Halo is one of the preeminent shooters, which makes it an easy target for critics. One of the things people have asked about the series over the years is why Bungie or 343 Industries hasn't incorporated iron-sights aiming. As it turns out, there's a pretty reasonable explanation.

The main reason, according to 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor, comes down to the game's pace. "Halo has these slightly longer, more strategic encounters," he told AusGamers in an interview. "I think if I was playing Call of Duty for example, and a good player got the drop on me -- came up behind me -- I’m dead. There’s nothing I can do about it, not a chance.

"Halo has a different pace in encounters and if a good player comes up behind me and starts shooting, I’ve got a small chance of turning that encounter around. I’ll probably still get killed because I’m pretty bad, but it does have a different pace and it does have a bigger sandbox and I think that’s what makes Halo Halo."

"When you think about aiming down sights or iron-sights, you’re kind of talking about a bullet-point on a list of design features and that in and of itself is fine, but you kind of want to think about the entire experience: 'What is an entire encounter like?'" adds 343's Chad Armstrong. "With Halo, you tend to get recognisable pacing and something like iron-sights can have a dramatic affect on what that pacing is."

So there you have it. While it doesn't look as though you'll be lining up shots by looking down your pistol's barrel, at least you know why it isn't happening.

Source: AusGamers via Shacknews. Thanks for the tip, Christopher!