Halo 3 ready 'when it's ready'

By GamesIndustry International Published 4 October, 2005

But, says Robbie Bach, it might not be ready in time to tackle PS3.

Robbie Bach says that Bill Gates' widely reported comment about Halo 3 launching against PlayStation 3 next spring was a philosophical one rather than a specific pledge.

Speaking in an interview with the IDG News Service this week, the head of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division said, "Halo is something we'll ship when it's ready".

Last May, Bill Gates said in an interview with Time magazine that the second wave of 360 titles would arrive in time to cause Sony problems. "It's perfect," he said. "The day Sony launches, and they walk right into Halo 3."

Bach argues that his boss was using Halo as an example. "Philosophically the point Bill was trying to make is that we’re not just going to ship and not have great stuff coming up," he told IDG.

Bach also commented further on the decision to offer the Xbox 360 hard disk as an optional extra, indicating that it may have been influenced by price sensitivity in parts of Europe.

Speaking ahead of X05, which takes place in Amsterdam today and tomorrow, Bach said of the decision not to include a hard disk as standard: "It's particularly important in Europe where parts of Europe are very price sensitive and the channels where games consoles are sold are predominantly mass merchants which again are very price sensitive... One size doesn't fit all."

Source - IDG News

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Comments (36) Latest comment 7 years ago

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

  • #1 7 years ago

    /Sets up popcorn stand...

    Prepares several Cut & Paste assets (bit like the Halo Level designers!) to use for answers to the same old retarded statements

    /puts ear to the ground to detect the rumble of the fanboy.

  • Frogger #2 7 years ago

    So Halo 3 won't be ready for christmas 2007 ?

  • tengu #3 7 years ago

    'Ready when it's ready?' Duke Nukem Forever anyone? :)

    Hope it's an improvement on Halo 2 though, I don't think I could take another cliffhanger. No more Arbiter would be a plus also.

  • Genji #4 7 years ago

    /waits for people with no sense of perspective to confidently declare Halo 2 to be the worst game ever made, make blanket statements about people who liked the game being "fanboys" (every last one of them!)

  • bootsy_NL_30 #5 7 years ago

    price sensitive countries in europe: ....all of them! who isnt price sensitive?

  • pikemon #6 7 years ago

    the end boss of halo 2 was rather lame wasn't it? cutscenes were a bit ugly at times and level graphics somewhat dull... i liked fighting atop the spider moving thingie, using vehicles, co-op story mode and the whole game mechanics... and of course halo 2 rocks on live & system link... it's the only fps for me (until i get far cry)

    it might be that the end felt anti-climactic because i never bothered to figure out what was going on in the "story"

    anyway, i think bungie could learn a bit from, say, japanese game makers when it comes to art direction and bosses

  • Hicksy #7 7 years ago

    Are they considering a pc release of Halo 2? Because I enjoyed Hale more on pc than x-boxen..

  • Yossarian #8 7 years ago

    Halo 2 had bad level design. people are right that the Arbiter is a far more compelling character, but his levels generally were less interesting to play, and that contributes to the hate thrown his way. the single-player experience generally deserved the 8/10 that EG gave it, predominantly as a result of the tepid level design and the disappointing story arc (as soon as you leave earth the adrenaline seeps out of it) but I think the game proved itself to have much more longevity and grit over Live. I didn't mind the ending at all, either, but then again I'd been told in advance that it was abrupt.

  • tengu #9 7 years ago

    It was Halo 1 that got 8/10. Personally, I'd have reversed those scores, Halo 1 was way better than 2 as a whole.

  • Blerk #10 7 years ago

    Robbie Bach says that Bill Gates' widely reported comment about Halo 3 launching against PlayStation 3 next spring was a philosophical one rather than a specific pledge.

    Back-peddle, back-peddle, back-peddle. :-)

    Bill shoots his mouth off, Xbox staffers start crapping themselves. I'd have loved to have been in that meeting!

  • tengu #11 7 years ago

    Hmm, what about all those Playstation and PSP related threads that've been trolled to hell by Xbox fans? I didn't see you demanding they stay on topic.

  • Derblington #12 7 years ago

    TBH, I don't think Mr Gates ever intended to have Halo 3 released on the same day as the PS3. It was a launch guestimate that everyone took as specific and set in stone. More fool you.

    And Halo is much better than Halo2, although I do like the second game.The crap things in the first game were the Flood and the horrible levels they inhabited, and they all came back in H2. And they added the Arbiter who I really don't like. I like to play as MC and I want his story, not a crappy alien.

  • Derblington #13 7 years ago

    The Flood in Halo change the game completely to simply running and gunning and it bores me to tears. Halo was a clever game in all respects and the Flood brought it down a notch or two, imo. I liked the story idea behind it but the gameplay is outdated.

    Half-Life 2 did the same thing about 2 thirds into the game (the lock-in rooms with the waves of soldiers).

  • NAC #14 7 years ago

    "People who didn't like Halo2 have no business commenting in this thread, so ignore them "

    If someone has a valid point to make about Halo or Halo 2 positive or negative, they HAVE got business posting on this thread.

    My 50 Cents worth on Halo is that, Halo 1 was a much better single player game. Considering the story, pacing and gameplay.

    Halo 2's single player was not as much fun because I was expecting that Halo 2 was going to take on Aliens style approach where marines take on the superior alien covenant only on earth. Yes its not as interesting or as compelling as telling both sides of the story, but simply playing has Master Chief is more appealing than playing as the Arbiter. For me it was MGS2 syndrome again Raiden was a ok character in terms of gameplay, but people wanted to play as Snake cause he is more appealing.

    But from a video game perspective the user interface, controls, movement, graphics, gameplay features and most of all, the excellent multiplayer were and are still are superior to other FPS on a console including Halo 1.

    It comes down to this for me Halo 2 is a great game without soul, where as Halo 1 had soul. By soul I mean that something that keeps you playing or the atmosphere to make you want to care about its virtual world.

  • Teeth #15 7 years ago

    So much for their "HA! WE WILL SAMSH WHATEVAR $ONY HAS TO OFFAR WITH TEH HALO ££££3" then.

  • Mashum #16 7 years ago

    Good point about the difference in halo 2, I didn't care so much about it either - it would have been nice to see the Arbiter storyline released seperately as an add on or something rather than have it dilute the epic story of the MC. I even liked the flood levels in halo 1, picking targets to the rhythm of the shotgun reminded me of Doom 1 and 2 - did go on a bit though.

    I wonder if Bills big gob will scare away the remining Bungie old stagers - am I right in thinking that quite a few of them left between Halo 1 and Halo2?

  • Yossarian #17 7 years ago

    also, this may sound petty, but it's true: Halo and Halo 2 are both terrible on Normal difficulty. I dislike The Library's repetitiveness as much as the next guy, but playing it on Legendary defined it as one of the greatest run and gun experiences in any FPS for me. and the last level is probably even better.

  • Kami #18 7 years ago

    @Genji:

    Halo 2 wasn't the worst game ever made (Clearly you've never played Superman 64... no, please, don't!) - just hugely overrated, overhyped and overscored on the 'net. As good as the original? Yes, definitely, but I wouldn't say that it was much better either...

    I'll keep an interested eye on Halo 3... potential there to be very, very, VERY good... but definitely going to take all the hype with generous handfuls of salt...

  • Carrybagma #19 7 years ago

    I only played H2 recently and I was struck by anaemic storyline, crap screenplay and cinematics. Some ideas looked like they were taken straight out of the Half Life spare parts bins - alien 'chattering' sounds, the 20 second monorail (was that a piss-take?) and 'exciting' music during battle. It made me wish I'd played Halo first. Oh, and for all the graphics being nice, they still don't compare with either of the Metroid games in terms of design or complexity. So much for XBOX being superior.

    Against all that - I don't think I've played any game where the combat mechanics were so good. The two weapon restriction works really well and the vehicles were great - I could bounce around in a Warthog all day long. Multiplayer is so good, and the level design there so well done, I wonder if two different teams were at work.

    Getting to the point - claiming that a single, good game is all that's needed to fight off a (probably) superior console is asking for a come-uppence.

  • Dr_Actually #20 7 years ago

    "The cut scenes and graphics in general still hold their own "

    Apart from the foul texture detail jumping

  • brainbird #21 7 years ago

    "Mr Gates, I'd like to talk to you about that Halo 3."
    "Call me Bill, Robbie, call me Bill. So, what about Halo 3?"
    "Well, Bill, you see, Bungie says they won't make it for the PS3 launch... Bill? Do you hear me? Bill?"
    "It's Mr Gates for you."

  • BBIAJ #22 7 years ago

    "Halo 3 is something we'll ship when it's ready"

    Right. They said that about Halo 2, only to then have it revealed on the making of docs that they were being pushed to get it out ASAP all along, and things had to be cut.

    So I don't believe that comment in the slightest.

  • brombeer #23 7 years ago

    LOL brainbird. Nice one.

  • bootsy_NL_30 #24 7 years ago

    ok on the 360 topic has anyone seen the special on www.gametrailers.com about elder scrolls IV ....really worth a look

  • kangarootoo #25 7 years ago

    @BBIAJ

    I agree. If Bungie aren't funding this one themselves they are really in no position to make a statement like that.

  • Yossarian #26 7 years ago

    the greatest thing about that Oblivion video is its five months old. considering how far Kameo came in that time, I have high expectations.

    PDZ continues to disappoint, however.

    do EG have someone at X05?

  • bootsy_NL_30 #27 7 years ago

    ok I agree those PDZ shots look terrible! it looks like someones used a photoshop plug in "plastic wrap" and put it over a whole world, and the lighting is reacting like it was plastic ....this is what I found so good about oblivion shots...soft shadows and lighting that actually takes into account the texture its falling onto

  • bootsy_NL_30 #28 7 years ago

    uh has anyone noticed that the microsoft packs for foreign press have a translation for : "how do I get to the red light district" ...it was just proven last week that over 80% of the red light district ladies here in amsterdam are forced into prostitution ...microsoft.....what were you thinking?!
    (and by the way if you ask that to dutch people on the street they think you are a total loser...just like going up to a complete stranger in london and asking "where are your whores?";)

  • Xerx3s #29 7 years ago

    Phew, i almost thought they where gonna rush this. They can take all the time in the world imo. I mean, creating a sequel/end to one of the greatest gaming franchises around isnt easy to live up to.

    And fluffy is right, if your so unhappy that sony cant come up with a good fps while every other system does ve a good fps (hmm, grammar? :p), just start your own sony thread about it. If you didnt like halo 2, then you wont like halo 3. That leaves me with the question, why on earth are you posting on this thread? Just to post negative comments that dont make any sense at all? Lets turn this around, if halo 2 is so crap, what other great console shooter is so much better (apart from halo of course)? You ppl call xbx ppl fanboys, but your no better, you do exactly the same.

  • Blerk #30 7 years ago

    Anyone who comes here and acts like a fanboy retard gets abuse, Arnie. Not just Microsoft fans. It is possible to be a fan of a system and not constantly spout shite about competing machines, you know.

    Oh.

    No, you don't know. Now you do.

  • Derblington #31 7 years ago

    "if your so unhappy that sony cant come up with a good fps while every other system does have a good fps"

    Errr, it has little to do with Sony - MS didn't make Halo and Nintendo didn't make Metroid Prime. I see where you're coming from but you're still wrong.

  • Carrybagma #32 7 years ago

    greatest gaming franchises

    Are you a Microsoft marketing weasel masquerading as a 'fan'?

    PS. No-one can seriously think it's crap - it's just not as great as some people would have us believe.

  • Jammy #33 7 years ago

    does anyone remember that 9 minute halo 2 trailer which was realeased just before it came out? it had pods coming from the sky and multi melee attacks for master chief.

  • Yossarian #34 7 years ago

    there were never multi-melee attacks for Master Chief, pods come out of the sky regularly in Halo 2, and most of what you saw in that trailer ended up in the game in one way or another.

  • The-Bodybuilder #35 7 years ago

    >"http://www.jeux-france.com/news12648_perfect-dark-zero-bient
    ot-finalise.html"

    Move along people, nothing to see here other than the chalk-out what seemed to be a potentially great game.

    All previews I've read have been dissapointing so far.

    Only one of those pics looked "next-gen".

  • speedstars13 #36 7 years ago

    a bunch of dumb fuck brits.