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Halo 2 Goes Gold
schmiddy writes "This just in -- Halo 2 has officially gone gold as of today. Bungie has confirmed the story with an announcement on their front page. Trailers and such available here ."
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I guess I'm the only who read this as H.L. 2 announced gold :)
won't have any time for the GF soon...
I just spent 5 minutes figuring out if Halo 2 will sold on Nov 9th for the PC Platform, and it's not. Looks like UT2K4 is still going to feed my additiction.
won't have any time for the GF soon...
GF, eh? I suppose you have a copy of Duke Nukem Forever as well?
A computer game has been released. The President isn't scheduled to comment on the momentous event...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Some people poll Slashdot a dozen times a day and expect a larger quanity of news, be it trivial or not.
So we can all argue about why it's being released on XBox, but not PC, extoll how much better it will be than D3, complain about the code not being OSS, point out miniscule contradictions in the screenshots, post mirrors, make jokes, argue about why it's being released on XBox, but not PC, extoll how much better it will be than D3, complain about the code not being OSS, point out miniscule contradictions in the screenshots, post mirrors, make jokes, argue about why it's being released on XBox, but not PC, extoll how much better it will be than D3, complain about the code not being OSS, point out miniscule contradictions in the screenshots, post mirrors, make jokes, bitch about dups, get off into some tangent about video cards, and make jokes.
You're new here, aren't you?
Any sufficiently well-organized Government is indistinguishable from bullshit.
I should preface this comment by saying it is very subjective and should be read as such. I'm making huge generalizations about entire platforms and I don't want to turn it into a debate but rather a discussion.
/endrant
From the first day, I've been given a horrible impression by all modern consoles. PS2, GC, and XBox. My issues is with their controller setups. I absolutely despise the concept of dual joystick and I think the XBox controllers are the worst yet. Many people would surely agree with me that they're oversized and poorly laid out. There are of course third party replacements.
This leads me to a conclusion that PC gaming is just "better" from a usability standpoint. In a PC FPS I get freelook with the mouse, and 5 individual buttons to map (at least on my mouse). On the left, I get movement and strafe as well as any other function I want to bind near those keys. The classic "Quake" layout. And I can change this layout at will. It is far more powerful and far more natural.
Beyond that, PC games have readily available multiplayer over the internet; the apex of multiplayer gaming. Console games are only just now getting this, and some of them are even subscription only.
In short, if I were to purchase Halo, I wouldn't touch the console. I'd get it for the PC. It's just a superior gaming experience. I don't see how the negligible (to me) convenience of plugging in a console and playing the game could at all be anywhere near the gaming experience you get on a PC with its infinitely customizable interface.
In short, if Halo 2 is available for PC (and Linux in my case), I would consider it. But as long as any game remains locked into a console with what is IMHO an inferior interface it won't be worth my time and money.
Tell me, anyone, what is the lure of console games? Is it merely the plug it in and go aspect? Why settle for an inferior user interface? Or am I missing something important here regarding the design of modern contollers? I did like the N64 controller as well as controllers like the Gravis Gamepad Pro. But dual-joystick just isn't a substitute for a mouse and keyboard for me.
You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
And there's a whole bunch of .wavs on the site if you go digging.
-T
Lure of console games?
1) Not having to wonder if you system can handle said game...it just works
2) Not having to upgrade your system to play said game...it just works
3) Not having to know your system inside and out.
It's gaming for the masses.
Controllers, I love the Xbox and GC controllers (PS2 can suck it) because of the placement of the dual analogs. Your argument "freelook with the mouse" is done with one analog, and the other is movement and strafe, just like any PC setup. Besides that, many games offer custom controller setups (Halo did) if you don't like the default.
The original Xbox controllers were big, they were big enough to be comfortable like a pillow in your hands after a few hours of gaming. Initially I thought they sucked as well, until I used one for a while and realized how well it was layed out.
It's hot in here..I forgot where I was going with this (if anywhere)
What is the etymology of this phrase? For games, it seems like it means that something is final, before shipping. For music, it seems that it has sold a certain number of copies.
I can already feel my fingers and wrists burning from the button mashing that will soon commence.
Carpal Tunnel here I come!
"Halo 2 is a lot like Halo 1, only it's Halo 1 on fire, ...
going 130 miles per hour through a hospital zone,
being chased by helicopters and ninjas
And, the ninjas are all on fire, too."
--Jason Jones
Bungie Studios
for more sweet ninja action, go for www.realultimate power.net
What you're failing to see, is that console games can be custom tailored to the respective game pad. The halo controls suit the xbox controller perfectly, there are exactly as many functions as their are buttons by design. Extreme customization isn't really required, since every function is mapped somewhere logical. But, you can remap the buttons if you wish.
This makes it easy for someone who hasn't played to just jump right in. The draw back is poor aim.
Other plusses for consoles:
-cheap hardware, don't have to upgrade regularly.
-no fooling around setting up games for you and 3 buddies.
-little fooling around for setting up games for you and 4+ of your buddies.
For these reasons and more(games etc),I've almost entirely ditched my pc for gaming purposes and moved to the xbox.
-Reid
I didn't finish the article, actually, the second paragraph discusses it.
Just give me a keyboard for the X-Box and I would be all set.
No I didnt spell check this post...
Um, have you seen an Xbox controller since the controller 'S' was released? Sure the first one was like holding a pumkpin, but the controller S is in no way too big. Secondly people play console games for several reasons. You don't have to upgrade consantly, some people actually like controllers better, you're not sitting in front of a computer, you can sit on the couch, it's more social and mutliplayer friendly, it's cheaper, games take better advantage of the hardware (for the most part), there aren't hardware/software compatibility issues (plug and play, as you mentioned), better quality control....the list goes on.
That being said, nobody in their right mind will argue that a KB/M combo doesn't offer the pontential for superior control and precision, but that doesn't mean everyone actually likes playing that way. I'd much rather sit on the couch with a controller in hand, looking at a 36 inch television, than having to move my arms all over the place in front of a 19 inch monitor in a chair. While my pc is perfectly capable of playing any of the newest games, i simply have no interest in playing that way, at all. A matter of preference, really. Consoles are just simpler way to play games, in general.
You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
There's a torrent for the final weekly update video that was just put out, covering the final weeks of development and release to manufacturing at the game studio, here: http://www.filerush.com/torrents/weeklyupdate_hire s-10-11-04.wmv.torrent
Latest development has been that a set of coordinates for payphones and times were decoded from the site, and people have been going to those payphones, picking them up when they ring, and speaking to "the operator".
Neat, kinda spooky, and coming to a head with the release today.
-T
Blue team has the flag.
Where did that grenade come from?
Red team-flag returned!
Game: Player 'Donald J Trump' now has AI skill level 'experimental'.
I don't want to start a holy war here, but what is the deal with you XBox fanatics? I've been sitting here at my freelance gig in front of a XBox (a 8600/300 w/mod chip) for about 20 minutes now while it attempts to copy a 17 Meg file from one folder on the hard drive to another folder. 20 minutes. At home, on my Pentium Pro 200 running NT 4, which by all standards should be a lot slower than this XBox, the same operation would take about 2 minutes. If that.
In addition, during this file transfer, Gotham Racing will not work. And everything else has ground to a halt. Even Tony Hawk Underground is straining to keep up as I type this.
I won't bore you with the laundry list of other problems that I've encountered while working on various XBoxes, but suffice it to say there have been many, not the least of which is I've never seen a XBox that has run faster than its Wintel counterpart, despite the XBox's faster chip architecture. My 486/66 with 8 megs of ram runs faster than this 300 mhz machine at times. From a productivity standpoint, I don't get how people can claim that the XBox is a superior machine.
XBox addicts, flame me if you'd like, but I'd rather hear some intelligent reasons why anyone would choose to use a XBox over other faster, cheaper, more stable systems.
That's 2 comments comparing it to watching TV, which is just wrongheaded.
There's a major difference. When watching TV, one focuses on the picture as a whole and every frame is not important. If I blink for an extra sec or rub my eyes, I don't miss anything.
In a game, one has to pay close attention to small subsections of the screen, focusing on individual sprites which may not be bigger than a few pixels if the object is far away. Blinking at the wrong moment or for a slightly extended period can be fatal.
In other words a much higher concentration level is required to play games. The easier it is on my eyes, the better. I spend 12+ hours per day in front of a monitor - my eyes don't need additional stress.
std::disclaimer<std::legalese> sig=new std::disclaimer; sig->dump(); delete sig;
There for a moment, I'd read the headline as Half-life 2 goes gold, got excited, and then wondered what Bungie or Microsoft had to do with it. Oh well.
/Still waiting for Duke Nukem...
The Kerry camp is claiming that Kerry's Halo record is more distinguished than George W. Bush's.
"Do you know what it's like to run down a 12 year old and shoot him in the back, Mr. President? I do!"
Yes, how dare they actually manufacture the disks for a game everyones been waiting for. What are they thinking?
Well- I like the fact that it is up here.
Because any time you see ANYTHING about Halo, it ends up in a 'This was a Mac game first' (Have you SEEN the original game, before it was ported to the Xbox? What a steaming pile THAT was...)
After the Mac people get involved, you've got the PC people, who will tell you how crappy the game is on the Xbox. It's better on a PC. Of course, it really isn't that good anyway, but the Xbox controller sucks compared to a keyboard and mouse. You should only play FPS on a PC.
Late in the game, the RPG fans will step in- they'll just tell you how crappy FPSs are. And how the levels are sooo repetitive. It's a brainless game, without any real depth.
Even with the detractors, the game still chugs on. This will be a huge seller. But I will NOT say that anyone will be proven wrong. The detractors will still have their opinions, and that won't change.
But when you give something this much attention, we start to wonder why you hate it so much...
No reason to lie.
then why is it on /.?
So we can all argue about why it's being released on XBox, but not PC, extoll how much better it will be than D3, complain about the code not being OSS, point out miniscule contradictions in the screenshots, post mirrors, make jokes, argue about why it's being released on XBox, but not PC, extoll how much better it will be than D3, complain about the code not being OSS, point out miniscule contradictions in the screenshots, post mirrors, make jokes, argue about why it's being released on XBox, but not PC, extoll how much better it will be than D3, complain about the code not being OSS, point out miniscule contradictions in the screenshots, post mirrors, make jokes, bitch about dups, get off into some tangent about video cards, and make jokes.
I've spent a long time trying to figure out why I dislike this argument. It never sat well with me. It took me months - but one day I went to a friend's house to play some RPGs and I realized why.
"Give us better weapons!"
"No."
"But the game won't be fun unless you do!"
You know, power isn't everything. Sometimes part of the fun is not being godlike. In PC FPS games, you're pretty much guaranteed to be able to snipe people, instantly, with a machine gun, from two hundred yards away. And you know, I don't care. It's not interesting.
In Halo, it's a lot tougher. "Fire for effect" becomes a reality. Sometimes you're not really trying to hit anything, because you can't, you're too far away - you're just trying to keep their heads down.
To me, a game isn't necessarily fun just because I can kill things more easily. It's fun because of the challenge. It's fun because of the story, or the coolness. I'm told they jacked up the difficulty when they moved Halo to the PC - is it more fun now? I mean, sure, you're more powerful. No argument. So are they. So why is it now "more fun"?
I'd agree that there's a level of frustration when you just can't make the controls do what you want. But I didn't encounter that in Halo. You can snipe easily, if you have a sniper weapon. You can aim if you put a little time and work into it. It's far above the frustration point - so what's the issue?
Compare Starcraft and Total Annihilation. In almost every way, Total Annihilation's interface was far superior. You could select an unlimited number of units. You could queue up any commands, up to and including construction commands (yes, that's right - thirty seconds of clicking and you've got fifteen minutes of construction set up.) Does this mean TA is a better game?
No, of course not.
A game is a good game if people enjoy it. That is necessary and sufficient. Deer Hunter is a good game - for its target audience, it fills the exact need. Halo is a good game.
Breaking Into the Industry - A development log about starting a game studio.
It's easy for me.
On the PC I played a lot of FPS, and a few RTS. I didn't like anything else. I'd sit there with headphones on, staring at the screen, and not talking to anyone.
On a console I play a lot of other types of games- platformers, 3rd person shooters (different beast than an FPS) sports, driving, flying, etc.
Try playing Burnout 3 on a PC. First of all- it doesn't exist. Secondly, driving games such big time on a PC, unless you buy a wheel. I had a racing wheel, and I still didn't really like it.
My Xbox controller has some really nice force-feedback. That can add so much to a game that you don't get with a keyboard and mouse.
4 people can all play together on one console. That's far, far, far more fun than playing online on a PC. I can ALSO play online- and when I do, I can voice chat with everyone else in the game. Oh...and they can't cheat.
I bought Sims 2 for my daughter about a week ago. Of COURSE I had to upgrade her computer to make it run well. So that $40 game ended up costing me about $150- and a trip to the computer store.
No reason to lie.
Wrong. The Mac. And let it go.
... they tend to get better with time.
Even if it's 3 year old underspec'ed piece of shit, talented devs now know the platform so well they structure the game engine around it and manage to squeeze every bit of perfomance out of it (without worrying about compatibility).
With PCs you gotta aim at the average PC specs, cause there is no incentive coding features that only a minority are gonna enjoy now (the only benefit you get from wasting $2000 on a top of the line PC is a slightly higher framerate and higher resolution... how exciting). By the time the current top of the line PC hardware becomes the standard, the target will have moved already.
And once the next gen consoles come out, PC will have "fall behind" once again.
But as every true gamer knows, what really matters is how fun the games are.
I completely agree with you. I still find myself playing co-op missions or against each other in TS or CTF. Its one of those games that just rocks in every aspect and never gets old, whether you're playing by yourself or against people.
I'm sure just about everyone on slashdot knows and agrees with this, but I would highly recommend XBConnect to everyone who owns an XBox and PC (Aquaduct for Mac users). It tricks your Xbox into thinking players around the world are on your LAN so you can play against them in halo system link mode (or a range of other games). Its similar to XBox Live but free.
Absolutely correct. Bungie had Halo on the Mac running well enough to do demo mode at MacWorld Expo. Then MS bought Bungie, shelved the Mac version, and had them port to XBox. The XBox version came out first, then the PC version, then finally MS got around to releasing the Mac version. Nice company, that MS.
You can use a mouse and keyboard on your PS2 or Xbox with the SmartJoy Frag. A video of it in action
as if my GPA wasn't in enough danger with Counter-Strike Source released. oh, and also started dating someone.
;)
yes, you read that correctly, i'm a disgrace to all slashdotters
I just heard the free track from the new soundtrack for Halo 2 and it sounds pretty cool. Download here.
*cough* lousy player *cough*
Seriously, since when did "sniping" mean "stopping in the middle of battle and firing off a shot in half a second"? You can snipe someone in five or six seconds, if they're not moving all that fast - three seconds or so if they're not moving at all. Even that is horribly unrealistic compared to reality, but, hey.
If they're dodging, of course, you have basically no chance of sniping them unless you get really lucky. Which is how it should be.
Breaking Into the Industry - A development log about starting a game studio.
Consolse exclusive games (may also be on PC):
Ninja Gaiden, Halo 1, Halo 2, Morrowind (and GOTY edition),
Star Wars KOTOR (and part 2), Fable, Crimson Skies, Doom 3 (soon)
as well as getting the Splinter Cell games out earler than other systems.
Compare that to PS2 (or two soon) which has the GTA series first, and the Final Fantasy / RPGs and I'd say the xbox has "quality games."
Winner of The Second Annual Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence.
"Fire for effect" becomes a reality.
Don't use military terms you don't understand. "Fire for effect" means you EXPECT to hit the target (that would be the "effect"). It's not the same as "suppressing fire"
Ninja Gaiden, Rallisport Challenge 2, Amped 2, Crimson Skies, Halo 2, Chronicles of Riddick, Project Gotham Racing 2, Mechassault series, Forza Motorsport, Jade Empire, Links 2004, Rainbow Six 3/Black Arrow (different than on PC), Moto GP2...