Topic: Yeah, Halo 3's been announced.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

I said Wow.

[Svevan]

I'm standing in line, but not for my own copy. Some of my friends are apparently too weak to stand in a line by themselves.  

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: Svevan
I'm standing in line, but not for my own copy. Some of my friends are apparently too weak to stand in a line by themselves.

They do realize you can go into the store the next day and get one right? Frankly I am quite disgusted by the display by the gamestop by me, they are screaming and acting like idiots, I guess it all makes sense why Halo 3 is so anticipated, it has all the bloody idiots sucked in. I've been to console launches for all 3 systems and I've never seen anything quite so repulsive and eye rolling.  It makes me feel even more ashamed that I'm getting the same game they are tomorrow.

[Stogi]

You see the all-day Halo 3 special on G4?!

What kind of bullsh!t is this?!

[Adrock]

I stood in line at Best Buy with a friend who got the Legendary Edition (he didn't know it was $130 until after he reserved it, but figured the Master Chief helmet was cool enough to keep the pre-order). From the looks of it, there will be plenty of Halo 3 copies tomorrow. No one needed to stand in line at midnight to get one. The midnight launch was just for the people who want to Halo 3 marathon it through the night.

On a related note, while I stood in line with my friend, I got a bunch of free stuff (the best being a Halo 3 shirt that I'm giving my Halo-whore brother) then I went inside and was the only person to just buy a copy of Knocked Up.

[UncleBob]

Apparently, there's an issue with the Collectors Edition (the $70 one, not the $130 one that I know of).  Wonderful Microsoft manufacturing processes had ensured that large amounts of the discs don't stay clipped into the case - falling out and getting horribly scratched up during the shipping process.

One guy, at the back of the line (like, the last person to check out), apparently heard about this online and opened his copy before leaving - scratched.  Swapped and opened a second copy... Scratched.  Swapped and opened a third copy - scratched.  Fourth copy was the charm.

I mentioned something about "Microsoft Quality" - to which he asked if I was a "PS3 Fanboy".  I said no, I'm a fan of Quality... and asked how many 360's he's gone through.  I really expected him to say something like "Oh, that's bull, I'm on my first one"... Instead, he was honest and said he was on his fourth.

Seriously, you go through four systems in less than a year and still stand in line to buy a $70 game from the same company?

Would you like some KY with that game, ma'mn?

[GoldenPhoenix]

Actually it is unfair to blame Microsoft solely for that, I've had many times where a new DVD has been dislodged and scratched up. Besides I've never had a 360 go bad on me.

[UncleBob]

The occasional DVD getting dislodged from a standard DVD case isn't unusual.

However, the design of the Halo 3 Collector's Edition Tin is such that it simply does not hold the game in properly.  It would appear to me a pretty big issue if a guy comes in to get one the night of the release and already read about it online - then has to go through four of our 15 copies to find one that isn't scratched.

[UncleBob]

More on the scratched disks.

http://www.dailytech.com/Early+Halo+3+Limited+Edition+Owners+Plagued+by+Scratched+Discs/article9010c.htm

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: UncleBob
More on the scratched disks.

http://www.dailytech.com/Early+Halo+3+Limited+Edition+Owners+Plagued+by+Scratched+Discs/article9010c.htm

Well maybe it is for the best, considering the crowd that got the game, Karma is coming back to bite them square in the butt! I really hate those types of designs too, I don't remember what game it was, but it got dislodged and that same crappy foam design. Anyway that is why I got the Legendary Edition!

[UncleBob]

http://news.google.com/news?q=scratched+Halo+3&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=1&ct=title

Wow... and this game's been out how long?

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: UncleBob
http://news.google.com/news?q=scratched+Halo+3&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=1&ct=title

Wow... and this game's been out how long?

Gamespot on it

"These scratches give Halo 3 a unique advantage over the competition which doesn't have them. You will get to play Halo like you've never played it before so therefor we give it a 10/10".

[IceCold]

Quote
One guy, at the back of the line (like, the last person to check out), apparently heard about this online and opened his copy before leaving - scratched. Swapped and opened a second copy... Scratched. Swapped and opened a third copy - scratched. Fourth copy was the charm.

I mentioned something about "Microsoft Quality" - to which he asked if I was a "PS3 Fanboy". I said no, I'm a fan of Quality... and asked how many 360's he's gone through. I really expected him to say something like "Oh, that's bull, I'm on my first one"... Instead, he was honest and said he was on his fourth.

I said wow.

[Svevan]

I really wish at least one person here would admit that Halo 3 is an excellent game. It is no longer as innovative as it was, but that's because the formula still works. It is the standard for console fps (cue GP chiming in that there is no such thing as a good console fps). I played number 3 tonight for a few hours and enjoyed it quite a bit, as much as the others. I really can't talk about single player (and, hello, there's nothing wrong with that) but the mechanics are so tight and so, honestly, perfect that I'm sure single player will be a fun experience.

I'm so jaded by this thread. It really disappoints me that we are so negative about something so great. However, I will admit that the people standing in line for the game were, for the most part, retards. But I stood in line at midnight for Harry Potter 7 (which, like Halo 3, did not run out of stock that night; no one expected it to) and encountered some strange and obnoxious people there too. I would venture to say that standing in line at midnight is one of those nerd things that only attracts the really antisocial folks with no lives. Though I do not count myself among them, I have seen them a lot, since I have stood in line for many things over the past few years (mostly movies). I understand the double standard involved with criticizing midnight lines and participating in them - it's just the truth.

The problem with midnight lines is that they take advantage of the hype machine, which is a dreadful device that preys on young people with lots of disposable income. The reason shallow cgi crap movies keep getting made is that the best of the bunch, like LotR and Spider-man, get so much attention. The modern media has set its sights on this young demographic and creates art geared for their easily pleased palettes. So all those terrible Halo imitators are, like those terrible fantasy, comic book, and pirate movies we are bombarded with, just imitating the greater thing that happens to be appreciated by the unwashed. And its the unwashed that stand in line at midnight.

I do have to say that the Wii midnight line had a nice diversity of people, though the ages (and maturity) went down the closer you got to the front - also, I stood in line at Fred Meyer, which is not the same as standing in line at EBGames.

Halo 3 makes me want an Xbox 360 more than any other game I've played on 360 thus far.  

[Spak-Spang]

I will say the Halo series is a great series.  It has done some good things for console shooters.

I think the frustration is coming from Microsoft either buying hype or game publications overselling/over hyping a product they are excited about.  Halo is good.  It does a great job at online play and really tries to push the limits in replay...which is exactly what a video game should do.  

BUT, the story really isn't that great.  None of the games had this awe inspiring story, which is what everyone is talking about.  And Halo should not be compared to any movie trilogy.  Halo fans are not Trekkie fans...are not Star Wars fans.  The truth is, that if this is truly the last Halo FPS then the series will die with nobody caring, because some better FPS will be out there to play and devour our time.  

I will say Halo 3 probably deserves all its reviews, but it does not deserve the hype.

 

[SixthAngel]

I haven't played Halo 3 but I like both of the other Halo games.  I played the hell out of the beta with my friend until the xbox crapped out.   I tend to disagree with the average Halo fan about a lot of things though.  I loved the Arbiter and playing as him with elite allies was easily my favorite part of Halo 2.  Not caring for MC doesn't really get me hyped up about going back to his fight when I was just the Arbiter.  I never thought the faceless Master Chief was very interesting especially when you have this bad ass alien voiced by Keith Davids.

I think most of the negativity here is coming from the extreme over hype (I only see the stuff on the internet and I am already sick of it) and the double standard that is used when reviewing games.  Somebody bump the game ratings thread because you wouldn't have this complaining with a 5 star review system since games this close would have the same number of stars.  

[Nick DiMola]

Quote
Originally posted by: SixthAngel
I think most of the negativity here is coming from the extreme over hype (I only see the stuff on the internet and I am already sick of it) and the double standard that is used when reviewing games.  Somebody bump the game ratings thread because you wouldn't have this complaining with a 5 star review system since games this close would have the same number of stars.

Sure there is some more negativity due to the extreme over-hyping and double standards in reviews. But generally speaking, I can't stand Halo. The story is boring and useless, the character design and art direction is bland and boring. The enemies are repetitive and the gameplay is boring. I hate the controls and the weapons and how so much of being good at the game depends on knowing the levels. Halo has done 3 things right and that's all I can give it. 1) It has really done a great job of Online play, as much as I hate the game I can't take that away from it. 2) Coop play in FPSs has become pretty much standard as a result of the efforts of Halo. 3) The vehicles have always been fun to control and play with.

Unfortunately, it has also brought the concept of rechargeable health which in it's own right it the biggest destruction of console FPSs. I absolutely hate rechargeable health. It ruins multiplayer and encourages running away and camping, which just pisses me off to no end. The mediocrity of Halo just pisses me off. Just because it is a solid offering doesn't make it ground breaking. Halo never did anything that hasn't been done before and didn't do anything that has done before necessarily better. The game was geared for the mainstream gamer, and those idiots gobbled it up and have since hailed it as the greatest creation known to man.

Halo is nothing special, end of story. I'm sick of people telling me I should like it just because they do, it just makes me hate the game more.

[Spak-Spang]

Quote
Originally posted by: Mr. Jack

Quote
Originally posted by: SixthAngel
I think most of the negativity here is coming from the extreme over hype (I only see the stuff on the internet and I am already sick of it) and the double standard that is used when reviewing games.  Somebody bump the game ratings thread because you wouldn't have this complaining with a 5 star review system since games this close would have the same number of stars.

Sure there is some more negativity due to the extreme over-hyping and double standards in reviews. But generally speaking, I can't stand Halo. The story is boring and useless, the character design and art direction is bland and boring. The enemies are repetitive and the gameplay is boring. I hate the controls and the weapons and how so much of being good at the game depends on knowing the levels. Halo has done 3 things right and that's all I can give it. 1) It has really done a great job of Online play, as much as I hate the game I can't take that away from it. 2) Coop play in FPSs has become pretty much standard as a result of the efforts of Halo. 3) The vehicles have always been fun to control and play with.

Unfortunately, it has also brought the concept of rechargeable health which in it's own right it the biggest destruction of console FPSs. I absolutely hate rechargeable health. It ruins multiplayer and encourages running away and camping, which just pisses me off to no end. The mediocrity of Halo just pisses me off. Just because it is a solid offering doesn't make it ground breaking. Halo never did anything that hasn't been done before and didn't do anything that has done before necessarily better. The game was geared for the mainstream gamer, and those idiots gobbled it up and have since hailed it as the greatest creation known to man.

Halo is nothing special, end of story. I'm sick of people telling me I should like it just because they do, it just makes me hate the game more.

I guess it comes down to can people admit that games they personally do not like may still in fact be great games that deserve the reviews and respect they deserve.

I do not like Halo, because I thought the game control was difficult and I did not like the speed of the character movement...I always felt like I was moving through mud.  But I realize that the game is great.  I know several friends that love the game, and I have played the game with them and have really enjoyed myself, even though Halo is not my style of FPS.  

I think we all just need to realize different people have different tastes.  For example:  I do not enjoy RPGs, Turn Based Strategy, Sports Simulations, Realistic Racing games, or Sand Box games like Grand Theft Auto.  In fact I don't like super violent games either.  However, I can respect all those genres when a particular game is well designed...and sometimes I find myself playing a game of that genre and really enjoying it.

I just wish that the gaming press was able to be so open minded, but the fact is they are not, and they can easily get carried away by personal bias, hype, and more.  I think the best example of this is games that play only average but have great graphics and get really high scores, or they will let an above average story enhance their score and coverage even though other aspects fall short.  

But then games on the Wii are compared against other systems instead of on their own merit.  And they don't get the graphics benefit...but they do get the Nintendo scrutiny because Nintendo is EXPECTED to be quality.  

It is very frustrating.  because what this proves is the hype machine is very successful, but it disgusts me, and it just feels dirty.  

By the way, the genres I love are: Classic gaming, Platformers, Shooters, Fighting games, Adventure games, Puzzle games, Cartoony grahics...ect

[UERD]

I'm not going to address the question of whether Halo 3 on the XBox is a great game, a crappy game, or anything in between (don't even get me started on dual-analog). But I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the way reviews are working when every single review gushes over a terribly limited level editor and a replay feature as if they were game-making, revolutionary, innovative features.

Ultimately, I don't like what MS is doing because they are fundamentally lowering standards. Online play? It's free for almost every relevant PC game, but apparently it costs you $50 a year on the 360. Downloadable maps and content? Again, free for PC games, but a veritable money-maker for MS. The controls are great for many games, but terrible for the first-person shooters that comprise the 360's core line. Dumbed-down difficulty and level design on traditionally 'hard-core'/challenging games because of this need to make shooters appeal to the mass market. And now level editors and saved replays, mainstays of PC games for years, show up crippled and beaten half to death on a 360 game, and are given a standing ovation.

MS could be doing so much better. But between their PC ports of their top-line 360 games, their unreliable hardware, and the questionable choices they are making with regards to content, they are jeopardizing both consumers and their own business...which is really strange, considering the fact that their console gaming division could really become a moneymaker for the company in the future.

[SixthAngel]

Quote
Originally posted by: Mr. Jack
Sure there is some more negativity due to the extreme over-hyping and double standards in reviews. But generally speaking, I can't stand Halo. The story is boring and useless, the character design and art direction is bland and boring. The enemies are repetitive and the gameplay is boring. I hate the controls and the weapons and how so much of being good at the game depends on knowing the levels. Halo has done 3 things right and that's all I can give it. 1) It has really done a great job of Online play, as much as I hate the game I can't take that away from it. 2) Coop play in FPSs has become pretty much standard as a result of the efforts of Halo. 3) The vehicles have always been fun to control and play with.

Unfortunately, it has also brought the concept of rechargeable health which in it's own right it the biggest destruction of console FPSs. I absolutely hate rechargeable health. It ruins multiplayer and encourages running away and camping, which just pisses me off to no end. The mediocrity of Halo just pisses me off. Just because it is a solid offering doesn't make it ground breaking. Halo never did anything that hasn't been done before and didn't do anything that has done before necessarily better. The game was geared for the mainstream gamer, and those idiots gobbled it up and have since hailed it as the greatest creation known to man.

Halo is nothing special, end of story. I'm sick of people telling me I should like it just because they do, it just makes me hate the game more.

Everyone jumped on the rechargeable health bandwagon.  While I personally like it I wish every developer didn't just jump on something popular immediately.  There is no reason that both types of games can't be made.
The designs are almost directly ripped from Aliens (guns, marines, evac ships).  While I know they are complete ripoffs and I should be obliged to hate it I still liked how it gave automatic personality to the marines and humans because I now saw them as the marines from aliens.

I just wish they stopped pretending all the little features were the best thing ever.  Co-op was done before Halo came out but the reason Halo made it so popular as because the people were in the same room.  Co-op being available offline was what made it cool, no playing with a random schmuck or hoping a friend had the same game and computer to play.  Strangely enough I think one of the best things the xbox did was move something offline.  One game and one system was all that was needed.  Forge and replay offer no such advantage so they become a neat extra and nothing more.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Halo as a series has always been horribly generic, especially the single player mode which is basically shoot lots of things and move on (I still have horrible memories of the level with the Flood, not to mention a horrible final level. Halo 2 was basically more of the same, shoot lots of things in the single player and play a barebones FPS online. It is odd Evan that you harpoon Bioshock, which has far more compelling art design, and single player variety, a game that I believe deserves much of the praise it is getting, yet support a game like Halo that is perhaps one of the most generic shooters in about every way.

People that are huge fans of Halo make me wonder if they have actually played many PC FPS games, which have far surpassed the Halo series, heck when Halo first came out it was outdated. Besides the shield (which I fine to be a a cheap way to NOT design a game) and the grenade throwing button Halo did NOTHING new. So yes, I think it is an overrated game and it is even more frustrating when reviewers have the exact same criticisms about it yet end up giving it a higher score then something like Metroid Prime 3, heck they've went on to say that the final level in the single player is horrendous to play which does not sound like a near perfect game to me.

[Bill Aurion]

One thing I want to point out is how bad the animation in this game is...I mean, Master Chief has some cool line or whatever, then you watch him walk off like he's got a heat rash on his crotch...It's hilarious...

Also, some of the dialogue has made me cringe...Soldier: "Where do you want them to go?" Lady in Charge: "To WAR."  Seriously?  Ugh...

At least the gameplay has been fairly solid so far, though I keep hitting the stupid equipment button when I want to reload...  

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
One thing I want to point out is how bad the animation in this game is...I mean, Master Chief has some cool line or whatever, then you watch him walk off like he's got a heat rash on his crotch...It's hilarious...

Also, some of the dialogue has made me cringe...Soldier: "Where do you want them to go?" Lady in Charge: "To WAR."  Seriously?  Ugh...

At least the gameplay has been fairly solid so far, though I keep hitting the stupid equipment button when I want to reload...

Is it superior to MP3 in every way?

[ryancoke]

Quote
Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix

Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
One thing I want to point out is how bad the animation in this game is...I mean, Master Chief has some cool line or whatever, then you watch him walk off like he's got a heat rash on his crotch...It's hilarious...

Also, some of the dialogue has made me cringe...Soldier: "Where do you want them to go?" Lady in Charge: "To WAR."  Seriously?  Ugh...

At least the gameplay has been fairly solid so far, though I keep hitting the stupid equipment button when I want to reload...

Is it superior to MP3 in every way?

Obviously Halo just isn't your type of game.  Millions of people have a great time playing it. That's all that matters.  I'm sure you'd like it if Nintendo made it.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: ryancoke

Quote
Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix

Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
One thing I want to point out is how bad the animation in this game is...I mean, Master Chief has some cool line or whatever, then you watch him walk off like he's got a heat rash on his crotch...It's hilarious...

Also, some of the dialogue has made me cringe...Soldier: "Where do you want them to go?" Lady in Charge: "To WAR."  Seriously?  Ugh...

At least the gameplay has been fairly solid so far, though I keep hitting the stupid equipment button when I want to reload...

Is it superior to MP3 in every way?

Obviously Halo just isn't your type of game.  Millions of people have a great time playing it. That's all that matters.  I'm sure you'd like it if Nintendo made it.

Must be why I'm buying it right?