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Halo Needs to Bring Back the Arena Shooter

Halo Needs to Bring Back the Arena Shooter

Some gamers yearn for the past, others say good riddance.

If you’re a frag-head, then you’ve got no shortage of game content to choose from in that regard. In fact, you’re the industries key demographic, as the FPS genre has monopolized nearly every console over the last decade or so. Whether you’re a mouse and keyboard kinda’ person or instead rock the thumb sticks, the choice of shooters today offers up a veritable smorgasbord for you to devour. Frankly, if you can’t find at least one run n’ gun title you enjoy in this market… you’re probably doing it wrong.

Although, that’s not to say things aren’t very different than they were in the past. Hell, even the early 2000s reflect quite a different picture than what’s seen in 2014. During the 1990s (when the shooter broke through its niche appeal and became mainstream), the arena-style gameplay was king. From Unreal Tournament to Quake , dropping players into paintball-esque maps and forcing them to fight it out was the standard formula back then. However, franchises like Battlefield and Call of Duty have succeeded in changing all that. Open worlds and sprawling landscapes is how headshot junkies get down now, which is quite a change from the way our predecessors did things. Regardless, that’s not fazing those at 343, who look to use Halo 5 ’s multiplayer as way to revive this lost art and restore its former glory. “I think arena shooters are coming back…we’ll see more and more of them, and we want to be at the forefront of that, because Halo ‘s always been about that…add some of our new toys in the toy box, like Spartan Abilities, to expand upon it…there’s still depth. But then the even playing field, because everyone has them, skill will play a big part.” said creative director Tim Longo during a recent interview.

Credit where credits due, I’ve got nothing but love for all things Halo . I owe Bungie (and Microsoft by extension) a lot of gratitude for bringing me some of the most fun and memorable nights I’ve ever had hanging out in a late-night multiplayer lobby. Having said that…I’m wondering if Halo 5 truly has its head in the right place. While I’m all for trying something old/new (and God knows Halo ‘s done its fair share of mold-breaking), there may be a good reason why the arena shooter has fallen out of favor recently. I look to EA’s Battlefield as one of the first titles to show us what a true “battlefield” could really feel like. Its maps are so expansive, trying to cross some of them on foot is an odyssey unto itself. Even the smallest iterations found in Call of Duty allows users to come and go as they please (which directly affects their freedom to battle on their terms). I fear trying to wrangle things back into a smaller arena will become rather one-note overall.

Halo Needs to Bring Back the Arena Shooter

343 have made strides to ensure all players remain on level ground by balancing things like abilities and weapon load-outs accordingly. I can definitely see the rationale and how reviving this style of map would be in keeping with their current development mentality. The tag line for the new multiplayer engine could easily read, “Spartans…separate but equal.” Where I see issues arising is the lack of variety. While I’m sure Halo 5 will have other maps that keep the spirit of Blood Gulch or Valhalla alive, I’m worried that focusing too much on the old-school puts them at odds with the typical flavor found today.

How do you feel about the return of an arena-style multiplayer? Is it yet another example of Halo ’s trailblazing innovation, or are they simply behind the times in their thinking? We want to hear from you, so sound off in the comments section!

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