The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
A bit of junk mail dropped through my letterbox the other day, from Comet, with a special offer on Xbox. Being an owner and huge fan of Xbox, I make it my business to keep in the know about any special offers going around - as far as I'm concerned all price cuts and special offers can only be a good thing for increasing a console's circulation and success. Boy am I glad I did, although the DVD was pretty weird (it's got a video of people growing extra ears and eyes, freaky), when I got to the final section I spotted the Coming Soon area and went to check it out. Not only did it have excellent previews of several games including Splinter Cell and Toe Jam & Earl III (both on my must have list), it also had the Halo 2 trailer.
For me, Halo redefined not only the FPS genre, but my expectations and horizons of gaming itself. The level of realism in every aspect of the game, the incredible attention to detail, the amazing freedom to choose the way you handle each situation, the blockbuster film-quality of the story, script and acting, the brilliant twists in the tale, the incredible orchestral sound track... I could go on, but I won't!
I've read about the Halo 2 trailer and downloaded it, but my PC didn't like the Microsoft player and the graphics stuttered so much that it was unwatchable. So I sat back and watched it on the big TV screen in DVD quality. Then I watched it again. Then I watched it again. Without wanting to spoil it for those of you that haven't seen it, the saying that less is more has never been truer - instead of seeing a collection of clips from the new game, we get a single sequence showing where Halo 2 begins. Master Chief is cooler than ever and the graphics, which I presume are demonstrative of the game engine, make the first Halo look plain. As the music builds to accentuate the incredible climax of the trailer, what I already knew is confirmed - Halo 2 is going to blow every other game away.
I have never trusted in a developer as much as I trust in Bungie and although it will have been 18 months since I heard of Halo 2 before I can play the game, I'm very happy about that. Bungie could have rolled out a sequel using their same very impressive graphics engine set on another Halo ring (from Guilty Spark 343's comments we know that the Halo of the first game is Installation 04 and that it is designed to activate other installations - yes, I know, I've played it too much!!) But they haven't. They're completely overhauling the graphics engine. They're taking us to places we never anticipated. They're developing the story in ways we never imagined. There will be new weapons, new vehicles, new alien races, new characters and plenty of new surprises. Who knows what online play components there will be. If Bungie had rush released a second Halo game for Christmas everyone would have bought it. But both Bungie and Microsoft had the sense to take the time they needed to make Halo 2 as truly special and unique as the first one. I predict that Halo 2 will break sales records around the world, win more awards than any other game in history and become a gaming milestone that will be remembered decades after its release. No pressure then, Bungie.
For me, Halo redefined not only the FPS genre, but my expectations and horizons of gaming itself. The level of realism in every aspect of the game, the incredible attention to detail, the amazing freedom to choose the way you handle each situation, the blockbuster film-quality of the story, script and acting, the brilliant twists in the tale, the incredible orchestral sound track... I could go on, but I won't!
I've read about the Halo 2 trailer and downloaded it, but my PC didn't like the Microsoft player and the graphics stuttered so much that it was unwatchable. So I sat back and watched it on the big TV screen in DVD quality. Then I watched it again. Then I watched it again. Without wanting to spoil it for those of you that haven't seen it, the saying that less is more has never been truer - instead of seeing a collection of clips from the new game, we get a single sequence showing where Halo 2 begins. Master Chief is cooler than ever and the graphics, which I presume are demonstrative of the game engine, make the first Halo look plain. As the music builds to accentuate the incredible climax of the trailer, what I already knew is confirmed - Halo 2 is going to blow every other game away.
I have never trusted in a developer as much as I trust in Bungie and although it will have been 18 months since I heard of Halo 2 before I can play the game, I'm very happy about that. Bungie could have rolled out a sequel using their same very impressive graphics engine set on another Halo ring (from Guilty Spark 343's comments we know that the Halo of the first game is Installation 04 and that it is designed to activate other installations - yes, I know, I've played it too much!!) But they haven't. They're completely overhauling the graphics engine. They're taking us to places we never anticipated. They're developing the story in ways we never imagined. There will be new weapons, new vehicles, new alien races, new characters and plenty of new surprises. Who knows what online play components there will be. If Bungie had rush released a second Halo game for Christmas everyone would have bought it. But both Bungie and Microsoft had the sense to take the time they needed to make Halo 2 as truly special and unique as the first one. I predict that Halo 2 will break sales records around the world, win more awards than any other game in history and become a gaming milestone that will be remembered decades after its release. No pressure then, Bungie.
Page:
You have all your trust in Bungie? The old Mac company?
I sadly don't hold the same opinion as you as I know that many of the people who made and created Halo left Bungie when Microsoft brought out the company, this didn't effect Halo as it was nearly already complete as a Mac exclusive. I am not sure that with a nearly new team they will be able to better Halo, I hope they don't use the original Halo engine, which is what is being rumoured.
:|
I sadly don't hold the same opinion as you as I know that many of the people who made and created Halo left Bungie when Microsoft brought out the company, this didn't effect Halo as it was nearly already complete as a Mac exclusive. I am not sure that with a nearly new team they will be able to better Halo, I hope they don't use the original Halo engine, which is what is being rumoured.
:|
Now THAT, I'll agree with!
:-)
:-)
Fair enough, let's just hope that Halo 2 is something we can both agree is revolutionary!
You make some fair points, but I still don't believe that Halo was that revolutionary. I'm sure that other games have limited the number of weapons you can carry at once - but I could be wrong.
I think Halo was the first game where you could get in and out of different vehicles, and while this does indeed add a whole new way of playing the game, that alone is not enough to brand the game "revolutionary".
As for how the enemy (and allied) AI works - AI improvements are happening all the time. Compare Halo to Wolfenstein 3D, for example. The bodies of dead aliens littereing the landscape and moving when grenades go off - possible because of the hard drive. They would just disappear on other consoles.
Don't get me wrong, Halo is a great game. It takes a number of little touches, like the ones that you have mentioend, and puts them all together in a top game. However, I don't think that it is revolutionary. I think that it is simply evoluionary - taking existing ideas and concepts, changing them slightly, and putting them altogether in one package.
I think Halo was the first game where you could get in and out of different vehicles, and while this does indeed add a whole new way of playing the game, that alone is not enough to brand the game "revolutionary".
As for how the enemy (and allied) AI works - AI improvements are happening all the time. Compare Halo to Wolfenstein 3D, for example. The bodies of dead aliens littereing the landscape and moving when grenades go off - possible because of the hard drive. They would just disappear on other consoles.
Don't get me wrong, Halo is a great game. It takes a number of little touches, like the ones that you have mentioend, and puts them all together in a top game. However, I don't think that it is revolutionary. I think that it is simply evoluionary - taking existing ideas and concepts, changing them slightly, and putting them altogether in one package.
Without wanting to argue with you too much ;-) the way Halo redefined the FPS genre for me was that it brought in some new ideas and upped the realism. The concept of only being able to carry two weapons at once, but being able to pick up any weapons of fallen friends and foes. Also being able to jump in and out of vehicles whenever you find them, the way the marines intelligently fight alongside you, the way guns and bodies go flying when grenades explode and the various updates that Cortana gives you during each level - all of this has never really be done before. The amount of freedom is unprecedented for a story-based single player FPS and the story was a very intelligent and well-written sci-fi plot.
As big a fan I am of Halo, I am fully confident that Unreal Championship will become the new king of multiplayer FPS (snatching it from Unreal Tournament) and I don't think Halo 2 will surpass it on the multiplayer side, the Unreal team is too expert at what they do. However, if Halo 2 allows for online play where you can have battles between Earth and the Covenant, with all the aliens and marines available as playable characters as well as Master Chief, that would make for some pretty awesome battles.
As big a fan I am of Halo, I am fully confident that Unreal Championship will become the new king of multiplayer FPS (snatching it from Unreal Tournament) and I don't think Halo 2 will surpass it on the multiplayer side, the Unreal team is too expert at what they do. However, if Halo 2 allows for online play where you can have battles between Earth and the Covenant, with all the aliens and marines available as playable characters as well as Master Chief, that would make for some pretty awesome battles.
I don't think Halo redefined the FPS genre.
I think it just took everthing that worked well in other games, and put them all together in one game.
It doesn't do anything revolutionary, but what it does, it does really well. I do own an Xbox, and Halo - so I'm not biased against it :-)
I am looking forward to Halo 2 though. But this is the most important question - will it be better than Unreal Championship in the multiplayer side of things?
I think it just took everthing that worked well in other games, and put them all together in one game.
It doesn't do anything revolutionary, but what it does, it does really well. I do own an Xbox, and Halo - so I'm not biased against it :-)
I am looking forward to Halo 2 though. But this is the most important question - will it be better than Unreal Championship in the multiplayer side of things?
A bit of junk mail dropped through my letterbox the other day, from Comet, with a special offer on Xbox. Being an owner and huge fan of Xbox, I make it my business to keep in the know about any special offers going around - as far as I'm concerned all price cuts and special offers can only be a good thing for increasing a console's circulation and success. Boy am I glad I did, although the DVD was pretty weird (it's got a video of people growing extra ears and eyes, freaky), when I got to the final section I spotted the Coming Soon area and went to check it out. Not only did it have excellent previews of several games including Splinter Cell and Toe Jam & Earl III (both on my must have list), it also had the Halo 2 trailer.
For me, Halo redefined not only the FPS genre, but my expectations and horizons of gaming itself. The level of realism in every aspect of the game, the incredible attention to detail, the amazing freedom to choose the way you handle each situation, the blockbuster film-quality of the story, script and acting, the brilliant twists in the tale, the incredible orchestral sound track... I could go on, but I won't!
I've read about the Halo 2 trailer and downloaded it, but my PC didn't like the Microsoft player and the graphics stuttered so much that it was unwatchable. So I sat back and watched it on the big TV screen in DVD quality. Then I watched it again. Then I watched it again. Without wanting to spoil it for those of you that haven't seen it, the saying that less is more has never been truer - instead of seeing a collection of clips from the new game, we get a single sequence showing where Halo 2 begins. Master Chief is cooler than ever and the graphics, which I presume are demonstrative of the game engine, make the first Halo look plain. As the music builds to accentuate the incredible climax of the trailer, what I already knew is confirmed - Halo 2 is going to blow every other game away.
I have never trusted in a developer as much as I trust in Bungie and although it will have been 18 months since I heard of Halo 2 before I can play the game, I'm very happy about that. Bungie could have rolled out a sequel using their same very impressive graphics engine set on another Halo ring (from Guilty Spark 343's comments we know that the Halo of the first game is Installation 04 and that it is designed to activate other installations - yes, I know, I've played it too much!!) But they haven't. They're completely overhauling the graphics engine. They're taking us to places we never anticipated. They're developing the story in ways we never imagined. There will be new weapons, new vehicles, new alien races, new characters and plenty of new surprises. Who knows what online play components there will be. If Bungie had rush released a second Halo game for Christmas everyone would have bought it. But both Bungie and Microsoft had the sense to take the time they needed to make Halo 2 as truly special and unique as the first one. I predict that Halo 2 will break sales records around the world, win more awards than any other game in history and become a gaming milestone that will be remembered decades after its release. No pressure then, Bungie.
For me, Halo redefined not only the FPS genre, but my expectations and horizons of gaming itself. The level of realism in every aspect of the game, the incredible attention to detail, the amazing freedom to choose the way you handle each situation, the blockbuster film-quality of the story, script and acting, the brilliant twists in the tale, the incredible orchestral sound track... I could go on, but I won't!
I've read about the Halo 2 trailer and downloaded it, but my PC didn't like the Microsoft player and the graphics stuttered so much that it was unwatchable. So I sat back and watched it on the big TV screen in DVD quality. Then I watched it again. Then I watched it again. Without wanting to spoil it for those of you that haven't seen it, the saying that less is more has never been truer - instead of seeing a collection of clips from the new game, we get a single sequence showing where Halo 2 begins. Master Chief is cooler than ever and the graphics, which I presume are demonstrative of the game engine, make the first Halo look plain. As the music builds to accentuate the incredible climax of the trailer, what I already knew is confirmed - Halo 2 is going to blow every other game away.
I have never trusted in a developer as much as I trust in Bungie and although it will have been 18 months since I heard of Halo 2 before I can play the game, I'm very happy about that. Bungie could have rolled out a sequel using their same very impressive graphics engine set on another Halo ring (from Guilty Spark 343's comments we know that the Halo of the first game is Installation 04 and that it is designed to activate other installations - yes, I know, I've played it too much!!) But they haven't. They're completely overhauling the graphics engine. They're taking us to places we never anticipated. They're developing the story in ways we never imagined. There will be new weapons, new vehicles, new alien races, new characters and plenty of new surprises. Who knows what online play components there will be. If Bungie had rush released a second Halo game for Christmas everyone would have bought it. But both Bungie and Microsoft had the sense to take the time they needed to make Halo 2 as truly special and unique as the first one. I predict that Halo 2 will break sales records around the world, win more awards than any other game in history and become a gaming milestone that will be remembered decades after its release. No pressure then, Bungie.
Page: