Halo 3

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » September 16, 2007, 5:48 am

Ok, let's get down to business. I have this reserved and completely paid off, and will be going to the midnight release at my local gamestop to pick it up. Who else is gonna be getting this when it comes out, I have a good handful of friends to play co op campaign with but figure it would be fun to play with some of you VV folk, feel free to chat me or whatever after it comes out if you want to play!

I have not been a fan of the first two games at all (I played 1/4 of the first game, and 20 minutes of the second) but I think I am really going to like this game, it seems like they put a TON of time into assuring that it's a top notch gaming experience, so I'm excited. Did anyone else see the article about MS's QA lab that Bungie got to utilize for testing this game? I will have to find the article, because it was pretty impressive.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » September 16, 2007, 10:39 am

I might pick it up on a trip to Best Buy if I happen to see it on the shelf, but I will not plan a trip just to get it.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » September 16, 2007, 11:44 am

Halo 3 isn't really in the plans for me. Dislike that brand of multiplayer and I never played 2 so I'm not up to that the story is.

The only shitty thing is that I forsee everyone on my friends list playing it almost exclusively for the next while(until CoD4 comes out). On the side note, a lot of the retards will probably stop playing public matches in Shadowrun when Halo3 comes out so those may be a viable option.

I might pick up Oblivion GOTY and replay through that on the 360 during Halo3 fever for the achievements, Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles.

Niffoni · Post by **Niffoni** » September 16, 2007, 11:54 am

I hear it's some kind of FPS or something that Mountain Dew made to sell a new flavor of their stuff.

Synergy, motherfucker!

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » September 16, 2007, 11:59 am

Don't forget that Pontiac is involved too!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » September 16, 2007, 3:02 pm

The original Halo multiplayer was a blast. I'm sure I'll pick this up at some point.

This site is pretty cool:

http://halo3.com/believe/test/shell.html

Jice will like the mini model work.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » September 17, 2007, 6:06 am

Some nerd got ahold of Halo-3 early and recorded his screen showing the initial character selection. You can choose to be female. (score one for teh mangina!)

Some dude in the background is lobbing random heckler comments during the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyYSn59PUvQ

Can see some vehicles, etc near the end of the video.

vn_Tanc · Post by **vn_Tanc** » September 18, 2007, 8:22 am

I need to know if this game will be region free. If it is I can buy it locally on launch day. If not I better start finding a US copy. . .yesterday.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » September 19, 2007, 11:12 am

i liked both halo games but theyve never lived up to the hype for me. I cant stand playing FPS on a console especially multiplayer so I guess thats what kills it for me. I don't own a 360 and this isnt the game to make me buy one. If it comes out for PC I'll probably pick it up

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » September 19, 2007, 12:30 pm

Winnow wrote:Some nerd got ahold of Halo-3 early and recorded his screen showing the initial character selection. You can choose to be female. (score one for teh mangina!)

Some dude in the background is lobbing random heckler comments during the video.

Sucks for him that his account will probably be banned:

When contacted by Pro-G a Microsoft rep confirmed rumours that gamers who play Halo 3 early will have their LIVE accounts banned. Simply not connecting to the internet doesn't appear to be a solution either. The rep also confirmed that Microsoft is able to ban accounts based on information collected by the console which shows when the game was played. This news is sure to come as a shock to some gamers who have already started playing the final chapter in the blockbuster Halo trilogy.

This appears to suggest that games who play Halo 3 before the Official street date will only avoid a ban if they never access Xbox LIVE. Microsoft is preparing an official statement on the Halo 3 banning scandal. We'll give you more on this breaking news story as we get it.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » September 19, 2007, 12:51 pm

If you're gonna play Halo3 early, DON'T USE YOUR LIVE GAMERCARD! Create an offline profile and use it there.

Your profile, even offline, saves your activity and uploads it to Live when you next connect.

That being said, MS punishing people because retailers jumped the gun and sold it early is beyond retarded if it turns out to be true.

I thought they were just banning people who used the Epsilon, pre-gold version that got leaked.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » September 19, 2007, 1:04 pm

Aslanna wrote:
Winnow wrote:Some nerd got ahold of Halo-3 early and recorded his screen showing the initial character selection. You can choose to be female. (score one for teh mangina!)

Some dude in the background is lobbing random heckler comments during the video.
Sucks for him that his account will probably be banned:

When contacted by Pro-G a Microsoft rep confirmed rumours that gamers who play Halo 3 early will have their LIVE accounts banned. Simply not connecting to the internet doesn't appear to be a solution either. The rep also confirmed that Microsoft is able to ban accounts based on information collected by the console which shows when the game was played. This news is sure to come as a shock to some gamers who have already started playing the final chapter in the blockbuster Halo trilogy.

This appears to suggest that games who play Halo 3 before the Official street date will only avoid a ban if they never access Xbox LIVE. Microsoft is preparing an official statement on the Halo 3 banning scandal. We'll give you more on this breaking news story as we get it.

If you watch the video, he specifically mentions and even shows in the video that his hard drive is detached and his ethernet cable is not connected so I think this guy at least knew to take precautions.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » September 19, 2007, 2:56 pm

The ban is for MS employees only apparently.

http://kotaku.com/gaming/xbox-live/halo ... 301489.php

Either that or this is the most blatant backpedalling I've ever seen.

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » September 19, 2007, 3:24 pm

Someone who knows things tell me:

Let's say I wanted to play Halo 3 and own none of the necessary prerequisites (aside from a TV). How much would it cost me to get a setup which would allow me to play the game? I'd need an Xbox 360, an actual copy of the game, probably an extra controller, and an xbox live account? Anything else? How much is all that?

I don't have an HD TV, and I don't really have any desire to do anything with an Xbox other than play Halo 3 (and maybe another game or two if anything looked compelling). So I don't need any fancy-schmancy wires to provide me with the best quality video or excess hard drive space or anything like that.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » September 19, 2007, 3:29 pm

You would be fine with an Xbox 360 and Halo3. You would only need a Live account if you planned on playing the game online. The additional controller would only be required if you were playing with others simultaneously, and I have not even looked into whether or not there is a 2-player coop/multiplayer setting for this game.

The controllers are where you "may" have to spend more money. I personally bought two play-and-charge kits for around 20 bucks a piece (I think). These kits have battery packs which can be recharged while you are playing by plugging them into the console's USB ports. It saves me the trouble (and the environment!) of replacing batteries.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » September 19, 2007, 3:39 pm

I highly recommend you get the 360 Premium(with HDMI if possible. You may not use the HDMI port but at least you know you got the console with the latest in hardware revisions and improved cooling): http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Console- ... 796&sr=8-1

The play and charge kit (no batteries ftw): http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Play-Cha ... 881&sr=1-1

With a 360, when you signup for a Live account from the console, you get a free month of gold with your purchase. No need to spend that 50$ is you're only interested in playing Halo3. Additional months will cost ya(or you can just create another Live account at the end of the first month and get gold again, you just have to recreate your friends list and you lose your gamerscore.. big whoop).

That should be really all you need. I'm sure that around the 25th, some places will be throwing in Halo3 with a 360 purchase for a discount so you may wanna shop around.

Aardor · Post by **Aardor** » September 19, 2007, 4:16 pm

Sueven: I would sell you my 360 and get the new HDMI one, but it is doing this fun thing where it thinks game disks are dvds 19/20 times.

And Boogahz, Halo 3 has coop up to 4 players locally. You can't play Coop online currently, I believe in an interview they said they might patch it some day, but there are numerous technical hurdles in the way (the levels are huge, thus causing sync issues between the two players if they are separated).

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » September 19, 2007, 4:21 pm

Aardor wrote:Sueven: I would sell you my 360 and get the new HDMI one, but it is doing this fun thing where it thinks game disks are dvds 19/20 times.

And Boogahz, Halo 3 has coop up to 4 players locally. You can't play Coop online currently, I believe in an interview they said they might patch it some day, but there are numerous technical hurdles in the way (the levels are huge, thus causing sync issues between the two players if they are separated).

You are incorrect, from http://www.xbox.com:

Players: 1-4

Players Co-op: 1-4 (local)

System Link: 2-16 (local)

Dolby 5.1 Surround

HDTV 1080p

Players: 2-16 (xbox live)

Players Co-op: 1-4 (xbox live)

Marketplace Downloads

Leaderboards

Voice Support

Get the Halo 3 Live Spaces Theme

Every single article I have read on multiple sites and in multiple magazines says there is co-op on xbox live..

Aardor · Post by **Aardor** » September 19, 2007, 4:25 pm

Wow that's awesome. I read http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/18/halo- ... e-for-now/ originally, but I see now that it's in the game http://digg.com/xbox_360/REVEALED_Halo_ ... _over_Live . I hope some of you will want to play online in this case! (and multiplayer eventually)

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » September 19, 2007, 4:27 pm

Aardor wrote:Wow that's awesome. I read http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/18/halo- ... e-for-now/ originally, but I see now that it's in the game http://digg.com/xbox_360/REVEALED_Halo_ ... _over_Live . I hope some of you will want to play online in this case! (and multiplayer eventually)

You can count on me being online, so look me up if you want to play!

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » September 19, 2007, 5:15 pm

Does anyone else think it's retarded that the Xbox 360 Halo Edition doesn't come with Halo?

Boogahz wrote:You would be fine with an Xbox 360 and Halo3. You would only need a Live account if you planned on playing the game online. The additional controller would only be required if you were playing with others simultaneously, and I have not even looked into whether or not there is a 2-player coop/multiplayer setting for this game.

Sadly, I do want to play online. And also possibly with local friends. Video games are largely a social thing for me.

Animalor wrote:I highly recommend you get the 360 Premium(with HDMI if possible. You may not use the HDMI port but at least you know you got the console with the latest in hardware revisions and improved cooling)

Can you explain a little more about this to me? Why do I want a premium rather than something else? Why are the 'latest hardware revisions and improved cooling' important to me? Does the improved cooling have to do with fixing the problem of these hunks of shit breaking like crazy? Is a premium less likely to break on me? All I want the thing to do is work.

In fact, is it possible to purchase an Xbox that won't just shit on itself in 2 months?

So: I need an Xbox. Animalor's recommendation costs $350, or I could get a core for $280. Then I would need an extra controller (about $40) plus two charge kit things ($30). I would also need to either buy an Xbox Live account ($50) or sign up for a new free month every month (free, but a pain in the ass). And, of course, I'd need to buy Halo ($60). So, that's $410-$530, depending on the live account and the version of the console.

And apparently every third console breaks after a month, which makes me a little skeptical of making that kind of investment on a student budget.

I guess $410 isn't that bad, although it still seems pretty steep to me. Hmmmmm....

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » September 19, 2007, 5:24 pm

I think I received one month of Online Gold free when I bought my Xbox. I think you might get a free trial month and then your account goes down to Silver automatically and you have the option of paying for Gold if you wish.

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » September 19, 2007, 5:25 pm

What's the difference?

Aardor · Post by **Aardor** » September 19, 2007, 5:28 pm

Sueven wrote:What's the difference?

Silver won't cut it for you...you wouldn't be able to play halo in online deathmatch style games (unless i'm wrong about this too). You definitely wouldn't be able to play ranked matches.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » September 19, 2007, 5:59 pm

I believe that with Silver you can only do things like downloading demos and such. Gold allows multiplayer. Silver is free. Gold has a nominal (IMO) fee.

I think the failure rates you are worried about might be a bit exaggerated. My first box crapped out after 10 months which I exchanged at the retailer under the MS warranty. I also have the extended warranty just in case I need it again on the current box I have.

I can't remember if they changed the names of the available systems, but does the Core edition you were referring to have the Hard Drive? If not, that would be the version you would want in order to save yourself from nickel-and-dime expenses while getting everything set up.

Waran · Post by **Waran** » September 19, 2007, 6:16 pm

I did read that Best Buy was sponsoring an upgrade of Silver accounts to Gold just for the Halo release.

Found it, it is just for 3 days. So I guess for those with 360s and no Gold service, you get to play for a few days.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage.js ... e=category

My friend also just bought his 360 and he indeed has 1 month of the Gold service for free. A 12 month subscription will cost you $50 / year, which IMO is a very small price to pay compared to what I was doing with MMO's.

As far as "units breaking every few months", I have one of the second shipment of launched Xbox 360s and haven't run into any problems with mine whatsoever. I did add an NYCO Intercooler to the back of the unit and made sure the console had plently of breathing room, aka not locked away in an enclosed cabinet somewhere in my entertainment center. I bet you a ton of the problems you're hearing are contributed solely to overheating.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 9040700241

If your box does indeed crap out, keep in mind that Microsoft is bending over pretty much backwards in making sure gamers are happy and getting replacements if the system gains the 4 red ring of death.

Look me up for some hawt 4 player co-op campaigns as well...just message Waran

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » September 20, 2007, 1:27 pm

Played a little Halo 3 last night.

It certainly has the same feel of the old Halos but has the "next gen" look for sure. Voice acting, etc is good. You have a bit more of a "moon" jump than in the past.

Easy mode is really easy. I usually pick that but I was pretty much just walking around with bad guys all over me, checking out weapons etc. I'm glad they did that as kids will be able to play it but even I will need to move up to medium level for a challenge.

I got motion sickness about 30 minutes in. Not too many games give me that anymore. My favorite FPS of all time, Duke Nuk'em 3D made me sick as a dog so I can't complain.

I look forward to COOP. I don't think I'll be using more than 2 but 4xCOOP has got to be cool.

Looks like a winner for Halo fans! I've mostly enjoyed Halo in the past for multiplayer and haven't been a fan of the single player stuff so will have to wait and see.

Back to Eternal Sonata for me tonight.

Vaemas · Post by **Vaemas** » September 22, 2007, 2:51 pm

My 360 shows up Monday (elite, ordered from Amazon since I had over $120 in gift certs). My H3 shows up Wednesday.

I had loaned my H1/H2 and Xbox to my youngest brother a few months ago, and when I went to pick them up today, I found out that my younger brother took it all to DC with him three weeks ago. Time to lay the smack down and remind him not to abscond with my shit without permission.

I'm pissed.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » September 22, 2007, 6:28 pm

Would it be worth picking up H2 as a pre-pwned on Wednesday to play through the story and getting caught up?

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » September 23, 2007, 12:37 am

Animalor wrote:Would it be worth picking up H2 as a pre-pwned on Wednesday to play through the story and getting caught up?

That is what I'm doing right now, my friend gave it to me. However, I think it sucks pretty bad and am having a tough time staying interested... but if you want to get caught up on the story it might be worth it, it's a very short campaign.. probably 12 hours at most playing by yourself.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » September 23, 2007, 8:48 pm

There you have it. Halo 3 is reviewing brilliantly.

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/halo3

Here are some of the notables:

Gamepro - 100
GameSpy - 100
Eurogamer - 100
1up - 100
IGN - 95
Gamespot - 95

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » September 24, 2007, 9:30 am

Sueven....you CAN get by with a core system, but the upgraded versions of the 360 have some things you will definitely want at some point. The hard drive is almost a must have and you will love the wireless controllers. Now if you want low cost now and then don't mind dropping some cash later, you could add the drive later and use the wired controllers to play online until you have sold enough blood, plasma, and semen to upgrade.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » September 24, 2007, 10:26 am

Didn't they drop the versions without the HD? I thought the old Premium was the new Core.

Waran · Post by **Waran** » September 25, 2007, 1:10 am

For those who have purchased the Limited Edition ($69.99 - middle version) copy of Halo 3, be sure to check your disk before you leave the store. There are reports that the packaging, "including an inadequate disc tab", is allowing both disks to roam free during shipping. The Legendary and standard versions do not have this problem and it's only the Limited Edition

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/49110

The inner link on that page has the forum posts with pics.

At the very least, do a shake test to ensure your disks are in place and not going commando

Post by **Sylvus** » September 25, 2007, 11:00 am

I've never been one to care for packaging or figurines or special maps, is there any reason for me to buy any version other than the cheapest one?

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » September 25, 2007, 11:17 am

Sylvus wrote:I've never been one to care for packaging or figurines or special maps, is there any reason for me to buy any version other than the cheapest one?

I would like to know this too! I feel that I got screwed by the Limited Edition Gears of War since it just came with an art book with one picture per two page spread and a metal box that doesn't fit with my other game boxes.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » September 25, 2007, 11:42 am

Boogahz wrote:
Sylvus wrote:I've never been one to care for packaging or figurines or special maps, is there any reason for me to buy any version other than the cheapest one?
I would like to know this too! I feel that I got screwed by the Limited Edition Gears of War since it just came with an art book with one picture per two page spread and a metal box that doesn't fit with my other game boxes.

The limited edition issue sucked. The gamestop I got it at last night had to just refund everyone that bought it the difference in price between that and the cheapest and give them that version, cause ALL of the limited editions were scratched.

That being said, there are no reasons to buy anything but the lowest price one, the others don't even come with extra maps which is usually the only reason I'll buy a SE.

That all being said, this game FUCK ROCKS. No seriously, I had been trying to play through 2 and couldn't even force myself to stay interested, 3 had me from the first 30 seconds. This game is so far superior to the 2nd in every aspect, seriously it's like night and day. I got through the first 2 missions last night w/ some friends co-op.

No problems at all so far. Even if you are not a fan of the first two games, if you are looking for something new to play this is the game for you!

Fash · Post by **Fash** » September 25, 2007, 12:52 pm

Just picked this up on lunch! (There is absolutely no reason to buy anything except the normal version)

Can you believe they're peddling a $130 version that comes with master chiefs helmet?? (probably a really cheap and shitty version of it)

Can't wait to play this when I get home... actually, I think I'm coming down with something... *cough*

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » September 25, 2007, 1:05 pm

Fash wrote:Just picked this up on lunch! (There is absolutely no reason to buy anything except the normal version)

Can you believe they're peddling a $130 version that comes with master chiefs helmet?? (probably a really cheap and shitty version of it)

Can't wait to play this when I get home... actually, I think I'm coming down with something... *cough*

I'm currently in the process of figuring out what my excuse is going to be to "work" from home for the second half of the day..

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » September 25, 2007, 1:14 pm

I'm actually scheduled off at 2pm. I have a copy sitting at Best Buy waiting to be picked up. I went with the base version since nothing on their site made the other two look worthwhile.

Post by **Sylvus** » September 25, 2007, 1:18 pm

This dude that sits next to me and was all excited about the release yesterday, and was asking me if I was picking it up at midnight, did not show up for work today. He must have come down with the flu or something, I hope he's alright!

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » September 25, 2007, 1:21 pm

Looks ike I might have to wait a week or 2 before picking it up. This time of year is always somewhat tight on the pocket book. I called EB near my office today and they had tons of copies of 3 avaialble and I asked for the price for 2 and he was saying it was 29$ for a used copy. Way too expensive for my tastes for a 3 year old game.

Ah well, I still have Blue Dragon to wrap up so that'll keep me busy while my friends list is swamped by "Halo 3".

Played what will probably be the last few games of Shadowrun for a while last night. I'm sorta hoping that my SR group don't find H3's multiplayer experience all that fun so they come back to playing Shadowrun every now and again. Odds of that happening are slim though as they were all pretty hardcore H2 players that got bored with it.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » September 25, 2007, 1:23 pm

Sylvus wrote:This dude that sits next to me and was all excited about the release yesterday, and was asking me if I was picking it up at midnight, did not show up for work today. He must have come down with the flu or something, I hope he's alright!

That's really pathetic.. I mean, if you know you are going to want to play the game when it comes out just take the damn day off. And anyhow, at a technology based company do you really think people don't know whats going on when you call in sick the day after halo 3 comes out, i mean really

Fash · Post by **Fash** » September 25, 2007, 1:51 pm

Well... I basically have an exemplary attendance record here at work... I'm going to settle for disappearing a half hour early, going home, smoking a bowl, and adding a bunch of you punks to my friends list. Prepare to die! (I havent played a console FPS since halo 1, so I guess I'll be the one dying for now)

Post by **Sylvus** » September 25, 2007, 2:01 pm

I placed my Best Buy in-store pickup order 45 minutes ago and have heard nothing yet. They claimed that I'd be receiving at least one of the 2 necessary emails within 15 minutes, and so far nothing. My order status shows nothing.

I just want to take my lunch break and go pick this f'ing game up, argh! I hate Best Buy.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » September 25, 2007, 2:10 pm

People who call in sick (taking vacation time is fine) to take a day (or more) off to play a videogame need to be fired. I never really understood that even with EQ and new expansions. Especially since the servers would end up being down half the day and crashing the other half. Seemed like a big waste of time.

Fash · Post by **Fash** » September 25, 2007, 2:12 pm

why didn't you just go get it?... they have like a bazillion copies.

Post by **Sylvus** » September 25, 2007, 2:21 pm

I didn't realize, i thought they would have sold out or something. *sigh*

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » September 25, 2007, 2:31 pm

Fash wrote:Well... I basically have an exemplary attendance record here at work... I'm going to settle for disappearing a half hour early, going home, smoking a bowl, and adding a bunch of you punks to my friends list. Prepare to die! (I havent played a console FPS since halo 1, so I guess I'll be the one dying for now)

I will be on from the time I get home tonight (somewhere between 5:30 and 6:30 cst) and the time I go to bed, add me and I'll see you if you're on!

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » September 25, 2007, 3:38 pm

You are all making me jealous

I have a mason jar full of saving for my 360. I have 100$ in change in there and a Best Buy Gift card for 60$. I'm saving for the Elite, and extra controller, and 2-3 games. I think I'll have it by the end of November or so, but by then the hype will be long gone