No problem... I think there's more out there that sympathize with you than you know, it's just that the vocalness of the pro-HALO group is immense.
I like HALO, don't get me wrong. It's a good game.
The thing is, it's not great. The original wasn't great, and beyond the vehicle combat didn't have any "great" revolutionary aspect. HALO2, really for all intents and purposes, doesn't improve on HALO1 very much at all so I'm not impressed again.
I'm thinking HALO2 will be a fun game to play... That if you have some buddies together, or XBLive, that it'll be fun to play, but in the end it's NOT "special".
-Thief took FPS games to a new level by inventing the style of gameplay where stealth outlasts "Run & Gun" gamers.
-DOOM took FPS from the darkages and gave a new, refreshing story and gameplay features, as well as set the bar for "shocking" effects.
-Wolfenstein was the birthplace of FPS gaming.
-Ultima Underworld opened up the idea of RPG's and FPS's becoming one in the same.
-Dark Forces was the revolutionary new FPS of its time that improved on all the previous engines with new features and gameplay aspects, improved graphics, and set it all in a galaxy far far away.
-Goldeneye took Console FPS's and put them on the map as games that COULD be played on a console and be just as enjoyable as on a PC.
-Jedi Knight gave FPS gaming a new feature through using the force and sabers, and because of its setting (along with a great story, graphics, and engine for its time), it became legendary.
-Medal of Honor took FPS gaming to a new level of realism, practically recreating the opening footage of Saving Private Ryan and making it playable....
-Call of Duty built on MOH's popularity through improved graphics, improved AI, improved gameplay features and realism.
And I'm definitely missing games here, like the Rainbow Six or Ghost Recon series that set the bar for tactical FPS games and realism, Half Life series, etc...
The fact of the matter is that HALO is just in the middle amongst all those games. It is a good "anchor" game for the X-Box, and it's fun... It's graphics show the XB's potential generally, but will never compete with the PC and its ever evolving graphics abilities. HALO2 is much the same, and didn't innovate the original HALO much at all. It'll just be a prettier, and maybe slightly "new" experience for most.
And to that end, nobody can convince me that HALO is "great". It's just "good", like so many FPS's before it and so many to come after. It'll be fun, I'll likely pick up HALO2 after the initial geekdome subsides on it, but I'm not gonna wet my pants like (one in particular at Scum) some folks are acting like. I'll get it, have fun, beat it, and likely not bother with it after I find something its equal or better.
I have an XB, I like my XB, and I'm feeling like I made a good deal by getting it for the price I paid, but HALO just isn't as good as certain people claim.
