So it’s a shame to hear that there was an original – if half-baked – plan to have a lot more space combat in Bungie’s final Halo game,. in the form of multiplayer ship-to-ship combat.
“We joked about it from time to time and even had a rough version of it working very early on in development,” Bungie’s Marcus Lehto tells Game Informer.
“But the mechanics of it were pretty silly and we very quickly realised that the resulting gameplay experience wouldn’t hit the bar we were aiming for, nor justify the amount of work required”.
Add in the fact the developers had to spend their time getting the proper parts of the game ready and there just wasn’t room (or time) to go throwing a space combat mode into the game’s multiplayer.
Pity! I’m one of three people to have ever played and enjoyed Project Sylpheed on the 360, and felt that Reach’s own space shooting sections were just as good. Having the fighters available on those big space station maps, with turrets and hangars for troops to fight over…it’d be like Battlefield set in the Halo universe, which on paper sounds pretty good to me.
[Game Informer, via CVG]
The Cracks
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 5:01 PMOr like Star Wars Battlefront 2.
They should hurry up and make a Battlefront 3, damnit.
Needs A New Username
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 6:28 PM+900000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Corteks
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 5:48 PMAdd me to that group who played and enjoyed Project Sylpheed! It was an alright little game, the deal was so sweet because I was able to pick it up at a tiny cost.
Anyway I agree that this would’ve been a great multiplayer mode! Fight out in space or in the corridors of cruisers. Hell, noting the fact Spartan suits are capable of operating in the vacuum of space there would’ve even been opportunity for players to do crazy ship-to-ship leaps :P
James F
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 7:03 PMI wasn’t aware that anyone enjoyed that absured level on Reach!?
Jackson Thurtle
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 10:06 PMI think it was one of the best! A little more depth would have been nice, and it certainly didn’t need to go on much longer, but it was awesome. Multiplayer version would have been appreciated!
Todd
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 10:27 AMThe third section of that level was very close to some of the best action on Legendary.
Very much a reworking of similar level from Halo CE. Loved that part.
The space battle not so much, it was just too damned easy even on legendary.
Bryan Lee
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 9:08 PMThe only reason I played Long Night of Solace is just because that’s the only level worth grinding the commendation.
Do I enjoy that? No.
HappyMike
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 9:13 PMThat mission was freaking awesome (for the full meaning of the word awe inspiring) i wished they mad a multiplayer version.
Steven Burton
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 9:49 PMI loved that part of reach,
sorry but if reach really wanted to impress me with space battles it would have had me coming out of slip-space into a mega battle with shit going everywhere, cruisers, carriers, frigates and fighters everywhere and ships getting blown apart and trying to dodge derby at the same time
Kinda like the book when the fleet jumped in and started getting itself handed too with the ground mac cannons tearing holes threw the carriers, and a super sniper carrier picking off ships outside the cannons kill zone
am I the only one that was LUSTING for Halo Reach to do what happened in the friggin book -.-
dawdle
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 12:25 AMSince Halo IS a game universe about fighting aliens from other planets, creating a new game solely based on fighting from spaceships seems like a pretty cool and reasonable direction to head into.
Blackwater
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 1:25 AMSlowpoke.jpg
also, the level was dull and a chore to play.
Steve
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 8:52 AMDamned – favourite level of the game flying around in space. Pew pew!
I can see how it would’ve required a lot of effort to get the multiplayer mechanics done right for that but hey, it’d still be awesome if done in Big Team Battle mode, everyone would have to rush for which ships they wanted. Sux whoever got the Banshee in that game…
Denaz
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 12:26 PMOnly reason I enjoyed the level was because it was a change from the normal halo lameness… thats right I went there :P
Korwin
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 3:31 PMWonder if Lucasarts will wise up at any point and put out a new Rogue Squadron.