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Halo 2.5 for Xbox 2

Posted by Zonk on from the the-second-game-a-third-time? dept.

Voodoo Extreme is reporting that the Bungie team may work on a project to port Halo 2 to the next generation Xbox, adding in additional content and improving overall gameplay and picture quality. From the article: "Can you imagine Halo 2 running at 1280x720?!!! We also wonder what was meant by 'all the stuff people expected from Halo 2 but didn't make the cut.' With this kind of top-secret info, you don't ask; you simply listen."

11 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. It was explained by Safety+Cap · · Score: 5, Interesting
    in the Halo "collector's edition." There were additional creatures, cutscenes (where they explain how the Covenant formed) and even an ATV that had to be cut due to wasted time from Deathmarch EA-type 'schedules'.

    If only they'd hired a competent Project Manager that knew his/her stuff when it came to delivering software on time, under budget, and to spec, without continuous deathmarch sessions, then they never would need to come out with an "here's-all-the-stuff-we-wanted-to-put-in-but-coul dn't" version. Oh, and would have saved at least the industry-standard 10% of the cost on redos and wasted effort to boot. Guess it is easier to do it twice rather than do it right the first time.

    --
    Yeah, right.
  2. Well for starters... by octover · · Score: 5, Interesting

    'all the stuff people expected from Halo 2 but didn't make the cut.'

    Like a real ending?

    I'll admit I haven't played through all of the single player and don't know first hand, partly cause I would just rather play online multiplayer. However it seems like everyone agrees the ending is shite and I'm taking their word on it.

    Even if they are saving for some sort of content download, what about the half of my friends that payed $50 for the game, who would have X Box live but they can't get broadband where they live?

    I would also love to see improved networking code. Maybe I just don't know about the underlying infrastructure to appreciate why I get dropped so much, but I recall having better luck playing Quake 2 on my 33.6 modem then I have had with my cable connection that is more or less fairly solid.

    1. Re:Well for starters... by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 3, Interesting
      However it seems like everyone agrees the ending is shite and I'm taking their word on it.

      It doesn't end. It just stops. When it faded out I was waiting for the next cut-scene. Then the credits started rolling. "That's it?" I say. "This is broken or something."

  3. If it's true, it's a ploy... by unclethursday · · Score: 5, Interesting
    A friend of mine works for a subsidiary of Activision... and no, I won't name him or which one because he told me a lot of stuff he shouldn't have due to NDAs-- and I'm not getting him or his company in trouble. But, the info that got leaked a few months back, about there possibly being 3 different Xbox2/Xenon/whatever you want to call it versions is true, according to what he has been told by Microsoft.

    Of course, the hard drive version will cost more than the non-hard drive flash memory version... so if they really are putting a Halo 2.5 pre-loaded onto the hard drive for the Xenon, well, it's a ploy to get the more expensive version to sell. And it also shows Microsoft knows they need Halo to sell copnsoles, despite what many an Xbox fanboi has stated in the past.

    However, MS knows that Bungie won't have Halo 3 ready for the Xenon launch, so if this rumor is true, they're trying to have some sort of Halo at launch. They know that Halo single handedly kept the Xbox alive until Xbox Live and some really good games started coming out a year after launch (and anyone who says the Xbox could have really been selling on the other games besides Halo released in the first year is deluding themselves), so they could be hoping to do the same with "Halo 2.5"; IE keep Xenon sales going until better games start coming out for the Xenon.

    1. Re:If it's true, it's a ploy... by Khuffie · · Score: 2, Interesting
      (and anyone who says the Xbox could have really been selling on the other games besides Halo released in the first year is deluding themselves), so they could be hoping to do the same with "Halo 2.5"; IE keep Xenon sales going until better games start coming out for the Xenon. Yes, Halo helped sell the Xbox. Why on earth does everyone complain like there's something wrong with having a good launch title? What did the PS2 have? Tekken? And the GameCube? Luigi's Mansion?

      None of the other consoles had any decent games in their launch window: at least Xbox had a kickass good game. Why is there something wrong with this?

    2. Re:If it's true, it's a ploy... by unclethursday · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Yes, Halo helped sell the Xbox. Why on earth does everyone complain like there's something wrong with having a good launch title? What did the PS2 have? Tekken? And the GameCube? Luigi's Mansion?

      For the Madden fans, the PS2 had Madden at launch. The GameCube had Rogue Leader.

      But, the point being that none of the other games for the Xbox's entire first year would have carried the Xbox or sold Xboxes. And, at the time, there was no promise of potentially really good games coming out, either. And without Halo to sell Xboxes, there wouldn't be the good games that are out for the Xbox now, because developers and publishers wouldn't have gone for it.

      None of the other consoles had any decent games in their launch window

      As I said, for the Madden fans there was Madden. but, for me, you are correct, there was no good launch games or games within the launch window for the PS2. Then there was the promise of MGS and FF and Gran Turismo to keep people interested.

      For the GC there was Rogue Leader on launch day, and Super Smash Bros. Melee came out within a few weeks of launch, both of which sold well, and were more of a reason to have a GC at launch than Luigi's Mansion. And then the promise of a new Mario and Zelda and such would keep people interested in the GC.

      But, for the whole first year, the Xbox had Halo, and not really much of anything else (except to me, with JSRF, but I'm a minority there). What was promised? Malice? A game that came out 2 years late and sucked anyway? Fable? A game that was not only in development forever and a day, but also sucked hardcore when it was finally released (again, I'm a minority here, but I hated Fable, and was glad it was over in less than 20 hours)?

      There's nothing wrong with having a good launch title, but people really need to open their eyes and see that without Halo, the Xbox would not have the good games it does have now, nor would it be selling anywhere near the rate it does. And for one game to carry a console for a full year is not a good thing, really.

  4. Re:Launch title by JorDan+Clock · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It's not just a launch title, but a bundled title. According to OXM, if you buy the Xbox2 with the hard drive, you get Halo 2.5 for free.

    And there is no panic over Halo 3. Bungie already said their next title will not be related to Halo at all. Halo 3 won't likely be in development until after the Xbox2 is released.

  5. Re:High resolution? by big+daddy+kane · · Score: 2, Interesting

    in both half life 2 and doom 3, possibly the biggest pc games of 2004 video options were preconfigured to preform best on your system. if you didnt want to change them, you didnt, and the idea was that it would run at an acceptable speed. far cry too had this. I played them all, they all had incredible graphics for a video game, and were painless to setup.

  6. irony by syrinx · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And just yesterday there was the article about Bungie's Marathon being released 10 years ago. In 10 years, they've gone from releasing incredibly innovative games that remain classic for a decade, to rehashing a sequel to a second-rate game that is only appreciated by new 'gamers' who have never played anything else.

    R.I.P. Bungie.

    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
  7. Re:1280x720, indeed by VividU · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What's with these Xbox lovers? I've ran all my PC games at 1600x1200 with anti-aliasing since april (2004) with high framerates (60+).

    What with all these people who can't tell the diff between a console and a PC?

    Also, I note a pattern here. Want to bash the Xbox? Compare it to a high-end PC!

    Here, I'll make it easy for you. Xbox == Console, PC == PC. Wasn't that easy!

  8. Re:Launch title by StocDred · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The Xbox, although a microsoft product, has changed console systems in that it was the first to have a hard drive

    Yeah, but what has it done for me lately? Not having to buy memory cards is great, but I know that if I'm going to a friend's house, I can bring along my mem card and play my personal GTA game using his PS2 and his copy of the game. Can you do that with a hard drive? Only if it's removable, I suppose.

    I'm just not buying that the Xbox hard drive is revolutionizing gaming... and I don't think Microsoft is either, since they're toying with releasing an Xbox2 model that doesn't even have one. (Terrible idea, by the way. How are game developers supposed to make full-featured Xbox games when they can't even be assured which Xbox consumers will own?)

    Others have pointed this out, but the problem with the Xbox is that Halo is it, more or less. Without Halo, Xbox would never have survived. So of course bundling a Halo 2.5 makes business sense, but doesn't it also seem a little bit sad? I mean, Halo is it, fin, nothing else. They don't even have Halo Tennis, Halo Kart, Halo Party, or any sub-franchises to pimp.

    My bigger point was that Halo fans are going to gush over this, even though nearly everyone has spent the last three years ripping apart Nintendo for all those Super Mario Advance re-releases. (Especially SMB3 with eReader support, where the typical angry quote was "they're holding back content unless I buy an eReader to unlock it!") Well, now Halo is pulling a similar trick. Buy Halo 2 now, buy the slightly upgraded Halo 2 port later.