Halo 3

[Hawk Daddy]

Need I say more. Less then 24 hours away.

Hawk

[AcidArmitage]

HALO!

[solid187]

what's Halo3? 

[Samstag]

what's Halo3? 

It's a fancy new game console.  You put an electro-sensitive ring around your head and control it with brain waves.  You'll probably want to get in line for one as soon as possible even if you don't want one because they'll be going for at least $5000 on Ebay before Xmas.

 

[SithMaster]

Whos going at midnight?  I heard its more like 9pm (gamestop employee said this to me and my friend) so i think they might sell them sooner or have some special event going on.  My store had a black garbage bag covered cardboard box that might have something to do with Halo 3.

Even better who will try out the cat skull helmet?

[AtomSmasher]

what's Halo3? 

Heres a short documentary about how Halo has effected the world:  http://www.loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/228/Halo:+The+Future+of+Gaming

[ChadTower]

It's gone now, but this morning, someone on the local CL was offering an advance copy of Halo in return for taking a donkey punch.

 

[HaRuMaN]

Halo 3...  <sigh>

I usually wait until a game drops in pice before I buy it.  I just finished playing COD2 the other day, bought for $30.  Still waiting for GOW to drop, then I'll get that.  I may have to break down and buy Halo 3 now, though...    Damn M$!   lol...

[SithMaster]

They should have released it Friday so i would be able to play.  Now its either school or a video game and as surely as MC  im going to be in school instead of playing.

Bungie sold out.  Making 3 different versions is fine and dandy but when one costs 130 dollars thats wrong.  Now if the helmet was human wearable it would be fine with me.

[Green Giant]

Damn this game, its gonna cost me like $400, but damn it if I can't already feel the itch crawling up my arm.

[SithMaster]

Xbox 360 Elite                  $500
Halo 3 Legendary Edition $140
HD Tv                                $300
5.1 Surround Sound         $200
                                         $1140
About that much for me unless i wait 5 years then it will only be $1000.

[AtomSmasher]

Bungie sold out.

That happened years ago when Microsoft bought them.

[SithMaster]

Bungie sold out.

That happened years ago when Microsoft bought them.

[ChadTower]

Xbox 360 Elite                  $600
Halo 3 Legendary Edition $140
HD Tv                                $300
5.1 Surround Sound         $200
                                         $1240
About that much for me unless i wait 5 years then it will only be $1000.

HDTV $300?  5.1 surround $200?   

[SithMaster]

arent there budget hd sets around 30 inches that are on sale.

the home theater kit kind or the xbox brand surround sound.  ive heard good things about that one.

[shardian]

Value City occasionally has a 30" CRT Sanyo that has an excellent picture for $300.

[ChadTower]

I'm still trying to figure out how the game requires 5.1 and HD.

[SithMaster]

It doesnt i just would like to have that kind of experience.  I wont be getting a copy till this summer anyway.

that or i just use a pc monitor with their vga cable.

chad have you played H2 yet or are you still a HCE veteran?

[ChadTower]

So really, the cost of the game is the cost of the console and the game.  The rest is "nice to haves".

[SithMaster]

Yes.  Less if i get the 360 that doesnt go invisible in the dark (ending to a gamestop RvB skit) and the cheaper H3.

So really, the cost of playing the game is the cost of the console and the game.  The rest is "nice to haves".

Also of note is the game scored a 9.5.  I think the reviewers at ign learned their lesson.

[Samstag]

Xbox 360 Elite                  $600
Halo 3 Legendary Edition $140

If you're willing to pay $600 for an Elite, please buy mine.  I'd be happy to go get a new one for $450. 

I can't imagine why anyone would pay for the legendary version.  That's an awful lot of money for a collector's helmet.  I'll watch the special videos on Youtube tomorrow for free. 

Halo 3...  <sigh>

I usually wait until a game drops in pice before I buy it.

I'm getting my copy for $40 from liongames.com.  They do some nice deals each month but that one isn't available anymore.

[ChadTower]

Judging from his math he may need the helmet for personal reasons.

[SithMaster]

with tax the elite is around 500 and i put the wrong amount.

the helmet wont fit and the inside isnt hollow.

[Samstag]

with tax the elite is around 500 and i put the wrong amount.

the helmet wont fit and the inside isnt hollow.

11% sales tax?  Ouch!

If taxes were that high here I woulda bought mine mail order.  For $450.

[stephenp1983]

Got my copy this morning on the way to work around 6am from walmart.  Just walked in and picked it up, I was about the only person in the store.

[Samstag]

Yeah I think anyone willing to be up at that hour for the game was still playing it after getting it at midnight.  Some people are already done with the campaign.

I'm planning on walking down the driveway to my mailbox in a day or two to get mine.  I don't expect any crowds, but then I won't get any swag or see marines on ATV's.

[divemaster127]

Picked up mine today & got the limited edition 4 ft graphic, that will look neat in my game room
dm

[SithMaster]

Picked up mine today & got the limited edition 4 ft graphic, that will look neat in my game room
dm

lucky.  some people are taking it to far.  If you check ebay someone is selling the legendary copy for 500 to bid and 650 buy it now (lol chad's going to joke about my numbers again).  another person has a pic of more than 40 copies of the lesser versions that he is selling.

It got a score of 9.5 which i think is about right though the story doesnt have the same impact as the Combat Evolved.

[shardian]

I was in Rat Shack last night, and some kid walked in and asked if they had Halo 3. At first I thought "What a dumbass, why would this place have Halo 3". Well in fact, they did. So then the kid called up some store and asked if he could cancel his pre-order - you know the ones you put money down for and on release day they only get in enough for about 10% of them.

Moral of the story, if the other stores are out, go to rat shack for halo 3.

[Green Giant]

I had to take my mom up to Sam's so she could use my membership to get a new camera, and while I was there I walked over and noticed copies of Halo 3.  Picked one up for $55, $60 after tax.

Sucks that I have to be at work instead of playing.

[MameMaster!]

I couldn't log onto live last night with Halo 3  ...I'm guessing their servers were overwhelmed. 

[slycrel]

Bungie sold out.

That happened years ago when Microsoft bought them.

Being a hardcore bungie fan from way back before Bungie was mainstream I felt obliged to post this:

http://web.archive.org/web/20000815065601/http://www.bungie.com/faq.shtml

I'm not sure it exists on the current bungie.net, this was just the easiest way to find it for me.

Continue.  =)

[AtomSmasher]

Bungie sold out.

That happened years ago when Microsoft bought them.

Being a hardcore bungie fan from way back before Bungie was mainstream I felt obliged to post this:

http://web.archive.org/web/20000815065601/http://www.bungie.com/faq.shtml

I'm not sure it exists on the current bungie.net, this was just the easiest way to find it for me.

Continue.  =)

I think one of the reasons I'm still so resistant to buy an XBox or 360 is because subconsciously I still hold a grudge against them for the buyout.

[MrMojoZ]

The movie capabilities are just awesome, I can't believe how well that feature works. A 30 min movie of me and a pal in co-op with an un-fixed camera view that takes up 4 megs. Amazing.

[SithMaster]

I like how they included a feature the original doom had (end of level team score for campaign).  I really like the live action movies theyve made and hope the movie (when its made) turns out the same.

What does everyone think of the new equipment and the story?

The equipment is okay but the story seems to be substandard based on what theyve done previously.

[Samstag]

I like how they included a feature the original doom had (end of level team score for campaign).  I really like the live action movies theyve made and hope the movie (when its made) turns out the same.

What does everyone think of the new equipment and the story?

The equipment is okay but the story seems to be substandard based on what theyve done previously.

I just got mine yesterday and haven't gotten too far, but the story seems good so far.  I was a little confused when the Sarge said he'd carry the wounded out of the base on his back if he had to, then a little later led me right past two wounded soldiers.  I stopped and waited for him to pick at least one up, thinking I was going to fight my way out while carrying the other.  But no, it turns out that we don't really care about them that much.

I haven't read the manual yet so I've been stumbling around experimenting with the equipment.  I need a quick reference card or something to decipher all the different symbols.  It was a little embarrasing when I dropped a grav lift and stepped on it while indoors.  I actually got stuck against a ceiling lamp and it took me a minute to get free.

In other words, I'm having a blast being a Halo-tard.

[Green Giant]

What does everyone think of the new equipment and the story?

The equipment is okay but the story seems to be substandard based on what theyve done previously.

I played it for a couple of hours and so far the story is developing similar to the first.  In the second you knew all about the halo and its capabilities so it moved faster.  Now we are looking for the arc thing, no idea what it really is, but I have a feeling it won't let you down.

How far in are you that you think it is substandard?  In the first halo the graphics and gameplay were amazing, for the times, but in the beginning I had no idea what was going on.

[SithMaster]

At the level where you are trying to find cortana.  If i mention any spoilers i am sorry in advance.

For starters the hunters and grunts are against us.  I havent beaten the game yet but i figured that they would still be on the elites side therefore our side.  Ive read that after the schism some hunters and some grunts went to our side but if the hunters revere the elites so much why wouldnt they all join us?  Hunters are my favorite enemy/ally so maybe im just jealous.

It seems like (for me) they are trying to cover so much ground so fast.  I get that they want to sell the comics to cover the story from the end of H2 to the beginning of H3 but then they leave out some things that make it all inconsistent.  How does the MC get to Earth's surface after Sarge and Miranda manage a ride home from the second halo (not sure which number it is).  Chief might have been on the forerunner ship long enough for them to make friends get everyone up to speed on the elites side and start a truce and come to earth but that seems wrong.

The thing about the halo ce was no one really had an idea what was going on.  i think the books came out after the game or at least the first one (fall of reach) came out before or the same time as ce.  In CE you might have some questions but most could be anwsered from the manual.  In 3 the intro brings in more questions then it answers.  When cortana says i could have chose any spartan it doesnt make sense because she met chief on the pillar after the fall of reach.  She says she chose him for his luck but does that mean she had him picked to be leader of the spartans or picked him when he was a child to become a spartan.

The Ark was kinda a let down if i think it is what it really is.  The ending has a king arthur thing going on if anyone is familar with the tales (funny cause im learning about him now in class) but seems unfitting.  Also i cant fathom why the guilty spark would help the MC prevent further firings of the rings if the flood are spreading.  he says in game he will help MC since his ring has been destroyed but what about containment protocols?

When you get to the level you find something amazing about the ark (i think its the ark) but i dont get why we have to leave our home (trying to be vague here so i dont ruin the story) when everything shown before the release makes us think its in the desert.

Another thing is how they go from making the smg a prominent weapon in 2 to useless in 3.  Heres an idea why didnt they make the AR from CE more like a real AR instead of making smg.  In real life smgs arent used against armored targets so why in a video game.  In 3 they should have kept the smg but ditch the pistol for the npcs.

The symbols are a little confusing and getting use to x for equipment is going to take time.  When i was playing 3 player coop i kept setting off flash grenades (smoke nades would be nice) and deploying shields.  Has anyone else noticed that brutes deploy equipment in sometimes questionable ways?  They drop a bubble shield but dont go in.

The level design is great until you start the back tracking.  It reminds me of the first arbiter level from H2.  i didnt notice the first few times i played that level but i was backtracking for the second half to return to the seraph fighter.  In 3 you make it to the objective but then you have to go another way to get a tank then kill all the enemies that repopulate the area you just secured then get out of the tank to open a door.  i dont care what the reason is i just wasted time getting something in all honesty couldve been air dropped in my area.  Other little things like the architecture of the halo installation being different from 2 and CE i can kinda let go since this is a new type of building but id prefer it if the textures were the same and they had the same style.  For example there is a downward ramp that is almost the same as the one from silent cartographer that they have added a transparent wall to.  I guess people fell down them too much or something.

particle effects arent the same for plasma grenades or frags but this is personal preference to CE since they seemed more spectacular.

I enjoy the game its just the story that irks me a little and parts of the level design.  Brutes are supposed to be dumb and AI cant be perfect so their instances are forgiveable.  Weapons they have are about right and im really happy my AR is back.

Maybe it was just my first run through and being in a rush to get back to school (had classes that day and went home for my break to play for my first time) so i most definitely missed some things.  Hopefully some of my questions get answered.  Like i said it could be they are trying to end the series.  The first game might have set my expectations.  It only had to cover the 24 hours?  spent on 04 and that was it.  3 has to have the Chief save the earth and the galaxy so maybe they left out parts where he is flying from place to place?  still in 2 we learned about the covenant order while the chief left earth and went to delta halo and then the great schism.  In 3 its always with the chief and it seems like we keep jumping around.  it could be an incomplete first impression on my part though.  oh and the screams are annoying and when they say the bunker was made for ww2, i somehow doubt that.

edit - forgot to mention that when you get it to make sure the disc isnt scratched.  some copies have been reported to move inside the case during shipping and this scratches the disc.  MS has a disc replacement program in place now but you need to file forms and send it in i believe.  not a good start for a 60 dollar game.

[SirPoonga]

I am not that impressed by the game play.  There is nothing new in terms of game play.  It's quake for console.  Single player campaign feels like quake 4's campaign. 

I like co-op though, I just wish it was handled like GOW co-op.  I understand why halo 3's co-op is as it is, they have the option to score so someone joining int he middle screws up the score.  But then have it so when in scoring modes that no one can join, but when there is no scoring some can join in the middle.  Set it up so that person can't get the achievements, you can only get achievements if you started the level.

The game is all about multiplayer.  It's still run and gun like quake or UT, but that isn't what makes it special.  Halo has tons and tons of options.  I am also enjoying the forge.  A real map editor would be better, but that is a decent substitute for now.

I also play with a good group of people.  I would have traded in Halo 3 by now if it wasn't for 2old2play.  If I had to play only against random kids it wouldn't be fun.

[stephenp1983]

It was funny, my wife was upstairs on the computer while I was playing a game on live.  Someone said something over voicechat and my wife turned and said I didn't think many girls played this game.

I told her that wasn't a girl, it was a 12 year old that hadn't hit puberty yet lol.  Seems like there are alot of them on there.