Halo 3

[Swallow]

I just can't find anything in the story mode to be a "fan" of, to be perfectly honest. How anyone can claim it's "perfect" when it ignores virtually every advance in the genre since the first game came out is beyond me.

Anyway, more thoughts after the weekend, will probably have finished it by then. Unless Kaitou Rosseau turns up, of course.

[MJ]

Twice now I've been in the middle of a multiplayer game and it has dropped me back to the lobby saying I'm not connected to Xbox Live and then I can't connect to Live or use the internet until I reboot my router. It gave me an EXP penalty on the second occasion. That's great work Bungie.

This does not happen or as ever happened in any other game.

[EvilBoris]

Twice now I've been in the middle of a multiplayer game and it has dropped me back to the lobby saying I'm not connected to Xbox Live and then I can't connect to Live or use the internet until I reboot my router. That's great work Bungie.

Isn't that more likely to be your router's setup?
They've obviously enforced the NAT settings a little bit more, drop me a PM and I can try and take you through fiddling with ye router

[Simmy]

Twice now I've been in the middle of a multiplayer game and it has dropped me back to the lobby saying I'm not connected to Xbox Live and then I can't connect to Live or use the internet until I reboot my router. It gave me an EXP penalty on the second occasion. That's great work Bungie.

This does not happen or as ever happened in any other game.

When ever I have that issue it is a wireless connection problem between 360 and router ! A regig of the ariels sorts the problem usually, as me daughter has usually moved them in the oposite direction to that required !

Had a few more MP games on this last night, seem to be struggling more than I did with the beta, and lag seemed a bit of an issue with most games, but it was still greatness ! That Brute Mauler is a monster of a weapon I have to say, they surely have to remove duel weilding from that thing, as one is equivelent to the shotgun, two is just pure death !!!!!

Amazing had 25 people on this on my friends list most of last night, and not one had a join in progress option, with people either in maxed out parties or coop games it would seem !

[Concept]

Were you a fan of the first two games? If so, I can’t see how you wouldn’t love this one. If you weren’t, then I guess this one isn’t converting you!

Everything about the game is just brilliant for me so far. The locations have been interesting, the music is just sublime and the fighting, as always, is nothing short of pant wettingly exciting. There is just so much scope to playing this game, it’s insane. And Legendary co-op is gaming crack

I wasn't feeling the music too much on the first playthrough due to the fact a lot of it had already been revealed and the audio mix was different to the first two games. After the second playthrough though, I have to say that yeah, it's probably going to be soundtrack of the year. It's beautiful.

One thing I didn't like that was why they've revoiced Truth. I know they revoiced Miranda Keyes to make her sound more tough (which considering she sounds almost identical to the Buffy/Angel actress in Halo 2 is baffling). The guy who voiced Truth in Halo 2 was less hammy than Terence Stamp, so if it wasn't a case of the guy not being available/not wanting to do it I don't know why Bungie would break and harm the consistency of a key character like that.

Anyway, with regards to the scope. What impressed me is that Bungie have recaptured that 'Halo' feel in terms of things feeling chaotic and that each battle can go any way... Halo 2 never managed to capture the chaos of that one, key scene in Two Betrayals, where the Covenant and Flood are going absolutely insane at each other on a huge snowy field. I found that the standout moment in the first game.

Halo 3 does though - several times.

[songwriter]

Now I am not afraid to say, I am pretty average at games. Doesn't stop me loving them greatly so I'm happy with my ability.

Last night, I changed from Heroic to Normal as I just could not get past the part where....

->Open Spoiler<-

I am off to start the bomb up again and I am locked in a long corridor and there a loads of big dudes fighting me and then once they are all gone a bigger dude with a Gravity Hammer comes after me...

It took me 20 goes, but I couldn't do it. Frustrated the HELL out of me so i turned it on Normal and I did it first time.

Now do I turn it back or carry on with Normal setting?

[Concept]

Sticky grenades, dual wielding and cover work wonders in enclosed environments.

Yeah, it gets harder from there. The game hits a difficultly spike late on.

[songwriter]

Sticky grenades, dual wielding and cover work wonders in enclosed environments.

Yeah, it's gets harder from there. The game hits a difficultly spike late on.

The door was locked. So I was left with a shotgun and Battle Rife and two normal grenades. Plenty of ammo tho as there was a cache to the right.

[MJ]

Isn't that more likely to be your router's setup?
They've obviously enforced the NAT settings a little bit more, drop me a PM and I can try and take you through fiddling with ye router

Thanks but my NAT is open.

When ever I have that issue it is a wireless connection problem between 360 and router ! A regig of the ariels sorts the problem usually, as me daughter has usually moved them in the oposite direction to that required !

My 360 has always been wired.

I'm more annoyed that it gave me negative EXP for something that wasn't my fault.

[MonkeySteve]

Anyway, with regards to the scope. What impressed me is that Bungie have recaptured that 'Halo' feel in terms of things feeling chaotic and that each battle can go any way... Halo 2 never managed to capture the chaos of that one, key scene in Two Betrayals, where the Covenant and Flood are going absolutely insane at each other on a huge snowy field. I found that the standout moment in the first game.

Aye, that chapter is probably my favourite in the series, I love it. The wide, sprawling uber fights are always so much fun, and really make the game for me.

I just love the fact that when they happen, you feel part of something ?bigger?, and the multitude of weapons, vehicles, vantage points and cover at your disposal mean they are a veritable playbox of possibilities. It also really helps that the AI of your team mates, as well as the covenant, is top class, and you know that you?ve got a fight on your hands rather than just a procession of mowing through brainless target after target. On Legendary you could literally spend hours playing through just one level, but the satisfaction at the end is immense.

[TheForce]

all my fears have been wiped out....
I was really afraid the single player game wasn't gonna blow me away because of all the effort that has been put in the excellent multi player ....
But how wrong could I have been..... (so far) the campain is ****ing excellent !! it really gives me that epic Halo feel I had with the first game and what I really missed in Halo2, I can't wait to get home and continue again with the campain ! I;m playing it on Heroic and that's just about right for me, legendary I'll save for co-op....

Multi player I haven't played so much yet, but what I've played of it so far is even better than I could have hoped for !


love bungie

[Duddyroar]

Now I am not afraid to say, I am pretty average at games. Doesn't stop me loving them greatly so I'm happy with my ability.

Last night, I changed from Heroic to Normal as I just could not get past the part where....

->Open Spoiler<-

I am off to start the bomb up again and I am locked in a long corridor and there a loads of big dudes fighting me and then once they are all gone a bigger dude with a Gravity Hammer comes after me...

It took me 20 goes, but I couldn't do it. Frustrated the HELL out of me so i turned it on Normal and I did it first time.

Now do I turn it back or carry on with Normal setting?

That bit took me a while too, enjoyed every second though, even though I died a few times. It's just so much fun seeing how many ways you can tackle a certain situation like the one you mentioned.

[Jebus]

So with regard to the ending...

->Open Spoiler<-

The fate of the Chief is left relatively up in the air, no grandeous sacrifice, no welcome home, just floating in space till the wreckage hits a planet? If this is suppose to be the end of a trilogy then why the **** are they not actually bringing closure to the Chiefs story? So they can return to it?

And as has been said before, I cant actually believe it is all over... roll on Halo Wars

I actually think they could have been more honest in the ending,

->Open Spoiler<-

"Wake me. If Microsoft need me"

is what the chief should have said...because I can't see any other reason for leaving a game which is to "finish the fight" so open towards the future of one of the characters.

Oh I forgot to say yesterday, I absolutely ****ing LOVED the bit in the ending where

->Open Spoiler<-

the tank nearly kills the arbiter, it doesn't and he and the chief exchange respectful nods

...after the comradery of the last part of the game it was just the icing on the cake.

I've gone from someone who didn't like Halo 1 or 2 to someone who thinks the chief it the absolute dogs bollocks! He's the **** alright, and I had to fight the urge to actually cheer at some points in the game...

If you struggle at any point before level 8, you are gonna struggle 10 times more on that level. Level 8 for some reason absolutely ramps the difficulty up, just to warn you.

[Charlie]

Started playing again on Heroic co-op yesterday and, looking back over the levels we completed and forward to those still left, what struck me is how utterly unmemorable the levels are compared to the previous games with their distinctive and dynamic level design. Halo 3's in comparison are plain and tired.

[Concept]

You think Halo 2's levels are better?