Master Chief might be one of gaming's most iconic characters, but even one of the writers co-responsible for his creation thinks he's the most boring character in Halo Infinite - and the entire Halo franchise in general.
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That writer is current 343 Industries creative head Joseph Staten, who TechRadar reports was also the main mastermind behind the cinematics on the original Combat Evolved and Halo 2. So yes, this guy's opinion comes from a very respectable place and not just from out of nowhere.
Speaking in a talk at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, here's what Staten has to say about Halo Infinite's lead and Microsoft's ever-present mascot for the Xbox brand:
"At the end of Halo [Combat Evolved], I felt like Master Chief had limitations. If we wanted to tell a deeper story, to expand our world, Master Chief was the least interesting character in the Halo universe. Through a combination of technology and the choices we'd made about keeping his face masked, I was pulling my hair out and saying, 'What can we do with this character?'
Staten further says that he believes Master Chief's "boring" nature is what led the story development for Halo 2. The Arbiter, who was a shamed Covenant military commander (basically a "bad guy"), was the main focus of the sequel's narrative. According to Staten, the Arbiter was a more compelling character than Chief.
He believes that once the Arbiter was put on the opposite side as Chief, he felt that the latter character had finally "clicked." He believes that the shamed Covenant commander finally gave a good opposing character to Master Chief as a whole, basically spelling success for the Halo franchise for the next few years after Halo 2.
But whatever Staten's views on Chief may be, there's no denying that his return to Halo Infinite was very well-received by fans of the beloved Spartan. Infinite released to very rave reviews, with many publications praising the game for its excellent single-player campaign and multiplayer implementation. IGN gave it a 9 out of 10 score, for instance, considering the game "worth the six-year wait."
Read also: The First 16 Minutes Of Gotham Knights Gameplay Is Out
Master Chief's Iconic Status Remains Untarnished
If you notice Staten's comments about Master Chief, part of his reservations against the character is the fact that he basically never showed his face in full the entire time. And according to the original developers, this was done to help players get more immersed in the character, writes ScreenRant.
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By never showing Chief's face, players are better able to project themselves onto the character and role-play AS Master Chief himself. With that in mind, maybe Staten would've liked how Paramount+ handled Xbox's golden boy in their non-canon, live-action adaptation. But we digress.
But whatever happens or whatever Staten might say, Chief is still up there in the pantheon of the most iconic video game characters ever created. He's in the same boat as Mario, Kratos, Lara Croft, Pyramid Head, and others. Chief is even synonymous to Xbox - one of the world's biggest gaming brands. So he's doing alright for himself.
Related: 'Halo' TV Series' Master Chief Face Reveal Gets An Explanation
