Halo 3

[Tobal]

Apart from Half-life 2(also on console) name another FPS shooter that thats gets so many things right, is extremely fun to play and has level of polish not even Valve get right 1st time without patches.

And while other FPS PC fans claim they got there 1st with stuff halo series is doing now not a single one of them created the standard for others to follow because Bungie polished up those gameplay features and made them better and easier to use.

[hudson]

Anyone who has found that they have maybe been left a bit flat by Halo 3. Are you long term PC Gamers as well?

The thing I've found is that for a Halo fan or console FPS fan, Halo 3 probably offers everything you could ever wish for. The game is a portal to a Halo hub that is going to give you everything you could ever wish for months and years to come.

For me, who started out with Wolfenstien on the PC and have subsequently played to death most FPS games since then, it all feels a bit like a game I was playing many years ago and even then, it doesn't quite match those games. Feeling similar to games like Quake and Unreal is not a bad thing, but I wonder if the negativity about Halo 3 says more about the evolution of FPS games on consoles currently than the quality of the game.

I think its a brave stab and can understand the ratings given out by Edge and Gamestm. I personally would have rated it as a high 8. In comparison to games I have played in the past, mainly due to the fact that the single player is very weak apart from 2-3 levels in the middle of the game, but I can see why, from a console perspective, it is a revolution.

I'm the same. After only finishing Halo 1 just last week I didn't find myself bowled over, I found it a bit of a chore to be honest. But this is probably down to it being several years old now. Back when it came out, I was playing FPS games such as Counter-strike and Battlefield 1942, I checked out Halo pretty briefly to see what the fuss was about and left it alone someway through the second level. I think I found it too slow and nothing really new. The only thing I really liked were some of the guns and the outdoor environemts.

I now understand that the slow pacing/movement works well for console controls and must of felt just right for console only gamers.

My gaming habits have completely changed now, being mainly a console gamer. Just got Halo 3 and I have to admit, I'm loving it. Mainly the MP side. Played the first mission so far on Heroic and finding it challenging and loads of fun.

[PeteJ]

Anyone who has found that they have maybe been left a bit flat by Halo 3. Are you long term PC Gamers as well?

I'm in the same boat that I started playing FPS with Wolf3d many years ago, but I still rate the Halo series as one of the best things to happen in the genre. It's also fairly unique...

If you look at the timeline of benchmark FPS you have
Wolf
Doom
Quake
Quake2
Half-Life
Half-Life2

These are the 'linear' A to B shooters that get almost everything right. Somewhere along the line you also have the subgenre RPG games like System Shock and Deus Ex, and also the multiplayer games like UT and Quake, which have evolved into Battlefield and Quake Wars etc..

I see Halo as a game removed from the normal timeline and sits on its own. The game is unique as despite obviously having scripting etc, it is still extremely open. Despite having a fairly limited control set, the possibilities to tackle each situation is almost limitless. That's how Bungie can get away with some fairly lazy level design (in the typical sense) - they can effectively just have a large box, fill it with enemies and vehicles and you've got yourself an epic battle that works. In Half-Life they couldn't get away with that so easily.

I'm just rambling now...but I think Halo is quite special despite being brought up on PC shooters! The only multiplayer experience that gives me the same sense chaos (yet controlled chaos) is Battlefield2.

edit - the weird thing is, I felt exactly the same about Goldeneye when that first came out. I've never understood what the fuss is about that game!

[EvilBoris]

Just finished the game on heroic yesterday. About the ending, is there an alternate ending for finishing it on legendary? This one left me a bit unsatisfied. Also is there more after the credits on heroic? One of my friends left during the credits so I was thrown back to the menu as well.

The bit after the credits is very important, and the Legendary bit is a little bit important.

[Uli]

i am a litte late to the party i guess

however, last night i finished chapter 6 in a 10 hour long just stop to eat-sitting. have to say the game comes very close to my expectations and deserves every bit of the hype it got. the combat is just amazing - a blend of the best both Halo and Halo 2 had to offer.

some minor niggles like some weak weapon sounds and a pretty useless shotgun (at least on Heroic).

i still need to figure out how get friends into my running campaign game for co-op (privacy is always on closed no matter what i set in the menu). or is it that people can only join while in the lobby?

also, how can i rewind films? it's always running forward for me?

[Jebus]

I think you can only invite people in the lobby, it's not jump in jump out like Gears...

If you hit Y on the controller it brings up the theatre options, there's a skip backward option there I think.

[dogen]

I don't agree with that at all. The

->Open Spoiler<-

final section is a huge nod back to the original Halo and a great one at that. No sense of urgency? If you look backwards you can see the whole scructure collapsing behind you! If you are not quick enough you will die!

Sorry, man.

->Open Spoiler<-

But I don't think rehashing half a level and finishing the game in the exact same manner as the original is just a nod - it's desperation and unoriginal. Especially for the finale of the Arc trilogy.

And, Kevvy Metal.

->Open Spoiler<-

I never heard a countdown. I heard Contana informing me that the Ring was reaching 30%, 70%, 90%, and that just felt like it was initiated once I'd reached specifics points in the run. If that was supposed to induce fear, it failed. Especially when you've finished the original Warthog run in HALO a billion times.

[El Leone]

Though it worked pretty well imo.

[Charlie]

Anyone who has found that they have maybe been left a bit flat by Halo 3. Are you long term PC Gamers as well?

I've never been a PC gamer but still find Halo 3 a bit rubbish. It's ugly, bland, does nothing new and the novelty, as far as I'm concerned has already worn off. I could criticise a hundred and one things - big things like the invisible walls, pop up and the way picking up certain weapons automatically triggers a mandatory third person view or little things like the way Warthogs don't leave tracks in the sand. It's sub-standard.

[B1gBeard]

Apart from Half-life 2(also on console) name another FPS shooter that thats gets so many things right, is extremely fun to play and has level of polish not even Valve get right 1st time without patches.

And while other FPS PC fans claim they got there 1st with stuff halo series is doing now not a single one of them created the standard for others to follow because Bungie polished up those gameplay features and made them better and easier to use.

Quake 1, 2 and 3, Unreal Tourny, Counter Strike etc all do the multiplayer better (or did the same years ago) sorry. And with all the mods its pretty much a never ending selection of things to do.

The list of games on PC that give a much better single player experience is a long one as well tbh.

[hudson]

things like the way Warthogs don't leave tracks in the sand. .

Surely details are over shadowed by more impressive details like in MP when someone is using camo on the snow level and you can see the footprints appearing in front of you

[Charlie]

Unfortunately (and I say that sincerely) I make up the 0.1&#37; of gamers who's never gotten on with Halo's multiplayer. I tried liking it, especially in Halo 2, but the flea jump ruins it for me.

[hudson]

Nah I understand, I have a lot of gaming friends who can't get into the series too for all kinds of reasons.

[H-Man]

For me, who started out with Wolfenstien on the PC and have subsequently played to death most FPS games since then, it all feels a bit like a game I was playing many years ago and even then, it doesn't quite match those games. Feeling similar to games like Quake and Unreal is not a bad thing, but I wonder if the negativity about Halo 3 says more about the evolution of FPS games on consoles currently than the quality of the game.

Perhaps give it another bash?

I'm also a long term pc gamer - starting out on Wolfenstein years ago and playing at a pretty high level in various clans for years and years - yet have been blown away by Halo 3. It is absolutely nothing like Q3 or UT - the pace, the weapons, the dance of melee, ranged and grenades - or any other fps i've played.

The variety in gametypes/gameplay, especially with the Forge feature, is unmatched. You can spend an entire evening playing ctf, or completely change the gametype every round - it just doesn't get old (i'm already bored of TF2). In terms of fps, Halo has the most unique gameplay experience I can think of and, after years of CS, TFC, RTCW/ET, Q3 etc etc, it's a total breath of fresh air.

I was up till 5:30 last night playing CTf and Slayer Duel - absolutely awesome

[EvilBoris]

Sorry, man.

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But I don't think rehashing half a level and finishing the game in the exact same manner as the original is just a nod - it's desperation and unoriginal. Especially for the finale of the Arc trilogy.

->Open Spoiler<-

I thought it was quite fitting, you are escaping the same Halo that you escaped at the end of the 1st part in the series.