The original Xbox game, Halo: Combat Evolved, was released on Thursday 15th November 2001.
It became a best seller, and sold a heck of a lot of Xboxes! I had been a Playstation gamer but bought an Xbox just to play Halo.
It's unique game mechanics of the rechargeable health and shield, forced players to switch from all out assault (when their health and shields were full) to stealth (waiting for their health and shields to regenerate).
But it was the world of Halo that kept gamers coming back for more. And why it's sequels where also best sellers under Bungie. The UNSC (through The Master Chief) vs the Covenant, then the UNSC fighting alongside one faction of the Covenant against another faction. And lurking in the background another antagonist that could wipe everyone out!
The reveal of this third antagonist in Combat Evolved was a fundamental step change. You thought you knew what the Combat Evolved story-line was: UNSC vs Covenant; good vs evil. Then something happened, and the complexion of the game changed. It turned from space combat to survival-horror. I still remember that scene and how I felt to this day.
And how did Halo the TV series treat this reveal in the season finale? In a completely different way with no build up. It just happened, through a series of blunders and neglect for basic safety protocols that had me rolling my eyes at the ineptitude of the characters I was watching, even the accompanying musical score as this section of the story unfolded, seemed a strange choice to me.
It does however crystalise what is wrong with the TV show. The story is just too generic - there is no imagination on show here.
If you have never played Halo: Combat Evolved, you may find this TV show interesting, and forgiving of the poor writing and how some of the character arcs are dispatched with in this episode.
But knowing how grander, space operatic, and grounded in realism (you know why characters know what they know) the games are, the TV show's plot is lazily moved forward with a character providing a supernatural "insight" into a situation that they really should not be in a position to know about (I'm looking at you Kwan Ha!); this show is a difficult watch. A series of missed opportunities.
I've given this episode 1 star for the FX, they are way better than season 1. And nothing for the character development or the world of Halo that the showrunners have reimagined.
It's just one generic sci-fi thing after another... A cherished IP burned to the ground by a writing room that has no appreciation or respect for the source-material. It's a product to be consumed, nothing more.
It became a best seller, and sold a heck of a lot of Xboxes! I had been a Playstation gamer but bought an Xbox just to play Halo.
It's unique game mechanics of the rechargeable health and shield, forced players to switch from all out assault (when their health and shields were full) to stealth (waiting for their health and shields to regenerate).
But it was the world of Halo that kept gamers coming back for more. And why it's sequels where also best sellers under Bungie. The UNSC (through The Master Chief) vs the Covenant, then the UNSC fighting alongside one faction of the Covenant against another faction. And lurking in the background another antagonist that could wipe everyone out!
The reveal of this third antagonist in Combat Evolved was a fundamental step change. You thought you knew what the Combat Evolved story-line was: UNSC vs Covenant; good vs evil. Then something happened, and the complexion of the game changed. It turned from space combat to survival-horror. I still remember that scene and how I felt to this day.
And how did Halo the TV series treat this reveal in the season finale? In a completely different way with no build up. It just happened, through a series of blunders and neglect for basic safety protocols that had me rolling my eyes at the ineptitude of the characters I was watching, even the accompanying musical score as this section of the story unfolded, seemed a strange choice to me.
It does however crystalise what is wrong with the TV show. The story is just too generic - there is no imagination on show here.
If you have never played Halo: Combat Evolved, you may find this TV show interesting, and forgiving of the poor writing and how some of the character arcs are dispatched with in this episode.
But knowing how grander, space operatic, and grounded in realism (you know why characters know what they know) the games are, the TV show's plot is lazily moved forward with a character providing a supernatural "insight" into a situation that they really should not be in a position to know about (I'm looking at you Kwan Ha!); this show is a difficult watch. A series of missed opportunities.
I've given this episode 1 star for the FX, they are way better than season 1. And nothing for the character development or the world of Halo that the showrunners have reimagined.
It's just one generic sci-fi thing after another... A cherished IP burned to the ground by a writing room that has no appreciation or respect for the source-material. It's a product to be consumed, nothing more.
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