There's no one else here, so you must be talking to me

"MASTER CHIEF taps the side of his head, as if checking his hearing. CORTANA: ... What are you doing? MASTER CHIEF: Are you talking to me? CORTANA: Who else would I be talking to?" A moment that isn't really necessary for hardcore gamers or for those familiar with the plot, the writer manages to make a nice "Master Chief - Cortana Moment" out of an exchange that explains why the Chief is going to spend the next two hours listening to a (mostly) disembodied voice.

A Cobra Strike

"Suddenly, a cobra strike - a classic game move, MASTER CHIEF strikes with the butt of his assault rifle, taking out ELITE's shields... ... and as the ELITE staggers back, MASTER CHIEF empties half a clip into the alien's torso. Thirty rounds fly through the gun in two seconds." For those keen on detail, some things of note here: although described as a "classic game move" it's unclear whether they mean Halo in specific or just games in general. A melee hit from behind such as this in Halo is usually a one-hit kill, so emptying half a clip would have been unnecessary. However, while that works as a game mechanic, it might well have strained credulity on the big screen, so this may be a positive change. Also, thirty rounds is half a clip, at least for Halo 1's assault rifle.

Is Cortana Insubordinate?

One of the favorite topics of discussion among Halo story obsessives has always been Cortana. Old school Bungie fans remember that advanced artificial intelligences aren't always the most reliable or trustworthy allies. Although I've always argued that Rampancy, as such, doesn't literally exist in the Halo universe, I think there are still reasons to doubt Cortana's character. One of the first noticeable changes that the script introduces, compared to the comparable cutscenes in the first game, is making her borderline subordinate in the exchange over who should pilot the Autumn on its way down to the surface of Halo.

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