The armor stuff doesn't bother me because those Spartans have been in service for yeeears. I would expect some of them to have newer armor, becase they deserve it and have put the old armor through so much. Also humanity have learned so much from the war, why not update their armor with some better tech to take use of that new learned knowledge?

I do agree that thr way they present the Didact is very un-Halo. I feel like I'm reading about a new Disney supervillian than something from Halo. Pleeease tone down the clicheness. Give Didact and the Forerunner a more real presence. It takes me out of the immersion of the game to see him presented to this supervillian extreme.