Halo 3...How did you fail AGAIN Microsoft?

[AMDCam]

Now I know this site isn't about opinions on games as much as it is mods/questions but I gotta say this. You know how Microsoft has taken quite possibly THE worst route in software creating since Halo 2 was released? No? Well how about H2 (period), H2 PC (WOW that sucked), Vista (obviously), Xbox Live (very limited choices, kinda like Vista), All Vista-based software (Office, WMP, OneCare), Bioshock (still v1.0 on the PC, no patches, and it's unplayable for at least 50% of machines out there with the no sound issue), Halo 3...they're all flawed in some critical way. Somehow they take tried and true interfaces and give them complete redesigns for no reason whatsoever. Vista's unusably slow, incompatible, and for guys like most of you on TPU, the worst and most unstable platform for overclocking, benchmarking, gaming and modding. Taking away the standard File,Edit,View toolbar in all applications is a joke too. Then with how many "new features" they added, the OS just looks soo cluttered with all the gay different-colored buttons and gadgets in every window and desktop. I instantly adopt new software, it's how I am, and with XP when it first came out, everyone hated it for no reason, I loved it. No one says much about Vista, but it's a joke. I tried it for a full 9 months and I have NEVER gone to an older version of software before but that OS left me no choice. In 9 months I never found a single redeeming thing in it. Okay enough Microsoft-bashing, time to review.

Halo 2, I assume nobody agrees with me it was a perfect example of what the company would do later on with everything (halo is to halo 2 as xp is to vista), take a wonderful interface (lifebars maybe), universally liked and easy to understand yet intelligent storyline, sweet driving/weapon/physics engines, great bright graphics, clean environments, and everything else that made the first a hit, and change it. That sounds logical. Go from brightly lighted areas in h1 to near-sunset (even when the sun's up) lit areas EVERYWHERE in h2. Take sweet multiplayer levels that require tactics and visibility and totally remake them (blood gulch especially). Take a manly Marines vs tough Aliens story and turn it into a bitchass Star Wars remake with aliens that have human thoughts like religion and politics, and somehow grasp the english language better than any human, all talking like Mr. Feeney from boy meets world, then make the big mean Elites that used to just be the well-trained brawn of the covenant in H1 and make them smart-as-they-are-strong in the next halos. Make driving vehicles a skill-taking task with physics in H1 and just give it the Grand Theft Auto easy-driving cheat in H2, making it unbelievably simple and unfun to get around. Take the narrow and realistic hitboxes from H1 that again, required skill to take people out, and just turn it into "if there's a person on your screen, pull the trigger. you'll get him, don't worry". Take sweet weapons with great sound effects from H1 and take every single one of them out, making them all way-too-easy and unfun to kill with, along with horrible sound effects. There's no nice, full feeling (prolly cause of the brightness and big lighting effects H1 had) in weapons anymore. The funniest part is they took out the scoped pistol in H2 like that would even out the weapons, while turning around and making every OTHER weapon require no skill at all to use. The unorganized story was a problem too, with a retarded, N64 3d model plant that talks to the Arbiter and Chief for a minute in the game, that made sense. And the fact that you had to fight as that bitch Elite through more than half the game. AND the worst part is, you never even fight in a civilized place even though you're on earth the whole time. One level had roads. The multiplayer, how did that make sense? Everyone wins easily, is that why it's popular? Take unreal tournament, reskin everything, and make it easy enough for 5 year olds to kick a hardcore player's ass with the 2-second fights that depend on who pulled the trigger first (literally with the gay sword), and requiring no accuracy at all since the hitbox is as big as the screen. Character models, the Xbox was pushed pretty well with H1, it didn't have much more headroom to look better. So shine up all the models, give them very primitive and obvious bump-mapped textures, and darken everything in the game so it looks more detailed.

Now take everything I just said from halo 2, port it to halo 3, then put the assault rifle back and kinda loosen up the driving controls like that'll help. The graphics, disguisting. The worst part is, even on an HD set you have trouble telling if it's Halo 2 or 3 you're watching. The jaggies of the graphics are disguisting, character models sick, the only good things are the special effects and if you zoom in, the cool blur feature when you move, and the very nicely done bump-mapping that every once in a while, at the right angle, give scenes cinematic looks. Don't even bother trying to reclaim the storyline for all the normal people that like the game, just keep putting it in the direction of the nerds with your "arbiter" and light sword thing. Oh and another great idea, give them MORE hand-to-hand specific weapons (that stupid, although fun, shock making staff thing you hold) 500 years in the future. Sure bullets and slow-moving plasma/battery powered weapons dont' seem practical either, but hand-to-hand? We don't even use that stuff nowadays, except bayonets, which are KNIVES. I would know, I'm a Marine. The sound effects and music, of course are bad, why wouldn't they be? The assault rifle sounds like popcorn in a microwave, which are what the SMG's sound like too, but the assault rifle is just bigger kernels. Has anyone noticed they never get hyped up to fight or help their marines out in the campaign anymore? The music went from sweet mean-sounding violins to a bitch piano that makes everything seem meaningful and wimpy. No more looking around at the guys next to you, then jumping from a dropship and sweeping it clear of some aliens with them with awesome music going the whole time (Silent cartographer was a pretty good one at doing that). And the levels, each and every one I've gone through so far is another Re-skinned version of Halo 1's levels, just darker and less interesting now. So all-in-all, I'm rushing through another horribly made Microsoft-endorsed piece of software again. Them I understand, they've become idiots in recent years, but the main company responsible for these games, Bungie, seems like some smart people. They admitted H2 sucked, even when the fans don't, admitted they rushed it, and admitted some of the clutter in the story is cause things were added at the last minute (like Brutes). Sounds good, now you at least realize where you sucked. Nope, just kidding, it was a hit so let's make another half-assed poorly put together game and as long as we make the Chief look cooler, everything'll be fine. Great job Bungie, great job Microsoft, I hope you both change your ways, especially microsoft.

EDIT: Reading through this, I realize it looks like a 15 year old wrote this but I just woke up so forgive the horribly put together paragraphs.

[HookeyStreet]

I lost interest when you said the Halo 3 graphics were disgusting......LOL

I run my 360 in 1080i on a 32" LCD TV and Halo 3 looks amazing, it must be your eyesight m8! (or TV)

Halo 3 as a singleplayer game (I havent tried online multiplayer) is awesome, I enjoyed every moment of gameplay! Obviously not everyone will agree with me, but I know what I like, and I like the Halo trilogy! (on the XBOX & XBOX360, forget about the PC versions!)

Just because you didnt like Halo 3 for some strange reason, you dont need to make a thread that rivals the Bible in length to show this!

[AMDCam]

No it was really a thread on how much I hate the new Halo's in general. It's not some spur-of-the-moment bashing, I just can't find a good place to put a blog and wanted to say it. No one has ever hit the nail on the head when it came to pointing out the H2 and 3 flaws, so I decided to. The graphics though, I don't know what kinda enthusiast you are (gaming, modding, overclocking, hardware technology, etc) but I notice even the slightest problems with graphics, and with all the graphics technologies out right now, the H3 engine doesn't use most of them well. The 360 and PS3 are way more capable than what any game that's been released so far has given them, and software developers just look lazy to me. I have a 32" JVC Genessa running it at 1080i too and I'm saying, it is sick. Gears of war is much better at doing hi-def, and so far that's the only game that's come along that really warrants the right to claim it's hi def. Crysis, that looks like it's gonna be the first truly HD, truly 360/PS3/8800 series worthy game made, it looks amazing.

[theonetruewill]

Originally Posted by HookeyStreet

I lost interest when you said the Halo 3 graphics were disgusting......LOL

I run my 360 in 1080i on a 32" LCD TV and Halo 3 looks amazing, it must be your eyesight m8! (or TV)

Halo 3 as a singleplayer game (I havent tried online multiplayer) is awesome, I enjoyed every moment of gameplay! Obviously not everyone will agree with me, but I know what I like, and I like the Halo trilogy! (on the XBOX & XBOX360, forget about the PC versions!)

Just because you didnt like Halo 3 for some strange reason, you dont need to make a thread that rivals the Bible in length to show this!

I've seen it on a screen of exactly the same description as your Hookey (a Samsung) and I didn't think the graphics were anything special. They look fine but not new and exciting. I got a bit bored with it to be honest- don't kill me Halo 3 fans.

[HookeyStreet]

Originally Posted by AMDCam

No it was really a thread on how much I hate the new Halo's in general. It's not some spur-of-the-moment bashing, I just can't find a good place to put a blog and wanted to say it. No one has ever hit the nail on the head when it came to pointing out the H2 and 3 flaws, so I decided to. The graphics though, I don't know what kinda enthusiast you are (gaming, modding, overclocking, hardware technology, etc) but I notice even the slightest problems with graphics, and with all the graphics technologies out right now, the H3 engine doesn't use most of them well. The 360 and PS3 are way more capable than what any game that's been released so far has given them, and software developers just look lazy to me. I have a 32" JVC Genessa running it at 1080i too and I'm saying, it is sick. Gears of war is much better at doing hi-def, and so far that's the only game that's come along that really warrants the right to claim it's hi def. Crysis, that looks like it's gonna be the first truly HD, truly 360/PS3/8800 series worthy game made, it looks amazing.

We will have to agree to disagree. I enjoyed Halo 3 and thought it looked great, exactly how a game should look on a nextgen console like the 360. I too think that Gears Of War looked and played amazing (that game is a one of a kind, hopefully the PC port will be good) and possibly was superior in the graphics department compared to Halo 3 (but only by a fraction)

Did you actually play right through until the end of Halo 3? I did and I loved it, but I tend to play games to enjoy them, not pick fault in them.

I think you just need to lighten up

PS: you say that the 360 doesnt have HD worthy titles yet, but I can name a few. Have you played 'Conan' yet? Im playing it right now and that game has some impressive graphics! Also, what about 'Colin McRae Dirt', that really shines on an HDTV. Even 'Sega Rally' looks great in HD.....tbh, Im not quite sure what your expecting from the 360 atm

[HookeyStreet]

Originally Posted by theonetruewill

I've seen it on a screen of exactly the same description as your Hookey (a Samsung) and I didn't think the graphics were anything special. They look fine but not new and exciting. I got a bit bored with it to be honest- don't kill me Halo 3 fans.

The graphics arent groundbreaking, but they are not 'disgusting' either I think it mainly comes down to if your a fan of the series or not? Im a big Halo fan and remain one still after playing Halo 3. I wanted to play it through to the end because I wanted to see how the story concluded. You got bored with it, but I couldnt put the pad down until I had done it. No one game can appeal to everyone can it

[theonetruewill]

Originally Posted by HookeyStreet

I think it mainly comes down to if your a fan of the series or not? Im a big Halo fan and remain one still after playing Halo 3.

I think you're right there.

[HookeyStreet]

Originally Posted by theonetruewill

I think you're right there.

I think some were expecting this one to be 'Halo reinvented' or something. But why break a winning formula? Halo 1 and 2 are still played today, which cant be said about most games. So Bungie made a game that would appeal to the original Halo fanbase and I think they succeeded

[von kain]

wait a second i though that the halo was made by the bungie what have the microsoft do with that???


p.s.vista really sucks i think its official can we all say them win me 2

[freaksavior]

Originally Posted by von kain

wait a second i though that the halo was made by the bungie what have the microsoft do with that???


p.s.vista really sucks i think its official can we all say them win me 2

Microsoft bought out bungie in or around 2000

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.a...news&cid=12821
http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/14676/...atively-in-HD/
the graphics aren't hd. thats why their disgusting.

[von kain]

yes bungie is part of microsoft now but microsoft haves nothing to do with h3

[Oliver_FF]

My friend and I played through it on a massive Phillips 52" hdtv, and there were a LOT of jaggies...

Anyway, the single player campaign is ok - not great, just ok. I kept on thinking as i went through it "hang on, i've seen/done this before", and in the case of finding the cartographer "hang on, haven't i done this twice before??"

But... the multiplayer is just so unbalanced it's unreal. The way you can get single-shot headshots selectively with some weapons and not with others, the way vehicles are abusive, the way only one instance of each powerful weapon exists at one point in time, the way everyone's health regens after like 5 seconds.

Take a lan game for example, 4 on 4 around a friends house. Team A has two halo veterans on it, plus 2 n00bs. Team B has 1 veteran and 3 ok players. 3 minutes into the match, Team A is abusing the shotgun, sword, sniper rifle, rocket launcher and any vehicle they can find. What does that leave Team B to use to win? smg's??? and ok yeah, after each battle the victor gets all their health back. Fair, anyone?

The only way Halo3 is fun is because Xbox Live so carefully pits players together to ensure everyone is of the same skill level, it doesn't work over a LAN and it's barely a good single player game - you can skip entire chunks of the game by running past, even on Heroic (isn't that supposed to be Hard mode?).

[Random Murderer]

Halo 1 was a groundbreaking title, and to have ANY game live up to that reputation, whether it's a sequel or a completely different game, is unrealistic at best. Take a look at the original SMB on NES. It was a smash hit that many people STILL play today. SMB 2? Sucked ass. The original Zelda is another great example. That, too, is still played by many people today. Zelda 2? Also sucked ass. I believe it all comes back to the old adage "You can't beat the original."

That being said, Halo 2's single player wasn't as bad as you make it out to be. The storyline was a bit disorganized, but still not very hard to follow. The multiplayer was not as much fun as Halo 1, but the ability to go on Xbox Live made up for it, as you always had new, challenging opponents to face, rather than the same friends you've been system linking with so much that you learn each other's styles of gameplay. As for Halo 3, I haven't really gotten very far in the stroyline yet, as I immediately jumped into on Legendary. What I've played so far though, I like. I understand your peeve with the Gravity Hammer, but it think that it was a suitable choice to give the Brutes. It suits their style and personalities perfectly. The graphics? Not entirely spectacular, but certainly not "disgusting." And finally, multiplayer. I have not yet played on XBL, but I did play some 2 player with my friend, and I found it to be more fun than Halo 2, but once again, not as much fun as Halo 1.
All in all, I don't really see how anybody can be COMPLETELY disappointed with Halo 3. It wasn't as groundbreaking as the original, but it rounds out the trilogy nicely.

[HookeyStreet]

Originally Posted by Random Murderer

Halo 1 was a groundbreaking title, and to have ANY game live up to that reputation, whether it's a sequel or a completely different game, is unrealistic at best. Take a look at the original SMB on NES. It was a smash hit that many people STILL play today. SMB 2? Sucked ass. The original Zelda is another great example. That, too, is still played by many people today. Zelda 2? Also sucked ass. I believe it all comes back to the old adage "You can't beat the original."

That being said, Halo 2's single player wasn't as bad as you make it out to be. The storyline was a bit disorganized, but still not very hard to follow. The multiplayer was not as much fun as Halo 1, but the ability to go on Xbox Live made up for it, as you always had new, challenging opponents to face, rather than the same friends you've been system linking with so much that you learn each other's styles of gameplay. As for Halo 3, I haven't really gotten very far in the stroyline yet, as I immediately jumped into on Legendary. What I've played so far though, I like. I understand your peeve with the Gravity Hammer, but it think that it was a suitable choice to give the Brutes. It suits their style and personalities perfectly. The graphics? Not entirely spectacular, but certainly not "disgusting." And finally, multiplayer. I have not yet played on XBL, but I did play some 2 player with my friend, and I found it to be more fun than Halo 2, but once again, not as much fun as Halo 1.
All in all, I don't really see how anybody can be COMPLETELY disappointed with Halo 3. It wasn't as groundbreaking as the original, but it rounds out the trilogy nicely.

Yeah, what he said

[HookeyStreet]

Originally Posted by Oliver_FF

My friend and I played through it on a massive Phillips 52" hdtv, and there were a LOT of jaggies...

LOL, play ANYTHING on a 52", you will see 'jaggies'

[Oliver_FF]

Originally Posted by HookeyStreet

LOL, play ANYTHING on a 52", you will see 'jaggies'

haha yeah, but with the textures they chose to use, it's even worse than anything i've seen before... like the gridded flooring, loads of horizontal lines close together, so very jagged.

[kwchang007]

You know, now that you brought graphics up...at standard def vs halo 2...it was better, smoother, but in no ways breakthrough. Throw it against gears....halo 3 is just like crap, even at standard def. But then again the only halo 3 I've seen is the beta (was over at a friends house).

[Darknova]

Originally Posted by HookeyStreet

LOL, play ANYTHING on a 52", you will see 'jaggies'

Play Oblivion...no jaggies

I loved Halo 1...Halo 2 was ok (I admit, I was expecting more, I shouldn't have done)...Halo 3...I'll play to see the ending.

I think the concept of the story was great, but not well implemented (IMO). I play games, not for the graphics, the gameplay, I play it purely for the story, which is why there are so few games I truely enjoy. Halo 1 is a fantastic game with a great story, Halo 2 was rushed, and it felt to me like they couldn't be bothered tidying up the storyline too much. Halo 3..well I haven't played it yet...

[Ravenas]

Originally Posted by HookeyStreet

LOL, play ANYTHING on a 52", you will see 'jaggies'

I'm betting money you won't see any jaggies on BioShock with a 720p 52" hooked up to my PC.

Halo 3 graphics aren't near the best I've ever seen.

I find this post puzzling, really.

The Halo series has everything. Storyline, run and gun moments, sniping tactical moments, close combat, great variety in weapon combinations, effortless controls for a console FPS, nicely adapted difficulty, varying enemies, intelligent enemy squad AI, hilarious moments from the NPCs, changing environments, great vehicles with abundance, an epic feeling, intelligent weapon systems (you can't carry a thousand like in other games), imaginative and balanced weaponry, and cooperative play.

The game is great fun, short-yes, graphically not special-true now. But the underlying gameplay is both user friendly and replayable - less staged than so many other games that always play out the same....

I could go on.

[HookeyStreet]

Originally Posted by Ravenas

I'm betting money you won't see any jaggies on BioShock with a 720p 52" hooked up to my PC.

Halo 3 graphics aren't near the best I've ever seen.

But thats Bioshock, not Halo 3 And most believe Bioshock on the 360 to have better graphics then the PC version (and that was said by a guy on TPU with an 8800Ultra like yourself )

Halo 3's graphics arent the best seen so far on the 360, but that doesnt mean they arent good and the gameplay isnt great

[Ravenas]

Originally Posted by HookeyStreet

But thats Bioshock, not Halo 3 And most believe Bioshock on the 360 to have better graphics then the PC version (and that was said by a guy on TPU with an 8800Ultra like yourself )

Halo 3's graphics arent the best seen so far on the 360, but that doesnt mean they arent good and the gameplay isnt great

Hmmm....You clearly said ANYTHING, you didn't just limit your hypothesis to Halo 3.

Actually, I believe he may have changed his mind if you read through the entire post.

Also when did I ever mention the gameplay wasn't good or great?

[HookeyStreet]

Originally Posted by Ravenas

Hmmm....You clearly said ANYTHING, you didn't just limit your hypothesis to Halo 3.

I wasnt being entirely serious when I said anything

Originally Posted by Ravenas

Actually, I believe he may have changed his mind if you read through the entire post.

Did he? I actually said I thought the PC one looked as good, if not better....I will go back and read to the end of the post

Originally Posted by Ravenas

Also when did I ever mention the gameplay wasn't good or great?

You didnt, I was just speaking generally

[jocksteeluk]

anything missing in halo three clearly is going to be a micro transaction upgrade, M$ didnt fail M$ planned it all from the start

[joinmeindeath417]

your acting like they were going to change the way M.C looked and all that if you looked at alot of the terrain it was great...and the HDR you guys obviously think that better graphics mean to change everything up...why would they do that...he looks better than halo 2 and 1 but theres only so much they could've done to all the characters without compromising the way they look


it was a great game...the series will continue im sure