all.

OGHowie

Ghede

Ghede

i_9

GoldenEye 64. But then again, that's not a fair comparison, 'cause GoldenEye makes any other console shooter look like poo.

Oh yeah, that's my opinion, BTW.

FlameEye

At the same time, I don't like a ton of stuff that gets super hyped and promoted a ton, but you know what I do? Ignore it. It's not very difficult to ignore something, and I can go about my business just fine. It's not as if there are bright neon signs flashing in my face, or people forcing ads through the windows of my house.

Live and let live. :)

MBCpeanut

Edge of Blade

Not entirely true. People just tend to hate things that shouldn't BE so popular.

I promise you that some few will even try to look at Chief as "the next Spider-Man, etc" (Said by some guy from Fallout Boy(?) in a post earlier). 90 percent of the buyers are there for multi-play. MS is just going through their heads that MC is the Messiah of games, and that every dollar they put in this one-stop horse will see 100x profit.
Don't get me wrong, it's a valiant take. I'd do the same. Sorta. But now it's just making them look snobby and "This is the game of the millenia!" -...ish. They haven't said it yet, but they will. They will. But still, it gets to the point of milking that one horse (or...cow) to craziness. Kind of like Final Fantasy. I assure you that 1/5 (or dare I say 1/4?!) of buyers will return H3 within 2 month's time.

However ,I'll be finding myself renting this game when it hits Blockbuster.

Mesren_Makai

argh

Your apology or explanation or whatever was too long. Give me an example of a sci-fi movie or series that is not over-rated the way Star Wars is in your mind. Or with LOTR. Or a console shooter that makes Halo look like poo.

Unless you give counterexamples, your only logically defensible position is basically that all movies, books, and games that people like are over-rated, since your only reason is that they won't be around in 50 or whatever years.

sand0789

Jilkon

Come on MS, the finish the fight quote was brilliant, but what is this crap? Are you guys trying to make me join the army or something?

huginn

Console shooters are fun. If you prefer the PC controls and pace, then obviously you will prefer PC. If you prefer console pacing and local multiplayer, then that is the ticket.

Either way, as long as you have one or the other you are just fine. Halo is popular because of how well it did local co-op and multiplayer. I guarantee 90% of current Halo fans learned about the game by playing it at someone else's place and having a blast.

sand0789

OGHowie

Halo's strength lies in the simplicity an fluidity of its design. Its nothing groundbreaking in the genre, sure, but it plays smooth an the controls are very good for a console fps, which up till that point were woefully subpar compared to the keyboard/mouse.

belo

PoorPensive

CFStang

Overrated overratedness of the overrated overrated.

cello

Actually, we see eye to eye. Never will I say to someone "this is the best movie/book/game ever". I know that there are probably others that will surpass it in some aspect and that the other person has different tastes. I am simply pointing out that this constant flow is the essence of "pop culture".

In response to others:

Speaking of LOTR, I read "The Hobbit" which was fine, but when I tried to read LOTR I simply said, "oh, it is the same thing over again, but spread across...too many books". Impressive that the story has endured, but until the movies were released it was never really mainstream. Most likely, it will eventually fall to the wayside of mainstream thought. Of course, there will probably be an underground following for much longer.

As for Star Wars being a story about a nobody becoming a hero, well, that is the premise of many of the games, movies, and books that are released. Perhaps that could be a source of their popularity.

By the way, Edge of Blade, I do not see how I am touting my ego in any way, simply stating my opinion and looking at things from a historical perspective. Look at what was popular in terms of lifestyles, clothing, and pastimes earlier in the century and even the centuries before it. More relevantly, look at the stories that have endured. Most are much more simple, and the important factor is the underlying theme. Just as there is a chance that these stories may endure, there is also a strong chance that they will be lost, thrown in the gutter in favor of another story that approaches the same themes in a more accessible way.

In that way, I would say I'm approaching this in a cold, calculating sense ((the sense of perspective is rather creepy and unnatural like this!), not in some hot-blooded, emotional way. I never said I was unbiased. There is no such thing as an unbiased person or review, as we all have our opinions.

Yuki

savagesaladin

sand0789

I did seem odd for an older man to use the word "ammo" though.

I'm betting that MC is actually GWB.

ncsbert

Marketing: When the company that owns the product is screaming their product is awesome.

Really. Halo is being hyped up (and for good reason(See, more hype!)), but this crap is all marketing.

CrimzinD

jihadjoe343

jihadjoe343

Keep up the good work, MS Marketing Dept.

Kazzahdrane

belo

ilmmad

FoxHoundADAM

Don't they know that all the buffoons who play Halo are in it for the blood and gore?

MC2009

And they could update the graphics on Ocarina of Time and get 10/10 for innovation and deep stories. Oh wait.....

Don't knock Halo cause it popular. Its a solid game that pretty much does everything you can do in a FPS right.

Stratus

You would hate Halo too if you played better FPS games on PC for a while, but then see the Halo craze spin out of control. I get that it's easier for slower players. it's on a console, more accessible, etc. That doesn't change the fact that all the hype is very annoying.

Mongoosekun

Alalu

Gah...I'm glad I'm a X360 hater...

jkwest

Also Halo 3 is going to be the corner stone MS's holiday console war. By the time November rolls around, they want people who have never owned a console and are finally getting around to buying on to say "Okay, which machine can I play that Halo thingy on. Those old soldier ads I saw during football intrigued me."

SixSider

Mister Adequate

rKarhu

Edge of Blade

Wait, Halo 3 has graphics AND gameplay? Now I'm excited!

chinesedentist

MBCpeanut

PJ Moreno

jihadjoe343

*runs away before the rain of fire*

Yuki

Stop treating FPS gamers like neanderthals just cause you are too snooty to play American shooters.

Edge of Blade

Whoaness

Collapse The Control

jihadjoe343

ethic

qbix

Hills

I've said this before... lots of games have great gameplay and graphics. Those things don't impress me anymore.

Give me a reason to play the game- to invest my money and time into it other then flash.

FrigidAir44

mandarin

Tull

mandarin

MBCpeanut

argh

InsidiousTuna

qbix