Life After Halo Is Hazy for Gaming Industry in Transition: Analysis

"After a killer wave of hardware innovation, it's now been well over a year since a major video-game console launched-and we're likely several years from a PlayStation 4, Xbox 720 or Wii 2.0. If last week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco is any indication, gaming geeks have become squarely focused on building the next killer app." writes Peter Suciu of Popular Mechanics.

[Tsalagi]

There's plenty of good games coming out soon this gen and i'm sure there will next gen as well.

[Lord Vader]

I agree, it isnt the Alpha or Omega of this gen...

It just finished what Golden Eye started & helped to create XBL popularity...

Which created a robust console MP online service...

Which eventually got Sony to create PSN for the PS3.....

I am not a huge Halo fan myself, but I give props where they are due. Halo 1 "perfected" what Golden Eye started in my book & is a big reason we have online consoles today offering online MP & Halo has pretty much influenced every FPS out there & outsold a whole lot of other outstanding franchises. Just ask Developers.

If Halo 3 is not innovative, then why doesnt every game I buy for my PS3 & my 360 come with a Theater mode, MP + Matchmaking + 4 player co-op + a website dedicated to tracking my personal stats online in real time ? Bungie may not have invented these features, but it is the only game I know of with ALL these features in one package to date that is on a console.

Again, I am not a big Halo fan (I prefer Gears & Warhawk), but I do recognize what it has brought to table both then & now.

[DarkSniper]

Popular Mechanics seem to be out of the loop when it comes to the effects of the gaming industry. The industry is going to embark on another massive rise due to the increasing popularity of PLAYSTATION® 3. With games such as Killzone 2, Haze, Metal Gear Solid 4, Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet, God of War III, Final Fantasy XIII being released in the next year or two. It seems that Sony has taken the daunting task of carrying the videogame industry on it's shoulders.

Microsoft contributes absolutely nothing as the general perception shows that XBOX 360 is the wasteland of gaming which is where all of the stray and misinformed gamers go to rot their own lives away and die.

Sony is for living, Microsoft equals death.

$niper

[LightningPS3]

this guy needs to stop sucking master chiefs c*ck.

Didn't they just admit Call of Duty 4 is owning Halo 3?

Halo 3 is a rehash. Gaming is just starting now that last gen rehashes like Halo 3 are drying up.

[chitown]

u disgust me. quit being a fanboy and stop whacking off to ur ps3. get a life chump

[ravinash]

A little harsh with your comments about the 360, but I have to agree with the games that are coming out this and next year moving games forward.
At the moment there is a general feel that a lot of games are just FPSs...and I'm sure the success that halo had was a big course of this.
Now this year we are starting to see more of a selection of games like LBP...something that is different.

[toughNAME]

It'll be a while before any console game has half the innovative features that Halo 3 had.

One day, gamers won't be satified with just pretty graphics and skill-less gameplay.

And until that day... here's to Halo 4

[Devr]

Oh come on. Halo 3 isn't even the highest reviewed game of this gen. It's even beat by some games with no online whatsoever(SMG, Bioshock). Settle down.

[toughNAME]

reviews?

This is one of the few times I'm not bringing up the reviews...

[Bonsai1214]

the only redeeming feature of halo 3 was its online mode. forge, while cool, was not meant for the casual gamer to dive into. half a good game does not make a good game. there will be many other games better than halo 3 this generation.

[SRuN4]

Starcraft replays says hello from 98. What other features did it add? 4 player co-op from SOCOM says hello from 06. Forge? I might let that one slide but mods on the PC are better.

Seriously the game industry was around before halo and will be around well after halo. Just another mainstream source name dropping basically.

[toughNAME]

and I said "game" not "games"

I'm sure you could pull many games out of the air that each have 1 or 2 good features each

But Halo 3 did it all, and then some.

I haven't seen or heard about any game that comes close to the innovation Halo 3 has, so I'm doubting the next couple years will bring anything

[C_SoL]

"It'll be a while before any console game has half the innovative features that Halo 3 had."

What made it so innovative? Tell me, cause I really want to know.

[chitown]

ill answer that one . FORGE nothing comes close to it. to be able to see ur mistakes in private filming sessions. a great matchmaking system. the lighting effects r pretty tight too no joke sometimes on snowbound the glare effect literally makes turn the other way its that bright. im not saying its the greatest game or anything like that but u cant just dismiss it. its a great game(especially multiplayer wise) its just that MS likes to milk everyone dry for subtle things like DLC which pisses me off but other than that its a really good game. BTW u should play it

[toughNAME]

Party system, veto system, matchmaking, Saved Films, forge, 4 player online co op (I'm sure I'm missing a few)

Look at it Halo 3's rival, COD4.

COD4 has half assed versions of the first two...and??

Imagine how much better a game COD4 could have been with some of the features included in Halo 3?

And features such as Saved Films, and 4 player online co-op will be the new standard. Not if, when.

[BenzMoney]

Yeah, you're missing a few... fileshare and screenshots, to name a couple. Fileshare alone is pretty innovative. What other console games let you pwn someone, record it, and upload it for the world to see? Or easily distribute your gametypes & maps?

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

Halo isn't that great as you my think well when it comes to Halo 3 they droped it big time. I understand people liking Halo and Halo 2 but Halo 3 isn't something to be too proud of. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a game I would gladly stand behind. Halo at this point has become so predictable that it isn't even funny.

I do admit they came at Sony last generation undetected but this generation is going to Sony games. If the level of upgrades were the same as Halo to Halo 2 was the as Halo 2 to Halo 3 then you would have something. Halo 3 seems like it can be done on the original XBOX it isn't that much of a step.

I actually find Halo very close to Socom. I'm not saying that game sucks it just didn't live up to the hype for me (Halo 3).

[DiabloRising]

Oh please... whatever will we do now that Halo 3 has been released? Gaming is doomed!

Gaming was great before Halo. Gaming will be great after Halo. Halo was great for its time, but quality product has already overshadowed it. Maybe the casuals/outsiders need to get with the times?

[Jeanne]

So basically this is just some guy who doesn't have anything else he is excited about on his Xbox 360...

[TheIneffableBob]

I never saw what the big deal with Halo was. The first one was a great game, but the ones after that were merely average. They wouldn't be nearly as popular as they are if Microsoft hadn't spent millions upon millions to advertise the games.

[DiabloRising]

I really do agree. I thought Halo was very solid, but the second two were overly meh. Unfortunately, its almost as if you aren't allowed to say that because it has a Mountain Dew can named in its honor.

[BiggDaddy311]

he says of 2008 "even without a glut of big-budget franchise anchors." Is that a freakin joke! Love how he makes it seem like Spore is the only game that has that shot at being the next Halo. No offense to Spore but Gears2, MGS4, GTA4, Gran T5 Resistance2 does this retard know anything about games!!

[SSCOOLCHEA]

Only the people sucking master chiefs d@ck is really into this gay ass game....HALO didnt do anything for the industry

[chitown]

ok buddy nobody is saying its a cream of the crop game or the god of shooters but whether u like it or not it is triple A material, with a 93 average http://www.gamerankings.com...
and i emphasize the point that no game except call of duty 4 even comes close to the number of players playing online and thats considering COD4 (which is an amazing game BTW) is multplat. honestly this site is turning into absolute trash. u say something pro sony and u get a billion agrees and say something slightly anti sony and u get a billion disagrees. so sad to see that so many pathetic fanboys took over a site that was once well respected and turned it into a "no iam right and ur wrong" u guys have to see past ur biases and truly enjoy gaming with all 3 consoles cause each console provides a unique and enjoyable experience.

[DiabloRising]

With all due respect, that works the other way around too. On 9 out of 10 sites, you aren't even allowed to speak well of the PS3, even in a nonbiased manner. You aren't allowed to criticize Halo 3, even in an intelligent manner, because ZOMG ITS HALO 3. So don't go pointing fingers please, as fanboys on both sides of this thing are petty and wasting everyone's time.

Try going to the Gamefaqs PS3 board sometime. It's nothing but damage controlling Xbots.

[proArchy]

Not all, but a large amount of the Halo 3 hype was artificially created by throwing money at advertising space. the Mountain Dew "game fuel" or whatever it was called; where is it now? Not around, because it was just another tool to tell you that Halo is everywhere, and even if you don't game you should be excited for this game. Adverts plastered on everything. Stamped with the promise of a new standard of gaming, when all you get is Halo two with a level editor, and upscaled graphics. I'm not saying the game was bad by any means. I'm just saying that there are other games that were more deserving of hype that didn't receive it.

[chitown]

yea i hear u bro but that doesnt mean that u or i or anybody else should add fuel to the fire. i accept that both the 360 and ps3 are great systems in their own ways, and i leave it at that but its really pissing me off that so many people are like blind. both ways too. it goes for xbox fanatics and sony fanboys.

[undacovabrothe]

Halo 3 IS FAR FROM THE BIGGEST GAME EVER because if it was it woudve won GOTY over bioshock. Sales = hype a game recieved thats all. Cod4 gets more playtime then Halo 3 which says a lot that it isnt the biggest game because it sold way more than cod4 yet it cant top it. There is this false illusion that halo is like the coming of jesus. MS just had a good halo campaign and it sold very well doesnt mean its hte hugest game ever. Everyone I know who bought it xcept like 2 out of 8 of my friends think it was a let down and h2 was better, which I also think its better. My 2 friends are just so crazy denial about it and I can tell they know its true when I talk to them but they wont admit it.

[InYourMom]

because I remember people like you when Halo 2 came out saying the same thing that Halo 1 was better, now that Halo 3 is out I guess Halo 2 is better. Well when Halo 4 is out maybe Halo 3 will get the credit and respect it deserves. Why would I listen to any Halo opinions from someone with an avatar like that anyway?

[Ureval]

You guys are all missing the point. The point is not how much you like the game, what the reviews were, or how many better games are out there, the point is the attention it received and its popularity. I dont necessarily agree with the guy, cause I think the Wii has received attention on par with Halo.

The point is what will the next gaming innovation be that draws attention to the gaming world? The reason Halo is so successful is its simple, the controls work, it has an engaging hero, and the mulptiplayer is fun.

The reason the Wii is so successful is...its simple, the controls work, and the multiplayer is fun (Wiiplay, Wiisports, etc.)

There is a difference between what is popular and what is quality. Just like in the movies you are going to have your silly, but fun, blockbusters like Transformers or Star Wars that get bad reviews but make loads of money, and youre going to have your movies that get acclaim and are lauded by movie buffs as great works of art, but dont make as much money.

Halo, Wii = Transformers/Star Wars
Bioshock = No Country For Old Men

So, in hopes of having an intelligent conversation and putting aside the "Why Halo/PS3/360 suck" neverending pointless argument, why dont we talk about what the gaming industry needs as its next "wow" factor to draw attention to it.

And Hilary Clinton speaking out against games doesnt count.

[undacovabrothe]

The reason halo worked because it was the first good game with good online support on a shyt system, with incredible marketing with pitless pockets MS. Halo is a good game dont get me wrong but NOTHING about it makes me go wow.

[Ureval]

Wow, you didnt even read my post did you. Whatever my feelings on Halo are, its all a moot point. Again, MY POINT was its popularity and the attention it brought to the gaming industry, and what needs to happen for that same level of excitement to be brought to gaming again. So instead of sounding like a retarded parrot, try rubbing your two brain cells together and contribute to the conversation I started. Either that or post on someone elses thread or go to the open zone.

No wonder you only have 3 bubbles.

[undacovabrothe]

What has Halo done that no other fps done besides break sales? Nothing It just happen to come out at the right time and recieved good initial recognition and MS just took it and ran with it. Give me one thing that makes Halo innovative. And I am mostly targeting the article life after halo? LOL there will be lifetimes after halo happy lifetimes of crzy gaming after halo.

Edit: And I not just ranting look at other comments halo the series halo 1 and 2 have been good for gamers, but halo 3 is definetly not apart of that. Like I said before life after halo looks pretty crazy. Acting like there nothing like halo scale releasing just shows how 360 really has nothing more to offer besides gears.

[Ureval]

WOW LOL to you. Again - and you might want to read this real slow - my point is WHAT MADE THE HALO SERIES SO POPULAR AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO HAVE IT HAPPEN AGAIN. Put aside your fanboyism for 1 second and think about what Im saying.

If someone came up to you and said "Halo was really popular, but now we need something new that will put the spotlight on the gaming industry again." what would you come up with?

No one knew Halo 1 would be so popular just like no one knew that Wii would be so popular. That doesnt mean they are good, it just means they are very successful. I havent played Halo 3 since COD4 came out, and while I dont necessarily care for it anymore, does my opinion change how popular it became? No.

So ONE MORE TIME, what does the gaming industry have to do to amp up the same amount of popularity Halo generated?

And just to be REALLY REALLY CLEAR Im not talking about awesome games that the gaming industry loves, Im referring to the article that is talking about the media storm surrounding the release of the game.

Will Gears have it? Will MGS4? Smash Brothers? While Im sure these are all going to be AAA titles and will likely sell millions, will they kick up a media storm and draw in casual gamers by the attention they recieve.

Holy Crap.

[Undacover2]

Lol your missing the POINT OF THE DISCUSSION. Halo recieves a lot of media because IT HAS MS BACKING IT. I have never seen any other game shown on 7-up bottles no other game being campaigned like its running for president. They had some halo coppies being sold at a 7-eleven. As a gamer hype is not something you want, you want something that can live UP TO THE HYPE. There are games that outsold halo it isnt the biggest selling game in history just on the xbox. GT sold twice as many coppies than halo and does have hype but it generates it own hype by showing what it can do not the other way around.

[Ureval]

Wow youre a frikkin moron. Halo would not have gotten MS's backing if Halo 1 and 2 hadnt been as popular as they were. This discussion has been nothing but "why i think Halo sucks", when it should have been "since a suck a$$ game like Halo grew to such popularity, what can be done to make another suck a$$ game that sells bajillions of copies so that we can then argue about how much that game sucks". (read sarcasm)

You could have simply pointed out the MS media machine and how that contributed to Halo's popularity and that would have been a valid point. If any future games (say Infinity Wards next go at COD) get strong Media backing then maybe then they will get the same hype surrounding Halo...after which point we can then all talk about how it was overrated and didnt deserve it.

When Halo 1 came out the reason I liked it was it had great controls, that were simple and intuitive, it had an interesting story, and the enemies were fun as hell to fight against. And it had a great multiplayer. Step 1 to success.

Step 2: Halo 2 came out. Not as good as part one but it had online multiplayer, and the hype from part 1 surrounding it. MS launched an advertising campaign, the media latched on due to the midnight lines, and no dead celebrities to report and voila! it became a hit.

Step 3: Halo 3. Next-gen graphics. Hype from part 1 and 2, and the hope for a more polished version of part 2. All the people who played part 1 and the rollover of everyone who played part two, plus all the new gamers, plus a huge ad campaign, plus maintstream media attention, and its release was on par with a major movie release.

Now, the question is, did it deserve it? Thats for each person to decide themselves. I think the general distaste for Halo 3 centers around 1: The bad taste left in a lot of peoples mouths after Halo 2, and 2: The fact that everyone else who played the hell out of Halo 2 was tired of it when Halo 3 came out, and 3: Some people just dont like Halo, just like some people dont like Star Wars.

So since it doesnt look like Im gunna get any intelligent insights here, Ill put in my two cents.

What the gaming industry needs is a game that is simple, accessible, nice to look at, easy to pick up, has a good story, an interesting Hero, and something unexpected. A game that no one looks for that is just plain fun. Then you put out two sequels, milk it for all its worth, and move on.

[okcomputer]

Anyone who refers to devs as "gaming geeks" and sees halo 3 as the biggest milestone in gaming this gen is clearly an outsider to the industry who has no real business writing an article like this.

[PirateThom]

I agree, the only thing Halo 3 did is prove how hype can go too far and get the better of reviewers.

[Bonsai1214]

or they started following video games after 2001.

[Bnet343]

Gears is the new Halo

[The Closing]

Gears is actually good.

[The Closing]

That kiddy overly boring rehash halo series can take a seat.

[Bizmal]

It's the most over rated game in a very long time. It lasted maybe 3 weeks then I was done. Laggy gameplay add to it down fall. This article is talking as if COD 4 has not already smoked Halo 3.

[Ureval]

You all completely missed the point.

[Big Jim]

Ureval---your point isn't very clear. First you ask what the next great innovation will be that will draw more attention to gaming. Later you say to forget innovation and just answer the question of how do we get another game to be as popular as Halo 3. So which is it? If you want to know how to get another game to be as popular as Halo 3 and get as much attention from the mainstream press as Halo 3 got, then the answer is simple: advertise and hype the hell out of it and get microsoft to pay off all of the video game review magazines and web-sites. Just like they did for Halo 3. The answer to your first question is much harder because you never know if people are going to like a strange, new feature even if its innovative.

[GrooveChampion]

The next thing that will make people take notice is likely one of these things...

Little Big Planet: it's different, it's cute, it's got a ton of potential.

Wii Fit: it's part of the wii family, it's innovative, and it's a good way to further define the Wii as a different type of console.

Home: It's different enough from XBL to raise a few eyebrows, and if Sony plays it's cards right and can mobilize various industries (clothing, music, movies, etc) around Home it could really take off.

In terms of games...

MGS4 or GT5 could, because they are big titles, but not because they would be breaking the mold. The games both look fantastic and I could well imagine news outlets picking up on how you can drive a near-photorealistic racing game.

Too Human, mostly because of it's troubled past. It could turn out to vindicate Dyack and present a different light on the industy. A news story exploring the trials and tribulations of licensing and development woes in a normally friendly industry could be possible.

Gears of War 2, because MS will market this thing to the high heavens. It's not because that's all they have, but more because it seems to be their anchor for the year. If they market the hell outta GeOW2 and in effect sell more consoles both after release and leading up to release then that can help all involved parties. If the marketing is that huge, we'll hear about it.

Animal Crossing, while I don't think it's coming out this year, if it did, we'd probably hear about it in a big way. Especially if it becomes an MMO or otherwise persistent online world. Considering the wave of AC love in Japan, and the strength of the brand in America, I wouldn't doubt you'd hear a thing or two about it in a meaningful way.

How's that?

[Lumbo]

Sorry, but the only thing that got missed here is YOU failing to accept that there MIGHT be a human being with a different opinion than you.

The main reason for Halo3's success is clearly not the game itself, COD4 was better in the single- and multi-player part, the main reason was the $20million+ marketing campaign MS drove over the place. Complete with expensive bribes for the testing crews (duffel bag anyone?).

With the right kind of marketing and near unlimited cash you could sell smelly turds as a delicacy, and people would buy them.

So the absolute biggest new thing Halo3 brought to gaming is an overblown hype marketing terror at a price point higher than the actual production costs. And i do hope we don't have to live through another hype and add flood like that again. From soda to shoes, everything branded and punched into your face multiple times a day, wherever you go. No thx.

Additionally to that it also had good multiplayer gaming, matchmaking (Halo2 had that already) and online co-op (always a cool option to have, imho) all wrapped up in a really good looking near HD engine.

PS: even though no amount of marketing could sell the ugly Halo3 themed Xbox360 elite sets, these will stay in stores as a warning to future designers not to make a game console freakingly ugly and cheap looking.

[GrooveChampion]

I think the answer for a lot of people is Gears 2. I believe it's marketing could match or exceed Halo 3 in many ways. Granted, I think the article is foolishly focused on hype and even then it's relegated to 360 and PC.

I think Sony Nintendo and Microsoft have plans to make 2008 another damn fine year in gaming, and if this guy can't see anything beyond Spore and Halo I'm wondering where he's looking.

[Undacover2]

If you want to average out the series 1 and 2 did give great content, but 3... Not really. Like i said before halo 1 and 2 were great enjoyed them but I know when I play a game that its not what its suppose to be cracked out to be. If halo 3 wasnt called halo 3 and some other name I dont think it would have generated the same ratings or hype.

You did make a good point about the marketing part, but truth is I havent seen any game being marketed on soda bottles or in convience stores. Also there have been bundles since super nintendo. Thats a normal marketing strategy using soda bottles is not MS really went overblown with halo 3 and it shows.

Last thing I am commenting based on this article and this guys opinion is acting like the only next big thing is going to be halo 4. Which is just total stupidity in my books. There are way better games than halo out there just because it doesnt sell 8 million copies doesnt make it any worse. Sales and hype are from how well you market.

Edit: Last time I going to probably post on this but what I really want to say is that any good game example cod gta mgs killzone gears can drive an impact Halo first did with the right hype/marketing. Just because they dont recieve the same media attention does not make them any less of a great game.

[sephy 9 2 5]

They are called SSBB, GTA IV, and GT 5. =\

[Figboy]

this story would have been more useful about September 26th the day after Halo 3 launched, and everyone was still under the impression that the game was more than just a slightly updated version of the previous one.

"life after Halo is hazy?"

give me a F*CKING BREAK!

there are so many games that are infinitely more innovative than Halo 3 it's not even funny.

Call of Duty 4 blows Halo away on so many levels.

Resistance 2 is looking to take what Call of Duty did, and improve upon it, and up the ante in the number of people in a match on a console. the 8 player campaign co-op is also something that has never been done before in games.

then of course, there are future episodes of Half Life 2 to be released. i have my issues with Valves view of the PS3, but Half Life changed FPSes forever.

GTAIV is looking to open up the sandbox genre to even more levels of depth and believability.

MGS4 is also redefining the stealth/action genre like it's predecessors have done.

RPGs from Square Enix and Level 5 continue to be breath-taking and exciting.

and numerous new IPS, from Alan Wake, to LA Noire, to Heavy Rain, and Spore are just a few that are going to ensure that the gaming industry "gets over" the loss of Halo.

it's kind of funny to me, how after September 2007, not many people have been bringing up Halo 3 much. it's all about Call of Duty 4 now, and i don't even *PLAY that game.

the Halo series will forever be remembered as an X Box classic, but it hardly did much of anything to "shape" the gaming industry, or affect it in a level that games like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, and GTA have done (remember, Goldeneye on the N64 was released *WAAAY before Halo came out, and proved that a first person shooter with multiplayer was possible on a console).

i know it's hard for a lot of you young gamers who were weened on the X Box and Halo to wrap your heads around, but games existed long *BEFORE you were born, and will continue well into the future.

this doesn't mean that Halo "sucks" or is "lame," they always were, and always will be great FPS games, but they've hardly left an indelible mark on the gaming industry for generations to come like some of the franchises i've mentioned earlier have. people are already moving on from Halo after the conclusion of part 3. it'll be interesting to look back at the series in another 10 years and see where it stands (i'm expecting more entries in the series, but after Bungie parted, i don't think many people will be as jazzed about it. now Bungie's *NEXT project, whoo boy, i'm expecting *THAT one to be pretty big. i think it's really *BUNGIE that have gained the true following, not necessarily their creation).

[BUKKAKALYPSE]

Just curious..one what levels exactly??..besides graphics obviously

[zonetrooper5]

How did CoD4 blow Halo 3 on so many levels ?

CoD4 was fun I admit, I played in the Beta but really how is it that great. CoD4 has less features than Halo 3, shorter SP campaign, the matchmaking in CoD4 is half assed, IW are useless as a studio because they take so long to issue an update to a game which really needs it. CoD4 graphics are good but not the best I've seen.

Halo 3 has a much better SP campaign although its short, its longer than CoD4's. It features forge so I can change the map alot to make some crazy crap, saved films is such a great feature and funny to watch as well with a youtube like feature in Halo 3 is great. A great party system which is not half assed and then custom games which allows you to change alot of the options for the game you are about to play.

Halo 3 may not be anything new and yes its a fresh coat of paint over Halo 2 but damn it does bring some great features which made the game even more enjoyable to play. CoD4 is CoD1 with better graphics, I just don't see what is SO amazing about CoD4.

[jinn]

it will be better when GTA 4, AO2, Gears of War 2 hit the market