New video of Halo 3 Docu. about Brutes

[Combine Hybrid]

http://www.xboxyde.com/leech_3453_en.html

Looks fantastic.

The video is also available in Marketplace.

[Tyguy]

All I want is an in-game movie, just one

[Warbie]

Good stuff. Some of those animations were very cool.

[JNightshade]

Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed...

[Adrik_Senturu]

Looks good, although seriously people why even post it here :| Before Samon (and the others) even posts I'll do it for him.


"meh"

[TheAntipop]

Ah, this'll explain the pictures I saw earlier today then. I thought it was convienient that the one time I've actually seen a gallery theres pictures added from the 20th. Gonna watch it now.

EDIT: Hold on, hold on... what's in this docu? I've searched Youtube and found the documentry on the visuals and the orchestra they are using, and one of them is labelled ''Leaked 20/12/06'' so I presumed that was this the new one, but it's actually the one with the explanation on the visuals and the orchestras used which is really quite old now. Link, anyone? Little confused here.

[Uriel]

ZOMG HALO

IT
IT
IT
....sucks

[TheAntipop]

Wow, 7 replys in and away we go. How very constructive of you.

[highlander]

Halo.Sucks. There i said it, happy?!

[Samon]

Doesn't make very good gameplay? What does in Halo lolololol.

[Combine Hybrid]

Doesn't make very good gameplay? What does in Halo lolololol.
Halo > Half Life

Harharhar!

[CyberPitz]

Halo > Half Life

Harharhar!

HEATHEN!

[CrazyHarij]

halo owns j00

[Samon]

Halo > Half Life

Harharhar!

*Sn iggers in the corner*

[Pauly]

I think I said 'ew' during that video and turned it off before the halfway mark...

[Stigmata]

I hope the shotgun is un-gimped.

[Samon]

I hope the battle rifle has been thrown into a burning pit of lava.

[clarky003]

Well I really loved the origional Halo and bungie appears to recognise that most people did. So kudos to them for bringing back some of that origional halo feel with the first assault rifle making a come back, also with the similar outdoor architecture.

[Agent.M]

Half Life > Halo > Half Life 2 > Halo 2

Here's to hoping Halo 3 will at least land somewhere in the middle or at least above the POS that is Halo 2.

[Samon]

Halo > Half-life 2? Lawl. I wouldn't call Halo 2 'a piece of shit' either.

[Stigmata]

Halo > Half-life 2? Lawl. I wouldn't call Halo 2 'a piece of shit' either.Not a POS by any means, but definitely a low point in Bungie's library.

[Beerdude26]

Halo's architecture was this:

ONE AWESOME MAP (PART)
ONE AWESOME MAP PART
REPEAT PREVIOUS MAP PART AT LEAST THREE TIMES
ANOTHER AWESOME MAP (PART)
ANOTHER AWESOME MAP PART
REPEAT PREVIOUS MAP PART AT LEAST THREE TIMES, SIX TIMES FOR GOOD MEASURE
etc.

This is pretty much what pissed me off about Halo. The levels were more than decent, but you don't have to copy them multiple times to show that.

[Agent.M]

Halo > Half-life 2? Lawl.
I'm not even gonna try and start this one or say why I believe it. :rolleyes:

Not a POS by any means, but definitely a low point in Bungie's library.
Well maybe not a total POS it had its moments I suppose, but it definitely wasn't what It could have been.

[oldagerocker]

They still look like great apes and retarded.

[Asuka]

Halo's architecture was this:

ONE AWESOME MAP (PART)
ONE AWESOME MAP PART
REPEAT PREVIOUS MAP PART AT LEAST THREE TIMES
ANOTHER AWESOME MAP (PART)
ANOTHER AWESOME MAP PART
REPEAT PREVIOUS MAP PART AT LEAST THREE TIMES, SIX TIMES FOR GOOD MEASURE
etc.

This is pretty much what pissed me off about Halo. The levels were more than decent, but you don't have to copy them multiple times to show that.

OMG i cant agree more. Seriously Halo would be 60times shorter if it wasnt for the copy past maps. Same map inverted then inverted again etc etc. OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Still decent and fun CO-OP games.

That trailer tho doesnt impress me. As a matter of fact it looks like shit.

[JNightshade]

Yeah. After playing Gears of War for a few weeks, the graphics in this are entirely underwhelming. They talk about making the brutes "brutal" (they use the word OVER AND OVER AGAIN) and yet they didn't seem much different at all. The AI seems not to have improved at all- they just charge at you, holding down the trigger like there's no tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no mindless Bungie-basher. I loooved Halo when it came out, and have spent countless hours playing the sequel (although I was stoned out of my mind most of the time :p). But this... ick.

[Jintor]

OMG i cant agree more. Seriously Halo would be 60times shorter if it wasnt for the copy past maps. Same map inverted then inverted again etc etc. OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Still decent and fun CO-OP games.

That trailer tho doesnt impress me. As a matter of fact it looks like shit.

Haha... and then some levels were just previous levels, but BACKWARDS. And they were STILL that horribly nauseating (but authentically alien!) bright fluro purple.

God I hate the library, in both games. :(

[nutcrackr]

MY MAN JAIME GRIESEMER IS SANDBOX LEAD DUDES.

30 seconds over and over and over. BE RDY 4 IT!!!!!:D

[Sparta]

Am i the only one that thinks Bungie's art design is terrible? I find it so incredibly....average in terms of concept. I mean, most of the architecture is probably designed on the simplest of scribblings from one of their youngest and most inexperienced of concept artists. I just can't and never have been able to stand it.

I don't mean to be so harsh, but for such a ridiculously successful game, its art direction appears to be on one of the lowest rungs possible for a high-budget production. Its just so terribly average, and the way they mixed in the horrible architectural design with an even worse colour scheme shits me. I mean, pink and purple for a superior and religously fanatical alien race? Combine the colours with very smooth round curves on everything, and you have a very very feminine alien race. Way to strike fear into mankind. Oh no, intergalactic barbies are here to cleanse me of my blasphemous ways. Bah.

(This isn't a beef against bungie, but whoever is incharge of the art direction. Its terrible)

[Samon]

Am i the only one that thinks Bungie's art design is terrible? I find it so incredibly....average in terms of concept. I mean, most of the architecture is probably designed on the simplest of scribblings from one of their youngest and most inexperienced of concept artists. I just can't and never have been able to stand it.

I don't mean to be so harsh, but for such a ridiculously successful game, its art direction appears to be on one of the lowest rungs possible for a high-budget production. Its just so terribly average, and the way they mixed in the horrible architectural design with an even worse colour scheme shits me. I mean, pink and purple for a superior and religously fanatical alien race? Combine the colours with very smooth round curves on everything, and you have a very very feminine alien race. Way to strike fear into mankind. Oh no, intergalactic barbies are here to cleanse me of my blasphemous ways. Bah.

(This isn't a beef against bungie, but whoever is incharge of the art direction. Its terrible)

Double-agreed!

[Jintor]

Am i the only one that thinks Bungie's art design is terrible? I find it so incredibly....average in terms of concept. I mean, most of the architecture is probably designed on the simplest of scribblings from one of their youngest and most inexperienced of concept artists. I just can't and never have been able to stand it.

I don't mean to be so harsh, but for such a ridiculously successful game, its art direction appears to be on one of the lowest rungs possible for a high-budget production. Its just so terribly average, and the way they mixed in the horrible architectural design with an even worse colour scheme shits me. I mean, pink and purple for a superior and religously fanatical alien race? Combine the colours with very smooth round curves on everything, and you have a very very feminine alien race. Way to strike fear into mankind. Oh no, intergalactic barbies are here to cleanse me of my blasphemous ways. Bah.

(This isn't a beef against bungie, but whoever is incharge of the art direction. Its terrible)

Lol, but what if camoflage colours for the marines was the Covenant's equivilent of barbie colours? "Way to strike fear into our hearts, stupid humans! Our PINK DESTROYERS will DESTROY YOU!"

You gotta look at it from their side, too!

[jondy]

I'm keen for Halo 3, but I dunno - when I see Valve interviews, Gabe, Lombardi et al all seem to know exactly what they're talking about. These guys don't come across as owning their subject at all

[Insano]

Double-agreed!You agree with everyone who criticises Halo ;)

[Kyorisu]

You agree with everyone who criticises Halo ;)

Something to do with Halo being an overrated console game. Okay I just had to hop aboard that wagon.

[Warbie]

HL2.net bash Halo - who would ever have thought it??!!

Climb back into your protective bubble wrap of quick saves and fps that take no skill - there's no place for you in Halo ;)

Woohoo - 6k

[Atomic_Piggy]

So, the supposed "background of the brutes" was some shit about the artwork? What was the point of this video. The only thing I garnerned was that the Brutes are gonna be more shit in halo 3 than they were in halo 2.
What really annoys me is how arrogent and headstrong bungie is: "We had such an awesome ending to halo 2" "More like dropped the controller in awe" etc.

[Stigmata]

So, the supposed "background of the brutes" was some shit about the artwork? What was the point of this video. The only thing I garnerned was that the Brutes are gonna be more shit in halo 3 than they were in halo 2.
What really annoys me is how arrogent and headstrong bungie is: "We had such an awesome ending to halo 2" "More like dropped the controller in awe" etc.Well it's hardly going to be a story exposee [damn accented characters], considering how badly Bungie needs to keep all of Halo 3's story a GOOD surprise.

And Bungie was taking the piss (is that the right phrase? I think it is... crazy Brits) when they said "We had such an awesome ending to Halo 2". I'm surprised so many people couldn't catch on to "More like dropped the controller in awe!" what with it being so blatantly sarcastic.

[edit]I don't mean to be so harsh, but for such a ridiculously successful game, its art direction appears to be on one of the lowest rungs possible for a high-budget production. Its just so terribly average, and the way they mixed in the horrible architectural design with an even worse colour scheme shits me. I mean, pink and purple for a superior and religously fanatical alien race? Combine the colours with very smooth round curves on everything, and you have a very very feminine alien race. Way to strike fear into mankind. Oh no, intergalactic barbies are here to cleanse me of my blasphemous ways. Bah.Say what you might, the pink/purple scheme is applied well, and it's overtly unique. I'd rather fight crazily-colored purple enemies than fight boring shades of gray and brown for the millionth time.

[Samon]

You agree with everyone who criticises Halo ;)

Definately. But as you can see, I don't rally up with those calling it a piece of shit either.


Climb back into your protective bubble wrap of quick saves and fps that take no skill - there's no place for you in Halo ;)


Yes, and we'll keep our actual gameplay too. ;)

[Warbie]

If gameplay means combat that requires zero thought, you're welcome to it :E

[Jintor]

If gameplay means combat that requires zero thought, you're welcome to it :E

If Combat that requires thought means you need to map out a massive strategy plan to take out TWO elites in the same room WITHOUT being ownzored from accross the map by a Bug Sniper, then we'll keep our mindless fun gameplay. :D

Legendary mode's a bitch. You need a map for every. Single. Encounter.

[Warbie]

Whats this massive strategy business? The great thing about Halo is you can take the battle to them and kick ass.

[DEATHMASTER]

Awesome video, hope to see more.

[Jintor]

Whats this massive strategy business? The great thing about Halo is you can take the battle to them and kick ass.

Lolz, Legendary.

I can't remember Halo 1 Legendary. Except for whatever the last chapter was called. The Maw. That was fun. I did that all on Legendary just to see that tiny extra movie bit at the end.

Halo2 Legendary is, like, impossible unless you know every single detail of how the enemy reacts, the exact layout of the room and the precise number of shots that will kill an enemy. No room for error at all.

[DEATHMASTER]

as long as there's a single piece of cover and i have atleast 1 plasma gernade, its not that hard. (and everything is cover)

[ChiChi]

Did anyone feel as if the Brutes were still the same? In the gameplay vids the moved the exact same is in Halo 2, despite Bungie dedicating a whole documentary about how different they were in Halo 3. I did like the animations shown half-way through(the marines getting his arms pulled out, brute flipping the warthog etc.)

[Kyorisu]

HL2.net bash Halo - who would ever have thought it??!!

Climb back into your protective bubble wrap of quick saves and fps that take no skill - there's no place for you in Halo ;)

Woohoo - 6k

Enjoy repeating the same level 10 times because you screwed up repeatably. Heck I had more fun playing Doom and Hexen co-op than Halo.

Ontopic: As for the Brutes, I don't see them being any different to Halo 2.

[DEATHMASTER]

Enjoy repeating the same level 10 times because you screwed up repeatably.
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

That's just noobage talking there, I didnt die that much the first time I played legendary (Halo 1). The only way u can die that much is if you dont learn from your previous mistakes.

[Atomic_Piggy]

Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying its a piece of shit. The first one was actually pretty good, except assualt on the control room. I think I just took a banshee and skipped to the end. :p Arbiter was the best thing about Halo 2 IMO, though I feel like the only person in the world who thinks this.

[Jintor]

Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying its a piece of shit. The first one was actually pretty good, except assualt on the control room. I think I just took a banshee and skipped to the end. :p Arbiter was the best thing about Halo 2 IMO, though I feel like the only person in the world who thinks this.

I liked him because of stealth, but i didn't like how he had no flashlight.

God the library was dark.

[Atomic_Piggy]

Yeah, sort of ironic he had all the dark levels. Except where the flood go to that mushroom spaceship where the covenant live.

[Sparta]

Enjoy repeating the same level 10 times because you screwed up repeatably.

Yeah, i never had the patience to work through Halo on Legendary. I tried going through Halo 2 on Legendary and go up to the snow level with the Elite character and lost interest. Although playing through Legendary on Halo 1 was awesome fun. Except the library and the third level, they were ****ing hard. I look forward to Halo 3, just because i want to see how they handle the end of the story. And the multiplayer should be good, but i'm not holding breath on the single-player

[Kouler]

I dont see why people say Halo is overrated, nearly everyone on the internet hates it.

[Warbie]

Most of these complaints, other than the the cut and paste level design (something which has been exagerated a good deal) are because Legendary is hard. I hate to agree with DEATHMASTER's carefully chosen words, but he's right. It's possible to thrash Legendary without spending the whole time hiding behind a box and gradually killing poeple one by one. This is my entire point - the learning curve is there if you put in the practise. You can speed run Halo on Legendary, flying through levels, clearing rooms full of elites in under a minute. This is what makes Halo's combat stand out - the game requires you to actually get good at it, other fps don't. Gameplay/combat wise, it's far deeper than anything else. If you're spending the whole time hiding and counting bullets it's probably time to drop a difficulty setting ;)

Halo 2 is certainly harder, but the same is true for most of the game. Unfortunately, Halo 2 is let down in a number of other ways.

// bah - I told myself I wouldn't go into another Halo rant :)

[Jintor]

This is what makes Halo's combat stand out - the game requires you to actually get good at it, other fps don't. Gameplay/combat wise, it's far deeper than anything else. If you're spending the whole time hiding and counting bullets it's probably time to drop a difficulty setting ;)


The thing is, getting 'good' at combat is sort of... arbitrary. I suppose the best definition would be 'Surviving' but is it being efficient at combat, getting a challenge out of combat... ai yah, i dunno anymore lah.

Anyway, I admit Halo and Halo 2 are fun. But I just hope they cut back on the "Cut and Paste" level design for Halo 3. Oh, and that the story will r0x0r my s0x0rs. It better.

[oldagerocker]

Legendary pisses me off. It's probably just me but I cant stand doing the same thing repeatedly again and again.
Doing the same stretch of map 10 times to get past that one elite or whatever. It's not getting better at the game, it's getting lucky.

[Warbie]

Not true - if that is the case then drop a difficulty setting. Halo rewards skill more than any other singleplayer fps - which is why, for me, it stands head and shoulders above the rest in combat.

[esplin]

The interview was pretty good, I like that Bungie finally has acknowledged the problem with the Brutes in Halo 2. However, I don't have much hope for their AI changing.

At one point in the interview one of the developers says, "What makes characters look like they are aware of eachother? Have them do the same thing."


WTF?


Then he says something like "We gave the Brutes a new ability where they would all chuck grenades at once."

Doesn't sound very tactical to me. It would be much better if one Brute threw a grenade to draw you out while the others got in a position to flank you. Or just have them split into two groups and pincer you.

While I heard the word "tactical" a lot, I did not hear "suppressing fire" "flanking" or "squad tactics" once.

[Rim-Fire]

Doesn't make very good gameplay? What does in Halo lolololol.
I found Halo 1 to me mostly very fun :p

I also found playing on Legendary to be enjoyable (except the Library :bonce:)

[Atomic_Piggy]

I enjoyed the libary. Very retro shooting; it was a nice break.

[Adabiviak]

Am I the only one here who thought that the levels in Halo were pretty good? They had jungles, beaches, alien vessels, snowy mountains/valleys, operational and destroyed Pillar of Autumn, rolling hills, Forerunner structures, looming cliffs, etc., all of which I thought were pretty well done. The Forerunner structures seem to be the areas where people get the idea that all the levels were the same, and that is because, if I'm not mistaken, you went in on a mission, found something rather unpleasant, and came back out the same way. Have an issue with the art direction for the Covenant war engine? Surely the color choices amplify the 'alienness' of the Covenant (admittedly so, since the assumption here was that it was a bad choice for combat). Would you rather have them dress in camoflage when they find themselves fighting in the snow, buildings, beaches, etc.? The Covenant use their invisible cloak for camoflage, which is arguably better.

More on topic, what exactly was horrible about this video? I just saw it and thought it looked pretty good, especially when it appears to be a work in progress. We'll see how it looks when it comes out, but what I saw made me want to play it for sure.

[AmishSlayer]

I think Halo deserves some serious props for something overlooked:

Vehicles

So many FPS's out there try to throw in a vehicle portion to the game and it ends up feeling tacked on with clunky control and stupid gameplay to go with it.

Halo 1 & the earth level in Halo 2 have the BEST vehicle gameplay I've played in any SP FPS ever.

EDIT:Am I the only one here who thought that the levels in Halo were pretty good? They had jungles, beaches, alien vessels, snowy mountains/valleys, operational and destroyed Pillar of Autumn, rolling hills, Forerunner structures, looming cliffs, etc., all of which I thought were pretty well done. The Forerunner structures seem to be the areas where people get the idea that all the levels were the same, and that is because, if I'm not mistaken, you went in on a mission, found something rather unpleasant, and came back out the same way. Have an issue with the art direction for the Covenant war engine? Surely the color choices amplify the 'alienness' of the Covenant (admittedly so, since the assumption here was that it was a bad choice for combat). Would you rather have them dress in camoflage when they find themselves fighting in the snow, buildings, beaches, etc.? The Covenant use their invisible cloak for camoflage, which is arguably better.

More on topic, what exactly was horrible about this video? I just saw it and thought it looked pretty good, especially when it appears to be a work in progress. We'll see how it looks when it comes out, but what I saw made me want to play it for sure.

Thank you. Forerunner structures need some variety and Two Betrayals uses many of the same areas as Assault on the Control Room, but other than that I liked the level design in Halo.

[TheAntipop]

Yeah, I liked the levels, even the one's you had to backtrack through. I've said this before, and I really don't want to get into a arguement about it, but if anyone here has actually been inside anything remotly facility/military like you will see that, yes, most of the areas will look the same. Hell, I'll dumb it down for people; what about your schools? All the schools I've been through have, for the most part, stayed in the same style of architecture and design throughout every corridor, entrance way and hall. It's just... how it is. It would be totally unrealaistic if one room was bright orange then the next was dark and dull, then after that another bright room, only this time green. :| Whilst we are on the subject of ''Halo and HL2'' (as always happens :P) even the Citadel did it with it's environment - and it works.

[Adabiviak]

So... what are the brutes like in combat anyway? It sounds like they're going to revamp their AI for Halo 3. I'm still waiting for Halo 2 to come out on PC.

[Rim-Fire]

Thank you. Forerunner structures need some variety and Two Betrayals uses many of the same areas as Assault on the Control Room, but other than that I liked the level design in Halo.
IMO the 2 best levels. :D

Edit:
I hate brutes, with a passion. I didn't like any of the new enemies in Halo 2, or the new weapons...or the new vehicles. Halo 2 added nothing good except duel wilding (for which they nerfed alot of weapons), the plasma sword and using the Arbiters stealth (who retardedly had some very dark levels despite having no means of illumination). The levels where also not as fun or epic-feeling as those in Halo 1.

[TheAntipop]

So... what are the brutes like in combat anyway? It sounds like they're going to revamp their AI for Halo 3. I'm still waiting for Halo 2 to come out on PC.

As the bloke said; pretty much just sponges in the fact that all they do is soak up ammo. They'd dance around a bit, take fire, hit you with Brute Shots and eventually drop their weapon and charge/pound you like an ape. Personally, I didn't like them.

[Adabiviak]

Did the demonstrations of the improved brute behavior seem promising in comparison?

[Samon]

I think Halo deserves some serious props for something overlooked:

Vehicles

So many FPS's out there try to throw in a vehicle portion to the game and it ends up feeling tacked on with clunky control and stupid gameplay to go with it.

Halo 1 & the earth level in Halo 2 have the BEST vehicle gameplay I've played in any SP FPS ever.


Water Hazard takes that spot for me. I enjoyed the Airboat very much, and the pacing and gameplay were tuned to a tea. However, I'd agree with Halo 1. I loved driving the Warthog, but I'm afraid Halo 2 suffers from the exact same 'clunky controls and stupid gameplay' you described.

[Adabiviak]

Have you played Scrapland? The storyline is perhaps a bit childish, but the vehicles in my opinion are the best. It's like a GTA-style environment, but 3-D. The control/response rocks, and is noticeably different between vehicles. It's the only reason I still play - just navigating around the cities at high speed is still fun, and combat races are intense.

[AmishSlayer]

Water Hazard takes that spot for me. I enjoyed the Airboat very much, and the pacing and gameplay were tuned to a tea. However, I'd agree with Halo 1. I loved driving the Warthog, but I'm afraid Halo 2 suffers from the exact same 'clunky controls and stupid gameplay' you described.

I thought the airboat had crappy controls that felt way too unrealistic. There was no drift whatsoever. It turned on a dime pretty much.

Halo 2 ruined all the vehicles but I still had a lot of fun with them on the Earth level.

[Warbie]

I thought the airboat had crappy controls that felt way too unrealistic. There was no drift whatsoever. It turned on a dime pretty much.

I have to agree. Alot of effort went into the sequences, and there were some cool moments, but this is the type of vehicle inclusion I hate with a passion - tacked on, there to tick a box, awful controls, just plain bad.

[Samon]

It was in no way there to tick a box, nor was tacked on. It was paced perfectly, and it didn't feel out of place or missing something. I can understand not liking it, but it certainly wasn't either of those things.

[kupocake]

Am I the only one here who thought that the levels in Halo were pretty good? They had jungles, beaches, alien vessels, snowy mountains/valleys, operational and destroyed Pillar of Autumn, rolling hills, Forerunner structures, looming cliffs, etc., all of which I thought were pretty well done.
On the one hand it's the kind of variety that you don't see as often in an FPS... but on the other, it's every scenario cliche gaming has ever thrown up. Tropical Island, Snow, Ancient Ruins, Technological Nightmare, Spaceship, Desert, Jungle? Am I describing Halo or Sonic the Hedgehog or both? Most FPS games have stuck to creating only a handful of these, and from the point of view of immersion, isn't that more interesting? Halo, despite being a rarely used and interesting setting in itself, is presented as more of a loose association of level-cliche types strung together with cut-scenes. Compared to somewhere like Black Mesa, or City 17 (which is a particularly underused and clever setting) Halo just doesn't have the same kind of coherence in design. You jump in the foehammer or the teleport chamber and it's no different from busting open the egg-chamber or climbing the flag outside the castle.

Kudos to the Bungie team in the video for knowing full well when something is wrong with something they've designed. This isn't something i've particularly doubted though, as many of the things that piss me off about Halo 1 don't feature in Halo 2... it's just a shame that they went and made new mess ups for the second game!

[Warbie]

Maybe I was being over harsh - i've a knee jerk reaction to mandatory vehicle sections. It did feel out of place to me though, and ruined the pace.

[TollBooth Willie]

I hated the Warthog in Halo 1. Maybe my driving skills just suck, but I was almost always sliding around like a dead hooker on ice.

[Adabiviak]

...like a dead hooker on ice? I daresay you just made that up, although for a combat vehicle on what one would expect to be its 'native' terrain, it sure had a lot of drift.

[TollBooth Willie]

Yes, like a dead hooker on ice. Should have payed up, yo.

Still, it was fun mowing down Covenant.

"Run, little blue midgets, RUN!"

[Rim-Fire]

I thought the airboat had crappy controls that felt way too unrealistic. There was no drift whatsoever. It turned on a dime pretty much.
I loved the airboat section!

[AmishSlayer]

I hated the Warthog in Halo 1. Maybe my driving skills just suck, but I was almost always sliding around like a dead hooker on ice.

That's what made it so fun. Too many vehicles in FPS games have rigid control with no sense of fluid movement. They nailed it with Halo 1...then they took away the fun in Halo 2 by making it have a lot more traction.

[destrukt]

I hate how the vehicles explode in H2. At many XBLANs after a while of 'serious' play we'd just make a game on Blood Gulch with the max amount of Warthogs you could have (I think you could get like 4 on the right settings IIRC) and we'd just go into the middle and ram each other till someone fell out of their Warthog and we'd run them down. ^____^

It was surprisingly fun and I miss other things like getting onto the top of maps, jamming Warthogs in the bases, etc.

Did anyone ever use the 'Halo Cache Editor' ? That was insanely fun. It let you edit the cache files (I would've never guessed) and you could do things like swap guns, for example, you could make the small machine gun on the tank shoot rockets or the normal tank gun (If you had 2 tanks with the machine gun shooting the tank cannon buttles in the same area it'd light up so much).

You could also enable 'Spiderman' mode and you could basically walk on any walls and there were tons of other things you could do but to have it work in multiplayer both of you had to have the EXACT same settings so we'd sit there with 1 person calling out EVERY setting and people with the other Xboxs would go 'Check' or whatever - this led to many headaches. :/

[Jintor]

Yeah, twas more fun when you could just snipe the bastard in the tank without damaging the tank. Sacrifice realism for fun! Your game is full of aliens anyway. :D

No, the main level bit was probably the Covenant battleships. I never had a sense of "This is an armoury, this is a loading bay" - just "This is garish-purple-room number 1, this is garish-purple-room number 2... which looks the same as 1... oh, wait, there are corpses, this is 1. Damn."

Vehicles for Halo 2 were... sorta fun, but not brilliant. The Pum- uh, I mean, the Warthog handled really strangely, too me. It fealt... really, really light.

[Sparta]

This is what makes Halo's combat stand out - the game requires you to actually get good at it, other fps don't.

Only on Legendary. Any other difficulty is a walk in the park. But if most games had that kind of difficulty for their hardest mode, than most games would be the same.

How many people played Sin Episode 1? That game was ****ing hard. Ridiculously hard. At least when it was first released, haven't played it since. But the later levels in that game require a lot of patience. More so than any other shooter i've played. Now, what you said about Halo could be applied to Sin Emergence, but that doesn't necessarily make it a good game does it?

Also: I loved the airboat section, but the buggy section was shit. No point to driving that buggy around. I will always have a place in my heart for that second level in Halo, when you're introduced to driving the Warthog. Love that level.

Anyway, lets stop comparing the two games (like that will ever happen) and get back to talking about Halo 3.

I hope the storyline in this one is better than the 2nd. And if they actually advertise it as being epic, it better ****ing be epic this time. ****ing Microsoft PR.

[Stigmata]

I hope the storyline in this one is better than the 2nd. And if they actually advertise it as being epic, it better ****ing be epic this time. ****ing Microsoft PR.It was epic. It just wasn't good :p

[DEATHMASTER]

It's a great story, the game itself just kinda ruins it. It will be great as a book if any of the authers decide to write it.

[Sparta]

It was epic. It just wasn't good :p

What game were you playing? one part of one level of the whole game felt epic (Scarab battle).

[Warbie]

Now, what you said about Halo could be applied to Sin Emergence, but that doesn't necessarily make it a good game does it?

It's not just about a game being hard - it has to be that while being fun to play and not feeling unfair. All too often developers balls it up and the result is more frustrating than satisfying.

I've never played Sin episodes, but have read that it's a petty fun, if mindless, blaster. It doesn't sound like the kind of game that demands alot of practise or rewards skill in the way that Halo does, maybe i'm wrong.

There are quite of few fps that are difficult, but very few that are difficult for the right reasons.

[Sparta]

Sin: Emergence does demand alot of practice, but doesn't actually reward you with any satisfying moments.

Same thing that happened with me on Legendary, i just wasn't feeling rewarded playing it. And on Halo 2 i just got bored halfway through on Heroic.

[kupocake]

I loved the airboat section!
I think the sheer quality of Water Hazard is more in the scripted encounters, visuals and level design than it is in the airboat itself. Just goes to show that you can take Halo's approach and put all of your efforts into making the vehicle itself rewarding (which is surely more economical in development terms), or you can take HL2's approach and make a rudimentary vehicle and concentrate on placing that vehicle into an exciting space.

[Stigmata]

What game were you playing? one part of one level of the whole game felt epic (Scarab battle).The story was epic. The game was not.

[TheAntipop]

Yeah, twas more fun when you could just snipe the bastard in the tank without damaging the tank. Sacrifice realism for fun! Your game is full of aliens anyway. :D



Well... yeah. A sniper round wouldn't do anything to a tank, so that's realistic right there. :|

[kupocake]

Well... yeah. A sniper round wouldn't do anything to a tank, so that's realistic right there. :|
The lack of realism is in the fact that the driver sits exposed in a hatch where you can shoot his clumsily bobbing head. Nothing can damage the tank.

[TheAntipop]

Yes and no, at that. Most tanks today have their drivers location open-hatched, except for when, obviously, in the closed-hatch state. This has been implicated because it stops tankers from whoring up the battlefield. But that's not the point anyway, the point is that it is realistic that the sniper round does nothing to a tank because it's the quivilent to throwing a rock at a building and hoping it will blow up.

[Stigmata]

I think the sheer quality of Water Hazard is more in the scripted encounters, visuals and level design than it is in the airboat itself. Just goes to show that you can take Halo's approach and put all of your efforts into making the vehicle itself rewarding (which is surely more economical in development terms), or you can take HL2's approach and make a rudimentary vehicle and concentrate on placing that vehicle into an exciting space.I think the main problem with this approach is that every player's experience will be vert similar to every other player's experience - every scripted encounter and combat event is laid out in the same order, with relatively the same armament and same enemy forces, each and every time. The airboat levels in HL2, while fun, are so similar between players that individual experiences are less interesting, and the experience is fine-tuned to an extend that suppresses invididual experience.

In this respect, I feel that Halo's vehicle segments are inherently better than those of HL2, simply because they allow the player to utilize the vehicles in any way they see fit, rather than following a tightly linear path to end up with a combat timeline identical to that of every other player who has taken part in that sequence.

[Jintor]

I think the main problem with this approach is that every player's experience will be vert similar to every other player's experience - every scripted encounter and combat event is laid out in the same order, with relatively the same armament and same enemy forces, each and every time. The airboat levels in HL2, while fun, are so similar between players that individual experiences are less interesting, and the experience is fine-tuned to an extend that suppresses invididual experience.

In this respect, I feel that Halo's vehicle segments are inherently better than those of HL2, simply because they allow the player to utilize the vehicles in any way they see fit, rather than following a tightly linear path to end up with a combat timeline identical to that of every other player who has taken part in that sequence.

I must say, though, that nothing in Halo 2 (the Maw in Halo has) has approached, for me, the awesomeness of being chased by that ****ing Hunter-Chopper. Now, if only there weren't so many loading screens in the middle of that chase...

[Samon]

I think the main problem with this approach is that every player's experience will be vert similar to every other player's experience - every scripted encounter and combat event is laid out in the same order, with relatively the same armament and same enemy forces, each and every time. The airboat levels in HL2, while fun, are so similar between players that individual experiences are less interesting, and the experience is fine-tuned to an extend that suppresses invididual experience.

In this respect, I feel that Halo's vehicle segments are inherently better than those of HL2, simply because they allow the player to utilize the vehicles in any way they see fit, rather than following a tightly linear path to end up with a combat timeline identical to that of every other player who has taken part in that sequence.

I don't see how that's a bad thing. I enjoy strict control over gameplay elements from time to time.

[Warbie]

The whole water hazard sequence felt like a shit idea done well. I've yet to play a fps in which a compulsory vehicle section was fun and didn't feel like a chore.

[kupocake]

I think the main problem with this approach is that every player's experience will be vert similar to every other player's experience - every scripted encounter and combat event is laid out in the same order, with relatively the same armament and same enemy forces, each and every time. The airboat levels in HL2, while fun, are so similar between players that individual experiences are less interesting, and the experience is fine-tuned to an extend that suppresses invididual experience.

In this respect, I feel that Halo's vehicle segments are inherently better than those of HL2, simply because they allow the player to utilize the vehicles in any way they see fit, rather than following a tightly linear path to end up with a combat timeline identical to that of every other player who has taken part in that sequence.
I'm not convinced that Halo's driving sections are any less non-linear than Half-Life 2's. The difference still seems to me to be between driving down a twisting, intricately designed corridor in a vehicle that feels like an afterthought and driving down a twisting, less closely considered corridor in a vehicle which has been very well designed indeed. True, the first vehicle level in Halo contains multiple paths and a moment of non-linearity, but later levels fail to equal the promise of the first (I think that actually goes for many aspects of the game. I was tightly gripped by the the Pillar of Autumn and Halo levels, only to become less and less gripped by each following level. Halo just strikes me as an excellent game that ran out of development time and ended up merely good.)

I'm not sure whether to see tight scripting as a bad thing or not. Yes, it technically it isn't the peak of interactivity that gaming idealists would say that games should strive for, but at the same time, it is perfectly possible to craft a superior experience. Water Hazard stands out to me as one of the tensest experiences in gaming. I think Highway 17 provides an interesting contrast in that, less tightly scripted and detailed, it meanders more and doesn't quite reach the level of Halo's vehicle sections. Mind you, the 'stop offs' in Highway 17 are surely more interesting than any in Halo's vehicle sections. I suppose that just goes to highlight how driving around in the Buggy is itself a disappointment, though the chapter as a whole is full of great moments (but then that is all ruined by it continuing on for far too long into Sandtraps).

[Warbie]

I'm not convinced that Halo's driving sections are any less non-linear than Half-Life 2's. The difference still seems to me to be between driving down a twisting, intricately designed corridor in a vehicle that feels like an afterthought and driving down a twisting, less closely considered corridor in a vehicle which has been very well designed indeed

The difference in Halo being you can more often than not choose to use a vehicle or go it on foot. Use a tank, hover bike, warthog, go by foot - all are viable options, and each time the experience is different.

[TheAntipop]

I liked both HL2's vehicle segments and Halo/2's vehicle areas. Enjoyed them both muchly, namely Assault on the Control room from Halo as it had a mass gathering of marines and you could conduct two assaults; you manning the Scorpion whilst a few marines follow on the Warthog. I'm not sure which I liked better from HL2: I really liked the battles that took place throughout Highway 17, but the surroundings and environments in Water Hazard, including the factory/industrial districts, the Combine outpost on the gate, the old sewer tunnels - looked stupidly awesome. Loved it.

[Samon]

The difference in Halo being you can more often than not choose to use a vehicle or go it on foot. Use a tank, hover bike, warthog, go by foot - all are viable options, and each time the experience is different.

But not necessarily great. There's hardly any major substance to the different choices, and therefore they lack the quality control you can find in Water Hazard. Iy doesn't set it aside as a better game because there's a choice - not at all.

[Warbie]

It did for me, and added great replay value. Going through a level on foot rather than in a tank poses all sorts of new problems to overcome (it's also a massive credit to the developers for balancing the game on Legendary so well). At times you could switch between vehicles on the fly, jumping from warthog to hover bike, back to on foot, and then back into another vehicle. It's choices like that that put you into the game - you become master chief, cutting paths through the enemy as you see fit. You can't get more substance to your choices than that than that - your actions having a massive impact on the gameplay (something that simply doesn't happen in HL2, especially when it comes to combat)

Vehicles are very well integrated into Halo (i'd argue more than in any game before or since) and are as much a part of the experience, with as much impact on gameplay, as the weapons you choose to use in a given situation. This is the variety other fps lack and a million times better than, 'and now the obligatory vehicle section'.

[destrukt]

There is notable differences.

If you take a Ghost you have different tactics than that of a Tank, for example, with a Ghost you will zip through avoiding enemies and since it's more manoeuvrable than a tank you will go probably take a different path to and with the tank you will load up some allies on the side, take the main route and blast everything.

[Cerpin]

I had tons of fun with the vehicle sections in the first Halo - but not so much in its sequel. In terms of fun they were superior to the vehicle sections in Half-Life 2.

[Atomic_Piggy]

There's a hoverbike in halo?

[Stigmata]

There's a hoverbike in halo?Non-illiterates call it the Ghost

:p

[Azner]

I only play halo when im real bored, i have a bunch of school friends who say master chief can kill gordon.

[Uriel]

I only play halo when im real bored, i have a bunch of school friends who say master chief can kill gordon.

Your school friends fail to the maximum!

Space Marine from DOOM > Garret from Thief > BJ from Wolfenstein > Duke Nukem > Gordon > etc etc etc......Master Chief.

[DarkStar]

Your school friends fail to the maximum!

Space Marine from DOOM > Garret from Thief > BJ from Wolfenstein > Duke Nukem > Gordon > etc etc etc......Master Chief.

Just wondering.

What so great about the DOOM Marine?

What's the character's history? Does he talk? Hell, does he even have a name?

[Uriel]

Not really, he does if you read the books, but they were pretty "meh".
He just simply looks so much better than the rest.
http://www.privatehand.com/meetmike/doom-art-original.jpg

[Stigmata]

Not really, he does if you read the books, but they were pretty "meh".
He just simply looks so much better than the rest.
http://www.privatehand.com/meetmike/doom-art-original.jpgSweet Science does he ever look lame.

[Uriel]

Sweet Science does he ever look lame.

Take that back before I accuse you of having a small winky.

[destrukt]

Not really, he does if you read the books, but they were pretty "meh".
The ones were he fights naked ? I remember reading one of the books and there were ~2 cases of him fighting monsters, while naked. :O

[Samon]

Not really, he does if you read the books, but they were pretty "meh".
He just simply looks so much better than the rest.
http://www.privatehand.com/meetmike/doom-art-original.jpg

He looks retarded. I hope they eat him.

[AmishSlayer]

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8167/doomartoriginaldj4.jpg

What lame box art.

"Duhhh, who's this guy taking our picture/painting us?"

[Adrik_Senturu]

Are you kidding me? Thats the manliest box art ever. See? He left his friend behind all the way back there because hes all "**** that shit, I gotta kill things" , and that demon at the bottom is all "The **** are you looking at?"

[Stigmata]

Are you kidding me? Thats the manliest box art ever. See? He left his friend behind all the way back there because hes all "**** that shit, I gotta kill things" , and that demon at the bottom is all "The **** are you looking at?"I'd call it the pussiest cover art ever.

The guy in the background is holding his weapon by the barrel, the demons are reaching out like they're going to fondle the Doom marine's manboobies, the demon in the foreground looks like a woman, and the marine is being grabbed by the wrist and refuses to do anything about it.

[Jangle]

I'd call it the pussiest cover art ever.

The guy in the background is holding his weapon by the barrel, the demons are reaching out like they're going to fondle the Doom marine's manboobies, the demon in the foreground looks like a woman, and the marine is being grabbed by the wrist and refuses to do anything about it.

Reminds me of this. (http://impse.cx/) That story makes me sad. In a bad way.

[Adrik_Senturu]

I'd call it the pussiest cover art ever.

The guy in the background is holding his weapon by the barrel, the demons are reaching out like they're going to fondle the Doom marine's manboobies, the demon in the foreground looks like a woman, and the marine is being grabbed by the wrist and refuses to do anything about it.


Well DUUUH. Of course hes holding it by the barrel. He was supposed to be your lovable dumbass of a side kick pasculio, Also everyone knows The Doom marine lactates the Elixir of life :| I mean seriously what exactly did you think the story was about? The demon in the foreground is a woman. Read the story Jangle posted, that same demon is what the story is based on ;) . Oh and that wrist that is being grabbed is actually a fake limb so he can't feel anything.


So uh..Them brutes are mean looking :D

[Sainku]

Reminds me of this. (http://impse.cx/) That story makes me sad. In a bad way.

Oh god not again, that dug up some painful memories :(

[DEATHMASTER]

What are we talking about anymore...

[Leviticus]

I hate how the Brute looks so stiff when firing. The melee animations looked excellent, of course, but that firing animation was abysmal. It also bothers me when things don't like they have any mass, and Brutes should definately have mass. From that video they seem like big, awkward pixies with pea-shooters.

I just recently bought a 360 after skipping every console since the original Playstation, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed with how Halo 3 looks so far. I'm hoping for a great multiplayer portion still, but wouldn't hold my breath for the singleplayer. It just seems outdated, both in gameplay and visuals.