G-pinions

I've been playing a good amount of Halo lately, mostly because i've been spending a lot of time with friends (funny how that works). Actually, I didn't even own Halo until last friday, when I picked up a copy to use in a LAN party. I think it's generally vastly overrated, and have been pissed about it's existence ever since Microsoft bought Bungie. But hey, it's still a fun game, and fairly accessible to anyone, so it's good when having people over.

I played a good hour of Halo last night with two friends of mine before switching over to our usual game hen, Red Faction 2. Obviously, it took me a while to adjust back to the fairly different controls and pace (fast), but beyond that, I immediately missed some little things about Halo, which made me appreciate it quite a bit more after playing so much of it. Don't get me wrong, I still think the actual kills in RF2 feel better, and thus I will always prefer it (seeing as that's what the game is all about), but I can finally give Halo some decent props.

For one, melee attack. Having a decent up-close attack available all the time is really nice, especially in frantic situations. In Halo, if need be, I can usually circle-strafe someone until I'm able to clock them in the back of the noggin, even if they're armed and I'm out of ammo. Or if you sneak up on someone (or spawn behind them) and want to take them down quickly - bam, no problem. In RF2, unless you're set to spawn with a sniper rifle or an explosive weapon, it ain't happening, even with the maddest of skillz. As soon as they're on to you, they'll most likely turn around and waste you. worse yet, if you find yourself five feet in front of someone with a worse weapon, you'd better run for your life, no competition. In Halo, a well-timed barrel to the face can even the odds instantly.

Secondly, weapon balance. You learn quickly in RF2 that without an explosive weapon or wicked bad sniping abilities, you're fucked like a kitten in a wood chipper. The bottom four or so weapons suck, especially when compared to the explosives. I've gotten used to this by now, but it's nice in Halo to be able to defend yourself with any weapon you start with. The pistol is definitely too powerful, but I'd rather that be the case than not powerful enough. Combine this issue with the lack of a melee move, and two players in the same stage can be at very different levels of power, without skill factoring in at all.

Lastly, grenades, my favorite thing about Halo. Granted, RF2 has grenades, but with such a fast pace and mostly one or two-hit kills, there's hardly a need for them. Plus, the grenades in Halo just feel right, in the same way killing someone does in RF2. In FPSes, it's all about the visceral experience, and with grenades, Halo nails it. Something about their arc and their damage radius and power all clicks, and playing with them is a necessity if your opponent chooses to.

So, yes, I've gotta give multiplayer Halo some props. It's been a long time coming, I admit. I just thought it would be interesting to hear about the little differences. Tom will probably get his jollies off to finally hear me bad-mouth Red Faction a bit, but I'm secure in liking both games, for different purposes. And they're hard to compare, seeing as Halo doesn't even have bots (fucking rushy Microsoft). And I didn't even bring Timesplitters 2 into this. But still, I stand by my props. Now I just need some competition :-)