Titanfall: A Game Changer?

Titanfall is the biggest launch title to date on the Xbox One.  But is it a game changer.  I believe it is.  Here is why.

First, so many people discuss this concept of a game changer without defining what a game changer is. Improve or innovating on game play mechanics is essential to the progress of the games medium.  And lots of games have mechanics that provide significant improvements.  While essential, I don't believe improving gameplay mechanics is equivalent to a game changer.  The control scheme of COD:MW has become the standard control scheme in FPSers.  Most believe it offered an improved gameplay mechanic, but that is not what made COD:MW a game changer.  Gears of War made significant game play improvements to the 3rd person shooter genre.  But it wasn't a game changer in a broader sense.

I believe a game changer is a game that fundamentally changes how game developers approach game development.  A game changer makes studios alter their develop plans, makes them incorporate elements of the game into the development process.  After Halo:CE studios scraped games and focused on chasing the console FPS gold.  After Halo 2 studies were REQUIRED to include online MP.  After COD:MW every FPS added (maybe crammed is a better word) a progression system their FPS.  That is what made those games game changers.  They launched and studios HAD to incorporate the changes those games presented.

So does Titanfall have a feature or features that will make studios alter their development plans.  It definitely has gameplay elements that move the genre forward.  Games will certainly chase after the parkour element Titanfall has introduced and may even try to give their take on the mech vs. pilot gameplay element.  

But those are game play elements.  I believe Titanfall's real game changer is the introduction of burn cards.  I can see developers wracking their collective brains to figure out new ways to use playable cards as a the basis of the games power up system.  Here is one quick example.

Imagine a FPS where instead of XP you earn gold.  Gold that can be spent on packs of cards.  What you get in a pack is completely random but can include things like incendiary ammo, health boosts, Health buffs for teammates etc... I'm not a game designer, but even to me the potential seems endless.

Moreover,  I could see the concept expanding beyond FPSers.  I could see action adventure games basing the power up system on playable cards.

It will obviously be years before we know if studios incorporate burn cards or similar card based elements into their games.  But again, the possibilities seem endless and seemingly open the door for fundamental gameplay advances in the shooter genre and others.  In my opinion, that is a game changer!!

Halo Universe Explained: Part 9 - Halo 4 Speculation

As I post this, we are just a few sort hours from the launch of a game I have been waiting 5 years for.   Halo 4 - the continuation of Master Chief's story is almost here.  I can actually taste it.

I have desperately avoided spoilers and so my only insight into the events of Halo 4 are the official trailers and gameplay released by 343 studios, and the recent novels which feed directly into the Halo 4 storyline.  This will be the last chance for me to speculate on what we'll see happen in the game.  In a few short (or excruciatingly long) hours we'll see how right/wrong I am.

I think there will be two distinct story threads throughout Halo 4.  One will center on the larger picture of humanity's role in the Galaxy and their place as the inheritors to the Forerunner.  The second will revolve around making the Chief more identifiably human - something the series has failed to do to this point.

Lets begin with the bigger picture...  As Halo 3 closes we see the Chief and Cortana hurdling toward a mysterious planet.  We now know that planet to be Requiem and we know that it is the backdrop for the events of Halo 4.  On Requiem we know the chief will face off against two foes - one familiar and the other completely new.  The familiar foe is the Covenant...or more specifically remnants of the covenant who still despise humanity.  But why are the Covenant even on Requiem; an unknown planet in a previously unexplored part of the Galaxy?  The Covenant have traveled to Requiem because they believe the key to defeating humanity is located on Requiem.

Humanity is now militarily superior to the covenant, and the covenant knows that.  But the remnants of the Covenant learn of an ancient and powerful Forerunner who despised humanity and wanted them destroyed.  They learn that this ancient Forerunner - known as the Didact (discussed in previous posts) - was buried on the planet Requiem.  He is believed to be dead (like all forerunners) but they believe he may have left behind weapons and technology that could be used against humanity.  This off-shoot of the Covenant head to Requiem to unlock its secrets.  I suspect that in reality they awaken the actual Didact (note the games tag-line in the pic above).  The Didact and his forces (the Prometheons - the warrior class of Forerunners) do hate humanity and form the new foes the Chief must fend off.  Unfortunately for the Covenant, I suspect the Didact has very little use for them either.  In classic Halo style, this will be a 3-way war.

The second major story line is likely to be the development of the Master Chief as a more human character.  The exploration of his human side will be accomplished by the Chief coming to terms with the possibility that Cortana - his closest ally and friend - may die.  Smart AI's like Cortana tend to have a life span of 7 years.  After 7 years AIs have acquired so much data that they literally think themselves to death.  They are said to go "rampant".  Cortana has been operational for 8 years.  She is already pushing her luck.  Moreover, with all of the Forerunner data she has been exposed to it is believed she has acquired 2X the data of any other smart AI.  Expect to see Cortana fighting off the effects of rampancy throughout the new trilogy.

Other Things To Watch For -

Requiem - is the planet chief is floating towards at the end of Halo 3 and is where Halo 4 takes place.

The Infinity - This is the largest and most advanced ship ever built by humanity.  Much of its power comes from newly uncovered Forerunner technology.  The Infinity is three miles long!  It's existence is what convinces the covenant that they can not compete with humanity without their own Forerunner technology.  It is near Requiem because it is the ship that responds to Cortana's distress signal from whats left of the Forward Unto Dawn.

Commander Thomas Lasky - He is the XO of the Infinity.  He was the officer who receives the Distress call from Cortana.  A younger version of Lasky is also the main protagonist in the recent web series Halo:Forward Unto Dawn.  In that series we find out Lasky has a unique connection to the Master Chief.

Dr. Katherine Halsey - She was thought dead.  However, she was recently discovered alive and was arrested by the UNSC.  She is being held prisoner on the Infinity as punishment for her involvement in the  kidnapping of children for the Spartan II program.  Officially, she remains classified as deceased.  As a leading expert on Forerunner technology, the UNSC is forcing her to study the forerunner tech that has been uncovered since the end of the Covenant war.  Halsey is an expert in AI and her brain scan was used as the basis for Cortana.  I suspect Halsey will be instrumental in any effort to "save" Cortana from the onset of Rampancy.  Her knowledge will also be key to uncovering the mysteries of Requiem.

The Bad Guys - It has been confirmed that the Didact is the primary enemy in Halo 4.  I'm not sure of his motivations.  The Didact from the recent Novels did not hate humans. He was mostly dismissive of humans, believing them to be inferior to Forerunners.  I expect we will find whats changed and why he hates humans.  Also I would expect a appearance or at least a discussion of the Didact's wife, the Librarian.  She is known to have an affection for humans.  So that might create a balance with the Didacts hatred.

The reviews of the game have been outstanding.  Some have called it the best Halo campaign since Halo:CE.  I suspect it will be fun for any gamer who likes shooters.  But I have found that knowing the details of the Universe has made the campaigns go from good to great.  I hope these past 9 posts will help non-Halo fans a better understand the universe and make Halo 4 that much more enjoyable.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to continue to count down the seconds...

Halo Universe Explained - Part 8: Halo 4 Features

I'm a day late - Blame Sandy.

I have two posts left before Halo 4 launches on November 6^th.  I’ve read over my previous post and realized I’ve covered just about everything I wanted to cover.  So for the last two posts I want to focus on Halo 4.  With this post I am going to focus on the features of the game.  Next Monday, just hours before launch, I will post speculation on what might be happening in the story of Halo 4.

As a fan of the series I have devoured every last morsel on information about what to expect from Halo 4.  However, some planning on playing the game may not be as obsessed.  Well, this post is for you.  You’ll find out about the 2 versions of the game, the game modes, the all new progression system, and DLC plans.

Regular or Limited Edition

Halo 4 will be released as two versions a standard edition and a limited edition.  The self-explanatory standard edition retails for $60.  The limited edition retails for $100 but includes some goodies that may be worth it for die-hard fans.  Along with the game, the LE contains:

• the season pass which grants access to the first three map pack DLC ($30 value),
• immediate access to the 6 class specializations (discussed below in the progression system),
• a digital copy of the extended version (90 min.) of the web series Halo: Forward Unto Dawn
• various digital goods such as exclusive armor and weapon skins, avatar props, and in-game emblems.
• finally, a briefing packet on the UNSC Infinity – the largest ship ever built by humanity.

Note: In a surprise twist, the Halo 4 Limited Edition is actually limited in quantity.  The limited edition appears to be sold out at Gamestop, Walmart, and Amazon.

Halo 4 Game Modes

So you’ve picked up your version of the game…what can you play.

Campaign: The Halo 4 campaign features 4 player co-op and will return to the roots of the Halo franchise by featuring large scale vehicle battles mixed in with Infantry battles against some of the smartest AI in any FPS available.

Spartan-Ops: Spartan Ops is a whole new game mode for the Halo franchise.  Spartan-Ops is an episodic campaign that is Set 6 months after the events of Halo 4 and features a cast of Spartan-4’s known as Majestic Squad.  As a member of Majestic you will attempt to uncover the secrets of Requim.  Here is how it will work.  Each week, 343 studious will release a 10-15 minute CGI episode of Spartan-Ops, along with 5 playable missions that relate directly to CGI episode.  Spartan-Ops will be broken up into seasons.  The first season contain 10 episodes (50 playable missions) and is included both the standard and LE of the game.  Future seasons are in the works and will probably be DLC.

Wargames – the competitive MP for Halo 4 is known as Wargames.  343 studios are tying the MP to the Halo story by providing a fictional basis for the MP.  Wargames is set on the UNSC Infinity and features your very own Spartan-4.  Each MP “match” is meant to represent a “training” session within the virtual reality training facilities located on the Infinity.  Your performance in these “training missions” affects how quickly you progress through the Spartan-4 ranks.

Maps - 13 virtual settings (i.e. maps) are included in wargames:  

• 9 brand new maps: Abandoned, Longbow, Haven, Adrift, Complex, Solace, Exile, Meltdown, Vortex.
• 1 returning favorite – Ragnarok (remake of the Halo 3 classic Valhalla)
• Countless user-created Forge Maps – Players get three unique play spaces to Forge in: Ravine, Impact, and Erosion.  If Halo: Reach was any indication 343 will take the best user created maps and rotate them into to standard playlist.  In the end, Reach had between 25-50 maps in the playlist hopper.

Armor Abilities- Armor Abilities (AAs) were introduced in Halo: Reach.  Halo 4 adds some new AAs, while dropping other that did not mesh well with the Halo sandbox.  You can outfit your Spartan 4 in one of eight AAs: Jetpack, Thruster-pack, Camouflage, Prometheon Vision, Hardlight Shield, Hologram, Regeneration Field, and Deployable Turret.

Armor Mods- Each Spartan 4 can equip 2 armor mods - one tactical mod and one support mod. Tactical mods includes options that allow you to carry 2 primary weapons, have unlimited sprint, have shields recharge slightly faster,  pick-up grenades and ammo from the dead and more.  Support mods can provide larger weapon clips, allow you to reload faster, provide an increased radar range etc…

Progression System – The biggest change to Halo MP may well be the introduction of a new progression system that allows players to unlock in game content like weapons, AA and Armor mods.  Halo Reach had a similar progression system, but the unlocks were cosmetic only.  Your Spartan-4 will progress through 50 ranks.  After completing rank-50, you can select a specialization.  There are six specializations to choose from.  Each specialization contains 10 additional ranks As you progress through those rankes you will unlocking specialization-specific goodies.  After completing specialization rank 10 you unlock one of the specialization armor mods.  When the game is released you will only be able to choose from 2 of the specializations (unless you have the LE version, then you will have access to all 6 from the start). All together, your Spartan can reach a max rank of 110.

Plans for DLC

Wargames: 343 studios has already announced 3 future map packs.  They are scheduled for December '12, February '13, and May '13. The maps are included free with the LE version of the game.  If you don’t have the LE version you can purchase a separate season pass for $25.  Or you can buy each individual map-pack for $10.

Spartan-ops:  The first season of Spartan-ops (10 epiodes, 50 missions) is included for free with Halo 4.  Depending on popularity, there are plans for future seasons.  They have not discussed those plans.  

Important Note:  Microsoft has stated that in order to play Halo 4 MP gamers will need 8gigs of HDD pace available for a required install.  Though they have not said precisely what this is for, it has been speculated that this space is necessary to deliver to 1-2 hours of CGI being provided in the Spartan-OPs campaign.  In addition, like most MP games, the developer is recommending installing the entire game to ensure optimal performance.  In other words...delete some of the Demos you've never played, wipe out those 300 Skyrim saves, and make some room on that harddrive.

Halo Universe Explained: Part 7 - Halo 3 Aftermath

Halo 3 ends with the Chief destroying the Ark - the Forerunner Installation that builds Halos.  The race off the ark (the Warthog race that ends the game) has the Chief just barely making it onto the UNSC cruiser "Forward unto Dawn".  The cruiser tries to  jump slipspace, but just as it does the Explosion of the Ark hits the cruiser and rips it in two.  Half of the ship jumps safely away with crew in tack and is rescued by UNSC forces.  The tail end, where the Chief was, jumps away separately.  They survive, but with no working communication or navigation systems they are stranded, floating in space.  The rest of humanity believes the Chief is dead.  The legendary ending pulls out to show the Forward unto Dawn approaching a mysterious planet.

The events of Halo 3 seemingly ends the Halo threat.  Just as importantly, it ends the Covenant threat.  After realizing they had been lied to by the prophets all of the races that had been co-oped into the Covenant abandon the alliance.  The prophets that survive disappear.  The other minor races like the grunts and the Jackals are of little consequence to humanity.  Even the Elites (or Sangheili), the military wing of the Covenant seem of little threat because their leader - the Arbiter - has developed a respect for the bravery of the human race.  He desires to build a Sangheili/Human peace, so that the Elites can focus on rebuilding their home planet of Sanghelios.  The desire for peace is shared by the UNSC.  So all is well...

Not quite.  Turns out it is difficult for either side to move on after 30 years of a war of genocide.  There are factions on each side that are not willing to forgive and forget.  On Sanghelios, the Arbiter has a very lose grip on power.  A large faction of elites still want to destroy humanity.  For some it is still a religious matter - though they recognize the prophets lied, some still believe the Forerunner were Gods and still believe Humanity is an affront to those Gods.  Others simply do not trust humanity to keep any peace agreement. They want to finish humanity off before we have a chance to rebuild and grow stronger

There is one faction of humans who believe the same thing about the Elites - that once they rebuild, they will again turn their attention to destroying humanity.  The human intelligence community (ONI) knows that the Arbiter has a weak grasp on power.  They also know the faction opposing him want to finish humanity off.  ONI understand that given the 30 years of war, humanity needs a chance to rebuild.  So their objective is simple...make sure the Arbiter stays in power, while simultaneously funding the opposition to ensure the Arbiter's grip on power remains weak.  The idea is that if the Elites continue to fight each other, they can't fight humanity.  To do this ONI establishes a group of Agents known as Kilo-5 who make contact with the opposition and sells them weapons to use against the Arbiter.  Making this interesting is that the UNSC is unaware of ONI's mission and continues to work on a lasting peace agreement with the Arbiter.  So, one hand is shaking the Arbiter's hand, while the other is stabbing him in the back.

Another interesting element of the post Halo 3 universe is the role reversal.  Throughout the human-covenant war, the covenant had been technologically more advanced than humanity.  But after discovering a Forerunner-created planet (called a shield world) and unearthing a wealth of Forerunner knowledge that had been unknown even to the Covenant, humanity has become the most technologically advanced race in the galaxy.   Some of this advanced technology is used to build the Infinity - the 3.5 mile long starship that is the most advanced ship ever created by the UNSC.  The Infinity also houses the Spartan-4 program (which also benefits from the newly uncovered technology).  Both the Infinity, and the Spartan-4 program will play a significant role in Halo 4.

Also, the problems that humanity faced prior to the covenant war have returned.  The human insurrection that spawned the Spartan program has begun to once again gain power.  Interestingly, there is some evidence the human insurrectionists are being supplied Covenant weapons.  It is unknown, who is is providing them with weapons.  Turnabout is fair play I suppose.

So, If you have seen previews from Halo 4 and are wondering why the Chief is still fighting the Elites... this should explain that.  There is still a faction of Elites (and other races of the Covenant) that still worship the forerunners and want to see humans destroyed.

Halo Universe Explained: Part 6 - Precursors/Flood

This article is going to be a bit different.  Because so little is know about the Precursors and their connection to the Flood, this post will necessarily be based largely on my own speculation.  The Precursors have only just begun to be explored, most notably in the recent forerunner trilogy of novels.  Much of my information will come from the first two novels of that trilogy.  Warning - because I rely on those two novels this post will include some spoilers and should be avoided if you have any desire to read them.

I’ve already mentioned the Precursors in the post about the Forerunner.  While the Forerunner are idolized as Gods by the Covenant and their member species, it appears from the fiction to date that it is the Precursors who possess “God-like” powers – that is they appear capable of creating entire species.  The precursors are believed to have created the forerunner and humanity and presumably all other species in the Galaxy.  The Precursors were not of this Galaxy but they seem to have used it as a testing ground for the various species they created.  Turns out, not many of the species passed the tests.  For unknown reasons, the Precursors would eventually kill off the species they had created.  As I said in the Forerunner post, the precursors developed a pattern in which they would introduce species into the Galaxy, nurture them, and then without explanation, eliminate them.  

The Forerunners were scheduled to meet this fate as well.  However, they fought back and eventually pushed the precursors out of the Galaxy.  The Precursors seemingly disappeared, and after 100,000 years even the Forerunners had lost nearly all memory of the Precursors.  But the Precursors were not done with the Forerunner.  Instead they created another species and sent it to extract revenge against the Forerunners – that species was the Flood.

To talk about the Flood is to really talk about the Gravemind – which is the central intelligence of the Flood infection.  In truth there is not one Gravemind; each outbreak of the Flood can create a Gravemind that is unique.  The Gravemind is created when an individual Flood spore takes on multiple sentient beings.  This is known as a proto-Gravemind.  If not destroyed a proto-GM will devour more and more sentient beings and will eventually become self-aware.  At that point it becomes a full Gravemind and can move independently and can direct the remaining Flood spores.

The First Gravemind was captured by the Forerunners shortly after Ancient-Human/Flood war.  Because the Gravemind was sentient the Forerunners recognized its value as a source of information on how to combat the Flood.  Forerunner also recognized the risk of allowing the Gravemind to live.  They held it captive on a secluded and abandoned planet and began to interrogate the creature.   It claimed to be the last Precursor.  But other than that the creature spoke in riddles and gave the Forerunner's very little useful information.  However, when alone with individual Forerunners the Gravemind would tell them the secret of the Flood.  The knowledge was so devastating that when these individuals heard the secret they would immediately commit suicide.  Some believed the creature was simply manipulating these unfortunate Forerunner and all interrogations were ordered to stop.  Instead they ordered the AI Medicant-Bias continue the interrogation - thinking the AI would be safe from any manipulation.  In fact, the AI was corrupted and was under the influence of the Gravemind when he took over the Halo array and tried to fire them within the Forerunners capital city. 

The Gravemind remained captive for 10,000 years.  When the Forerunners test fired the first Halo ring the shockwave destroyed the prison that was holding the Gravemind and he escaped.  The Didact came out of his self-imposed exile to try and capture the Gravemind.  When he eventually captured the the Gravemind he was told the secret of the Flood.  The Creature informs the Didact that humanity did not defeat the Flood.  The humans only survived the Flood infection because the Flood chose not to infect humanity... it was not humanities time to be "tested", it was the Forerunners time to be tested.  Humans would be tested next, after the Forerunner were destroyed.

Until theire defeat at the hands of humanity, the Flood were viewed as an unstoppable force.  Humanities victory gave the Forerunner hope they the Flood could be defeated... they just needed to learn humanities secret.  But this knowledge turned the victory into a hollow one.  Humanity had defeated the flood simply because the Flood were not trying to win.  Their target were the Forerunners.  

This had huge implications for the rest of the Halo universe.  As discussed previously the Didact was opposed to the Halo rings.  He believed the Forerunners were capable of holding off the infection with military might just as the Humans had done.  But now he new humans hadn't really defeated the Flood. That is why, after trying every other means at his disposal it was the Didact that chose the fire the Halo array wiping out the universe of Sentient life.  In addition, the knowledge that humans were the next species to be tested is what led the forerunner to set humans up as their inheritor.  Humanities status as inheritor is what made the Prophets hate humanity, and it is the reason they were determined to destroy humanity.

There is a second theory about the Flood and the Precursors.  Instead of being a Precursor weapon, the Flood were their enemy.  Before turning their sights on the Milky way Galaxy is is possible the Flood had taken over what-ever Galaxy the Precursors had called home.  That would explain why the Forerunners were able to push the Precursors from the Galaxy - perhaps the Precursors where weakened by the Flood infection.  Having destroyed the Precursors galaxy, the Flood attacked our Galaxy.

Either explanation seems possible, though the fiction is certainly pointing to the idea that the Flood was a Precursor weapon sent into the Galaxy to destroy the Forerunners, and eventually humanity.  I would imagine the trilogy of games that begins with Halo 4 will begin to point to which theory is correct... or even point in an entirely new direction.  Either way it will be fun to uncover.

Halo Universe Explained: Part 5 - The Covenant

Anyone who has played the Halo games knows the Covenant as the primary antagonist throughout the trilogy.  But like many aspect of the Halo universe the games do a poor job of explaining why the Covenant hate humanity and why they want them wiped out of the universe.  Sure, you probably know they were trying to fire the Halo rings and if you were paying attention during a few cut scenes you may have heard some rumblings about the “great journey”.  You may have even gotten a sense of the division within the Covenant Empire that first begins to surface in Halo 2.   But if a casual halo fan was asked to describe either of those things I bet they would be at a loss.  Hopefully, after reading this post the answers to those questions will be clearer.

At a basic level the Covenant is a fanatical religious empire led by the Sha’ Shauum or theProphets.  The Covenant worships the Forerunners as Gods.  They believe the Forerunners had discovered a way to transcend the physical world and become omnipotent beings of the universe.  The Prophets believe the Forerunner achieved this state of being by firing the Halo rings.   Moreover, they believe that they – the Prophets – had been chosen by the Forerunners to be the Inheritor of the Forerunner technology and were destined to carry on the Forerunner legacy.  The Prophets believed firing the Halo rings would initiate the “great journey” that would allow them to transcend the physical world just as the Forerunner before them.

The prophets were an ancient and very powerful civilization, who initially existed along side the Forerunners.  They had been traveling the Galaxy for tens of thousands of years searching for and utilizing Forerunner technology in their pursuit of the Halo rings.  In their travels they would encounter other races and using the Forerunner technology they had uncovered would subjugate the races and fold them into the covenant.  Is these societies resisted, the forerunner would threaten to “glass” their planet (literally incinerate the planet so thoroughly, that the topsoil would turn to glass).   Most races would willing give in rather than risk extinction and would quickly adopt the Prophets view of the Forerunners and of the Great Journey.

However, the Elites were aware of the Forerunner and held a different view of the technology they had left behind.  The Elites viewed the technology as sacred, and its use was equivalent to sacrilege.  When the Elites first came into contact with the Prophets and the Covenant they were appalled at their use of Forerunner tech.  Being a proud warrior race, the Elites refused to bow to the Covenant and the two sides fought a long war of attrition.  Eventually they came to a truce and the Elites adopted the Covenant’s view of the Forerunner and reluctantly accepted the belief in the Great Journey.  In return the Elites were given a place of prominence as the military leaders of the Covenant Empire.  Other races incorporated into the Covenant include (in order of rank): the Brutes, Hunters, Jackals, and finally Grunts. 

When the Covenant first discovered humanity their plan was to fold them into the Covenant just like they had with every other race they had discovered.  However, before initiating contact with human the prophets uncovered a forerunner secret – it was humanity, not the Prophets that the Forerunners had chosen to be their inheritors.  The prophets feared that their authority and place within the Covenant would be at risk if humanities role as inheritor was ever uncovered.  With that, their plan for humans changed.  They would no longer offer humanity a place within the Covenant.  Instead they convinced the rest of the Covenant that Humanity’s very existence was an affront to their Gods.  As worshipers of the Forerunners, it was the Covenant’s duty to eradicate humanity from the universe.  Soon after, the Covenant attacked the planet Harvest.   

The Elites were always suspicious of the motives of the Prophets, but during the events of Halo 2 one of the more influential Elites -the Arbiter - discovered the truth about the Halo rings and the truth about humans being the true inheritors of the Forerunners.  These discoveries led to a splintering within the Covenant.  A large segments of Elites led by the Arbiter and segments of other species in the Covenant turned on the Prophets.  In turn the Prophets appointed the Brutes to take the place of Elites.  The resulting conflict became known as the "Great Schism".  

Though their feeling towards humanity had not changed entirely, the Elites recognized the they and the humans shared a common enemy - the Prophets.  That is why, during the events of Halo 3 the Arbiter fights at humanities side.  

As Halo 3 concludes the Covenant is no more.  The different species returned to their home world and began to rebuild.  However, as I am sure we will see in Halo 4, there is still a segment of the Covenant that remains and is dedicated to destrying humanity in the name of their Forerunner gods.   

The Rise of the Retro Game Market

Battletoads was one of my favorite games for the NES.  Not that I ever got very far in the game.  My 15 year old self just couldn't handle the challenge of what is widely considered one of the most difficult games ever made.  I've often thought if I could go back to the game as an adult, with all my years of gaming experience, could I get past that damn third level.

Well, with the boom in the retro gaming market it is conceivable that I could go back and find out.  Where I'm from, there are no less than 4 locally owned and very successful businesses that specialize in selling older titles - no current generation titles allowed.  It has been fascinating to watch these stores grow.  One of the more successful stores actually has multiple locations within the region.

I've wondered if this is a local trend, or if it is something happening across the country.  I think I got my answer this week when Gamestop announced they will begin selling retro games going all the way back to the NES.  For now they will only sell them online.  But if Gamestop has decided there is money to be made I'm assuming retro gaming is more widely popular and not just confined to my part of the woods.

Emulators that allow you to go back and play many of these retro titles for free have been popular for years, so why is this suddenly a trendy segment of the gaming marketplace?  I imagine it has something to do with the fact that members of the Mario generation are now entering the 30s and 40 and have more disposable income to spend, and are looking for ways to reminisce about their earlier days of gaming.  And walking into one of these stores definitely brings back memories.  Out of curiosity I went into one the local retro stores.  The first game that caught my eye was Bayou Billy for the NES.  I immediately thought of sneaking downstairs with my cousin after hours to play that game until 4 in the morning.  In one corner of the store was an CRT monitor set up with an NES playing the original Ninja Gaiden.  I immediately thought back to when a friend opened the game on his Birthday.  We rushed downstairs and passed up cake and an open pool ( on a very hot day) to sit in his basement and play for the remainder of his party.

Somehow I managed to walk out without buying one of the refurbished NES systems and a handful of the cartridges.

If you have a few of these stores in your area, I would highly recommend stopping in to look around.  If nothing else it will jog your memory.  But just in case...bring your wallet.