Topic: Yeah, Halo 3's been announced.

[Spak-Spang]

The real question is why isn't Bungie devleoping Halo Wars?  Why not give the developer a chance to do something different.

I bet they are going to be forced to work on another FPS project...probably for the next Xbox system and it just not be called Halo.  Then exactly what is the point of needing the Halo trilogy if in reality you could have continued it with the same results of another FPS.  Oh that is right, conclusion stories make lots of money.

[SixthAngel]

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Originally posted by: Kairon
How much does it suck that Bungie isn't developing Halo Wars then?

At one point I would have been excited for Bungie to do an RTS because I loved Myth but now I don't know.  It has been ages since the Myth games, Bungie has been bought by Microsoft and people have left the company, including one of the founders.  There have been two Halo sequels with a few additions so before I go crazy for a new game I would like to see how much of the creative side is still there and how well they will be able to work under Microsoft when making something different.

Besides, who wants to play an RTS with dual analog?  

[Flames_of_chaos]

Im sure EA taught us with 2 games that RTSes on a 360 is not very comfortable. This makes me wonder how well will Firaxis(sp?) execute civilization on the Wii and DS.

[Luigi Dude]

And I was right, Gamespot gives Halo 3 a 9.5 and doesn't even care that it's more of the same.

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For example, the gameplay doesn't stray too far from Halo 2, which, in turn, didn't exactly reinvent the original Halo. Don't take that as a negative, because it means that Halo 3 plays extremely well, with the same types of light tactical considerations that have made the series stand apart from other, faster-paced shooters.

This is coming from the same guy who said this last fall about Twilight Princess.

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But once you get over the rush of excitement from a big, new Zelda game having finally arrived, it's hard not to feel a tinge of disappointment--there's a very noticeable lack of evolution here, which makes aspects of the game seem more dated than classic.

Not to mention what Gamespot's review of Metroid Prime 3 said last month.

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The Bad: Doesn't do much different than the previous two Metroid Prime games. Streamlined controls make the game easy to play. 20 hour campaign, but the lack of multiplayer is disappointing, you may not be able to shake the feeling that you've done all this before

So Halo 3 gets a 9.5 for being the same, Twilight Princess gets an 8.8 and Metroid Prime 3 gets a 8.5.

Let the hypocrisy begin.  

[GoldenPhoenix]

Wow, just wow. I read both the IGN and Gamespot review and talk about the hype train dictating the score instead of the game itself. BOTH reviews complained about the single player campaign, saying it had a lot of problems, but hey it was fun, so that makes it the bestest! It also sounds like the game is basically Halo 2 the expansion pack with updated graphics and new modes, yet it gets a 9.5 from both? I'm sorry but these reviews read more like the ravings of fanbois than real reviewers, and I thought Nintendo fan reviewers could be over the top, this takes the cake. What really bothers me is that Metroid Prime 3 runs circles around Halo 3 when it comes to design, creativity, and exploration, yet it gets docked at gamespot. If you put ANY of the MP games against the Halo's there is 0 contest when it comes to deeper experiences, at least in single player.

Heck from reading the review it sounds like only "new" modes is a level editor (wow never seen that before) and saved films. Also I had to laugh at Halo being praised for its artistic merits.

[Dirk Temporo]

Why in the hell is the IGN review five frigging pages long? THERE ISN'T THAT MUCH TO THE GAME.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Oh ha. ha. ha.  I thought these were Resident Evil 4 reviews.

ha. ha. ha.

[SixthAngel]

You guys had to see this coming.  Microsoft has been throwing so much money at the advertising you think they didn't toss a little to these companies besides the hype carrying everyone away.  Gamespot has had the "XTREME GAMER FUEL" Halo ad for weeks.

A strange thing I read at Kotaku will also definitely affect the reviews since they were flown out to whatever dark corner of the world they review these games and given two days to review it.  That means one day of playing the campaign nonstop and another day of being able to mess with the multiplayer a little bit.  Besides the relatively short time for a review it is a completely Bungie/MS controlled environment.  The reviewers are surely surrounded by big fans like themselves to boost opinions as well.  I would assume being forced to play 12 hours a day wouldn't go over well with everyone though, I know I wouldn't like it.  With a hype machine this big the scores were basically given out weeks ago though.  The reviews do show that the game is worth picking up if you have the box though.  

[wulffman04]

there are going to be so many old veterans, all up and confused about the Halo "museum" ads

[Nick DiMola]

/Begin Very Angry Rant

The Halo 3 reviews are just repulsive. Everytime I read one I want to throw up all over the place. The stuff LuigiDude posted is just a giant load. It really just proves how big of a joke these big gaming publications are and how they crap all over Nintendo for no reason whatsoever.

But seriously, f*ck Halo. F*ck that whole sh!tfest of a series. Halo has ruined console FPSs with it's crappy regenerating health and floaty-ass controls. I can't stand that series and the number of idiots who splooge all over it. Halo is a run-of-the-mill FPS, NOTHING MORE. I wish somebody would buy me a copy of the game so I could wipe my ass with it.

/End Very Angry Rant

[UERD]

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penultimate chapter is so bad, just thinking about it puts a rotten taste in my mouth. It's the kind of level where, if playing through Halo 3 again, I might just stop once I reached it and not bother finishing the skirmish, much less the fight.

So if IGN thinks this about the game's single-player mode, exactly why did they still give it a 9.5? If MP3 had faced the same issue, would it have gotten anything higher than a 7.5?

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Enjoy watching your supposed equal getting shot in the face repeatedly and generally making himself utterly useless. What is the point of sticking you with an AI compatriot if all he's good at is respawning?

Hey, look, more AI problems. Wasn't Daikatana crucified in part because of this very same issue?

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This new addition [Forge mode] to the Halo series will keep these eleven maps fresh for years.

I don't see how a gimped level editor with no terrain editing capabilities and very, very limited scripting could ever provide that much replay value.

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Now imagine if you could keep a visual record of everything you ever do in Halo 3. It's not only possible, it happens automatically. Every time you play Halo 3 -- be it a campaign level, Forge, or multiplayer -- the 3D game data from your match is saved to your hard drive or memory card.

Now you can be a tool on YouTube using technology that was implemented in freaking Starcraft (!) at least three years ago.

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<art design>

Halo had ugly art design, and Halo 3 doesn't really look much different. Even UT2004 had more interesting levels. Generic post-apocalyptic plains terrain for the win.  

Now, I don't think the game is *bad* persay, or anything less than 'very good'. I will eventually get it for PC when MS does the inevitable feature-enhanced port. But as was mentioned, the content of these reviews really, really bites. And I really hate how features that are neither new to games nor particularly innovative or interesting are touted as the 'next greatest thing ever'. People would laugh if Toyota or Ford advertised their newest car models by focusing on how the steering wheel or air conditioning are both options you can get, but apparently the 'Halo casual' gamer is too dense (or ignorant) to do the same.

[Svevan]

No one discussed this yet. This commercial is awesome. Someone will naysay, because naysaying about Halo is apparently what we do here (gah). Either way, this is an amazing commercial. More touching than the game ever will be.

This one's not bad either.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Uerd those are some pretty good examples of how ridiculous the reviews are. With that said I am not going to go as far to say that the reviewers were paid off, that is something I do not like doing if I don't have any proof, to attack someone's integrity without any proof is quite immature, and saying they are paid off is a big accusation. Personally I think it is because Halo, like the GTA games is super popular and it is the "cool" series out there, so that tends to blind people to giving a fair assessment. See Metroid Prime 3 never had that luxury, the series has never been cool even amongst Nintendo fans, heck many people here hated the previous two games. Also like UERD said I have no doubt that Halo 3 is a quality game and more than likely has some good fun even if it is an overrated series that gets far more praise then it deserves, and the hysteria the series causes completely blows my mind.

In many ways it is kind of sad that games like the MP series will be ignored by gamers. Heck even Bioshock is getting ignored, its sales are far from stellar, and that game has far more style then the Halo series combined. Oh well, not much that can be done about it.

[KDR_11k]

Whether it was money or hype that skewed the reviews isn't important, not delivering an accurate review of a game because of an external factor means they fail at their job and should be fired.

However, I wouldn't be so quick to say that the rating is inaccurate based only on the description, ratings aren't a bullet point and checklist affair, a game can have loads of flaws but if they don't hurt the fun much they shouldn't weight into the score.

[GoldenPhoenix]

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Originally posted by: KDR_11k

However, I wouldn't be so quick to say that the rating is inaccurate based only on the description, ratings aren't a bullet point and checklist affair, a game can have loads of flaws but if they don't hurt the fun much they shouldn't weight into the score.

That may be true in some cases, but when you downgrade a game's score based on certain things, yet the next time around you don't shows a potential bias in the review. Everything I've read about Halo 3 is that it is basically more of the same, almost ridiculously so, but the reviewers let that slide because of what? A barebones level editor and some video replay? I'm not buying that.

[Kairon]

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Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix

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Originally posted by: KDR_11k

However, I wouldn't be so quick to say that the rating is inaccurate based only on the description, ratings aren't a bullet point and checklist affair, a game can have loads of flaws but if they don't hurt the fun much they shouldn't weight into the score.

That may be true in some cases, but when you downgrade a game's score based on certain things, yet the next time around you don't shows a potential bias in the review. Everything I've read about Halo 3 is that it is basically more of the same, almost ridiculously so, but the reviewers let that slide because of what? A barebones level editor and some video replay? I'm not buying that.

That's why in the reviews thread, I really support a vague 5-point EMOTIONAL-TOUCHSTONE index. To think that games can be rated objectively with a 10 point system is ludicrous to me. And to break it down into graphics, sound, etc. is even more ridiculous. You need a certain amount of vagueness in their appraisal, especially because game's aren't tools that can be measured to have a 91% failure rate or to have X number bugs or deliver exactly N milligrams of arousal, they're art. And they are a holistic experience, not a functional segmented one. (note: this statement is in danger of Svevan coming here and blasting it out of the water)

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

This game is weak.

[GoldenPhoenix]

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Originally posted by: Professional 666
This game is weak.

Still will be more fun than Killer7!

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

I at least I provided as much logic as the Halo 3 reviewers.

[KDR_11k]

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Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
That may be true in some cases, but when you downgrade a game's score based on certain things, yet the next time around you don't shows a potential bias in the review. Everything I've read about Halo 3 is that it is basically more of the same, almost ridiculously so, but the reviewers let that slide because of what? A barebones level editor and some video replay? I'm not buying that.

I'm not sure they were downgraded only because of those points, either. If I were to rate MP2E I'd rate it lower than MP1, not because it's too similar but because it doesn't feel as fun.

[GoldenPhoenix]

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Originally posted by: Professional 666
I at least I provided as much logic as the Halo 3 reviewers.

You know, I can't disagree with you there!

[ShyGuy]

So who among us is standing in line at midnight for this game?

[GoldenPhoenix]

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Originally posted by: ShyGuy
So who among us is standing in line at midnight for this game?

I'm getting it tomorrow night, or the next day. Can't believe people started standing in line last night. Some kid was being interviewed and his mom gave him permission to miss school and stay for Halo.

[NWR_pap64]

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Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix

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Originally posted by: ShyGuy
So who among us is standing in line at midnight for this game?

I'm getting it tomorrow night, or the next day. Can't believe people started standing in line last night. Some kid was being interviewed and his mom gave him permission to miss school and stay for Halo.

Man, kids have it so easy these days!

Back in my day we had to play HOOKY from school! We had to avoid all authority figures just so we could enjoy our games!

Now kids just beg the parents and BOOM! Where's the fun in asking?

And that's why today's kids are a bunch of whining crybabies.

[TrueNerd]

Miyamoto could have made Halo 3. BY HIMSELF.