So I played HALO for the first time....

[The Manimal]

for several hours. How long is this game? I honestly did not like it too well. It's way too repetitive, and there's no 'rewards' it seems to do anything. I played for like 4 hours, and all I did was blast some aliens, charge back up, blast some aliens, charge back up, blast some aliens, go through a door, blast some aliens, go through a door, blast some aliens. The controls are good, but I cannot play a game for 4 hours doing the same damn thing over and over again, with no feeling of reward or accomplishment. Where's the storyline built into the game or whatever? :(

[Jibbajaba]

That game is totally fucking over-rated. It's just a freakin FPS.

Chris

[NE146]

I played Halo 2 Beta last night 8-)

And you know what.. it just seemed like another FPS to me :P

[ubersaurus]

If you can't find the story then you aren't paying attention the cutscenes or the other character's dialogue.

The story picks up after you hit the control room. Personally I think it's the best damn FPS I've ever played, and Bungie's put in an awesome storyline that seems cliche on the surface, but all the little details and the backstory make it so much more interesting. The story is probably the #1 thing I'm looking forward to in Halo 2.

[Tank]

Im with ubersaurus

The story in Halo is awesome, best FPS imo :)

[tholly]

besides RPGs which are straight up stories, id say that Halo has the most "story" aspects in it of any game ive played in a while....amazing gameplay and a great story to boot....what more can you ask for

[kai123]

I played Halo 2 Beta last night 8-)

And you know what.. it just seemed like another FPS to me :P

Care to share how you were able to play it? Or were you screwing around?

[Spartacus]

If you are going thru doors you must still be on the ship. If you've played for a few hours and you are STILL on the ship, that sounds like a problem. Perhaps you should try the easy setting. Once off the ship you'll be playing outdoors. That's where most feel Halo really shines.
What I appreciate most is that somebody actually did some work with the artificial intelligence and it shows. Anyone willing to move that facet of gaming forward is respected by me, anyhow.
And yes, there is a storyline. Even stuck on the ship you must have met the Captain and the, ahhh computer, who provide the beginning of the story. Maybe next time you play you should try it differently. Try not lighting the bong first next time.

[NE146]

I played Halo 2 Beta last night 8-)

And you know what.. it just seemed like another FPS to me :P

Care to share how you were able to play it? Or were you screwing around?

Not screwing around. :) My college buddies and I played 9 holes of Golf yesterday then hung out at their pad where they were playing it. It's a beta of course. No single player. Only Xbox Live enabled w/ one person per console. Voice chat still buggy. But otherwise great. I can't say much beyond that (my friends do value their jobs). But I can say it looks pretty good! They knew I didn't really give too much of a shit about it though.. (I'm known as the consummate "old games" guy amongst our group) LOL

[calthaer]

The story of Deus Ex, System Shock 2, or even Tron 2.0 is light years better than anything HALO ever cooked up.

So the game has vehicles - big deal. The Mammoth Tank (or Stealth Tank, for that matter) of Command & Conquer: Renegade is way more l33t.

All the weapons are cool, but it's nothing that the original Unreal didn't do just as well (or possibly better - stick of six fires, anybody?) four or five years ago. Likewise, the AI in HALO isn't anything that Half Life didn't dish up just as well (or better) four or five years ago.

On the PC it doesn't even look as hot as Renegade, Tron 2.0, or some of those other games that were contemporaries of HALO.

IMO, it's really just another shooter. Maybe it's the best shooter of all time on a CONSOLE, but if someone's ever played any of the true greats (all hail Looking Glass Studios and its legacy), I have a hard time believing that they would still sing its praises.

[hezeuschrist]

Thanks for beating a dead horse guys.

Everyone has already made their minds up about Halo by now, and is completely unworthy of discussion of any kind.

[AMG]

I thought Halo was very fun.

Of course I love FPS games. :)

[Eternal Tune]

I liek caik.

[calthaer]

Thanks for beating a dead horse guys.

Everyone has already made their minds up about Halo by now, and is completely unworthy of discussion of any kind.

Maybe you missed the original poster, but they said they had just gotten it.

The PC version of HALO didn't come out too long ago, either, and is just now dropping into the $30 price range that all of us cheapies count as our maximum price for a single game.

So what are you doing here? And since when was this board only for the discussion of recently-released games? I'm sure Pac-Man and Zelda have been discussed to death as well.

[tholly]

Thanks for beating a dead horse guys.

Everyone has already made their minds up about Halo by now, and is completely unworthy of discussion of any kind.


it may be beaten to death.....but, uve replied here and contributed to the "discussion" ahahhaha .....

.... but i do see your point, it is a very very very talked about game

[bargora]

I liek caik.
Pie is better.

And Unreal Tournament (PS2) is better than Halo (Xbox). So there.

[GamecubeFreek]

I have put some time into beating Halo. I beat the game and have played a few dozen rounds of multiplayer, and I really dont see anything too spectacular about it. It is one of the best FPSs, but that is a genre that is extremely overrated in the first place. I dont see why anyone would rather play Halo than most top tier games in any other genre (except for RTSs). But whatever... I have realized that most popular games nowadays are not bad, but are not too good either. Such is the case with Halo.

[ubersaurus]

I liek caik.
Pie is better.

And Unreal Tournament (PS2) is better than Halo (Xbox). So there.

Except for the inherent problem of being Unreal?

You want to talk overrated, you want to talk "everyone moves like the flash and has over the top weapons" Unreal.

[Crush Crawfish]

I played halo, and I could never really see what the big deal was. The only FPS I've played that I actualy like is Metroid Prime.

Serious Sam for gamecube looked cool, though. Is it any good?

[bluberry]

I found the level design to be dull, but the AI was good. Lots of "holy crap" moments, like this time when *SPOILERS* This covnenant runs away from me, I chase him, and as I turn the corner, I see his body go flying to the right (it was a T intersection) thanks to a Flood with a rocket launcher*END SPOILERS*.

Lots of little moments like that made the game for me.

[demented-yoshi]

Ya I would have to agree it is repetitive I got bored after 2 hours of play.In my opinion it was one of the worst Fps's I have ever played.

My favorite one was Goldeneye for N64 I play it like everday its the best for Multiplayer graphics are knida bad but my vision is a little crappy which make the jagged lines disappear lol I stil cant believe its nearly 10 years old

[The Manimal]

I am not sure where I was at in the game, I played it at a friend's house on his XBOX. Some of it was indoors, some was outdoors. Outdoors were like these flying jet skis, some floating F-ZERO-esque hover tanks, and stuff like that. Inside there weren't these, but I remember there being baddies that would be all wimpy and run away. I remember crossing some bridges. I didn't see any cutscenes, perhaps this was a point where there aren't any. Either way, 4 hours of it, I feel there should have been something more to it in that time span than there was.

I find DOOM games to be far more enjoyable experiences. There's the %'s of items to hunt out, secret rooms/puzzles, no need to aim, horror atmosphere. I like that more.

[dbiersdorf]

Halo is a great game, the single player expierance is lacking, but play LAN mode in multiplayer. 16 player is insane.

My cousins have the Halo 2 beta as well, I will try it out this week hopefully. :-P

[musical]

That game is totally fucking over-rated. It's just a freakin FPS.Ditto Squared.

But when you're an Xbox exclusive owner, you don't know that. You haven't seen better FPSes like Red Faction or TimeSplitters or Goldeneye. Poor guys.



As for multiplayer, I never touch multiplayer.

[Gunstar_Hero UK]

Im not a big FPS fan and when i first got my XBOX, the first thing i put in was HALO.. After a couple of hours I came to a conlcusion, "nothing special.. over-rated"..

Then a few weeks later.. I put HALO back in.. i started to enjoy myself.. Then a few friends came over and we played multiplayer for hours.. at that point I was hooked.. Now, HALO has gained my respect and i love it..
Cant wait for HALO 2..

Thats my HALO story..

[ubersaurus]

That game is totally fucking over-rated. It's just a freakin FPS.Ditto Squared.

But when you're an Xbox exclusive owner, you don't know that. You haven't seen better FPSes like Red Faction or TimeSplitters or Goldeneye. Poor guys.



As for multiplayer, I never touch multiplayer.

Timesplitters was AWFUL. I don't know what you're talking about, but any game where I can SNIPE WITH A TOMMY GUN has no respect in my book. GOldeneye was good, but Perfect Dark blew it out of the water, and in my eyes, Halo blew PD out of the water, in terms of story depth, multiplayer fun (all of PD's options, and yet a simple LAN mode makes halo more fun), and the depth of the Co-Op mode. Counter-Op was awesome, though.

You were playing either Assault on the Control Room or Two Betrayals, then, Manimal...it's the big level with outdoor and indoor areas and bridges. Assault is you heading towards the control room, and Two Betrayals is you trying to mess stuff up in the same area, after everything's gone to hell storyline wise. It's probably my favorite level in the game, due to all the stuff you get to do (including flying the alien plane).

[The Manimal]

That game is totally fucking over-rated. It's just a freakin FPS.Ditto Squared.

But when you're an Xbox exclusive owner, you don't know that. You haven't seen better FPSes like Red Faction or TimeSplitters or Goldeneye. Poor guys.



As for multiplayer, I never touch multiplayer.

Timesplitters was AWFUL. I don't know what you're talking about, but any game where I can SNIPE WITH A TOMMY GUN has no respect in my book. GOldeneye was good, but Perfect Dark blew it out of the water, and in my eyes, Halo blew PD out of the water, in terms of story depth, multiplayer fun (all of PD's options, and yet a simple LAN mode makes halo more fun), and the depth of the Co-Op mode. Counter-Op was awesome, though.

You were playing either Assault on the Control Room or Two Betrayals, then, Manimal...it's the big level with outdoor and indoor areas and bridges. Assault is you heading towards the control room, and Two Betrayals is you trying to mess stuff up in the same area, after everything's gone to hell storyline wise. It's probably my favorite level in the game, due to all the stuff you get to do (including flying the alien plane).

It was probably the former. I was able to go into a gun turret or fly in the plane.

[bargora]

I liek caik.
Pie is better.

And Unreal Tournament (PS2) is better than Halo (Xbox). So there.

Except for the inherent problem of being Unreal?

You want to talk overrated, you want to talk "everyone moves like the flash and has over the top weapons" Unreal.
And that's what great about Unreal Tournament. Insane twitchiness. If Defender or Robotron was a FPS, it'd be UT.

[GameBoy]

I like Multiplayer for the most part, but Single Player is nothing special. But I agree, ITS FUCKING OVERRATED.

[briskbc]

I really liked Halo. Not the best FPS I've played but great none the less. If you think it's repetitive now just stick it out until you reach "The Library" level. You'll hate this game hard after that.

[musical]

But when you're an Xbox exclusive owner, you don't know that. You haven't seen better FPSes like Red Faction or TimeSplitters or Goldeneye. Poor guys.Timesplitters was AWFUL. .... GOldeneye was good, but Perfect Dark blew it out of the water, and in my eyes, Halo blew PD out of the water....

Yeah okay, but most people disagree. They think Red Faction 1/2 and Goldeneye are superior to Halo.

And they're right. ;)

And my point about Xbox exclusive owners not having access to better FPSes still stands. They think "halo is the suxors!" because they haven't played the better stuff like RF and GE.



As for Perfect Dark, I thought it sucked compared to Goldeneye. Yeah it had pretty hi-res graphics, but the single-player story just STANK. I sold it quickly.

[ubersaurus]

But when you're an Xbox exclusive owner, you don't know that. You haven't seen better FPSes like Red Faction or TimeSplitters or Goldeneye. Poor guys.Timesplitters was AWFUL. .... GOldeneye was good, but Perfect Dark blew it out of the water, and in my eyes, Halo blew PD out of the water....

Yeah okay, but most people disagree. They think Red Faction 1/2 and Goldeneye are superior to Halo.

And they're right. ;)

And my point about Xbox exclusive owners not having access to better FPSes still stands. They think "halo is the suxors!" because they haven't played the better stuff like RF and GE.



As for Perfect Dark, I thought it sucked compared to Goldeneye. Yeah it had pretty hi-res graphics, but the single-player story just STANK. I sold it quickly.

Honestly I've met far more people who thought TS, and RF were vastly inferior games to Halo, then the other way around. Goldeneye had a cool single player, but PD's multiplayer options were definitely sweet, and it had some really cool locales for it's story mode. I didn't know anyone ever used PD's high-res mode, though-the slowdown always turned me off of it.

Halo's AI, graphical niceties, in depth story, multiplayer, and pacing all make it for a much more fun experience then any other console FPS I've ever played. The Chief moves at just the right speed for my tastes, and being able to throw grenades without changing your weapon is VERY nice that doesn't pop up much in console FPSs. I also like that you can only carry two weapons at a time, adds a bit of strategy to your fighting. Blow stuff up with your rocket launcher, or try to pick people off with overcharged plasma pistol shots? To say nothing of sheer insanity of getting through the game on Legendary.

I stand by my view that Halo is the best console FPS out there at the moment. Yes, it has its flaws, but I'm hoping the sequel can correct them.

[tholly]

But when you're an Xbox exclusive owner, you don't know that. You haven't seen better FPSes like Red Faction or TimeSplitters or Goldeneye. Poor guys.Timesplitters was AWFUL. .... GOldeneye was good, but Perfect Dark blew it out of the water, and in my eyes, Halo blew PD out of the water....

Yeah okay, but most people disagree. They think Red Faction 1/2 and Goldeneye are superior to Halo.

And they're right. ;)

And my point about Xbox exclusive owners not having access to better FPSes still stands. They think "halo is the suxors!" because they haven't played the better stuff like RF and GE.



As for Perfect Dark, I thought it sucked compared to Goldeneye. Yeah it had pretty hi-res graphics, but the single-player story just STANK. I sold it quickly.

red fact one and two both sucked...i have beaten them both..and i would never play them again...goldeneye was amazing....i have perfect dark, but its sealed, so i have never played it....and Halo is amazing, although goldeneye was definitely better than halo

[junglehunter]

I also agree with the fact that Halo is overrated, although the multiplayer is outstanding depending on the conditions.

I like both Goldeneye and Halo about the same but I'd probably pick Goldeneye over Halo in the long run just for the memories. The single player Goldeneye also had a much better story. I felt as though Halo's was great for the start but then it seemed to rip off John Carpenter. :hmm:

[dethink]

timesplitters 2 was released for the xbox... ;)

i've started playing through halo again, now that i have another xbox, and it has lost a bit of it's impenetrable sheen it had at the time, but i still think it's a great game.

bungie got SO much right that used to drive me nuts about every FPS but goldeneye (and the original doom, but so many of it's innovations have become cliches in other games that i complain about below...but i still love it).

-the balance of the arsenal/character's abilities (you're powerful, but not a walking armory, and the really powerful weapons are few and far between)
-the storyline (reading into all the ilovebees/marathon stuff helps)
-addition of vehicles + co-op mode (w00t!)
-the art direction (i.e. thank god for something besides the typical FPS deathmatch arena "dystopian future meets goth nerd" art style)
-a lack of reliance on gore
-a cinematic feel delivered in through gameplay (not hours of cutscenes)
-controls/pace of your character are spot on
-AI of enemies/NPC's (though it's still not perfect)
-no cheap deaths - you ALWAYS know what you did that resulted in your demise, and to me that is a rare thing in a game - no "WTF?" moments.

the only thing that bugs me about halo is the level design in some areas. for example, the level design by the 6th level gets REALLY repetitive, and stays that way for a while - i.e. assault on the control room - the indor sections leading to the bridges ARE really repetitive, though i suspect architecture inside a large structure/spaceship WOULD be in "real life", but it doesn't make for a fun game experience, combined with the overall length of that level. a lot of the indoor environments are really repetitive, especially after the halfway point, which just throws the awesome pacing of the first half off.

also, i never thought much of the multiplayer...the arenas are either too big or too small for 2 player games, which is usually all i can scrounge up. when we were bored high-schoolers/college kids in goldeneye's heyday, there were always 3 other bored people sitting around. ;)

dunno, it seems people like me that don't like FPS's on PC's flock to halo, so to each their own. i see the differences, but i just dig the slower pacing of the console ones better...they seem to have more "weight" whereas every PC FPS i've owned seems sort of "hollow"...

i'm really digging CoR: Escape From Butcher Bay right now, despite the complaints of it's short length. there's no filler.