Halo 3 is number one on Xbox Live again

By Robert Purchese Published 23 July, 2008

Finally knocks Call of Duty 4 off top.

Halo 3 has retaken top spot on the Xbox Live most-played chart after months of dominance for Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

That's according to Major Nelson, otherwise known as Microsoft's Xbox Live authority Larry Hryb, who likes to document these things on his blog. We wonder if Bill Gates calls him "Major" instead of "Larry".

The Too Human demo, incidentally, is doing rather well as the seventh most played game on Live.

Also, if you like reading into these things, Guitar Hero 3 is one place above Rock Band.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (50) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Inquisitor #1 4 years ago

    I expect Battlefield took a few players from CoD 4, leading to Halo retaking the number one spot.

  • systems #2 4 years ago

    I agree with Inquisitor, plus there was the cheaper Halo map pack recently.

  • rendonlex #3 4 years ago

    True class works it way to the top of the pile!

  • bluem4gic #4 4 years ago

    bullshit

    Gaylo is shit compared to COD4

    I believe Microsoft fixed this so they can boost thier sales

  • zuljin #5 4 years ago

    @Inquisitor
    Exactly my thoughts.

    Obviously I got here too late.

  • Peew971 #6 4 years ago

    I think Activision did some harm to COD4 with the COD:WAW announcement. You'll always find some people who will consider COD4 time to be almost over now and who will move on to other things. They should have released an expansion this year and a proper sequel next year but they're just as greedy as EA.

  • DUFFKING #7 4 years ago

    Can I have one tin foil hat for bluem4gic please?

    Both games are completely average in multiplayer anyway.

  • Rich72 #8 4 years ago

    COD4 just gets boring pretty quickly. where are those pure gaming bliss moments when you stick someone from across the map? Halo 3 multiplayer was always going to have the legs on COD4 because it's a more rounded experience. COD was great for a while before it started to grate. i have a lot of fun playing Halo..... much more serious on COD. my 2 cents.

  • bad09 #9 4 years ago

    I think there had to be a lull for COD4. If everyone was like me they battered it constantly for AGES.

    Besides, good as COD4 is, MGS4/O has been taking my gaming time lately, just can't leave it alone now cut scenes don't matter! (still pop COD4 in now and again though)

    I do miss H3 from time to time but even the greats fall to the trade-in sword sometimes......

  • BadBoyBonner #10 4 years ago

    Time for them to give the CoD 4 map pack away for free now?

  • kinky_mong #11 4 years ago

    bullshit

    Gaylo is shit compared to COD4

    I believe Microsoft fixed this so they can boost thier sales

    Opinions are like arseholes.

    They stink and you don't want them in your face.

  • miiiguel #12 4 years ago

    This Halo-phobia is yet another thing I completly can't understand... Is that hard to admit ppl actually have a good time playing it?

    I suppose it's like: "oooh I want to be cool, so this game sell a lot I'm saying it's pooh! Can I be cool now?"

  • zuljin #13 4 years ago

    @miiiguel
    Or maybe some people just don't like it? I've played it online once, and switched off again. Meanwhile been playing COD4 for ages until I was tempted away from it by Battlefield.

  • miiiguel #14 4 years ago

    ^ oh yes, tottaly valid opinion. But "gaylo"; and pearls alike? I mean..., put the lexic "Halo" in an article and see the coments...

    There's this need to express "I don't like it oh so much", kinda weird, me thinks. It's like "I don't get the game, and I'm pissed that so many ppl do! gets on my nerves!"
    Edited by 1 at 23/07/08 @ 16:06

  • Widge #15 4 years ago

    Halo 2 was my first online gaming experience, bar the bits where you go all blue screen and lose connection, it was ace.
    Can't comment on 3 though but I doubt the online has shittified in one generation, I can say that COD4 is a real jape, but I don't think the maps lend themselves to decent strategy, they certainly don't feel as "special" as the H2 mapset. Plus Bungie gave their addons away for free, which was nice.

  • mcmonkeyplc #16 4 years ago

    ALL HAIL BUNGIE!

  • ducksmuggler #17 4 years ago

    i would say its only the halo hardcore freeks that are still playing live through the summer .. get off your consoles and get out in the sunnshiiinnneeee ( liam gallager style )

  • BadBoyBonner #18 4 years ago

    If going out in the sunnshiiinnneeee - If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

  • Tuffty #19 4 years ago

    COD4 online is still what I play most on my 360 but like Nick said earlier, having the hosts quit either at the beginning of the match, when they're losing pretty badly, when someone's overtaken their score or when their opposing team has just planted a bomb in Sabotage is really starting to grate on me. It's also the worst I've seen when it comess to trash talking. I don't mind it all that much, hardly get involved with gamers that feel they need to try to prove they're the alpha male over little matters anyway, but when it esclates to hurling racist/xenophobic insults and shouting down the mics at each other, you just feel like it's all completely unnecessary and pointless.

  • des #20 4 years ago

    Aha! Take that COD4.

  • Widge #21 4 years ago

    Do we get the shocking trash talkers on the PS3 too? I've not got a headset yet and the talk generally comes out of the speakers as a MUFFLE inbetween general explosions and stuff?
    Just curious to see if its a COD4 thing attracting them.

  • rashes #22 4 years ago

    It's the Battlefield effect for sure... all of my mates have switched to that for now.
    COD4 needs another map pack to get people off Battlefield

  • Widge #23 4 years ago

    Then again, there was a prime reject on Halo2 who spent the entire match berating people if they picked up "his" weapon first... and then launched into a tirade (as he LOST) at the end about how he knew Bungie and was going to come round to someones house and throw their Xbox out the window.

    That was great, I just left the post game breakdown running for ages.... just carried on and on and on....

  • Brianstorm #24 4 years ago

    Ps3 gets trash talking, mostly from the yanks...

  • doragor #25 4 years ago

    @ miiiguel

    Backlash will never die. I never fail to find it amazing that Halo's popularity irritates people so much they'll claim it's 'shit' or whatever. If you don't like it, fine, but to denounce it as rubbish says more about the person posting then the game itself.

  • gingerlink #26 4 years ago

    I was in a warthog on halo3 once on big team slayer and managed to splatter one of my teammates who then started berating me for betraying him. I said he should look both ways before crossing the road and he actually laughed.

    Just joke about what's going on, if they don't get it then you either suck at jokes or they're a jerk, in which case you can turn the jokes more and more to their expense

    just another random halo anecdote because I felt like it...

  • BadBoyBonner #27 4 years ago

    insert game/machine here> ____________ gets trash talking, mostly from the yanks...

  • Negotiator #28 4 years ago

    Just a great game and should have always been No1.

  • dr_faulk #29 4 years ago

    Boooo! Haloe 3 multiplayer is just too sloppy. I prefer the precise gameplay of CoD4.

  • Rich72 #30 4 years ago

    precise? you mean camp in a corner to get easy kills. Halo is far more skilled in my opinion. and fun. said it before. bye.

  • penhalion #31 4 years ago

    Problem with COD is that there simply isn't the download level commitment that Halo has. Bungie keep releasing content while COD only seemed to have one map pack as far as I know.

    Still doesn't make me even remotely interested in another Halo game though.

  • MattyB2007 #32 4 years ago

    @ Tiste

    What are you on about?!?

    I must be blind because it's clear to me that H3 is superior in everyway barring graphics hence why more people are still playing it despite COD4 coming out after it!

  • agparrot #33 4 years ago

    Actually, whilst I traded my H3 in, I am sorely tempted to get another one now - sort of miss it (I traded it last year) and there seems to be a good community still playing it here on Halo Mondays.

  • OmagnusPrime #34 4 years ago

    I know a bunch of my mates have given up on CoD4 because of all the rampant cheating (glitching, etc) that goes on. It is incredibly annoying and puts me off. Shame really, as when it was good it was fucking awesome.

  • RedSparrows #35 4 years ago

    Entirely anecdotally, but my friends list has swayed from CoD4 to Halo 3. Majority used to be on the former, now the latter.

    I like both a lot, they're both great for different reasons, but jesus christ CoD4 gets some fundementals just plain wrong. Spawning is sometimes so badly handled you literally cannot move without dying, and the quitting/someone having host control is a joke. Was playing Vacant earlier, Sabotage, our bomb was 1 second from going off...'Host Ended Game'.

    Er kk thanks. Halo 3 has flaws too, but I think I prefer it. Nevermind, we win, we have 2 (and all the others!) brilliant multiplayer games, woop.

  • Zomoniac #36 4 years ago

    Looking at my friends list H3 seems to have had a resurgence of late, rather than COD4 losing players. I, a lot of my mates, and a lot of people on the fora and newsgroups I frequent have started getting back into H3 in a big way. Not sure what triggered it, but it's been a lot of fun. You really do forget just how good it is.

  • MattyB2007 #37 4 years ago

    Tiste,

    a) Mainly because it was the only 'realistic' shooter out really, certainly of a high quality anyway and now others have come out. A lot of people love a bit of realism over sci-fi, not something that bothers me but hey
    b) It's appealed to a far greater casual audience. All my more casual game playing mates loved it because of the above but yet again most have moved on to GTA4 since thats what most other casuals are playing (they tend to follow trends and hype). I wouldn't take there opinions on games to seriously compared to sme of my other gaming mates.
    c) It's been out less time by what 2 months was it? Can't remember in all honesty. Yet as far as I know H3 has been pretty close to it most of the time.
    d) It's easier than H3.

    What was your point backed up with exactly? You've just said it was clearly better. On what grounds exactly? Please at least give some reasoning for your statement. But I can almost guarantee anything you come up with will be gameplay design and purely subjective to the players tastes as you can't honestly think the matchmaking/community aspects in anyway shape or form are better, surely?

    After looking at what 've just written it's kinda just occured to me that the main reason COD4 may have done so well for so long is simple lack of other realistic shooters as a lot of people really don't like the sci-fi stylings of H3. What else would they have had to play to get there realistic fix otherwise?

    Still plenty of people still play so it's obviously still got a good following even if most of the people I know have/are getting bored of it now.
    Edited by 1 at 23/07/08 @ 19:33

  • DjFlex52 #38 4 years ago

    wow..a 360 thread I can read where blig_merk, rash', Confounder, Arbiter and the lot didn't invade and take over with nonsensical console wars BS.
    It's refreshing...will wonders never cease :)

  • Yossarian #39 4 years ago

    WE WILL OUTLAST.

    WE WILL ENDURE.

    AND WHEN ALL THE FALSE IDOLS ARE TORN DOWN, THERE WE WILL BE.

  • MattyB2007 #40 4 years ago

    Typical yoss lol :)

  • Yossarian #41 4 years ago

    My BR goes brrrt brrrt brrrt once more come Monday.

  • onyxbox #42 4 years ago

    Who says 360 is a Halo Box?

    /rolls eyes

    I dunno'

  • anephric #43 4 years ago

    CoD4 desperately needs matchmaking. Far too many games with people on your team with 4 kills and 20 deaths. Very frustrating. It means, when you get to a certain level of skill, you might as well forget playing in random matches.

  • BlackKraken #44 4 years ago

    I personally prefer halo multiplayer split screen with mates. Just cant get into playing online, everyone just takes it too seriously lol, i like to joke around. You know, actually have fun.

  • Brianstorm #45 4 years ago

    The biggest frustration in COD4, apart from the crap peer-to-peer system is the juggernaut perk.

  • andywilkie35 #46 4 years ago

    i've been one of the people getting back into Halo 3 online recently. when i left i was pretty decent, but now i'm absolutely shite! i remember Bungie released a patch for "beat downs", does anyone know what they changed? because from what i can tell they changed it so that no matter if i shoot someone with a shotgun first and then beat them down, they can beat me down once and still kill me. its like perfect dark zero or something, where beatdowns are stronger than getting a rocket in the face

  • gingerlink #47 4 years ago

    the beat down update only changes the differences in health before a simul kill.

    Before, if two people have been shooting each other and then punch each other (within 100ms of each other, including lag time etc), the person with ever so slightly more health will survive and the other will get beaten down. Only in very rare cases would the two people punch and kill each other at the same time.

    Now this happens a lot more as there has to be a small gap between the healths for one person to survive over the other. This results in a lot more people dying simulatenously, but there are no other symptoms.

    Most of my friends list is normally populated with people on halo 3, but that's because they're grifballers, which can only be played in customs when it's not on matchmaking (better on customs anyway, 9 scores, no time limit)

  • thats_all_folks #48 4 years ago

    I generally play Halo more than COD4 online. Halo frustrates the shit out of me but at least its balanced, I've never really had a "close" match on COD4 because the first team to call in the helicopter wins.

    COD2 on the other hand had a brilliant selection of maps and a very balanced selection of classes.

  • Brianstorm #49 4 years ago

    you should play search and destroy there are no helis....

  • anephric #50 4 years ago

    S'dead easy to get rid of helos in CoD4 - half a second on a mounted machine gun or respawn with an LMG. I don't even bother with RPGs. They're not game winners by any chalk, unless your teams is stupids.