Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta

By Dave McCarthy Published 12 May, 2007

We've played it.

First impressions? Familiarity. Well, that and the fact that at 900MB it takes a while to download. When it's finished downloading and you first pick up your pad to play the Halo 3 beta, your first thoughts will probably be that the game looks, and feels, like Halo 2 (and, come to that, the original Halo). The maps feature a visually similar mix of arctic wastes and red sandstone gulches. Your initial payload is the same assault rifle that served so well in the first game. The controls are only subtly different. And the range of play modes is pretty similar to Halo 2. Clearly then, this is another case of combat evolved. That's no bad thing, of course. Indeed it has one key advantage, which is that the first two Halo games were brilliant, especially in multiplayer, and if it ain't broke don't fix it. But it does mean that it takes a while before the various new additions begin to make themselves felt.

Initially, then, you'll probably start playing this like a conventional game of Halo multiplayer. I certainly did, and a load of other players on the beta test clearly did, and the game certainly supports that. If you were to run the game right next to Halo 2 you'd no doubt spot the differences pretty quickly, but your gut reaction will probably be that, in terms of the quality and style of the graphics, it looks the same. Even the HUD, though revised, isn't really meaningfully different. Various play modes make a return, from the ubiquitous Slayer through the likes of Oddball and Crazy King. And the Assault Rifle feels just like it ever has. Picking up the first new weapon - the Brute Spiker, it fires different bullets, but it's difficult to tell what they do. So yeah, familiarity then.

But Bungie has packed a bunch of new stuff in here. While they're only subtly different, the controls, for example, allow you to independently reload dual wielded weapons (by pressing either bumper), and after a bit more time with it, that Brute Spiker starts to feel pretty effective up close. The Brute Spike Grenade is a new type of grenade, that's almost like a cross between the Frag and Plasma: it sticks in your opponent, but it also has a pretty devastating blast radius. Or there's the Machinegun Turret, which you can literally rip from the ground (by pressing B - or you could just shoot it out of the ground and then pick it up). It takes a while to get going, but eventually proves very powerful. Similarly, the Missile Pod was originally designed to be mounted on a vehicle or in the ground so it too slows you down, but it also allows you to lock on to enemies. And while there's only one new vehicle, the two-man Mongoose is focused on fast transport so it proves pretty useful while playing capture the flag.

'Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta' Screenshot 1

There's a new way to recognise other players in the game: a three-digit 'Service Tag', that allows strangers to quickly shout at you more easily.

Of course the most obvious new addition is the new equipment items, accessed by pressing X: There's the Bubble Shield (which you'll have already seen), the Portable Grav Lift (which you can use to access high areas), the Trip Mine (which does what it says on the tin), and the Energy Drainer (which is a bit like a devastatingly lethal bomb).

At first, it doesn't feel like any of these new additions drastically alters the Halo formula. But after a while, you'll notice the more canny players starting to do things a bit differently. They start using these new tools that Bungie has given them in ways that aren't too obvious from the start. And that's when it starts to get a bit more interesting. Because these new tools have been very subtly designed and the effect they have on the game balance is very nuanced.

Take the Spartan Laser, for example. It's a huge weapon, and a hugely powerful variation on the classic railgun. But it takes a while to wind up. That's a pretty big disadvantage. Or take, as another example, the Bubble Shield. It's also pretty powerful. It stops any incoming fire. But it's also beset by the pretty significant disadvantage that enemies can just wander in and shoot you. It means you can't just use it like a shield. Or rather you can, but you have to use it at the right time, or in the right place. Which also means that it can be used in novel ways. Maybe you could use it to set up an ambush, waiting until your unwitting target wanders in before chucking loads of grenades and then retreating the small distance to safety. Or you could use it in combination with the Spartan Laser, waiting while it winds up before venturing out. Or whatever. I don't know. Maybe, even the people at Bungie don't even know. That's why they're beta testing the thing. To see what happens when people start using the Grav Lift as an offensive weapon, for example (it's especially useful if you let it off under an enemy vehicle). So even though some of the new stuff might feel a bit underwhelming (like the Spike Grenades, for example), who's to know what new and devious uses they'll be put to by creative players in coming weeks, or how they'll affect that delicate Halo balance in the long-term.

'Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta' Screenshot 2

The music sounds like it did in the first two games.

But the beta test isn't just to try out new weapons or vehicles. Halo 3 also makes a host of improvements in terms of online functionality. The most noticeable of these is Saved Films, a feature that allows you to save movies of your multiplayer bouts. It's cool enough in the beta, which allows you to relive memorable (and not so memorable) moments from your own perspective, but the finished game promises to let you view the action from any angle (and if you've got a rubbish telly you can even watch your replays with better playback quality on a friend's). You simply choose to save your movie after your game finishes by pressing X, and you can share it with others by saving it to a dedicated space on Bungie's servers. Which means all of my friends can watch me, and several other Spartans standing round a skull trying to work out how to pick it up during a game of oddball (no doubt a better writer than I might even compare it to the scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey where the apes are confronted by superior technology, and use that as some sort of apposite metaphor for the game. Me, I can't think of any way to do that).

The matchmaking process has also been tweaked: you just pick a playlist (which is basically a list of preferences) and then wait for a game - but you can Veto a game or map if you don't like it. You can also Party Up with players you enjoy playing with after a game finishes (although you can't Party Up with the opposition after ranked games). And there's better skill matching, apparently, because the game registers how much you've played a particular game mode, and also how good you are at that game mode (although this clearly isn't working, to judge by my own miserable performances).

So it's familiar but different. Of course, Microsoft is keen to stress that the singleplayer game will look and play very differently. There's only three maps in the beta, for example, and there will be more weapons, vehicles and game modes in the finished game. And no doubt the single-player environments will be much more richly detailed and more differentiated from the last two games than multiplayer maps. In any case, Eurogamer will be sending you more despatches from the beta frontline in a little while, because we're far from having exhausted the possibilities (partly because it's not possible to create your own games or play offline in the beta). If you're lucky enough to be in possession of a beta key you'll be able to check out the new features for yourself from next Wednesday (May 16), and it runs until June 6. In the meantime combat is evolving in new and interesting ways.

Head over to Eurogamers to see what people are saying in the Halo Appreciation Group.

Picture of Dave.

About Dave McCarthy

Read more articles from Dave by visiting the Dave McCarthy archive page.

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Comments (167) Latest comment 5 years ago

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

  • DrunKao #1 5 years ago

    The Missile Pod is going to be so fun. 3rd person view while using it looks really nice as well.

  • coojam #2 5 years ago

    Fixed!
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 13:46

  • neosalad #3 5 years ago

    cant wait for wed to try for myself!

  • JediMasterMalik #4 5 years ago

    Sounds really good, wanna see more SP myself.

  • DUFFKING #5 5 years ago

    "(it's especially useful if you let it off under an enemy vehicle)"

    I can picture this now: Warthog happily driving along then flying miles up in the air :D

  • Yossarian #6 5 years ago

    Fixed.
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 13:47

  • andya #7 5 years ago

    8/10?

  • SBfistfun #8 5 years ago

    Sounds like a chuffing great meh to me.

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #9 5 years ago

    You mean the one that wasn't in the second game?

    Whoops. Fixed.

  • MaxiSleep #10 5 years ago

    So just for clarity it feels like an expansion pack rather then a new game?

    I have to rank halo 2 as probably the most disappointing game I have bought, since pvp is not really my thing. I am starting to think I might give this one a miss..

  • SBfistfun #11 5 years ago

    @MaxiSleep

    I thought Halo 2 was disappointing as well. Single Player was average, although the multiplayer was much better.

    Halo 3 just sounds so meh (especially after reading this article).

  • Yossarian #12 5 years ago

    yes, this beta (of three unfinished maps) which doesn't feature all the available equipment, weaponry, vehicles, game modes, matchmaking functionality, and saved films options of the finished game feels like an expansion pack.

    but yes, if you don't like deathmatch first person games this probably isn't for you.


    EG Halo threads = one long siiiiiiigh
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 11:16

  • Dizzy #13 5 years ago

    Lucky guys!

    Well I am sure next week we can shoot each other in the face :)

  • Fairlane #14 5 years ago

    I feel this could backfire for Bungy. Already (there are 13 post as of this) jugement on the sinleplayer i being thrown out, based on beta multiplayer impression.

    Lets see how i turns out.looking foreward to it anyway

  • Yossarian #15 5 years ago

    we need a EG Forumers vs EG Staff game.

  • patlike #16 5 years ago

    Yossarian: Good idea. I'm beyond rubbish at it, so you can shoot me first.

  • captainrentboy #17 5 years ago

    I can't believe some people are juging the whole game already, and going from what? Another person's opinion on just three of the multiplayer maps and at a beta level stage.
    Let's not talk poop here guys, the ones of you saying ''meehhh'' and ''sounds shit'' were never really going to buy the game in the first place were you?
    Personally, yes I'm looking forward to playing the beta, but I'm certainly anticipating the single player aspect a whole lot more. (Of which we've all seen pretty much zilch) Yeah H2's single player was a dissapointment, but I'm going to have a little faith in that Bungie will rectify that with this one, and also have an ending with a little closure.

  • Dave_Taurus #18 5 years ago

    Yeah, sorry about the typos folks. It was written at 4am in a hasty bid to get you my impressions as soon as I could. Evidently too hasty.

  • SBfistfun #19 5 years ago

    "Well I am sure next week we can shoot each other in the face :)"

    Dirty get

  • #20 5 years ago

    "your gut reaction will probably be that, in terms of the quality and style of the graphics, it looks the same. (as Halo 2)"

    This probably means that the Xbox 360 has allready maxed out graphics wise. ;)

  • ilmaestro #21 5 years ago

    Basts.

  • morriss #22 5 years ago

    Before I read it, I just want say, BASTARDS!!!!!!

    /reads

  • morriss #23 5 years ago

    Read it.

    I want it. I've got a key. So I'm getting it.

    More of the same but different sounds like exactly what I expected it to be.

  • silentbob #24 5 years ago

    Yawnzilla.

  • LeD #25 5 years ago

    That all sounds great and mouth-watering tbh. Can't wait to play the beta, though I'm going to be away for a while so that'll only a week worth of fun for me.

  • Carrybagma #26 5 years ago

    Combat: Tweaked

  • Azazel #27 5 years ago

    Halo invented the FPS genre.

  • SBfistfun #28 5 years ago

    "Halo invented the FPS genre."

    Super ROFLMAO adventure!

  • Pablo2k5 #29 5 years ago

    @ Azazel "Halo invented the FPS genre"

    You are joking right? How old are you? 12? Remember Doom? Half Life? LOL!
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 13:24

  • Yossarian #30 5 years ago

    if anyone wants to play some poor man's Halo 3 (i.e. Halo 2) today lemme know

  • Restart #31 5 years ago

    The biggest question is... Do you actually get to see your friggin health bar this time around? I absolutely hated Halo 2 for removing that, and removing the health packs that you had in the original Halo.

  • Yossarian #32 5 years ago

    the answer is no, thank god

  • joeking #33 5 years ago

    Trolls Out

  • Sid-Nice #34 5 years ago

    I just can't help thinking that this game could have been done on the Wii; Miyamoto you bitch why didn't you make Halo? I don’t want to play games with a smile on my face.

  • MaxiSleep #35 5 years ago


    captainrentboy -
    "I can't believe some people are juging the whole game already, and going from what? Another person's opinion on just three of the multiplayer maps and at a beta level stage. "

    The overall engine will be similar between the single and multi play, with a few more tweaks and graphical effects. Therefore if the multiplay looks like Halo 2 then by simple logic so will the single play experience.

    It then pretty much follows that Bungie are (like with halo 2) doing a by the numbers port (but this time to the 360.) I would also guess that their code is a bit hard to update since it has taken geological eras for (gearhead?) to convert a direct x game from xbox to PC (1 and the super soar away vista version 2. Which looks complete pants)

    So I am quite happy to form an opinion at this stage. Hope i am wrong but I have seen nothing to restore my faith in bungie.

  • Walshicus #36 5 years ago

    The 900MB took you long to download? I literally got it in around seven minutes. I was really quite surprised by it too.

    Oh, and everyone else is going to have so much fun on the 16th.

  • Xerx3s #37 5 years ago

    Sounds really good, wanna see more SP myself.

    Heh, as if bungie would release anything about SP (they kept quiet until a week after H2 launched). ;P

    Anyway, sounds good. Tbf, there wasn't really that much in the H2 formula that needed fixing. It is imo still the best xbl party game ever made.

    I can picture this now: Warthog happily driving along then flying miles up in the air :D

    There is a film on the bungie website showing this thing with a mongoose.

    if anyone wants to play some poor man's Halo 3 (i.e. Halo 2) today lemme know

    I might be, if I'm not going out (probably will). This might be better off tomorrow or monday.

    But what's this? only two haters in a halo topic?! WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!!

    EDIT: Make that three.
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 14:25

  • macksed #38 5 years ago

    6/10 A solid if not a little mediocre FPS.

  • morriss #39 5 years ago

    IT'S A BETA!!!! As in, it isn't 'finished'.

  • Yossarian #40 5 years ago

    "6/10 A solid if not a little mediocre FPS."

    thank you for stopping by, your reasoned opinion is important to us.

  • wayn3h #41 5 years ago

    People moaning about the graphics already? From a Beta MULTIPLAYER release.

    The idiocity of people never fails to astound me.

    Firstly, you need to bear in mind that Halo 2 was pushing the Xbox to its extremes, and it showed at times. Halo 3 is running in a much higher resolution, with a higher polycount, higher res textures and shaders galore. I personally think from what I've seen anyway, that Halo 3 is shaping up quite nicely in the looks department. Especially considering that most of what we have seen is from unfinished multiplayer.

    I'm no Halo fanboy, but I have a lot of respect for the artists at Bungie.
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 14:50

  • Yossarian #42 5 years ago

    it must be really hard for people to make those crushing 'it looks like Halo 2' comparisons when they've never spent any time with the latter game. I really don't quite know how they manage it.

  • MaxiSleep #43 5 years ago



    wayn3h^!
    12-May-07 14:50:59

    "People moaning about the graphics already? From a Beta MULTIPLAYER release.

    The idiocity of people never fails to astound me. "

    Beta = feature complete. And it gives a good idea of what to expect in the full sp game. Of course the single player will look better (since they have control over the environment more then in a multi player and frame rate is not as critical). But will it be fundamentally transformed - i think not.

    But it is I think pretty harsh to call people idiots when they say that they are not in any way impressed by what they have seen to date.

    Yossarian
    12-May-07 14:52:00

    "it must be really hard for people to make those crushing 'it looks like Halo 2' comparisons when they've never spent any time with the latter game. I really don't quite know how they manage it."

    Erm that would be by looking at the videos and screen shots released to date. Or is it your position that we are not allowed to make judgments on them? If so why are bungie releasing them? (I presume that by latter game you are refering to 3)
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 15:04

  • Yossarian #44 5 years ago

    [link url=http://home.comcast.net/~iceberg_is_on_fire/Halo32.png
    ]http://ho me.comcast.net/~iceberg_is_on_f...[/link]

    Halo 3 beta multiplayer,maybe six months out from release

    vs

    Halo 2 complete singleplayer upscaled and given additional AA on 360



    totally comparable! it's like looking at a day and then another day!!

  • Obsequious #45 5 years ago

    Jesus Christ, did Halo 2 really look that bad?

    /will be kinder towards H3 from now on.

  • Yossarian #46 5 years ago

    [link url=http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1353/1178912776.jpg
    ]http://me dia.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1353/...[/link]

    [link url=http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/472/1085785669.jpg ]http://me dia.teamxbox.com/games/ss/472/1...[/link]

    why did they even bother??!

  • coojam #47 5 years ago

    Shit me, surely that's missing textures on the Halo 2 screen?

  • JHuxley #48 5 years ago

    @Yossarian

    I don't think anyone was saying that Halo 3 doesn't look better than Halo 2. It just doesn't meet expectations...especially considering how far in advance the original Halo was. Is it totally unreasonable to expect the same again of Bungie? If these screens are anything to go by, there are already nicer looking games on the 360.

    At any rate, I never really thought the original Halo looked all that great anyway. Technically maybe, but the art direction left me cold.

  • Walshicus #49 5 years ago

    What screenshots don't show you is the smoothness and general polish that the H3 beta has, even this far away from release. The first time I was sniping on the beach in High Ground I must have shot down a good three falling leaves from the trees, just because I wasn't expecting that level of detail. I got myself killed whilst toying about with the saplings on Valhalla...

    Now honestly, the first time I played the beta I too had a slight sense of "this isn't Gears good"... but it takes time for the quality to shine through. But then if Bungie can get even half of the graphical increase we saw from the first Brute documentary to the H3 beta today out of the next four or five months, we're going to be in for a treat.

    Also, you should consider how the 360 dev kits work now; they have the same RAM as the domestic units so developers can't just make the game look awesome for screenshots and then optimise to meet them later on. Now the game is getting a tonne of incremental graphical increases from what they've been showing off.
    Edited by 2 at 12/05/07 @ 15:35

  • captainrentboy #50 5 years ago

    You're all graphics whores, and you make me sick :)
    Does the game run at 30 or 60fps? It's not something that bothers me, like I said in the Forza thread, but from that new vid on Bungie's site it all looks a lot smoother and quicker than before.
    I still like how people are damning the (masively unknown)Halo 3 experience by showing a picture of a wall, then showing a picture of another wall from Halo 2. Going from Bungie's weekly updates it would seem that there are considerably more groovy graphical effects going on in the single player side of it.
    I mean, wasn't it the case with Rainbow Six Vegas too? The multiplayer environments looked like cack.

  • Dizzy #51 5 years ago

    What I like most in Halo threads?

    The fact that I am able to fill up my ignore list with emo whiners. Priceless!

  • Walshicus #52 5 years ago

    Captainrentboy; I don't actually know if it's 30 or 60fps. You never really notice anything bad about the framerate, and it seems quite smooth when playing it.

  • symmetry #53 5 years ago

    I think you're all fucking crazy. This game looks the mutt's nuts. Check this out:-

    Gametrailers Halo 3 HD

  • Yossarian #54 5 years ago

    it looks great to me but then I have actually played Halo 1 & 2 extensively so my ability to make comparisons might be compromised!

  • Xerx3s #55 5 years ago

    I stand corrected. The haters who have never been anywhere remotely near the halo franchise have still managed to come back and fill this thread up with utter bull - turning what should be fun for the fans into a pure trolling.

    You did it again.

    /claps slowly
    /fills ignore list

  • Dizzy #56 5 years ago

    I agree symmetry... but when it comes to Halo people just like to complain like old fish-wives.

    But who cares? We will all be playing and having fun while they can kill their time with... hmmm.. masturbating? ;)

  • Yossarian #57 5 years ago

    also the problem with every piece of footage so far is the players involved are terrible

  • Xerx3s #58 5 years ago

    UBB doesn't work. :)

  • Yossarian #59 5 years ago

    yeah, I always forget that in comments threads :(

    I like the gametrailers vid where he smashes through the gates on the Mongoose, skillfully avoids running over an opponent, and then crashes into a crate. the physics look great.

  • Xerx3s #60 5 years ago

    Are you pissed at H2 single player? Would you like to H3 fail? Do you believe that your troll comments will prevent any of us who enjoy Halo from playing H3?

    They never played it; Yes as it is not on the platform they pledged their soul to; That is the intention.

  • YourMessageHere #61 5 years ago

    What amuses me most about Halo threads is how incredibly defensive the pro-Halo people get, especially the way they all sit here going "this will be the best game evar" and then when someone criticises the game they all accuse them of "spoiling the thread".

  • Royal Fool #62 5 years ago

    Hilarious comments thread (both the staunch critics and rabid defenders).

    Me, I don't really mind getting the beta key with Crackdown. Never been much of a Halo fan, I mostly play games in singleplayer and the campaigns in Halo and Halo 2 left very much to be desired.

  • Ihya #63 5 years ago

    Emperor's new clothes time.

    Its Halo 2 with a few bells and whistles.
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 16:52

  • Yossarian #64 5 years ago

    similarly, Half-Life 2 is Half-Life with some bells and whistles, UT2K(X+1) is UT2KX with some bells and whistles, MGS4 is MGS3 with some bells and whistles, and so is just about every iteration in a major gaming franchise you care to name. what have we learnt?

  • Yossarian #65 5 years ago

    I want Halo 2 with improved graphics, physics, and netcode, with new maps/weapons/vehicles, and better balance for the existing content. everything else (deployable equipment, increased customisation, saved films, improved matchmaking) is gravy.

    lo and behold, Halo 3 delivers!

  • Ihya #66 5 years ago

    "Half-Life 2 is Half-Life with some bells and whistles."

    The lady doth protest too much, methinks

  • Sid-Nice #67 5 years ago

    I've got my Kylie Minogue head on and I can't believe it's beta.

    I've just played Halo 3,
    And the graphics look cool to me,
    Don't believe what they say,
    Beta the Dev you know.

  • Scimarad #68 5 years ago

    I must say I thought it looked pretty impressive from those Gametrailers videos - I'm obviously easily impressed...

  • Yossarian #69 5 years ago

    "The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

    gravity gun, poorly-implemented vehicles, giant robot dog, updated graphics. what did I miss? was there a startling sequence where it turned into an RTS? or some sort of radical new gameplay mechanic where you sit down with the Combine and square your differences with reasoned debate? no, it's still a run and gun shooter with many of the same mechanics, weapons, enemies, themes, level design and scripted sequences of the original. does this make it anything less than an excellent game? of course not. should I have missed out on it because there was a crowbar in both games and damnit there weren't enough polygons added to it in 2 to make it worth smashing headcrabs with again? don't be absurd.

  • matrim83 #70 5 years ago

    /Whiny Cartman

    I want the single player now.

  • Xerx3s #71 5 years ago

    What amuses me most about Halo threads is how incredibly defensive the pro-Halo people get, especially the way they all sit here going "this will be the best game evar" and then when someone criticises the game they all accuse them of "spoiling the thread".

    People get annoyed by people who have a zealot passion to express their negative feelings about halo on every opportunity they get. You can twist it all you want but it won't make the halo haters any less moronic.

  • Max_Powers #72 5 years ago

    The trailers look great. I can't wait!

    But then again I played about 7.000 multiplayer games of Halo 2 according to the counter, so I'm a bit of a fanboy :)

  • Xerx3s #73 5 years ago

    what did I miss?

    Tech demo instead of a proper game.

  • DUFFKING #74 5 years ago

    Ok guys, we get it. So it's not THE BEST LOOKING GAME OF ALL TIME EVAR.

    You've told us this a million times before in a million other discussions.

    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 17:14

  • Yossarian #75 5 years ago

    "What amuses me most about Halo threads is how incredibly defensive the pro-Halo people get, especially the way they all sit here going "this will be the best game evar" and then when someone criticises the game they all accuse them of "spoiling the thread"."

    except we don't say it will be the best game evar. we are just enthusiastic about a series of games we love, and a universe we want to visit over and over, and a multiplayer gamer that entertains us hour after hour after hour. you will find fans of many games in many threads on this website, and on every other gaming website. but no other games receive quite as much vitriol -- whether warranted or not -- as Halo.

  • daku #76 5 years ago

    fackin' wembley!

  • Xerx3s #77 5 years ago

    Please don't quote recent additions on my ignore list, it makes the list kinda pointless.
    Edited by 2 at 12/05/07 @ 17:46

  • NegativeZero #78 5 years ago

    A company makes a sequel to one of the best-selling games of its time which has a multiplayer mode which has been enjoyed by millions of players and is generally considered to be reasonably good, and they don't completely change it? I am SHOCKED.

    People said that Halo 2 felt just like Halo when they played the multiplayer at first too. Here's a challenge: go back to Halo multiplayer now. It's very different. Additionally this is running in higher resolution with better texturing and filtering. It should still get a bit more spit and polish too, the game's still at least 3 months from being done and they'll have cut things out from this build so that they ensure the framerate is stable.

    Halo 3 is never going to look as good as Gears does. Unreal Engine 3 is able to look absolutely amazing, but only when there's not a pile of geometry to render. Gears as a game is made up of tight rooms and corridors and lots of urban, closed environments. The actual levels are not that big. Halo 3 will very likely have much larger areas, and you simply can't achieve the same complexity that Gears does if you're rendering bigger areas.

    Personally I'm cautiously optimistic. They seem to have gone over the Halo 2 experience carefully and picked up on a lot of its flaws. I never liked the SMG, for one thing. Change the default weapon to something else and I'll play really well, but when there's SMGs everywhere I play absolutely rubbish.

    My main gripe with multiplayer in Halo 2 was always the idiot American teenagers, but apparently they've added the ability to mute the shits, so that's fine. Should be a good game, provided that the single player is up to scratch and they don't make you play as the fucking Arbiter again.

  • Azazel #79 5 years ago

    @ Azazel "Halo invented the FPS genre"

    Pablo2k5: You are joking right? How old are you? 12? Remember Doom? Half Life? LOL!

    Of course I remember Doom! It's that film with The Rock in it!

    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 18:24

  • The-Bodybuilder #80 5 years ago

    By EG's tone, this has 8 written all over it.
    LOL, I love how EG tries to pretend like they're huge fans of the series. Be honest, you've never been huge fans of the series, like others. No shame in that (except for the fear of backlash).

  • Walshicus #81 5 years ago

    "It should still get a bit more spit and polish too, the game's still at least 3 months from being done and they'll have cut things out from this build so that they ensure the framerate is stable."

    Actually the framerate is pretty solid at the moment. I've not noticed any slowdown so long as I've been playing.

  • Sid-Nice #82 5 years ago

    Of course I remember Doom! It's that film with The Rock in it!

    Brilliant; I hope that Rock was rendered in high definition? :)

  • Azazel #83 5 years ago

    Yeah, I mean... everyone knows Doom was the basis for the whole FPS genre. Karl Urban is running around towards the end, and all of a sudden it switches to a first person view point. Everyone thought: zomg! Who wudda thunk of that?!

    Then Bungie decides to base an entire game around this ground-breaking concept. The rest is history: Xbox dominates the world, multiplayer gaming is revolutionised and thousands of American teens jerk off over pictures of the Master Chief and his massive weapon. Gears of War follows.

    Like duh.

  • foamy #84 5 years ago

    Do you get co-op play in the beta?

  • urban #85 5 years ago

    sounds like an expansion pack..

  • captainrentboy #86 5 years ago

    YOU sound like an expansion pack!

  • Yossarian #87 5 years ago

    this is really the only negative Halo 3 beta thread I can find on the Internet. neogaf's is a circle jerk of people talking about how awesome their experience of the beta is. you'll notice anyone who has played it in this thread says the same.

  • Dizzy #88 5 years ago

    >So, is this going to be a mad system-seller for 360 like the original Halo was?

    Some sites are claiming 4M pre-orders.
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 19:30

  • MaxiSleep #89 5 years ago

    For all the pro halo fanboys here

    Frankly I dont like being called a moron for expressing an opinion. Yet that is the response that I get

    Halo 1 was a defining moment in gaming. Still one of my favorite games single player. I am not worried about the multiplayer, just the single player and so far I am unconvinced by what I have seen. So call me a moron all you want, it does not mean my views are unreasonable.

  • Xerx3s #90 5 years ago

    I'm looking forward to my first Halo on Xbox, only played Combat Evolved on PC.

    OMG! T3h horror!

  • Xerx3s #91 5 years ago

    this is really the only negative Halo 3 beta thread I can find on the Internet. neogaf's is a circle jerk of people talking about how awesome their experience of the beta is. you'll notice anyone who has played it in this thread says the same.

    This is EG. It is the center of all halo haters. Nuke EG and you rid the universe of them once and for all.

    /eureka moment
    /mails McGuyver

  • zuljin #92 5 years ago

    @captainrentboy + morriss
    About the whole "beta - its not finished issue", from Wikipedia:

    "Often this stage begins when the developers announce a feature freeze on the product, indicating that no more feature requirements will be accepted for this version of the product. Only software issues, or bugs and unimplemented features will be addressed."

    I realise the times are a changin' with internet updates and internet only games like WoW, but Beta versions are usually fairly feature complete.

    This depends on the game tho, but most Betas I've played have not had radical changes from Beta to Master. I agree we should probably hold off any judgement until a store version is available.

  • smelly #93 5 years ago

    Was interested.. Then got as far as:

    " will probably be that the game looks, and feels, like Halo 2"

    Which i didnt like..

    .. goes back to dead rising.

  • smelly #94 5 years ago

    @zuljin :

    PRetty much every company has a different definition of beta.

    Some companies consider beta to be a finished game (with a few hard to find bugs to iron out), some companies consider beta to be half finished.

    But yet i wouldnt expect the game to change much after beta regardless of definition (unless they listen to their fans, and go back to drawing board)

  • grandmaster Verified Director, Digital Foundry #95 5 years ago

    Never played Halo 2, but played the beta today. I thought it was absolutely fantastic fun. And while it's not Gears-good in terms of its visuals, it still looks far better than most 360 titles and overall is very impressive.

    Something missing from Dave's generally spot-on piece though is just how well the game plays from a technical/latency standpoint. It's pretty much a totally lag-free experience to the point where it feels like you're playing a LAN game.

    To give you some idea of how good it is, I live in the Middle East and many Live games here are totally unplayable when playing with UK and US users (eg Doom on Live Arcade). Not so Halo 3. The only time it felt poor and laggy was when I was uploading a 100mb file simultaneously - if you max out your upload speed on ADSL, it essentially kills your download speed. But even then, it was still better than some of the Live 'experiences' I've had. Really impressive stuff.

    I'll quote this from another forum because it's my only worry about the game:

    The complete lack of talk from Bungie about the single-player has me worried that we're going to see a Halo 2 situation all over again. At the time all the message boards were saying "oh they're keeping quiet because they don't want to spoil us" and then it came out and it actually turned out that they were keeping quiet because they spent 60% of their development time at company picnics and LAN parties and the single player campaign felt like it was knocked up over the weekend.

    Edited by 2 at 12/05/07 @ 20:39

  • effinwooly #96 5 years ago

    @smelly

    go and troll somewhere else nob !

  • SwedBear #97 5 years ago

    Umm, I've participated in a lot of betas and in all cases there have been a lot of stuff being improved and changed from the betas. remember that these betas are made to get feedback on a lot of stuff. So I think it is premature to bash the game based on a limited multiplayer beta. Do we know if the Sp gfx will be the same as mp gfx? many games turned down the feature details in mp compared to sp. we simply do not know (I personally think all videos I've seen show an great looking game, maybe not Gears of War but as have been said here - its a completely different type of game).

    As for MP being similar to Halo2. Considering Halo 2's MP by many still is seen as one of the best MP implementations and the game still is played by a lot! of people, why should they radically change it? It sounds like there are a lot of sublte differences and more to some (with new weapons, more vehicles etc.).

    I'm a bit pissed i planned in a trip to Chicago just as the beta is released.

  • Overlush #98 5 years ago

    I've not looked back since selling the 360 and buying a PS3 but there was a nagging doubt in my mind that I would start to once H3 reared it's head after loving H1&2.

    No...no doubts yet...hang on....wait...is that...no....AOK...nothing new to see here.

  • jazon! #99 5 years ago

    Bollocks

  • The-Bodybuilder #100 5 years ago

    >"I am not worried about the multiplayer, just the single player and so far I am unconvinced by what I have seen"

    What exactly HAVE you seen of the SP og Halo 3?

  • The-Bodybuilder #101 5 years ago

    >".. goes back to dead rising."

    Awww, smelly's pretending to have an xbox 360. How cute.

  • Xypher #102 5 years ago

    "I've not looked back since selling the 360 and buying a PS3"

    Dude are you sure you're not trying to convince yourself and the furumites of a fact you don't truly believe, instead of... I dunno.... making a valid comment about the Halo 3 beta.

    I dunno maybe I'm wrong...








    sure i'm not though :)


    On Topic: this sounds right up my street, missed H2 since I didn't have a connection capable of running it.... sure as hell not gonna do that this time round.
    Just curious though have they made any changes to the whole Clan system from H2?
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/07 @ 23:30

  • zendragon #103 5 years ago

    Looks like a wii game graphically speaking.

    Sounds like the same old same old.

    Seems to be relying only on fanboy base and extreme levels of hype and marketing to sell.

    Good business strategy.

  • Yossarian #104 5 years ago

    "What exactly HAVE you seen of the SP og Halo 3?"

    we don't need to SEE or PLAY or indeed KNOW ANYTHING WHATSOEVER about the singleplayer to know that it will be disappointing! there is ample footage of the multiplayer beta to infer that every aspect of the complete singleplayer campaign will be a catastrophic failure. fanboys am hype mediocre game ftw lose lolololol!!!!! pc 4eva.

    looks like a Wii game!

  • Roamer #105 5 years ago

    I never played the sequel, because I thought the original was mediocre at best. Note that I played it back in 2004, a long time after release, so maybe it hasn't aged that well. Anyway, I'm not really interested, but I've noticed a strange discrepancy between the screenshots and the movies I've seen. The movies look pants, a lot like I imagine Halo 2, while the screenshots look quite nice. Strange, and I can't pinpoint why this is.

    Anyway, I'm warming to the whole online-play thing (out of necessity mind you, there aren't any decent split-screen games out there), so I might pick this up when it's price is slashed. Give in to the hype, so to speak. Like when I saw Matrix Revolutions despite not being a huge fan of the previous film. Although that didn't quite work... and now I'm ranting :)

    Anyone agree about the screenshot/movie thing?

  • Yossarian #106 5 years ago

    Replies to this comments thread: 117!

  • foamy #107 5 years ago

    GoW got more than 700, so it's still the winner :]

  • Yossarian #108 5 years ago

    117 has significance for Halo fans.

  • foamy #109 5 years ago

    Remind me why, pliz.

    edit: nevermind. Spartan 117? :|
    Edited by 1 at 13/05/07 @ 02:09

  • AhrimaaN #110 5 years ago

    I dunno - it looks ok. Not enough of a jump from Halo 2 and the laser rifle looks boring as to use, but then again I always enjoyed the single player more so lets hope they can pull out something special. I'm a little concerned they aren't mentioning single player AT ALL apart from that silly brute doco. Have to wait and see. I'll be trying out the beta though as I have crackdown

  • Walshicus #111 5 years ago

    Something to add to the "beta" means this or that discussion:
    Bungie internally consider what you'll be playing on the 16th to be their internal multiplayer "delta".

    One question though; how many games almost as good six months before launch as they did ON launch?

  • morriss #112 5 years ago

    @zuljin: but Bungie have said that the game is constantly being improved upon visually and the finally product won't look like the Beta version. So there're either lying, or it's just Beta. :)

  • Overlush #113 5 years ago

    "Dude are you sure you're not trying to convince yourself and the furumites of a fact you don't truly believe, instead of... I dunno.... making a valid comment about the Halo 3 beta"

    Honestly, I don't need any convincing about whether or not I did the right thing selling the 360. For ME it was the right thing to do (I'm not about to try and change other people's mind - they can make up their own) and I'm much happier with the PS3 as an overall package.

    Maybe it's because I finished SP H1 about 8 times and logged around 1500 matches in MP H2, but based on what I've seen about H3 so far I truly don't feel any pangs of loss.

    I'd like to know the H3 SP plot however, so a quick Wiki when it launches will do thankyou :)

  • smelly #114 5 years ago

    Ignoring the trolls (and its becomming hard to do so - why is this site such a magnet for fanboys?).

    Something I find interesting - We, as gamers - forgive anything and anything - as long as its on our console of choice - its ok. But if same generic wank was released on antoher console.. Well kato, effinwooly, bodybuilder will get upset.

    Halo 1 was fucking brilliant - never before ha a fps been done properly on a console. But yet - release it on a pc, and compare it against pc fps games - it's shit! I challenge even the biggest fanboy to tell me otherwise.

    Even the fanboyist fanboy would not tell me that halo was better than half life 2.

    BUT in terms of console gameplay.. halo was fucking brilliant.

    But after halo, everyone was doing it...

    Then came halo 2.. And in comparison to not just pc fps games, but to ALL the other fps games.. well .. it was a bit.. well.. wank.

    Now.. I have to be honest i;ve NOT (and i repeat the word NOT) played the new game, but going by what EG have said - if it's the same as H2 - then seriously what is the point?

    It seems to me, that most people on this site are more interested in the "console wars - and which does better than the other" more than whether games in themslves are good. The fact we have kato, effinwooly & bodybuilder all geting upset over said stuff is a bit worrying". Notice that im NOT slagging off the 360, i own one - and I *DO* feel that the best game i've played this (or indeed last) gen is on the 360 (dead rising)l.

    Just because i think halo2 was mindless geneirc wank (and based on that i dont have high hopes for halo3 after reading the previiew) - that DOESNT mean i'm anti xbox..

    Im just anti generic wank boredom shit.


    And before the fanboys like kato reply - i suggest you do a search on my name.. 3 or 4 years ago i was bigging up microsoft saying that what they were doing was good for the industry - mixing it up a bit... And at the time, i had thousands of sony fanboys calling me all names under the sun.

    My only regret is that msoft kept making generic wank.

    (with the exception of the excellent viva pianta)

  • Pablo2k5 #115 5 years ago

    Hmmm,
    Halo 2 on Vista looks almost as good! Oh, and I've played a million betas in the past, don't expect the final version of Halo 3 to much different. Having said that, the SP graphics should be better.

    Halo 2 PC screens...
    [link url=http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/a rticle/778/778632/halo-2-20070405105523268.jpg
    ]http://pc media.ign.com/pc/image/article/...[/link]
    http://pc media.ign.com/pc/image/article/...

  • davisorle #116 5 years ago

    @ smelly
    For once again I thought you try to act stupid but its just something natural of yours.

    "Was interested.. Then got as far as:
    " will probably be that the game looks, and feels, like Halo 2"
    Which i didnt like..
    .. goes back to dead rising."

    Who's xbox did you steal? That's sad. Plus you wouldnt look so stupid if you had just read and a couple of lines more in the same paragraph:

    "But it does mean that it takes a while before the various new additions begin to make themselves felt"

    But too bad you just wanted to write something about Halo 3 that you will surelly wont play in oyur life since you wont be able BUT I start liking the fact all the Sony fanboys call ppl that have an xbox or like Halo trolls and shit like that. It makes those little retards that come at the net place I work look smart once in a while and normal...

  • Xerx3s #117 5 years ago

    Zendragon - "Looks like a wii game graphically speaking"

    And the Most Stupid Comment in the thread goes too.....

    Please don't quote idiots (just press ignore).

    People who are commenting on the SP story: Bungie - like many others - have a policy to keep absolutely quiet on it until a week after a game ships. If you want to have an idea as to where the SP will go, I would suggest reading Ghosts of Onyx as it makes all the story pitches for halo 3. I find it funny that people dismiss a game on a sp noone has seen yet and a mp beta most have not played yet. The hater brigade in full force again I see.

    Overlush: Brining up that you have no regrets of selling your 360 in a totally unrelated item... See where I'm going?

    Smelly: Truth (am guilty of it as well). I completely disagree with your opinions of the game but for the rest, you are correct. The difference between you and most other "anti's" however is that you don't seem to make it your life purpose to troll every halo thread as much as possible.

    Most halo fans don't mind people criticizing halo in a thread - this is a forum after all - but the pattern has become a bit tiresome over the years (halo related topic > instant flood of people making dozens of posts concerning how lame halo and halo 2 are). To the point that the fans are now basically incapable of having a good halo related discussing without it descending into flames by an invasion of trolls.

  • macksed #118 5 years ago

    first!

  • Brianstorm #119 5 years ago

    @Smelly

    I would have had Goldeneye as the first proper FPS on a console...

  • EmiliasHorse #120 5 years ago

    Looking forward to swearing at French people later this week.

    @Smelly, you are not a fanboy but act exactly like one?!? I would search your comments from the past 4 years but life is just too short.

  • speedtrax #121 5 years ago

    9/10 on EG. Mark my words.

  • Xerx3s #122 5 years ago

    I would have had Goldeneye as the first proper FPS on a console...

    I was a huge GE fan at the time but I wouldn't call it a 'proper' FPS as games like Quake 2 where pissing all over it.

    EDIT: Have been playing both again recently and while Q2 is still a shitload of fun and oke in graphics, GE seems to have completely withered away against the test of time. The amazing graphics are shite now and the control system is just horrid. :(

    I should never replay old favorites again. :(
    Edited by 2 at 13/05/07 @ 12:46

  • Overlush #123 5 years ago

    @smelly

    Halo WAS great, but it wasn's simply because it was the first great console FPS. Halo was the first console game I played after leaving PC gaming behind and I got hoooked because of the story and the amazing AI. Not since Half Life had I seen such convincing and varied AI that made the game a joy to play. Seriously, 8 times through and each one left me with different war stories. Can't think of any other games that I can say that about.

    To say Halo 2 was wank however is a bit short-sighted. The story was a bit of a half-baked affair, granted, but improvements in graphics and level design meant for just as many exciting encounters. On top of that it's multiplayer was (and remains) outstanding. I don't think I've played and enjoyed anything as much online as I have H2.

    I'll agree that, thus far, Halo 3 doesn't look like it's going to push the envelope as much as H1 (in terms of SP AI) and H2 (in terms of online) but if it's going to give fans more of what they like then fair play.

  • Vin #124 5 years ago

    Sony fans? Aimless speculation?

    ON THIS FORUM?

  • GamesConnoisseur #125 5 years ago

    Once again, amazed at the ability and skills of people to be able to judge the whole SP and MP of an unreleased game (not for other half year or so) and when majority still haven't yet played beta. Photo give you an ability to know the interactive quality game? Video any better?!

    I will reserve any judgement until I play it on Wed, simple as that. I will post my comment AFTER giving it a good go.

    Those who pretend to have X360 or glad of selling it, will just be bystander and if interested welcome to observe the informed comments of these who have been playing it. I ll even welcome 'told you so' if it prove smelly! But hope they would also balance it with any positive praises.

    : Game is just game, you need to be platform-agnostic to appreicate it properly

    Edited by 1 at 13/05/07 @ 13:14

  • Scump #126 5 years ago

    The whole graphics issue is a bit like GRAW. The SP looked far more superior compared to the MP. So its a bit unfair to compare the two. Anyways graphics are only half the experience, I would like to have known how much more improved the physics are in the game, from gen to gen.

    Also nobody knows how up to date this build of the beta is. They've had this ready for a while I hear from my reliant sources..er...on the interporn.

  • krudster #127 5 years ago

    Tons of exclusive new shots posted here http://ww w.eurogamer.net/article.php?art...

  • Pablo2k5 #128 5 years ago

    This Gamespy MP preview pretty much backs up the general opinion on Halo 3 from what we've seen so far...

    [link url=http://uk.xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/halo-3/787987p 1.html
    ]http://uk .xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/h...[/link]

    ...the general opinion being that of 'nice gameplay' but not groundbreaking in the graphics department.

    I guess all those 360 owners looking to use this game for bragging rights against people who own PS3's are going to be very disappointed. lol.

    PS - Personally, I think the graphics are just fine. However, I understand the concept of gamplay>graphics, unlike some 'gamers'...
    Edited by 1 at 13/05/07 @ 14:47

  • Yossarian #129 5 years ago

    EG's shots look damn nice

    I can't understand the complaints about the game's graphics so far tbh

  • Walshicus #130 5 years ago

    @Krudster

    Ah wow! They've got a shot of JustAnotherFan playing in there! I wonder if that was from a match I was in.

  • Yossarian #131 5 years ago

    Walshicus were you a big Halo 2 fan prior to playing 3?

  • Brianstorm #132 5 years ago

    @Xerx3s

    Sorry sticking to my guns (or sniper rifle as it may be) on this one, GE was the first proper fps exclusive to/designed for a console e.g. not a port of a PC fps, Halo and Halo 2 are the standard bearers now for consoles but as Quake 2 on the PC was considered by some as better than GE, Half Life 2 is considered a step up from Halo 2...


  • Walshicus #133 5 years ago

    Yeah, I liked me a bit of Halo 2. Didn't play much online once I got my 360 though; loading maps took forever and they kept on breaking... Still campaign was played. Been a member of Bungie.net since 2002 though, so I got me a tonne of "middle school" friends from that.

  • Yossarian #134 5 years ago

    Half-Life 2 has superior graphics (kinda a given in a PC/console comparison) and physics, but there are quite a few areas in which it's weaker than Halo 2, notably the implementation of vehicles and the enemy AI, which is highly disappointing given how they raised the bar with the marines in 1. don't get me wrong, I prefer Half-Life 2's singleplayer game (although I don't find the world and fiction as involving or complete as Halo's), but I don't think there's as much disparity between them as many would like to believe. crank Halo 2's engine up a little and give it a gravity gun and I think it'd nose it.

  • Walshicus #135 5 years ago

    Re: Halo 2 AI
    I used to do single player modding of Halo 2 ages back. Without a doubt my favourite mod was the one where I replaced all the marines with Spartans. Once they have shields, they just... know how to behave like you'd expect a Spartan to. I did the whole Mombassa section in co-op with that mod - having a squad of 12 Spartans was pure awesome. Of course the only way the game could be fun like that would be to play on Legendary with all grunts made into Jackals, all the Jackals made into Elites and all the Elites bumped up a grade.

  • zuljin #136 5 years ago

    @morriss
    "but Bungie have said that the game is constantly being improved upon visually and the finally product won't look like the Beta version. So there're either lying, or it's just Beta. :)"

    Well that definition still applies, graphical improvements aren't a feature :)
    /Takes pedantic hat off

    @smelly
    "My only regret is that msoft kept making generic wank.
    (with the exception of the excellent viva pianta)"

    Blasphemy... Rare made that, dammit!

  • miiiguel #137 5 years ago

    Jump In!

  • miiiguel #138 5 years ago

    Gonna tatoo "XBOX 360" on my arm...

  • smelly #139 5 years ago

    I give up.

    Its impossible to have a conversation on this forum without people just going "you're just a fanboy".

    So okay.. fuggit.. im just a fanboy.. i have no opinion on games on consoles i own because I call people nobs when they troll ps3/wii forums.



  • Xerx3s #140 5 years ago

    cthulhu_steev: Discussing the pro's and con's of something is different from barging in and commenting on how lame the SP will be. I'm a member of the ps3 group, do you see my name popping up in every thread? Claiming that it is the lamest thing ever? No. The most negative comment you will find in there is how I think that home isn't made for me but a different target audience. I read it, that's it. I feel no need to sprout hate (that I apparently have or so you say) for the ps3.

    EDIT: If you can't see the difference between that than I am sorry and I suggest you put me on ignore as soon as possible to ease your suffering of my stupid words.
    Edited by 1 at 13/05/07 @ 23:15

  • The-Bodybuilder #141 5 years ago

    >"We, as gamers - forgive anything and anything - as long as its on our console of choice "

    Pot.....Kettle....Black.

  • smelly #142 5 years ago

    >Pot.....Kettle....Black

    I presume you mean i'll say that all wii games are the biz just because they're on the wii?

    Funny that, if you READ my comments, most of the time i'm slagging off bad games on the wii (nights for example). But i'll still slag off trolls like yourself who go onto every wii (or indeed ps3) threads and slag it off the minute a game gets a bad review.

    My points still stand. Yes i have a 360, yes i had a xbox, yes i've played both halo games. No, i didnt think much to halo 2.

    Yes im bored of both generic fps games regardless of platform they're on.

  • smelly #143 5 years ago

    @Overlush :

    Okay, maybe calling halo 2 "wank" was pushing it a bit. But after the original halo, i was looking forward to something "more".

    I guess as a consumer, if im bowled over by the initial game, i expect to be bowled over by sequels too.. And when im not, i'm left feeling "meh". I had the same experience (For example) playing mario sunshine. I expected to get the same feeling as i got playing mario 64 the first time around.. but it didnt happen. So for a long time I judged it as a pile of toss.

    Maybe if i went back and replayed halo 2 on its own merrits (As opposed to judging it against halo 1), maybe then i'd like it?

    I might just try. Anone know if it's compat with the 360? I'll see if i can pick it up 2nd hand.

  • zendragon #144 5 years ago

    Same gameplay, same graphics. > Halo 2.2 >
    Boring.



    Some fanboys almost go to a nervous breakdown upon hearing something negative. it's sad really.

  • kissthestick #145 5 years ago

    Half Life > Halo

  • Roamer #146 5 years ago

    @Frod:

    The same is true for movies you don't like, music, political parties, literature, football teams etc. First they took the Xbox-owner, but I'm not a Xbox-owner so I didn't speak up etc.

  • symmetry #147 5 years ago

    I have a gripe!

    It's with people making judgments on single player Halo 3 when all we have seen is multi-player Halo 3.

    And I love bold.

  • bonker #148 5 years ago

    /skips comments 51-150
    /skim-reads everything else

    Blimey, certainly brings the fanboys out this doesn't it :)

    Anyway, speaking as a general advocate of all things 360:

    I could blow a year's worth of MEH on H3.

    It looks like any other FPS (to my untrained eye), big guns, 'guys' in bizarre space suit gear, no doubt crates will abound as usual etc blah.

    Is this going to be a 'port of H2 with some tweaks' then? Hell of a way to spend some years of a large development crew's time, yes??

    I've no idea if there's any co-op in H3 but if there isn't then it's going to be pretty ironic that from my 360-advocate perspective i'll be giving this much-lauded and iconic XBOX game a very wide berth ...

    PS: At first glance, I thought the Forza demo looked absolute shite too, like really last-gen. Again, another 1st-party XBOX flag-waver. Makes me wonder if things are getting a little too comfy over at MS Towers .....

  • symmetry #149 5 years ago

    ^^LOOK^^

    I don't believe it, someone's doing it again.

  • The-Bodybuilder #150 5 years ago

    >"But i'll still slag off trolls like yourself who go onto every wii (or indeed ps3) threads and slag it off the minute a game gets a bad review. "

    I challenge you to find a single post of mine in a wii thread (or ps3 even) were I "slag" it. If you do, I'll pay you £20 via paypal.
    You seem to think every negative post in a wii thread is a trol trying to slag it off (just shows your mentality).

    And honestly, no one has ever seen you go crazy for the ps3 in a ps3 thread, only in wii related threads. If anything, you're always quick to point out how many good games the wii has over the ps3.

    But whatever. Everyone pretty much knows where you stand. The cooking mama thread is the best example.

  • The-Bodybuilder #151 5 years ago

    >"if you're not interested in a game, it's better not to comment at all. "

    Not really. Everyone has an opinion, and this is a place to share it.
    Can't always have happy happy posts.

  • AcidSnake #152 5 years ago

    Haven't read any of the comments yet, but I think that
    "The music sounds like it did in the first two games."
    is one of the more interesting captions for a screenshot ever...

    "Music sounds the same? Ah, I see..."

  • miiiguel #153 5 years ago

    I don't play Halo2 nowdays, as a matter of fact I just played it like I play a regular "above average" game, but I have no pretensions whatsoever to call it a "wank" when 50k still play it on a regular basis after all these years. There must be something good about it...
    Or is it a satanic drug thing ?

  • Crashmasters #154 5 years ago

    It looks like they made Halo 2 again. And that's a good thing!

    They messed up with the original one, so here's their chance to rectify it. If they now deliver a solid singleplayer experience and manage to make the multiplayer as good as they originally envisaged it, it will be great.

    Graphically it's under par with the current AAA titles. The textures have the old xbox 'flat-ish' look. And please don't come arguing that it's only a beta. I've seen beta footage of a lot of games and there never has been a game that improved dramatically in the graphics department.

    So there you have it: the remake of halo 2 (new and improved formula). Look at it as a classic movie, re-released on DVD. The same as the original, a bit sharper and with a few extra's.
    It will be great, but I'll wait until it ends up in the bargain bin as I already played halo 2 before and paying full for a re-release sounds a bit daft.

  • bonker #155 5 years ago

    ">"if you're not interested in a game, it's better not to comment at all. "

    Not really. Everyone has an opinion, and this is a place to share it.
    Can't always have happy happy posts. "


    Indeed.

    I'm far from disinterested in H3 being a 360-boy. How could I be? I've been bombarded with H3 this, H3 that for the full 18 months I've had my 360 in the same way I had to endure 12 months of GOW this, GOW that.

    Now to me, as a confirmed FPS MEH-er, I couldn't possibly tell you, or even see/understand, the difference between those two games. All I see are futuristic looking soldier types with preposterous weaponry etc.

    No doubt that floats a lotta people's boats and I'm cool with that but I guess I'm maybe just pointing out that it's a big party that a lotta other people can't join cos it just appears so narrowly focused on pwning other people and the usual gun-fest etc.

    I see next to no art direction in the H3 shots which leaves my visual synapses flat-lining (something I can't say about GOW at least. I didn't actually like the art direction in GOW but I can't deny it's there!).

    I'm unaware of any plot to get my mind whirring. Yeah, I could go read about it and I have picked up a bit of H-lore (how can you not?!) but I really shouldn't have to go chasing it. The problem is that the vast majority of stuff that's written about it is talking about guns and cars and spawning and deathmatch blah, blah, blah. These are not words or themes that stick to my mind and motivate me in any kind of way.

    Gameplay? Well I dunno. Again, all I hear about are guns etc. Again, instant turn-off.

    So, probably not my kind of game then huh? :)

    I will be downloading it on Wednesday though and I will make an effort to try and get some pos-vibe stuck in my mind for it but again, this is me making what feels like a large effort on behalf of an iconic XBOX game (ala Forza 2).

    /full of alienation
    Edited by 2 at 14/05/07 @ 10:56

  • The-Bodybuilder #156 5 years ago

    I sort of see what you're saying bonker.
    I loves me gunz, but I still see where you're going.

    And yes, I really can't see the art direction here. Texture still seems somewhat flat. And anyone who's fooling themselves into believing the MP gfx will change drastically is floating in the rapids of the river de-nile.

    I know it's bungie's policy to keep the sp under wraps. But it's time for policies to change. I say, release a few screenies to give people an idea of what the sp is gonna look like. We must assume it will look like the mp until proven otherwise.

    Personally, if I were sony, this would be the perfect time to release some killzone 2 screenies. :D

  • miiiguel #157 5 years ago

    off-topic: I could use a CC3 review...

  • miiiguel #158 5 years ago

    Flat ?
    Minimalism is an art form.

  • Overlush #159 5 years ago

    Forza 2 and Halo 3 both lack the WOW factor visually. Has the 360 peaked?

  • bonker #160 5 years ago

    "I sort of see what you're saying bonker.
    I loves me gunz, but I still see where you're going.

    And yes, I really can't see the art direction here. Texture still seems somewhat flat. And anyone who's fooling themselves into believing the MP gfx will change drastically is floating in the rapids of the river de-nile.

    I know it's bungie's policy to keep the sp under wraps. But it's time for policies to change. I say, release a few screenies to give people an idea of what the sp is gonna look like. We must assume it will look like the mp until proven otherwise.

    Personally, if I were sony, this would be the perfect time to release some killzone 2 screenies. :D "

    Well some confirmation of co-op play would be a start. I can buy into that, even in a FPS context, as that floats my boat in a way that deathmatching etc never will.

  • bonker #161 5 years ago

    "off-topic: I could use a CC3 review... "

    Yeah me too tho having looked at other sites, I imagine it's a nailed-on 8/10 on EG.

  • bonker #162 5 years ago

    "Flat ?
    Minimalism is an art form. "

    It is (and one that I like) but that's not how i'd describe the look of those shots :)

  • reality_cheque #163 5 years ago

    @Restart: "The biggest question is... Do you actually get to see your friggin health bar this time around? I absolutely hated Halo 2 for removing that, and removing the health packs that you had in the original Halo."

    That's because IIRC Halo 2 HAD no health, only shield energy. You could take a bit of damage after you lost your shield that healed as soon as your shield was back, so there was no need for healthpacks. This was you don't get situations where you're on your last block of health without a another healthpack due for 3 sections.

  • reality_cheque #164 5 years ago

    Hurrah! Ignoring idiots just shrunk this thread down to 160 posts of "ooh I like the look of that" and "a beta is XXXX", interspersed occasionally with "what a troll".

    ALMOST pleasant reading.

  • Nikanoru #165 5 years ago

    Two Xboxes taped together! ;D

  • The-Bodybuilder #166 5 years ago

    I have just noticed.
    The first doc showed bits of the alpha sp, with gfx that looked on par to the alpha mp.
    Now if the alpha mp has improved to the standards we see now, doesn't that eqate to the same as the sp? seeing as (based on the doc) they use the same graphics engine?

    And why did bungie decide to use the halo 2 graphics engine anyways?

  • smelly #167 5 years ago

    "Everyone pretty much knows where you stand. The cooking mama thread is the best example."


    I stand against trolls who go onto threads with the soul intention of slagging a machine off and not discussing the actual game in question.

    If you can tell me what i said wrong in the cooking mamma thread (apart from telling the trolls where to go) I'd be amazed.

    But im going off topic by responding to said trolls here, and for that i appologize to those of you who want to have a discussion about this game.

    (but it wouldnt be fair for me not to get a chance to respond)

  • captainrentboy #168 5 years ago

    ''Forza 2 and Halo 3 both lack the WOW factor visually. Has the 360 peaked? ''
    Really, is that what you think? DIRT and Bioshock look better graphically than both of the games you mentioned, so how can you use those two as the basis that the 360 has reached it's graphics limit already?