: First off, let me say that I've been a long time lurker here, since 2002 or
: so, but have only posted a dozen times, if that. I used to check here
: everyday, but with real life and Destiny ramping up this past year, I've
: checked in less and less often.

: Second, when Halo 4 came out, I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the
: attention to detail, the faithfulness to the tone and style of Halo
: (despite the inexplicable visual retcons, like FoD and armor), the music
: (it'll never beat Marty's though), the gameplay, the visuals (the
: skyboxes, THE SKYBOXES!!), the story, and the way they tied in a bunch of
: satellite lore -- like Halsey, rampancy, civilians, Kilo-5, Librarian,
: etc. -- to the main story arc, not to mention Spartan Ops.

: Third, there was definitely room for improvement. Newbies to the lore would
: probably be lost once the Librarian showed up, the Didact's turn to evil
: seems out of character and overly malicious (although I have yet to read
: Silentium), the aforementioned visual retcons, the weapon design was
: repetitive and uninspired, and other more nitpicky things (why was Lasky
: on the ground when Infinity crashed; isn't he the XO?).

: I know that was long-winded, but here's the part where you come in. I dropped
: by the forum to see HBO's feedback concerning Halo at E3, and I noticed a
: surprising number of comments saying how 343i had botched Halo 4, how it
: was lackluster, even bad, game, and how it cast doubt on 343i's future
: endeavors. What I want to know is why you think that. HBO has a reputation
: for a discerning eye and cutting opinions, so I'd like to hear why you
: guys think Halo 4 sucked (or why it was awesome, if you are so inclined).

I could write walls and walls of text regarding this, but its pointless.

People inherently don't like change.
Some have spent so much time with Halo they're afraid to admit that maybe they're done with it.
Some don't want to admit that the franchise is moving on whether they move with it or not.
Some can't get over the style differences.
Some can't accept that it doesn't fit perfectly into their definition of what 'Halo' is, as if their view is the be all end all.

I think....I think, what it comes down to is 343 is not Bungie.
Maybe it's just easier to hate on 343 around here because of that.
A convenient excuse to move onto the next thing.
I think its fair to say there is a slight bandwagon attitude around here.

I'm a pessimistic person. Yet, I'm able to be positive about Halo 4. The reason I don't hate on Halo 4 like a lot of people here do is that I realize and accept that Halo 4 is 343's Halo. It is NOT Bungie's Halo and it will never be Bungie's Halo beyond Reach.

Some people can't let that go.

Because of that they don't derive any joy from playing it.

By spending so much time focusing on what it is not, they miss what it is.

I will point out though, that his is halo.bungie.org. That should say it all.

I wasn't' around here when the shift occurred from Marathon to Halo, but I'd bet it was similar (anyone who was here for that, please feel free to correct me or weigh in). Bungie is changing gears, this is a Bungie community. It goes where they go. Simple as that I think.

Lastly, I'll also speculate that a lot of current members of HBO have never been members of any other BO's (bunige.orgs) other than Halo, so this is foreign territory for them. I know that's the category I fit in. 10 years of Bungie Halo. That is a long time in video game land.

And I know, that some people only came here because of Halo and maybe grew to like Bungie more than Halo as they spent more time here. It's only logical at this point that people are going to shuffle around.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

(and before a bunch of people jump on me about how I don't speak for them etc, relax. I just describe what I see. I know not everyone fits into what I said above)