Halo Sucks

Advertisement is viewed as an evil tool used by mega-conglomerate corporations. They flash pictures, and sometimes sounds, at your face and all of a suddenly they've taken control over your mind. You're faced with urges to wear new, name branded clothes. You feel your friends will only like you if you're driving the flashiest and most expensive car.

Being possessed by a soulless corporation with no face, isn't exactly the way I want to spend my Friday nights. So, I can understand when people cry out at the injustice of the North American culture. Flaming torches and pitchforks are raised against companies that expose children to marketing tricks to turn them into whining, demanding baby-consumers. I can see why people take honor in not falling under the spell of corporate voodoo magic.

I am one of those people. I wear t-shirts that make me laugh, that suggest condiment adultery, rather than displaying brand names. I barely watch T.V. anymore; and when I do I watch the Home and Garden Network, where the commercials are not aimed towards my demographic. So, I believe I am not a consumerist zombie, and I'm proud of that fact.

But then I saw this...



The new Halo: ODST trailer. It's a very well produced trailer. It follows a boy, attending the funeral of an officer (possibly a father or brother) killed in action, joining up with the military, fighting in the war against the covenant and burying his dead comrades before jumping back into the fight. It's pretty epic and felt like an adventure, an experience, I wanted to live through.

What ... the ... eff? I hate the Halo universe. I bought the first game because it was synonymous with the XBox console and I felt I should own it. I never finished it. I bought the second game grudgingly because Phil loved Halo and wanted to play through the second one. It's still shrink wrapped. I bought the third one because it was such a commercial success, I felt I needed to support gaming's breakthrough into mainstream culture. I finished it with Phil and it was one of the most confusing stories I've ever sat through.

Why would I possibly want to play Halo: ODST? Thankfully, instead of pre-ordering the special edition that comes with an ODST skinned controller, I waited for the reviews to come out. I watched the video and am reminded that it plays exactly like the original Halo trilogy. I am reminded that I will hate this game as much as I hate the previous ones.

I admit it, I almost fell prey to corporate brainwashing. I'm kind of ashamed but I did catch myself before I made any mistakes. Have you ever bought something you didn't need just because it was marketed well?