The Psychology of Halo: Combat Evolved (CE)

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  • Опубліковано 7 кві 2024
  • The original Halo trilogy clearly stands out among the 343 sequels, the halo tv show, and even the halo novels... but why? Is it dumb luck or is Halo CE actually really deep? In this video I take a DEEP DIVE wink into the meaning of Halo CE, as well as the mystery of Bungie's Halo, and why it has yet to be replicated.
    Alt titles: HALO CE is Deeper than you remember
    This is the first video in a series I'm doing about Bungie and their original Halo trilogy. So if you like it, stay tuned, there's more to come!
    Let me know what you'd like to see next,
    Thanks for watching!
    Check out my other work on instagram: bit.ly/3vmGKWj
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 76

  • @ShreddedNerd
    @ShreddedNerd 24 дні тому +9

    An idiot admires complexity, a genius admires simplicity

    • @themeaninginbetween
      @themeaninginbetween  24 дні тому +3

      Absolutely agree. Also love your videos dude! Would love to collaborate sometime!

  • @Brian.Henken
    @Brian.Henken Місяць тому +61

    I've always thought Halo's ability to consistently challenge what you think you know about the world is really special. Each twist doesn't feel cheap at all, and those moments are completely earned. Just ramping up that urgency in interesting ways that actually (in the case of the flood) actually change how you play the game. It's extremely special and really rare to see. I will always love Halo CE

  • @kailyn2299
    @kailyn2299 Місяць тому +43

    The halo show as well as 343 have missed a simple point: making a world that is completely different to our own YET entirely the same in terms of theory.
    So yeah, we don’t have wars in space; yet the reason the UNSC and The covenant are fighting is the same reasons that humans on earth fight. We get to escape the reality of our world all while having the same emotional turmoil we actively still have.

  • @AshinaOwl
    @AshinaOwl Місяць тому +33

    You should 1000% check out the precursor to Halo, the Marathon trilogy. Though told only through terminals, its story is insane & has many direct connections to CE that I think you would enjoy.

    • @themeaninginbetween
      @themeaninginbetween  Місяць тому +7

      Thanks, I’ll have to check it out! I’ve never played them or known much about them other than that they were developed by bungie.

    • @GlitchyGamers18
      @GlitchyGamers18 28 днів тому +3

      @@themeaninginbetween a good place to start is Hidden Xperia's videos on the marathon trilogy

    • @thedaltoid0266
      @thedaltoid0266 28 днів тому

      ​@@themeaninginbetweenThey're great. They're just overall amazing, but they can be very confusing at times. Like to the point of crazy

    • @jaredbryant8297
      @jaredbryant8297 2 дні тому

      @@GlitchyGamers18I’d be careful, Hidden Xperia can misinterpret sometimes

  • @JaredLB1990
    @JaredLB1990 28 днів тому +10

    I clicked on your video, and then was like, “nah, I’m busy,” and was about to turn it off, and then I saw all of the work you put into the video with your pool dive scene, and was like, “well, he put a lot of work into that…guess I’ll stay,” and then I watched the entire video…and then I liked it so much that I subscribed. A series of events, that was. 😂

  • @e-rosalina
    @e-rosalina 29 днів тому +9

    Jason Jones, project lead on Halo CE and Halo 2 put it best:
    "So much of a game's story is about leaning flavor to the times when you're playing it. It's about making you believe you're actually fighting on this ring world light years from Earth again aliens called the Covenant - rather than being up at 2am trying to finish some stupid video game."
    The Halo universe has implications and interesting things to hash out, but without taking the time to build the substructure first, it fells bloated, confusing and (heh) alienating. They aren't trying to say "child solider good" - they are starting with the games design (substructure) and fitting a story to justify it so it's not just mashing buttons. Too many games try to do it the other way around and unfortunately, there's only one Hideo Kojima, so 90% of them feel like bloated, frustrating messes. This is also the biggest problem with the Halo show - it didn't take the time to build the substructure (war with the Covenant and the battle of Installation 04) first. UNSC corruption or exploitation of children in a dystopian future can be a great story... but you have to earn it.

  • @gracewhite8755
    @gracewhite8755 Місяць тому +14

    I love that you brought psychology into halo.

  • @split_ce
    @split_ce Місяць тому +18

    Great piece on CE, "The only Halo that matters".

  • @frankiewestmoreland2965
    @frankiewestmoreland2965 Місяць тому +5

    Having grown up more with the later Halo entries/spin-off stories, I think there's some good stuff in those. But I agree - Halo CE just has got so many things going for it: the creepiness of the ring due to how vast yet empty it is; the ominous, ancient and foreboding tone provided by the music; the classic feeling of the beginning (very much like the original Star Wars); the sense of duty and loss; the twist that is the Flood… all of these are just excellent. To me, it's a seminal video game with a great popcorn sci-action story which is executed very well. I always recommend it to my friends even if they don't really play video games.
    Very glad to see someone put forth a well-educated analysis of the first Halo game on UA-cam. I've never put together how Jung/mythology factors into all of this, but it's so obvious once you present it like you did. We need more people on UA-cam/the internet in general talking about just how cool Halo is on a well-researched level, and it looks like you're gonna lead the charge. Very much a big fan of what you're doing on this channel (nice RvB vid! Just watched the Halo 2/religion one and really liked it). Subscribed!

  • @MistahFox
    @MistahFox Місяць тому +12

    Awesome video, I'm looking forward to the Halo 3 breakdown!
    I've been thinking about making a video about the themes of each Bungie game for a while, and instead of discouraging me these videos make me even more eager to make it!

    • @xx_amongus_xx6987
      @xx_amongus_xx6987 29 днів тому

      Do it! These games can never have enough praise, and there is always new stuff to discover and learn about. We need more people to become aware of why these games are so great, so maybe someday we can get something like them again.

  • @34pimpdog
    @34pimpdog 20 днів тому

    The original trilogy and especially ce are truly one of a kind stories. My first play through of ce i was 8 years old. And still to this day. Theres a true feeling of vast open desolate space on a foreign world. The game was so ahead of its time 23 years later people are making videos and content about it.
    Great video

  • @christianmuntzer632
    @christianmuntzer632 Місяць тому +5

    I don't think the Gravemind meant that he is the embodiment of all sins in the religious aspect. I think he meant it more so out of all the failings of all life, that all life must consume and eat and bring death to another. That peace with all life or among all life isn't possible. Therefore he is the moment to all of those failures and that it is the salvation a solution to the problem. but a corrupted one.

  • @nutrientstew257
    @nutrientstew257 Місяць тому +11

    You make videos of really good quality, I will wait for the halo 3 video gladly

  • @ZeDitto3
    @ZeDitto3 Місяць тому +7

    I don’t agree with the premise of this video. Is Halo CE simple? Yes. But new Halo isn’t bad because it has a level of specificity that strips the ability to interpret wildly.
    If simplicity is a tool then subversion is also a tool and I don’t think that it’s reasonable to hold this form of storytelling against media just because it’s new. If stories have gotten more “nuanced” through subversion and if it seems like we really like this, then time will tell if this will have the staying power of our more simplistic, open, and interpretive tales.
    Also, Brian Gilbert was talking about the halo books which were always more complicated than the original game from day 1. He’s talking about a different story than Combat Evolved and that plot point about Spartans being kidnapped as children was around since the bungie era so it’s not a problem with new Halo. I also disagree with Brian’s interpretation that the UNSC are good even with this nuance that they did bad stuff and I think you’re also wrong for basically taking his interpretation at face value as actually representative of Halo’s message (as a series, books and games) as a whole. Humanity’s back is against the wall and it’s not about “good” but about the “best”.

  • @LongJohn-sk7lg
    @LongJohn-sk7lg Місяць тому +6

    This is great, chefs kiss! I love how fluent and interesting the video was. You are amazing at getting your points across and I’m sure your going to pop off!

  • @ken_ohkiZ
    @ken_ohkiZ Місяць тому +6

    These are all great, I can't wait for more.

  • @murry2517
    @murry2517 Місяць тому +5

    Amazing video, love your style. Really interesting way to look at the halo story, great work

  • @flawlesshman8470
    @flawlesshman8470 Місяць тому +6

    Thank you for this 🫡

  • @connor4676
    @connor4676 9 днів тому

    really interesting thoughts. halo has that feeling that i’ve never really had from another game before, and hearing you put some things into words i didn’t have were great. nice video!

  • @SmitzPNK
    @SmitzPNK Місяць тому +8

    wheres his foot??

    • @themeaninginbetween
      @themeaninginbetween  Місяць тому +6

      Haha long story! But the foot has been fixed since this video and he’s back in tip top shape!

    • @WeatherMan2005
      @WeatherMan2005 23 дні тому

      I was wondering the same thing

  • @jaredbryant8297
    @jaredbryant8297 2 дні тому

    Bungie, old Bungie, really focused on playing with the concepts of the hero, of destiny “luck”, and on you being a part of that marriage in storytelling
    That’s why Halo is compared to Marathon so much. It’s the same essential story.

  • @saltierdongs7760
    @saltierdongs7760 29 днів тому

    I hope this video and your channel blows up! Fantastic content!

  • @notnever7452
    @notnever7452 29 днів тому

    I’ve had friends that never played Halo (until now) tell me I just love it because of nostalgia and it’s not as crazy good or deep as I think it is. A part of me thought maybe they were right and I’m blinded by my love for the franchise since I was a kid. Thank you for reaffirming my belief that Halo is special. I could never articulate why exactly beside cold hard facts about how it revolutionized the industry with its physics, AI and controls. This video does the talking for me about how the story of Halo is so deeply rooted in me and why I haven’t lost interest despite me growing up. Amazing video.

  • @waede116
    @waede116 29 днів тому

    Thank you, this honestly puts to words exactly what I've felt with this game. It's not the graphics or the gunplay that make it resonate with me ever since I was 10, but the archetypes and symbolic storytelling. The human-like AI construct and the machine-like human in power armor, it's all so good! Great video, thank you! 👍

  • @christopherkemp4202
    @christopherkemp4202 23 дні тому

    Excellent analysis, keep up the good work.

  • @K_H__
    @K_H__ 26 днів тому

    I really liked this video and especially appreciate the critique of modern media’s seemingly endless obsession with moral ambiguity in almost every film or game today.
    Sometimes it’s refreshing to forget about all of the “surprise, the good guys aren’t actually good!” tropes that dominate media and just have fun being the undeniable “good guy” of the story and feeling awesome while doing it.

  • @jaredmcpherson9671
    @jaredmcpherson9671 28 днів тому

    This is an awesome video. Really high quality. Awesome stuff man keep it up 🤙

  • @joseignaciobernalizaguirre6038
    @joseignaciobernalizaguirre6038 Місяць тому +2

    Love the video, keep it up :3

  • @Milesamanjaro
    @Milesamanjaro 26 днів тому

    Well done 👏
    Your thorough analysis is a reminder of exactly why I appreciate this story and the fandom around it. This is the type of conversation I wish I could share and experience in-person. #deep
    Sub'd!

  • @emilefoxhall3155
    @emilefoxhall3155 26 днів тому

    This was very well done. This is what I was wanting to say as well

  • @leisurelyrabbit8662
    @leisurelyrabbit8662 Місяць тому +1

    Dude you deserve more views

  • @randybobandy9208
    @randybobandy9208 Місяць тому +3

    Based take! Hope this channel takes off 👍🏻

  • @feymasons.7835
    @feymasons.7835 18 днів тому

    Love your videos, maybe a deep dive of the flood video?

  • @Cheezmonka
    @Cheezmonka Місяць тому

    Yo what the hell this channel is sick!

  • @alexsantiago3181
    @alexsantiago3181 27 днів тому

    Man I love this analysis. Love games. Love Hero stories. Love Halo.

  • @enriquenavarro7684
    @enriquenavarro7684 26 днів тому

    This video needs far more views

  • @ericmauch3678
    @ericmauch3678 28 днів тому

    love this vid

  • @deshneg2327
    @deshneg2327 Місяць тому

    He’s done it again - another masterpiece.

  • @jamesgeorge7579
    @jamesgeorge7579 Місяць тому

    You're video made me think about what makes the plot of Halo feel different from other video games. It's a very modernist work in its themes and characters, most games lean more post-modern in their narratives.
    I don't know if what I said even means anything, but I think other people will get what I mean.

    • @themeaninginbetween
      @themeaninginbetween  Місяць тому +1

      100% agree!

    • @jamesgeorge7579
      @jamesgeorge7579 29 днів тому

      @@themeaninginbetween I should have waited until I finished the video before commenting lol

  • @drakeversteeg2782
    @drakeversteeg2782 7 днів тому

    cool editing

  • @daltonreeves2395
    @daltonreeves2395 28 днів тому

    Instant subscribe

  • @hello12487
    @hello12487 25 днів тому

    No idea what bro is on about but it sounds deep 🔥

    • @Larmichim-sj6st
      @Larmichim-sj6st 25 днів тому

      This guy is probably on meds. He talks like he sniffed 3 lines before making this nothing burger of a video.

  • @michaelofmanitoba3844
    @michaelofmanitoba3844 Місяць тому +1

    good video

  • @breezyillo2101
    @breezyillo2101 28 днів тому

    I love how this all ties into the HEAVY attachment and references to biblical themes, names, events, etc.
    It's not a story about the christian mythos, per se, but it stands upon the pillars that hold religious texts (the Bible specifically) to create a story that is just as based on and tied to very primal things about the human experience.
    I also like how a certain interpretation of Halo could be that all of our religions are some either genetic or memetic holdover of our species' memories of time before the very first firing of the rings. It turns all the in-game references to the Bible and other religions on their heads... and then all the IRL religions actually become a reference to Halo lore haha

  • @WeatherMan2005
    @WeatherMan2005 23 дні тому

    This game is great and its not all nostalgia. I only played the about a year ago.

  • @KeyboardTarantula
    @KeyboardTarantula 27 днів тому

    something about CE is more replayable then every other halo. I don't... I don't know why. it just is. maybe the A.I is more unpredictable? as the A.I got smarter in later halos, you had less "elites dive off cliffs" and "grunts and jackals run away".

  • @Stormbreaker1173
    @Stormbreaker1173 Місяць тому

    Is it possible to enjoy new entries for expanding the universe while also enjoying the original for being subtle? I think so !

  • @dudewithamustache5027
    @dudewithamustache5027 Місяць тому

    nice ray-ban glasses

  • @ZeDitto3
    @ZeDitto3 Місяць тому +3

    I think you’re misusing “depth”. Your language and delivery is very flowery but “depth” implies complication and nuance which is antithetical to your promotion of the use of simple tropes where everyone already has a solid understanding. I can understand “depth”, In the concept of “immersion” which is what I thought that you meant since you literally used images of being sunken in water but you described it verbally as this universal understanding across culture and a timeless appeal. Those things don’t mean depth.

  • @TEZAFIM
    @TEZAFIM Місяць тому +1

  • @TheStrayHALOMAN
    @TheStrayHALOMAN Місяць тому

    343 was made in order top sell Halo as a brand and not to make Halo Games.
    Also the Flood isn't bad they created all life and are allied with Humanity... Ancient Humanity... They're not bad just hostile as a test for the mantle.

  • @Larmichim-sj6st
    @Larmichim-sj6st 25 днів тому

    Starting to notice a pattern with the excess amounts of Halo CE retrospectives/essays recently. They all go over the same talking points but always tend to add some irrelevant hypothetical statement, that more or less serve to supplement their content on an already over-analysed game. There's been two liminal space-themed essays of CE for God's sake, that's how easy it is to impress the Halo fandom.
    I get that Halo CE is a very easy target to fabricate these talking points on for content and there's been a drought for Halo stuff lately - but Halo CE is a sci-fi action game, you go somewhere extra-terrestrial, you shoot stuff with twists and turns here and there, blow something up at the climax and get out. End of story.

  • @Ilostscourgeisoptimusprime
    @Ilostscourgeisoptimusprime 28 днів тому +2

    Halo >>>>>>>>> call of duty

  • @Quader417
    @Quader417 19 днів тому

    You had me up until you started ranting about “postmodernism”, subverting expectations and challenging existing power structures is not “postmodernist” by any means, u can see these themes in Dante’s Inferno(critiquing the church and other political institutions), the entirety of Marxism(challenging the entire system of capitalism), Frankenstein novel and creature from the black lagoon movie (subverting the “monster born bad and evil“ troupe). So i do agree that its simply a different kind of storytelling but disagree about what kind

  • @spencerbell2199
    @spencerbell2199 25 днів тому

    This video goes h*rd

  • @AokosBriefcase
    @AokosBriefcase 29 днів тому +1

    Halo can be deep, but you're looking way too into it and finding patterns that aren't there at all. This video veers off into a completely strange tangent very quickly, then goes into things that aren't true in reality, like the collective unconscious, etc.

    • @enterbalak
      @enterbalak 29 днів тому

      I disagree, he's onto something.

    • @Larmichim-sj6st
      @Larmichim-sj6st 26 днів тому

      Essayists need something easy and digestible to inject unrelated trivia to make content. They use 'slick' editing to win over people and have them treat the essayist's opinion as fact. Halo fans, especially those of CE, are very susceptible to this. Unfortunately, Halo CE has been a very easy target for these types of videos recently and it sucks.

  • @homegrown6845
    @homegrown6845 17 днів тому

    Another glorified and overly-edited CE retrospective, that devolves into tangents about random crap that has nothing to do with Halo CE.