Gameplay

Roses vs Violets

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

Roses vs Violets
Roses vs Violets.png
20 Gamerscore icon taken from Xbox.com. Originally a single block colour (with the two circles both being white and the 'G' a transparent cutout), but modified by myself to display nicely on dark *and* light themes, and to be reminiscent of the pre-Xbox One gamerscore icon.

Roses vs Violets is an achievement in Halo 4 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection. It is awarded when a player finds one of the Red vs. Blue Easter eggs while playing Spartan Ops. On Halo 4, the achievement is worth 20 Gamerscore and is represented by a star inside an oval with one half of color blue and the other red.[1] On Halo: The Master Chief Collection, it is worth 5 Gamerscore and is represented on the Steam icon by a Spartan with one half darkened, one half lighter.

Easter eggs[edit]

So far, these Easter eggs can be found within a chapter of each episode of Spartan Ops.

  • Michael J. Caboose of Blue Team will slip in the radio transmissions between Sarah Palmer, Robert Dalton and Fireteam Castle during Core.[2]
  • Caboose and Church of Blue Team can be heard, followed by Grif and Simmons of Red Team. When these characters speak, their dialogue replaces that of Science Team Gagarin during Gagarin.[3] The way to get this Easter egg is by hugging the left wall, until you see yellow sacks on the walls. There is a box hidden behind a bush to the left. Shoot it and carry on with the level to hear the Easter egg effects and get the achievement.
  • In the mission Shootout In Valhalla, dialogue from Grif and Simmons is heard during the scene where four Pelican transports arrive to reinforce Fireteam Crimson with Mantises.[4]
  • Shortly after clearing the Forerunner tower of Prometheans during the mission Rally Point, Vic will cut in after the conversation between Paul DeMarco and Sarah Palmer.[5]
  • In the beginning of the mission Spartan Thorne, Sarge (caption says "Caboose") explains that he is unable to provide the players with a lift, as he currently has nothing other than crates of weapons available. He then suggests that one might be able to fashion some sort of primitive vehicle from weapon parts, but cautions that the insurance rates for such a conveyance would likely be cost-prohibitive. A few seconds later, Sarge reprimands Grif for dropping their cargo, lamenting the fact that they will now be unable to play Grifball. Grif (caption says "Sarge") gives reply, questioning the wisdom of bringing a military vehicle into combat loaded with sports equipment.[6] This is the only Easter Egg which affects gameplay, as the ordnance drops become Gravity Hammers instead of Spartan Lasers.
  • In the mission Search and Destroy, when the Fireteam Switchback contacts the UNSC Infinity, instead of SPARTAN Cara Costabile, we can hear Sarge (posing as a "Corporal Switchback") asking Infinity if their slipspace drive is running, followed by the usual punchline of "Better go catch it!". A few seconds later Grif can be heard screaming "Baba-Booey!! Baba-Booey!!" [7]
  • In the mission Engine of Destruction, when Crimson fights against the Covenant remnant on the Infinity, Simmons will contact Command, saying there's a firefight in the engine room and he needs Maintenance. Miller informs him that the Spartans will be there soon, to which Simmons responds sarcastically: "Oh great! More people with guns. I'm sure THAT will fix the engine."[8]
  • In the mission Majestic Rescue, after Miller tells Crimson that Dalton will send more gear, Caboose will say "Six crates of elbow grease and headlight fluid inbound now!"[9]
  • In the mission The Hammer, when Crimson activates one of Hawk Squad's IFF tags, Church will be heard arguing with a Sangheili, telling him that he does not understand what he says. The Elite, enraged, kills Church with an Energy Sword. This Easter egg is a reference to the first chapters of the fourth season of Red vs Blue, where the Blue Team meets an alien and they have trouble understanding what the alien is trying to say.[10]
  • In the mission Seize the Power, when Crimson must board a Lich with jetpacks, Freelancer Agent Georgia will say "Cool! Jetpacks! That would help us get on that ship or my name isn't Agent Georgia". This Easter is a reference to a running gag in Season 10, in which Agent Georgia was involved in a terrible incident, due to not following "course correction" while using a jetpack and his body was never found. At the same time, that reference is heavily reminiscent of James-005's fate.[11]

Trivia[edit]

The achievement's name is most likely a reference to the Red vs. Blue theme song, Blood Gulch Blues by Trocadero; specifically derived from the lyric "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue", which itself is a reference to the poem "Roses are red".

Sources[edit]