That Bungie is currently working on a Crucible game mode dubbed the Iron Banner, in which equipment stats are said to be factored into player strength, is nothing short of terrifying. The Crucible is already so imbalanced that you could only throw it off further by strapping a hippo to one side of it. Various class-specific melee attacks, shotguns and fusion rifles already one-shot players. Assault Rifles? Oh, you mean Assault Snipers? Those are rampant, and knocking heads off from 200 yards (though that will thankfully soon be nerfed). How could Iron Banner possibly make things worse? There is a bold line between equal stats and equal power, as pointed out by the radical disparity seen in Legendary and Rare Crucible gear. The damage may be the same, but that doesn't count for much when you factor in special abilities, weapon stats and upgrade status. It is no grand secret - except, perhaps, to everyone at Bungie - that Exotic and Legendary weapons still grant a massive advantage to their owners despite the Crucible's purported parity. Even Guardian Supers can feel like sharing a teeter-totter with an anvil. On the whole, the Crucible needs a smoothing over, and these preliminary adjustments - while welcome - aren't up to snuff.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
