State of the Franchise: Halo

Halo: Reach may have received financial success and critical acclaim, but Reach showed the age of the franchise and how it's not the console power-house it was a few years ago. With Call of Duty rising above and beyond Halo's success, I wouldn't be surprised if the next Halo instalment attempts to reinvent itself by straying drastically from its roots. If Halo: Reach taught me anything about the state of the franchise, it's that Halo is getting predictable and boring. Yes, I'm aware Call of Duty is extremely predictable year after year as well, but its rise to power was only recently, its game design more modern, whereas Halo has been dominating -and mostly unchanged- for almost a decade.

The Halo sequels (Halo 2, 3, ODST) had to follow the tone, story, and core mechanics the original set in place. There was little room to innovate or introduce drastic changes partly because there was no need to make such alterations. With the release of Halo: Reach though, Bungie attempted to stray from the core principles of the original. In many ways, these additions were steps in the right direction. Aside from leaving Halo's staple gameplay more or less unchanged, Reach tried to inject new, more serious tones into its campaign, introduce new mechanics in the form of armour abilities, add more customization and meta-game options, and lastly, Halo: Reach tried to tell a human, smaller-scale story.

While these changes showed Bungie at least tried to differentiate its last Halo title from its past creations, Halo: Reach's additions were overshadowed by what stayed the same. Reach's supposedly darker campaign was met by bright colour-palettes and corny, witty dialogue. Reach's multiplayer -even with the addition of armour abilities- still felt eerily similar to past titles. Firefight, theatre mode, and forge all returned from past games while Reach introduced no new features of its own. Halo 3 (2007) dominated the Xbox live charts for almost two years up until the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009). Halo: Reach, less than a year after release, is currently at number 3 (behind Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops). While third place is nothing to scoff at, this may show Halo is slowing down and that it lacks the staying power and lasting appeal it once boasted.

Personally, I feel Halo is behind the times. Each Halo title in the trilogy depended on principles established by the decade-old Halo: Combat Evolved (and rightly so). But this new trilogy (and new developer) allows 343 to re-imagine and adapt the franchise for modern audiences. This is a chance for Microsoft to thrust Halo back on top. The following is a list of what I think 343 needs to do and what I'd like to see in Halo's second trilogy. I've been pondering this for a couple of months actually, so I was very surprised of Halo 4's announcement and how closely it resembled my predictions.

First, I predict Halo 4, 5, and 6 will have a much darker, grittier tone than the original trilogy. Halo's overly vibrant colour-scheme will be toned down, its wacky humour less rampant, and will have overall more mature, more complex content. Not only would I like to see this, but it's obvious Bungie/Microsoft wanted to head in this direction a long time ago. Looking at how Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach were marketed, both had this type of a sombre, bleak tone. Their live-action trailers are great examples of this. The games' marketing materials compared to the games themselves evoke completely different moods. This is a chance for Halo to become what the publisher and developer had envisioned it to be.

Even though Halo: Reach tried to move into this darker direction, it was still unable to successfully translate its new and bold concept. The inhibitors that stopped Reach from achieving its vision were the staples of the original trilogy. The clumsy covenant characters, the toy-like plasma weapons, the vivid purples and blues, were indeed contributing factors that caused Reach to feel like a mish-mash of emotions. The new trilogy has the ability to start fresh and ignore these past design decisions. Halo 4 has the potential to be the first Halo title worthy of an M rating.

From a multiplayer standpoint, I think Halo 4 will provide a greater emphasis on character progression, customization, and player freedom. Again, to go back to Bungie's last Halo title, Reach was on the cusp of fully utilizing this idea. From Commendations and daily challenges, to greater player customization, Reach was so close to providing a fun, rewarding progression system. It was a step up from Halo 3, but Reach's levelling system was still dull and generic compared to other titles; Reach's dwindling multiplayer numbers reflect that. For Halo to adapt to a more modern, rewarding progression system, 343 will most likely create a system more heavily influenced by RPG elements. As cringe-worthy as that may sound, this addition will probably not break Halo's most important rule: fair and balanced gameplay. Rather, it may stress and bend it (similar to what armour abilities did in Reach). 

343 Industries need to enhance the level of customization whether it is through basic gun enhancements, advanced armour customization, or both, and incorporate that into a rewarding progression model. In the teaser, it could be interpreted that Halo 4 will support this level of customization since Master Chief is seen equipped with a jet pack and seen with a pistol attatchment. In addition, I wouldn't be surprised if Halo 4 allowed greater personal freedom aside from customizing one's armour. The ability to choose what weapons and abilities to bring to battle would enhance a feeling of autonomy and uniqueness; something that Halo consistently lacked a feeling of. Once again, Reach attempted this idea by allowing the player to customize Noble 6 (the campaign's main protagonist) but the options available weren't as detailed or expansive as some would've liked. Implementing a more rewarding progression system that encourages player freedom would undoubtedly aid the game's longevity.

Halo, whether through the game's narrative, forge, firefight, or theatre, has established a diverse and devoted community. I predict that the new trilogy will increase and expand the community's connectivity beyond traditional file sharing. Whether it's a mobile service or a more expansive search feature, 343 will most likely attempt to connect its audience on a greater level than any other previous Halo title.

With all these changes though, Halo must somehow still be able to feel like Halo. Some things cannot be changed if the new trilogy is to be considered a proper Halo successor. One such facet to Halo's formula (and its success) is gameplay.  It's slower and more methodical gameplay must remain true for Halo 4, 5, and 6. Additions and tweaks can be made, but unlike other areas of the game, Halo 4 and its sequels must adhere to the gameplay principles established by Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo 4 should still feel like a Halo game.

It's also unlikely that Halo will abandon its emphasis on community. Halo is the only AAA FPS I can think of that still supports 4-player split screen. I'd wager that co-op and other multiplayer features (forge, firefight, etc) will again be a main focus in the new trilogy. Halo, at its core, should still contain its signature gameplay, plethora of options, and emphasis on community.

It's impossible to say how accurate these predictions are, but I think gamers can definitely expect to see drastic changes on Halo's horizon. With recent titles, Halo is beginning to lose popularity mostly because of the stagnant formula of a decade-old franchise. This new saga has the potential to re-invent the franchise into something unique but familiar. Future titles of this trilogy may end up representing Microsoft's next console. Halo 5 or 6 may very well be Microsoft's flagship game for the publisher's next platform; much like Halo 3 was to the Xbox 360. If this is the case, this Halo trilogy will need a new, bold direction to propel Halo and Microsoft once again into the gaming spotlight. If Halo 3's legendary ending is anything to go by, drifting toward an unknown, mysterious planet is an excellent start.