Current Events > Halo CE on Legendary is still fun 20 years later

(+) Yeah! (+)

Trying to figure out the best way to ambush and take out Elites is still fun. They still feel like believable and reactive enemies instead of just enemies you take down in a few seconds. That sense of hopelessness when an Elite takes cover when his shields are down.

One thing I forgot from CE is how good the grenades are. You get so many, they have a huge radius and enemies also drop a lot so you see a lot of grenade chains which as far as I know is still a unique thing for Halo. Always satisfying when they happen.

Truth and Reconciliation is a god damn bastard of a level once you're on that ship. Basically stuck with crappy Covenant weapons the whole time. I totally forgot about that brutal ambush when you go up the gravity lift. Goddamn relentless. Managed to save one marine when I finally got through it.

Also man they really butchered the artstyle in Anniversary huh. Classic looks way more moody and still holds up fine.

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I beat it on Legendary once. Never again.

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God damn the level designers behind Truth and Reconciliation are bastards.

The amount of times you hey ambushed from both sides are numerous. Sometimes it happens twice in the one section. With the lack of the pistol god damn Jackals and grunts are way harder to deal with too.

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The level design in that game is awful. So many boring corridors and lazily copy pasted rooms. Then you have the Library which may be the worst fps level I've ever experienced.

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IndustrialTrudg posted...

The level design in that game is awful. So many boring corridors and lazily copy pasted rooms. Then you have the Library which may be the worst fps level I've ever experienced.

God I hated Library.

I legitimately got lost in that at least 4 times as a child.
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Halo CE is a legit 10/10 game

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The pp and magnum are op.

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Halo sux

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Silent cartographer is practically a textbook example of organic level design

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Heartomaton posted...

Halo sux

Only for you bb

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IndustrialTrudg posted...

The level design in that game is awful. So many boring corridors and lazily copy pasted rooms. Then you have the Library which may be the worst fps level I've ever experienced.

That's what most FPS games were like back then. Halo actually was way above average in this regard.

I'm also playing Timesplitters 2 which I believe came out the following year and that campaign feels ancient compared to Halo CE.

LordMarshal posted...

The pp and magnum are op.

The sniper rifle as well.

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Slayer_22 posted...

God I hated Library.

I legitimately got lost in that at least 4 times as a child.

Don't lie to us.

We've all gotten lost in there as grown-ass adults.

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everyone complaining is a n00b

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Yeah Halo 1s level design is pretty awful.


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Halo CE on Legendary changes a man

Halo 2 legendary...

PowerOats posted...

Halo CE on Legendary changes a man

Halo 2 legendary...

I did that as a teen too but yeah dunno if I'll try that again. Maybe just to see if I can still do it.

Those damn jackal snipers and shotgun Flood...

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i'll never not be entertained by the flood vs covenant battles in the last 3 levels

DarkRoast posted...

Halo CE is a legit 10/10 game

Damn straight

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Punished_Blinx posted...

That's what most FPS games were like back then. Halo actually was way above average in this regard.

I'm also playing Timesplitters 2 which I believe came out the following year and that campaign feels ancient compared to Halo CE.

Bull shit. Not about Timesplitters but Halo being above average in that regard compared to earlier fps games? This was a genre notable for the very best in 3d level design. Doom 1 and 2, Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Half Life, Deus Ex, and No one lives forever all had level design that was superior to Halos.

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One of my favorite touches to Halo CE is how for half of the game most of the human weaponry, except for the handgun, feels a bit underpowered compared to the covenant. And then when the game throws a curveball and introduces the Flood, the tables are turned and most covenant weapons are utterly useless against them.

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IndustrialTrudg posted...

Bull shit. Not about Timesplitters but Halo being above average in that regard compared to earlier fps games? This was a genre notable for the very best in 3d level design. Doom 1 and 2, Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Half Life, Deus Ex, and No one lives forever all had level design that was superior to Halos.

I don't really include Deus Ex as a normal FPS but yeah most of those games are in samey rooms and corridors.

I also said 'above average' while games like Half-Life and Doom were anything but average.

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Punished_Blinx posted...

I don't really include Deus Ex as a normal FPS but yeah most of those games are in samey rooms and corridors.

I also said 'above average' while games like Half-Life and Doom were anything but average.

Most of those games are samey rooms and corridors? How? Which of these games copy pasted rooms the way Halo did? I mean literally reuse the exact same room over and over with minor tweaks.

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IndustrialTrudg posted...

Most of those games are samey rooms and corridors? How?

Most of Half-Life mostly takes place in an underground lab, sewers and a military base linked together by a desert. The alien planet sucks. That was the peak at the time.

It didn't really matter that FPS games were a bunch of samey rooms and corridors that didn't make logical sense. It was about the gameplay, the enemies and the guns. It's just a different time. Halo is one of the bridges across the two eras.

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Punished_Blinx posted...

Most of Half-Life mostly takes place in an underground lab, sewers and a military base linked together by a desert. The alien planet sucks. That was the peak at the time.

It didn't really matter that FPS games were a bunch of samey rooms and corridors that didn't make logical sense. It was about the gameplay, the enemies and the guns. It's just a different time. Halo is one of the bridges across the two eras.

What the hell are you going on about? Duke Nukem 3d, Blood, and No one lives forever full of variety in terms of of location and structure. Half Life wasnt just copy pasted rooms. There was a lot more creativity in terms of structure. What does it mostly taking place in a lab have to do with anything?

Halo literally has levels that constantly put you through the exact same fucking room over and over again. And I'm sorry but level design is pretty damn important for fps games, and those games I mentioned did it inginitely better than Halo.

Level design in modern fps games tend to be inferior than the older ones. If anything Halo bridged us into a worse era.

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IndustrialTrudg posted...

Halo literally has levels that constantly put you through the exact same fucking room over and over again. And I'm sorry but level design is pretty damn important for fps games, and those games I mentioned did it inginitely better than Halo.

It's really just Assault in the Control Room/Two Betrayals and The Library.

IndustrialTrudg posted...

What the hell are you going on about? Duke Nukem 3d, Blood, and No one lives forever full of variety in terms of of location and structure. Half Life wasnt just copy pasted rooms. There was a lot more creativity in terms of structure. What does it mostly taking place in a lab have to do with anything?

Duke Nukem 3D has you going through dark streets, a bunch of interiors with the same walls and locked doors and keycards.

Haven't played the other two. But again you're listing a few of the most critically acclaimed titles that were only on PC.

I like Half-Life and it keeps up a good pace and variety but environment wise it is overall samey. Which is okay. The sequel was a huge improvement there.

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Punished_Blinx posted...

It's really just Assault in the Control Room/Two Betrayals and The Library.

Duke Nukem 3D has you going through dark streets, a bunch of interiors with the same walls and locked doors and keycards.

Haven't played the other two. But again you're listing a few of the most critically acclaimed titles that were only on PC.

I like Half-Life and it keeps up a good pace and variety but environment wise it is overall samey. Which is okay. The sequel was a huge improvement there.

I'm talking more about structure than envirement. Also 3 levels is a lot when you only have ten levels.

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DrizztLink posted...

Don't lie to us.

We've all gotten lost in there as grown-ass adults.

...oh thank God I'm not the only one.

Fuck that garbage ass level lol
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Last year I went through all Halo games on Legendary solo in hype for Infinite. Didnt manage to finish Halo 5, it was justboring.

But CE is definitely still my favorite. The AI is the best in the series, and the story beats are so memorable. Ill never forget stepping out of the escape pod on the Halo ring.

GOAT trilogy tbqh.

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HaVeNII7 posted...

Last year I went through all Halo games on Legendary solo in hype for Infinite. Didnt manage to finish Halo 5, it was justboring.

But CE is definitely still my favorite. The AI is the best in the series, and the story beats are so memorable. Ill never forget stepping out of the escape pod on the Halo ring.

GOAT trilogy tbqh.

Designing Halo 5 around 4 player coop and revives really had a negative impact on that campaign. It just wasn't the same. Felt like a bunch of firefight arenas linked together a lot of the time.

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No Covenant. You had to open your mouth.

DarkRoast posted...

Halo CE is a legit 10/10 game

This, they revolutionized console shooters. Halo 2 also pioneered all the online multiplayer matchmaking we enjoy today in games

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sLaCkEr408___RJ posted...

No Covenant. You had to open your mouth.

The soldiers chatter was awesome

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Truth and Reconciliation done. Once you get to Keyes the level gets a lot easier.

Blitzing through The Silent Cartographer which is much easier. Such a great level.

bulletproofvita posted...

The soldiers chatter was awesome

It really is! Love the Aussie marines. The chatter between Cortana, Foehammer, Keyes and the Marines really give it a unique feel.

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Silent Cartographer is significantly easier on Legendary. I remembered that if you can get through the first three levels the rest of the game is doable.

Then Assault on the Control room literally drops you right into an Elite and several grunts rushing out of a door and you're stick with the crappy AR and pistol with no cover lol. That took a few tries. I think the rest of the level isn't that bad IIRC. From what I remember it's not too bad until Two Betrayals now. I think The Library isn't that much worse on Legendary compared to Heroic.

Also they really butchered the feel with the Anniversary visuals. The OG is much cleaner and better with a much better vibe. I'm doing the opposite of what they intended with the visual mode. I toggle it to see how much worse it is.

Also it was nice seeing that they fixed the skybox in AOTC too. No longer the downgraded PC port visuals.

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Silent Cartographer is such a great example of organic linearity - plenty of opportunities for modest exploration without ever really getting lost.

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DarkRoast posted...

Silent Cartographer is such a great example of organic linearity - plenty of opportunities for modest exploration without ever really getting lost.

Yeah it's really good. It's a shame more games didn't really use that design. Even the Halo sequels don't. It's really neat how you can just go your own way and still beat the level fine.

It would be neat if there's a recreation of the island in the Halo Infinite campaign.

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Punished_Blinx posted...

Silent Cartographer is significantly easier on Legendary. I remembered that if you can get through the first three levels the rest of the game is doable.

Then Assault on the Control room literally drops you right into an Elite and several grunts rushing out of a door and you're stick with the crappy AR and pistol with no cover lol. That took a few tries. I think the rest of the level isn't that bad IIRC. From what I remember it's not too bad until Two Betrayals now. I think The Library isn't that much worse on Legendary compared to Heroic.

Also they really butchered the feel with the Anniversary visuals. The OG is much cleaner and better with a much better vibe. I'm doing the opposite of what they intended with the visual mode. I toggle it to see how much worse it is.

Also it was nice seeing that they fixed the skybox in AOTC too. No longer the downgraded PC port visuals.

Yeah it's bizarre that the new visuals are distracting. I guess nostalgia plays a part here, I find myself going back to the old design.

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bulletproofvita posted...

Yeah it's bizarre that the new visuals are distracting. I guess nostalgia plays a part here, I find myself going back to the old design.

It's so busy and bright. Everything is so lit up and covered in complicated designs. I really like the simple dark and moody design of the original.





Crappy YouTube screengrab aside but yeah just has a totally different feel. Could be because we have the nostalgia though yeah.

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Yeah the new alien ship design looks built by humans and the old design can actually pass as alien lol

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