SpaceGazelle wrote:Link?
Yossarian wrote:Halo: CE Anniversary, solo, legendary, for the umpteenth time, but my first run in a while, and the first, I believe, through the entire anniversary version of the game (I bought it at release, but don’t think I ever played through it).
The anniversary update is a triumph, it looks glorious, with some sections causing me to have to stop and just enjoy the artistry put into the textures that have been slapped on top of the architecture which itself remains unparalleled in its scale and design (special mention here to The Library which looks incredible). I also love the focus of CE in particular. The fact that it all happens on this weird alien world with occasional detours onto a couple of ships gives it a sense of coherence that I’m not sure that later Halos could ever live up to. Similarly from a narrative perspective, it’s all so self-contained with mystery, wonder and threat instead of later games’ embrace of alien politics, backstories and convoluted, galaxy-hopping stories.
I was also going through and collecting achievements which isn’t something I normally do, but the achievements in the MCC have been nicely thought out and offer some additional challenges. Many involve completing levels under certain conditions (no jumping, no taking health damage, no switching weapons on Two Betrayals, kill every elite on Keyes etc) whereas many of the others are awarded for seeing Easter eggs or reaching skulls or terminals in tricky locations so they seemed worthwhile this time around.
But the thing that really stuck with me throughout this is just how well put together the basic game is. I’ve banged on about the holy trinity of guns, grenades and melee in here before, not to mention the recharging shields for you and the elites and the risk/reward that engenders, but one other thing became clear here was that at one point or another in the game, every weapon available to me was the best tool for the job at hand and was the weapon I sought out. The last two or three levels saw me mostly going ham with a shotgun, perhaps using a pistol alongside it to push back elites until I was close enough to drop them with my shotty, or with a needler to sneakily thin out numbers, or a rocket launcher to explode those vents.
Plus, I always love revisiting those great battles. Storming the beach on the Silent Cartographer, the Scorpion rampage on Assault on the Control Room, the entire Final Run section of Two Betrayals. Being given some tools plus a huge open area of enemies that need dealing with is great fun, and something which you saw less of in the later games, to their detriment.
Unquestionably the GOAT for me despite the daftness of
Spoiler:
Onto Halo 2.
Skerret wrote:Please gush over an imagined piece I theoretically wrote about Thief 2.
and who are you to critique me Yoss, whoYossarian wrote:Agreed, it was a solid write-up.
However, it was a shame about the paragraph in the middle where you tried to argue that the flat-earth society “may be on to something” and somehow managed to link that into a rhapsody about McDonald’s food and Apple ear buds. It seemed out of place to say the least.
Diluted Dante wrote:That's MAG isn't it? Warhawk was up to 32 players iirc.
acemuzzy wrote:Maybe I should attempt a Super Meat Boy one. Or Hollow Knight. Or a puzzle game...
FranticPea wrote:I'd do a BFBC2 one but I fear it would be too emotional
Skerret wrote:Please gush over an imagined piece I theoretically wrote about Thief 2.
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