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190°

Halo 'Desperately Needs a Kick-Start'

In CVG's last Mailbox David Lucas assessed Black Ops' multiplayer with some disdain.

This week Jeremy Hutton looks forward to 343 kick-starting Halo in issue 100 of Xbox World 360, and it doesn't fare much better.

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computerandvideogames.com
Active Reload5627d ago

"Jeremy Hutton"

Who is this person?

Quagmire5627d ago

I dont get it. The guy is saying that one of the most successful and popular FPS franchise of all time...needs a Kick-Start?

About as logical as making another Call Of Du- ah, fuck, it all ready happened...

garos825627d ago

exactly.
im a ps3 guy predominately and i think this article is a whole lot of bull. of course a sequel should improve from its predecessor and i think halo is doing absolutley fine with each iteration. its not "desperately" in need for pretty much anything

UCMEandICU5627d ago

It's getting rampant now

"I'm the biggest PS3 fanboy but even I know gears is better than anything the PS3 has"

"I a PS3 guy but even I know the exclusives are not really as good as sony makes them out to be"

"I'm a rabid PS3 fanboi but even I know the PS3 sucks and is the worst console ever created"

... and yes, on topic, it has needed a kick start since Halo3 cause I thought that was what was going to happen when it launch and it just turned out to be Halo2 in higher resolution graphics.

TheDivine5627d ago

reach was ok, the ending was super epic. Multi and co-op rock w all the modes. I really liked odst myself. I play campaigns and odst was so atmospheric. Reach wasnt the best sendoff it couldve been. It needs a reboot w more story and lore, halo with a mass effect style story, the background lore is there already. Make it bigger, badder, and add a real epic emotional sci fi story with atmoshere.

velocitygamer5627d ago (Edited 5627d ago )

I don't want a remake. If they do a remake, save it for the next gen xbox. I want to see something different, like an MMO. Why remake it?The series isn't turning into the next tomb raider is it? Reach was a AAA game, they don't need a remake.

@Stealth20k
I didn't say the MMO would be crap. A halo MMO could be a hit considering xbox live is really big and has a big crowd of people who love halo.

Stealth20k5627d ago

Only like 3 mmo's in the last 10 years have actually made profit and been good

VenomProject5627d ago

I hope Guild Wars is on that list.

FrankMcSpank5627d ago

@Velocitygamer

Do you mean something like a World of Warcraft MMO, or something more like M.A.G. or maybe both?

etownone5627d ago

I agree ....
If they want to make a remake. Make it as a launch title for the next gen Xbox. (2012 hopefully)

BLACKBOIJONES5627d ago

I Play my ps3 more than my 360 but i dont care what any one says, Halo is one of the best FPS this gen.Its only a bias sony fan boy that will not admit that.

StarScream4Ever5627d ago

Agreed along with Killzone, Resistance, COD and Crysis.

FrankMcSpank5627d ago (Edited 5627d ago )

I don't like that you just threw the COD name in there. COD4: Modern Warfare was really the last great COD.

Brewski0075627d ago

And im PRETTY sure COD4 : Modern Warfare was THIS generation. So it still makes sense to put that name in there.
I think another halo would be great for the current xbox, but to realisticaly market the game and generate the best overall profit, it would make more sense to Bundle the game with a new console like the next xbox.

StarScream4Ever5627d ago

Hold it lets remember that COD began with the original for the PC. I do agree that as Frank mention the last great COD was MW1.

SixZeroFour5627d ago

amazed you put CoD in there but didnt mention Battlefield

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saladthieves5627d ago

Halo is good, but I'm tired of them Microsoft overmilking this good franchise. Take a look at Halo ODST...was that game really needed/necessary?? What Microsoft needs (and should do) is come up with new innovative IPs (like have many different diverse 1st party studios). Yes it is a smart move to stick with the working formula but relying on 3rd Party games and timed exclusives can only push them far!

Workshyskiver5627d ago

ODST was a great game what you on about? Halo franchise is not milked at all.

FrankMcSpank5627d ago

ODST could of stayed an expansion pack. $60 to add a map pack set that every Halo fan own already. Only 3 new maps with the 4 hour game. Shady MS work was a foot. What was worse is that ODST was graphically worse than Halo 3. The game was ready in March as well, and they kept it around until September. That was a lot of bad joo-joo on Microsoft's part. Good game the presentation was bananas.

ODST did have the best life action trailer this gen, followed by Resistance 3. Just extra kudos.

Active Reload5627d ago

ODST was my favorite Halo I played. I wish Reach was more like it. I love exploring in 1st person shooters, instead of someone screaming commands, "Go here!" and "Go there!".

etownone5627d ago

Let me guess .... like Sony, rt?

What Sony need is a killer blockbuster franchise like Halo.

vishant1015627d ago

@ velocity
no ps3 game has cracked the ten million milestone

BLACKBOIJONES5627d ago

Its normal for games to get milked,Games dont die like that.Look at gran turismo, its made it all the way to gt5,uncharted has made it to part 3,gears of war has made it to part 3,even twisted metal is coming back,mario is still here.and dnt forget talk of call of duty which ive lost count of.

As long as the system is alive and the devs have new ideas games will always be a part2,3,4..e.t.c Its not milking is just keeping the franchise alive.

saladthieves5627d ago

Yes but Halo every year? That's a bit too much, isn't it? Taking out a new game every year to me shows a lack of innovation...you just want to put something out there (doesn't matter what it is) and all you want to do is bring in more cash.

skrug5627d ago (Edited 5627d ago )

gt, twisted metal, started on PS1

mario started on the nes

UCMEandICU5627d ago (Edited 5627d ago )

Milking means a company knowing the product will sell hot no matter what and thus they don't put much effort or finances into it (as they should or as the popularity of the product demands) and churn out the product or spinoffs of the product on a constant close production cycle so as to maximize profit.

Eg Halo, Modern Warfare, Mario etc

That's what Milking means but somehow this gen it got twisted around by new comers to gaming as sequel releases. If a game is wanted, sequel must come out or else you are just poor at business. Having sequels is not Milking a product.

ElementX5627d ago

Bungie could've said no to ODST. Even when they were owned by MS, they could've said no. What would MS do? Let them go? They left anyway. Halo hasn't been milked. Look at some other series... Final Fantasy (all those stupid downloadable games, low budget DS titles...) Ratchet and Clank, Mario, Prince of Persia, what about all those games turning into movies? Uncharted, Prince of Persia, Resident Evil, Doom, Silent Hill, hell even a Mario TV show... There are so many other franchises getting milked.

mastiffchild5627d ago

Thing is if MS had been fair about ODST no one would be talking about milking anything, imho.

Fact is ODST was crap from a value and content POV if, like 90% of us you'd already got Halo and the maps for it's MP. I truly think the press would have been amazingly pro MS had they kept it as an expansion. They would also have made more sales and more cash too by doing that but they went for the full retail release and it hurt ODST.

The campaign was full of great but barely explored ideas that, by Reach, all seemed forgotten, why? Whatever, had they sold it for £30 rather than full price I think they'd have doubled sales and that there was a lot of gamers who'd bought all the DLC for Halo3 and felt, again like myself, that a very short SP(which a lot of them didn't really care about being MP hounds)and a couple of maps was only worth a rental.

What there was was quality but if you owned Halo3 and the maps already where was the rest of it? I think ODST, seriously, is the reason many say the franchise is milked because of it's lack of value and MS insistence on calling it a full game when it didn't feel like one. There's a reason it won't ever sell Halo3 numbers and that's because it ISN'T that easy to fool people when you already told them "expansion" a million times before going " nah, full game!!".

So, no the series isn't milked, not yet anyway, but ODST left MS open to the accusation from those with an agenda and, imho, it wasn't even a wise business choice to go full price with it. Same with Crackdown2-would have been INCREDIBLE as DLC or a cheaper expansion disc but as a full game? Without a new open world to explore(just a slightly tatty version of the original's city)? You get the picture-wouldn't they rather , for example, 10 million gamers buy a game/DLC for £30 or just 3million paying £45?

Anyway, it's that kind of choice that makes people think MS are milking when they probably weren't and were just shortsighted with ODST and calling it something it really didn't seem like it was. In fact pretty much any reviewer who had issues with the game had them with it's value(or lack of)and maybe Bungie felt the brave ideas they toyed with weren't popular because the reviews weren't Halo3 positive? Did that make Reach more conservative and make Bungie ditch the semi open bits from ODST too fast?

Maybe I read way too much into things but I think the decision to call an expansion a game had far reaching effects on what happened later in this series. I think it's certain that it made it easy for people to, unfairly, say the franchise is being milked. COD is being milked as we've had the same basic game annually for the past four years with the quality going down a bit as Acti asks the devs to cut corners to maximise profit and damn whoever plays it- MS don't do that to Halo and had ODST stayed an expansion we wouldn't even have people saying we had Halo games two years running.

k-Lan5626d ago

Even though ODST could've been much better, I found the campaign very enjoyable for the $20 i spent on the game.

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Nintenuendo5627d ago

Actually, as much as I enjoy Halo... I agree.

Which is why, in a way, I'm actually really excited that a new studio is working on it. New ideas, new focus. Should be a fresh take on the experience... hopefully.

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180°

Halo art director leaves studio after 17 years with ominous message alluding to discontent

Glenn Israel writes: "As of today and after seventeen long years, I am officially no longer contributing to the Halo universe. There is little more I can say for the moment, though I intend to share this particular story in its entirety when it is absolutely safe to do so next year. In the meantime, I have a message for anyone and everyone who needs to hear it.

I know that the state of our industry seems dire, but never forget that you are *free to choose*. No illusion of security nor promise of wealth or fame or power is worth trading away your health, your dignity, your ethics or values - and no one can force you to. Stay strong, take evidence when necessary, and find where you belong."

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linkedin.com
Bathyj233d ago

My god.
There's a story for next year.

VenomUK232d ago

I’m really disappointed to learn there are still people/morale problems. I thought the whole point of rebranding 343i to Halo Studios was to signal that real changes had been made - not to cynically rebrand to paper over the problems.

I really hope the Halo CE remake is great and gets people hyped for the future of the series.

DarXyde232d ago

It's inevitable with the modern landscape. Even if some issues have been assuaged, new ones crop up all the time.

I'm willing to bet AI and the lack of regulation is causing substantial upset.

shinXseijuro233d ago (Edited 233d ago )

He said something very marking . We tend to complain a lot about the industry but deep down I realize that we never have we been offered this crazy amount of games all available for you to play now . You can literally play any sorts of games in 2025 . Nobody is forcing you to buy the latest COD or the latest BF . You’re more of a 8 bit cozy gaming guy there’s a whole niche of modern games for that . You like micromanaging there’s games for that . I feel like we have been spoiled so much we just stopped being realistic and thinking for ourselves . We follow trends cry about stuff online when you are the buyer you have the power .

Notellin232d ago

I'm not buying any games until another Immersive sim is made.

PhillyDonJawn233d ago

....wth happened over there?
Does this confirm a new Halo by next year?
What did they want him to do that made him feel it was morally wrong or a insult to his integrity?

-Foxtrot233d ago

Well how about that, a name change doesn’t fix internal issues

Who would have thought

jznrpg232d ago

MS was throwing money around for a long time but now it’s time to pay the Piper.

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110°

Halo 4 & Halo 5: Guardians Sales Reached Nearly 10 Million Units Worldwide

Lifetime sales of 343 Industries' first-person shooters, Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, reached nearly 10 million units worldwide each.

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twistedvoxel.com
Sciurus_vulgaris323d ago

There were reports that Halo 4 and Halo 5 had similar sales to Halo: Reach years ago. The clickbait websites and rage bait YouTubers from 2012-2016 just wanted to spread excessive negativity about the franchise for their own benefit.

VenomUK322d ago

What did Halo: Infinite sell?

Sciurus_vulgaris322d ago

I don’t know. However, I would assume around 10 million. All the Halo FPS titles have done around 10 million sales, except ODST. Halo 3, was reported to exceed 14 million copies. I still remember back in 2007-2008, Halo 3 and COD 4 would duke it out for the most played XBL game.

MrNinosan322d ago

@Sciurus

There is NO WAY Infinite sold 10 million. Wake up dude.
Once upon a time, there was gamers on the Xbox side who actually bought games. Those times are since long gone.

Infinite has most likely not even hit 5 million sales

slate91322d ago

Nearly 10 million units and killing the brand is crazy work. Nicely done.

peppeaccardo321d ago

This New: Putting chocolate chips on top of a freshly made dog turd .....

1Victor322d ago

So let me get this straight in almost 13 years both games sold a combined 10 millions units.
Now I’m not going to use the obscured mentality and compared it to the amount of consoles sold and say it’s a failure 🤷🏿

thesoftware730322d ago (Edited 322d ago )

1Victor,

Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, reached nearly 10 million units worldwide "each."

Read it again, there is a word in there that clears up your misunderstanding.

1Victor321d ago

@thesoftware720
I apologize I skimmed through the article and the headline blinded me and stuck in my mind thank you for the correction 👍👍

AuraAbjure321d ago (Edited 321d ago )

Halo 4 is the best multiplayer ever! It’s even better than Titanfall 2. I admit Halo 4 got CoDified but there’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other games sometimes and halo 4 did it sooooo well with that speed boost plus sword combo and SAW plus damage booth combo, holy guacamole 🥑

Some crucial improvements to halo 4 could’ve been to boost the power of the AA sentinel, and whenever matchmaking pits people against each other with an armor abilities turned off completely then the map needs to routinely spawn, plentiful, predictable, power weapons. Also, all frame rate drops are unacceptable for a halo game during split-split screen or couch co-op. Just dynamically scale the resolution of the game down but whatever happens don’t let the framer dip in a Halo game for the love of all that is holy and good!

My personal gameplay of getting 30 kills in a 4 v. 4 game of team slayer up to 60.

https://youtu.be/ZYDvior_K-...

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190°

OG Destiny artist recalls Bungie’s “disgruntled” reaction to Halo 4’s art style change

Original Destiny artist Darren Bacon recalls how Bungie reacted to the art style change of Halo 4 by 343 Industries.

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videogamer.com
Tacoboto404d ago

Bungie at that time became the most wonderful bunch of hypocrites in the gaming industry. Knowing this now, gosh the entitlement they felt was out of this world.

Nothing like buying yourself from Microsoft because you don't want to be the Halo Studio anymore, and the FIRST THING you do is sign your next IP over to Activision, for a DECADE, while they are in the middle of ousting the heads of Infinity Ward so they can exert even more control over COD while screwing out the devs at IW...

Should've come as no surprise then that Activision gutted the content of Destiny 1 before launch and was a horrible partner through Destiny 2, until history repeated itself and Bungie had to split from Activision only to wind up in the arms of another major conglomerate that also doesn't know how to handle these unmanageable devs.

Profchaos404d ago

Tti their credit they praised the technical abilities of 343 and I remember at the time thinking halo 4 was a huge graphical leap above reach everything else was rubbish when I actually got to play it but there was no doubt it looked good for the 360 and is probably the best looking game on the system.

But ultimately I think bungie has always had a leadership problem and going independent ultimately proved this it's only getting worse with studio heads being outed by Sony for abuse allegations seems like all bungies past success has been in spite of management not because of it.

But really I think the bungie we have today is not the same one we had in that Xbox era of Bungie

PhillyDonJawn404d ago

I liked the artstyle change. For the most part. Something looked worse but most of everything else looked better. Weapons and vehicles for sure. The wraith come to my mind instantly.
And how can they get mad when the bungie changed it with Halo Reach?

Sciurus_vulgaris403d ago

I know a lot of people dislike Halo 4’s arts style, but there’s thing about it I like and dislike. Personally, the Halo 4 design of Master Chief’s armour is my favourite depiction of the character’s armour.