... aaaaand we did it! Just under the wire, to boot! Halo 3 has been conquered -- on Legendary, no less -- in but a day. The fight is finished!
And what a finish it was. Brian's touched on this, but I want to reiterate how true it is: This game is the culmination of all things Halo. In practically every way, it's everything you could ever want from a game in the series, and then some. We all already knew about how feature-rich the game is and how it's really over-delivering on what a sequel has to be. But what those who haven't played it yet don't know, though, is how the campaign takes the best of the previous Halo single-player experiences, leaves (almost) all of the bad out and throws the thing into overdrive.
By the end of the game, you'll be knee-deep in loving homages to past moments in the series (the last half of the game, in particular, will have fans of the original's best levels re-living the "glory days") and loving every minute of it. It's striking just how much Bungie's borrowed from their past to influence their best work yet, but it never feels redundant, nor cheap. In fact, the story and gameplay are better for it -- we've truly come full circle, plot-wise, and they've managed to rekindle the game's core by revisiting what made it so special back in 2001.
All in all, it's a truly great game. It doesn't reinvent the shooter genre in gaming, but it does set the bar incredibly high for all games to follow. Simply put, everything it does, it does well.
We've beaten the game, yes, but there is still much to do. It's got nearly an unlimited amount of replay value and despite having played for a potentially hygienically unsafe amount of time today, we are now immediately delving back into the multiplayer.
If we don't show up at work tomorrow, fellow Times staffers, don't say we didn't warn you.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
More multiplayer mayhem and campaign musings
Since you last heard from us we took some time off the campaign to play some more multiplayer. In the lobby screen before the team ranked games it shows how many people are playing online: about 22,000 when we were there. And that isn't counting people who are still playing through the story or playing various other online modes. I can't say it's too surprising considering that more people played multiplayer Halo 2 than any other multiplayer game on the Xbox Live service for nearly every month between when Halo 2 was released in November 2004 and when Gears of War was released in November 2006. The natural migration is to Halo 3.
After fighting against real people we jumped back into the campaign for another level. This was one of the longer levels and was a lot of fun. There were some epic battles that hopefully we'll be able to share here later in screenshot form. In this game every level has been entirely satisfying. You can tell that Bungie really put together all their experience from the previous two games and made the best single-player campaign they could.
In Halo and Halo 2 there were several single-player levels which were either forgettable or boring. The library level from the original Halo is infamous for this. So far in Halo 3 each level is as good as the best of the first two games -- in my opinion anyway.
In my conversation with Bungie's Brian Jarrard he said that Halo 3 is the pinnacle of their game-making achievements.
"For Halo 2, it wasn't exactly what we wanted to make," Jarrard said. They knew there were places for improvement, he said. They made those improvements in Halo 3, he said
The polish and the features really show here and I can't help but imagine how exciting it is for them to have people finally playing their game.
I'll reserve final judgment on the campaign until the end, but so far this has been fantastic.
After fighting against real people we jumped back into the campaign for another level. This was one of the longer levels and was a lot of fun. There were some epic battles that hopefully we'll be able to share here later in screenshot form. In this game every level has been entirely satisfying. You can tell that Bungie really put together all their experience from the previous two games and made the best single-player campaign they could.
In Halo and Halo 2 there were several single-player levels which were either forgettable or boring. The library level from the original Halo is infamous for this. So far in Halo 3 each level is as good as the best of the first two games -- in my opinion anyway.
In my conversation with Bungie's Brian Jarrard he said that Halo 3 is the pinnacle of their game-making achievements.
"For Halo 2, it wasn't exactly what we wanted to make," Jarrard said. They knew there were places for improvement, he said. They made those improvements in Halo 3, he said
The polish and the features really show here and I can't help but imagine how exciting it is for them to have people finally playing their game.
I'll reserve final judgment on the campaign until the end, but so far this has been fantastic.
(More than) Halfway home
After the death-fest that was our journey through the first level-and-a-half, I am proud to say that we've recovered in style. We are now five chapters through the game -- more than half of the nine in total -- and well on our way to meeting our goal of completing it today. Brian hit the nail on the head, saying the game feels incredibly cinematic. And maybe it's because I wasn't a big fan of Halo 2's single-player campaign, but everything we've come across so far feels so much more epic and varied than the previous entry in the series. We've still got a ways to go (and Brian's still gotta find a few more ways to "accidentally" kill me), though ...
That said, we're taking a break for a bit by mixing it up with some custom games and four-player co-op. My favorite part of the Halo series, other than the single-player, has always been the custom matches. This series has continually raised the bar for customizable options in-game, and this sequel continues that trend to an almost ridiculous degree. Bungie was quite generous, providing a whole host of pre-made game options, but with all the tweaks available and the all-new map-editing Forge mode, I feel like I've died and gone to heaven.
For example, one of the first custom games we played was a variant on rocket deathmatch in which gravity was lowered, ammo was infinite and everyone was invisible if they weren't firing. This lead to some pretty tense moments, as people weren't sure who was lurking around the corner. Or, rather, some rather hilarious moments, like when two players unintentionally collided in mid-air:
We'll probably play a bit more random games for a bit before heading back to the campaign. Hit us up with a game invite, if you're on!
That said, we're taking a break for a bit by mixing it up with some custom games and four-player co-op. My favorite part of the Halo series, other than the single-player, has always been the custom matches. This series has continually raised the bar for customizable options in-game, and this sequel continues that trend to an almost ridiculous degree. Bungie was quite generous, providing a whole host of pre-made game options, but with all the tweaks available and the all-new map-editing Forge mode, I feel like I've died and gone to heaven.
For example, one of the first custom games we played was a variant on rocket deathmatch in which gravity was lowered, ammo was infinite and everyone was invisible if they weren't firing. This lead to some pretty tense moments, as people weren't sure who was lurking around the corner. Or, rather, some rather hilarious moments, like when two players unintentionally collided in mid-air:
We'll probably play a bit more random games for a bit before heading back to the campaign. Hit us up with a game invite, if you're on!
Time to stop and admire the scenery
We just finished the third chapter -- about a third of the way through the game. We figured this would be a good time to check out the saved films and screenshot feature on Bungie.net. That screenshot above is from the first 10 minutes of the game. Does the scenery look familiar? Times columnist Brier Dudley would say so. Honestly it's a little difficult to stop and smell the roses when you're being shot at.
We died In retrospect that first level was a little rough. We did quite a bit of dying before we started to understand the enemy artificial intelligence. We're playing on Legendary, the hardest difficulty, and sometimes I forget that I'm playing against a machine and not some other human across the Internet. But if you are able to take down without being taken down the game has plenty of rewards.
New with Halo 3 is a cooperative scoring system that awards points for kills against the computer AI and subtracts points if you die or "accidentally" kill your teammate. Each player has his or her own score and the game keeps track of your totals for each level. You can check out my campaign history here and Nate's history here. As you can see I haven't been doing as well, but in my defense Nate has been stealing all my kills.
We have much more to talk about, but honestly, I want to get back to playing the game. We'll check back in a bit.
- Brian Alexander
First level complete: achievement unlocked
We just finished the first level on Legendary, and as Nate told you, it wasn't easy. It's going to be interesting to see how far we can get today, with all the dying and whatnot.
My impressions of the game so far are very favorable. The game is very cinematic -- a top notch production worthy of its seat as the biggest entertainment event of this year. We'll have more of these impressions later.
Completing the first level was my first achievement in the game. As you can probably tell by our Gamerscores (look to the right) we're achievement junkies. I think we'll be trying to get all 1,000 points out of this one ... eventually.
- Brian Alexander
My impressions of the game so far are very favorable. The game is very cinematic -- a top notch production worthy of its seat as the biggest entertainment event of this year. We'll have more of these impressions later.
Completing the first level was my first achievement in the game. As you can probably tell by our Gamerscores (look to the right) we're achievement junkies. I think we'll be trying to get all 1,000 points out of this one ... eventually.
- Brian Alexander
Legendary = actually, a bit tough
We're still in the middle of the first level here, but a few notes:
#1: Those Jackal snipers (remember them from the Earth levels of Halo 2?) are every bit as deadly as they used to be. Be prepared for some spotting-by-death tactics if you're going through on Legendary.
#2: While this isn't the best-looking game out there, it certainly is no slouch. The attention to detail and the small effects are quite stunning. For example, in a quick multiplayer match last night in Sandtrap, one of the new maps, you can even see wind kicking up sand if you look closely enough. The lighting in this first level is also pretty spectacular, with the sun blinding you momentarily as you come out of darkness. It's one of those games that doesn't "Wow!" you with the initial look, but everything is so consistently solid in both art direction and overall quality that it's hard not to be impressed.
#3: Similarly, though we're playing over the Xbox Live together, we've encountered zero lag. As veterans will attest, this makes tagging your buddy with a plasma grenade just that much easier.
#1: Those Jackal snipers (remember them from the Earth levels of Halo 2?) are every bit as deadly as they used to be. Be prepared for some spotting-by-death tactics if you're going through on Legendary.
#2: While this isn't the best-looking game out there, it certainly is no slouch. The attention to detail and the small effects are quite stunning. For example, in a quick multiplayer match last night in Sandtrap, one of the new maps, you can even see wind kicking up sand if you look closely enough. The lighting in this first level is also pretty spectacular, with the sun blinding you momentarily as you come out of darkness. It's one of those games that doesn't "Wow!" you with the initial look, but everything is so consistently solid in both art direction and overall quality that it's hard not to be impressed.
#3: Similarly, though we're playing over the Xbox Live together, we've encountered zero lag. As veterans will attest, this makes tagging your buddy with a plasma grenade just that much easier.
We are underway
... and he's already trying to kill me.
Fair warning
Since Brian's late, I thought I'd do my best PSA interpretation:
For those of you who bought the Limited Edition of the game (that's the $70 version with the extra disc), be aware that the packaging leave much to be desired. Almost every version that we saw last night had the same problem -- discs were loose and rattling around their cases. Quite a few were fairly scratched up at first and needed to be replaced -- it looks like the rumors are true. If you've got a Limited Edition waiting for you for pick-up today, be aware that you may want to open it up in-store before leaving.
- Nate Robinson
Breakfast of champions ...
... Tylenol and an energy drink.
I'm none too happy to be using up my biggest gun in the caffeine category so early. However, Brian and I typically work nights at the Times, so 8 a.m. is practically uncharted territory for us. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
And the Tylenol? Well, I'm not admitting to anything here, but there is a chance that visions of Master Chief and awaiting Halo shenanigans might've kept me awake, unable to sleep. There's also a slight chance that I evidently never grew up past the age of 12 and still lose sleep over video games, much like a child before Christmas morning.
- Nate Robinson
Nightcap -- be back soon
After taking the game for a quick test spin, we're calling it a night. Call us wimps if you like, but we just need our beauty rest before our marathon session tomorrow. We'll be back at around 8 a.m. to start the action in earnest, but here's a quick taste of our best moment in our short play time so far.
Believe it or not, what you have proof of here is actual honest-to-god teamwork in a 2v2 match. Brian, in the foreground, was setting the trap, using a deployable power drain -- a new feature in Halo 3. At the same time, I was flying quite acrobatically through the air behind our nemesis, ready to pounce on him once he landed on Brian. All in all, I was quite proud -- until our next match, that is ... /shudder
Here's the same moment from the opposite angle, behind me:
Again, you can check out all the action in not-quite-as-exciting Web form at my profile on Bungie's site right here.- Nate Robinson
Just kidding!
- Nate Robinson
Happy Halo day
- Nate Robinson
I'm outta here
They're selling copies like mad and I'm running out of steam. I might have a couple more posts left in me, but for now I need to go find my copy of Halo 3. Nate should have it... unless he took it and fled across the border.
- Brian Alexander
- Brian Alexander
First sale
- Brian Alexander
Monday, September 24, 2007
T-20 minutes
- Brian Alexander
The wait begins at Pacific Place
- Nate Robinson
A bus load of Bungies
In about 10 minutes 50 to 70 Bungie employees are expected to show up, and this already-crazy event might just explode. Brian Jarrard, Bungie’s director of franchise and community affairs, told me this as we avoided being run over by a Red Bull truck. It’s strange to see Red Bull here since Microsoft partnered with Mountain Dew to sell Game Fuel in the run-up to the Halo 3 launch. Maybe there will be a rumble.
Anyway.
Jarrard said the tough work on the game has been done for quite a while, and many Bungie guys and gals have been on vacation prior to the launch. But they’re back now, he said, and the team will continue working on its new projects in the coming weeks.
What are those projects, I asked.
Well, there’s the Peter Jackson Halo project – whatever that is - and downloadable content for Halo 3.
"It’s pretty safe to assume that there will be downloadable content for Halo 3," Jarrard said. Sounds like confirmation to me.
As for this event, Jarrard was here for Halo 2, but this is much bigger he says.
Time to get back to the line. Those Bungie employees should be here soon. Maybe one of them will tell me what that Peter Jackson project is all about ... probably not.
Oh, and here’s what the Bungie business cards look like (with my thumb over the personal information.) I guess when you can get hundreds of people to line up for your product you also get cool business cards.
- Brian Alexander
Anyway.
Jarrard said the tough work on the game has been done for quite a while, and many Bungie guys and gals have been on vacation prior to the launch. But they’re back now, he said, and the team will continue working on its new projects in the coming weeks.
What are those projects, I asked.
Well, there’s the Peter Jackson Halo project – whatever that is - and downloadable content for Halo 3.
"It’s pretty safe to assume that there will be downloadable content for Halo 3," Jarrard said. Sounds like confirmation to me.
As for this event, Jarrard was here for Halo 2, but this is much bigger he says.
Time to get back to the line. Those Bungie employees should be here soon. Maybe one of them will tell me what that Peter Jackson project is all about ... probably not.
Oh, and here’s what the Bungie business cards look like (with my thumb over the personal information.) I guess when you can get hundreds of people to line up for your product you also get cool business cards.
- Brian Alexander
Survival kit, complete.
While Brian's been out in the cold, I've been roughing it -- narrowing down the menu isn't as easy as I make it look. Two things of note:
1) Clear Eyes = The most essential part of any 24-hour gaming session.
2) The apples are my girlfriend's idea, not mine. She's still got this story on her mind, evidently, and fears the worst.
- Nate Robinson
Reporting from the end of the line
Jerry Blount, Rocky Mazzeo and Robert Williams just arrived here about 350 people deep in this quickly growing line. They were here for Halo 2 and said they were much closer to the entrance. They plan on playing all night tonight. "I'll be useless," Williams said of work tomorrow. It's getting late but the energy is high and more fans are arriving by the minute.
- Brian Alexander
- Brian Alexander
Master Chief has arrived
- Brian Alexander
What it takes to be first in line
Meet Michael Viesse and his father Larry – they’re the first two people in line at this event. They only had to get here at 4:30 p.m. … yesterday.
Michael, 15, is practically a celebrity here. When I snapped that photo he was being interviewed by the AP. He told me he hopes to get some prizes out of being first in line – maybe a Halo 3-themed Xbox 360. There seem to be plenty inside.
He says he already has a 360 – an Elite model – but his dad will need one now.
Microsoft PR tells me that Halo 3 is already out-pacing and out-selling Halo 2, with 1.7 million pre-orders and sales at last count.
Yike, I hear cheering from the line. I’d better go check it out. There’s a rumor that Bill Gates will show up later. He was here when the 360 was launched.
- Brian Alexander
Everything you need to know
We're about five hours away from getting our mitts on our copies of the game, but I thought it;d be good to give you guys an idea of what to expect over the next 24 hours or so.
Around 9 p.m. tonight, Brian will be heading down to the Best Buy in Bellevue, where Bungie and Microsoft will be present for one of their "official launches". That's supposedly when the festivities begin, and if you can't make it, he'll be your eyes and ears. I, on the other hand, will be at the ho-hum "regular" midnight launch at the EB Games in Pacific Place. Here's a list of other EB Games and Gamestop locations that will be open at midnight for you to get your Halo fix at the earliest possible moment.
Once the formalities are outta the way, we can start with the good stuff. With our copies in hand, we'll be live blogging all day Tuesday as we make our way through the campaign. For those of you who weren't quick-thinking enough (or too honest) to call in sick from work, feel free to tag along. We're hoping to beat the campaign - on Legendary difficulty, of course- playing together over Xbox Live, along with a hefty helping of multiplayer. We don't know exactly what's gonna happen, but you can expect a few things: 1) Stream of consciousness impressions, 2) Photos/video as we can put it together, and 3) Lots and lots of complaining from Brian after I've stuck him with yet another plasma grenade (who cares if we're on the same side, right?).
You can follow along the whole way, either by watching our profiles to the right - I'm "plaidtopia" and Brian's "writergamer" - or by visiting our pages on the newly-upgraded Bungie.net. We'll try to mark spoilers, as well, for those of you with delicate sensibilities.
And, in case you missed it, here's today's Seattle Times Halo-related content:
- Mark Rahner's review of the game
- A small video of some very handsome fellow handing Mr. Rahner a sound defeat during a preview match
- A look at Halo 3's impact on Microsoft as a company
- Brier Dudley's column today regarding an very familiar landmark in the new game
In the meantime, go ahead and let us know what your plans for the release are in the comments below. Are you skipping work/class/the rest of your adult life?
- Nate Robinson
Around 9 p.m. tonight, Brian will be heading down to the Best Buy in Bellevue, where Bungie and Microsoft will be present for one of their "official launches". That's supposedly when the festivities begin, and if you can't make it, he'll be your eyes and ears. I, on the other hand, will be at the ho-hum "regular" midnight launch at the EB Games in Pacific Place. Here's a list of other EB Games and Gamestop locations that will be open at midnight for you to get your Halo fix at the earliest possible moment.
Once the formalities are outta the way, we can start with the good stuff. With our copies in hand, we'll be live blogging all day Tuesday as we make our way through the campaign. For those of you who weren't quick-thinking enough (or too honest) to call in sick from work, feel free to tag along. We're hoping to beat the campaign - on Legendary difficulty, of course- playing together over Xbox Live, along with a hefty helping of multiplayer. We don't know exactly what's gonna happen, but you can expect a few things: 1) Stream of consciousness impressions, 2) Photos/video as we can put it together, and 3) Lots and lots of complaining from Brian after I've stuck him with yet another plasma grenade (who cares if we're on the same side, right?).
You can follow along the whole way, either by watching our profiles to the right - I'm "plaidtopia" and Brian's "writergamer" - or by visiting our pages on the newly-upgraded Bungie.net. We'll try to mark spoilers, as well, for those of you with delicate sensibilities.
And, in case you missed it, here's today's Seattle Times Halo-related content:
- Mark Rahner's review of the game
- A small video of some very handsome fellow handing Mr. Rahner a sound defeat during a preview match
- A look at Halo 3's impact on Microsoft as a company
- Brier Dudley's column today regarding an very familiar landmark in the new game
In the meantime, go ahead and let us know what your plans for the release are in the comments below. Are you skipping work/class/the rest of your adult life?
- Nate Robinson
Live from the lines!
"Halo 3" hits the street Tuesday at 12:01 midnight and Seattle Times' Brian Alexander and Nate Robinson will bring you all the action, live. Follow along right here as they play it out starting at 7 p.m. tonight.
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