: However, wouldn't it have been great if this came out in the lead-up to Halo
: 4? Imagine playing through Spartan Ops with the information about Spartan
: IVs presented in New Blood. We'd understand that the IVs were meant to be
: a shadow of those that came before them, and fundamentally bound by the
: emotions and worldviews of the lives they had before they were Spartans.
: That is was inevitable that at least some of them wouldn't show the
: discipline and loyalty of their predecessors.

: Whether we look at the IVs from within the universe or from the perspective
: of 343's writers, these guys aren't replacement Spartan-IIs. They're
: something entirely different. This is something I had basically decided in
: my headcanon, but it's been frustrating that 343 never laid out the core
: ideas behind the IVs before they threw them at us and told us to like
: them.

: I maintain that 343 has some cool storylines brewing, but they seem to have
: some difficulty actually conveying those ideas. New Blood is a step in the
: right direction, but I hope next time they introduce a new faction it
: doesn't take 3 years to explain what they're about.

You bring up an interesting point. While I think the weak writing in Spartan Ops would have still given players a lot of reason to detest Palmer, having introduced her and the other Spartans even with the presentation of New Blood would probably have soothed some of the issues. And I doubt most people forget how we had to wait until March 2013 to figure out all the puzzle pieces relating to the Didact :)

I do agree that I have nothing against 343's approach to plot points—I like that they're brave enough to make the universe a far more morally ambiguous world. But you're right that the execution is ultimately what you'll be judged on, and 343 still has work to do on that score.