Halo for PC!!!!!!!

[Monster]

PC Halo Highlight in MS E3 Lineup
http://www.megagames.com/news/html/c...e3lineup.shtml
May 9, 2003

Experience PC Combat Evolved in 'Halo'

The PC edition of Halo is an enhanced version of the
critically acclaimed Xbox launch title. Named 2001’s Game of
the Year by Electronic Gaming Monthly, IGN.com and the
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Halo makes its
highly anticipated move to the PC, through the work of
developers Bungie Studios and Gearbox Software LLC.

Now optimized for mouse and keyboard, Halo delivers a rich
sci-fi experience set against an intense battle to save the
human race from extinction. Armed with new multiplayer
maps, weapons and vehicles, Halo brings the battle online in
a variety of individual and team-based multiplayer games. Halo
will be available for the PC late this summer.

=======================================

this is awsome i may have to check it out on my pc..

[MooglePorn]

*cough*overrated*cough*

[1138]

Originally posted by MooglePorn
*cough*overrated*cough*

Says the guy who loves Time Splitters 2...

[Reaver]

That's cool. You should be enjoy it around the same time the rest of us are playing Halo 2 on Xbox, jamming across Xbox Live in huge battles with voice. Yeah, have fun.

[MooglePorn]

Originally posted by 1138
Says the guy who loves Time Splitters 2...

Exactly:p

[BrainofJ]

That's cool. You should be enjoy it around the same time the rest of us are playing Halo 2 on Xbox, jamming across Xbox Live in huge battles with voice. Yeah, have fun.

And you figure that how? Halo 2 isn't coming out till 2004. Halo for PC is coming out by the end of the summer.


I can't wait to play Halo online!

[DVDriven]

Originally posted by BrainofJ

I can't wait to play Halo online!

Same here. The preview in the latest CGW magazine promises quite a few enhancements over the XBOX version, and the K&M support should make for more frenetic gameplay.

[Enzian]

Man, the reasons to buy an XBox are dwindling. That only leaves Mechassault.

I heard that Halo on the XBox is nowhere near as good as other FPS games on the PC.

Any dual-system gamers want to agree or disagree?

[Reaver]

Originally posted by Enzian
Man, the reasons to buy an XBox are dwindling. That only leaves Mechassault.

I disagree. The Xbox has plenty of games to keep me coming back, both already out (Panzer Dragoon, JSRF, DOAXBV, GunValkyrie) and coming up (Fable, Halo 2, Psychonaughts, Voodoo Vince, Brute Force).

I heard that Halo on the XBox is nowhere near as good as other FPS games on the PC.

Any dual-system gamers want to agree or disagree?

It's all a matter of taste. Halo is great, but so are some PC FPS's. All depends on what you want, what you like. I had just as much fun with Halo as I did with Half-Life and Deus Ex.

[DVDriven]

Originally posted by Enzian
Man, the reasons to buy an XBox are dwindling. That only leaves Mechassault.

I heard that Halo on the XBox is nowhere near as good as other FPS games on the PC.

On the PC gaming forums I frequent, it's been a tough sell. There's still a lingering elitist stance when discussing PCs vs. consoles, although a couple of them are considering the XBOX for Halo 2 and/or Fable, but not much else. Some of us did convince this one parent to go with a Gamecube, but only because his kid was ~7. I hate making generalizations, but the hardcore PC bunch would rather wait however long for games like GTA:VC to make it to the PC (and deal with configuration issues), rather than spring for the PS2 version. Then there are those who already own the PS2 version, but will spring for the one on the PC because of customizations. As for the PC gamers who are considering an XBOX, the biggest hurdle is their spouses. Springing $150 for a used console is a tougher sell to the wife than a $400 video card; go figure.

[Ruined]

Originally posted by Enzian
Man, the reasons to buy an XBox are dwindling. That only leaves Mechassault.

I heard that Halo on the XBox is nowhere near as good as other FPS games on the PC.

Any dual-system gamers want to agree or disagree?

XBOX Live alone is enough to buy XBOX. PC online gaming just can't stand up to it in terms of structure and technology for obvious reasons.

But that aside, there are a ton of other great games on XBOX, which I can list if you really want me to - and before you listen to what you've 'heard,' try actually playing the games! I'm a hardcore PC gamer and personally I think Halo holds the crown of best FPS of all time, followed by Half Life, Quake 1, and Doom.

And, for the record, I'd rather sit on my couch and play Halo with a controller on my 50" TV and realtime 5.1 sound than sit in front of my computer desk and play halo on my monitor with stereo sound.

[IKEA_boy]

Originally posted by Enzian
I heard that Halo on the XBox is nowhere near as good as other FPS games on the PC.

I think it's a matter of what the game was originally designed for. Halo, (I assume,) was designed around the Xbox controller. Unless Halo PC is totally revamped in terms of control I can't see it winning too many awards. Although I can't claim to be an FPS expert as, in general, I dislike the genre.

[MooglePorn]

Despite having a decent PC I never play PC games... I find them annoying. Configuration, errors, blah blah blah... no thank you. I remember a funny quote from EGM, which I will now rip off and put here...

Letter: "Whill you please review Warcraft 3 for the PC! I love your reviews but you never review PC games!"

EGM: "We tried to review Warcraft 3, but it gave us a diagnostic error on line 23 of the protocol, and by the time we gave a fuck to fix it, deadline had passed. Try again next month."

That's pretty much how I feel, so HALO coming to PC really does not anger me. I also preffer the dual analog controller set-up to keyboard and mouse, it just feels better to me. Oh, and what Ruined said about TV and sound as well... I'm just a console fanboy I guess.

[BrainofJ]

I think it's a matter of what the game was originally designed for. Halo, (I assume,) was designed around the Xbox controller. Unless Halo PC is totally revamped in terms of control I can't see it winning too many awards. Although I can't claim to be an FPS expert as, in general, I dislike the genre.

Yeah they are redoing the controls to optimize them for the PC(keyboard and mouse) set up. Should make it even better.

[1138]

Well, I'm PC first and foremost. With a good PC, you can play it on your 50" TV with 5.1 surround sound or on your computer with 4.0 sound and much higher resolutions. And I like that PC games can often be much more complicated and in depth than most console games.

That said, I don't think consoles suck. I love my Xbox and there's some great games on it. Saying that Halo coming to the PC makes buying an Xbox less desirable doesn't make much sense to me. GTA3 is on the PC too. Doe sthat make a PS2 less desirable?

And I don't buy the Halo is crap compared to PC FPS. It's a good FPS shooter, period. Doesn't matter what system it's on. Though I find it hard to debate that anything can beat the mouse/keyboard combo for control. Mayn companies tried for several years to invent something and failed horribly. It hasn't been done yet, if ever.

And the EGM thing is just petty bitterness IMO. What, they've never encountered a console bug that completely kills the game? I have, and I don't play console games as much as many.

Anyway, if they add enough new stuff to the PC version of Halo, I'll probably give it a try. A better Halo sounds very fun indeed.

[brian]

Originally posted by 1138
GTA3 is on the PC too. Doe sthat make a PS2 less desirable?

I'm sure it does. For me at least, between having an xbox, GC, and a decent PC to play games on (and a bunch of older consoles)-- I don't see the point in buying a ps2 right now -- in my situation. I barely have time to play the games I have now -- that buying a PS2 really wouldnt increase my gaming -- it would just spread it out. I'd imagine if people out there had a Gamecube, PS2, and a PC, having Halo on the PC would reduce their desire for an xbox, just as having GTA3 on the PC reduces my desire for the PS2. I just don't need the extra console, though i wouldn't mind playing a few of the top rated games on the ps2.

[Ruined]

Originally posted by 1138
Well, I'm PC first and foremost. With a good PC, you can play it on your 50" TV with 5.1 surround sound or on your computer with 4.0 sound and much higher resolutions. And I like that PC games can often be much more complicated and in depth than most console games.

I already tried that. It either involves a mess of extension cables, or having a PC in my home theater room, either one of which I don't want to happen.

Plus, there is still the problem of control. I don't want to sit on my couch with a keyboard and mouse/trackball. I want to use a controller. Being that most PC games are designed for the mouse/keyboard setup, if you use a controller instead it will either not work all that well or put you at a disadvantage in the game or against other people. With the XBOX, I can play with a controller and it works perfectly for FPS games because they were tweaked to work with a controller - plus, I'm not put at a disadvantage in multiplayer because everyone must use a controller.

[DVDriven]

Originally posted by Ruined

PC online gaming just can't stand up to it in terms of structure and technology for obvious reasons.

Please elaborate.

[incubus0]

As a long time PC gamer and short time Xbox user, in my humble opinion, HALO is the best single player FPS ever made. This is coming from someone that much prefers a keyboard and mouse to a controller any day.

The first time I played it was with a friend in co-op mode. We went for about 8-10 hours straight, then to bed, woke up, got some coffee, then played another 8-10 hours and finished it in 2 days. I've since played alone and it's still amazing.

From the vehicles to the interiors, and even the way the game starts out, it's amazing. The balance of the level design is well done, with an interior mission followed by a vehicle mission etc...,

I'd been reading about for around 3 years before the game came out, and had built up my expectations pretty high. It didn't disappoint. The only marks against the game itself are a little repetition in the levels, and not enough areas with you as part of a force instead of a lone warrior. When you get to work with other troops, either slipping around for an ambush or just getting your crew in a good firing position, it's the most enjoyable for me.

If it was released on the PC with multiplayer support it would have been an even bigger hit, but as is it still kicks ass.

As far as FPS multiplayer games go, I still haven't found anything that beats the original TRIBES. Great all around game.

[BrainofJ]

Good article on the PC version of Halo. Looks like things are coming along very nicely.

http://www.gamespy.com/previews/may0...pc/index.shtml


Their could be a prequel mission pack in the future for Halo if it sells well

Sounds good, gamespy said the online multiplayers was awesome.

[Ruined]

Originally posted by DVDriven
Please elaborate.

Since PC game manufacturers don't have to adhere to any standard for their online game components, there is no centralized service that links together every PC online title. While there are programs like Gamespy that let you find others playing the same games you are, it is only with certain games, and the technology pales in comparison to XBOX Live. Since every game maker who puts online technology into an XBOX game must adhere to a standard which involves centralized universal friends lists between all Live games, cross-game invites, centralized billing, voicechat a required peripheral/standardized implementation for every game, and unique Gamertags, the XBOX Live gaming experience is entirely plausible and commonplace:

You are currently playing Unreal, and want to play with your friend Bob. While in the middle of deathmatch, you press start, go to your friends list, and look for Bob - you see on the friends list he is currently playing Phantasy Star Online. You then send Bob an invite to your game. Bob then sees an invitation icon pop up on his screen. He can then go to his friends list and accept your invite. Once he does so, the XBOX prompts him for his Unreal disc, then once he inserts him it warps him into your game. You can then both freely voicechat since it is a requirement for XBOX Live games to support voicechat, and you must buy an XBOX Communicator in order to signup for XBOX Live.

On a PC, you probably would have to call Bob on the phone if you wanted to get his attention, since he's probably playing his game in fullscreen... Even if he had an instant messenger program, he likely wouldn't see it as he would be in-game. Not to mention that you must then instruct Bob over email, IM, or phone exactly how to get to your Unreal game, what the server name is, and he must then go search for it. Once he is actually in game, you might as well stay on the phone since the majority of PC online gamers do not have voicechat capabilities, simply because most PC online games do not support or promote voicechat, and you can play online with PC without needing to buy a headset as with XBOX.

So, in conclusion, the advantages brought on by the standards of XBOX Live are:

A) Centralized friends list for extremely easy cross-game invites that your friends will actually notice immediately, and ease of joining your friends game, even if you are playing an entirely different game.

B) Voicechat support in every game, plus the requirement that XBOX Live owners purchase a headset in order to signup for XBOX Live, which means most XBOX Live gamers will use voicechat.

C) If someone cheats and you report their gamertag, and they are banned, they are not only banned from that game, but the entire XBOX Live service. In addition, they cannot come back with another new identity unless they purchase another $50 starter kit.

D) Centralized billing for all MMORPGs or other premium content. Whenever you signup for a game that requires a monthly fee, it goes through Microsoft, and you can simply call 1-800-4MYXBOX to cancel. This makes cancelling MMO's much easier, and doesn't force you to continue typing in your CC# over and over again.

A PC obviously could technically handle any of these features, but due to the lack of standards in online components of PC games, none of them are feasible.

[DVDriven]

I appreciate the explanation, Ruined.

Seeing as E3 kicks off in a couple of days and details on Halo PC will be firmer, maybe the most pressing question on PC gamers minds to be answered is: will it have co-op mode? As it is, some PC gamers I've conversed with have expressed no interest in acquiring the PC version if co-op mode is not implemented, and would rather wait for Breed. Ahh, the waiting game.....

[BrainofJ]

will it have co-op mode?

Well in the article that I posted a link too, it clearly states that as of now there will be no Co-op mode. Gearbox said they might put one in if they have time but I would doubt it.