Halo Wars Impressions / Demo Review

I downloaded the massive 1.7GB Halo Wars Demo Last night. Despite the Tutorial being very annoying (your control is frozen as the computer talks to you...argh! let me do what you're telling me as you talk!), I found the demo pretty enjoyable. The gameplay works pretty good for being on a console and the graphics are pretty cool. I wish the camera could be manipulated a little more to show off some of the intense infantry battles. The most compelling thing about the game is certainly the story...this game looks to have the best story backdrop of any Halo title since the original...plus the CGI rendered movies look fantastic. I'm very disappointed about having only a Human Campaign, but perhaps we'll get a Flood and Covenant Campaign as downloadable content. I'm a huge Halo fan, so I'll probably get this if only to play thru the story and get the Mythic Maps early. I don't think the gameplay is compelling enough for me to play this multiplayer very much. I wish I was more of an RTS buff, but I'm not a huge fan of the genre. I'm very interested to hear if Halo Wars legitimizes RTS on consoles.

HALO ESPN Top 10

The Halo Trilogy - A Deeper Look

Part 2: Who is Master Chief Exactly?

Master Chief or John 117 is a genetically & technologically enhanced super soldier or Spartan II. We know that Dr. Catherine Hasley picked him and all the other kids out when they were young, replaced them with flash clones and then bred them to be Warriors. The Covenant calls him Demon and Monitors such as Guilty Spark call him Reclaimer. Those are the facts, but we can only guess as to what John’s face may look like, because I will divulge this spoiler…Halo 3 does not reveal John’s face or head sans Helmet…the closest you ever get to seeing him is the end of Halo 1.

I am actually very happy that Master Chief’s face is never revealed, because ultimately Master Chief is a symbol and Bungie let that symbol be all inclusive and up to the imagination. Wise choice if you ask me. It’s actually sort of a shame that they imply his race at the end of Halo 1 when his helmet is removed. It’s still very hard to say, but I recall that his head was somewhat fair in complexion. Master Chief since the very first Halo, has symbolized the Hope of Humanity against an overpowering foe. For the Covenant’s religion that meant he was labeled as a demon, but perhaps the more interesting name Master Chief has had since the very first game is “Reclaimer.”

Let’s look at the definition for reclaim:
1. to bring (uncultivated areas or wasteland) into a condition for cultivation or other use.
2. to recover (substances) in a pure or usable form from refuse, discarded articles, etc.
3. to bring back to a preferable manner of living, sound principles, ideas, etc.
4. to tame.

*WARNING SPOILERS START HERE*
Of all Master Chief’s names, Reclaimer certainly ends up fitting him the best. In fact, Reclaimer was really his only purpose. As a symbol and character, Master Chief had to die (and should have died...if only the promise of money and sequels didn't matter). I knew this going into Halo 3 and certainly felt that as a literary device, Master Chief’s purpose was to save humanity. After this purpose is complete, John 117 really had nothing else to live for, so it would have been appropriate that he sacrifice himself for his purpose. Spartan 117 brings back a preferable manner of living, sound principles, and ideas. The Covenant’s religious principles are dead, the parasitic flood is eradicated, and earth/humanity are saved. I wish he had died and that his death were a conscious and sacrificial choice. My hope was to have a scene like the “Believe” ads. Oh well.
*SPOILERS END HERE*

Master Chief is truly a symbol of all the players who enjoy Halo. He is a hero and symbol of hope despite his face, identity, name (John Doe perhaps), race, or even gender. Bungie deliberately leaves John 117 as anonymous as possible and that’s a good thing.

Bungie and Microsoft Split

I just have to pass along Bungie's Press Release:
http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=news&cid=12835

Turns out the Rumors earlier this week ended up being true about Bungie leaving Microsoft. I actually think Microsoft/Bungie agreeing to the split was the smart move by Microsoft. This way you stay in good graces and don't have a massive Bungie talent exodus. Bungie is hoping that they'll be getting the cash from their next IP instead of Microsoft (which owns Halo). Bungie making Halo games is probably finished which means Halo 3 is definitely it from Bungie....and that's what really matters since if a FPS Halo Sequel comes out it will probably be done by a crappier/lesser studio. I don't look forward to that.

Showcase: Halo 3 and Bungie.net Stat Integration

Bungie.net is an addictive addition to Halo 3. Not only can you replay your recent games and analyze them in the game's theater...you can also track all your stats, service record, and recent game kill/death charts on Bungie.net. The Integration is pretty seamless and it's just one of those additions that really goes a long way. If you have Halo 3, you should definitely check out Bungie.net. Can't wait till Bungie Recommends starts incorporating User Generated Content. Bungie's website goes above and beyond the call of duty and is a definite bonus to a fantastic game. Give it a look if you haven't already.

The Top 5 Best New Additions to Halo 3

5. Bungie.net Integration
4. Equipment
3. The Forge Map Editor
2. 4 Player Co-Op Campaign (with Scoring)
1. Videos Editor and File Share

Top 5 Best Halo 3 Multiplayer Maps (so far)

5. Valhalla
4. Epitaph
3. High Ground
2. Snowbound
1. Guardian

Top 5 Worst Things about Halo 3

5. Shotty pwns Sword now
4. Campaign is short
3. You Never have Enough Grenades (no flame grenades in matchmaking)
2. Not Enough Maps/Map Diversity in Matchmaking
1. Shotty Snipes in Team Slayer A LOT

Halo 3 Review

Halo 3 has its flaws, but delivers on so much more than the average game. Let's answer the major questions up front. Does Halo 3 live up to the hype? Yes. Does Halo 3 wrap up the Story of Master Chief? Yes. Is multiplayer better than Halo 2? Yes. Is Halo 3 a totally revolutionary and unique experience? Nope. Halo 3 is still Halo, both in look and style. It's a natural evolution of what was built in Halo 1 and 2. It adds plenty of new wrinkles, but the fan faithful will be instantly more familiar and skilled than newbies. Halo 3 is undoubtedly one of the biggest games ever and rightfully so since it's probably the best game of the year and will continue to be played and enjoyed for years to come.

Gameplay: 10/10
Pros: The same great gameplay we had from the first two Halos continues with great new additions such as independent reload, equipment, 2 new grenades, video recordings, the forge, 4 player co-op, shield doors, and more. Controls are great once you transition from X to RB for reloading and the AI is as smart and dynamic as ever. The trilogy definitely wraps up with a bang (literally) and while the ride itself is superb, the ending leaves a somewhat bitter aftertaste.
Cons: You rarely have enough grenades in both Campaign and Multiplayer. Shotty Snipes should not be in Team Slayer playlist. Campaign ending seems a little forced. Campaign is Gears of War Short.

Graphics: 10/10
Pros: One thing that cannot be emphasized enough about Halo is that the animation is absolutely phenomenal. Nothing beats being able to visually see that an enemy is mere shots away from death, or wielding a sword, plus there's the great addition of also being able to see an opponents holstered weapon on their back/side/etc. This all adds to the depth of Halo multi player and is also an example of the subtleties of Halo 3's graphics. The game has been polished with fine tooth comb. The HDR lighting is the best I've seen in a game, there's subtle motion blur when you whizz up an elevator, and the levels are gargantuan when compared to other great looking multi player games. Halo 3's graphics are a technical achievement. This becomes immediately apparent when you first watch a game film and zoom in/rotate/rewind a colossal explosion or snipe to the head. Breathtaking.
Cons: Screenshots don't do the game justice, but in pure screenshot comparison, Halo 3 lacks that WOW factor.

Sound/Music: 10/10
Pros: Amazing Orchestral Soundtrack that is both familiar and perfectly captures the essence and theme of the game. Great Voice actors are all back and the AI voices during campaign are as funny as ever. "Tank beats Everything!" is one of my favorites. Proximity Voice is back and the sound effects are all spot on. However, Halo 3 again surpasses other games in its attention to detail. If you don't believe me, stand near the water behind the base on Valhalla and listen to the serene moving water for yourself. When I heard it, I was shocked they took the time to put such a thing in. Fantastic!
Cons: Absolutely None

Lasting Appeal: 10/10
Pros: This one is probably the easiest to give a 10/10 in since the Forge gives near endless possibilities to multiplayer and the maps that shipped with the game. The theater also gives you the ability to share great moments in Halo 3 with others and analyze strategies and tactics or just scan a map to see where everything is located. Halo 2 multiplayer lives on still today 3 years later. Halo 3 will live on longer.
Cons: Included Multiplayer maps are not enough! Those downloadable maps cannot come soon enough.

Average: 100%
Tilt: +/- 0.00%

Halo 3 is a phenomenal value. You'll pay $60 for a game you'll be playing for 3 years straight. This game includes fantastic multiplayer, and a rewarding and exhilarating campaign mode like all great games over the past couple years. But it adds in features such as the video/theater and forge which are completely fresh, deep and more importantly add to the replayability and fun of the game. Halo 3 is the game of this Holiday season...and it's only September.

Verdict: 100%

A Halo Themed Week

For the opening week of the new blog features, we will of course be highlighting Halo 3 since it was widely anticipated and talked about frequently on this blog. Enjoy.

Halo 3 is very NEAR

Halo 3 has gone gold. Which means they are starting to churn out and manufacture the millions of preorders they have received. There's also a handful of new revealed features such as:

The Flame Grenade! This bad boy blows up with liquid fire- very cool and much needed since 6 grenades just wasn't enough....8 is way better.

To keep within the theme, there is also the new Flamethrower, which is held like the Missile Pod at the hip and slows you down. Should be great for defending that base on high ground though.

New Equipment includes the Radar Jammer seen above that jams enemies motion sensor and folls them into thinking they are being hurt. There's also a portable sheild generator (think what the jackals use), a shield regenerator (power drain backwards), and a flare (blinded by the light).

New maps have been revealed and there's also the Forge which is an interactive map editor where you can switch into a monitor (guilty spark) and add vehicles, weapons, etc. on the fly and then switch back to a spartan to utilize the weapons to kill other monitors. There is just so much in this game.

26 Days and counting...

Halo 3 4 player co-op is a reality!

I am not surprised and had my fingers crossed on this aspect of Halo 3. You have to give it to Bungie, they take their time and make a complete game. The 1 player game seems to have the longevity of the multiplayer. Well sort of, It will be a lot of fun to play with 4 people even though I anticipated some of the remaining Spartans from the novels to return for this final game. Perhaps they do in later missions...only time will tell. My only complaint is that only 1 person can be a Spartan and everyone else is stuck as an elite. Minor complaint though. Below is some more information on the 2 new characters directly from Bungie's post:

"Split-screen co-op is as ever, limited to two players per screen – but they can if they wish join two other friends online or via System Link.
For fictional reasons, we decided to avoid Halo’s slightly surreal compromise of two identical Master Chiefs and rather, use this opportunity to expand the Halo universe just a little bit. Player one will control the Master Chief, player two will control the Arbiter and players three and four will get the chance to control two brand new Elite characters.

Allow us to introduce them:
PLAYER 3 (Sangheili)
Name: N’tho ‘Sraom Affiliation: Fleet of Retribution/Special Warfare Group/Special OperationsHistory: N’tho ‘Sraom is the youngest member of his Special Operations unit and is one of a growing number of human sympathizers amongst the Sangheili youth. He is a fairly typical young male adult Sangheili—he began compulsory military service at the end of adolescence, and remains unmarried with no close, non-familial relationships outside of his martial order. N’tho Sraom refused to stand idly by while the Prophets replaced Sangheili units with Jiralhanae packs, and now bears deep resentment toward those Sangheili politicians who landed his kind in their current predicament.
Although N’tho ‘Sraom’s romanticized nationalism is emblematic of all Sangheili, he has developed a healthy respect for humanity—not for their physical abilities or martial prowess, but for their audacity and resolve.PLAYER 4 (Sangheili)
Name: Usze ‘TahamAffiliation: Fleet of Retribution/Special Warfare Group/Fleet SecurityHistory: Although Usze ‘Taham was born into a respected merchant family he was fathered by Toha ‘Sumai—one of the preeminent swordfighters of this age. Usze graduated with honors from the top War College in the Iruiru region of Yermo, Sanghelios (a distinction he shares with Rtas 'Vadum). Shortly after receiving his first post within the Covenant Navy he was offered a place on the Prophets’ Honor Guard but he declined citing “lack of practical experience”. In truth, he had no desire to be part of a largely ceremonial unit, and at the end of his third combat tour, Usze ‘Taham again refused the post—even though his superiors warned him such behavior could be misinterpreted as apostasy.
Since that time Usze has evaded countless punitive actions, at least two assassination attempts, and served with distinction for two additional tours before the Schism. Following the dissolution of the Covenant, he was approached by the Ascetics to become one of their liaisons within the Navy.
Every player will have identical abilities – only their appearance and weapon starts are different (Elites will start with Carbines versus Battle Rifles for example, depending on the mission). "

Halo 3 Campaign Video E3

Nuff Said

Halo 3 & Bungie Update

Halo 3 is gearing up for more marketing and hype heading into E3. The above picture comes from the single player campaign and Bungie has said that we will see more of the single player campaign at E3. This 'campaign' shot looks remarkable. Graphics seem to be better when not dealing with the online mayhem of multiplayer.


This little Spartan above is known as a CQB or close quarters battle and is one of NUMEROUS armor permutations that are available in multiplayer. This is an absolutely great addition and should add a lot of variety to all the online fragging.


This armor permutation is known as EVA or Extra Vehicular Activity. These are the only 2 out of the bag so far, but the more the merrier.


Then of course there are the 2 new maps Bungie revealed. Last Resort is above and is a remake of Zanzibar from Halo 2 only much bigger. Below is Epitaph which is a small map that is very dark with a lot of bling corners.

What does all of this mean for Halo fans? Well, it certainly shows off how great a studio Bungie is and that the wait for Halo 3 will surely be worth it. I am very happy that Halo 3 was not a launch title and was given the time to grow and includes all these features. I am especially excited about the armor variants and it's always nice to see new maps/weapons/etc. Oh did I forget to mention...the brute chopper below:

Halo 3 is going to sell so many Xbox 360s. It is surely going to be THE multiplayer experience on a next gen console. The 1 player campaign has been highly touted and concealed as well so I, like many, am really looking forward to the whole package.

Halo 3 Online Reality Game - Video

Remember that countdown timer...well it revealed this video

Any ideas?

Halo 3 Cryptic Email leads to more Information..plus Box Cover

Above is the Halo 3 box cover...sweet...and by far superior to Halo 1...and on par with Halo 2. The cover doesn't reveal much and actually makes sense and is pretty similar in theme and overall look to the original CG sequence at E3 when Halo 3 was announced and the poster art. The end concept art is also better than a lot of the fakes and concepts that were circling around..

So Bungie sent out this really cryptic email about history repeating and all which led some fans to discovering this new bungie webpage which features a Halo Comic.

While the Comic is pretty interesting...reordering the panels gives you a sequence of numbers that leads to this site which prominently features the symbol that was drawn in the comic. Then there's an alien countdown timer...to what? we'll find out in a day or so, but many fans are speculating that a new video or vidoc will emerge. Finally this all leads to this hello kitty site, which references a different picture that you can see below:

So what does all this stuff mean? Well for one, Bungie is at it again with viral online advertising. They did the infamous "ihatebees" website which was a sort of online game, puzzle and marketing campaign for Halo 2. I think the most information is revealed in the comic, even though it's not much and is pretty straight forward and in line with all the other promotional materials, videos, posters and that is that....surprise!...the Ark is definitely on Earth right in the middle of Africa...the Cradle of Life. I was actually of the opinion earlier that humans were forerunners and that we emerged from the ark and began again after the cleansing of the flood. While this is still a possibility, the fact that humanity existed and witnessed the building of the Ark and the arrival of the sentinels, seems to dispell this popular theory. What else does all of this cryptic information mean for Halo 3? I have no idea and am not even going to start reaching and theorizing. The wait for September is going to be a miserable one.

Halo 3 Figurines by McFarlane Toys

Not really much to say about this except that they look good since McFarlane toys is taking over designing the halo line of action figures. The Halo tie-ins seem to be at an all time high for the release of this game. Supposedly there will be some die-cast vehicles as well. If I was 10, I'd definitely be into these, but for now I just like looking at them.

Tons of New Halo 3 News found Via hacking the Beta's code....thank god for tech geeks

There's a lot of great stuff that has been revealed about Halo 3...hopefully it's all true. The most important of course is the fact that the Energy Sword is back, it's tweaked and weakened, but it is back. How is it tweaked and weakened you ask? Well, it has a battery, and there's a delay (as you can see below) when you switch weapons.



This next one isn't surprising...the Wraith is in Halo 3! but this isn't your old Halo 2 wraith as it now has a second spot for a machine gunner to protect you from hop-ons....you're definitely going to get some hop-ons.



Finally, the magnum returns...the Halo 1 magnum that is and it looks to pack a mean punch but a small clip.


3 new maps have also been discovered and detailed (from an upcoming Gamepro article) along with a new piece of equipment: Radar Jammer and a new vehicle: The Brute Chopper. The 3 Map details follow:

Shrine: A UNSC battle cruiser looms menacingly over Shrine's sprawling sand dunes. Shrine is the largest map ever to appear in a Halo game, so Bungie put a key emphasis on vehicle-on-vehicle combat. Shrine has few ties to older Halo 2 maps, but its massive size recalls Relic.
Epitaph: Epitaph is an arcane Forerunner cathedral-like structure that towers above the surrounding wasteland. The central killing floor is crisscrossed with elevated walkways, exterior hallways, and lifts. It's a spiritual successor to Halo 2 maps like Colossus, Gemini, and Midship.
Last Resort: Zanzibar, one of Halo 2's most beloved maps, has been rebuilt and rechristened Last Resort for Halo 3. This industrial site is almost twice as big, with a less cluttered internal layout and more paths into the flag room.

Now breathe and get ready to wait 4 months.

Halo 3 Beta Update: ranked BTB, Double Team Training

Bungie has changed the playlists for the Beta and has made available a ranked Big Team Battle and a Double Team Training playlist. Nothing revolutionary here since both playlists were present in Halo 2, but word is that the pistol (sans scope?) can also be spotted in some of these matches....now all we need is the plasma sword.

The Halo Skill is back!..coming back

So over the weekend, the new Halo 3 control scheme has become more familiar and my skill is quickly returning. It hit me after THIS match on Valhalla: 24 kills / 6 deaths - that's what I'm talking about! Lucky for me, the Battle Rifle has not been changed much from Halo 2. I do not get the Spartan Laser at all! I have only managed to blast some vehicles with it. Perhaps I should try it some more, but I find it easy to evade (has a warning laser after all) and too long to charge. I think it's for players who are into snipers and all that...not for me. I'm OK with a sniper, but really triumph with that good ole BR in my hand. The BR / Assault Rifle combo really makes you feel all warm inside and gives you the ability to be a formidable adversary in nearly any situation. Sadly, I will have to reduce my Halo 3 playing somewhat this week so that I can get some things done on the games we have in development. In closing, the Beta is really polished. I have experienced no real bugs other than some laggy play and/or long wait times for matchmaking (maybe they just felt long). The wait for Halo 3 needs to be over because the 3 maps are just not enough. It's really time to reserve that copy today.