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The Official Halo 3 Thread

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Hmmm. I was pretty sick for much of last week, and when I wasn't in bed feeling horrific, I was playing through the Halo series, much of it for the first time. I had played Halo 1's campaign in the past, with friends, but when I installed the XP version and played through it, it was the first time I had gone through the campaign on my own. Then I jumped through many annoying hoops to get my Vista copy of Halo 2 running on XP (sans multiplayer or campaign Achievements, sadly), and I beat that too. And finally, I played through the campaign of Halo 3. All in about the span of a week.

I'm not trying to troll, but I just don't get the series. I found it to be a thoroughly generic FPS series, easily outclassed in both gameplay, and especially in level design (with Halo 1 being the worst offender here) by plenty of other FPS games out there. The campaigns were largely short and uninspired, though I do feel that the games got slightly better from one to the next. I played all three games on Normal, and despite vastly preferring mouse and keyboard, was utterly shocked to find that Halo 3 was by far the shortest and easiest of the bunch. I really thought, that after playing through the first two with mouse and kb, that I'd have a really tough time with Halo 3. But the campaign felt like it was half the length of 1 and 2 (though with mostly better stages, at least) and significantly easier. I guess the addition of some largely invulnerable AI companions will do that.

*shrugs*

I guess I'm happy that I've finally experienced all three games' single player campaigns, but I'm completely at a loss as to explain the amazing reviews and sales these games get. Yes, yes, I realize that there's a VERY complete multiplayer package included with Halo 2 and Halo 3, but I'm primarily a single player gamer, and IMHO, strong multiplayer can't carry cruddy campaigns when they're part of the complete package.

Edit - I'm not trying to start anything with folks who are CLEARLY enjoying the fuck out of the series (more power to them), I just wanted to share some of my thoughts about the series, now that I've experienced it all within a relatively condensed time frame, and didn't think it warranted another thread. Carry on, and all that.
 
Mejilan said:
Hmmm. I was pretty sick for much of last week, and when I wasn't in bed feeling horrific, I was playing through the Halo series, much of it for the first time. I had played Halo 1's campaign in the past, with friends, but when I installed the XP version and played through it, it was the first time I had gone through the campaign on my own. Then I jumped through many annoying hoops to get my Vista copy of Halo 2 running on XP (sans multiplayer or campaign Achievements, sadly), and I beat that too. And finally, I played through the campaign of Halo 3. All in about the span of a week.

I'm not trying to troll, but I just don't get the series. I found it to be a thoroughly generic FPS series, easily outclassed in both gameplay, and especially in level design (with Halo 1 being the worst offender here) by plenty of other FPS games out there. The campaigns were largely short and uninspired, though I do feel that the games got slightly better from one to the next. I played all three games on Normal, and despite vastly preferring mouse and keyboard, was utterly shocked to find that Halo 3 was by far the shortest and easiest of the bunch. I really thought, that after playing through the first two with mouse and kb, that I'd have a really tough time with Halo 3. But the campaign felt like it was half the length of 1 and 2 (though with mostly better stages, at least) and significantly easier. I guess the addition of some largely invulnerable AI companions will do that.

*shrugs*

I guess I'm happy that I've finally experienced all three games' single player campaigns, but I'm completely at a loss as to explain the amazing reviews and sales these games get. Yes, yes, I realize that there's a VERY complete multiplayer package included with Halo 2 and Halo 3, but I'm primarily a single player gamer, and IMHO, strong multiplayer can't carry cruddy campaigns when they're part of the complete package.

Edit - I'm not trying to start anything with folks who are CLEARLY enjoying the fuck out of the series (more power to them), I just wanted to share some of my thoughts about the series, now that I've experienced it all within a relatively condensed time frame, and didn't think it warranted another thread. Carry on, and all that.
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Part of the appeal for me is that I will play the Campaign to each game pretty hardcore for the a while, then focus on MP. When Halo 2 came out, It was like rejoining old friends. Then After that I went to MP with occasional campaign run-through's. With Halo 3 it was like getting hooking up with your sweet from summer camp but she's turned into a babe.


All I'm saying is I like the characters enough that when each game came out years later, it was like getting the band back together. If I was experiencing them all within a week or so, It wouldn't have had the same impact, and I'm not sure I would feel the same way as I feel about the games now.
 
Mr Vociferous said:
Thanks and I'm glad it helped. I've told some of my friends when discussing the
terminals
, the stuff I wrote there is like tip of the iceberg...not even really grazing the surface. There's a lot of story left to be told and now that we know that the Forerunners were stuffy bitches in hovering chairs or some nonsense, we have real, physical beings with love, hatred, desire and most of all...weapons. I'm looking forward to any game in which we would be able to learn more about their culture and society.

The books offer some interesting backstory to the games so I'd recommend you picking them up. I know that I'll be gunning for Staten's novel, "Contact Harvest," later this month, and since that beings chronologically around the time the series impetus really takes footing, it might be a good first step, followed by "The Fall of Reach," "First Strike," and then "Ghosts of Onyx." Good reads...they're not Follet or Crichton and they don't have the emotional basis and presence of the
terminal entries
, but they're solid for what they are. Nylund does a good job fleshing out the peripheral stories and characters.

I know that Dietz worked on "The Flood," a redux with backstory of the first game, but I'd like to read a very in depth, full-blooded story covering the whole trilogy (front to back) and having characters like the Prophets, the Arbiter and their stories introduced at the start, followed through and reaching into parts of the games that the games never traveled to.
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Upon reflecting on the deeper Halo story, I can now genuinely imagine an epicly-scoped Halo movie trilogy turning out really well, if handled correctly. Mabye they should get PJ cracking on that one!
 
Mejilan said:
I really thought, that after playing through the first two with mouse and kb, that I'd have a really tough time with Halo 3. But the campaign felt like it was half the length of 1 and 2 (though with mostly better stages, at least) and significantly easier. I guess the addition of some largely invulnerable AI companions will do that.
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You're perfectly entitled to your opinion, it's a too bad you didn't really enjoy the series. But one comment about this section. Halo 3's Normal is much easier than it was on Halo 1 and 2. In the difficulty selection screen, Heroic reads, "The way Halo is meant to be played." Bungie meant that; Normal is for people new to the series or FPS in general. On Heroic, the enemies are not just more numerous and more challenging, but entire battles unfold differently and with more layers. I doubt you plan to do so, but I suggest playing Halo 3 - or Halo 1 and 2, for that matter - on Heroic. It is a very different different and far more enjoyable experience than the easier difficulties. It's not just harder - it's a lot more fun.

Buttonbasher said:
Master Chief Sucks at Halo 3 (not beta)

Old?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTxO_pgMqys

EDIT: Oh my god. I like his upgrade!:lol :lol


....


...



"omg"
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"Hold the fucking camera still, Arbiter."

:lol
 
Can someone fill me in on what that basketball dude was doing to whore EXP? I somehow missed that whole thing(dont worry Im not going to do it).
 
GhaleonEB said:
You're perfectly entitled to your opinion, it's a too bad you didn't really enjoy the series. But one comment about this section. Halo 3's Normal is much easier than it was on Halo 1 and 2. In the difficulty selection screen, Heroic reads, "The way Halo is meant to be played." Bungie meant that; Normal is for people new to the series or FPS in general. On Heroic, the enemies are not just more numerous and more challenging, but entire battles unfold differently and with more layers. I doubt you plan to do so, but I suggest playing Halo 3 - or Halo 1 and 2, for that matter - on Heroic. It is a very different different and far more enjoyable experience than the easier difficulties. It's not just harder - it's a lot more fun.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. I'm never going to play Halo 1 again. It's way too dated, and the level design is outright horrendous. It literally feels as if they created a bunch of rooms and corridors for each major area, and then threw them into a random level generator. So bad. Once I upgrade to Vista, I might replay Halo 2 in order to get at least some of the singleplayer achievements. And I might be persuaded to coop through a higher difficulty Halo 3 campaign for more achievements. But I'm really burnt out on Halo now, so I wouldn't replay any for at least a year, I'd say. Nothing wrong with that.

I only bothered to read the difficulty descriptions in Halo 1, and assumed that they pertained to Halo 2 and 3 as well. Did I err, then? Is Halo 3's Heroic the equivalent of Normal on Halo 1 and 2? At first I simply thought that the PC versions of Halo 1 and 2 were rebalanced and toughened up due to the improved controls...
 
I am sad about the no unlockable recon-armor. I'd been tring various theories the last couple days hoping to get it (hanging around the suicidal marine in floodgate, or revisiting parts of the campaign where a brute has a marine hostage and seeing if/when they shoot them.)

I would have liked getting an unusual armor perm. Unless I get lucky and find a game full of pants-on-head-retarded players I doubt I'll ever get some of those multiplayer only achievements. Well I guess I might have a small chance if Bungie comes up with Big-Slayer-Brouhaha, a 16-player ffa playlist :D

Hey, if I could be hired on with Bungie as a 'tester' for a day would I then qualify as a bungie employe for the armor?
 
Happy Birthday Frankie and Luke! Hoped it was pants free and enjoyable.

Voc, that was a great article. Lot of food for thought.

I'm so happy to hear about the "Prince of Dorkness" map. I was hoping there would be at least one creepy ass map. :)
 
I just beat Tsavo Highway on Legendary. What an awesome level.

The big fight with the Brutes was great so I took some screenshots.

Killing Brutes with the chopper

2q3xbmu.jpg


s67qte.jpg


Killing the leader after he destroyed my chopper. :(

15wi5uw.jpg


After that I took the FRG and gave it to one of the marines.

v665wo.jpg


I guess it was a good decision. :lol

2iqb9jt.jpg


24m6c77.jpg


ao7tht.jpg


The wreckage of the Phantom is in the way of the Wraith so he can't really attack you.

6jpljc.jpg


Taking down Phantom is one of the best thing to do in this game. :D

iw6r9t.jpg


ohqsmd.jpg


2j0gwef.jpg
 
jet1911 said:
I just beat Tsavo Highway on Legendary. What an awesome level.

The big fight with the Brutes was great so I took some screenshots.

Killing Brutes with the chopper


Killing the leader after he destroyed my chopper. :(


After that I took the FRG and gave it to one of the marines.


I guess it was a good decision. :lol

The wreckage of the Phantom is in the way of the Wraith so he can't really attack you.



Taking down Phantom is one of the best thing to do in this game. :D
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Awesome presentation! :D
 
Mejilan said:
Hmmm. I'm never going to play Halo 1 again. It's way too dated, and the level design is outright horrendous. It literally feels as if they created a bunch of rooms and corridors for each major area, and then threw them into a random level generator. So bad. Once I upgrade to Vista, I might replay Halo 2 in order to get at least some of the singleplayer achievements. And I might be persuaded to coop through a higher difficulty Halo 3 campaign for more achievements. But I'm really burnt out on Halo now, so I wouldn't replay any for at least a year, I'd say. Nothing wrong with that.

I only bothered to read the difficulty descriptions in Halo 1, and assumed that they pertained to Halo 2 and 3 as well. Did I err, then? Is Halo 3's Heroic the equivalent of Normal on Halo 1 and 2? At first I simply thought that the PC versions of Halo 1 and 2 were rebalanced and toughened up due to the improved controls...
Click to expand...

Reading your posts it seems it might be a case of of being LTTP cause you played the PC versions. By the time the PC version of Halo came out a lot of the game mechanics that made Halo seem original (recharging health, limited weapons on hand) had already been picked up and used by others. Me I still find it amazing that even if I go back to Halo 1 battles will still never play out the same way for me.

As for difficulty, Heroic and Legendary do make a big differece, both are tough but fair (with the exception of the Halo 2 snipers), but even more importantly those difficulties unlock more advanced AI behaviors for the covenant. An example of this would be in Halo 2, unless you played at Heroic or above Elites couldn't jack a vehicle from you. For Halo 3 it looks like Brutes do a better job of avoiding grenades and side-stepping oncoming vehicles.
 
Buttonbasher said:
http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=12857
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I just woke up from a long nap, broke my fever, and I read this! Ugh, what a day. The new maps sound interesting, I wonder if Bungie is going to do what the did with the Halo 2 maps? (Charge for them for a few months and then make them available for free) That totally sucks that we can't get the Recon armor though. I'm glad I didn't spend too much time trying to find a way to unlock it, but I do feel stupid now for spending a few hours messing around in Floodgate with the batshit crazy Marine.. :lol

Happy Birthday Frankie and Luke! Have fun!
 
Frank and Luke have the same birthday?
*ignorant statement I'm sure.. :/*

Also I was just given 3 halo books. Not really familiar with them except for what I've read off the back covers. Their cool to own but are they worth a read?
 
vumpler said:
Frank and Luke have the same birthday?
*ignorant statement I'm sure.. :/*

Also I was just given 3 halo books. Not really familiar with them except for what I've read off the back covers. Their cool to own but are they worth a read?
Click to expand...

Depends which ones. Fall of Reach is worthy. The Flood is basically a re-cap of HALO, only tedious. First Strike is a book a lot of people seem to love, but I just couldn't get into. Ghosts of Onyx was really, really great.
 
Man, the recon armor thread over at bnet was a fucking monster, and like on page 2 they said it's bungie only, but people kept insisting it was unlockable, and people were getting fucking crazy about it. I must head over there now, gonna be laughs and tears.
 
vumpler said:
Frank and Luke have the same birthday?
*ignorant statement I'm sure.. :/*

Also I was just given 3 halo books. Not really familiar with them except for what I've read off the back covers. Their cool to own but are they worth a read?
Click to expand...

Definitely, especially if like Halo's mythology. My personal favorite, out of the Halo books that are available now, is Ghosts of Onyx with Fall of Reach close behind it. First Strike is decent and The Flood just plain sucks, in my opinion. I didn't like the way Dietz took the Halo:CE story and re-told it.
 
Oh my god, the recon armor thread over there is fucking amazing now. Mr. Elliott, if you see this you've got some Heroes of the Web shit going on over there. I'm fucking dying over here. Examples:

there have been clues that we may get the armor in the future but who knows. funny how bungie waste there customers time when its our VALUBALE TIME that keeps them in buisness, i also love how the punish thousands of people for what under 10 people did, great work bungie you've lost all my and many other peoples respect.
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No bungie has the diluted mind set that this armor will make them gods among the rest of the halo 3 community and make them feel important, i mean just look at he flaming heads. I tihnk im actualy done playing this game. im feeling quite annoyed they allowed this to dragon so long to get a few laughs about it. Making the game or not they in no fairness should have done this especialy after some of us paid 130 for the game. I used to idiolize luke too v_v.
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't give up this is just bull-blam!- to deter us from unlocking the armor. If we do not unlock the armor they have something unique, like the Hyabusa armor was supposed to be. The only thing I think is we are getting to close. I am sorry Man Up The Covenant and Upward motion and rockwall are still clues on how to unlock it and suggest nothing other then that it is. If you give up now lukems wins.
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Wow all I can say is I lost a ton of respect for the Bungie members who manage the community (I'm not bashing everyone who works there) for not telling us it's not unlockable right off the bat. They have shown us they don't give a rats ass about loyal fans and have wasted their just to get a laugh out of it. I have never ever seem a developer who has done this to it's fan base.
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See I knew it was probably only a Bungie thing as I predicted in one of my earlier posts. It was all propaganda put on by Bungie to get people to play the game even more than they were willing to so they wouldn't get bored and move on to another 360 game. What is sad is that they let this go on and couldn't making a -blam!- post stating it was employee only much sooner than they did. Now that's the real disappointment.
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Sadly yes... guess we should just go get orange box, its got a lot more stuff and a company that doesn't wait a long time to release information that could have come in handy a week or 2 ago.
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what the hell!!!!!111!!!!11 i lost so much respect for bungie why didnt they just say i was bungie only in the frist place those azzho1ez
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Bye Bye Bungie. Hello Valve.
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Seems so. I think this pretty much kills any inclination I had towards paying for new maps...
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SailorDaravon said:
Oh my god, the recon armor thread over there is fucking amazing now. Mr. Elliott, if you see this you've got some Heroes of the Web shit going on over there. I'm fucking dying over here. Examples:
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Backlash total, wow. :lol
 
Thermite said:
Backlash total, wow. :lol
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It's those kind of gems that I thought of when reading the Update.

Now, that’s not to say that these complaints aren’t justified and understandable, just sometimes they lack the coherent, thoughtful, articulate verbiage we’ve come to expect from Bungie.net users.
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:lol
 
SailorDaravon said:
Also is Infection ever going to be in matchmaking or what? Seriously.
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They are apparently thinking about it. There were hints in the last podcast.

Wouldn't surprise me if it comes out in time for Halloween.

Oh, and congrats on post 3000 :-p
 
Thermite said:
Bungie really needs to implement both Infection and Rocket Race into matchmaking.
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They specifically mentioned an infection playlist as coming in their podcast this week. Rocket race really does need to come though.
 
Iksenpets said:
They specifically mentioned an infection playlist as coming in their podcast this week. Rocket race really does need to come though.
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Doesn't Rocket race need some kind of honor system for it to work though. I would imagin it would suck if your partner just wandered off and did his own thing instead of hopping onto the mongoose.
 
Just want to let you peeps above me know that you can't talk about MP in this thread. For that you're supposed to go into the Online Match-Up forum. You'll get in trouble if you keep talking about MP in here (as far as I know)
 
Domino Theory said:
Just want to let you peeps above me know that you can't talk about MP in this thread. For that you're supposed to go into the Online Match-Up forum. You'll get in trouble if you keep talking about MP in here (as far as I know)
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Whoops, that's right. I forgot about that rule being implemented for a second there. Thanks. :)
 
Hi everyone again and congrats on reaching 30k.

Its been some tough days since my 360 RRoded once more on halo3 launch day leaving me stuck on the begining of the second level (ahhh that memories bring tears to my eyes )

But with the help of a new shinny halo3 pack+hdmi 360, the path is once more clear and the entry to the divine beyond guaranted.

I finished the campaign late last night. Played on Normal....yep i know is kinda dishonest this days BUT with the Rrod caused delay i wanted to finish the campaign asap and dont need to worry about spoilers anymore. Besides, i have plenty of time to replay on heroic, legendary etc...

About campaign, felt a bit dissapointed at some points, specially regarding flood, but the end i think was fantastic, clever and elegant in terms of closing the trilogy not only in the story arc (leaving some clues and doubts) but also in making good use of the franchise gameplay, level design, music and last but not least good jokes and tributes.

There is still some dissapointment like those big battles that i didnt find anywhere. Sure there are some great battles with lots of vehicles here and there and groups of enemies but i expected, or the press pointed at, a much bigger scale.

Maybe on heroic/legendary the numbers in that regard get better, altough i played 2 chapters on 4 coop and found it rather easy.

Graphics wise, some scenes and places are really beautiful and the lightning and water are superb. Other aspects, models, like hunters, flood, leave a lot to be desired. Its not that important but it hurts a bit overall.

In resume, i think the end was really good and Bungie nailed the final scene. And i cant wait to get back to campaign on higher difficulty, try some multiplayer and play with forge and theater mode.

PD:Mr.Voc thanks for the post about terminals, im gonna read as soon as possible, Only found 2 on my first rush trought campaign.
 
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