All I hear night and day is how Halo is the greatest thing to ever happen to the video game community and how if you say anything remotely critical of it, you get a lot of posts saying: “OMG UR A LSR. PWN THE NOOBS. HALO ROXORS” and so on. So, I must admit it that I am writing this article fully expecting a barrage of insults by the pea-brained side of the gaming spectrum. By reading this article and posting said remarks, you are giving me the legal right to call you an idiot and so forth.
To the 80-or-so percent of non-Halo gamers, I expect almost no reaction. So why would I write an article with the knowledge that I'm probably gonna get nothing but pain and humiliation (or at least an attempt at it). Because I'm hoping to reach a select few who might take my message to heart. Learn from it, spread it, and “I Liked!” it.
Before I begin, allow me to say this. I LOVE HALO! Not only have I beaten all three games (the third on Legendary), but I am regular online player and created and run a Facebook Halo fandom group called the UNSC Marine Corps which is currently at 53 members. (Said number may fluctuate obviously). But calling it the greatest game of all-time is a joke. I personally don't believe any new-gen game can claim that title. (Okay, Portal can, but that's where I draw the line).
Like a good scientist I will list my criteria for the title of “the greatest game of all time”. This information will likely be expounded upon in a follow-up article where I search for the greatest game of all time.
First, the game must be revolutionary. It must meet, nay, exceed the gaming communities expectation. It must present us with a new ideal and standard of gaming.
Secondly, the game must have a decent fan-base. I hate to cave to the fans (considering the game I am “roasting” has one of the largest international fan-bases in the world). But let's face it, a game that isn't popular except amongst a group of sweaty teenagers who write fanfictions about it (aka, yours truly) it isn't going to win this title.
Thirdly, the game must be original. Not to say that franchise games can't win this title, but the game must be something that we've never witnessed before.
Finally, the game must be addictive. These are the games that we played over and over, restarting from the beginning even when we ran out of lives. These are the games that we would only make it past the first few levels generally, but then get to that next level and cry out in delight.
This is all just general criteria, mind you. Additional criteria will divide what games get into this list. But for arguments sake, let's take these criteria into mind and delve into where Halo is, and is not, the greatest game of all time.
The first factor was “revolutionary”. While Halo did allegedly revolutionize shooters, it wasn't the first shooter and was nothing new. It had a deeper storyline than most shooters, but then most shooters I've seen are either the generic spy games or those war-time games that are eternally stuck in World War II.
Halo's control system was streamlined and easy to use. It accomplished the feat of all control mechanics which is to make the controller feel like an extension of your body. What's worse is when I switch from Halo to another XBOX game (i.e. Call of Duty 4) and try a move that doesn't work.
What is truly breathtaking about the Halo games is the incredible feel of the game. You have amazing graphics (particularly in Halo 3), accompanied by an incredible score, which creates a beautifully eerie feel to the game, especially in the Flood levels. (I still have nightmares about the last door in The Library on Legendary.)
The problem with Halo's guns though, is that they seem like toys. Granted I always run for the Rocket Launcher and Sniper Rifle, but Covenant weapons (while powerful) look like they were manufactured by Nerf, especially that bane of my existence the Needler. A weapon that looks that ridiculous should not be that powerful!
With this evidence, it's hard to say that Halo was a revolutionary game. It did bring some new ideas to bat, but wasn't revolutionary.
Now on point #2, nobody is going to argue that Halo doesn't have a sufficient fan-base. The game has practically seized control of the globe and with the variety of Halo machinima about on the web (Red vs. Blue. Best machinima ever) I imagine that Master Chief will soon be as recognizable as… well not Mario, but maybe Link.
Halo also has one hell of a fanbase, which it deserves, because it is a great game. As for the most addicting game of recent times, that I can not agree with. Pixeljunk Monsters (PS3 Network arcade-style game) is far better for the addiction. If we're talking "real games" (ie big launch titles), I'd argue that most sports games are more addictive, purely because every match/game is different, whereas the maps/levels in Halo are the same (even if the players act differently).
Nicely written article! Just so you know, I'd say CoD4 is a better game, but World at War probably won't be as good as Halo 3 (why, oh why go back to WWII?)