5 ms·

Halo 2 was peak halo. Its simplicity was why it was so good. Its like pickup game of basketball, just get a few guys together and be the first team to 50 kills.

Halo 2 was peak halo. Its simplicity was why it was so good. Its like pickup game of basketball, just get a few guys together and be the first team to 50 kills. No special equipment, no special abilities, very little complexity. That's why it was the perfect MLG game. Every shooter these days is more and more complex.

crushcrashcrush 8y ago
Agreed 100% - although I didn't like the normalization of a bug (BxR) not getting patched out.
phaus 8y ago
You don't call teleporting across the map for free melee kills with the stupid sword thing a special ability? The introduction of that one item almost ruined the entire genre for about 10 years.
- enraged_camel 8y ago
  Sword lunges were pretty easy to dodge if you knew how.
- msie 8y ago
  The sword was fun! On Lockout it was especially good!
- hombre_fatal 8y ago
  No worse than the rocket launcher or sniper rifle or having the higher ground or any other advantage you need to strategically fight over in a game. The fight for asymmetry is what makes the game fun.
rangibaby 8y ago
> That's why it was the perfect MLG game. Every shooter these days is more and more complex. OTOH there is Counter-Strike which turns 20 this year and is the third most popular game on Steam right now. Most of the changes to the core game since ~2001 have been about balance as opposed to adding new mechanics. Someone who played the game over a decade ago could pick it up today and still play on mostly the same game on mostly the same maps: de_cache 2011 de_dust2: 2001 de_inferno: 1999 de_mirage: 2004 de_nuke: 1999 de_overpass: 2013 de_train: 1999
- sirclueless 8y ago
  Pretty incredible that it's survived decades and multiple iterations of the game, and you can still pick it up and buy your trusty AK or M4 and play essentially the same game from decades ago.
  - kkarakk 8y ago
    it's not the same game though, movement,gun recoil,gun damage, spray patterns,economy etc have changed WILDLY since the inception of the game. maps may LOOK the same but on closer inspection, the models change rapidly - eyelines, clipping, the way objects bounce off surfaces etc etc for some reason valve doesn't release new versions of the game but instead chooses to radically change all aspects of the game and call it counterstrike(increment code+1) i like the model, much better than call of duty randomly naming things differently even though the games are fundamentally the same with a fresh coat of graphics on top
    - JetSetWilly 8y ago
      While I am sure for high level play every little change is a huge deal, for me as a casual CS seems much the same as it ever did. Most of the changes you list would only seem like "big changes" if you are a high level player who knows the whole thing back to front and have memorised recoil patterns and whatnot.
      - kkarakk 8y ago
        the game isn't that complex, if you play for more than 5 hours a week you'll become one of those "high level" players and notice the changes
      - leetcrew 8y ago
        when you start with a game that basically revolves around the delicate balance between five weapons, even subtle changes to the mechanics can make a very big difference to the way the game is played at all levels. I know you probably don't care about things like movement accel curves or hitbox sizes (which have changed drastically over the years) but just look at the deagle, possibly the most iconic weapon of the franchise. the weapon went largely unchanged between 1.6 and source, but is almost unrecognizable in csgo. you simply can't use it the same way you could in the older games; it has a completely different role.
ravenstine 8y ago
Best campaign as well.
stordoff 8y ago
Halo 3 was the sweet spot for me. A little bit more complexity and added equipment, but still obvious enough that you knew immediately what it did.

crushcrashcrush 8y ago

Agreed 100% - although I didn't like the normalization of a bug (BxR) not getting patched out.

phaus 8y ago

You don't call teleporting across the map for free melee kills with the stupid sword thing a special ability? The introduction of that one item almost ruined the entire genre for about 10 years.

enraged_camel 8y ago
Sword lunges were pretty easy to dodge if you knew how.
msie 8y ago
The sword was fun! On Lockout it was especially good!
hombre_fatal 8y ago
No worse than the rocket launcher or sniper rifle or having the higher ground or any other advantage you need to strategically fight over in a game. The fight for asymmetry is what makes the game fun.

rangibaby 8y ago

> That's why it was the perfect MLG game. Every shooter these days is more and more complex. OTOH there is Counter-Strike which turns 20 this year and is the third most popular game on Steam right now. Most of the changes to the core game since ~2001 have been about balance as opposed to adding new mechanics. Someone who played the game over a decade ago could pick it up today and still play on mostly the same game on mostly the same maps: de_cache 2011 de_dust2: 2001 de_inferno: 1999 de_mirage: 2004 de_nuke: 1999 de_overpass: 2013 de_train: 1999

sirclueless 8y ago
Pretty incredible that it's survived decades and multiple iterations of the game, and you can still pick it up and buy your trusty AK or M4 and play essentially the same game from decades ago.
- kkarakk 8y ago
  it's not the same game though, movement,gun recoil,gun damage, spray patterns,economy etc have changed WILDLY since the inception of the game. maps may LOOK the same but on closer inspection, the models change rapidly - eyelines, clipping, the way objects bounce off surfaces etc etc for some reason valve doesn't release new versions of the game but instead chooses to radically change all aspects of the game and call it counterstrike(increment code+1) i like the model, much better than call of duty randomly naming things differently even though the games are fundamentally the same with a fresh coat of graphics on top
  - JetSetWilly 8y ago
    While I am sure for high level play every little change is a huge deal, for me as a casual CS seems much the same as it ever did. Most of the changes you list would only seem like "big changes" if you are a high level player who knows the whole thing back to front and have memorised recoil patterns and whatnot.
    - kkarakk 8y ago
      the game isn't that complex, if you play for more than 5 hours a week you'll become one of those "high level" players and notice the changes
    - leetcrew 8y ago
      when you start with a game that basically revolves around the delicate balance between five weapons, even subtle changes to the mechanics can make a very big difference to the way the game is played at all levels. I know you probably don't care about things like movement accel curves or hitbox sizes (which have changed drastically over the years) but just look at the deagle, possibly the most iconic weapon of the franchise. the weapon went largely unchanged between 1.6 and source, but is almost unrecognizable in csgo. you simply can't use it the same way you could in the older games; it has a completely different role.

ravenstine 8y ago

Best campaign as well.

stordoff 8y ago

Halo 3 was the sweet spot for me. A little bit more complexity and added equipment, but still obvious enough that you knew immediately what it did.