Halo 2 Real-Time Trailer Spreads Round Net

Ever since the Microsoft press conference at the outset of E3, various audience-filmed videos of the Halo 2 demo showcased there have been circulating, but we've been waiting for more stable mirrors before posting. So, you can find the full trailer at IGN.com if you're a subscriber, and they have freely downloadable smaller excerpts. Thanks also to Tim Grube for pointing out this 85mb MPG Halo 2 for Xbox trailer, courtesy Gaming Horizon. Finally, and most usefully, there's now a 39mb WMV BitTorrent of the trailer up at Gametab News.

Comments

FPS on consoles

[svenjob]

I'd be hard-pressed to find something more frustrating than trying to play a first-person shooter on a console. I'd compare it to being stuck in a sleeping bag.

Re:FPS on consoles

[His Nastiness]

Modding parent as a troll seems over the top. In any case I feel the same way and with Halo coming out on the PC in September the keyboard/mouse-faithful will get to play the greatest game ever (IMO). There is a case to be made for controllers however. If force-feedback was standardized on the PC then I would probably never buy a console game save for exclusive titles. Ocasionally, though, even though the movement, etc is more awkward with a controller I like the tactile response to my actions in game. I bought the Nostromo force feedback mouse on deep discount at CompUSA and the only title I ever used it with was Jedi Outcast. And while the f.f. was cool the mouse itself was shaped like a hockey puck. I just wish someone would come out with a mouse with ergonomic design and f.f. that was as solid as that in the XBox controller. That and games to support it.

Re:FPS on consoles

[moankey]

This reminds me of a friend that started playing Wolfenstein and Doom on keyboard only.
When Duke comes out I convince him to give the mouse keyboard combo a try. At first he wasnt familiar with it and thought it awkward. I believe his comment was the same as yours that keyboard only will prevail as the mouse made the character rather uncontrollable.

Re:FPS on consoles

[SmallFurryCreature]

mmm, the problem is actually very simple with rumbling mouse. If the mouse shakes so does the input. Do you really want extra shaking introduced in youre controlls? Game pads don't have this problem as the ones I ever used had only off-on controlls anyway.

Note however that there is a difference between rumble packs and force feedback. The first just introduce a bit of shaking to simulate the FEELING of driving over gravel, force feedback tries to simulate the EFFECT of driving over gravel.

So a rumble-pack shakes the wheel as you drive. A force feedback wheel will turn the wheel forcing you to fight against the controls, just like a real car. I think a very real difference.

The X-box controller has a rumble-pack. There is no force feedback affecting the controls.

Try putting force-feedback into a mouse has been tried, and the results so far are disappointing.

Re:FPS on consoles

[Baron_911]

If only you could adjust the analog sensetivity to extreme levels. Im a twitch FPS player, and taking more that a few micro-seconds to do a 180 is unacceptable!

Re:FPS on consoles

[0divide]

I completely agree. Interestingly enough, Phantasy Star Online came with a coupon for a free USB adaptor for use with a keyboard, ostensibly for chatting and stuff on XBox Live. I am hoping that developers will "come back" to the keyboard/mouse paradigm...I guess the thinking is that some folks won't want to put the keyboard on their coffee table, won't have room for the mouse, etc.

But I think people who are actually gonna use a keyboard and mouse with the console aren't going to have a problem with it.

I actually was at E3 this morning (first time, I was pretty impressed, I will admit) and saw the Halo 2 demo. It was amazing...

the real trick is finding TIME for all these games...

Re:FPS on consoles

[ManxStef]

Have you tried a Logitech iFeel mouse? Just wondering, 'cause I think their implementation's pretty good, and the effect doesn't make the cursor move at all. Worked well with Black and White and Half Life/Counterstrike (but the "always on" for the desktop option sucked) :)

Re:FPS on consoles

[MBraynard]

You might think that, and I did at first, but with Halo and a few other FPSs I have tried on the Xbox, it's not that bad, and in some ways it's an improvement. The major area of improvement is in player versus player, because it levels the playing field from the super twitch players and requires more tactics than twitch to be sucessful.

More mirrors

[Mighty LoPan]

This site has some mirrors not mentioned above. There are several different versions - but they're all just people in the crowd recording the same Halo 2 video. http://halo2.ninjasonfire.com/movies/halo2_e3_2003 _demo.aspx

Re:More mirrors

[Mighty LoPan]

This site has some mirrors not mentioned above. There are several different versions - but they're all just people in the crowd recording the same Halo 2 video.

Still only x-box

[SmallFurryCreature]

Whatever happend to halo for the pc?

Of course with Doom3, half-life 2 and deus-ex 2 I already have more then enough games lined up but does anyone know if they are still going to do Halo for the pc?

Re:Still only x-box

[His Nastiness]

September. Same single palyer, multiplayer with a few more maps. And control better suited to mouse/keyboard.

Re:Still only x-box

[InShadows]

according to most of the gaming sites halo for the pc is supposed to come out 9/14/03. link

Re:Still only x-box

[Gogo Dodo]

See this other /. thread on Preview of Halo for PC

If that ain't the sweetest

[patrick_jones]

If that ain't the sweetest darn thing I ever have seen! It was very impressive, to me, especially the graphics, although on the copy I saw it was rather hard to tell the difference between in-game and FMV. Maybe that just shows how good it is.
They have whole scenes where you are the gunner on the back of a vehicle, speeding through the streets shooting at Covenant tanks and running over aliens.
There is this bit where Master Chief leaps on the front of a Covenant Ghost and pulls the driver off the back. It was like watching a movie. If the game plays like it looks like it does, then it will be amazing.
And it has lots of plasma explosions, and those look cool. So it can't fail.

Re:If that ain't the sweetest

[BigBir3d]

If that ain't the sweetest darn thing I ever have seen! It was very impressive, to me, especially the graphics, although on the copy I saw it was rather hard to tell the difference between in-game and FMV. Maybe that just shows how good it is.

I said the same thing about Metroid for the GameCube. In the next year, that should become the standard expectation.

And it has lots of plasma explosions, and those look cool. So it can't fail.

lol. It can't fail for other reasons, namingly a lack of good quality interesting games for the XBOX.

Re:If that ain't the sweetest

[Anonymous Coward]

What you also have to remember is that there is no FMV in Halo, it was all driven by the "game engine", so to speak. Halo 2 is no different, from what Bungie are saying and I see no reason why it couldn't be.

Of particular note on the videos is the lack of in level loading that dogged Halo is some areas and the whole, generally smoothness of the thing... God damn, I cannot wait!!

Re:If that ain't the sweetest

[Pfhor]

Uh, there is no pre-rendered graphics in the game for the cut scenes, the "Full Motion Video" that you talk about, is still rendered in game, in the Halo engine. Not pre rendered mpeg4 movie playback or something like that.

Needs a bit more updating

[moankey]

I saw the trailer first and thought Halo2 was the best game at E3.
This was before I saw Half Life 2, which shows how Halo 2 is years behind what the developers of HL2 have accomplished.

Re:Needs a bit more updating

[vandenh]

Not really. HL2 and Halo 2 have different aims. Halo 2 wants to recreate a believable battlefield and does that better then anything else and HL2 wants to create a believable world. Both games have incredible AI and physics but use them in different ways. I am sure you would like use that swinning beam in Halo 2 but it would make sense to do this in H2 (of course as games evolve all this will be included in *any* game). The battlefield and immersion of the Halo 2 battle is stunning.... the HL2 physics and AI is stunning too... both games are about the same level on average but both games have areas that are better then the other. Don't judge so easily without thinking or explaining your opinion.

Re:Needs a bit more updating

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, considerign one is being made for an Xbox (fixed hardware platfrom) and the other with for a PC (and they regularly shoot for optimizing performance on hardware that doesn't even exist yet - i.e. "next-gen" processors & graphics cards), then it makes sense that Half-Life2 would look better than Halo2, but then that's just common sense :-P

Re:Needs a bit more updating

[pommaq]

Looking at the Halo 2 demo it looked like an enjoyable romp. However, the textures, geometry and general feeling looked almost identical to Halo 1, but with a lot more scripting. I was very impressed with the work that had gone into the scene, but it hardly looked revolutionary to me. More like the logical next step. The HL2 videos on the other hand, absolutely blew me away. Sure, it was also heavily scripted. But the facial expressions of the characters, the positively stunning art direction (that sequence by the bridge? oh man!) the creepiness and the sheer creativity of it all gave me goose bumps. So; I'm not holding my breath for Halo2. It just looks like more of the same: shoot aliens, watch cutscene, shoot aliens from warthog, watch cutscene. Etc. But HL2 looks absolutely incredible. (these are all personal opinions, of course. but my main point is that halo2 seemed to lack innovation, and tried to make up for it in scripting.)

and when does it come out?

[dougnaka]

never? 2004, 2005? previews of tomorrows technology are cool, but what's with microsoft and the xbox crowd acting like halo 2 is almost here... I saw one poll over a month ago where people actually voted halo 2 the best game on the xbox... Seriously, it's not a game on the xbox...

But, that hasn't stopped either party before.. From Microsoft's lies about the xbox's polygon performance, to their bull about the advantages of having to pay to play games you already bought online..

Re:and when does it come out?

[cabra771]

But, that hasn't stopped either party before.. From Microsoft's lies about the xbox's polygon performance, to their bull about the advantages of having to pay to play games you already bought online..

Oh, Heavens to Betsy!!! You mean a console maker would actually have the nerve to exagerate their specs!?!? Never!! That's a bad, bad Microsoft!
A nice upstanding company like Sony, for instance, would never do anything like this. Much less make people pay to play games online...wait a minute...

Halo 2

[alcharn]

Halo 2 is definitely creative and as good as the first. But when compared to other games, is it technologically behind??