Arbiter (Halo)
In the Halo universe, an Arbiter is a ceremonial, religious, and political rank bestowed upon Covenant Elites. In the 2004 video game Halo 2, the rank is given to a disgraced commander named Thel 'Vadam as a way to atone for his failures. Although the Arbiter is intended to die serving the Covenant leadership, the High Prophets, he survives his missions and the Prophets' subsequent betrayal of his kind. When he learns that the Prophets' plans would doom all sentient life in the galaxy, the Arbiter allies with the Covenant's enemies (humans) and stops the ringworld Halo from being activated. The Arbiter is a playable character in Halo 2 and its 2007 sequel Halo 3. The character also appears in Halo 5: Guardians and additional expanded universe material. A different Arbiter, Ripa 'Moramee appears in the 2009 real-time strategy game Halo Wars, which takes place 20 years before the events of the main trilogy.
Arbiter
Halo 2 (2004)
- Keith David (Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 5: Guardians)
- David Sobolov (Halo Wars)
- John Gremillion (Halo Legends)
- Ray Chase (Killer Instinct)
- Viktor Åkerblom (TV series)
The appearance of the Arbiter in Halo 2 and the change in perspective from the main human protagonist Master Chief to a former enemy was a plot twist Halo developer Bungie kept highly secret. The character's name was changed from "Dervish" after concerns that the name reinforced a perceived United States-versus-Islam allegory in the game's plot. Actor Keith David lends his voice to the character in Halo 2, 3, and 5, while David Sobolov voices the Arbiter of Halo Wars.
The Arbiter has appeared as action figures and other collectibles and marketing, in addition to appearances in the games. Bungie intended the sudden point of view switch to a member of the Covenant as a plot twist that no one would have seen coming, but the character in particular and the humanization of the Covenant in general was not evenly received by critics and fans. Computer and Video Games derided the Arbiter's missions as some of the worst parts of Halo 2. Conversely, IGN lamented the loss of the Arbiter's story in Halo 3 and missed the added dimension the character provided to the story.
Cultural impact[edit]
Merchandise[edit]
Following the release of Halo 2, Joyride Studios released an Arbiter action figure. This particular model was reviewed by Armchair Empire's Aaron Simmer as a "great translation of the source material into plastic".[25] Several models of the Arbiter are featured in the Halo ActionClix collectible game, produced as promotional material prior to the release of Halo 3.[26] McFarlane Toys was given the task of developing a Halo 3 line of action figures, and a sculpt of the Arbiter was released in the second series of figures after the game's release in July 2008.[27] A large-scale, non-articulated Arbiter figure was produced by McFarlane as part of the "Legendary Collection".[28] Other Arbiter merchandise includes MegaConstrux toys and Funko Pops.[29][30]
Critical reception[edit]
The initial reception of the Arbiter as a playable character in Halo 2 was mixed from fans and critics alike.[14] O'Connor described the Arbiter as the most controversial character Bungie had ever created.[31] Several publications enjoyed the added dimension to the Covenant by having the Arbiter as a playable character,[3][32] and praised the added stealth gameplay and new story afforded by the character twist.[33] Critics from The Artifice and The Escapist argued it was the Arbiter, not the Master Chief, who had a realized character arc in the game, and whose active participation made the ending of the game richer.[34][14]
Alternatively, publications like GameSpot thought that while the Arbiter and Covenant side added "newfound complexity to the story", it distracted the player from Earth's fate.[35] Reviewer Jarno Kokko said that while he did not personally dislike playing as the character, the idea of "people disliking the concept of playing on the other side in a game that is supposed to be the 'Master Chief blows up some alien scum' show" was a plausible complaint.[36] Among some fans, the character was reviled.[3] A panel of Halo 2 reviewers argued that though the decision to humanize the Covenant by the introduction of the Arbiter was welcome, the execution in-game was lacking;[37] critics highlighted the perceived poor quality of the Arbiter's missions compared to those played as the Master Chief.[14][37][38] Looking back at the game's release ten years later, Den of Geek described players as having a "love–hate relationship" with the character, and that the furor over the twist was only overshadowed because of the controversy of the game's cliffhanger ending.[39]
The reception of the Arbiter's elimination as a main playable character in Halo 3 was similarly mixed. Hilary Goldstein of IGN decided the change took away the "intriguing side-story of the Arbiter and his Elites", in the process reducing the character's role to that of "a dude with a weird mandible and a cool sword".[40] Likewise, Steve West of Cinemablend stated that the one important event in the game for the Arbiter would be lost on anyone for whom Halo 3 was their first game in the series.[41] Goldstein took issue with the poor artificial intelligence of allies in the game and singled out the Arbiter in particular, describing the character as useless.[42][43] The New York Times' Charles Herold found that in comparison to Halo 2, where the character played a central role, the Arbiter in Halo 3 was "extraneous".[44] On the opposite end of the spectrum were reviewers like G4tv, who argued that the Arbiter was more likeable, not to mention more useful, as an AI sidekick instead of the main player.[45] MSNBC rated the Arbiter one of game's top alien characters,[46] and Comic Book Resources described the Arbiter's reception as a transition from divisive character to fan favorite.[47]
Halo Wars's cinematics and voice acting were widely lauded,[48][49][50][51] although one reviewer wrote that the characters were stereotypical and unlikeable.[52] Dakota Grabowski of PlanetXbox360 considered the Arbiter the most confusing character in the game's story.[53] Conversely, GamePro described the Arbiter as one of the best things about the game, saying that while it was a different character than the Arbiter seen in Halo 2 and Halo 3, he was "like an alien Jack Bauer amped up on drugs".[54]
Despite the resistance to the character, Bungie staff defended the character's introduction. "I'd much rather experiment and do something surprising, and not have everybody appreciate it, than just turn the crank and do another alien war movie with a space marine," said Halo 2 design lead Jaime Griesemer. Community lead Brian Jarrard attributed some of the fan backlash to a discord between the game's marketing and the actual gameplay. "I think, even more so than playing as the Arbiter, the thing that people were disappointed with and angry about is that they were promised this experience, through the marketing, of being really backs against the wall, Earth's under siege, we're going to do all we can to save our home planet... In reality, the game only had two missions that actually did that." Referring to Halo 2's cliffhanger ending, Griesemer said, "I think if we'd been able to finish that last couple of missions and get you properly back on Earth, a lot of the reaction would have been placated."[3]
Retrospective reviews on The Arbiter since Halo 2's release have been more positive. In 2021, a Polygon article stated "the Arbiter gives Master Chief a run for his money as "badass video game protagonist", and he does it in only six missions."[55] A piece in The Escapist stated "Thel 'Vadam is the only character in the Halo games with a proper character arc" and "All told then, more than 15 years after his introduction, the Arbiter continues to hold an uneasy but influential place in the Halo franchise. When he was introduced, he expanded the series's scope with grand narrative ambition but some frustrating gameplay choices. When he was mothballed, that ambition seemed to leave with him."[56]