I had this one

i think i might as well play future levels on heroic from here on out though

i'm good enough at this game now, i think

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Decided to play some earlier levels anyway just for a refresher. Particularly the ones I disliked.

what the fuck is supposed to be so fun about truth & reconcilation?... it's the dumbest fucking level ever

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Ordered a memory card. Should be coming in by tomorrow night.

Old Xbox controllers are too big :c

they probably don't fit in your puny hands

There's less dialogue because all the marines get slaughtered.

All right, the memory card came in.

Back to business...

All right... I think we're a bit overdue for an update.

I went ahead and replayed Silent Cartographer for the sake of refreshing my mind, and it remains my favorite level so far. The scenery, as primitive as it is, is still quite beautiful for a 2001 game. I liked this level the most because it's finally where it started to feel more like a game, and less like a mindless shooting spree. I mean, it still kind of is—I've come to accept the fact that shooting aliens is literally ALL I am going to be doing in this game. But the added exploration the level allows for, coupled with the fact that I've gotten better understanding of how the combat works, I had a much better time with the level than I did on my first playthrough.

I know I said I was gonna start playing on Heroic from now on, but I changed my mind. I'm gonna keep it consistent and play on Normal the entire time. Will I ever play it again on higher difficulties later?... I mean, probably not. Everyone and their dog has already beaten every Halo game on legendary by now. It's not like I'll be special if I also manage to do it. Besides—default's default.

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So, Assault on the Control Room. Fuck. Was there any real reason why this level needed to be so goddamn long? I mean, it was shorter than I expected it to be, based on what I've been told, but it still made for a highly monotonous shooting fest.

Stuff I liked:

THE GHOSTS. Oh wow, this vehicle is easily the best one in the game, and is the most fun to use. Beats the fucking warthog by a mile. Not only is it wicked fast, it has a powerful weapon that I don't need a backseat driver to use—and I can strafe with it! Amazing. I love this thing. I love how it looks, I love how it handles—it's great. I mean, it was kind of annoying trying to drive it up that pyramid at the very end (which was Cortana's advice), but it was worth it to run over one of those goddamn zealots at the top. Boom, dead. SO satisfying.

That's pretty much it with my likes, though. Uh.... I liked the scenery, kinda? And I mean, the scorpion was cool? I wish it protected me a whole lot more than it did. It's like Master Chief is wide open the entire time he's in the thing. And aiming the mortar is kind of a bitch, too. I do thank them for allowing me to use it for a good third of the whole level, though.

Everything else about the level kinda sucked. Way too long—and the fact that I basically had to re-enter three or four versions of the same area (you know what I'm talking about) was just insulting. It felt like they were trying to extend the level to make it FEEL longer, when it was just kinda boring and monotonous. Keeping in mind that the only thing you do in this game is shoot aliens and flip switches. In a linear, straight-ass motherfucking line. SNORE.

And don't worry--it has nothing to do with the difficulty. Just because I'm playing on Normal doesn't mean I'm just blazing through all these enemies. Every once in awhile, I get stuck by a grenade, or I get pinned down by a bunch of brutes, or I just play stupid. It happens. All I'm saying is that the game really needs to start spicing it up in terms of the enemies, and also the weapons. And I know that's coming very soon. Just, it doesn't make me dislike this level any less.

Also, maybe this IS because I'm playing on Normal: Hunters are incredibly easy. Put it this way: Not only have I never been killed by one—I've never even been hit by one. All you have to do is run right up to them and basically run in circles, while you just unload on them. I don't even like wasting grenades on them anymore—they're THAT easy. But again, maybe they're tougher in higher difficulties. Oh well, I'm sticking on normal.

Storywise, at the end of the stage, Cortana appeared to be having a little episode. She's telling me to stop Captain Keyes for some reason. Whether it's to abort the mission or to prevent him from going to a certain location, I'm not sure right now. I'll have to rewatch the cutscene, I guess, because my sister was singing shitty pop music while I was playing, so, I only heard about half of what she was saying.

It's funny, though—when I was replaying the Truth & Reconciliation, I had fleeting thoughts of. "Are we really the good guys here?" Is humanity really the one to root for in this war? The only reason I'm given in-game is that, well, I'm a human, so, I should want to keep the human race alive. But why? What if it's the Covenant who has all the scruples? Hmm. I dunno. Maybe the game will explore that theme, maybe it won't, but it's interesting.

Quote from: Liquid Lime on September 13, 2015, 08:41:05 PM

I wouldn't say any of them are the 'default' difficulty.

It doesn't matter what you'd say—Normal is the default. There's no other way of looking at it.

The default as in the cursor is over it as soon as you reach the difficulty menu? Sure.

Quote from: Liquid Lime on September 13, 2015, 08:44:05 PM

The default as in the cursor is over it as soon as you reach the difficulty menu? Sure.

And the one that contains more dialogue.
And the one that's labeled "Normal". Which is basically synonymous with "default".

It's there for players new to the game. Hence the tutorial. Heroic is what you go to when you've learned how to play the game.

They should have just called it easy.

If I had to rank the levels by quality so far:

The Silent Cartographer > The Pillar of Autumn = Halo >>>>> The Truth & Reconciliation > Assault on the Control Room

Man, I loved AotCR. You're killing my childhood.

343 Guilty Spark is a pretty decent level. The one after it, though--the Library--is hands down the worst in the game.

Yeah, that's what everyone keeps telling me.

My expectations are so low for it, it might just end up becoming my favorite level <_<
it's happened before lol

well, i don't see the point in playing just one level on legendary
especially considering i do plan on beating this game at some point

i guess i won't get the full experience

You know it's a real man's game when you hoist a three-story-tall robot into the air and cut it clean in half with a katana.

Quote from: Fuddy-duddy on September 13, 2015, 10:07:52 PM

Quote from: Executioner Sigma on September 13, 2015, 10:05:40 PM

Man, I loved AotCR. You're killing my childhood.

343 Guilty Spark is a pretty decent level. The one after it, though--the Library--is hands down the worst in the game.

Yeah, that's what everyone keeps telling me.

My expectations are so low for it, it might just end up becoming my favorite level <_<
it's happened before lol

Remember how you thought the gameplay was monotonous? Multiply that by five. Then have it take place in a labyrinth. And every corridor looks the same. And there's a fuckton of enemies and very little ammunition and cover. And it goes on forever.

That's the fucking Library.

Do a speed run then.

Stop wasting your time with this franchise and play a real game.

Revengeance is waiting for you.

Can you just please kill yourself?

Thank you.

Stop wasting your time with this franchise and play a real game.

Revengeance is waiting for you.

>having this much autism