Date: 2008-11-02 11:52:02 Created: null
Halo Halo, my place called Vertigo ...
Right now, Halo 2 gameplay feels a little bit stiff and slow. This is not very strange, I come right from months more or less dominated game-wise (that said, I haven't played games that much in the past months) by Ninja Gaiden. I've been wall-running, somersaulting and pulling off lightning-fast and dazzling hit combinations all at once. And now what? Oh, look, a jump button ...
I pre-booked Halo 2. I got it in the mail on the 11th (the Swedish release date). I played it. I play it. It's good, solid. I have a good bit of fun. It improves everything I hoped. But the skies didn't fall, my jaw isn't lost underneath the TV bench and I don't forget to sleep, feed and shave.
Just so you know.
November 16th, 2004
So, last night I hit the famous brick-wall. Yes, I finished the game, and everyone who thought Matrix Reloaded ended in an annoying cliffhanger will just hate this. Yet not many people seem to actually do so. Yes, they're all disappointed the game didn't last longer, but that's about that. Come on, there could easily have been 25% more game after that cut, and it's the 25% we've all been wishing for story-wise. The one where things really get frantic.
Apparently finishing the game on legendary (yeah, people have had time for that too, that's how long it is) gives a message saying something about February 9th. I'm kind of hoping for those 25% to show up as a content download, but perhaps I shouldn't get my hopes up too high. It would rock though, wouldn't it?
But what I really wanted to get to here are all those insane scores and proclamations of "best action game, ever!". I just don't get them. Sure, it's a totally solid game with all the details right, and despite having the story cut short I enjoy it and will probably replay it. But still, come on. Isn't this more or less par for the course? Isn't it all just according to expectations of a high-budget sequel from a great developer? It's a gradual refinement of an already established formula, why is there a need to redefine best as this? I didn't even feel too emotionally involved. I want to feel more, thanks. A high score, sure, but not 9.something out of 10.
November 18th, 2004
It occurs to me that Halo 2 has put itself into much the same position, story-wise, as Metal Gear Solid 2 did. High expectations, glowing reviews, marketing that promises one kind of story but a game that delivers a markedly different one. I can easily see the temptation in all this from a developer/writer standpoint, wanting to completely surprise the audience and all that. But I still think it's a good idea to mainly deliver what your marketing promises, however interesting your ideas are . I wonder if in the long run people will start to surface disappointment over Halo 2's story/focus. I think we would all have been much more blown away if we'd got to focus on defending earth itself from Covenant invasion instead of hopping around the galaxy.