Halo 4 Going Back to Its Roots

Hello to all! Welcome back to another exciting reimagining of Jurassic Park in blog form! Well, maybe I'm not going to get that crazy with this post. However, I do have some exciting news to announce to all Halo 4 players. Beginning in early April, the ranking system currently being used will be replaced with a system similar to Halo 2 and 3's. It's being called "Competitive Skill Ranking" (CSR) and is harkening back to the competitiveness that made the early Halo titles ever so popular. I think this is a huge announcement and a major change to the game. My friend and I were just discussing this exact issue last night while tearing up in Team Doubles (it doesn't happen often, so I'll gloat when I can). What separated Halo 2 and Halo 3 from the later Halo titles (ODST, REACH, CE, 4) was the ranking system. In Halo: Reach, you progressed in ranking, no matter how bad you did in a match. You could lose 20 matches in a row, but would still earn experience points (XP) and continue to climb the ranks. The franchise that has glorified this system of ranking and leveling up, no matter how bad the performance, is the Call of Duty series. This is one of the major differences between the Halo franchise and the Call of Duty series. Both franchises decided to take two varying approaches to the concept of online chaos. The result is two vastly different styles of gameplay, as well as two different attitudes while playing the games. In Call of Duty, there's really no stress while playing. Sure, you play to the best of your ability and get stressed when matches come down to the last kill, but at the end of the match, you level up no matter what. That level 10 prestiege (MW 2, BLOP 2) is always attainable, even if you can't seem to get the win all that often. However, the competitive offering from the Halo games instigated an additional layer of tension into the multi-player experience. You lose the match, your rank will go down. The top Level 50 isn't attainable by sheer time spent in the game. The wins have to rack up and rack up well, or you're never going to attain that top level. I personally love both franchises and I see positives and negatives to both systems. Needless to say, this system has driven a wedge between players of Halo and Call of Duty. Many gamers side with one franchise over the other, and the differences that create this divide lie within gameplay and how the multi-player experience is set up. So, what is your opinion on the CSR in Halo 4? Is it a positive change or a step back for 343 Studios? Or, do you simply hate Halo and bleed Call of Duty? Let the debate begin!

Back to Basics

Have no fear, readers! I am glad to be back (been a bit busy writing for some websites...and the whole life thing can sometimes get in the way. But, I promise to keep your mind stimulated with all the video game news and ideas that you can handle! So, today I thought I'd hit on a topic I think you'll enjoy. It involves nostalgia, so you know it's good! I'm 24, and grew up in the 90's. Now, the 90's were an interesting time for the world of video games. A battle was raging (much like Sony and Microsoft today), the Internet hadn't effected the gaming landscape, and WCW was a company just beginning to hit its stride (Woooooooo)! During this time of square haircuts and Starter jackets (both of which are making a comeback), the landscape of multi-player was sparse to say the least. Most gamers focused on the single player campaign (I'm talking about consoles, of course). The main draw for the player wasn't interconnectivity or achievements. No, the focus of the player was simple: to have fun. I have recently been playing my N64 a lot and I am having an absolute blast reliving my childhood through classics such as Cruisin’ USA and Goldeneye. Cruisin USA has quickly become one of my favorites to play, and I noticed something when my friends and I were playing. We spent a solid three hours playing the game one night, and I can't describe to you the joy I had. Four friends just sitting around, racing some AI as we complain about the erratic driving of that one blue car. My point? The simplicity of these games is something that might be lost forever. I'm not saying this is bad. I love achievements and am a huge fan of accomplishing and completing challenges and getting rewarded for them. However, the 90's had an aura of simplistic game play that is something to be longed for. While playing Cruisin USA, I was almost relieved that I didn't have online leader boards to compete against. I didn't have to think of all my stats being piled up for me. In games of this era, everything is tracked and stored. When I turned on Cruisin' USA, I didn't have to worry about that. I simply popped in the game and started playing. I love it. This goes for most games of the 90's. The simplicity is something that could (maybe) be implemented in the future. When that happens...who knows where games could go. Sometimes, going back is good.