Halo 2 reviews are out

Genghis · Post by **Genghis** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 6:29 pm

Picked this up off Slashdot.

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/halo2/review.html

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/557/557509p1.html

http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/halo-2/564301p1.html

I may have to buy my first ever console (well, first since my Atari 2600)!

kurupt · Post by **kurupt** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:29 pm

i dropped 600 bucks for halo 2. 150 for xbox, 70 for xbox live, 60 for halo 2, + tax = about 300 bucks.

300 for a tv since i didnt have one. but hey, i needed a tv anyway. =)

JMEaT · Post by **JMEaT** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 8:22 pm

I'll get it for PC when it comes out in 2007.

Trackball · Post by **Trackball** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 9:03 pm

Sage · Post by **Sage** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 12:00 am

JMEaT wrote:I'll get it for PC when it comes out in 2007.

TIMES TOO!!!

Admiral Thrawn · Post by **Admiral Thrawn** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 6:53 am

Sorry gentlemen, it won't be on pc. The only reason Halo 1 was ported was to fulfill a promise to their fans since it was originally being developed for the pc. Halo 2 has no such obligations and will be staying on the xbox.

JMEaT · Post by **JMEaT** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 7:18 am

The day I own an Xbox is the day a meteor falls on Admiral Thrawn's house.

Pray that day never comes...

CDN_Merlin · Post by **CDN_Merlin** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 7:28 am

MS will rarely port any Xbox game to PC since PC games make less money. Consoles are almost the only way to make money these days as to much pirating is happening on the PC side.

<-- will never buy a console.

Admiral Thrawn · Post by **Admiral Thrawn** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:24 am

Merlin, very true. Before the xbox, I was a very avid pc gamer. The reason being that consoles just couldn't offer what I was already accustomed to from the pc side. Even when the xbox was first announced, I was pretty sceptical. It was only after reading on developers forums about the xbox and what THEY thought of it that my opinion started to change.

Cautiously, I bought one on the launch date and I was presently surprised. Even to this day, all other consoles are banned from my apartment, but the xbox actually takes time away from gaming on the pc. I'm sitting here with a 57 inch widescreen high def tv and a lot of these xbox games are absolutely GORGEOUS on it. Completely blows the other consoles out the window, especially when you have the games that are built for the xbox ground up and the 5.1 dolby digital.

Another item that was a factor in the xbox for me was xbox live. As you all know, I was an avid pc gamer online, but I actually have to admit, the features of xbox live actually beat out all the online gaming services that I have dealt with so far. Friends list, accurate stats, high quality voice chat, etc...

For those hating on the xbox, I'll try to say this without being offensive. Stop being ignorant. Yea, it's not what your used to and change usually isn't comfortable, but it's a pretty damn good console. If you choose to hate on it, your only depriving yourself of the best console/online experience out there. Like I said, I cautiously took a step forward when I bought it, but since then, I haven't looked back

Oh, and I will be picking up Halo 2 at midnight.

Jeff250 · Post by **Jeff250** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:31 am

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/hal ... 10539.html

Can Halo 2 graphics be all that much better than in Halo 1 since it's the same hardware?

Admiral Thrawn · Post by **Admiral Thrawn** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:48 am

Jeff250 wrote:http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/hal ... 10539.html

Can Halo 2 graphics be all that much better than in Halo 1 since it's the same hardware?

your answer below

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/557/557509p6.html

kurupt · Post by **kurupt** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 12:33 pm

i'm getting it tonight at midnight eastern too!

gamertag = cornpops

Bonz · Post by **Bonz** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 2:08 pm

I have it pre-ordered also but I'm not standing in line at midnight

STRESSTEST · Post by **STRESSTEST** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 2:29 pm

You wont be playing at 12:30 either. Matt will

Instig8 · Post by **Instig8** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 2:38 pm

I'll have my copy... as quickly as I can download & burn it.

fliptw · Post by **fliptw** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 2:54 pm

Admiral Thrawn wrote:
Jeff250 wrote:http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/hal ... 10539.html

Can Halo 2 graphics be all that much better than in Halo 1 since it's the same hardware?
your answer below

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/557/557509p6.html

So the only thing new is normal mapping?

Admiral Thrawn · Post by **Admiral Thrawn** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 3:10 pm

Naww, it's not the only thing. Pretty much everything that you can whip out in order to take advantage of bump mapping, lighting, and everything else for the Geforce chipset has been done.

They are using a lot of the same techniques as the Doom III engine does to generate it's graphics. With the exception of resolution, which doesn't matter much since your on a TV, the game looks just as good.

I say the best thing to do is compare screenshots or just go to a video game store to see a demo and see the changes for yourself.

Warlock · Post by **Warlock** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 3:56 pm

i git mine at midnight to

and i got tomarrow off to

DCrazy · Post by **DCrazy** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:47 pm

I get to spend tomorrow morning working in the hospital, and then I get to go to school!

Flatlander · Post by **Flatlander** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:56 pm

I'll get it in January.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 6:40 pm

Wow.. kicking people outta Banshees?? mwaahahaha.. looks like we have some new stunt to try.

I like Cortana's new "do".

Bonz · Post by **Bonz** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 6:43 pm

STRESSTEST wrote:You wont be playing at 12:30 either. Matt will

This is very true

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 8:44 pm

I'm getting it tomorrow hopefully. Can't f'ing WAIT!

For the record, Xbox owns.

JMEaT · Post by **JMEaT** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 8:50 pm

*Waves goodbye to Warlock*

Destiny777 · Post by **Destiny777** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 9:09 pm

MS will rarely port any Xbox game to PC since PC games make less money. Consoles are almost the only way to make money these days as to much pirating is happening on the PC side.

<-- will never buy a console.

There is a lot of Console Piracy too... That's not a valid reason for not porting the Game to PC's!

Let's stretch the same reasoning to say to "Microsoft Word"... How about making it for a console!!! We ALL know that that won't happen since the Consoles are used for GAMES not used for Word Processing.

I don't have a console... can't afford one. For what I'd pay for a console, I could PURCHASE 4 or more really good PC games!

To pare it down a bit to realize that the Xbox is nothing more than a specialized pc used ONLY for games. Just because you can't see the Operating System doesn't mean that it isn't a pc in "console clothing".

By the way, I have the PC version of Halo 1! It's one of a handful of Microsoft Games that I've bought. IF Freelancer would have been designed to have joystick support, it would have been purchased too. Sigh!

Kyouryuu · Post by **Kyouryuu** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 9:23 pm

It's a lot more complicated than that.

There is a lot of console piracy, but it's much harder to accomplish than PC piracy. For example, the GameCube is on a proprietary disk format, and the PS2 (and Xbox?) only read DVDs with the proprietary colored undersides unless they've been modded or are development machines. This is in comparison to PC games where anyone can duplicate a CD or DVD with little hassle. This is why the CD-Key has become a big deal with PC titles.

The larger reason is the size of the audience. There are far more console owners than PC users who play games. The console market alone is more than a $10 billion industry. Comparatively, the PC market has a $1 billion share and is falling. You do the math and see which has the potential to be more profitable. It's not hard.

kurupt · Post by **kurupt** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 9:31 pm

Bonz wrote:
STRESSTEST wrote:You wont be playing at 12:30 either. Matt will
This is very true

damn right. right after im done eating dinner im out the door to go pick it up. the line for paid in full preorders is short and sweet too. woot!

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:47 pm

Is there a point to your MS Word on a console analogy? I don't see one...

Consider how much it costs to be able to play the latest games on high res with all the settings turned up. You want at least 3.2 ghz processor power, the latest video card, a gig of ram, latest sound card, motherboard, not to mention the drivers and direct x updates and hassles with driver conflicts...it costs way more to game on PC than on console. Halo 2 = 50, Xbox = 150 (200? it was 250 when I bought mine) Xbox Live = 50/year, Controllers = 20 per, considering you get two with your xbox, thats an extra 40. Way less than a PC.

Destiny777 · Post by **Destiny777** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:39 pm

Beo...

"MS Word on the Console"...

I was trying to point out if we took the whole "piracy" issue to an illogical conclusion (like the "Halo 2 ONLY on the Xbox" and not on the PC for fright of software piracy) then let Microsoft create MS Word ONLY on the Xbox. But we know that that isn't going to happen since the Xbox is used for ONLY Games.

When you produce software, you can be guaranteed that someone or groups of people will pirate your executable programs. Just because a FEW people pirate software isn't a GOOD reason to stop producing quality software products.

Perhaps I wasn't clear on that.

New trend in the last year or so software wise is for the software to "phone home" when you first use it. Basically it requires an internet connection to validate the install. That tracks how many times it has been installed and "locks down" on say the third install when only 2 installs are allowed using the Software License Key that is on the CD Case. While this isn't foolproof, it does cut down on the piracy when using that Software License Key.

You can't of your ownself stop software piracy... IF anyone wants a piece of software bad enough they usually will find a way to get it. You can put all the copy protections that you want on your software... there are people that are smart enough to use existing tools to crack and hack into your code to bypass those preventions.

Software and Hardware Protection only keeps the honest people honest.

It is one thing if the company that created the critical software no longer exists. It is quite another if the company is still doing business and supporting that product.

In other words, READ your EULA (End User License Agreement) on software you install or have installed on your computer.

P. S.

I upgrade my pc every 2 or 3 years due to lack of funds. My OLD PC games work on my upgraded PC... until the last 5 to 10 years you couldn't do that on your NEW consoles... you had to start totally over since the games were not compatible with the upgraded console.

kurupt · Post by **kurupt** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:59 pm

omg i have it. but i cant get the box open. its in ★■◆●ing child/kurupt proof plastic. omfg

fliptw · Post by **fliptw** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 2:01 am

kurupt wrote:omg i have it. but i cant get the box open. its in ****ing child/kurupt proof plastic. omfg

the xbox or the game?

Vindicator · Post by **Vindicator** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 4:32 am

Multi is pretty sweet. There seem to be fewer small maps this time around, and I'm disappointed that none of the maps from Halo 1 carried over (a few were revamped though). Dual wielding rocks, the light sword is awesome (hit the trigger twice at short range to lunge), the postgame carnage reports are chock full of nifty crap, and the pistol lost its reticle when zooming in

.

Overall though, it kicks ass. Gonna have to get hold of an Xbox somehow or other.

Aaaaaand heres a crappy pic of me with Master Chief (a guy that works for Gamestop here):

JMEaT · Post by **JMEaT** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 7:21 am

lol

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 7:52 am

So answer me this gurus of games.
1) How does halo compare to UT2k4?
2) Since Halo is console, I suppose you can't mod it?
3) Does any T.V. work with console or does it take a more modern t.v. to hook into. Also does analog or hdtv have any bearing on picture quality?
4) How does online @ 30 fps for Halo compare with p.c. online gaming?

Gooberman · Post by **Gooberman** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 12:22 pm

I was one of those who would of never bought a console, tell I was given one for my B-day.

Bigger screen = Nicer
Voice Chat = sometimes anoying, but othertimes when you have a team that is planning and stratigizing together ina gmae like RTCW, there is nothing like it.

Don't have to tweak it ever, done for you.

Loads faster, don't have to worry about fps, or drivers or anything.

All you do is play.

So I am a convert, I play 90% of my games on xbox now and pretty much only WCIII on PC. I plan to get xbox2 if it is backwards compatible.

Bonz · Post by **Bonz** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 2:06 pm

Picked my copy up on my lunch break today, man 4:30 can't get here soon enough

Scratch · Post by **Scratch** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 3:13 pm

I'm about to pick my copy up as well. Just need to get my xblive fixed...

Mr. Perfect · Post by **Mr. Perfect** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 5:36 pm

We've got conflicting costs for the Xbox floating around here. Since aparently some people have to pay more then others, you'd have to figure on spending the most unless you find out other wise. So to go from PC to Xbox would be like so...

$250 for the Xbox(assuming you don't generally wait 2 years after a console is launched to buy it)
$60 Halo 2
$70 a month for Xbox Live, AKA $840 a year.

So to play one new game for one year on the newest console it costs $1150. Yikes.

Now, If I'm not mistaken, you also need a cable/DSL line underneath the Xbox Live service. For me that would be a $35 a month DSL line, AKA $420 a year, which shoots the price up to $1570 for that same one year. Two years goes for $2830. How in the ever living ★■◆● is that cheaper then a PC?

If I cut the $420 a year for DSL out and the $60 for Halo(assuming the PC version would cost that much), I'm left with $1930 to build a PC that I'll keep around for two years. You can build a pretty mean PC for that much money! Not to mention it backwards compatibile practicly back to 1990, and I can use it to do considerably more then play games.

I'f you prefer the consoles, I'm happy for you, but I see no way to justify buying one for myself.

That and I hate those little controllers.

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 5:42 pm

Seventy Dollars a month just to use Xboxlive? No friggin way. I'll stick to UT2k4

Tetrad · Post by **Tetrad** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 5:48 pm

woodchip wrote:Seventy Dollars a month just to use Xboxlive? No friggin way.

Exactly.

http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live/about/plans-annual.htm

It's $50 a year.

$150 xbox + $60 halo2 + $50 for xbox live for a year = $260 for a year of gaming. You'd already have high speed internet unless you suck.