[Harry]

SSSnake,

I'm sorry to say that the only person biased in here is you. Halo is a good game, technically the best one on the Xbox, but that's where it ends. When I read "Game Of The Year" things about Halo I just can't help but laugh. Game Of The Yar for what?

1. Game Design? Halo Is one of the most linear high-budget games of the new generation. It's linear, and it doesn't introduce any true innovation in the FPS genre. And to all the ones thinking that First Person Shooters can do nothing else than let you shoot, pick up weapons, hide, find switches, should play Deus Ex. And speaking of Game Design in general, this is the year of games like Metal Gear Solid 2, Grand Theft Auto 3, Morrowind - three monsters against Halo's easy structure. And please SSSnake, I hope you admit that the environments, the structures in Halo are definitely repetitive. Yes, this can be justified by the storyline, but damn, they become kinda hypnotic after a while!

2. Graphics? Absolutely gorgeous, indeed. But not flawless, as many use to say. The first thing that pops in my mind are the awful character animations - they sometimes seem to come from the era of the old Unreal Engine. Compare the cutscenes in Halo with the in-game cutscenes in Metal Gear Solid 2, compare the animations with the ones in Metal Gear Solid 2 - Halo's characters are miles away from that smoothness and realism. Oh, and speaking of games with better animations, I can also put in the list Silent Hill 2.

3. Story? Damn, where is originality in Halo? It's the same old story, plain bad aliens VS good Marines and genetically engineered superhero... it's kiddish, and clearly created to appeal the broader audience. But on the other hand, the world built around this story is believable, and the study done in the creation of the ringworld is gorgeous. But, can Halo's storyline compare favourably with the one of games like Metal Gear Solid 2, Silent Hill 2, Morrowind, Eternal Darkness, Soul Reaver, Deus Ex? And please, don't tell me that Master Chief is a well-developed, deep character!

Finally, Artistic Value. If I were one of the artists that worked on games like ICO, Zone Of The Enders, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy X, Morrowind, Soul Reaver, The Mark Of Kri... I'd be scared to work in an industry that prefer Halo's unoriginal sci-fi world and character design to the one of any of the games listed above. Also the - great - idea of the ringworld is soooooo old for sci-fi enthusiast... and also for videogamers... after all didn't ZOE take place on a small ringworld?

Concluding, I do think that Halo is a good, great, fun game. But as somebody else said, I strongly believe that its fortune was caused not only by its merits, but by 1. The lack of other "charismatic" games in the Xbox line-up 2. One of the hugest advertising campaigns ever to support a videogame.

It's good that you like this game so much, but have more respect for others that have different opinions.

Originally posted by SSSnake
Its really sad how people slam games that they know are better than what they have.Makg now im starting to think your nuts and are to damn prideful to admit that maybe there is a better game than MGS and Gaseous maybe your just to damn stuck on nintendo and broaden your damnm horizon when it comes to gaming.Technically Halo blows your damn goldeneye and makgs agent under fire outta the water.Do any of you notice any of the small detail in the game the reflections,the ai which makes those 2 other games look bad.You people should really quit knocking its your making yourself look dumb.