StarDestroyer.Net BBS

To get the full story, we visited the offices of Gearbox Software in Plano, Texas, for an all-access look at the game PC owners have been dying to play for years. After spending a few hours playing it for ourselves, we're ready to forget all about the Xbox version: this feels like the platform Halo was always meant for, and could well contain the best combat seen in a first-person shooter, any game, any platform. Ever.

However, while my review also mentioned my personal frustration with using the Xbox gamepad, I never realized how much of a difference it would make until I actually got to play with a mouse and a keyboard. From a combat standpoint, it feels like a totally different game. No longer do you have to grapple with two analog sticks to snipe. No longer do you have to crank the control sensitivity to the highest setting and still find yourself swearing in frustration when Flood bio-forms attack from all sides. Sniping is now a joy (the pistol takes on a renewed life) and even the Gearbox guys looked on with an evil glee as I set up double and even triple kills of Grunts with the sniper rifle, with a swiftness I was never able to achieve on the Xbox with a gamepad.

Look, we know there are lots of people out there who are perfectly happy using the Xbox controller … and we're happy you're happy. But here at GameSpy, most of us were raised on Quake, and anything less than a mouse simply isn't good enough. So, Microsoft and Gearbox: thank you.

Sea Skimmer wrote:Now if they’d just get around to releasing it we might all get to know this ourselfs.

Hotfoot wrote:Plus Halo for PC is likely to be missing Co-op mode. Whoops!

Alyeska wrote:

Hotfoot wrote:Plus Halo for PC is likely to be missing Co-op mode. Whoops!

Umm, in order for that to be missing that would mean no multi player capability. I find that extremely unlikely. If your talking about playing split screen on a PC, well good luck finding anyone who even wants to play splitscreen on a PC.

There is one important feature of Halo currently in danger of not making the PC version: support for cooperative play. To get Internet play working properly for the PC, Gearbox had to rebuild Halo's networking architecture from the ground up -- completely separate from the single-player game. To add co-op support properly, it "would be a year of work for three engineers," says Pitchford, personnel they don't currently have, not to mention having the potential to break other parts of the game in the process.

So for now, Gearbox is looking for an alternative means of adding co-op support to Halo, something they can implement easily and won't run the risk of causing any bugs in the process. "It's high on our list," says Pitchford, "I wouldn't rule it out, but can't promise it."

Alyeska wrote:Another reason to fucking hate Microsoft for stealing Halo in the first place.

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Oh dear, guess it's HL2 and Doom 3 for me.

Ho, and indeed, hum.

DPDarkPrimus wrote:Banshee and Fuel Rod Gun in multiplayer?!?

I'm so owning this game. Owning this game, and everyone I play.

3rd Impact wrote:

DPDarkPrimus wrote:Banshee and Fuel Rod Gun in multiplayer?!?

I'm so owning this game. Owning this game, and everyone I play.

Not if someone gets a bead on you with the Warthog chaingun.

Another reason to fucking hate Microsoft for stealing Halo in the first place.