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[SuperAndroid17]

Right on the money... I am flipping out here.

OK if you can just answer one of these questions, can someone tell me about OST? I refuse to look this up elsewhere at this stage now, on principle.

doesnt the CE/LE carry those? im not up to par on what these things carry since im only getting the regular edition

 

[arhra]

Is there a Halo 3 ost? I want it.

It's not released yet - AFAIK Marty is still working on it. Obviously the actual music is done, as it's in the game, but the final arrangement of the music on the OST has to be slightly different by it's very nature (a static album rather than dynamic stuff that reacts to the gameplay).

I think it may have got a mention on the last podcast, i definitely remember reading/hearing somewhere that it would be finished up a few weeks after launch, and released as soon as possible after that (ie, definitely by christmas, at the very latest).

 

[KyotoMecca]

Thanks @ arhra & SuperAndroid17. However since my last post I was able to check "Amazon" and see that the OST is not out until November, and also get the best bits from Halo 2 OST (if not as impressive sounding as in Halo 3) as the best tracks are the ones we already know and love.

 

[psycho_snake]

I wish I could play this game. It looks so good and all the reviews have been excellent, but i cant play it because I dont have an Xbox360 and I cant get one because I'm saving up for a PS3 so I can play MGS4

 

[KyotoMecca]

I wish I could play this game. It looks so good and all the reviews have been excellent, but i cant play it because I dont have an Xbox360 and I cant get one because I'm saving up for a PS3 so I can play MGS4

Seriously, fuck MGS4. I have played both and you'll get so much out of 360 and Halo 3 right now. IAnd I'm critical of the Halo series... Get a PS3, for sure, but get it later, after your 360.

 

[Sypher]

What is the point of this thread? I could have told you what score it would have gotten 2 years ago. I love how people are acting like its a surprise this of all games got perfect 10s. I almost wish it would have gotten 8s universally, the meltdowns would have been glorious.

Seriously, fuck MGS4. I have played both and you'll get so much out of 360 and Halo 3 right now. IAnd I'm critical of the Halo series... Get a PS3, for sure, but get it later, after your 360.

Heretic

 

[Doc Evils]

IGN AU:

9.5 Presentation
Oh man oh man oh man - so many options and features! The Forge, replays and serious tweakability.
8.0 Graphics
A long way from the prettiest 360 game, but it does have its own style and charms.
9.5 Sound
A rousing orchestral score is complemented by lots of chatter between characters.
8.5 Gameplay
Very very solid, but in raw gameplay terms doesn't really break much new ground.
9.0 Lasting Appeal
Short campaign, but almost limitless multiplayer. If you dig Halo's online action, you'll be in heaven.
8.9
Great OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/822/822714p3.html

 

[psycho_snake]

Seriously, fuck MGS4. I have played both and you'll get so much out of 360 and Halo 3 right now. IAnd I'm critical of the Halo series... Get a PS3, for sure, but get it later, after your 360.

MGS4 is my most anticipated title of this gen so far. Despite how good Halo 3 looks, I'm still going to pick MGS4 over it, even if halo did get a perfect score from one of the big gaming websites.

 

[Cdammen]

8.9
Great OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

The decimal scoring system is fantastic. It can make people go apeshit over a 0.1 :lol

 

[Sypher]

The decimal scoring system is fantastic. It can make people go apeshit over a 0.1 :lol

Don't you love it!? I wish the would take the decimal to the hundredths!!

"OMG Killzone was .46% better than Halo 3 LULZ"

 

[Rolf NB]

The problem is you keep using the term 'perfect score'.

Drop that concept altogether and you will struggle much less with reviews in general.

A 10 is not, and cannot be, a perfect score. It is simply the highest mark one can award a game while acknowledging that said game, like all other human-made products, contains flaws.

Other games with comparable amounts of flaws have a hard time getting anywhere near that score.
Having a maximum level of goodness you care to be able to express in a rating is one thing. The fun starts when you reserve this maximum score only for games made by special friends.

 

[Ryudo]

Gotta say, the high graphics scores are a joke. This game in alot of places is just darn ugly. Just watch keyes walking animation, its like she has an upset stomach :lol

Music and audio is just the best there is. I laugh at any other game music.

 

[Chiggs]

This game in alot of places is just darn ugly.

And in a lot of places, it's really beautiful. Mixed bag. More good than bad, IMO.

 

[TerryLee81]

Gotta say, the high graphics scores are a joke. This game in alot of places is just darn ugly. Just watch keyes walking animation, its like she has an upset stomach :lol

Music and audio is just the best there is. I laugh at any other game music.

I think a lot of Devs don't spend enough money on the audio. Bioshock and Halo 3 show how important audio is, I'd say it's on the same level as graphics. For most devs, it's far from being on the same level.

 

[Gantz]

Quit hit and running in the thread. You still haven't justified your claim about Bungie being "lazy" developers because they haven't provided more enemies or provided a game with better enemies and it isn't "disappointing" that you can't fully evaluate the speed of matchmaking without a full population- it's fact of reality.

Hey man i don't spend my life GAF 24/7. Anyway Look at the ugly character models/lack of gibs plus decievingly small level designs, tell me who's not lazy. If takes more than 2 minutes to find, join, and load a muliplayer game, Bungie has failed. Hopefully they have fixed their crapp matchmaking service for the full game.

Loading................. :lol

And in a lot of places, it's really beautiful. Mixed bag. More good than bad, IMO.

Halo defense force out in full force :lol

My copy arrives in a few hours. Let's see if it lives up to the hype.

 

[sk3tch]

The Minneapolis Star Tribune posted their review today:

http://www.startribune.com/459/story/1442788.html

3 1/2 out of 4 stars

Technobabble: Space Ace

The Master Chief returns for a final thrilling adventure in the year's most anticipated video game, "Halo 3."

By Randy A. Salas, Star Tribune

Last update: September 24, 2007 – 5:14 PM
Bigger. Badder. Better.

That's your three-word review for "Halo 3," which came out today at midnight.

No game could live up to the unprecedented hype heaped upon Microsoft's latest entry in its popular video-game series -- this one marking the debut of the first-person shooter on the Xbox 360 -- but "Halo 3" comes admirably close.

The legendary armored hero Spartan-117, aka the Master Chief, returns in the third installment of the 26th-century sci-fi epic. This time, the battleground is a ravaged Earth, with the Master Chief -- that is, you -- leading humanity in a final showdown against the Covenant with the help of a relative handful of defectors from that alien civilization. Even bigger menaces are the mutating creatures of the Flood, adversaries so wicked that a world-ending invasion can come in the form of a single spore from the parasitic race.

Powered by the high-definition graphics of the Xbox 360, "Halo 3" looks more dazzling than ever. The levels through which you fight as the Master Chief are huge. Eye candy includes sunlight glinting off of the battle-pitted metal of your armor, rippling reflections in a stream of running water and even the elegant load-up screen that starts each new episode.

Among the cool new weapons is the gravity hammer, a long-handled alien device that the Master Chief can pilfer from a downed foe and use to deliver a ground-shaking wallop to opponents, who are sent flying. In close quarters, it provides grin-inducing devastation.

Although the Covenant and Flood threaten to end civilization as the Master Chief knows it, not everything is serious in "Halo 3." Aside from the comedic ramblings of the alien Grunts (like the Ewoks of "Star Wars," only nastier and more annoying), the game offers grisly humor from the spoken words of the Master Chief's comrades. "Hey! Someone got brains on my face!" one soldier yells during a particularly raucous bloodbath. "Here's a C4 enema for you!" another cries as he flings an explosive at attackers.

"Halo 2" offered an enjoyable romp for single players, but the previous installment staked its reputation on its thriving multiplayer mode. Gamers have logged nearly 1 billion hours playing it against one another on Xbox Live, Microsoft's online network, since the game was released three years ago.

But "Halo 3" provides a deeper experience for those who want to play the game alone. Even on normal difficulty (there are two harder settings), the game will take more than a dozen hours to complete -- and you'll probably want to play again as soon as it ends. Computer-assisted help from gun-toting comrades is usually just right.

"Halo 3" is not perfect, although its annoyances amount to quibbles. For example, some ground vehicles remain a chore to control, even when the computer takes over driving. Missions often involve repeatedly traversing the same ground. And I long for maps in the game, a stereotype of the genre, instead of the occasional directional arrows that guide the action.

The story also can be disjointed. Nonetheless, it will hold surprises for longtime fans, with plot twists that include changing alliances among enemies and allies.

As first-person shooters go, I actually prefer "BioShock" for the Xbox 360 and "Resistance: Fall of Man" for the PlayStation 3 for their superior storytelling and game play in the single-player mode. But, as with its predecessor, "Halo 3" lives and dies -- again and again -- by its multiplayer and online features.

One innovation in that regard is the ability to record your battles and watch them again. It sounds like an iffy addition to the game, but I have to admit that it was a blast to review fighting footage, especially since you can vary the camera angle to provide a third-person perspective that's not available when you're actually playing the game.

Considering that some battles can take more than an hour to complete, it's a real cinematic kick to sit back and admire your handiwork as you guide the Master Chief against the alien hordes. The developers at Bungie Studios even added a wrinkle by allowing players to share their custom-made films and screen shots with other gamers via Xbox Live.

Another new feature is the Forge, a mode that allows up to eight players cooperatively to create multiplayer maps in which to skirmish against one another. The maps can be uploaded for sharing, too.

Oh, and you can customize your armor, with greater options as you unlock various achievements.

Those who pop for the Limited Edition, which costs $10 more than the $60 standard version, will get a second disc with DVD-like background features. They include a lengthy making-of documentary, a gallery of concept art, and pictures and themes to download. There's also Warthog Launch, a goofy mini-game involving the Master Chief's main ground vehicle, that Bungie gleefully touts as a time-waster.

One featurette on the bonus disc shows the long hours that went into the game's development. As employees recount middle-of-the-night work amid a looming deadline, a security guard at Bungie's office says, "24/7, there's always someone here."

With its many new features, bigger setting and high replay value, "Halo 3" will be garnering that same round-the-clock devotion from gamers, too.

rasalas@startribune.com • 612-673-4542

 

[squatingyeti]

What is the point of this thread? I could have told you what score it would have gotten 2 years ago. I love how people are acting like its a surprise this of all games got perfect 10s. I almost wish it would have gotten 8s universally, the meltdowns would have been glorious.

But the need to damage control is so much MORE glorious.

EDIT: "Move along. Nothing to see here. Halo3 really isn't good, it was going to get great scores no matter what." LOL If anything, it had more hype to live up to than ANY other game before. Could it be that the sum of all its parts are just that good? Not in some of your, already determined two years ago, minds.

 

[sleeping_dragon]

MGS4 is my most anticipated title of this gen so far. Despite how good Halo 3 looks, I'm still going to pick MGS4 over it, even if halo did get a perfect score from one of the big gaming websites.

Halo 3 is anything but look goods, it got good MP gameplay but when it come to graphic is in the middle of the list.

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/926632.asp

and how come the users reviews is so low for this game?

 

[cbox]

Trolls.

 

[soujiro_seta]

The REVIEW everyone's been waiting for is here!!!

Guess the score they gave it.

 

[newsguy]

The REVIEW everyone's been waiting for is here!!!

Guess the score they gave it.

Haha!!! I love the mention of laggy co-op considering I played what may be the smoothest co-op experience of my life last night.

 

[dirtmonkey37]

Almost two years after the Xbox 360’s release, Microsoft’s marquee franchise finally comes home. With a satisfying campaign closure to the series’ epic story arc, unprecedented multiplayer options, an innovative video recording feature, and heretofore unseen console mod tools, Halo 3 lives up to every bit of its ever-expanding reputation. However, a few small disappointments chip away at the game’s shot at perfection.

Every enemy type from the first two Halo games returns here smarter than ever, especially on Legendary difficulty. Since Elites are now your friends (the Arbiter and two generic Elites fill out a four-player co-op team), you won’t be fighting this classic enemy. Brutes do take on some Elite traits, like cloaking and their own answer to the Plasma Sword – a Gravity Hammer. However, an advanced form of a certain enemy group near the end proves to be the most challenging adversary.

Almost all of the old weapons are back (assault rifle ftw!) in addition to more new guns than ever. I especially like the detachable turrets, even if they do slow you down a little. A new power-up slot spices up the traditional melee, guns, and grenades mix. The Mongoose and Chopper complement previous Halo vehicles well, but the best addition is a powerful UNSC answer to the Banshee.

Halo 3’s multiplayer has really outdone itself this time. Countless modes and variants always keep the 11 maps fresh. In addition to standard modes like capture the flag, deathmatch, and king of the hill, several new creative modes abound – an especially cool one makes 25 percent of players “zombies” with plasma swords who must “infect” the remaining players.

The Forge is basically “modding lite” and makes the already expansive multiplayer even more unlimited. At any time during these unranked matches players can turn into a Monitor and add, move, or remove any object in the game. This can be a collaborative creation process, or you can have just one person with editing capabilities serve as a multiplayer DM of sorts. Think of what can happen during a heated battle when the editor decides to drop a Scorpion tank right in the middle of the fray.
Four-player co-op is fun as hell. Playing on Legendary is definitely a must, but even this extreme single-player challenge is severely watered down when you introduce other players. There’s also an unlockable campaign scoring system based on kills, headshots, and difficulty setting that can be enacted in single player and co-op. Online leaderboards provide a great incentive to come back to the campaign again and again like never before.

I also really dug the new Theater feature. It basically auto saves your last 25 campaign levels or multiplayer matches and allows you to watch them from any player perspective or from a floating camera, edit clips, take screens, and send them through Xbox Live. After playing around with this you’ll want it in every game.

However, Halo 3 does have a few small problems that are primarily located in the campaign. First off, full on boss battles are noticeably absent. Sure, you’ll fight a few massive enemies, but none of them really feel like a true boss. And the last major fight is more like a quick interactive cutscene than a knock-down, drag-out fight. This is especially disappointing because there is one obvious candidate Bungie could have used and didn’t. Also, there is plenty of trudging back and forth through the same environments in addition to the whole “Okay, we deactivated this tower. Now let’s take care of the next one with the exact same layout.” There are a few other nitpicky issues I have, but these are all relatively minor when you look at the big picture.

Overall, Bungie has crafted another masterpiece that serves as a fitting end to the trilogy (no big cliffhanger here). Of course, not every mystery of the Halo universe is answered, but it does look like the next game is moving in a very interesting direction. Until next time, Chief!
-BRYAN VORE

Wow. That was one of the most poorly written pieces of video game criticism I have ever read. Of course, I don't want to come across as an arrogant individual, conceited with his own capabilities. I am not one to judge, for not only am I half the age of the author of that particular piece, but I have not attended a college or university yet (I'm a high school student). Still, I cannot help but feel repulsed by this review, regardless of how much praise it awards Halo 3.

Below is a key that represents the issues I have with the piece. If there are other forum-members who disagree, feel free to quote my post and address the contentions you are at odds with.


BOLD TEXT = informal

UNDERLINE = gratuituous repetition (prohibits proper "flow")

BOLD/UNDERLINE = Okay, just because you're avoiding spoilers does not mean you can write like a junior-high school student and envelop the entire phrase in ambiguity ("is one obvious candidate that Bungie could have used but didn't"). If you want to be vague, be so in an eloquent manner. I, the reader who has not yet had the privelage of playing Halo 3, feel left-out of the loop.

The sentence variety and transitions are lacking as well.

 

[sleeping_dragon]

Trolls.

 

[Bearillusion]

Did the media review final retail disks or were they locked in at bungie or MS somewhere? I'm wondering if this is why none of them mentioned the terrible framerate I experience in MP and to a lesser but still unacceptable extent in campaign.