: I feel like the believability..feasibility..I don't know, the realism? of the
: events and content of Halo have moved much more towards fantasy sci-fi
: than when it was first introduced. Like, in Halo 1, it was a gritty
: human-kind, fighting against a powerful alien foe, and while a classic
: sci-fi setting, the mystery of Forerunner architecture and looming
: murmurs of ancient civilizations somehow made it feel more..real life.. or
: something like that.

: With the introduction of the Didact, and more tangible answers to the
: mysteries of Forerunner existence, it almost feels like we're moving into
: a complete fantasy realm of wild sci-fi content; over-the-top characters
: and designs and action... as opposed to a relatively muted, human-centric
: vision of the future.

: There's less, in my opinion, that's separating Halo now from other science
: fiction stories and universes... it's harder to imagine, say, the
: characters from I Love Bees (yeah I'm saying it again :) - who were
: depicted VERY realistically, believably, human, living in the Halo 4
: universe.

: Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I dislike where Halo is going - I still
: love my Haloverse :)... but I think this is one way that Halo has lost (or
: changed) that 'magic' that was around when it first launched; when we
: first discovered the Flood, when we first looked out over the landscape
: that was a Halo ring. Things have just become far too organic, bright,
: colourful, flashy, compared to those moments.

: Maybe it'll never return to that state... *shrug* But I miss it. =/

I agree and it's probably why I'm losing interest in Halo. It's not something that happens overnight, but it settles in gradually, as I realize there isn't soon going to be anything left of what used to make the universe great. The way of storytelling seems to have switched from being derivative of classic sci-fi to taking inspiration from superhero comics, Hollywood blockbusters, and the like.

It's also the reason why I found HCEA so offensive and why I don't want to see a Halo 2 anniversary. It feels like an attempt to force that new style and approach on the old Halo. The simplistically elegant and timeless visual style was replaced by an oversaturated cartoon overflowing with superfluous detail and bright lights, which really is how I'd sum up Halo 4's visual style as well.

Still, on occasion, it feels good to return to the older games, especially the first one, and just relive that magic. It's staggering how genius the game is in its presentation and how the little details build up the atmosphere; the ambiance created by Marty's music and sound effects and how it associates with very particular scenes and moods - AoTCR excels in this: On a Pale Horse + snowfall + Banshee whooshing past, etc. Perchance to Dream + distinct door opening sound + the wind whistling in the frigid corridors + meleeing a sleeping Grunt. The feels, man.