Halo 3 finished

By Tom Bramwell Published 30 August, 2007

Been hanging over their heads.

Bungie has finished making Halo 3 and packed it off to manufacturing, which is good news for those of you who plan to buy it on 26th September.

"This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios," said Bungie studio head Harold Ryan, in between gulps of cake.

"This is the game we've always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can't wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25."

That's when Halo 3 launches in the US, of course, but those of us in Europe will need to wait 24 hours after that to get our hands on it.

In the meantime, we can busy ourselves with things like a high definition E3 video of Ensemble's spin-off RTS Halo Wars, which has just popped up on Xbox Live Marketplace, or playing through Halo 2 again. That ought to kill half an hour.

Or of course you could visit our Halo 3 gamepage and watch trailers, read previews (mine's best) and marvel at the fact that the game surpassed one million pre-orders as long ago as 10th August.

Goodness knows what it's up to now, but the real question is whether it's as good as managing to get "Monaural" on a double word score in Scrabulous, which seems unlikely.

Look out for our Halo 3 review in the run-up to the game's release.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (62) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Spiritos #1 5 years ago

    First!

    Played the multiplayer demo but I can't say that it really grabbed me. Still, having said that, I expect I'll pick this up when it's out (still have Dirt, Forza2 and Bioshock to be going on with though...).
    Edited by Spiritos at 30/08/07 @ 08:23

  • captainrentboy #2 5 years ago

    After playing Bioshock, I'm no longer quite as hyped about this game as I was a few weeks back, I'm not saying I'm not getting it as I most definitely am, but it's really going to have to do something special to knock BS from my FPS top spot. And judging from all the vids starting to surface, it looks like a whole lot more of the same albeit with sexier graphics.

  • rashes #3 5 years ago

    @captainrentboy

    THey are very different games. Different mode, pacing, combat, etc.

    Anyway .. so much of this is going to be about the multiplayer.

  • NegativeZero #4 5 years ago

    It also seems to release in Australia and New Zealand on the 25th.

    From what I recall, Halo 2 went gold a lot closer to the scheduled date, and as we all know that game was released a bit undercooked. Them having it done well in advance like this can only be a good sign, I think.

  • Dizzy #5 5 years ago

    GZ Bungie!!!

    /queue the Halo "I think it is overrated" emo crowd

  • captainrentboy #6 5 years ago

    rashes I realise that, and I know most people don't even like to chuck Bioshock in with the common or garden FPS genre, and believe me I'm a huge Halo fan (so sad I've read the books, and even have a MC figure.....) I'm just saying Bioshock is a real joy to play, that's clearly had a lot of love and attention put into its development, and if Bungie happen to churn out another Halo 2esque Campaign then I think a lot of reviews are going to be less favourable, to sum it up, they've really got some competition this year.
    But like you said, I'm sure the multi-player will be great, I know that's what I'll still be playing in six months.

  • Fab4 #7 5 years ago

    Finally...the end is in sight for the 'endless' hype.
    Edited by Fab4 at 30/08/07 @ 08:43

  • Brogan #8 5 years ago

    24 hours? isn't yankieland something like 3 hours (could look up a world clock on line and get it totally right but not going to) behind us so in fact we'll only have to wait 21 hours (if that is the time difference)

    edit: just a fucking dribbler.
    Edited by Brogan at 30/08/07 @ 08:54

  • locus2k1 #9 5 years ago

    woot!

    now i can definately book that week off ^^

  • DB2k #10 5 years ago

    time for bungie to start work on the first patch then?

  • Darren #11 5 years ago

    I wasn't all the excited about Halo 3 to be honest but after seeing those GC07 videos on Gamersyde, I am starting too now although I've still got that nagging feeling at the back of my mind that it'll be yet another over hyped disappointment. Halo Wars certainly looks amazing though from the 460 MB gameplay demonstration video I've seen. Halo + Command & Conquer = Halo Wars, how can it not be amazing?

  • TonyCocaCola #12 5 years ago

    Im looking forward to this, i think it will be an awesome game. Yeah i agree its got competition this year but i loved the first one, second one was crap, i think they've figured out how to make it good again.

    Edit: by crap i mean, wasnt as good as it should have been considering how much bungie 'gave it large.
    Edited by TonyCocaCola at 30/08/07 @ 09:35

  • SteveB #13 5 years ago

    "Anyway .. so much of this is going to be about the multiplayer"

    I hope not. The developers said (Edge) that they were not happy with the single player in Halo 2 and they were looking to improve it in Halo 3. I like the majority of people don't play multiplayer stuff so I am hoping the single player has been their focus this time.

  • Killerbee #14 5 years ago

    I'm sure Halo 3 will be good, but Bioshock really has raised the bar for FPS games, so I wonder if it'll just feel like a poor relation simply because of that fact.

    Actually, it'd be very interesting to hear what the people at Bungie think of Bioshock.

  • andromeda #15 5 years ago

    /hiding in Rapture until the shitstorm passes.

  • silver-jon #16 5 years ago

    I loved Halo. Still do. Halo 2 I could gladly miss. Both MP (annoying cheats) and campaign left me underwhelmed. (split between MC and Arbiter eradicated any sense of personal mission. Also the balance of weapons cut much of the tactical choices)
    I am loving Bioshock. It is just solidly really good all the way through. In style and execution it is a stand-out game.
    Halo 3 I'm sure will have a very different feel to Bioshock - more frenetic, less cautious. Graphically it looks good from the trailers - surprise surprise - and I'm confident the ending will be a proper one (another big gripe about Halo 2. Seriously, Bungie - did you think that pathetic three-tier battle with Tartarus was worthy of a game ending ?!)
    I've good hopes for Halo 3. But perhaps this time the lower expectations are a good thing.

  • skillian #17 5 years ago

    /queue the Halo "I think it is overrated" emo crowd

    I don't wanna start the debate, but I just thought it was funny that thinking Halo is overrated is 'emo' :/

  • Xerx3s #18 5 years ago

    Played the multiplayer demo but I can't say that it really grabbed me. Still, having said that, I expect I'll pick this up when it's out (still have Dirt, Forza2 and Bioshock to be going on with though...).

    Funny as there has never been a multiplayer demo.

  • Xerx3s #19 5 years ago

    18 Posts on a halo page and no witty halol? Tsk.

  • HarryB #20 5 years ago

    xerx3s - there was a multiplayer beta mr defensive :)

  • Masarin #21 5 years ago

    I don't wanna start the debate, but I just thought it was funny that thinking Halo is overrated is 'emo' :/

    I love this comment. :-)

  • Tomnd #22 5 years ago

    right now they are working on the first patch for all those things they didn't have time for ;)

  • Xerx3s #23 5 years ago

    xerx3s - there was a multiplayer beta mr defensive :)

    beta != demo.

    Goddamn emo hippy's. Respect my authority!

  • Strac #24 5 years ago

    Looking forward to getting it, but mostly for SP (to see where the story ends).
    I just got in the CoD4 beta (apparently the US-only thing was mostly a mock-up; with a cod.com account that says I'm dutch and a dutch xbox live account I got in without a problem) and I can see that usurping all my precious free time for now

  • mattigan #25 5 years ago

    Sorry, but what does "emo" mean exactly?

  • Dizzy #26 5 years ago

    "but I just thought it was funny that thinking Halo is overrated is 'emo' :/ "

    Thinking it is not emo.. stating it in EVERY fucking Halo thread is.

  • skillian #27 5 years ago

    That's annoying, but hardly emo.

  • skillian #28 5 years ago

    @mattigan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo_%28slan...

  • Dizzy #29 5 years ago

    Emo: "A group of white, mostly middle-class well-off kids who find imperfections in their life and create a ridiculous, depressing melodrama around each one."

    Nuff said
    Edited by Dizzy at 30/08/07 @ 11:17

  • mattigan #30 5 years ago

    Still don't see how the term 'emo' applies here though.

    Faddish maybe? I that case then surely the use of the terme 'emo' itself is ironically 'emo'

  • Dizzy #31 5 years ago

    >I that case then surely the use of the terme 'emo' itself is ironically 'emo'

    Hehe.. yeah probably I am becoming emo myself after getting angry at all those whiners ;) Still can you be emo after 30? :)

  • skillian #32 5 years ago

    Depends if you've still got enough hair to do that floppy fringe thing.

  • The-Bodybuilder #33 5 years ago

    Is it possible that we will never visit a thread ever again without the game in mention being compared to bioshock?

    No wonder anti-hype for games (like halo) begins.
    Edited by The-Bodybuilder at 30/08/07 @ 11:36

  • mattigan #34 5 years ago

    I myself think the Halo series is over rated, with the hype attached to it how can it be anything else to a 'normal' person. And don't really feel the need to shout it from the rooftops in every Halo thread, but the Halo fans bite EVERY SINGLE time, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. I can't help myself!!

  • Dizzy #35 5 years ago

    >I myself think the Halo series is over rated

    FFS You couldn't resists could you!!!!

  • BastoJ #36 5 years ago

    Excellent :D

  • mattigan #37 5 years ago

    Please take it in context with the rest of the sentence.
    Edited by mattigan at 30/08/07 @ 11:45

  • mattigan #38 5 years ago

    As do I

  • mattigan #39 5 years ago

    "FFS You couldn't resists could you!!!! "

    WHOAAAAH THERE BOYS!!!!!

    Looks like I've hooked me a Dizzy!!

    /makes a "reeling him in" action with hands!! :-)
    Edited by mattigan at 30/08/07 @ 11:56

  • Xerx3s #40 5 years ago

    I myself think the Halo series is over rated, with the hype attached to it how can it be anything else to a 'normal' person. And don't really feel the need to shout it from the rooftops in every Halo thread, but the Halo fans bite EVERY SINGLE time, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. I can't help myself!!

    That's about the lamest excuse out there. Guess what, that makes you the saddest kind of them all. At least the halo fanboys don't delude themselves.

    "I'm not one of those, honest! I just do it."

  • mattigan #41 5 years ago

    I got a Xerx3s on the line too!!

  • Dizzy #42 5 years ago

    >Looks like I've hooked me a Dizzy!!

    No.. you just joined the ignore pool. Case closed.

  • mattigan #43 5 years ago

    YEEEEEHAW!!!

    But seriously, you won't be missing much TBH.
    Edited by mattigan at 30/08/07 @ 12:20

  • Amazing Bryan #44 5 years ago

    I'm certainly not looking forward to it as much now since playing BioShock. The only real incentive to get it now, is the continuing storyline.

  • Latin #45 5 years ago

    @Amazing Bryan, storyline will end like this: you save the galaxy about 1 second before the remaining rings are remotley activated from the arc.... oh and humans are forerunners

    No need to play the game now

  • Dizzy #46 5 years ago

    >This obviously needs to be changed to 30th August 0001 AB, for the good of humanity.

    Hehe.. clever ;)

    And you are quite right in your sarcasm ;)

  • TheUnionFrag #47 5 years ago

    Having finished Bioshock, Halo 3 is now second on my most wante list, right after Mass Effect.

    Gratz to Bungie for actually finishing the game without the Hype pressure imploding their offices.

  • FunkyRenegade #48 5 years ago

    @a few people
    Is it just me that was slightly dissapointed by Bioshock after the massive hype?
    It still hasn't surpassed Half-Life 2 as my favourite FPS.

    Halo 3 is all about the multiplayer for me, nothing will ever beat those 16 man, 2 day long system link matches.l

  • Machiavellian #49 5 years ago

    Personally, why would playing Bioshock make you suddenly not want to play Halo 3. By the time Halo 3 is out, Bioshock would pretty much be old news because it only has Single player. I love Bioshock and I am on my second play through but it has not diminished my thirst to play another game one bit. Instead it has increase my need to play another polished game.

    There are a few things that elevate Halo 3 over Bioshock that are worth looking into. First is online Co-Op. To be able to play 2 to 4 player online Co-Op is a big plus and already has the ability to increase your enjoyment of Halo 3 over Bioshock.

    Forge - The ability to pretty much make Halo 3 multi-player the game you wish it could be is a big plus. If anyone has read anything about Forge will know that you can pretty much change anything within the game besides the structure of the maps. There is also a multi-player game that involves Forge that sounds like it's on the same level as LittleBigPlanet but instead you can shoot your friends.

    speaking of Multi-player. Yes, there are some of you that do not like multi-player but then again I wonder if you even have friends with a 360 because if you do, you really do not have to play with strangers. Anyway, if anyone has stayed current with Halo 3 multi-player you would find out that there are a lot of vehicles, weapons, items and even gametypes that were not part of the beta. No, Halo 3 Multi-Player is not revolutionary but there are enough differences to elevate the experience. When you include Forge into the mix, I am sure you will find a gametype or modification that will best suit your way of gaming.

    Last but not least is the same film feature. Seeing this feature demo really adds more depth to the Halo 3 experience. Being able to pause the film, move around within the environment or view the action from any angle is really nice. This will be a fun tool to share with your friends as well as a great learning tool for Multi-player. Nothing lets you get your skills up quick then seeing how someone owned you in a multi-player match.

    Like I said before, Bioshock is a great game and I am definitely loving it but Halo 3 has the potential to not only be a great game but something I can see myself playing for years. Once I play Bioshock maybe one more time through it will go up on the shelf.
    Edited by Machiavellian at 30/08/07 @ 13:22

  • EmiliasHorse #50 5 years ago

    Tis a grand time to be a 360 owner.



  • EmiliasHorse #51 5 years ago

    @FunkyRenegade
    I would like to think it was just you.

  • S.J.Rogers #52 5 years ago

    @Machiavellian

    Well said..!

  • FunkyRenegade #53 5 years ago

    @Emilia'sHorse
    Oww :(

  • EmiliasHorse #54 5 years ago

    @Machiavellian
    I agree that Bioshock will go up on the shelf after a few runs through BUT will never ever be considered for trade-in.

    Why does every thread become a discussion about the merits of Bioshock?

  • Xerx3s #55 5 years ago

    Because good games are really scarce.

  • Carrybagma #56 5 years ago

    -sigh-

    No more vehicle specs.

    :'o(

  • Yossarian #57 5 years ago

    Besides the fact that they are both first person and you shoot things, any comparison between Bioshock and Halo is sort of pointless.

  • Calgon #58 5 years ago

    I wonder how many times Bioshock has been said(typed) on EG this month?

    Im pretty chuffed that game turned out as good as I was hoping, that was at the top of my most wanted(still is, since I hope to get a 360 this year). Halo3 you say? I dont think the hype was that bad this time around... the anti-hype has been much worse(but that doesnt matter if its good it will be all the more surprising to those individuals), unless Ive developed some immunity to hype(if so, good!) and havent noticed it as much this time. So ignoring all else from what Ive seen, it looks rather promising(aslong as its good its a buy), Im more interested to see if it really is the best game theyve done yet(not to say I wont buy it if its not... hope so though :) ), roll on the reviews.
    Edited by Calgon at 30/08/07 @ 16:18

  • EmiliasHorse #59 5 years ago

    Bioshock

  • Amazing Bryan #60 5 years ago

    I've been playing games so long now, it really does have to be something special to for me to able to sit down and play through it. I completed Halo 2 in a couple of months of just playing a few hours every couple of weeks.

    BioShock has been the first game in ages, that I've actually been playing every day since I bought it. The fact you can just run around the maps over and over and have no time contraints on how to play it makes it a classic.

    Call me negative if you like, but I'm beginning to find most games pretty boring and repetitive over the last few years.

  • Verwandlung #61 5 years ago

    1998 gameplay + 2007 hype = halo 3

  • captainrentboy #62 5 years ago

    ^^^^ Can't the same thing be said for almost every upcoming game sequel in existance?