the democracy of First Person Shooters


eyeweiss lays hands on Halo 2, while others don't. Which is good.

So we finally received a promotional copy of Bungie's Halo 2.
At first sight, obvious improvements coupled with traditional game play make something that everybody that played Halo will immediately want to play.
It also means that a lot of people won't play the sequel, namely those that didn't like the first Halo for specific reasons. Interesting though, this seems to be purely look and setting focused. I observed a lot of people at the office that, even though they appreciated the new Halo, told me that they wouldn't play this game either, because of "the colors, the aliens and the general look of it'
This doesn't mean that it looks bad, it certainly doesn't. It just shows that Halo's distinctive style and setting, the antagonists and the weaponry have a far greater impact than the gameplay, which was received well by everybody even playing briefly.
I personally dare-say that this is a good thing: it means there is still plenty of individuality in todays game play element - converging titles to make a want/don't want distinction.
It also proves the theory that sticking purely to a successful formula without altering it will lead to a decline in customer numbers. But Halo 2 innovates plenty, providing feeding ground for new target audiences, while staying true to those things the crowd loved in the first game.

I was afraid that within the next three years we all would be playing a GTA / Final Fantasy role playing game with Halo combat AI, set in a post-nuclear Half-life 2 / Stalker - theme russian city, but signs point in a brighter direction after all. Phew...
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On a side note, I started reading Lucky Wander Boy . According to Jurie , it is well worth it.

Posted: Thu - November 11, 2004 at 02:45 PM         |

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