: The genre has nothing to do it, or it shouldn't. If it was fantasy, maybe. If
: anything sci-fi should be way up there in terms of realism, because it
: attracts people who pick things apart. Halo in particular has a history of
: in-depth analysis.

: That's interesting. Did you guys consult a biologist on any of the redesigns?

I think the h4 remit was, "Make the Covenant more brutal and intimidating!"

I think it was as simple as that and I don't think there was any more thought put into it.

I THINK they were told to make them more brutal/baddass/scary. That would be in line with the don't-have-them-speak-english idea, although the two things needn't be connected.

OTOH

It is possible that the new artists just make all their bad guys bulky and ugly through force of habit. A lot of games have that. I think that designers probably just do it without thinking about it. It's a no-thought design approach.

And animators animate them to move ponderously because.

I think some game devs think, "if a bad guy doesn't weigh at least 400lb and move like a gorilla then they can't be taken seriously"