Halo PC

[Pablo Sanchez]

Just got it a couple of days ago. Overall, a good game: pretty graphics, fun multiplay, etc. My only major problem with the game is that the Flood suck.

I'm getting sick of enemies that run and jump at the player (it's like the developer is desperately saying "see, scary! come on, please be scared!"), and almost as sick of zombies. The only video games that Zombies belong in any more are survival horror games, like Resident Evil and potentially Doom 3. But what I'm really, really sick of is when these zombies come by the dozen.

Here's a helpful hint, game developers: if you have to send an enemy in waves of fifty against the player character in order to make him feel challenged, then you're doing something wrong. Look at how good games treat the enemies. In RTCW three or four enemies can be troublesome. Jedi Outcast gradually and smoothly increases the power of the enemies instead of their numbers to match your force growth, so that you only have a couple of cases when the enemy comes in great force.

It would be alright if the Flood were the only enemy that sucked, or if they were only used for a couple of set-piece encounters. But no, the whole second half of the game is just a traipse through waves of zombies and headcrab ripoffs with your actual and interesting enemies thrown in every once in a while, for flavor.

It's good that the multiplayer is kickass, because otherwise I would be angry at Bungie for wasting my $50.

[Hamel]

Serious Sam is all about the numbers. Minimum 3000 monsters are thrown at you in the Grand Cathedral level. Thing is, the engine can handle a ton of entities on screen without as much of a slowdown as you would get from a crappy game like... say Halo.

[Sir Sirius]

After all the noise about HALO and all the fanatical HALO fans I've encountered in the net I was really expecting something special, something new or innovative or anything to justify the reputation of HALO, after all this game has been hailed as the best X-Box game out there, and what do I get? A dime in a dozen FPS with goofy looking enemies, standard issue Sci-fi weapons and not a whole lot more. HALO PC has been a rather massive dissapointment for me, not because the game is that bad, it's not, but because I had my hopes quite high after all the fuss over HALO. Blech... <Begins the uninstallation process>

[neoolong]

Halo SP is only good for a couple of run throughs. Sure the levels are fairly large, but they are repetitive and the enemies are rather uninspired.

In the whole game you have something like 12 enemies: grunts, elites, jackals, hunters, sentinels, banshees, tanks, ghosts, flood type 1, flood type 2, headcrabs, and ambulatory wombs.

The story is fairly engaging and is not totally just running around killing things with no plot.

Halo MP is what makes it up for me. Especially with vehicles adding in an extra dimension to most FPS MPs.

[Alyeska]

After all the noise about HALO and all the fanatical HALO fans I've encountered in the net I was really expecting something special, something new or innovative or anything to justify the reputation of HALO, after all this game has been hailed as the best X-Box game out there, and what do I get? A dime in a dozen FPS with goofy looking enemies, standard issue Sci-fi weapons and not a whole lot more. HALO PC has been a rather massive dissapointment for me, not because the game is that bad, it's not, but because I had my hopes quite high after all the fuss over HALO. Blech... <Begins the uninstallation process>

You expected something new and innovative from a two year old game? Serves you right.

[neoolong]

The goodness of Halo comes from its multiplayer.

In terms of SP, I found Jedi Academy funner.

[DPDarkPrimus]

Co-op "single" player = teh rule.

Oh yeah, that's right... you can't do that on PC, can you?

[neoolong]

Co-op "single" player = teh rule.

Oh yeah, that's right... you can't do that on PC, can you?

Just wait until the expansion pack.

[MKSheppard]

You expected something new and innovative from a two year old game? Serves you right.

HALO was hyped up by the fanwhores as being the greatest thing, and now
that people who don't own an X-Box are playing it, the reviews are: "it sucks"

[Darth Wong]

You expected something new and innovative from a two year old game? Serves you right.

HALO was hyped up by the fanwhores as being the greatest thing, and now
that people who don't own an X-Box are playing it, the reviews are: "it sucks"

It's a resource hog and it's vastly overrated, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it sucks. It's still cool in its own way, but it's certainly no standout when compared to PC shooters.

[neoolong]

You expected something new and innovative from a two year old game? Serves you right.

HALO was hyped up by the fanwhores as being the greatest thing, and now
that people who don't own an X-Box are playing it, the reviews are: "it sucks"

It's a resource hog and it's vastly overrated, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it sucks. It's still cool in its own way, but it's certainly no standout when compared to PC shooters.

You ever get the MP over LAN to work?

[His Divine Shadow]

Just got it a couple of days ago. Overall, a good game: pretty graphics, fun multiplay, etc. My only major problem with the game is that the Flood suck.

I'm getting sick of enemies that run and jump at the player (it's like the developer is desperately saying "see, scary! come on, please be scared!"), and almost as sick of zombies. The only video games that Zombies belong in any more are survival horror games, like Resident Evil and potentially Doom 3. But what I'm really, really sick of is when these zombies come by the dozen.

Here's a helpful hint, game developers: if you have to send an enemy in waves of fifty against the player character in order to make him feel challenged, then you're doing something wrong. Look at how good games treat the enemies. In RTCW three or four enemies can be troublesome. Jedi Outcast gradually and smoothly increases the power of the enemies instead of their numbers to match your force growth, so that you only have a couple of cases when the enemy comes in great force.

It would be alright if the Flood were the only enemy that sucked, or if they were only used for a couple of set-piece encounters. But no, the whole second half of the game is just a traipse through waves of zombies and headcrab ripoffs with your actual and interesting enemies thrown in every once in a while, for flavor.

It's good that the multiplayer is kickass, because otherwise I would be angry at Bungie for wasting my $50.

I agree, though the later flood-zombie fuckers where helluva tough tho, the infested marines.
Still, the best part was fighting the covenant, the game really had something special I thought, a certain "feel" to it.

[Kuja]

I played through the co-op campaign with a friend on his Xbox, and I genuinely liked the game. The idea of the MC going up against not one, not two, but THREE varieties of enemies (Covenant, Flood, and GuiltySpark's Sentinals), each with their own reason for coming after you (Jihad, food, betrayal) was incredible.

The levels were a bit repetitive, but the ever-increasing tempo of the story, and the very cool times when we walked in on Covanent/Flood battles kept them from getting boring.

I also like the way Halo handled weaponry. Instead of carrying ten weapons with a dozen clips for each, you only carry two plus some grenades. And this is sufficient firepower! Done very well. The addition of vehicles to the game is another bonus, especially the Scorpion (here, hunter hunter hunter...BANGhehehe) and they add more variety.

But the best part of the game is the final level. The idea of getting out of the PoA within a time limit is pretty original for a FPS, and ends the game far better than fighting some massive boss would.

And of course, the multiplayer is insanity itself.


My end feelings: Halo isn't really the be-all, end-all some people make it out to be, but it is a solid game, and I did enjoy it.

[neoolong]

I don't think you get to use the tank enough.

[Kuja]

I don't think you get to use the tank enough.

AGREED! I love using the Scorp in multiplayer:

Hello, Dan! BANG!

Hello, Laura! BANG!

Hello, Dave! CRUNCH!

Muwhahahahha...

[Hotfoot]

But the best part of the game is the final level. The idea of getting out of the PoA within a time limit is pretty original for a FPS, and ends the game far better than fighting some massive boss would.

Getting the heck out of Dodge under a time limit is original for a FPS? Dunno, things like that crop up all over the place. It may be fitting to the game, and much more fun and interesting than a final boss fight (which I don't like on priniciple), but it's a minor quibble.

I've only played the demo and some MP with some friends, however. I'd get the full version, but I'm holding out for either a big price drop or co-op on PC, and preferably both.

[Utsanomiko]

But the best part of the game is the final level. The idea of getting out of the PoA within a time limit is pretty original for a FPS, and ends the game far better than fighting some massive boss would.

Getting the heck out of Dodge under a time limit is original for a FPS? Dunno, things like that crop up all over the place. It may be fitting to the game, and much more fun and interesting than a final boss fight (which I don't like on priniciple), but it's a minor quibble.

It was done quite a bit in Goldeneye, at the least. I can't recall any other examples, but it cetaintly sounds like a common FPS level goal.

[Companion Cube]

Medal of Honour: Allied Assault had a 'Get the hell out of Dodge' section for it's final level, but I prefer speeding along the back of the Pillar of Autumn in a Warthog.

[Kuja]

Getting the heck out of Dodge under a time limit is original for a FPS? Dunno, things like that crop up all over the place. It may be fitting to the game, and much more fun and interesting than a final boss fight (which I don't like on priniciple), but it's a minor quibble.

It was done quite a bit in Goldeneye, at the least. I can't recall any other examples, but it cetaintly sounds like a common FPS level goal.

That's my point: it can be a LEVEL goal, but how often is it the FINAL goal? Maybe sometimes, but usually the ending to a game involves some massive creature or mastermind. I'm glad Halo didn't.

[Hotfoot]

Getting the heck out of Dodge under a time limit is original for a FPS? Dunno, things like that crop up all over the place. It may be fitting to the game, and much more fun and interesting than a final boss fight (which I don't like on priniciple), but it's a minor quibble.

It was done quite a bit in Goldeneye, at the least. I can't recall any other examples, but it cetaintly sounds like a common FPS level goal.

That's my point: it can be a LEVEL goal, but how often is it the FINAL goal? Maybe sometimes, but usually the ending to a game involves some massive creature or mastermind. I'm glad Halo didn't.

Well, commonly the Final Boss fight sets off the "Load Bearing Boss" clause to set up those situations, but in Heavy Gear 2 (which is arguably a FPS/Mecha Sim), the final level was very similar. It's certainly not common though, you're right there.

[Uraniun235]

I like final boss fights with gargantuan ungainly beasts.

Like the Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind from Doom. Those were badass.

[neoolong]

Medal of Honour: Allied Assault had a 'Get the hell out of Dodge' section for it's final level, but I prefer speeding along the back of the Pillar of Autumn in a Warthog.

I think it would have been funner if there had been a driver and your job was to fire the machine gun and keep the enemy away long enough to get out.

[Embracer Of Darkness]

Medal of Honour: Allied Assault had a 'Get the hell out of Dodge' section for it's final level, but I prefer speeding along the back of the Pillar of Autumn in a Warthog.

I think it would have been funner if there had been a driver and your job was to fire the machine gun and keep the enemy away long enough to get out.

The obvious problem with this, is that the Halo AI can't drive.

Waiting for Halo 2 though.

[neoolong]

Medal of Honour: Allied Assault had a 'Get the hell out of Dodge' section for it's final level, but I prefer speeding along the back of the Pillar of Autumn in a Warthog.

I think it would have been funner if there had been a driver and your job was to fire the machine gun and keep the enemy away long enough to get out.

The obvious problem with this, is that the Halo AI can't drive.

Waiting for Halo 2 though.

When were they driving?

[mauldooku]

Getting the heck out of Dodge under a time limit is original for a FPS? Dunno, things like that crop up all over the place. It may be fitting to the game, and much more fun and interesting than a final boss fight (which I don't like on priniciple), but it's a minor quibble.

It was done quite a bit in Goldeneye, at the least. I can't recall any other examples, but it cetaintly sounds like a common FPS level goal.

That's my point: it can be a LEVEL goal, but how often is it the FINAL goal? Maybe sometimes, but usually the ending to a game involves some massive creature or mastermind. I'm glad Halo didn't.

Metroid, anyone?