Lesson: Personality
Teacher: Shadowrun
Substitutes: Rainbow Six Vegas; Gears of War
Besides the annoying tendency to get murdered relentlessly, the biggest complaint about Halo is its repetition. We've already touched on how to solve this with the weapons and the maps, but unfortunately, that sameness also spreads to the players. Or, more accurately, their avatars.
Seriously, have you ever watched a Halo match? It's obvious where machinima parody Red vs. Blue got its title - those two colors are often the only things that distinguish anyone from anyone else in the arena. Oh, you can customize your insignia and, in Halo 2, fight as the Arbiter... but generally, the scene can best be described as that of an escaped clone farm.
Is a splash of individuality too much to ask? Obviously, Halo can't imitate the face-mapping technology of Rainbow Six Vegas here, as the whole point of Master Chief is that we aren't allowed to view his no-doubt-lovely countenance. But how about some slight variation in armor and wardrobe for the generic Spartans and Covenant? Gears of War managed to have two distinct sides - humans and Locusts - while creating a remarkable amount of diversity within those species. A coworker of ours actually refuses to deathmatch as anyone but that one Locust with the fancy red robe...
If Halo truly wants to innovate, though, it should follow in the footsteps of Shadowrun. The upcoming PC-360 shooter not only offers four different races - human, elf, dwarf and troll - it offers four completely different multiplayer experiences. If you prefer to trudge through matches, both dealing and taking massive damage, you can pick the armored troll. But if you prefer playing cat and mouse, you should pick the nimble and health-regenerating elf. Your choice will affect your speed, your jump, your abilities and even your viewing perspective.
Halo's mythology has enough aliens to accomplish something similar. Imagine getting extra strength as a Brute, faster regeneration as a Flood zombie, super speed as an Elite or a shield accessory as a Jackal. The battlefields would look like a wild zoo... and be better for it.
