I agree there shouldn't be too much innovation in a short period.
I agree unnecessary innovation should be avoided.

There has to be change though.

Comments on balance are always biased towards the author's likes and dislikes. Balance, as a problem, is the most overused excuse for someone just not having fun any more. What is balanced for one player is not always true for another. If you are talking only about competitive events then yes, all players must be treated equally. Otherwise, a little perceived imbalance here or there in MM can be countered with a different imbalance. Makes the combat more interesting.

I loved dual wielding and greatly miss it.

Overall, I really don't want old Halo anymore. After playing and loving TITANFALL, I realize just how fun an FPS can be again. Not perfect, but fun.

I'll be getting MCC and enjoying it but I have no fantasies about how it will go down. I give it 3 months at most before it's population is plummeting. It's one saving grace could be campaign co-op using the new dedicated servers.