November will see the next release from two of the biggest franchises in modern gaming: “Halo” and “Call of Duty.” And even though I can’t believe I’m saying this, I’m way more excited for the latter. While “Halo 4” continues to chug along indifferently, offering us nothing more than tepid assurances that it plays like all the other ones, “Black Ops II” is absolutely bringing the pain. We’ve got a brand-new setting for the franchise, all the new gameplay possibilities that implies, the introduction of branching storylines thanks to Strike Force missions, and (wait for it) a Zombie campaign!
Did Treyarch just eat their Wheaties or what? They used to be the pick-up team while Infinity Ward worked on the real CoD titles, but with “Black Ops” and now “Black Ops II” it’s clear they mean business. Zombies Mode should have been a tip-off that these dudes were scrappy risk-takers with a devil-may-care attitude, but now they’re proving it by taking the franchise places it’s never been. Infinity Who?
Meanwhile, am I the only one who can’t get his blood pressure up over “Halo 4?” 343 is making a lot of vague promises about new vehicles/weapons/enemies, but I’m worried they’re playing it too safe. We’re only a few months from release, and all I’m hearing is they’ve taken out Firefight, given multiplayer a fancy new name, aped Spec Ops from CoD, and given everyone sprint. Whoop-dee-doo. I have shot aliens in the face as Master Chief for five games over two consoles, and I’ve enjoyed it, but you haven’t sold me on a sixth yet, guys.
And let’s be honest: how new are these new vehicles going to be? I love the Revenant more than most people, I made an entire Forge Mode map based around it, but like most new vehicles in the “Halo” franchise, it changed little and appeared rarely. Ditto for the new weapons, which normally just function as modified versions of something already in the game, and only appear a few times in the campaign or in a few specific modes in multiplayer. The basics of “Halo” have always been the Warthog, the Ghost, the Battle Rifle/Assault Rifle, Melee, Grenades, maybe a Scorpion here and there. So it doesn’t impress me when someone says “New vehicles! New weapons!” Why? Because I’m a student of history.
New aliens have also been promised, and that holds much more potential. But we also know the Covenant will still be around, so again, I have my doubts about how substantive the changes incurred by these new beings will be.
What I want from “Halo 4” is what “Black Ops II” seems to be doing: a genuinely new take on a classic formula that gets me excited for undiscovered potential within a known franchise. So far, “Halo 4” feels to me like 343 trying to prove they can hold the line. That’s all well and good, but if that feeling proves right, I may just pass on this one and catch up with you guys on “Halo 5.”
_AA
VCMG
1 Comment
Its interesting yes, but can
Treyarch not do the same thing that Halo is doing but also have to limit
what they can offer on one disc? Unless the Zombie modes and
multiplayer are on another disc and the campaign is on the primary disc.
😛