concept central: The Key to "Epic-ness"

The Key to "Epic-ness" - Case Study: Halo

So while I develop Robotech concepts nobody in the actual Robotech world cares about, let me take some time to admire the franchise that is Halo. Three games, a batch of novels expanding the mythos, and a whole lot of merchandise tie-ins - even though I'm not a particular fan of the series, I can't help but admire the majesty and grandeur that Bungie has done in manufacturing this epic.

Yes, you heard me right, I'm not a big Halo nut. I've played the first game, and it didn't exactly impress me. The second one upped the scale a bit, but the gameplay isn't as life-changing as people seem to say it is (as compared to the first Half-Life). But looking at the hype build around this latest Halo, and the world its building around itself, I might actually learn to love this... game involving the 'Master Chief'.

Why? Aw man, just watch these two vids:

ARMS RACE Part 1 & 2

Who wouldn't fall in love with a franchise as cool as that? And they've also got a series of videos up on Gamespot with the message "Believe". It seems to be working, noh? Yes, some of the videos are a bit hammy/cheesy, often referring to this Great War (complete with a Brit's voice to add credibility to the narration) but I leave that up to you. It sure beats listening to some guy in some podcast saying "This franchise is in a great place right now, blah blah blah..."

Gamespot Link of "Believe"

They even got this old dude to play some fictional war veteran from the epic battle in Halo! The developers are really trying hard to sell Halo as this great epic. Is this a good concept? With the right budget, of course it is.

The trick to 'Epic' status:

Have characters speak an inordinate amount of 'cool' one-liners
Strong female leads that butts heads with strong male leads, and when male gains advantage, he looks cooler than ever
Take your simple 3 note music theme, get a 300 piece orchestra, and have them play it
Sweeping camera angles should all be set to wide, showing your sets as imagined by the Concept Designer
Take as much ideas from sci-fi media (i.e. classic movies like Aliens, Starwars Original Trilogy, Star Trek, Serenity, etc.)
Intergalactic politics / religions makes anything feel 'epic' (Force, Bene Gesserit, The Covenant Ruling Council)
Create viral videos/promotional stuff and other 'alternative' marketing schemes

Another franchise trying to raise itself to 'Epic' status is Blizzard with Starcraft II. More on that in the future. A bit of it was discussed in my former blog, but I'll try to expand on those ideas as well.