Spartan Locke Character Review: Everything You Should Know

Halo Spartan Locke Characters

Stoic, larger than life, and focused. This is the nature of Spartan Locke. So, compared to the humane, loyal, lone, and sometimes even sorrowful Master Chief, gamers seem to have noticed the significant differences in character, and they are commenting on it.  

Jameson Locke has probably been one of the most talked-about characters since the release of Halo 5, when he appeared as the most significant character and the one gamers used throughout most of the campaign. Since meeting him, players don’t have a lot of good vibes for the Agent or the developers who thought of him. 

Each of us can only decide for ourselves. But knowing more about Spartan Locke can fill in the gaps and help us determine whether Locke is a worthy opponent for Master Chief or not. 

Who Is Jameson Locke? 

Agent Locke is the newest protagonist in the Halo games. He had a significant role in Halo 5 and was the inspiration for Halo Nightfall, an original web series for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Microsoft devices.  

Jameson Locke first made his appearances in commemorative games like Halo 2: Anniversary. In the prologues and epilogues of Halo 2. However, most gamers are familiar with him in Halo 5. 343 industries made his introduction in the special Halo 2 games to show us that he had been a part of the world of Halo, but we had not met him yet. 

While many fans may not approve of the development of this new protagonist, 343 Industries has at least tried to create an exciting character to juxtapose Master Chief, and there may still be a lot to learn about this character. 

Spartan Locke
Photo Source: Google

What Is His Character Like? 

Before Halo 5 was released, 343 introduced the first episode in the series for Xbox One owners. Millions of gamers watched the series on the Xbox channel, and after the first episode of the web series, Nightfall, we tend to associate Agent Locke’s likeness to that of the actor Mike Colter who played Lock in the movie series. Colter was a great choice, handsome, loyal and brave but — without substance in the movie. Colter had already played other successful sci-fi protagonist roles, so we could easily identify him in Nightfall. We have all seen Colter before in his portrayal of Luke Cage in the Marvel Netflix series, but he also played a role in the series The Defender. The addition of Colter, the man behind the character, did a lot for Spartan Locke, but the writing of his reactions, his communications with others, and his overall interest in the game and the movie were still lacking. 

Colter also played the voice behind Agent Locke in Halo 2 but was not the voice for Agent Locke in Halo 5. Instead performed by Ike Amadi. Colter could not take on the role due to scheduling conflicts. 

Why Did 343 Invent Locke?

In Halo 5, 343 industries knew that multi-player games were the trend. Technology had changed gaming drastically, so they needed a way to build the game campaign around improved four-player character cooperation. 

One of the problems fans had at the time was that the game didn’t have a split-screen co-op option. Each player on a squad needed attributes that would tweak their play. Bringing Locke into the game gave players that option as Locke had features that Master Chief did, such as the ability to carry an extra frag grenade, a faster thrust recharge, and the ability to have a lower, more stabilized descent. 

Jameson Locke was meant to contrast to Chief starkly but also be a character that would analyze the Chief’s actions and journeys. Someone that would unravel the mysteries MC was solving.

343 wanted Locke to show that there were other things, avenues, and agencies in the universe, which is why his missions started for the ONI, a shadow organization that does many things that impact the decisions of the UNSC. Later he transfers from ONY to UNSC as a part of the Spartan program. 

Spartan Locke
Photo Source: Google

Fans May Have Been Turned Off Even Before Halo 5 Release

Before Halo 5 was released, 343 put Spartan Locke in an advertising role. So ad shorts often showed Locke fighting against Master Chief. So, when Halo 5 was released, players already recognized agent Locke, and they immediately noticed Agent Locke was more prominent in the game than  Master Chief. Players now had to play agent Locke instead of Master Chief and continued to do so through most of the Halo 5  campaign. Master Chief only appeared in three playable missions in Halo 5.

Gamers were unhappy that Master Chief was not around more often and hated Agent Locke. They took much of their discontent and aimed it toward Agent Locke. Consequently, Halo fans suggest Locke is bland and uninteresting, which may not be the entire truth. He is serious and stoic, a thinking man, but saying he is uninteresting may take things a little too far.

What Is His Background?

Locke was born on Jericho VII, but he did not get to be an average childhood for long. Before long, the Covenant invaded his home planet. It was the time of the Halo wars. Unfortunately, Locke was the only member of his family to escape the planet before glassing. 

Jameson Locke was then sent to an orphanage. When he was old enough, he joined forces with other orphans and joined the UNSC to take revenge for their families. However, Locke’s anger was immense. He thought the UNSC had too many rules and wanted more freedom to kill the Covenant. So instead,  he took a different route and became an assassin. His sole purpose was to kill many of the Covenant. His fighting skills were noted by the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), where he was drafted and became a top operative.

Spartan Locke
Photo Source: Google

Vengeance against The Arbiter

Gamers who have played through the Halo 5 Guardian campaign know that one of Spartan Locke’s missions was to hunt down the Arbiter. In the game, the hunt is steeped in some mystery. No one knows why he becomes so passionate about hunting the Arbiter. But in the series, Nightfall, we understand how these reasons run deep. Agent Locke didn’t just want to kill the Arbiter. He wanted to know everything about him, so Locke ran a complete check on the Arbiter and detailed ou his entire history. Spartan Locke was particularly interested in the Arbiter’s involvement with the glassing of Reach. However, before Locke could attack, Arbiter defected from the Covenant, causing Locke to need to abort the mission. 

When Did He BecomeSpartan Locke?

Despite his hatred of the organization, agent Locke worked closely with the UNSC In the Nightfall Mission. Because of his successes against the Covenant, the UNSC selected him for the Spartan-IV augmentation. His background as an assassin made him a powerful and successful Spartan. At the beginning of his journey in spartanism, the UNSC only used his skills in the outer rim worlds, as he was too violent to move too close to home. However, his actions eventually made him an essential team leader for dangerous and time-sensitive missions. 

the arbitrer
Photo Source: Google

Leading The FireTeam Osiris

Eventually, he led the Spartan IVs, also known as the FireTeam Osiris, the same team where Buck, Olympia Vale, and Holly Tanaka worked. 

Their successful missions led Locke to become an official member of the UNSC and the team leader of the FireTeam Osiris. They worked on classified operations too complicated for the UNSC to take on directly. FireTeam Osiris missions almost always had the highest level of secrecy and were classified, only available to top officers in the division. 

Spartan Locke’s Possible Appearance in Halo Infinite

As we mentioned before, Locke played a significant role in Halo 5: Guardians, and it may have been 343 Industry’s attempt to create their protagonist and move Master Chief out of the way. It did not sit well with Halo game fans if this was such an attempt. It came off as changing a good thing to make a brand change. The company has since repented to this move, as the Halo fan now sees in Halo: Infinite. Even so, some sources say that we may see Agent Locke again in the Infinite game version. 

Why Do Some Players Hate Spartan Locke?

So what did gamers think of Locke when he appeared in Halo 5? Why does he provoke so much controversy? It appears Spartan Locke is conflictive, or maybe gamers don’t like him as much as The Master Chief, and here is why. Locke seems too formal and keeps most of his reasons for making decisions to himself. So it’s hard to know his thoughts and where he is coming from. These characteristics are in total contrast to Master Chief, who always explains what the need is. Agent Locke’s formality doesn’t really explain his reasons, and that doesn’t let players get to know him. 

Gamers Feel Unclear about Agent Locke

Most players feel ambiguous toward Spartan Locke. They don’t hate him but don’t like him either, as there is nothing that draws a player towards his personality. You just don’t know if he is loyal, connected to his team, or whether he cares.

 Despite his blah style, some players have learned to hate him, which is simple. He opposes Master Chief, and you don’t know why. Locke isn’t a character to connect with, and that’s what makes players mad. Players only see his mistreatment of MC, and there doesn’t seem to be any real reason for it. 

Spartan Locke
Photo Source: Google

Why Is Spartan Locke Hunting Master Chief

Master Chief is different in Halo 5: Guardians, and after a player finishes with the campaign, the doubt as to why this difference exists here is still not apparent. In Halo 5, MC goes absent. The UNSC declares him AWOL and accuses him of treason. So as the game continues, the plot becomes too complicated, and players can’t believe what is happening. 

It was a wrong decision, and Halo 5 was set to be one of the biggest Microsoft games. Halo 5 is why many games chose Xbox One over the Sony PlayStation 4. Despite this feeling among gamers, Halo 5 is a part of a long series that has sold more than 60 million games and generated more than $4 billion in revenue. 

343 Industries has been a good custodian of the Halo War series since it took over the management of the creator Bungie, who created Destiny. However, gamers feel that 343 tried too hard to make Halo 5 original, which may have flawed the single-player game. Halo 5 is still a challenging game with many tricks and twists, all things gamers love, and this has pulled the game through. They just never identified with one of its main characters Spartan Locke.  

Will Spartan Locke Change in Halo Infinite? 

 Agent Locke’sLocke’s story is a bit unclear when going into Halo Infinite. In the novel Halo: Bad Blood, his Osiris teammate regroups with the INfinity after finishing his mission with Alpha-Nine. 

In one scene, though, he does meet up with Locke in the bar, and Agent Locke tells him about the missions he is working on with the FireTeam Osiris. He mentions that the missions are all “Classified,” so there isn’t much more to know, but some sources say he may turn up in Halo Infinite and in some way meet his end. 

At one point a promotional image for Mega Blok set showed a Brute Chieftan wearing Spartan Locke’sLocke’s helmet as a shoulder pad. So this may indicate that Locke somehow meets his end in Halo Infinite. 

What Will Players Think? 

If Spartan Locke does meet his demise, it may not feel so ambiguous. After all, seeing a character, they have spent considerable time with can affect one’s opinion. Hopefully, it won’t come to that, and Halo Infinite can find a way of redeeming this rather blah character so that he shines like never before. 

Spartan Locke
Photo Source: Google

Spartan Locke in the Nightfall Series

Halo Universe has many types of fans, and not all of them are gamers. And when speaking of gaming, some gamers prefer the multi-player campaigns and don’t bother with the other single-player games. In this game mode, players adapt well to Spartan Locke. Even so, the story goes far beyond the game and reaches out to sci-fi fans of all types. 

So when 343 decided to release a new Halo movie in 2015, they focused on their new Halo 5 protagonist Agent Locke. The purpose of the movie was to expand the story, bring in a live-action project and create a big-budget movie that would draw in more fans. The project was meant to be similar to the 2012 Halo 4 Forward Unto Dawn

When 343 releases a series like this, it plans to flesh out a character who plays in a game, in this case, Halo 5. 

Because 343 knew there were Halo fans that went beyond the game, they created a large budget for this film series. Nightfall was written by a prominent writer, Paul T. Scheuring, writer of Prison Break. The director was Sergio Mimica Gezzan, who worked on Battlestar Galactica and Heroes. 

Unfortunately, the series, though a considerable undertaking, wasn’t all that good. 

Halo: Nightfall Exclusive Clip – IGN First

The film is set between Halo 4 and 5, although there is nothing that can really distinguish the timeline, and it could be set just as well following Halo 3s end when the Halo wars are over, and peace prevails. The UNSC remains wary of the Covenant and knows its spying tactic and operations. The series opens with Jameson Locke, who is played by Mike Colter. He is leading an ONI intelligence group to a Sedra colony. Here they face a Covenant terrorist attack. The chaos forces Locke to work alongside the Sedra Colony guards and other officials to eradicate this Covenant terrorist faction. The storyline here is not that bad. There are wide shots of beautiful landscapes and an extended battle scene between Locke and a Roge Elite Zealot. But the problem is that there are still limitations to the visual effects, and some of the heavier CG shots look really fake.

Sci-Fi fans believe the series could have been better. The movie tends to feel and look like a game instead of a good sci-fi flick. 

However, despite some of its high-tech problems, the most significant problem with Nightfall is the lackluster characters. Remember, Spartan Locke doesn’t stand out very much in the game either. At the end of the premier, it was still hard to connect with these characters. Nothing makes Spartan Locke stand out. He is tough, handsome, loyal, and brave, but so is every other action hero. There is nothing to distinguish him from the rest of the heroes. 

Final Thoughts

As we mentioned before, Spartan Locke is strong, handsome, and loyal. Still, there is no cathartic character flaw or exceptional quality that helps players, readers, or cinema buffs identify with him.  

Does that mean you shouldn’t play Halo 5? No, there are a lot of other redeeming qualities here, and in Halo Infinite, Halo players are waiting expectantly to see him, to see if something happens to him. We all wonder what his demise will be and how and when he will go. The only thing to do is sit and wait patiently for the results. 

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