Halo 3 Mimics Halo 2, With Some Improved Graphics

Charles Herold of the New York Times writes:

"For those who have played Halo and Halo 2, the wildly popular shooter games, I can review Halo 3 in one sentence.

Halo 3 is Halo 2 with somewhat better graphics.

That's all you really need to know. If you loved Halo 2, you will feel just the same about Halo 3. If you played Halo 2 and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about, Halo 3 is not the revelatory experience that will change your view of the series forever."

[xaphanze]

why did it score 10 then?

[WafflesID]

because halo 2 scored a 9.5.

I absolutely agree with that one sentence review.

Bungie didn't add anything revolutionary to the single player campaign over halo 2, they just refined it. Not that bungie had a choice. Halo is just one of those series where you just don't mess with what is working incredibly well for a lot of people.

Nothing wrong with that. It's not an attack on the game, so don't get defensive.

[joydestroy]

yuuup

[NewZealander]

this is getting old , just play the game and enjoy it for what it is, im enjoying the game, yeah its not up there with gears or bio in the graphics, but I think the game is more fun to play and has a better story. and as for halo 3 not explaining the story if u hav not played halo 1 or 2 the reviewer forgot to point out is that it does explain it in the manual, Its under THE STORY SO FAR, expains everything u need to know there in whats been happening.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

these are the same guys who said Bioshock lacks narrative. Halo 3 certainly explains the story better than Halo 2. I am pretty tired hiring the Halo3 similar to Halo2 graphics BS. It looks similar as it is set in the same universe with lot of the same characters and enemies, it isnt GeOW but its next gen for sure.

[power of Green]

For sure I never seen graphics in some of the levels in Halo 3 in any game(Crashed Flood infested ship level with the spore egg sacks pulsating and the lighting is something I'v never seen in a game when playing in HD Period). The game is so much fun drink a beer play the game in co-op with buddies get amped up being Chief and Halo gives you an experiance unlike anything on the market, Multi player is a whole new ball game.

I tried to play this on the hardest setting and can't even last 30 seconds in the first battle.

[WafflesID]

Prey, Half-life 2.

But yeah, playing co-op on Legendary was a freakin blast. 2 player legendary seems to be just slightly easier than single player Heroic, so I'd recommend that if you are playing co-op do it on legendary for the full effect.

I will admit though...the last two missions we did with 3 player co-op :) FREAKIN A those are some hard levels heh :) Seriously...if someone can get through those on single player legendary....I bow to you. A TRULY impressive feat in my eyes.

[power of Green]

The game is so satisfying when you learn how to play it, its umatched. Its so simple to pick up and play for anybody and so rewarding to the hardcore.

[sYs Ghost Lethal]

well with good AAA titles like bioshock n gears people were expecting halo 3 2 top both of those games n terms of graphics but i mean i c nuthin wrong with it seems like graphics iz overshadowing tha other main cores of tha games now but i am tired of hearing tha same b.s. about this issue play tha d*** game n enjoy r just spend $500 on a foreman grill 3

[WafflesID]

Let's keep in mind that GoW and Bioshock are slower paced. You can afford to have 30FPS. In Halo...30FPS is not an option.

You have no choice but to scale back the level geometry and shader effects to maintain 60FPS.

Still looks good enough to me though.

[lmao247]

yeah they had to dumb it back to run at 60FPS, but games like UT3 are not dumbing there graphics to get it to run at 60fps (not confirmed but is definitly looking that way.). Halo 3 is supposed to be the Main engine on the xbox train and if thats dumbed down then why should the rest of the train get overshadowed by its greatness when they dont have the hype and multiplayer community, because the gameplay may be simple and solid, but its a FPS, and most FPS now a days have that down (IMO). What I am saying is whent his is put up for GOTY, which it easily is going to be, then I think the graphics definitly need to be a big - factor.

[367 To Your Ass]

cause he dose it for the ladies.

[joydestroy]

LOLZZZ

[gsx-r]

that this game was way overhyped...its basically Halo 2 with HD graphics, nothing revolutionary at all. Without all the hype and hoopla, this game deserves a 8.5-9 tops. I'd rather play GoW in a heartbeat over this

[THE TERMINATOR]

Halo 3 doesnt run at 60 fps, its runs at 30 fps tops and also has framerate problems.

[power of Green]

The game is off the hook and is woth more than most games put together as this title will last longer than many games combined.

No FPS is so spread out so, naturally any given console can not spread the processing power in standard corridor inclosed design. The game is stellar for what it is(Wide open arcade style shooter with a next-gen build).

No fanboy can fool the smart gamres and reviewers and most have a realiltic inderstanding of consoles and games. leave it alone this isn't Gears of War nor is it Prey/Duke Nukem.

Please stop the mindless bashing of MSFT and their console/fans.

[Jdash24]

anyone else get a halo 1 flashback with the very last mission on campain?

[ShiftyLookingCow]

of course. Thats the only part in the game I drove the Warthog.

[power of Green]

I wonder if the Haters will ever understand that standard FPS's do not have such diverse gameplay that gamers playing Halo 3 can use vehicels that take you so far in the air the battle ground the fighters on the ground look like dots from above. Ofcourse the game isn't going to look like Gears of War or Huxely.

[FirstknighT]

He keeps digging for a website that talks down on Halo 3. Well the masses have already spoken and this game has easily surpassed the hype. One of the greatest games ever created.

Keep digging sucka!

[power of Green]

Maddens raiders posting 360 news is a calling card inviting Sony fans into his threads to bash the 360.

I never seen anything like it its almost a sickness with him. Get some help DUDE/MAN.

[DeZimatoR]

lol, PoG, you are one to talk...

Total comedy.

[JosefTor]

Halo 3 is definitely growing on me the more and more I play it. I think at first I didn't like multiplayer because I wasn't good at it. On Call of Duty 4 I was near the top of the charts and then I get Halo 3 and got my butt kicked. Now though things are starting to click into place. Messing with my sensitivity helped me a lot!
-Joe

[synetic]

i always said that halo 3 is halo 2.5 but who cares halo 2 is perfect online so why do we want a deferent game you cant make halo more perfect ( only the graphics and they did )

ps-> been playing halo 3 for 12 hours no stop >___< ( gonna die )

[solidt12]

In my opinion it is not the graphics that make Halo 3 so great yet they do look alot better. It is the hype for one, the 4 player co-op, the ability to record game play and play it back. The Map editor, and the online play. The pacing of the game is much better than Halo 2 also, there were times in Halo 2 when I didn't know what to do next but with Halo 3 I don't have that problem.

[Marceles]

At first level 1 and 2 were boring, so I was getting bored with Halo 3 since everything was the same...but by the time I got to the 4th level I was hooked. That level is so badass with the big walking machine that you have to hop on and destroy the core, and then the 5th level with the flood is also amazing. Those levels just came out of left field...and then I checked the theater and it saves EVERYTHING. My multiplayer and single player stuff...I really really like Halo now. And the game almost seems to look better on the replay..like Gran Turismo HD, the game looks good, but the replays look really amazing..same with Halo 3.

[mighty_douche]

but they are seriously not close to Gran Turismo's, obviously they are completely different genres so that comparison is pants!

[JokesOnYou]

the game looks great, again if a few reviews say different I'm not going to bash them for it, bottom line is its a beautiful game no matter how you look at it, I said yesterday that its not graphicly better than Gears but its not far off and thats my honest opinion of the graphics, but really as good as the graphics are its almost an injustice to talk about Halo3 for just that aspect, I sware the gameplay is sick, Halo3 campaign is fkn sweet, its well paced, from one battle to the next and the story unfolds nicely, the environments are epic and everytime you enter the next one you have to stop first and look around and admire the scenery before you get ready to kick some more ass, the controls are unmatched, I agree with those who say Halo3 is more of the same as Halo2 but only in the sense that if definitely reminds you of its predecessor alot, which imo opinion is a good thing= its Halo, dont almost all sequels stick to the base formula that worked so well before, but as far as everything else Halo3 takes that formula and adds a whole lot of meat with a lil hot sauce too. Halo3 is Halo1 and Halo2 only with bigger balls, there was a review that said Bungie just simply fixed the things that could have been better and expanded on what was good about the first two and I think thats without a doubt exactly what Bungie tried to do, and goddammit they fkn nailed it= lets not even talk about the multiplayer=

JOY

[Numark]

why is it such a bad thing to mimic halo 1 and halo 2. Halo 1 had the gameplay that made it the best console shooter of its time, amazing multiplayer with split screen, and was just extremely fun. Halo 2 mimicked it with some new innovations, except this time, halo 2 had the best multiplayer a console game has ever seen until halo 3. So halo 3 just took the perfect formula they had from previous games, made more changes, fixed the few problems of halo 2, improved graphics, and did a new story.

WHY is that such a bad thing? Apparently its not with those 10/10 ratings. I could care less if you call it halo 2.5 or not. This is still a game with good graphics, a good story, great gameplay, and the best multiplayer ever seen on consoles.

[MaximusPrime]

exactly. That is the point i tried to make.

[otherZinc]

Play it.

[Says you]

Thanks to that companie that overhyped it people would be stupid enough to buy the same exact game with the same stuff with a different Storyline.

[lmao247]

EDIT thought this was reply now its a real comment so I am adding what I think.

@ power of green
1. standard FPS's do have this effect of dots for small people, every play star wars battlefront, unreal tourney, half life, or battlefield.
2. The diversity of gameplay?, all good FPS have it and halo is not the only one. they have lots of game modes, so do others. its nothing special.

@ the claim of innovation
Video replays are new for FPS, but not overall, and not that innovative
map editor not innovative at all, even the fact that you can do in map is not innovative, ever play natural selection, it surpassed mod status and went retail so its an official game.

Moral of the story : halo is a AAA game, but it will not be my GOTY pick, and it also will not be the best FPS in my eyes (for the year, UT3 will get my vote, I am confident in the series I have loved for 10 years just like you guys have loved halo for as long as you have), even for console

disclaimer: I love halo 3, but its not the best, so I am stating why.