Bungie - A One-Trick Pony?

"After announcing their fifth Bungie-developed Halo game, we wonder if Bungie has maxed out their potential?

With so many examples of great game developers who've time and again successfully launched new franchises, it begs the question why Bungie can't seem to gather the courage to step out from their comfort zone and give gamers a new experience, even if in between Halo releases. From this standpoint, it's fair to ask whether or not Bungie is indeed a one-trick pony, with their creativity hanging by a rope."

[qface64]

ill always think of bungie as a one trick pony
until they bring something new to the table to me they are just another developer like all the others out there
nothing real special if you ask me

i thought the whole point of them leaving microsoft was so they could make new games???

[Chuk_Chuk]

because they know halo will sell. maybe thats why they don't move from their comfort zone.

[jessehaysfl]

I hate halo, the control, the art style, the animation.
I hate halo.

However even if bungie is a "one trick pony" Bungie has still out sold almost every other developer with the exception of maybe nintendo.

So if Bungie is a one trick pony, then they pulled off the best trick in history and if we were scoring said trick based on sales then bungie gets about 25 million points.

[AKNAA]

So their kinda like a hot wife that over time got way To comfortable with herself to the point where she is now just lazy and not as attractive as she use to be?!?!...

[The Master Chief]

Why would Bungie want to stop making the most popular FPS in the world to something that won't be even half as popular?

Bungie became independent and have said they will be taking new chances with the Halo franchise. I don't think they are stupid enough to just give the Halo franchise away. Someone else can make the RTS/Rpg's/whatever else will come....Bungie should make the FPS.

Insomniac has made tons of Ratchet games and aren't even 1/8th as popular as Halo and they keep churning them out. Most franchises can't get Ratchets recognition, much less Halo.

[Chuk_Chuk]

maybe because FPSs are more popular than action and adventure games

[snipermk0]

ermmmmm, the most popular FPS in the world is the Half Life series far outselling Halo. Get your facts straight even if you're a kid that owns only one (obvious) game system.

EDIT: Why the disagrees? Damn fanboys and their short sight! Atleast grow a pair and try to prove me wrong instead of phantom disagrees.

[Tony P]

"Maxed out potential"? How insulting to the developers.

Halo is one of the most popular and highest selling games in history. Very few games join that exclusive club. Bungie could try a few new IPs, but most devs would probably kill for a golden egg like Halo.

Brings to mind Blizzard. They haven't churned out anything but Warcraft related material since 2002. Four of those years were dedicated solely to WoW. They've only just recently announced new sequels. Were they just out of ideas for those years? Of course not.

There's nothing wrong with banking on your successes. It's a sound plan and probably here to stay while in the thick of recession. That doesn't mean that Bungie are stagnant. And even though they're producing more under the banner of Halo, these newer titles are still evolving.

[Headshot81]

I don't think they're going to pull it off this time, COD:MW2 is the new Halo, that franchise is growing fast, and across all platforms. Im not a big COD fan,i don't hate it, but i can't deny their talent. Almost every gamer i know has already made up their mind on buying the game. HALO WHO????????

[The Master Chief]

"ermmmmm, the most popular FPS in the world is the Half Life series far outselling Halo. Get your facts straight even if you're a kid that owns only one (obvious) game system."

ermmmm, actually the Halo series has sold more than the Half Life series. Go find proof, you wont be able to because Halo has sold more than Half life as a franchise.

Also, I own Xbox 360, PC, DS and Wii. It's not really your buisness what I play. And no I don't play Playstation.

[Raf1k1]

didn't Bungie make the Oni game?

Would be nice if they'd make a sequal. I loved that game

[vidoardes]

Before this little fanboy fight goes on any longer...

Halo Series = 24.8 million copies worldwide
Half-Life Series = 29.8 million copies sold worldwide EXCLUDING Steam sales

Half life 2 sold over 6.5 million copies on steam which pushes the total sales over 35 mil, take into account how much the episodes and half life 1 sold online your probably pushing 50 million

End.Of.Argument

[SuperM]

You are all wrong. The most popular first person shooter is by far Call of Duty.

I find it amusing how many people always mention bungie as one of the top 5 devlopers in the world. Among all the talented devs out there, Bungie has not proven their worth on such a list. They have been riding a wave of hype and advertisement from MS and with the help of a rabbid fanbase that would buy their game even if it was called halo: turd, they have become successful. But aside from Halo1 they have yet to make a classic title. Since then its gone downwards and by the looks of it Halo ODST will be the bottom of the pit so far. 60$ for a 5 hour expansion? no thanks. Still a smart move though, because the fanbase will buy it and they will cash in millions.

But seriously, Bungie does not belong on a list of legendary developers like Valve, Blizzard, Naughty Dog, Infinity Ward, Rockstar North, etc.

[vidoardes]

Call of duty series = 35 million (11 of which is cod5)

Can't you people use google?

[Mike134nl]

If they can only do one trick, It is still a damn good trick.
But guess it would be nice to see if they can do other tricks, since their their first trick sold millions their other tricks might pale before halo.

[menoyou]

Bungie is a mediocre developer of generic games. Nothing they do is polished and none of their products stand out. The only reason people think they're good is because Microsoft spends more money marketing Halo than they will ever receive in profit from its sales.

[N4g_null]

jessehaysfl I agree yet I loved halo's concept and art in the beginning. What we currently call halo is far from what it should have been yet other games have come out to fill that gap so I'm not mad. Halo is horrible half baked potential though. Some times I even wonder if epic could do a better job GASP!

Hey but the funny thing is most developers are one trick ponies simply because games take way too much effort to make now because of HD. These are not comics these are games trying to past the selves off and TV shows or movies.

If Kojima doesn't make zone of enders then he too will be a one trick pony. Hell he even has snatchers to fall back on WTF man! Oh well I guess blogs trying to be web sites must complain about some thing.

[Shepherd 214]

Funny how Kojima never makes anything different than MGS either, but no one notices that because Halo destroys sales charts and MGS doesnt.

[mfwahwah]

@1.18

Kojima puts more effort into MGS. And MGS isn't popular because it's popular. It's popular because it's quality. And yes that's just my opinion of Halo there. Deal with it.

[iHEARTboobs]

It can seem that way but it's hard to do something else when there's more money staring you in the face. I thought we were going to start seeing something new from Bungie (since I thought ODST was their last Halo) but I guess we wont for a while. Either way, they have skill, but I think we could do with a different game in between all the Halo's.

[TheReaper42]

Geoff of GT said that HALO is a one trick pony, right after that he said "ouch."

http://www.gametrailers.com...

[barom]

MGS4 was and is a total make over. He stepped out of his comfort zone and made arguably the best stealth game out there. In addition to that he made Zone Of Enders (after MGS2 I believe) which got high remarks and before that he made Policenauts and Snatcher, which also has been praised.

If Bungie would do even a tenth of what Kojima does, I would have at least some respect for them. But instead they go intendepent to do what? Not just one but two more Halo games? How much sense does that make? Either Microsoft won't approve their projects or they just don't have that capability or possibly just scared that they might in fact be a one-trick pony.

[swingingape]

Halo is so overrated. COD is much better series and more innovative too

[Shepherd 214]

Bungie also made Myth, Oni, Marathon, and Pathways into Darkness, all of which received critical praise as well. What of it? Kojima didnt step out of his comfort zone because MGS 4 only expands on the core principles that made the first 3 MGS's, just like Bungie does with Halo. And also, MGS 3 was better than your "perfect" MGS 4. Thats what i think of it. Deal with it. MGS 3 had more gameplay and a better balance of cutscenes, where as MGS 4 is mainly cutscenes.

[Why dis]

Oh dear!

Just kidding.

[Gue1]

Epic Tittle! LOL =D

[SpaceSquirrel]

Myth was pretty good though

[Cajun Chicken]

Nope. Marathon was pretty good too. I'm looking forward to see what Bungie create after Halo.

[shocky16]

At the end of the day, even if the games they make are similar they are still amazing experiences and that's all that matters to me.

[Cajun Chicken]

Be fair, Kojima did take a break with both Zone of the Enders games. Bungie haven't produced anything but a Halo game since about 2002 onwards.

[peeps]

yep. although when you think about Kojima Productions you think of MGS, you also gotta remember he's done ZoE and has done MGS games on many formats + he's gonna be helping out with the new castlevania.

I really do hope Bungie try something new. fans praise them for making fps mainstream on consoles, but that happened years ago now, i want something new. perhaps they will really blow us away with Halo: Reach, and i am excited for it. But i can't help thinkin that i wish they would try something new. They seem to comfortable sticking with halo simply cus they know it will sell

[The Master Chief]

Kojima are one of the few, and literally VERY few developers on the level of Bungie. Metal Gear is their one trick pony also... look at Metal Gear Rising....they are still changing it up within the franchise and I think Bungie will with Halo: Reach also.

[KKanjiAnkh]

Kojima Productions

Metal Gear
Snatcher
Boktai
Zone of the Enders

[The Master Chief]

lol Nasim your so jealous of anything Halo/Xbox/Microsoft.

[JohnnyBadfinger]

Oni
Myth
Marathon
Halo

Who says their a one trick pony???
i just gave you 4, just like KKanjiAnkh did for those Asain game developers Kojima or whatever they called.

PS.
feel free to disagree (im talking to you PS3 fanboys) but Metal Gear Solid is top shelf crap, but strangely still the second best thing on PS3 behind Grand Turismo.
I don't understand why Microsoft would want a hopelessly bad and dull game like MGS, I would rather play Killzone 2 (mean that as an insult).

And watch the BUBBLES disappear, and the Disagrees Rise.
But remember every disagree represents the number of PS3 trolls on N4G

[Cenobia]

lol.

You're kind of an idiot aren't you?

There is no way you could be that big a hypocrite and not know it. At least I hope there isn't.

Also, you come off as slightly racist, looking down on "Asains" and all.

[PLAYSTATIONGENRATION]

Zone of Enders is the shiznit.......

[Lionsguard]

Hey Bungie, make another Myth please, thx.

[pippoppow]

Would love to play a new Myth game but they sold the rights to another company who made Myth 3 chich sucked. Maybe they can come out with a spiritual successor at the least or maybe get those rights back. Would be nice to see updated explosion effects (OOPS) some terrain deformation and more RPG elements. They would also need to get the same narrator if possible with a similar story telling style. Myth 1+2 are great classic PC games. Would love to see Myth along with X-com franchises revived. To dream......

[mastiffchild]

While Halo continues to dwarf the company that makes it Bungie are kind of tied to it whether they like it or not.

Still, it's way too presumptuous, and bordering on insulting to call them a one trick pony-they made other games before , which, in some cases imo, are better than some of the Halo games even if sales don't show that. They're a very talented dev team but don't have the chance to really stretch that muscle right now but making huge selling Halo franchise games still puts cash in the bank so, and I expect this is theur plan, they can expand and do ALL the projects they wish to in future. Only if those games fall on their faces both critically and at retail will people be able to call them one trick ponies.

While I felt ODST could(from what we know anyway)be far more of a change from regular Halo I do understand why they might bot wish to co yoo far when what they have works and sells like hot cakes. Who knows though-maybe Reach will be a big departure for the Halo universe/gameplay, perhaps there are surprises to come with ODST yet to be shown.

Whatever, ODST and Reach will both retail well and to jibe at a company just for looking after the game series that could decide how CREATIVE they CAN be in the future is unfair.

[timmyrulz]

i bet most other devs would like to be a one trick pony if their games sold as many as bungies

[AKNAA]

Look at Capcom. They could have just stuck with street fighter, but with all their creativity, they went off to making mega man, power stone, resident evil, devil may cry, omnimusa, lost planet, dark void , dead rising and a few more I can't remember now...
So I'd say bungie has a lack of creativity if anything. All I see is a FPS part#1,2,3,3 1/2,4...

[swingingape]

Lot of devs have a few franchises coexisting... Bungie is just being overly cautious and they desperately need something new to prove their relevance

[saimcheeda]

and its obvious that they only play Halo!Good thing Halo Reach is coming so that they can finally play a new game!

[The Master Chief]

Halo: Reach will be the first "new" Halo FPS not within the Original Halo Trilogy. I think it's going to be something new and different from the first 3 games.

People strongly believe Halo: Reach will run on a new graphics engine and be Squad-based like the novels. The trilogy is over and Bungie is independent....it will still feel Halo....but be only planet Reach and just different.

[peeps]

perhaps halo fans would disagree (i personally loved 2 and am a bit meh about 3/ODST) but i'd like to see a darker more 'mature' halo game

[Cenobia]

They should borrow from Half Life, and have Master Chief show up during some epic fight or something. You just see him for like 30 seconds as he trounces some enemies that you and your squad were having trouble with.

Then he just walks into the sunset...well maybe not that, but you get the idea. Fan service like that would make people love the game.

I know nothing about the Halo story,though, so they could be in two separate time lines, or something.

[Nervz]

1 hit wonder more like..it is why i fukin hate Halo 3, its a reskined Halo 2...with no real additions to the gameplay mechanics..fuk sake bungie do something different. Why the hell does ODST play like the rest? I understand that the core gameplay needs to be kept the same, but add some different things to freshen up the experience, expecially since u r NOT the fukin Chief...but marines with different tactics.

Bungie need to get over themselves and do something different ,PERIOD!

[Fleet Fox]

ODST is very different. Maybe you should know what your talking about.

Halo ODST is a full open world game(Halo has never been open world before). You have nightvision mode and it looks cool as h3ll. You have new weapons like the silenced SMG/Stealh pistol. The mode and scenery is completely new. It has the new "firefight" mode which is a huge new addition.

Halo 2 never had Forge/theatre mode/all the new weapons/vehicles. Halo 3 and ODST do. They all have new things.

lol you dont know what your talking about. You just dont like Halo because its 10 times more popular than Killzone/Uncharted/the next not popular ps3 game.

[SaberEdge]

@Nervz

You obviously weren't a fan of Halo in the first place if you think Halo 3 was just a copy of Halo 2. If you were actually familiar with the games you would know that a ton of stuff was improved and added in Halo 3. The scores speak for themselves.

The guy above me is right about Halo ODST. It is truly bringing a whole new style of play to the table and is looking really good.

[snipermk0]

OMG!! Night vision in Halo ODST!! Does it also have the ability for smoke grenades and little pockets for storing halo cool aide?

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

"with no real additions to the gameplay mechanics..fuk sake... do something different."

This coming from a person that has an avatar of Killzone 2???

[table]

hes got a point guys. Halo3 is nothing on Halo:CE. Good developers change the gameplay up but Bungie for me are just living on the success of the fantastic Halo:CE. Shame really I'd like to see them do something different that works. Hopefully ODST and Reach are not more of the same.

[WIIIS1]

LOL! I thought maxing out potential was a console hardware thing, didn't realize developers also have maxed out potentials...!

[Nelson M]

.

[SaberEdge]

Making one of the best FPS games on consoles.

[PirateThom]

Bungie made Goldeneye?

[snipermk0]

LOL... bubbles to you buddy!

[The Master Chief]

ha! Guerrilla games had 4 years to make Killzone 2 and couldn't score as well as Halo 3 in reviews.

Wait for Halo: Reach. :)

[snipermk0]

it would prolly be a good time for you to STFU since you got pwned in the gamer zone when you were proved Half life sold more than gaylo.. ROFL

[bunfighterii]

once you find a good pony you don't get off.

[peeps]

bad analogy tbh cus u could say that eventually that pony gets tired and old lol thats not really my opinion though, i'm hoping for special things with Halo:Reach BUT eventually the franchise will tire

[The Master Chief]

Dude give it a break.

There have been 3 Halo FPS's.

Final Fantasy 14 Online is releasing next year, take a hint.

Halo will not be tiring as long as they continue to add new features and take it new places and do new things.

[peeps]

interesting that you mention FF. Do you not think the series is tiring? for me personally the last i played was 10. X-2 was the first direct squeal to an FF game (although 10 wasn't that great to begin with), 11 was a mediocre mmo which was completely different to the FF series. 12 was released around the ps3 but on the ps2...

So i haven't played the last 3 FF games despite being a fan of the series. The reason the series is able to continue however is each time it's a different setting and characters so it's always fresh.

What i'm saying is eventually the halo universe will be well and truly milked and it's a shame to see Bungie sticking to 1 franchise, cus since the success of halo, that's all they have done.

at least SE have made several different franchises...

[Grandreaper9999]

See: Dynasty Warriors.

I really loved DW until I realized I would have to play about 123784634786 more after the 2nd installment.

[Baka-akaB]

Hum FF tiring or a one trick pony ?
Dude each game has been a different one , except with the same final fantasy title (except the new trend of spin off sequels like the awful X-2).

Hell XI and XIV are even mmo's....but each game is usually so different that square could have released the last remnant (wich would have been quite an awful idea bu would have sold then better) under the FF , and no one would have blinked (except for the quality of the game maybe) .

What square has done with FF franchise is akin to , hypotethically , ID software acquiring and publish various fps games such as half life , prey , turok , rainbow 6 , call of duty , unreal and calling them henceforth Quake 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6.. etc

If you got an issue with FF then , it would be most like more with the brand , one or two particular titles of the serie , the publisher than anything else imo

[clinker]

Bungie might be aone-trick pony, but there are tons of other companies like them around -- Crytek for example.

[snipermk0]

Crytek developed Far Cry, Crysis and the upcoming Obsedian's Edge. How are they a one trick pony? Bungie seems to be the only candidate.

[keysy420]

well duh!!! what M$ studio has creativity their really isnt that much depth to the xbox theirs like 10 great games most multiplat. the funny thing is the game industry is like this. sony makes a sh1t load of money from their consoles sales mare than xbox with xbox out selling them. (400 to 200 only have to sell half as many systems for you xbots)
then they take that money to make great exclusive games. m$ spend so much money on trying to get third party support they dont put much into new ip's with risk.so while sony is thriving in exclusives 360 is trying to establish some first party exclusives. Cause that will eventually win this war (that or a ps3 price cut). Bungie isnt done yet thet can try a new ip but after halo you are putting your company at risk. better to start another company run the game under that company, see how it does then blow the game up and announce bungie bought a company the so called dont own and then you relieve the risk of a halo flop. bungie makes good sh1t better than any other m$ studio so they have alot riding on a new ip. they can just ride halo till it dies if it dies.

[-MoOkS-]

Bungies AAA titles:

Marathon
Marathon 2
Halo CE
Myth
Halo 2
Halo 3

Don't really see how they are a one trick pony.

They just haven't had time to create different games, since the ridiculously successful Halo Combat Evolved.

[peeps]

isn't that the point though... Bungie have made several decent games, but since halo all they've done is halo... maybe time for something new?

[-MoOkS-]

Well, they could be working on something other than halo....nothing has been mentioned though.

They made AAA titles before Halo CE, I doubt they just suddenly lose their talent.....

[Counter Strike]

Its a FACT that the only developer better than Bungie developing FPS is Infinity Ward...

Dont even Put Guerrilla her ebecause those guys are TERRIBLE making any type of game...

Killzone...looool just give me a break ok ? Killzone is the worst FPS i have played this gen....worst than HaZe...guerrila just get out ... now online is noobfriendly...Guerrilla is is best...lool

[Grandreaper9999]

You must not have played KZ2 then? Or Liberation? Play KZ2 for a while, and you'll see that every new fps that comes out now feels like plastic to titanium, they just simply feel hollow (my opinion of course). I think the only other FPS that I've played that feels as beefy and solid is Black from last gen. Guerrilla have only developed a small handful of games too. 4 to be exact, one was a smaller handheld game too (a great one). They all sold well too, in case you're one of those people who browse forums more than you play games.

[Midgard228]

all bungie can make is halo, thats it. i dont think they have confidence in them selves to make somethin else.

and bullcrap that they make it cuz it will sell, Rockstar knows GTA sells but they still make other games and those new ip's still sell well (bully, manhunt etc) so no thats not an excuse.

i mean i luv halo but dang 2 more on way thats overkill

[divideby0]

Most def...some companies are that way.
I enjoy Halo SP but MP blows. Besides match making which Bungie brought to Halo, that is the only MP feature I care for

[zok310]

Mario and Zelda all day baby... Imagine Nintendo without Mario/Zelda, Imagine Microsoft Xbox without Halo, Imagine Sony Playstation without..... ah some help here... Bottom line Sony will always push their devs to create new ip's no natter the potential or lack their of, MS and NIN just milk milk and milk some more.

[manwich25]

Bungie also did Stubbs the Zombie and Pimps at Sea

[jerethdagryphon]

Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (or simply Stubbs the Zombie) is a third-person action video game developed by Wideload Games and published by Aspyr Media, and built on the Halo Engine.

wideload licensed the engine thats all, stubbs is also the only non halo game made with the halo engine,

Pimps at Sea is an April Fool joke that was started on Bungie Studios' website in 2001 and been added to on each subsequent April Fool's Day. Pimps at Sea is supposedly a combination of action and real-time strategy and claims to have the most complex economic system ever to appear in a game. As such, it is possible that Pimps is a spoof of Sid Meier's Pirates!, a classic game that shares a similar theme. The storyline centers around the player, a pimp of the sea. The player can create custom prostitutes from characters of other games, and then put them out on the streets (or canals, as it may be).

however, some bunji folks said that pimps at sea was the codename for halo3 alpha.

[Odion]

I guess Sony San Monic is a one trick pony, all they've made is God of War, same with DP, they've made nothing but GT, or GG, they only have one bad shooter and then ALL KZ

[Baka-akaB]

Well FYI , while not wrong , Santa monica studios are way younger than Bungie mind you . After all God of war 1 date backs from 2005 .

Bungie had far more opportunities to make a real splash before Halo , and they didnt . They were mostly known for Marathon , one of the only decent fps franchise available on Mac and witha few unique ideas for multiplayer at the time .

So they are quite right after meeting such success with Halo , to exploit it to their contents .

People just wrongfully assumed they'd stop working on the franchise once Bungie took it's freedom .

PD also did motortoon 1 -2 and the bike game Tourist trophy , but yeah they are GT obsessed .

[Ninjamonkey]

It would be nice to see what else they can do...

But Halo is a huge money making series. Many gamers seem to have made the halo universe their religion or something.

And whilst these people continue to worship all games named halo the devs will keep making the games for easy money.

I know I would...

[AngryTypingGuy]

If Bungie is a one-trick pony, at least they have one hell of a trick. It's not like people are going to stop buying Halo games any time soon.

[Deadman64]

lol i know right.

And who said Halo: Reach is going to be a FPS? I mean it likely will be, but it could be anything at this point.

And I love that all the sony fanboys have been likely obsessing over Halo: Reach in the past week more than any of their own games...

[AngryTypingGuy]

I read that it will be a FPS. I sure as hell hope it is. I love both first and third person shooters.

[DiLeCtioN]

yes you are so right man. It's people like you that increase my gaming knowledge. Oni was one of my first good games that i played on PS2..truly deserves a sequel... Bungie published it though not develop...Rockstar did

Thanks to MS' big wallet Bungie were sent to work on a virus that is now called HALO. For those who might disagree i play halo 3 fyi (i like it) but Bungie are truly milking it.

As for the comment about Insomniac sitting in their comfort zone, ill have to disagree because if you look at what they have done for PS3 is beyond bungie. They have released a brand new ip on launch day for the PS3 (Resistance Fall of Man) and i aint seen bungie do that for the 360...

[McDaygo]

I'll take one good trick than the laundry list of crap bombs that get released. If it ain't broke keep raping it. You really want Bungie to make something else? Don't buy HALO.

[Silber]

I dont like the Halo shooters but i liked Halo Wars a lot.
Halo is a big Setting wich gives out many possibilitys. So when a Halo Game comes out, it dosent have to be the same. Its like Games in the Real World, arent the same to. They coud eben made a Assassins Creed in the Halo Universe for Example.

So blaming the Developers to stay in the Halo Setting making not much sense.

[Shadowstar]

Myth 4, Bungie! Come on, do it!

[hatchimatchi]

who cares if bungie chooses only to make halo games. If they sell, they sell. Me personally, i think the halo franchise blows. I've never even remotely enjoyed halo, but if they wanna make new games, power to em. Im sure they'll sell well.

Eventually the series will get milked for all it's worth and sales and reviews will show it, then they'll go back to the drawing board and "reinvent" the series. It happens everytime.

[Thoreau]

until they add new features to halo. the game has not changed an ounce.