Sooooo…. How we feelin’?
I think the biggest issue or me is that they just gutted the team for Infinite like a year after it dropped. I don’t quite understand why the game failed to keep a larger player base, but maybe I am just in a bubble for that. The game was flawed, but they really did their best to make it what it should have been at launch (at least on the MP side, SP still missing local co-op sucks). I don’t know what the answer is for Halo, but this game doesn’t feel like it is it for me so far.
I don’t know how a casual multiplayer game is supposed to keep a playerbase over time anymore - but I do know this wasn’t a deal-breaking problem when the games’ primary objectives weren’t doing that in the first place.
So a game that eschews multiplayer expectations altogether could be a nice change of pace.
Also local 2-player co-op is back!
My issue with remakes like this is the lack of… what’s a phrase I’m trying to convey… story creation.?.?.? It almost feels like an easy button because the challenge of trying to create a cohesive singleplayer story that works with what’s possible with the technology is already done. Ex: You can find developer commentary talking about how The Library was supposed to be open to the middle so you could see the center of the space from top to bottom. But the developers ran into performance issues and had to block it off. That’s part of the reason the mission feels so repetitive. You can also watch the Double Fine documentaries and realize they don’t have they don’t have a full idea of the game until way into the development process. Okay, Double Fine may be a bad example, but I hope you get the idea I’m trying to say. The team at Halo Studios already have “a script.” They know what’s to happen with the story, and so it’s “painting by numbers.” I know. Development isn’t that easy. There are thousands of hours involved in getting a game like Halo recreated. But come on. Let’s not rehash the same game for the 3rd time (X360, MCC, now).
Please remake promising games that had issues, especially technical issues, over “known successful" games. I’d take a second attempt at Aliens: Colonial Marines over Halo: CE, like please make changes, nowhere to go but up lol. Or untangle legal messes like with No one lives Forever, there’s probably some publishing conflicts that got resolved by MS owning both the devs and publishers.
If I was rich, I’d spend big to greenlight a Heavenly Sword remake that had zero performance issues.
Hopefully it’s good, but I’m pretty sure we all have VERY low expectations.
I’d say my expectations are mid to high. I expect it to be a fun new twist on CE with nice graphics. My biggest concern is the typical UE issues.
DF was pretty reasonable and balanced about it: