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Halo 2 Feb 9th Speculation

bongo69 writes "It would seem Bungie is at it again. If you complete HALO 2 on legendary the credits display the message "Coming February 9th". What could this mean? Could this be a new HALO game announcement, perhaps for Xbox 2, or just some downloadable content?"

103 comments

  1. Site seems slow Text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Halo 3 In 2005?!
    Yes, with the release of Halo 2 comes the Halo 3 release date and how fast it's coming will suprise even you. *WARNING - SPOILERS INSIDE*

    *PLEASE NOTE THAT SPOILERS ARE CONTAINED INSIDE THIS ARTICLE FROM HALO 2 (most notably the legendary ending)*

    After beating Halo 2 on legendary, at first you may seem disappointed. There's no different ending, no extras to be seen, and no true unlockables (the level you unlock can also be unlocked on Heroic). Yet, if you pay close enough attention to the credits, you may find what will be an important easter egg that'll blow you're mind... On the bottom of the credits, at the very end, you'll find an interesting tid-bit of information... "Coming February 9th". Now, what could this mean?

    This may mean a 2005 release date, but with just 3 months left this seems doubtful (but definitely in the realms of possibility). This is more likely a release date for 2006.

    Other possibilities include that February 9th could be the official announcement of Bungie's next project or the first wave of downloadable content for Halo 2. Bungie has expressed that Halo 3 will not be its next project yet this released date does leave some speculation...

    Also, more hints of a sequel come from the Halo 2 soundtrack, titled "Vol. 1". You would expect another volume to come out but with all the music from Halo 2 already on the disc this hints at the Halo 3 soundtrack.

    Will Halo 3 come out in a mere 3 months, or possibly another year? What does the date mean, is Halo 3 finally here? One thing is for sure, the only way you'll know is on February 9th, when something special from Bungie is sure to come.

    1. Re:Site seems slow Text by keeleysam · · Score: 1

      he posted anonymously, so it isnt going to help his karma

      --
      Nothing for you to see here, Please move along.
    2. Re:Site seems slow Text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your attempt at becoming modded up are pathetic, but the sad thing is it will probably work.

      Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I've seen Anonymous Coward get modded down once or twice too...

      Sheesh.

    3. Re:Site seems slow Text by KDR_11k · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If that means 2005 it's definitely downloadable content. erhaps they're trying to get more people on Live by delivering an essentially incomplete game that allows you to download the rest from Live (maybe even for a fee). Might convince a few more people to get Live. Other games might have come under fire for being incomplete but the H2 reviews still gave perfect scores so it seems to work for them.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    4. Re:Site seems slow Text by mpr · · Score: 1

      Yet, if you pay close enough attention to the credits, you may find what will be an important easter egg that'll blow you're mind... On the bottom of the credits, at the very end, you'll find an interesting tid-bit of information... "Coming February 9th".

      The text "Coming February 9th" isn't exactly mind blowing is it!? What an anti-climax.

    5. Re:Site seems slow Text by PKPerson · · Score: 0, Troll

      there are several possibilities: A) Release date feb 9, 2005. Shitty thrown together game (We've seen Microsoft do it with other products) B) Release date feb 9, 2006. We all know it will be several months later than expected. C) Refering to some other MS product, Longhorn? D) Some off insignificant add-in or DLable content. I'm suprissed this made it on to /.

    6. Re:Site seems slow Text by BlueCodeWarrior · · Score: 1

      A) Release date feb 9, 2005. Shitty thrown together game

      Maybe they pulled a Matrix and did both games at the same time, and thats why it took so long to get Halo 2 out the door?

      Imagine what a coup that would be...nobody leaked the secret!

      Maybe it's "Halo 2.5," that finishes the story (I haven't played it yet, but I'm told there's a clifhanger ending that doesn't really resolve anything). Maybe this will be downloadable instead of a new game.

    7. Re:Site seems slow Text by ksiddique · · Score: 2, Funny

      The text "Coming February 9th" isn't exactly mind blowing is it!? What an anti-climax.

      The act of "Coming February 9th" is definitely mind blowing, isn't it? What a climax!

    8. Re:Site seems slow Text by SkyWalk423 · · Score: 1

      Come on mods, parent is funny!

    9. Re:Site seems slow Text by AlexMax2742 · · Score: 1

      There are no plans for single player DLC, and there have been no decided-on schedule for DLC yet.

      And with your defenition, almost every other PC game is "incomplete' because of Downloadable Content.

      --
      I'm the guy with the unpopular opinion
  2. Coming Feb 9th by FluffyPanda · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's quite clearly the date of the planned Bungie staff outing to Amsterdam's red light district...

    *waves goodbye to dignity and karma*

  3. Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 4, Interesting

    God!! Let's face it. Halo 2 was the most hyped game the world has ever seen.
    Never before has so much bulls*it, been spread around so such, for such a long time, by so many, for so little.

    Not that Halo 2 wasn't an alright game. I thought it was quite good, except for the getting lost bits. Nonetheless, the sheer amount of Hype surrounding it could never have been matched by ANY game. I wrote a journal entry about this. Time to plug it. To sum it up, console patriotism, is bad m'kay.

    First ILOVEBEES, now this. It would be better if Halo 2/3 just appeared in a puff of smoke and people enjoyed it for what it is, A Good game, rather than be dissappointed when the game fails to live up to the unmatchable hype.

    --
    May the Maths Be with you!
    1. Re:Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I could do with a little less Halo garbage here on Slashdot, too. It's as bad as the politics section. I mean, if it were at least out for PC, that might be interesting. But who cares about some game that is only playable on a single platform - and the Evil Platform at that?

    2. Re:Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by McKinney83 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Halo 2 didn't have an entire movie made just to hype it up; unlike Super Mario Brothers 3.

      --
      Winner of The Second Annual Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence.
    3. Re:Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by prator · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You seem to be talking about two different things here. What does console patriotism have to do with Halo 2 hype?

      I agree that console patriotism is a complete waste of time. It is just like any other flame war fodder (vi vs. emacs, etc.), but I doubt that it is going to stop. People just like to take sides, I guess.

      As far as Halo 2 hype goes, companies hype their big products and fans of those products go apeshit while waiting for the product to come out. I don't see that changing either.

      IMHO, I think that Halo 2 has done a pretty good job of living up to the hype. I could care less about the story. I'm only in it for the multiplayer. They need to do some work on the Live stuff, but I've been having a lot of fun playing.

      -prator

    4. Re:Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by WWWWolf · · Score: 1

      (Note to the moderators and my psychiatrist: the following is obviously not 100% serious.)

      It's a conspiracy, I tell you! A conspiracy!

      Now they have apparently figured out that they cannot change my opinion on what console system is the best. Also, even when Microsoft is huge, they can't use Electronic Arts' technique of Producing Lot Of Crap That Dumb People Will Buy. They aren't that rich and recognized.

      Instead, they are relying to the same technique the spammers are using. Spammers destroyed E-mail's usability. Now, Microsoft is tring to flood every single game media source with Hype, Hype and Hype for their games, trying to leave less space for news about games for the Good Systems.

      The Enemies can take away the market share. (no matter how much it sells, crap is still crap, and people with any quality consciousness will use the Good Systems.) They can take away all media space. (Most game journalism is junk anyway.) But they shall nevaarrrrrr take away our obsession with the One True Console Manufacture.

      And now I'm going to play M****** P**** so that I can finish it before the sequel comes out.

      (And a serious note to the end: I agree, Halo 2 hype is completely out of hands. Even most of the Good Console fans are quite rational compared to these people. =)

    5. Re:Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by Paladine97 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Can you believe how he found the warp whistle on his first play-through?? Man that was amazing!!!!!

    6. Re:Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by SilentChris · · Score: 1

      Perhaps because absolutely 0.00% of the mainstream players agree with your sentiment that there's an "Evil Platform". Me and my cohorts were out there November 8th in the bitter cold, waiting for the game to come out. We had fun, and are still having fun to this day.

    7. Re:Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by Zeromous · · Score: 1

      The difference of course being, that SMB3 had a lot to hype:

      -New suits (new fundamental gameplay additions, departure from Mario 2)
      -More levels (gah!)
      -Largest cart for its time
      -jawdropping graphics for its time
      -Minigames
      -8 new bosses

      I could go on...

      Halo2 is just more of Halo1. More FPS on rails. Display hallway texture/Repeat, ad nauseum.

      I'm so sick of halo, and I actually enjoyed the first one.

      --
      ---Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A START
    8. Re:Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by DownloadTHIS · · Score: 1

      Evil platform? I think it's a good thing to support the Xbox, because unlike Windows, the Xbox is actually a good product, and if we encourage them in that feild while discouraging their badly flawed operating system, they may actually realize they're onto something by making their product of decent quality. (Yes, you did just read a Linux user promoting a Microsoft product.)

    9. Re:Console Patriotism is bad m'kay by hsteck_ylf · · Score: 1

      If Halo 2 was a disappointment to you, then that is your own problem. I absolutely loved it and think that it was worth "all the hype"...

      --
      If you are expecting something here, I don't know what to tell you...
  4. Undoubtedly by Phixxr · · Score: 1
    It's the second coming of Christ... Or the birthday of the Bungie-Microsoft love-child.

    Or, just another annoying marketing technique developed by Bungie.

    -phixxr

    --
    ungggghhhh
  5. Probably not Halo 3... by Headcase88 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Considering they had to delay Halo 2, it's a bit unlikely Halo 3 will come out Feb 9th 2005. Also, I think they set up a cliffhanger on purpose; to help XBox 2 sales. If it launches with Xbox 2, it's unlikely to come at any Feb 9th because consoles typically launch during Christmas. I'd say this is either an announcement for the next game, or maybe just a very large XBox Live Halo 2 tournament set up by Bungie.

    --
    "When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
    1. Re:Probably not Halo 3... by Undefined+Parameter · · Score: 2, Informative

      Correction: Halo 2 was never delayed. Any release date(s) you read about before the November 9 release date was set was pulled out of someone's ass. Nov. 9 was the only release date given by Bungie or Microsoft for Halo 2, and that's a fact, jack.

      ~UP

      --
      Eat the Path.
    2. Re:Probably not Halo 3... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Could be either official announcement of Phoenix (from what I heard, a mech-based game), or just when the first downloadable maps are available for multiplayer.

      I'm betting on the multiplayer maps - we all know they're coming, and the timeline would be right.

    3. Re:Probably not Halo 3... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Nov. 9 was the only release date given by Bungie or Microsoft for Halo 2, and that's a fact, jack.
      Microsoft begs to differ
    4. Re:Probably not Halo 3... by Undefined+Parameter · · Score: 1

      I'm afraid I must correct you; the press release you mentioned does, in fact, state that Halo 2 was expected to be released in the first quarter of 2004. What is missing is the information that this was the first financial quarter, which lasts from October through December (roughly)--thereby including November 9. As this press release was targeted to the financial press, one assumes that the author(s) of the release merely omitted the word "financial" as a matter of convenience.

      (Also notice that there was no release date, only a range of three months, sometime during which Halo 2 was going to ship.)

      ~UP

      --
      Eat the Path.
  6. Screenshots by Locky · · Score: 0

    I'm going to need undoctored screenshots to even begin to believe this, not that I care at all about Halo 2, I personally think it to be a poor man's UT2004.

    But the credits in Halo 2 are not rendered in real-time, they're a Bink Video file, and there is only ONE credits file on the Disc. I think this wishful thinking by people who were simply dissapointed with what was essentially, Halo 1.5

    1. Re:Screenshots by DrSkwid · · Score: 4, Funny


      You could always try finishing it on Legendary.

      or are you poor man's game player ?

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    2. Re:Screenshots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm easier to convince - I'll except it if I see doctored screen shots.

  7. Whatever it is, it's not a release date by T.Hobbes · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Bungie dosen't do release dates, they put software out 'when it's done'. Feb. 9th has got to be something else, if it's anything

    1. Re:Whatever it is, it's not a release date by centauri · · Score: 1

      What was November 9th, if not a release date? Perhaps they do have something done for February 9th, and they're releasing it then.

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Durga.
  8. Unlock the ending now? or ilivebees? by endrek · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Maybe there is content in Halo2 that will be unlocked then? Anyone try setting theri xbox system date to feb 10 2005 and beating it again? or possibly its something ilovebees.com related?

    1. Re:Unlock the ending now? or ilivebees? by Chyeld · · Score: 1

      The Halo 2 team swore up and down that while I Love Bees was interesting, they had finished the game before it had started and therefore no ILB content would be in game.

      However, having said that, I wouldn't mind running into Jan, Durga, Jersey, Rani, or Kamal in game, so I'll cross my fingers too.

  9. Love this sort of speculation by Dusabre · · Score: 2, Interesting

    An end screen says February 9... so they speculate it means Halo 3 February 9 2006. Except no game company ever gives such an exact date years in advance. They know that deadlines slip and change.

    Another bit of "evidence" is the Halo 2 soundtrack being labelled vol. 1. Which means that Halo 3 is coming out because there has to be a vol. 2 which has to have Halo 3 music. I could poke holes in that but I think you'll do fine by yourselves.

    Oh yeah, Tupac is coming back in 2003, exactly 7 years after his death.

    February 9 could mean additional content for Halo 2 in 2005 or could mean a wonderful new game coming out then...

    1. Re:Love this sort of speculation by meta-monkey · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I find it interesting that people even speculate on whether or not there will be a Halo 3. Of course there will be ...Halo 3 is a license to print money.

      I think the most likely meaning of the "coming february 9th" bit is the announcement of Halo 3 for the Xbox 2. Winning the console wars means getting more of your boxes in people's homes than the other guys, so there's got to be a hook that makes you say "I have to have an Xbox 2!!" What could be better for them than the sequel to the most pre-ordered game of all time?

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    2. Re:Love this sort of speculation by Merzanth · · Score: 1

      Those who say that "Volume 2" has to be Halo 3 music are wrong. As posted on the front page of Nile Rogers (www.nilerogers.com, he helped Marty O'Donnell with the soundtrack), Volume 2 contains more of the music from Halo 2 and just hasn't been released yet (the official name of the soundtrack is "Halo 2 Original Soundtrack Volume 2"). Why they didn't release them both at the same time is beyond me, but Volume 2 is definitely music from Halo 2 and not some as-of-yet-unannounced Halo 3 title.

    3. Re:Love this sort of speculation by blincoln · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Which means that Halo 3 is coming out because there has to be a vol. 2 which has to have Halo 3 music.

      The article said the same thing, but it doesn't make any sense at all. Why would the soundtrack release progression be:

      Halo soundtrack
      Halo 2 soundtrack - volume one
      Halo 2 soundtrack - volume two: Halo 3

      ?

      It's a Chewbacca defence.

      I think February 9th makes the most sense as the date for downloadable/OXM demo disc content for Halo 2, most notably the final section of the game on Earth that was originally planned (Bungie staff mention it on the bonus DVD included with the Collector's Edition).

      Finishing that chapter of the story still leaves a major cliffhanger that can lead into Halo 3 (no spoilers for people who haven't played through), lets MS keep their original release date for the game while allowing Bungie time to finish that level or levels, and brings more money to MS in the form of Live subscriptions and/or OXM sales.

      --
      "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
    4. Re:Love this sort of speculation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think people are questioning that there is going to be a Halo3.

      Most people are just questioning if Bungie is going to do it. In their other game series, they passed the torch to other developers for the third game (Marathon), and they've already said they didn't really plan on making a third Halo.

      Plus, they are apparently looking at resurrecting Phoenix, a mech-based game (similar to Mech Assault I would guess).

      That said, I don't think Microsoft has a problem with getting at least two more sequels out for Xbox Next.

    5. Re:Love this sort of speculation by WebScud · · Score: 0

      Halo: Combat Evolved Original Soundtrack Halo 2 Original Soundtrack, Volume 1 Could it be....Halo 2, Volume 2? Why would Volume 2 (if there ever is one) be to Halo 3? I'm sure the 9th is just the second sountrack, and new maps and stuff. More markeing hype.

    6. Re:Love this sort of speculation by penguin_asylum · · Score: 1

      Microsoft has not even announced an Xbox 2 for any time soon, let alone next year...

  10. 2/9 by Flunitrazepam · · Score: 1

    Great, that was going to be my first day back to work thanks to WoW, EQ2, and Halo 2....

    --
    1) Your analysis is based on bad assumptions so your result is way off. 2) You're a sick bastard for fucking a horse.
  11. Feb 9th is Mid-week by slot32 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Feb 9 2005 = Wednesday
    Feb 9 2006 = Thursday
    Feb 9 2007 = Friday

    Most likely a Friday... Nothing gets released MIDWEEK!!!! LOL

    Wow... Can't wait!!!! Roll on 2007!!!!

    1. Re:Feb 9th is Mid-week by Alzheimers · · Score: 1

      Except it seems that a Bungie-ism (there are tons, like using the numbers 3 and 7) is to release on a Tuesday. When's the next time 2/9 is on a Tuesday?

      Or, the connection could be that 2/9 is exactly *3* months from 11/9, Halo 2's release date. Bungieisms within Bungieisms!

    2. Re:Feb 9th is Mid-week by CaptMonkeyDLuffy · · Score: 2, Funny

      And two minus nine is what? Seven.

      The tru7h is out there...

    3. Re:Feb 9th is Mid-week by Mister+Cookies · · Score: 1

      Eh, that's not even a Bungie-ism...I'll say 90% of both games and DVD/VHS movies release on Tuesdays. In the US, anyhow.

    4. Re:Feb 9th is Mid-week by dykofone · · Score: 4, Funny
      Nah man, you just stumbled on the secret:

      Feb 9 2005 = Wednesday
      Feb 9 2006 = Thursday
      Feb 9 2007 = Friday

      As in "Bungie put a date at the end of the credits. WTF?"

    5. Re:Feb 9th is Mid-week by KevinKnSC · · Score: 1

      Music, too. I remember hearing it explained as a way for new records to get the most sales possible before "the charts" were compiled, so that a new album could get a better rating.

    6. Re:Feb 9th is Mid-week by Alzheimers · · Score: 1

      And two minus nine is what? Seven.

      Negative seven, at least in the Integer set.

    7. Re:Feb 9th is Mid-week by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nothing gets released mid-week except video games, CDs, and DVDs! Nothing!

    8. Re:Feb 9th is Mid-week by uhlume · · Score: 1

      Right. That's why Half Life 2 isn't being released tomorrow.

      --
      SIERRA TANGO FOXTROT UNIFORM
  12. Re: by nmec · · Score: 1

    Sounds like someone at bungie's been spending too many late nights on John Titor

  13. Halo 3: Fight Against Mozilla by Gunsmithy · · Score: 1

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_9

    Feb 9, 2004 - Mozilla Firefox: Browser renamed from Firebird to Firefox

    --
    Kids these days. They don't know the difference between classic, and just plain old.
  14. Birthday by toolio · · Score: 1

    It must be because it's my Birthday.

    25 * 10^-2 centuries young

  15. no here by rpillala · · Score: 1

    Halo Source

    Ravi
    --
    When the axe came to the forest, the trees said, "Look out - the handle was once one of us."
  16. Watch the Making Of... by Pfhor · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Documentary, and you will see that they had a complete story arc. (and for those who haven't beaten the game, don't keep reading this). Originally they were going to fight on earth, go back to a halo, and then go back to earth to resolve the game. Thats it, bing, nothing, no Halo 3.

    Instead, they ran out of time, they were pushing in so many different directions, that they just had to simplify things. So I would not be surprised if they cut the last two levels from the game, since they were not finished, only to plan on releasing them 4 months later, which would be plenty of time to finish the levels themselves, now that the engine was complete.

    It could also just be the planned release of new multiplayer maps.

    All halo 2 needs is about two more maps to wrap things up, maybe three so it doesn't feel rushed. But I am glad it ended how it did, because each level felt finished and polished, and I would have rather that had, instead of the Halo 1 "10 minute race to the end" that felt like it was made up just to fill space.

    1. Re:Watch the Making Of... by rowanxmas · · Score: 1

      speaking of maps, does anyone have a link to a good overview of the multiplayer maps? I would really like to find one so I can learn the levels better.

    2. Re:Watch the Making Of... by Asmor · · Score: 1

      I agree that I wouldn't want to see it again, because it was largely enjoyable because of its uniqueness and surprise, but that race through the exploding pillar of autumn is one of -the best- video game moment I've ever experienced.

  17. Seriously People, this one's easy by kosamae · · Score: 1

    Okay, so think about it. How long was Halo 2 delayed? What exactly do you think they were doing the whole time- optimizing the cutscenes?

    I think they were working on a sequel to be released shortly after Halo 2, maybe Halo 2 vol. 2 or something like that.

    I mean think about the Matrix sequels, those got a little delayed, and then released just a few months apart because of the cliffhanger ending. Bungie's probably just doing the same thing.

    Alternate theory is that they still didn't have enough time, but Microsoft was putting the pressure on for a pre-christmas/pre-xbox2 release date, so they gave us what they had finished now, and are giving us the rest in 3 months.

  18. Halo 2 Ending by Alaryss · · Score: 1

    I'm an anti-microsoft person so I don't own an X-Box or Halo. However, everone that has beat Halo 2 tells me that the ending is Master Chief getting all hyped up for the final battle followed by the credits rolling. I'm assuming that the date displayed is when the update containing the final mission(s) will be available on Live.

    1. Re:Halo 2 Ending by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amen to this. Stop the speculation. Get real. WTF? Who really believes they'd release a full fledged game without any real hype, on Feb. 9th? Several new missions via XBox Live makes the most sense. Maybe we'll get some more multiplayer maps too. Wahoo!

    2. Re:Halo 2 Ending by reedmon29 · · Score: 1

      Not to mention everyone who bought Halo 2 would be extremely pissed when they're expected to lay down another $50 for Halo 3 just to finish the plot, only 3 months after buying Halo 2. I'd be pissed too. I like the idea of new missions. They might be "Premium Content", but releasing a whole new game only 3 months later is insane... which game would you play on XBox Live? Would there be a difference between the two? They'd both use the same engine etc, so if Halo 3 had more vehicles and stuff for multiplayer, it would just be a back-stab to all the people who bought Halo 2 before then.

    3. Re:Halo 2 Ending by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Final missions released as XBox Live Premium Content? That would piss me off! Can you imagine going to see a movie where the movie was cut off at the half way point only to be told: "Come back in a few months for the ending and bring your bank card cause we're gonna charge you again"?

      Oh wait a minute... Star Wars, Back to the Future 2, Matrix 2... Never mind.

      But seriously if the remainder of the game was only available on Xbox Live wouldn't that be the equivalent of false advertising? Halo 2 was not advertised as an online game (yes it was advertised as a game with an online component, but that is different.)

      So we may get hit for the cost of the game, which is fair, hit for the cost of live, which you'd think would be optional (I can't use the two month trail without losing my game tag since I already have an account that I am paying for monthly), and then possibly hit for the cost of premium content. To be honest I was less annoyed when I thought the game was just a long Xbox 2 promo.

  19. Halo hype was a college-dorm-carpet-roots movement by superultra · · Score: 2, Insightful

    OMF, you're wrong about Halo being hyped merely because it was on the Xbox. I helped manage an EB when the Xbox and Halo were released. At first, sure, there was this sense of Xbox zeitgeist. But Halo - and the Xbox - did so well because it was the first time many people had a PC LAN experience without having a PC or a LAN party. If the "hype" had nothing to do with the game, than Oddworld would have done much better. Microsoft was pushing it as much as they were Halo, if not more. The mascot for the XBox has become Master Chief, but if you look at the original marketing, it was the Oddworld guy. In fact, the only hype Halo had was bad hype. Nearly all the magazines trashed what they'd seen of Halo the E3 before its release and complained of poor framerates and unresponsive controls. The press fully expected Halo to bomb, and Microsoft adjusted their campaign accordingly. That it did so well surprised everyone but Bungie.

    And might I add that this is not one-sided. I love all games, from all systems. I am no Xbox Patriot. Yet, you have no f***ing idea how many times I heard from the Sony rep and PS2 patriots how great Killzone was going to be, how it was going to be the "Halo-Killer." Well, if you want an example of not living up to the hype, there it is. If you wanted to rant against video game hype, why not examine one where the game wasn't good? Like Enter the Matrix, or Driver 3? Halo 1 and 2 aren't such great case studies because they're actually great games.

    Halo 2 might have hype, but the original Halo hype was entirely generated from the ground up, by college guys who just spend an entire weekend without sleep playing blood gulch and capture the flag. It was hyped by people, not a marketing machine.

    That certainly can't be said of Halo 2, I'll admit. But I find that the people who don't appreciate the original Halo here on slashdot tend to be PC people who've had some experience with LAN parties. Remember your first time, in Unreal with the head shot, or Doom with the shotgun blast, or if you're oldskool enough, ROTT with the boost jump? Well, that was Halo for most people. Halo didn't do it first, but it certainly brought to more people than most PC games have ever done and it deserves something for that.

    So step down from the high horse. Advertising for good games like Halo only helps us OMF. Every new person that enjoys a good, solid video game like Halo 2 is one more wallet for the industry to pull money from, and a better chance of all of us getting a great game in the future. Advertising and hyping bad games is what you should really be ranting about, and there's plenty to choose from there.

  20. My guess by dfj225 · · Score: 1

    My guess would be is that it will be episodic content delievered over Live and perhaps on expansion disks. Bungie seems to want to push Live for all it is worth and actually finishing the story in Halo 2 through episodic content would be a great way to use Live, IMHO.

    --
    SIGFAULT
  21. Why Not Just... by GTRacer · · Score: 1
    Set the ol' clock to 2/9/05 (or later) and THEn finish Legendary?

    Yes, I know XBL servers wouldn't fall for it but it wouldn't be the first time a standalone game did something special based on the date.

    GTRacer
    - Need an Xbox, H2, broadband, XBL, and some Twinkies.

    --
    Defending IP by destroying access to it? That makes sense, RIAA/MPAA. Go to the corner until you can play nice!
    1. Re:Why Not Just... by Morgon · · Score: 1

      Uh.. is it? Maybe you're speaking of finishing a game on a certain date, but many many games on systems with real-time clocks have used special content based on dates. Animal Crossing for Gamecube comes immediately to mind, however I do know there have been plenty more.

      --
      [DISCLAIMER: This post is a work of satire and should not be misconstrued as a holy text upon which to base a religion.]
  22. Coming February 9th: by Gewis · · Score: 1

    The rest of the game. Seriously, Bungie has never made anything that sucked (okay, maybe that little RPG before Pathways into Darkness). The ending of Halo 2 sucks. It can't be the true ending. Not from Bungie. Oh no. So maybe we'll get to finish the game, eh? Hopefully Cortana goes rampant. Or Durandal shows up.

  23. Add-on? by shoptroll · · Score: 1

    Let's see here...

    4 months following the release date? I'll place bets on a large update (most likely a add-on or something, cause the XBox has that HD). As to whether or not its downloadable or a discount price title is unknown.

    If it's not that, I'm willing to guess its a sequel announcement.

    --
    Insert Sig Here
    1. Re:Add-on? by mmmjoy · · Score: 1

      And Febraury 9th is conveniently after the two month trial period that people get with Halo2... So Live(tm) release of more levels would make sense, get anyone who hasn't renewed their subscription to resign up to get the end of the game. (At only A$100 a pop)

  24. Re:Sell my xbox by -kertrats- · · Score: 1

    you can get all the content that should have been provided when you initially bought the game

    Using this theory, all sequels are wastes since they're just more of the same story. Who are you to say when Bungie should split up the chapters of its story?

    --
    The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
  25. That was strange... by rasteri · · Score: 3, Funny

    On seeing the title, my initial reaction was "Oh god, it's been delayed...". Then I remembered I physically have the game, and was playing it 5 minutes beforehand.

    1. Re:That was strange... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't worry, it's quite common. It's called DNF Syndrome, and strikes when you are always expecting it.

  26. Feb. 9th in History by kajoob · · Score: 3, Informative

    February 9th in History
    1923: Soviet Aeroflot airlines established
    1950: Senator Joseph McCarthy says the US State Department is infested with communists
    1970: World's first nerve transplant, in Germany
    1971: First British soldier killed in Northern Ireland
    1989: Neo-Nazi groups outlawed in West Germany
    1992: Fighting between government and guerrilla forces in Rwanda
    1994: Israeli minister Shimon Perez signs accord with PLO's Yasser Arafat.

    February 9th birthdays
    1700: Daniel Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician
    1909: Carmen Miranda, Brazilian actress.
    1943: Joe Pesci, American actor.
    1945: Mia Farrow, American film actress


    It's pretty clear what's going on here - On February 9th, Joe Pesci will be outted as a Communist.

    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur
    1. Re:Feb. 9th in History by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you really think that? How do you arrive at such a conclusion? I see no co-relation between Joe Pesci and communism in the dates you listed???????? Please explain further.

  27. Halo 2 for PC? by Wrathie · · Score: 1

    Hmm? Could that be it?

    1. Re:Halo 2 for PC? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it couldn't.

  28. DL content by jmank88 · · Score: 1

    Its got to be downloadable content. if you look on one of the recnet articles on bungie.net, they talk about how there will eventually be DLable multiplayer maps, and Frankie(the guy who wrote the article) has played some of them and "they rock!" -jordan

  29. I just finished it on the SECRET legendary level.. by 88NoSoup4U88 · · Score: 1
    ..And right after the "Coming February 9th" it says in clear screaming red letters : DUKE NUKEM FOREVER.

    I am told if I finish this game under the ultra secret Legendary level ; it will even mention what year they're meaning with that ! ;)

  30. You can rule out.... by th3space · · Score: 1

    February 9th being the release date of Halo 3, as this months Game Informer clearly states in their 'connect' section that Halo 3 is slated for inclusion in the Xbox 2 lineup, not Xbox.

    I'd say that speculation of this date signifying the release of downloadable content is probably the best bet.

    --
    "How like you to drag your keyboard to a gun fight." - Aaron Bedard (BANE)
    1. Re:You can rule out.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which, of course, means it's completely true. Gaming magazines never get anything wrong!

      Although I don't think it's another Halo.. I do wonder... What happened to the level that we were shown in the long E3 trailer? The one leading up to "Bet you can't stick it..."

      I do know that it's NOT the day Sarge gets a woman.

    2. Re:You can rule out.... by th3space · · Score: 1

      While I'll admit that gaming magazines prety much equate to barely being worth the trees killed to print them, Game Informer has typically had a good rate of success with reporting things of this nature. Furthermore, I believe that they got this straight from the horses mouth (in this case a Bungie rep).

      --
      "How like you to drag your keyboard to a gun fight." - Aaron Bedard (BANE)
    3. Re:You can rule out.... by TotalFusionOne · · Score: 1

      Understand that a "rep" can be just about anything related to the Bungie company, and it's sister/parent/shadow companies. When I hear a source named, then I'll believe it.

  31. Re:Halo hype was a college-dorm-carpet-roots movem by Allison+Geode · · Score: 1

    i agree with you. when the xbox came out, i was indifferent: i already had a pc. then, i made some friends who had xboxes.... and they did the lan party thing that i used to do in highschool with my pc... only, they used xboxes, and halo. i protested at first, the usual pc rhetoric "this sucks, i need a mouse and keyboard." ok, so they brought me over, ran me through co-op play, and.. i had the time of my life. then, we did another lan party, and...

    well, i wouldn't own an xbox if it weren't for my experience with halo with 'the guys.' my best friend and i have now gone through halo's campaign in co-op about a dozen times, and we're currently working our way through in halo2 (i've already beaten it on solo, but we left off about halfway through in co-op, and play when we can spend time together.) my friend is also now considering setting up a Live subscription so that we can play online together.

    halo is all about the group experiences. and the best way to get someone into halo, is invite them over to be player 16. the fact that the game creates some of the best social situations means that it gets shared, and thus, hyped by the players, not the company. and i don't feel bad at all about recruiting people to give microsoft money, so they can play halo.

  32. The most disturbing part of this by Geoffreyerffoeg · · Score: 1

    How do people have the time to beat Halo 2 - on legendary - in less than one week - and pay attention to the credits - and corroborate the information with countless others who have done the same!?

    1. Re:The most disturbing part of this by Moonshadow · · Score: 1

      Never underestimate the power of 13 year-olds off their Ritalin. I mean, they're naturally on speed. It's like they're in perpetual bullet time. :)

  33. Re:Sell my xbox by Starsmore · · Score: 1
    You missed the bus, Mr.Dippy.

    MMORPG's have been doing this since the 90s.

    "Give us $50 for the game, and then it's ($8, $10, $15) a month to actually play the game. Oh, and bend over, and try not to scream too much, we forgot the KY."

    --
    "If Common Sense was so common, it wouldn't be such a valued trait."
  34. Check ILB by Kinryuu · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you check ilovebees.com, you'll notice that the new countdown matches up with Feb 9th, 2553. So, there ya go.

  35. Halo 3 was scooped on capslockwarrior.com days ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Capslock Warrior "scooped" that story days ago.

    Proof:
    www.capslockwarrior.com

    Credit where credit is due.

  36. Febuary 9th by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The day they fix their horrible halo2 live implementation!!! Nah I am probably just being hopeful now.

  37. surely you troll... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "when it's done" ?!?!

    you were obviously playing a different halo 2 to the one I got, where the NPCs spend most of their time disco dancing and getting stuck behind furniture, in the ~cutscenes~. not to mention the wacky strobing bump mapping.

    there is no way you can tell me this game was done...

  38. Err... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It'll be new content available from Xbox Live.

    That's the obvious conclusion...

  39. Huh? by Black+Hitler · · Score: 3, Informative

    I beat the game on Legendary a couple of days ago and I saw absolutely nothing about "February 9th." And believe me, I was paying attention (after the "I Love Bees" thing I assumed Bungie would sneak a hidden message in there somewhere). Everyone else I've talked to who's actually beat the game on Legendary says the same thing. Until some independent verification appears (along with some details on how to actually get this alleged alternate credits sequence, since simply beating the game on Legendary doesn't do it), I'm calling this a hoax.

  40. I'll tell you why by Bizzle · · Score: 1

    It'$ live content becau$e it will be ju$t after the 2 month time frame for the free account$ to expire, thu$ keep people paying. Gate$ i$ $mart!

  41. just a rumor, a false one at that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ya, well this isn't true.... Bungie said the credits don't say that if you beat it on legendary.

    from halo.bungie.org:
    It Ain't So, Joe.
    For the record: word from Bungie is that the 'Coming February 9th' rumor is exactly that - a rumor. A baseless, false, totally untrue rumor. I won't pass along the exact wording... but it was pretty clear in its meaning. Someone's pulling your leg. And by 'your', I mean the internet - even Slashdot was promoting this puppy.

  42. The original Release date? by legolas_a20 · · Score: 1

    The original Release date they forgot to remove from the video? ;-)

  43. Halo 2 PC by dude3640 · · Score: 1

    Could this possibly be the release date for Halo 2 PC?

  44. Re:Sell my xbox by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wrong. Your theory would apply if a Halo 3 is released as a stand alone game that picks up where Halo 2 left off. If you want to use the movie analogy it would be like going to a movie where they didn't show you the last few scenes of the movie and then told you to come back in a few months to see the last few scenes. And by the way you'll have to pay for gas (broadband connection) and another ticket (live subscription and premium content).

  45. As well as being... by Chmcginn · · Score: 1

    the most challenging part of the first game. At least, as far as I was concerned.

    --
    Have you been touched by his noodly appendage?
  46. stupid twitchy "submit" finger... by Chmcginn · · Score: 1

    I practically cried when the first time I saw that Pelican go down... (And then I died, because I just sat there staring at Foehammer as it exploded, going "Holy shit, they actually killed her..." And then time ran out.)

    --
    Have you been touched by his noodly appendage?