: These are SURFACE LEVEL DETAILS. They do not matter. Seriously. Fixing this
: and errors like it would not make the game any better. The game fails
: because it does not get the big picture stuff right.

: I get why people nitpick shit; it can sometimes be hard to find out why
: something doesn't work.

: I love the example of Harry Plinkett vs the Phantom Editor. Plinkett is
: funny, but he nitpicks. The movie would still suck if his complaints were
: addressed. The phantom editor on the other hand, actually made the first
: two prequels better.

: People always go to the tangible details when something doesn't work for
: them, because that's the easy thing to do. The problem isn't the hemet
: dude.

If I may be blunt, I think the only person getting hung up on "surface level details" here is you. The point of the OP is not "Hurr durr look at us, we can do a better Mark V." The point is that if you approach the design aspect of Halo with an understanding of (and respect for) the previous works in the franchise, then the end result is far more appealing. That's the "big picture stuff" that you apparently aren't seeing here.

I'm not concerned because "OH NO! THEY GOT THE HELMET WRONG! WHY GO ON LIVING!?"

I'm concerned because it's just one of many, many instances of 343 getting things wrong in ways that demonstrate a general lack of care for the quality of their work. The contracted asset doesn't even match 343's own concept art for the design, and yet everyone in a position to say "fix it" instead gave it the go-ahead.

We simply used the Mk.V as our example because it strikes a nerve in a way that 343's other mistakes don't. It very visibly demonstrates the lack of either care, or understanding of the source material, that lies at the heart of 343's general inability to do Halo correctly.