<![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Everybody here who is using Halo 3's lack of "innovation" as their argument needs to stop their lazy thinking habits.

They also need to stop the hypocrisy, because I'm 95% certain that a good number of you regularly play long ongoing series that are not "innovative."

Halo 3 has its faults. Its campaign is disappointing. It doesn't provide as many movement and cover options as it should have (Gears of War spoiled me).

Similarly, it has its strengths. The game's multiplayer is immensely fun. The game also makes viewing and saving videos braindead easy (this has a multitude of function, including figuring out problem spots in your competitive game and seeing where and how opponents are moving). Its network interface is slick and clean.

No, it didn't live up to its hype. Yes, its hype is annoying. No, it isn't "innovative." Yes, a game can be good without being "innovative." Yes, it's a piss-poor single-player experience. No, that doesn't justify writing off the whole game.

If you don't like the game, that's fine. Don't play it. But when finding reasons to slam it, at the very least use your brain and use arguments with merit.

Thanks.

Langis

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> DOGORT
HEHE, So jaws and Star Wars were breathing fresh air into a stagnating genres? In other words Jaws was a refreshing take on the STAGNATE(that's what you meant) genre of shark films? Man you severely misunderstood what I was saying. Ok, Jaws was not that grounbreaking, what actually sold the public was that it was a b movie filmed on open waters on a tight budget. Pretty standard fare fore a thriller of its type. It became a blockbuster for reasons of its cost to what it eventually earned. I never said Halo was anything new. In fact, I believe I had mentioned that already in the post that you previously misunderstood. All I was saying was that Halo 3 is ushering in a new era of blockbuster gaming that very few titles ever achieve. Ok, let us take a look at modern blockbusters such as Spiderman 3. Now think about the media blitz that film garnered. Now, lets look at Halo 3. It is obviously comparable. That is my point. Whether it is a good or bad thing, is a matter of opinion. It is nonetheless interesting to note such widespread coverage for a videogame.


zombiefrank

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Just had to come in, and note...my 8 year old son just beat this game in two days...

Ahhh...I think we as consumers are being taken in by the hype...as I feel like my 60 bucks wasn't worth squat...
(Note...an 8 year old beats game in 9 hours on normal...sad)

openedge1

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Pariah: I know that Pariah but considering he isn't actually in the United States Navy or Coast Guard, it still sounds dumb as hell.

Gagamus

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Gagamus:

Errr... Master Chief is an actual Military rank.

Pariah

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I think the amazingly high production values really show in the third installment, and I'm enjoying it immensely, it's too bad the hype is a bit over the top because 'hard-core' gamers (a group which I consider myself a part of) are missing out of they decide to sit this chapter out. Sure it's not the second coming of Christ like the media would have you believe, but it's a damn good game.

alb1221

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I just finished the single player game and am moving onto the multi. I really liked the single player, some cool moments. Better than Halo 2's, but I still think Halo 1 had the best single player. The gunplay I think is a lot better and the shear amount of stuff going on at any given time is amazing. I will say I think the game really peaks in the middle, the first two levels were a little too tunnel-y for me and the last two levels I think were a little too flood-y. That being except the very last bit of action. So good.

Multi from the bit I've played is fun. They kept and improved the ranking which I think makes the multi so great. Maps are generally good, a few I don't like. Also a great set of rock paper scissors type things with vehicles, anti vehicle guns, and anti infantry weapons.

My biggest complaint I would say is that there is not really that many improvements over 2. 2 added a lot, this doesn't. BUT it gets everything right this time, which is nice in my book.

Its a fun game, regardless of what anybody says about over-hype over-rated or whatever. I'll be playing a lot of live, add me if you want to steal some flags (Sebec1000)

Sebec

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I think whether you like Halo or hate it, we should all be liking the hype its getting. It's the only video game right now really breaking into the mainstream as far as media advertising goes. When I read discussions comparing it to the Spiderman 3 movie, I just think that's a good thing for gaming in general.

Callidux

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I'll keep this simple. Halo is one of THE most overhyped games out there. Yet somehow the fans just eat it up.

At its core, it's a poorly designed and rather generic FPS. As a single player game it's complete garbage, and its only saving grace is multiplayer. Bioshock destroys this games single player mode in every possible way (levels, characters, weapons, etc)

I will admit one thing though. As a personal hater of the Halo series, this is the first game i've actually beat in the series. I guess its 6-8 hour single player held my attention long enough to 'finish the fight'. I'd never play through it again, but it felt like one of those things i just had to beat.

The funny thing is, i'm pretty excited for Halo Wars. Just cause it doesn't have all the hype behind it. It just looks like a pretty well made RTS.

Desfunk

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I hate hype. Hype didn't ruin the horrible Halo 2. That's right. This is a Halo fan that hates Halo 2. Horrid game that most thought lived up to the hype.

Halo 3 on the other hand is well rounded, except that Normal is too easy for the average gamer, and was made for the casual gamer. The best part ala the music is lacking and too soft when not in Surround Sound and the list goes on and on. Overall the game is fairly good. I give it a 9.5/10 just because while it's flawed it isn't overly glitchy, flawed and lacking like Halo 2 and Gears of War.

The graphics complaints from others are lame. I like graphics so I analyze everything from polygons, light effects and textures. After thorough use of the flashlight, grenades and other effects along with a zoom in on textures with the built in 5x scope; I found Halo 3 to have fantastic graphics.

The only reason the graphics look bad are due to the fact that Bungie jumped the gun by showing an overly detailed Master Chief in an empty sandbox for the E3 2006 demo.

The textures for the most part surpass the detail found in the Xbox 360 versions of Bioshock and Rainbow Six which were both praised for their graphics. Not only that but Halo 3 pushes out awesome HDR effects, even surpassing those found in the 2005 patch addition of HDR in Half-Life 2. This is with many enemies, objects, effects, huge detailed enviroments for the most part, and four player co-op. The graphics are definately not junk. The texture detail is so miniscule it is barely noticeable in screenshots and 3rd person, but zoomed in the graphics look great.

Animations kind of stink for faces and go along with a somewhat dated story for this generation. Still good, but dated.

Overall a great game that is shot down only due to Hype.

Tomsawyer101

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @slacker164:
I couldn't have agreed with you any better because you are right on the money for this over rater game I'm almost tempted to go return it despite picking it up last night after work and not having played it yet. just sits there sealed with the rest of my other new games I have yet to open/play. Honestly I'm looking forward to play final fantasy tactics (revamped) on the psp despite owning the original (mind you, not the classic collection with the green bar on the side) more than halo 3

cherrybomb

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> We're threatened because Halo will allow cliche "epic" stories to become more commonplace, and generic combat to be just fine - since people will buy anything if it's in a certain franchise. I want well-written, engrossing stories and tight, fast-paced combat.

And yes, there's no question mouse/keyboard is the superior control scheme for FPS - it's not an opinion, it's objective fact.

And it's awful if more FPS decide that cutscenes are a good idea - they completely remove the character from the story. ALL FPS should keep the player in his character's eyes and the developers should come up with ways to tell the story effectively in that manner.

Laffo at the clown saying Halo put gaming into the mainstream. Guess you missed the games that came before that sold more copies (do the original Super Mario games ring a bell?).

Americana

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Violater: No

Brian Crecente

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I agree with the majority of the people posting here that the ridiculous amount of marketing and publicity being poured into promoting Halo has been overwhelming, but having it sway your opinion so drastically so as to reject the game and any merit it may hold in its own right seems a bit ignorant to me. Why would you deny yourself a potentially fun game just because Microsoft decided to ensure their bet and advertise their flagship title? How does that affect you in the least bit? If you aren't watching a TV ad about Halo, then you'd still be having to watch some stupid Mountain Dew commercial, only without Master Chief on the can. Be thankful that the industry is getting this much exposure at all. How much of an elitist do you have to be to want to keep new people from taking an interest in your hobby?

I'm also puzzled by those folks posting about how Halo simply isn't any fun at all. Maybe my opinion was skewed a bit, but playing 8 on 8 blood gulch in my dorm hall freshman year through our LAN with 4 guys to a TV was maybe the most fun I've ever had playing a video game. The frantic screaming as one team got his Warthog rocketed inches from the flag capture point is still ringing in my ears almost five years later. I'm excited to be able to play a shiny new Halo game years later with an HDTV all to myself with my college buddies screaming at me through their headsets :)

Bushwhacked

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Halo 3 is overhyped...sure. Tell that to the millions of people trying to play online right now with the servers that crashed.

Jooptang

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Ok graphically, in a nutshell...

HDR is amazing, some of the best ive ever seen.
Metal textures on character models is lovely.
Shadows are really good too.

Thats about it. Everything else in the game looks like its from Halo 2. Its nice and all, but could have been so much nicer.

robnubis

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> As much as people complain about companies hyping games, I think its a necessary evil. There's lots of online discussion about making games more mainstream or getting the same respect the movie industry does or even the debate about games being art. Games will have to reach a much larger audience for any of those things to happen. Major advertisement lets the non-gaming world know that we are here investing our time in these things. It also sends a bigger message that we will invest our money in this. And that's a message that has to be sent for non-gamers to start taking games seriously as a medium. A large volume of people still think games are just for kids. I think hype can help to diminish that point of view if used correctly.

As much as everyone is whining about it, at the end of the day, which would you honeslty rather hear or see an advertisement for: some stupid Sandra Bullock movie(no offense to SB lovers!) or a game advert? I will 100% of the time choose the game advert. Just my 2 cents.

As far as H3 in particular. I enjoy it. It's Halo. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it finishes off a series and stays true to the originals. Saved Films are amazingly awesome, and Forge has a lot of untapped potential. Cheers and see you on Live.

Mesidin

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Halo is sadly, one of the most overrated and uninnovative franchises ever. Now you can make an argument for MGS, Zelda, Mario, FF for being overrated but you sure as hell can't say that they were not innovative. Are you seriously telling me that a recharging energy meter, being forced to carry only two weapons, and dealing with somewhat intelligent enemy AI is actually innovation? Add in a sci fi story written by a crack team of 4th graders, the worst name for a protagonist ever (let's use two superlatives), and the complete disregard Halo whores have for other fps's because of the supposed superiority of their game, and we have one of the most mediocre franchises ever.

Halo 1 had its charm and its great graphics but it also had shitty level design that completely ruined the game. It also had an overpowered pistol but an ok story. Halo 2 upped the ante with cheat prone online play, more crappy level design, dual wielding holy cow!, and a cliffhanger ending that reeked of laziness, incompetence, and arrogance. Halo 3 looks to end the trilogy by taking the best from both previous games. It's a real shame that Bungie didn't ratchet up the graphics even more. The game is hardly a showpiece for your X360. The fucking game still doesn't have bots for multiplayer. And yet, the story supposedly has a real conclusion. The shitty level design has been reduced to only consisting of 1/3rd of the game. The Forge and clip saving are surely great things. And the game still lets you shoot evil nasty aliens in the face. So yay for that.

But honestly, console players have absolutely no taste. None. Why does Halo get its ass kicked when it is released on PC? Why does no one give a shit about it? Because it's hardly the greatest FPS out there, even though it is marketed and hyped like it is. The amount of first person shooters better than Halo can't even be listed on two hands. You can't blame MS for hyping up Halo though, they still have not had even one profitable quarter for their XBOX business. But going back to that crapadelic Xbox launch in 2001, one game stood out from the rest of the turds. And whether it was the convenient blend of decent co-op or a competent physics engine that successfully married vehicles and multiplayer, Halo worked. But it didn't excel. And it never has. And it never will. Even in the year 2007. It will sell 6-9 million copies ultimately and make a lot of money. But don't ask me if I care. I'll be too busy playing games that are better and add so much more to their genres.

Gagamus

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Fluffy22:

See, it's people like you who start the flame wars in the first place!!!

My complaint, about Halo 3? It was overhyped. That's it. Great games can practically sell themselves with a small amount of exposure, and that includes Halo 3... but this hype train basically bound and gagged you, threw you on the bed, and violated you in the most vicious way possible...

... uhh, any of you ladies free tonight?

Enigma_20XX

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> i think Halo 3 is overhyped

the single player campaign is too short

graphics are meh

jaggies all over the place

story is meh

enemy AI best ever seen

....

i finished the fight a couple of hours ago and please don't bash me, but i like Lair more than Halo 3 ;-)

Halo 3 = Hype x 3

schnodder

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @ecurtz: 5 billion:Microsoft :: nickels:You or Me

thorshammer

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @crecente: "top selling game (of all time?)" Halo 3 has a lonnnnng way to go before it could be the top of all time. In fact, it would need to sell another 5 million copies more than what Halo 2 did to be able to beat out friggin' Nintendogs (of all games).

That said, Halo is, whether we like it or not, a cultural phenomenon. So naturally it is going to be wrung through the hype machine as much as possible. Especially considering it is the 'last' one. Doesn't make it necessarily wrong, though people have a tendency to resent anything that is or suddenly-becomes popular.

I don't own a 360 myself, but I wouldn't turn down an invite to play it. It'll just be added to small (but growing) list of games that I'd like to play on a 360 when I get some time with one. (Also on the list: Dead Rising & Eternal Sonata)

Just tell me there will be some hype and coolness for when Galaxy and Brawl come out:)

thorshammer

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @zombiefrank:
You can't seriously compare Halo 3 to Jaws and Star Wars. Unlike Jaws and Star Wars, Halo 3 is not a breath of fresh air into a stagnating genre, neither is it critically acclaimed for doing things its predecessors never did and nor will it completely revolutionize gaming as we know it. Much like World of Warcraft, it does nothing new nor does it do it particularly well. People aren't buying the game, they're buying the name.

mrdietsoda

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> HELLO I AM GAMESPOT I REVIEWED METRIOD PRIME 3 AND ZELDA, BUT GAVE THEM LOW SCORES BECOUSE I HAD ALREADY PLAYED THERE OTHER GAMES AND THEY WERE THE SAME...

ZOMFG HALO OMG OMG OMG I CAME 9.5 LOOK AT HOW FUCKING DIFFERENT IT IS FROM HALO 2 IT DOUSENT HAVE A SHIT ENDING AT ALLLLLLLLLLL.... IT DOUSENT HAVE THE SAME ENERMYS THE SAME GUNS THE SAME SYSTEM OF PLAY AT ALLLLLLLLLLLL

and this here people is why i stopped listening to people who used IGN and gamespot as a credible review source

STARSBarry

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> A guy i know at university showed Halo 3 off to me yesterday. We played the first 3 or 4 levels co-op. It seemed solid enough, with decent controls and decent enemy AI, but i really was not impressed.

I've never understood Halo. I played a port of the first game on my PC when it came out and got bored after the first level.

I have to wonder if it's just something to do with all the people who never gamed before owning an Xbox. While i don't particularly like the FPS genre all that much, i have played them since Wolfenstien 3D and make it a point to play ones that i think have something new to offer (Duke 3D, Half-life, System Shock 2,... Fear).

Halo really does feel like "Been there, done that". I have a friend who loves the FPS genre. I understand that for fans of any genre, a solid title works on its own merits. Having said that, i still really don't get it. Single player, it can't hold a candle to Bioshock atmospherically and it can't hold a candle to Fear in game mechanics. Multiplayer, well i got console FPS multiplayer out of my system a long time ago. It was called Goldeneye.

To leave on a somewhat sour note, i did find it quite sad that throughout the co-op levels of Halo 3 i played, the guy showing it to me was trying to sell inconsequential features of the game to me. "Oh wow, look at the expressions", "Look at how nice the jungle looks", "There are scratches on Master Chief's Helmet". It sounded a lot like he was trying to justify the game to himself, but was lost in what Halo means to its fans today.

Atomicvege

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I played a bit and really didn't enjoy it. It all seemed... lackluster in every regard.

Half-Life and Half-Life 2 do everything that Halo is trying to do, but better. I really don't see anything special in this series other than an interesting study of how marketing means more than the product itself.

elevenoverzero

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I've just started playing and I'm not going to risk reading the other comments in case of spoilers so sorry if this doesn't fit into a discussion.

I like it, I like it a lot. I think it's probably nearing the peak of perfection for this type of FPS (this 'type' as opposed to something that isn't totally focused on combat like Half Life). But at the same time I'm sad to realise that Halo 3 IS the peak of this kind of FPS. It seems like this is as far as this genre goes.

I was so excited back when Doom came out (I know it was not the first FPS). And I looked forward to the day when FPS got better graphics, better weapons, better stories and better level design. Well that day has certainly come, but I can't help but be disappointed that it's not going to get much better than this.

Halo 3 being as good as it is, exposes the weaknesses of the genre. And being so cinematic it shows a FPS can never be as good as telling a story as a movie, because it will always have to make room for some shooting (obviously).

These are just first impressions. Maybe someone can see my point and put it more eloquently. If you focus on anything I've said, focus on this - I love it. But now I'm seeing the best of the best I'm seeing the limitations and no longer wondering of the possibilities.

floppylobster

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> if I somehow bought this game and a 360, forge is pretty much all I would do on it, but the hype is the reason for the hate, people don't like it when something mediocre gets more publicized than something that is truly good.

Duct_Tape_Guardian

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> After playing metroid prime 3 and then halo 3 and I never relised how good metroid prime 3 controls realy are. If wii grafics are judged by 360 grafics they should judge halos controls by metroids and come to the conclusion that halos conjtrols suck

SHADOSofNin

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Like someone else said, I will continue to enjoy Bioshock. I played Halo 1 and Halo 2 and all I found was a standard and non revolutionary FPS game. Keep in mind that I'm not really into multiplayer and prefer strong single player games. Single player Halo is just not that impressive to me. I'm sick of all the halo 3 hype and advertisements to, I really hope it's over soon...

lestat730

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Leobebes: Or maybe - and bear with me here, because I know this might be a scary concept for you - it was never the second-coming it was hyped up to be.

At one time, I would say that advertising can only go so far, but truthfully, after seeing the spectacle that was the Halo 3 hype-train, with the right approach you can sell anything.

It's not a bad game by any means, but I would argue that it's popular for the sake of being popular, and I'm saying this as someone who's finished both the first and second game.

Not everyone here who doesn't see the game favorably is a hater - although they might - they may very well think, much like I do, that it's a mediocre series at best with some AAA marketing backing it.

Comparitively, Nintendogs has continued to outsell Halo and Halo 2 combined (almost 15 million sold and counting...), and so far as I can recall, there wasn't a limited-edition Puppy Fuel can of Mountain Dew, or a Siberian Husky Slurp-ee (har har) back when it launched, yet here it is, still selling like crazy.

I don't know, maybe people who didn't buy Nintendogs feel threatened by puppies. What do you think?

frygar

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I don't think this is a spoiler, if it is then feel free to ban me.

Was anybody else pissed off that the epic battle depicted in the "Believe" ad (the museum diorama) wasn't in the game?

Lacrox

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Anemone: You are my hero and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. ;)

Langis

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @baberg:

If this is true, then I have lost all respect for Bungie as developers. Gaining notoriety for and whoring out a single series for the rest of their existence is pathetic.

Pariah

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @zombiefrank: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time would like to have some words with you, Frank.

frygar

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> It's *good* because MS has spoken from on high and the hive complies. The first two games' campaign modes were atrocious, and from what I've read (and tried) so it is with the newest installment. The multiplayer was fun, online, fun, but too many screaming jocks / 13 year olds / skeezy old farts / inebriated fuckrods really put the stink on it. This is why I no longer have a Live account, it truly is the third level of Hell; a steal at $70 USD!

My 360 gets no love, I tells ya. I would've considered Halo 3 strictly for the multiplayer, but the sucky campaign mode, obnoxious hype, lackluster visuals and the fact that I already have Warhawk has landed this turkey in the DO NOT WANT bin.

Finish the Hype.

frygar

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> My 360 died 5 days before launch I am so pissed that I am calling it quites on the 360 I get my money back for the Halo 3 and Mass effect which was paid in full and will be going to trade in my 360 once repaired...

I just got the box today... After this I will be MS free...

giddieon

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @kingofallcosmos:

I'm a proud swede be so sure of that ^^ And yeah, I know that the hype is painfully in your face over at your place but a pacifist and a generally loving person I really can't understand the anger and hate people direct towards a game and its related marketing, I mean sheesh, do something about it if it's that untolerable. File a complaint somewhere, start an underground organisation to tear down all the posters, bribe radio channels to stop the commercials or something. All this unproductive hate and flaming isn't getting anyone anywhere other than sad places. Be happy, discuss what you find negative, reach a conclusion and try to change what you find yourself unsatisfied with and we'll all be som much better of ^^

BTW didn't direct this post at you, but at the gaming community in general.

TakeoNinja

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I am one of the people who reserved Halo 3. but my xbox decided to break after permanent warranties on the 2005 ones were quietly discontinued in july. I am PISSED, but im not going to say halo is bad or anything cause thats BS, it gets a 10/10. But if after I pay $70 for halo3 after I just paid $99 to get my 360 fixed (no 3 red lights) and my disc doesn't work I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN microsoft. But untill Bill Gates's head ends up in my freezer, heres to playing halo 1 on my crappy computer so i can survive untill I can finish the fight

mferrari

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> ok i know this wont even be noticed but.

3 reviews i saw for halo3 actually gave it a higher score because it was halo3

IGN UK the reviewer stated they were a fanboy at the start of the review.

games radar gave it a 10/10 but also stated the storyline is a convulted mess.

and pro G gave the game a 29/30 (9.6/10) but showed there final score as 10/10

naxik

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> As has been stated here, Halo 3 will not by any means be the best-selling game of this year, or of this generation. But this won't stop the 1Ups, IGNs, and Kotakus of the world from covering this event as though it were the Second Coming.

Will we see similar blanket coverage for other games that have even-or-better chances of outselling Halo 3? Galaxy, Brawl, {insert PS3 title here}, etc? I doubt it, although I'd love for gaming journalists to show me wrong.

HylianTom

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @TakeoNinja:
There is no disrespect meant by this, but if you are not in the United States (and if you are, shame on you for impersonating a Swede!) you have no idea how much of a marketing blitz we have had over here. I would assume that there is the same amount of hype as there is for a new Dragon Quest game in Japan or a system launch and that is probably the only gaming hype equivalent. Justified? Maybe. Worth discussing? Definitely.


kingofallcosmos

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I think Halo 3 has done for the video game biz what Jaws and Star Wars did for the Film industry, it created the first blockbuster. I adhere to this very strictly. This hype is nothing new, for example, remember King Kong. It had hype and everything in between, even the arbitrary fast food tie-ins. I think the problem is that we as gamers are not yet use to this huge mainstream media coverage of a videogame other than the ubiquitous violence debate. I anticipate this happening very soon with other high profile titles as well. I guess we are going to have to adjust to this. Regardless of the hype, Halo 3 was always going to be a huge phenomenon and success in and of itself, just by the install base alone. What I do not understand is the argument of Halo's mediocrity and repetetiveness. I think some are confused, Halo offers a continuity. Grounbreaking, no, you will have to look elsewhere. I am not saying Halo is THE GAME but the experience it offers is extremely solid and consistently fun for those that enjoy it. Not many games achieve this and my hat goes off to Bungie for upping the ante with some very exciting and innovative features outside of the solo campaign.

zombiefrank

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Why should I complain? I got a free soda out of taking it from under a halo 3 promotional whatever.

rdj

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @hchaudh1: amen to that

Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @takeonninja

I think a lot of people are annoyed here because as with everything else MicroSoft, the hype is over the top for what is actually a so-so product. What ends up happening then is a lot of good games that we love and enjoy are side lined or scrapped. Sire its business as usual for corporations, but for gamers its really a bad thing.

Halo : Gaming :: MySpace : Intarwebs

hchaudh1

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Good morning everybody? How have you been? Not so good I see... All this anger, all this hate, tsk tsk... What has the world come to? Is there really no love, no tolerance, no respect left here on this god forsaken planet?

I don't see why one have to care about what other people find fun and enjoying, neither do I see the point in spraying shit all over someones hardwork just because you happened not to like it. I mean seriously, take it back to the store if you bought it or mind your own buisness if you haven't even bothered to check it out more than checking the scores and the ending on youtube.

Personally me and my friend are going to finish the fight together in the weekend and my clan is aiming to be the number 1 clan in Sweden at Halo 3. Now I don't say that Halo 1, 2 or 3 are the best games ever, neither do I say that they are bad. They are just very accesible games that has helped define console FPS's and console multiplayer online. Also they are well balanced and very tight in multiplayer so they make for good games to compete in, something that was as good as exclusive to the PC prior the release of Halo 2. I like me my Halo due to this, decent singleplayer to kill time, tight multiplayer both at LAN parties and later online with lots of room for player skill and with a vivid community (albeit it containing a lot of immature jerks, but hey all communities have those...) built around it. Also co-op is gold and has always been gold, so few games implement it even though it is the main thing a game has to have if me and my friends will consider to play it when we are over to visit each others and run out of other crap to do. Co-op really made Halo 1, 2 what it is to me and my friends and the only reason I still keep them instead of tradeing them in.

Sure the press and the hype can be annoying but hey, nobody forced you to listen, watch, eat it, they just put it out there. Also its a no-brainer that they try to make money out of it. Besides saying that it's a bad game is not true, just as stupid as saying its a perfect game infact. Personally I find it more enjoying than Bioshock (short, dumb, easy, no MP) and, well any other FPS to date (Though I like GoW really much, though its MP is a little bugged and not as tight, balanced).

My point is, love more hate less and don't bother when there's no need to bother and this world will be so much more enjoyable for the lot of us. Thank you for your time and co-operation, over and out

Cheers
/The Ninja

TakeoNinja

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Anybody else think the Arbiter sounds like Killface from Frisky Dingo?

DjangoSC

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @tk.:
Eternal Sonata is already out.I got it when I picked up Halo 3,as a matter of fact.

As soon as I finish Wild Arms 5 and Halo 3,I'll start on that.


Megatenist

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Hah, you used the word 'hype' three times, not two!

... In a more related comment, I never really got the love of Halo... Though I'm admittedly not a big fan of Third or First Person Shooters at all, really. Need to keep away from automatic guns, or else I pull the old spray-and-pray.

Reilaos~

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @DoggySpew: Just off the top of my head, Mass Effect, Guitar Hero 3, Rock Band and Eternal Sonata are all coming out in the next couple of months. And Marvel:Ultimate Alliance Platinum Enhanced (which I can't find yet, due to teh haloez). And skate. just came out. Not sure what kind of games you play outside of FPSes, but that's on my to-do list :)

tk.

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @creid: It's meant to act as a representation of the player, theres nothing ugly about it.

Now if you're referring to design choices of style, then that falls into a matter of taste, an quite frankly, alot of people have alot of different opinions an perspectives all over the damn world, so get over yourself an stop stereotyping.

belo

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I can't be the only one that cares nothing for any of the hype or ads or anything, and just wants to play the game... that's about all I have to say right now.

N-Bomb

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> The worst part is that this will prolly also win Game of the Year just for being popular and not particularly being great at anything.

Wolf_Dog

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I'd love to get in on this, but my launch 360 picked the exact SECOND before the game finished loading the first level to freeze up on me. Upon restart, I got the rings. Why couldn't this have happened a month ago?

MBCpeanut

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I have two points, and while I would love to flaaaaame the hell out of this post, I'll hold back a little.

1. I don't know about the rest of you, but after playing Bioshock for the past month, Halo's single player feels......I don't want to say archaic, but that's the word that's coming to mind. Before you start in with the "Bioshock is a more open world, less mission based, different game, blah blah..", I just mean mechanically the game feels behind. You know how when you play....say, Super Mario 64 (a great game, but stick with me for argument's sake), and it doesn't feel as natural as something like Ratchet and Clank 3? That's what I feel like with Halo 3 vs Bioshock. The graphics completely aside (in other words: they need a fucking upgrade), it just feels....old. Maybe that'll change as I get through the game, we'll see.

2. Halo is the Matrix. Think about that for a second. It works better than you think. Some examples of what I mean:

-Halo 1 was instantly classic, with scenes that were memorable immediately throughout the entire game, didn't require a sequel, was a pinnacle game of it's generation, and redefined the FPS genre.
-The Matrix was instantly classic, with scenes that were memorable immediately throughout the entire movie, didn't require a sequel, was a pinnacle movie of it's generation, and redefined the Sci-Fi genre.

-Halo 2 introduced new characters you didn't really give a shit about (any and all brute characters, Keyes' daughter, the Arbiter (debatable)), the campaign was lacking and derivative compared to the first one, and ended with an awful cliffhanger.
-The Matrix Reloaded introduced new characters you didn't really give a shit about (Niobe, Ghost, the Meruvingian (sp)), the story was lacking and derivative compared to the first one, and ended with an awful cliffhanger.

-After Halo became the shit shortly after it's release, all the sudden it was going to be a trilogy, and the focus was less on Master Chief just being a badass alien killing motherfucker and more on saving humanity, culminating with a complete change of direction story-wise from the first game to the third.
-After the Matrix became the shit shortly after it's release, all the sudden it was going to be a trilogy, and the focus was less on Neo just being a badass agent killing motherfucker and more on saving humanity, culminating with a complete change of direction story-wise from the first movie to the third.

You see where I'm going with this? It's debateable, and some things change from one to the other (critical reception, for instance, though I think if games were as old as movies, this might be different), but I think it's pretty interesting to think about the parallels in terms of how they developed.

One more point. Should some backwards crazy holy shit won't happen situation come about where it becomes widely known that gamers are unhappy with Halo 3, it would sure as shit affect gaming journalism, from the top down. Hype starts with places like IGN, in my opinion, and while Microsoft was advertising the shit out of Halo 3, they could do so eeeeasily behind the bigtime journalist's insistance that it was well-deserved hype for a game that would go down as one of the best in history. Then they rate it a 9.5, behind Bioshock, which, while they hyped it a good deal, didn't receive nearly the amount of praise Halo 3 did before release.

People are going to figure out that places like IGN play into the hype machine and give us false ideas of how good games are going to be, maybe not with Halo 3, but sometime it's bound to happen. When that happens, something is going to change in gaming journalism (except for Kotaku cause Kotaku is teh tits).




DjangoSC

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Did EB Games screw anyone else? They sent it to my billing address (across the country) rather than the shipping address (I paid for overnight).

I am pissed.

I hereby decree EB Games must checks themselves lest they wreck themselves.

OhTheHugeManatee

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @kingofallcosmos: Actually, you raise an excellent point there. What happens if Halo 3 doesn't cause a spike in 360 sales (apart from ones to replace RRODed ones, arf!). Surely that would leave 360 sales in a bit of a rut?

superbabyproject

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I wasn't expecting such a huge wait at the Best Buy in Coquitlam BC. There were about 250 people there, lots of rowdies. There was a fight, some jackass teenager was waving his helmet around calling people suckers and what not. These two guys confronted him and a shoving match ensued. At least there was a bit of entertainment!

It was raining too, so I couldn't play my DS :(.

argh

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I hate the Halo hype. If it were because of game sales, then Brain Age would have received more hype than Halo. It is possible that three Nintendo games later this year could sell more than Halo 3 (Phantom Hourglass, Mario Galaxy, and Smash Bros, which is more of a long shot) but outside of gaming sites, you will never hear about Smash Bros and you will have nowhere near the marketing blitz for the other two. If you don't live in the US, you have no idea how much this game has been hyped everywhere.

Kotaku has seemed like an all-Halo 3 site for a few days, which seemed to take away from the significance of TGS. G4 has been absurd with their Halo coverage. They gave the PS3 and Wii launches less combined coverage than a single game; the Wii barely got any mention at all.

I have an XBox with about 50 games, but I don't own Halo 2. Most of the games that I got for my XBox were multiplatform games because the XBox version was almost always the version to get. There just weren't enough exclusives on the XBox for it to even come close to equaling the exclusives for the GameCube and PS2. For most of the early life of the XBox, when the GameCube and PS2 were releasing several good exclusives, the XBox had Halo and little else. I don't hate Halo, but no game is worth the purchase of a whole system.

When it comes down to it, this game will sell well to the 360 base, but I don't see it bringing several million more people to the 360; if you were salivating over Halo 3, you have probably had a 360 for a long time.

So, the hype isn't justified by the sales because there will be other games released in the next year that will sell the same amount or more. It is just that there is such a huge marketing blitz behind this game and such a high percentage of 360 owners will be buying it that we have to hear about it constantly. I am sure that it is a good game, but despite the fact that it will have a huge opening week, it won't have anywhere near the sales of a Pokemon, GTA, or even Nintendogs.

kingofallcosmos

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> The only mature thing to do on Sandtrap is to drive your base into theirs

Len Bias Cocaine Surplus

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Why so much animosity towards Halo? Because many gamers who don't identify with what Halo represents see it as a threat. RPG fans don't like too much freedom in their games, they like a game that requires little to no skill when it comes to gameplay. They are spoon fed a story through cut scenes, and press a couple of buttons to go forward in the gameplay process. Halo 3 is the opposite, it has plenty of cut scenes, which is rare for a first person shooter nowadays, and requires tremendous amount of user influenced game play. You actually have to constantly be on your toes as each enemy is a living breathing figure that is not a solitary cardboard cutout that shoots out turn based patterned attacks at the user. So therefore if Halo 3 continues to be the preferred favorably marketed genre of gaming, its a direct threat to those who want to see a industry leading linear JRPG or RPG at the forefront of gaming news.

Halo 3 is also a threat to platformers, gamers want to be as immersed in their characters as technologically possible. First person perspective enables gamers to feel more involved in their protagonist's moment to moment actions and seeing the action through their perspective rather than playing with a an overview of the character which leads to a loss of immersion and instead you are in control of a character model. Therefore platform gamers see the popularity of Halo 3 as a threat.

Sony fanboys and Wii fanboys see it as a threat because they do not want their rival to have the highest grossing game of all time. Plain and simple.

PC gamers see Halo 3 as a threat because they do not want to see more market share for traditional first person shooters keep shifting over to consoles, because they feel "the mouse and keyboard is superior". True UT3, CS, and Half Life are wonderful games but Halo has every right to be up there with them. PC gamers see Halo 3 as a threat.

Japan centric gamers see Halo 3 as a threat because they don't want to see an "American centric" game take so much attention away from all the industry news from Japan. They hate seeing dumb jock Americans setting trends in the video game industry. Therefore Japan centric gamers see Halo 3 as a threat to their purple haired, wide eyed Squeenix characters.

All in all when you have a game as big as Halo3, you are going to see many die hard defenders from various different types of genres criticize a game because it is a threat to what they all hold dear. Instead of seeing Halo 3 as a breakthrough in bringing gaming to the mainstream forefront of world culture they detest it because it is changing the way many people are wanting to play their games...with plenty of freedom. Freedom scares many people, throughout history and through out our modern world. Halo 3 is essentially about freedom and it might be too overwhelming for many gamers.

Leobebes

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I love how many of the posters complain that many game sites over-inflated their ratings by giving it a 10/10 despite of the faults the reviewers found, yet those who say that it was disappointing, underwhelming, or that it was an okay game, rate it a 9 or 9.5 themselves.
I don't know how many times today I've read "It was a little underwhelming. It wasn't that great. I'd give it a 9.5"
Group mentality's a force to be reckoned with, ain't it..



Neoraskol

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Personally, I'm not really sick of the hype. It's pretty funny, actually.

What I have gotten sick of is websites reviewing the game and giving it 10s left and right, while admitting the game's far from perfect, but it's perfect Halo! So who cares about any thing wrong with the game?

Mune

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I guess I just don't see why this series should warrant such hype. Is it just because it is on a console? I played most of Halo 1, and to me it just seemed like a run of the mill shooter, with some good ideas, and controls that weren't horrible.

Empty_One

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> [www.youtube.com]

The truth comes out!

B52HVet

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I told myself I wouldnt pay full price for this game. 45 dollars was reasonable, so I am cool with that. The game play is okay but it isnt blowing my mind. I mean the game is fun, but I wouldnt say it lives up to half the hype that it is gaining. I just think that people buy into this game a little too much and that its a generic fps... Rant over.

RocketChump

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Its been said many times already.
This is a decent game for a FPS, But certainly not breaking any new ground.

Its short, and the story is completely reliant on previous knowledge (there isn't even any re-cap).

I often speculate on why halo has garnered such amazing Popularity.

my speculations lead me to believe the Halo series has been able to secure a previously untapped audience. It brought the online first person shooter to the console market in a big way. Perhaps many of these xbox-gamers were not aware of the glories of online shooters. That and its excellent incorporation of co-op and vehicular combat may have encouraged its growing fan base.

I for one have never been a fan of halo. I never had an xbox, And I have always despised first person shooters on console, preferring instead the wonderful powers of the mouse and keyboard.

I dunno.. just speculations.

JermExMachina

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> You know what I hate about this launch? I have camped outside for every console and I camped out for Halo 2. I am stuck at work today without Halo because four of my co-workers took the day off to play Halo before I thought to put in for it off. So screw Halo. :P BTW - anybody else have co-workers out playing Halo?

punkasscrab

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @crecente: What does that have to do with anything?

It's like tickle me elmo or cabage patch kid dolls or even the pet rock.

If I make enough CGI commercials I could sell Panda shit.
This is the United states of America man.


That being said I acquired a copy for free and the multiplayer is just more halo fun when playing with friends or mature human beings. Single player is more repetitive bullshit same enemies same scenery. I'll probably watch the cut scenes and ending later. Couldn' be bothered to make it past the 4th stage.

also: The games that could do with the hype aren't getting it.

Heihachi.vs.Kazuya

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> ah damn, there is a second page to this? oh well.

Anyhow, I just want to say that whenever my friends bring halo over to someone's house to play. Well... he ends up being the only one who wants to play. I guess it's different because it's not online, but honestly? That game gets boring :( Gears of War on the other hand, only took one hour to hook me. I don't know why.

As with some others, I don't get what makes halo so special. But I must admit, that when I saw the trailer for it on PC (Before xbox ever existed) it did look pretty cool.

MetaKz

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @lotkrota: "What makes Mario different than all the other platformers back in the day?"

Play Mario world and Sonic now and see which aged better. That's the difference.

Better yet play Mario's first 3D adventure and then Sonic's...or better yet play Bubsy 3D and report back.

frankstallone

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Witzbold: Heh, I decided to trade in Samurai Warriors and DW5 Empires for that game last night, and I don't regret it one bit. Still not quite as long a draw distance as I would like, but alot of little touches make it an improvement over the last one I played regardless.

DaiMacculate

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> It's selling loads because people became attached to an average gaming series back on the Xbox because there wasn't really anything to play other than Halo. Factor that in with MS' monopoly money allowing them to over hype the product and the reviews that reek of being bought and paid for.

This game had no other option than to sell loads of copies.

frankstallone

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Waited in line for Halo 3 last night, not so much because of the game itself but because the line itself was an entertaining sight :) There were literally people pulled up in front of GameStop in their pickup trucks, tailgating the launch. One telling thing is that they had several little mini-tournaments inside on the demo 360 before midnight, and hardly anyone out of the well over 100 people waiting even raised their hands to play.

I would say your enjoyment (or lack thereof) is directly proportional to your expectations; I expected a competent, but not brilliant, console FPS with a robust multiplayer component, and thats what I received. I'm an old school bungie fan also, so the little nods to Marathon are half of what keeps me interested.

Finally, I found it ridiculously funny when I was invited to a multiplayer game last night, having only played one match up to that point (it was around 2:15am), and being ranked a 2, one of the other players (ranked a 5 or something) remarked "Whoa! Hold on, who is this 2? Is he any good?"

DaiMacculate

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I think halo 3 is the best game ever. There I said it.

Don't know why don't care why, is just an addiction I think.

Im glad i have the addiction or else the gaming comunity would be an awful place to be.

well i'm off to play campaign with my addicted buds on live. later.

droideka

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Considering that I am not very excited about many first person shooters, and having played the first Halo on the PC, I'm not interrested in Halo3.

Wich makes it more the harder for me these couple o'months for my X360, because nothing of interrest is coming out for me. Luckilly I have my PS3 to fall back on, and this autumn and winter will give me plenty of games I am interrested in.

But I hope for pete's sake that there will be some interresting games coming out for the X360 soon, because if this takes too long, I might sell my X360.

DoggySpew

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> If you got a wii and dont want to play halo3, METROID PRIME3, will deliver you a lot of real challenge and exploration, and despite what many reviews and angry fanboyz say, the controls in prime3 are the closest thing to a mouse and a keyboard...

TOCATL

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @chu-boi:

I've been playing COD4 Beta since it came out and it has to be one of the best multiplayer FPS games I've ever played. I spend a lot of time unlocking equipment and stuff. Customizing everything. There's only 3 maps in the beta and it hasn't got old. The action is very intense. Everybody is different. You're not just red or blue like in Halo. You can customize everything to fit your style of play, whatever that may be. And I find it to be extremely balanced.

I can't wait till September 28th so the up the level cap. But two days after that the beta is gone!!!

savagesaladin

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @tk.: Nice Mr. Show reference! One o' my favorite skits too..

I will not be playing Halo 3,4,5 or 6. I won't buy an xbox, xbox360, or an xbox720.. Halo it seems always had that EA Sports (Madden et al) hyped feel to it- because everybody is supposed to love these games, I have to as well. Well I don't. I played Halo 1 for about 20 minutes, and for a shooter it felt a few pegs lower than unreal tournament despite coming out 2 years later. Also after playing mouse+keyboard for shooters using a controller is like making a race car driver pedal a tricycle. Halo 3 might be fun, but I won't be playing it.
-R92

Roenick92

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @baberg: Well they really arent the same kind of game. They are both FPS but thats about where the similarties stop. Itd be like comparing CS and UT. But one thing that you nailed, for me atleast, my problem with halo multiplayer has always been the speed. It just seems to have a really awkward speed to me. Something about the way the chrs move just always bothered me. I think COD 4 is going to be my pick for multiplayer online though. Im only mainly getting halo 3 so i can beat the storymode and play with forge. And i found it online for 45$ so it was a must buy.

Detre

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Langis: Not related to Halo, but Jade was the man. He had the best lines in Tales of the Abyss.

Anemone

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Bought the game last night at midnight, but didn't play until this morning. The gameplay is intense (especially on Heroic). The graphics aren't all the impressive (but not bad either). The enemy AI is really impressive. Can't say the same for the ally AIs (they stand around doing nothing). Can't comment too much re: story as I'm not that far in. Haven't played MP at all yet. So far, a pretty solid game. Is it worth all the hype...not really (maybe it is after I played more).

phalanges

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Halo 3 fucking sucked and so does Xbox 360. Sorry I had to, I actually like it quite a bit so far. The story has me so very interested despite only playing the first level so far (no 360 and I had class today so I couldn't stay up and play any later than 4:00 am. The line waiting for Halo was so much fun. The first person out ran up to a car that pulled up (I'm assuming he called from inside,) and jumped inside then they sped off, after losing their passenger side mirror when he shut the door. Then another person sprinted out yelling while the other 300 people in line made fun of him. The best line of the night was "I hope you had fun waiting in line for 16 hours to play a game that I've been playing all day. It's not that good." Seeing the sort of idiots who would spend a DSlite's worth on a plastic helmet was fun too.

Anemone

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @baberg: dude, your reading my mind. I play Halo mainly cuz most are my friends are on it and much smack is talked. Halo's good at that; getting everyone together and having a hoot.

Thanks for mentioning the unlockables. They actually dramatically enchance how you play the game (eg Red Dot Scope, etc) and push you to get better at the game and unlock more stuff. While stumbled across a high level class (not available in the beta) called Eavesdropper, which allows you to listen in on the other teams voice chat. Pretty effin sweet.

Plus the melee (or "Rambo shank") in COD kicks all too many sorts of asses. Nothing like knifing some n00b in the face after a perfectly thrown stun grenade.

The only bad thing I'd say about COD4 is that its very (very) anti-noob. But that's good motivation, right? lol

I guess the difference between the two games is that COD gives you hundreds of ways to modify your gameplay style, but Halo lets you a bevy of options concerning how the player interacts with the map (via Forge, Custom Game).

Unfortunately, Halo has a great marketing campaign and even greater fan base (you really have to hand it to Microsoft, the are selling this franchize for all its worth. I applaud them for it.) so COD4 will definitely get overlooked. But I feel the hardcore shooter fans will acknowledge COD4 for taking the genre to the next level, and trying something new, rather than adding another installment to the same winning formula (I love H3, but to be honest, thats what it is: Halo 2 on a nice meal of steroids and crack while a sporting a new hairdo that makes it look prettier).

When I have both games in my living room I think I'll probably answer The Call rather than get down n' dirty with the Chief. That is, until my friends wanna party up.

CHU BOI

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @TheContender: Indeed.

B52HVet

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> it's hardly a criticism of the game, but i felt the urge to vent about this.

halo was entirely produced in the united states, as far as I know. not in canada at all, at least. it was printed somewhat recently, while the dollar still had parity, or something close to it. yet, we are paying an additional $10 for the game in all of its forms, and paying an additional 4-10% sales tax on top of that. I won't complain about the tax, though; I like my free healthcare, so that's fine. But why are we still being charged as if the canadian dollar is worth 80 cents? in books, this makes sense... there are massive backstocks of books, sometimes years old. But video games go gold mere weeks before release. They're jsut trying to squeeze money out of us because we HAVE to pay it anyway (if I import from New Hampshire, I'll probably save about $10, but I would have to kow someone from there who would kindly not charge me "handling" fees).

magacid

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I'll be glad when I can wake up and not see Halo 3 bottles of "Gamer Fuel" and all sorts of other marketing crap every time I blink. I'm not a big fan of advertising saturation like that to begin with, but making such a fuss over such an average FPS? How sad that a game like Halo 3 will sell millions and receive acclaim from so many people, while countless others, many of which are far more deserving of that kind of attention, will simply slip under the radar.

I can't help but look back at System Shock 2 and it's relatively unsucessful, undermarketed release, particularly in comparison to the media darling that was the original Half-Life. Fast-forward to 2007 and it's spiritual successor, backed with a massive marketing campaign, is finally receiving the credit that SS2 should have way back when.

Once again, gamers have collectively proven that marketing is what really determines which games succeed and which games fail. If a genuinely high quality game succeeds, it's incidental rather than merited.

filterpunk

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Never cared about the story, don't play much multiplayer, didn't really like 1 or 2 (in fact bought 2 but never played it), 360 red-ringed months ago.

My reasons for not buying Halo 3, let me show you them.

superbabyproject

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Halo 3 definatly does have some hype surrounding its launch but if it wasn't for the success of the 1st 2 games the marketing etc on this one would be worthless. People talk like marketing is the only thing that has made this game popular and that is simply not the case. I enjoy the game so far and I think its worth the money if you were a fan of the previous ones.

Konchu

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> *goes back to playing Orochi Musou*

Witzbold

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @kojirodensetsu: I liked UT2k4, but I do think the pace can be a bit much, especially in larger matches.
@ElPadre: lmao

tk.

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> While I'm here: Gears of War is more worthy of praise than any Halo game. And most other games in general. Including crappy JRPGs. (Hey, when in Rome...)

Langis

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Halo, when it was released, wasn't even as good as Perfect Dark, a console shooter with far more in the way of options and gameplay. What Halo did was make it mainstream. Still, Halo has been good, solid fun. It doesn't deserve perfect tens, for sure, but it is better than most of the crappy games that come from North America, Japan, or anywhere else.

Dem's my rant.

Langis

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @crecente:

Your review was much better than most I have to say.

I can't get over how much this game is like Daikatana, however the marketing actually got it to sell. You even have a SuperFly Johnson in the game. The graphics and animation are lowering the bar from past titles on the platform. It has a poorly written story, and the art direction reminds me of fruit loops and stiff action figures. Is John on the Bungie payroll? ^^

Mongoosekun

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Well, I mostly posted my thoughts on the matter last night in one of the launch party threads. I even apologized for posting there since it didn't really fit the topic, but this post didn't exist at the time, so I'm happy to see this.

My opinion is the same as what many others have said. It's just way too much and I'm sick of it. The marketing campaign from MS has been annoying, but it's nothing we don't see every year for big movies (which is also a bit annoying). If that's how MS wants to spend their cash, I really don't care for the most part.

On the other hand, the amount of coverage here has been really annoying. Thank God they decided to release Halo so close to TGS. Without TGS going on this site would've been nothing but a flood of Halo posts the past week or so (and it's still sort of felt that way). I don't mean to necessarily single out Kotaku here either; most gaming sites have done the same thing.

I understand that it's a big game and deserves coverage, but we've seen console launches and trade shows that generated fewer posts. I've never seen any other game get so much press for doing nothing. I remember Bioshock getting a lot of coverage when it was released (not this much), but most of it was actual news regarding broken figures, widescreen, copy protection, and then responses from Take Two. For Halo thought it seems anything remotely related to the game is instantly worth posting. No matter how big a game is I just can't see how a single game can deserve so much coverage. And for as big as it is, Halo 3 is not going to be the best selling game of this generation, especially worldwide. It won't catch games like Pokemon Diamond/Pearl which got about 10 posts at best during its release week (which is how it should be unless there are some pressing issues like there was with Bioshock).

slacker164

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Striderhayasa:
You had an N64? Nobody had an N64. I thought consoler gamers only had Playstatons? The N64 was mainstream?


Tepoz

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Bungie...let's see.

Riding on the popularity of one game and basically two mission packs for 6 years, they will implode on the weight of their egos and forget to release anything in the next 5 years. Then they'll fart out the Bungie equivalent of Doom 3, and hopefully all die in horrific Ferrari wrecks.

The one surviving programmer will get "street cred" for being the guy that "did Halo", but won't actually produce anything besides a Halo RPG for cell phones which could have been a final project at ITT Technical Institute.

So basically, Bungie will follow the path of id and begin using up the air on the planet without feeling any need to produce anything worthwhile.

1D10CY

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> can't wait till the hype dies down. i never got into 1 or 2. the 'legendary' helmets are cool, even if they were made by chinese slave labor. (if you rail against my definition, then tell me how you define pumping out a helmet every 12 seconds.) i heart kotaku, but right now it's blah with 5 parts halo, 4 parts TGS and 1 part anything else. like i've said before.. wake me when the falcon comes out.

geekgrrl

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> While yes the advertisement has been on the extreme side, I think the game's main selling point has been multi-player. I don't really play mp much on Halo, but I remember tons of student's in the dorms at college owning XBOX's with Madden and Halo only. It's been such an easy pick-me-up and play me game that the general mass of not-so-gamers have been able to "Jump In" and join those that are more hardcore.
(Halo refers to the series not just 1.)

Waldo2129

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @baberg:

No, that's not at all what I meant. Another huge benefit to Halo is that, unless you try to manipulate it, you will be matched with people of your skill.

What I meant was, the better you are at it, the more intense the fighting is, and the more action packed a game of multiplayer is. It's like Ninja Gaiden, if you suck at it, and you don't continue to play until you get really good, it won't be fun at all. But if you do take the time, it's one of the most satisfying gaming experiences to be had. I could debate this all day, but I'll never get anywhere, if you don't like it fine, I don't really need to fight for it, since it's sales are far from lacking.

I can agree that Microsoft made a shoddy console though, that's the only reason I'm even here to talk about Halo 3, because I can't play it due to the fact that my console decided it wasn't going to work anymore. I'm over the anger now though, I just want to get it back so I can play Halo 3.

EternalGameNation

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I think what many of you seem to not realize is that Halo is not supposed to be a realistic shooter. It's supposed to be more arcade-like. Again, if people don't like that then go play COD4. I just don't agree with how people are responding to Halo like it's a piece of shit.

kojirodensetsu

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Sleeping_Orange: then you see my point. Goldeneye almost singled handedly saved Nintendo's ass in that era and was in the sales charts for over a year. It provided console FPS gaming that no other game matched up until that point...bar none. It took the control scheme that Turok started and evolved it and provided not only a robust single player mode but a stellar multiplayer component. sound familar? so what are people trying to live the fantasy that Halo was the first console FPS to push it into the mainstream? that's bullshit. Goldeneye would be the first to do that.

As far as the PC games go, PCs are the true home for FPS until consoles can adopt a control scheme as standard that isn't gimped. Dual analog will never be viable for true fans of FPS games period. there is no "if and or but" about it. It's hard to make distinctions too with a console (360) that's trying very damn hard to be a PC but not really...

Look, Halo is a good FPS for people that just don't know any better. for anyone that has played real FPS games...Halo isn't better than any of the top tier FPS games that have arrived in the last 10 years or more. Making the distinction of console/PC in this era is trying to justify Halo 3's overhyped, sheep mentality inducing status.

Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Team Fortress 2 is the best PC multiplayer game out there right now. It simplicity, graphic design, and extremely tight gameplay make it a winner. Seriously, if you're still playing BF2142, give it up. It's just a rehash of BF2 but with less vehicles and simpler textures. Hell, BF2 is way better since it's a graphically updated and polished version of the free Desert Combat mod for Battlefield 1942. Unreal Tournament 3 and QuakeWars are just throwing everything in and the kitchen sink to make themselves stand out. Even the BF2142 devs are waiting to release a new patch update to add more kitchen sinks after the retail QuakeWars hits. Lets not forget the history of rampant cheating within the first few weeks of every released UT game after UT1 that pushes people onto other games.

The best single-player PC gamer right now is still Half-Life 2/Ep1/soon to be released Ep2. Oh sure Bioshock has a great story but so does HL2. So why is HL2/Ep1/Ep2 and not Bioshock? Well, Bioshock is an updated version of System Shock 2 which was way more challenging and not dumbed down for casual players. Oh, it's pretty but then again, so is HL2.

What, we're talking about consoles? Who the hell plays consoles? Why would you play on an inferior gaming platform that's going to be outdated graphically within a year or so and will never be able to catch up? You kids and your console games. I'm sure your Metal Solids and Final Fantasy's will be as just as great, which I mean it's on a console so it's going to suck. Really suck. Because it's on a console.

:P

Tepoz

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> (Cut 'n' pasted from my blog, because I'm lazy:)

"It doesn't matter if you're a gamer or not; you know that Halo 3 is being released on September 25th. Microsoft has advertised the damn game everywhere: TV spots, billboards, Google ads...even bottles of fucking Mountain Dew. It's far past insane; this is as bad as Pokémon back in the late 1990s, but at least that series has widespread appeal!

"We know the game's going to sell millions of copies. We know it's going to get 9s and 10s from review sites as required by unwritten law, completely sugarcoating any flaws (which all games have). We know fanboys will proclaim it as the Second Coming of Christ, even though it's not offering a single thing that FPSes haven't done multiple times in the past. It'll snag the "Game of the Year" award across numerous print and web publications, even though that title should [as of press time] go to BioShock. But with the marketing engine set to warp ten, the onslaught's unrelenting, and severely fucking annoying.

"Halo 3's for the so-called 'hardcore' FPS fans. Well, the rest of us, a majority of gamers, just don't give a shit. Leave us the hell alone, and just market to your core audience. A billboard in Times Square and a signing with a random celebrity isn't going to convince a Super Mario Bros. fan to buy your game, so why waste the space, money, and most importantly...our time? And the gaming press podcasts have gotten irritating as well. Those of us who enjoy various gaming sites' podcasts week after week want to hear about all of the gaming news out there, not just a single product that MS has paid to have advertised for an hour or more.

"Fer crissake, people, it's just a game, and not even an important one in the grand scheme of things. Move on, and get lives."

liquidcross

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> When I had the Xbox 1 I bought Halo 1 because that was the game people said to get. Played and beat it and swore never to play or buy another Halo game again and thats why I am not getting Halo 3 its just another average FPS that doesn't add anything new to the genre.

GamingNinja

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> it's commercially successful with a gigantic marketing budget, so it can never be heralded by the hardcore. Gotta love all the arguing, the only question should be "is it fun?"

velvet396

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> 155 comments already. Jeeze Kotaku. We're on the ball today!

I'm just sick of the hype. It is gonna be a great game when I find a copy to buy just cause everyone is playing it. Does that mean it will be good? No. But I've already heard of huge 16 man 4 xbox lan games going on til the wee hours of the morning.

Huge projector screens flashed on a fall of fragging action.

The screams of a 13 year old as he gets head shotted in perfect 7.1 surround sound.

The experience, this is why I play halo. I'm sick of the hype and the event. I just want this game for the experience.

huginn

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @chu-boi: I absolutely agree. COD4's Beta is a superior multiplayer game. The reasons I think this are:

- Guns actually can hurt people at a distance
- Unlockables mean something, in H3 it's just appearance
- H3's movement is slow and constant, in COD4 there's sprinting
- Cover is important in COD4, in H3 it's all about melee
- COD4's "Challenges"

I'll play H3 for a while because all of my new friends play H3. But when COD4 comes out that's going to dominate my online multiplayer gametime.

baberg

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I had my copy of Halo 3 bought and payed for... so ready drooling weeks before at the mouth...

Then on September the 20th 5 days before the launch of Halo 3 I got that faithful Red lights...

I thought it was ok because it was one one red light...

Boy was i wrong...after some pain full time with the xbox rep... I was told there was nothing they could do and that I would have to have it repaired...

This is my 3rd Xbox... and my last... yesterday I went in and got all my money back for the games I had bought and paid for in full...

Once my 360 is repaired and am trading it in...
I am done with MS products for ever...

I am writing this on my mac... and will never ever buy MS stuff again...

So I say fuck you MS and thank you all for listening to me rant... Because I feel like I have been taken like a prison bitch by Microsoft..

So was there anyone else that had their 360 die just before this launch???

giddieon

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Jesus christ this game looks bad!. It has nice looking textures on some ships, and I like how the bushes move when you walk next to them, BUT MAN those rock textures look awful! I wouldnt mind if it wasnt for the fact that most of the textures look like something ported from Halo 2.
The characters also look ported over, and lip synching isnt very good.

Now onto gameplay (Single player). Why do enemies have to complete a full "getting shot" animation before suffering more damage??? For example, I have one of the weaker snipers and shoot once one of them bad guys. He goes "arrrrghhhh" and starts crouching. If I hit him again while he's doing that nothing seems to happen!!! I have to wait for the creature to finish its animation before shooting or I'll be wasting my amo.
I dont know why I was feeling kind of claustrophobic at first, but got used to it after 10 mins. Some weapons, like that mighty hammer or the grenade launcher are real fun. The marines with me seem to be complete idiots (They love to go after the HUGE covenant ships and it only ends in wasted amo and dead soldiers). The best thing so far is the comments those little midgets make when attacking and dying. I've laughed a couple of times in the middle of a tough battle thanks to them.

I decided to stop playing single player by myself and wait until a friend can join me because MAN it became boring quickly. Im sure multiplayer and co op will make the game a lot better because of the trash talk and interaction, but this game sure dissapointed. I didnt bite into the hype, and I calmly picked it up after college today, but I think I would have rather saved the 60 bucks. PGR4, Katamari, Mass Effect and some more games deserved these hard earned dollars a lot more.

Oh, but I did get a nice looking poster with the purchase of the game! (Master Chief's visor actually looks nice and reflective there, unlike the real game renders it)



ChewyChew

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I've been playing the COD4 Beta for weeks now and when I popped in my Halo 3 it felt as if I was playing in slow motion. Is it just me or does COD4 play smoother that Halo? I'm a fan of Halo but I feel the COD4 has 1up'd it in the multiplayer department, especially with the create-a-class and weapon mod options. I know you can customize your character in H3 but when I'm playing team deathmatch i get the sense that each teammate is unique and has something special to offer in order to win. Also, COD4's gameplay just seems so much more intense as well. It'll be interesting to see the scores COD gets.

What do you guys think?

CHU BOI

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @ElPadre: Lol. Your post just made my day.

kojirodensetsu

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Mr. Fap☆Fap!: I do agree with you for the most part, but it really doesn't sucks, but it's jsut as you said, been there, done that thousands and thousands of times in the past. I guess this is new for teenagers who got their rad xbox + halo for christmas, but for us hardcore FPS players it's another generic fps of the bunch.

There are far better games than halo, in every aspect. Gameplay, visuals, sound, story, everything! halo is at best a very polished mediocre idea. Still fun.

Sir_NutS

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @SavageSaladin

That "Game Fuel" I'm convinced was Mountain Dew mixed w/ the orgasmic marketing that is Halo3...combined w/ nuclear waste from S.T.A.L.K.E.R....mmmmmm...tasty s**t.

Sgt. Bilbo

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Halo is a great game i wont deny that it has its merits. But so do a million other Fps out there. Frankly i was blown away playing RFOM more then i ever was playing halo. An no i dont got a 360 but i got a pc an all there good games go to pc anyway, gears,bioshock,halo so ive played the fight twice i own one an two for my pc. Nothing makes me scream an say i GOTTA GET PART 3!!! halo was a good game that got to much hype cause it was the only decent game xbox ever had in the begining only know after all this time does xbox finally have some killer app franchises in bioshock an gears. Before those two killer apps there wa sonly halo.. so it was like the saving grace for xbox since all the other games were meh.

Anyway i never saw why it was so good its a future fight with man versus aliens.. there are a ton of other fps games out there with man verse alien yet they dont get the hype whys that? Area 51 was the original alien verse human fps whats the diffrence between them?

Only diff between area 51 an halo is that halo takes place in the future an you play some super soldier an you ride vehicles. A small diff.. frankly area 51 was a better game an it had scary freak you out moments.

But meh halo will sell like hotcakes anyway so enjoy the fight 360 players. Though for me MAss effect for the win now thats a game id buy a 360 for!!!

homaru56

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> @Roadkill:

So, when lets say... MGS4 or KZ2 comes out, and Kotaku starts posting about all the hype it'll get around it's release, will they be turning into the SDF? No, they won't. So shut the fuck up, every fucking game site is covering this, so get the fuck over it.

noisome07

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> Okay, haven't played it yet (Europe), but that won't stop me:
1. Graphics suck. I still can't judge on my own, but it has to suck, because of the hype and Bill Gates.
2. I finished the whole campaign in under 1 hour on the hardest difficulty and without any batteries in the controller. It's THAT short.
3. It's the third and final part of the series, they should change the game mechanics completely. If I see a number next to the title, it better not be similar to previous installments. Making Halo 3 play like enhanced Halo 1 & 2 with additional stuff? Booooring!
4. My X380 red-ringed on me 5 minutes ago and kicked me in the nuts. It's the 27th time already, and it takes 6-8 months to get a refurb that crashes before I even turn it on. Each refurb had a letter from MS attached, saying "Your mom is fat and you are a loser".
5. I bought 31 LE's and all of them had scratched discs that set themselves on fire when taken out of the box (which is made of asbestos and dipped in cyanide).
6. Halo 3 doesn't play 100% like a PC shooter. Yes, it's not like it, even though it was released on a console. No, really.
7. The Forge is not a map editor and doesn't allow you to create II World War mods. They promised us this!
8. It does not live up to the hype. It did not give me a new Pontiac, supermodels did not come over to have sex with me and the so-called "Gaming Fuel" ruined my car when used instead of petrol (it's a gamer's car!).
9. On a 1-10 scale I give Halo a negative 100000 and a special badge for being the Hitler of videogames.

ElPadre

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Discussion]]> I believe I speak for every person who doesn't own a 360 when I say this: Please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE stop posting so damn much about Halo 3. This is Kotaku, not the Halo 3 Defense Force.

Crecente, I read your reasons for posting so often but still... I can't wait to stop hearing about Halo 3.

Roadkill

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