Curse

Lord Sojar · Sep 19, 2007, 09:27 AM // 09:27

What does everyone think about this? I liked Halo1, and Halo2 was decent (but by no means a blockbuster hit like Halo1 was). Halo3 seems polished (although many have said and I tend to agree that the graphics department is a little lackluster)... but what of all this hype?

Microsoft has managed to wiggle Halo3 into the following:

Mountain Dew
TV Commercials
G4 TV 5 Hour Special
Best Buy
"Halo Nation" scavenger hunt
Pontiac (car company)
Burger King
Game Stop
7-Eleven
Samsung
Comcast
It is even sponsoring Linkin Park's current tour!!!

Is this overkill? Considering the Halo series wasn't innovative in too many ways (not a dig at Halo at all btw), and that it already has a set fanbase, is this really needed? Halo3 was going to be popular. With people saying "meh" about the graphics, all this hype etc etc, do you guys and girls honestly believe Microsoft and Bungie are milking people for money at this point, or do you think Halo3 is really going to live up to all this hype and be the most groundbreaking release ever?

Personally, I vote for overhyped and underwhelming.

I think Microsoft should put more hype into games with higher production value (Gears of War, Bioshock, the upcoming Mass Effect, etc). I am a Halo fan, don't get me wrong... but if a Best Buy/Gamestop employee asks me one more time if I want to preorder Halo3, I am going to have to turn into the Hulk and smash them.

Mike_version2 · Sep 19, 2007, 09:28 AM // 09:28

"if master chief likes it, it must be good"

Im guessing thats what microsoft is aiming for.

fenix · Sep 19, 2007, 09:35 AM // 09:35

lol Halo 3 has been released in Norway, so there's already videos of it on the internet. Looks pretty awesome

Lord Sojar · Sep 19, 2007, 09:37 AM // 09:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike_version2

"if master chief likes it, it must be good"

Im guessing thats what microsoft is aiming for.

LOL, perhaps. But I mean, what do you think? It bothers me that other games are not hyped up as much. HalfLife2 is far more innovative (at least by popular opinion) yet it doesn't have this sort of hype. The Orange Box is very anticipated and is probably going to really show some of these "THere is only one shooter and that is Halo!!!" people that there are other very solid shooters out there. I really want to like Halo3, but some part of me is disgusted over all this hype, and it is actually turning me off to the game as opposed to its intended effect of luring me into it.

I pwnd U · Sep 19, 2007, 02:34 PM // 14:34

If you are going off the beta graphics or even graphics on the commercial, they are not accurate. Since the beta microsoft and bungie have polished the graphics and from what I have been told, it looks a heck of alot better then it did in the beta. Plus what really gets people is the Multiplayer, not so much the campaign. So people will buy it anyways just for the multiplayer. No one is going to really care about the storyline too horrible much unless something happens to Master Chief. I don't mind the hype for it, I didn't get into the Halo series till about a year ago but my friends have been at it for who knows how long. Should be an awesome game.

blakecraw · Sep 19, 2007, 02:47 PM // 14:47

Let me explain. Micro$oft wants your money.

They will do anything it takes to separate you from your money.

And yes, they are going overboard, but that's only to be expected since they have the cash to do it.

some guy · Sep 19, 2007, 11:14 PM // 23:14

ok, so the beta graphics was not the actual final graphics. they used crappier graphics so they won't get bugs and they want the beta to work. now halo 3 graphics look better than ever

Lord Sojar · Sep 20, 2007, 06:06 AM // 06:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by some guy

ok, so the beta graphics was not the actual final graphics. they used crappier graphics so they won't get bugs and they want the beta to work. now halo 3 graphics look better than ever

Indeed they do look Better, but how much better? Even if they doubled the graphics from the Beta (which they have close to done) the graphics don't stack up to the competition. No HDR, limited Bloom, low poly counts, and limited use of dynamic sprites. I dunno, I really think Bungie is milking this a lot, and that is a pity because they could have invested more of this marketing money into game design and graphics and truly made something stunning.

MrFinklestein · Sep 20, 2007, 05:22 PM // 17:22

I too am sick of the hype. I played the games for a while, not because I liked them but because that was what everyone else was playing. I am an avid PC gamer and Halo is not that innovative. If you want an innovative game grab the original console FPS Goldeneye. I would much rather play CS 1.6 than Halo. To me graphics don't matter. I don't think that there is a need for all of this ridiculous advertising. Most people that really enjoyed Halo (2) will buy Halo 3. There is no need, whatsoever, to spend as much on advertising as they have.

sindex · Sep 23, 2007, 08:58 PM // 20:58

Yeah, I must say it’s not directly as bad as Halo 2’s hype machine. Maybe the outside influence stuff has doubled, but only so much. After reading the reviews on the game which has been released, I might pick up the game latter on the future. However I will let you know this is probably the end of the Halo series, but it’s also a prelude nod to another Bungie series. Which you might see a remake of in the near future; I knew Microsoft would never let this “hot property” fall to the grave.

WinterSnowblind · Sep 23, 2007, 09:48 PM // 21:48

Halo is a great series and in my opinion doesn't really get the respect it deserves. Whenever it is even remotely mentioned there is always someone who will jump in to say "it sucks" or "isn't that good" etc, etc.

Halo has done a lot for FPS in the recent years, and it is very noticeable, just look at the trends FPS followed before Halo, and then look at the ones released AFTER Halo. Regenerating health, tactics over run and gun, grenades mapped to a button rather than being a separate weapon, vehicles, coherent storyline, etc. It may not have been the first FPS game to actually use many of these things, but it was certainly the first to do most of these things well, and it's undeniable that FPS that followed after have borrowed these things from Halo rather than some older title. You could argue that Goldeneye did more for console FPS', but in my opinion, Goldeneye was what was holding them back. Up until Halo, they were all trying to be the next Goldeneye, complete with wonky controls, where you have to stop moving just to aim.

So far Halo 3 has been getting excellent reviews from all who've played it too. It may be a massively popular series, and some people resent it because of that, but in the end, it is massively popular because of how good it is. Halo 2 may have been disappointing for a lot of people but the third game seems to have rectified pretty much all of the mistakes. The weapons are more balanced, the story is less confusing, no annoying Arbiter levels, most of the game takes place on Earth, rather than Alien ships and of course, it actually finishes the series. (Although obviously it won't be the end of the Halo series).

As for the marketing.. It may be excessive, but does anyone really care. Look back at games like Mario 3 that had an entire movie and TV show advertising it, not to mention other Nintendo games, such as Pokemon that were milked to death. Must we really complain about Halo?

Edit: Oh, and please stop judging the graphics by the multiplayer BETA, the final single player game is one of the best looking games on the system. The only thing stopping it from looking as great as something like Gears of War is the fact it actually uses COLOUR.

Zinger314 · Sep 23, 2007, 10:12 PM // 22:12

Unlike the hype for Halo 2, the hype for Halo 3 actually seems warranted...

Trakata · Sep 24, 2007, 04:48 AM // 04:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by WinterSnowblind

Halo is a great series and in my opinion doesn't really get the respect it deserves.

How much more "respect" can this damn game deserve? Seriously.

Malice Black · Sep 24, 2007, 05:09 AM // 05:09

Good marketing = profit.

The more people that see the ads, the higher the sales figures go.

Ads for it here in the UK haven't been that bad, but you guys have commercials like every 15mins don't you?

WinterSnowblind · Sep 24, 2007, 09:07 AM // 09:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trakata

How much more "respect" can this damn game deserve? Seriously.

Obviously it has it's hardcore fanbase, but like I said, there is always someone who has to say something bad about it. I'm not sure if that's just because of how popular it is, or if it's because of Microsoft. The majority of gamers won't even recognise the advancements it's made for it's genre, particularly on consoles.

I mean, personally, I've never been such a big fan of the Final Fantasy series, but I don't feel the need to barge into every discussion made about it, to express my dislikes about it. Yet that undoubtedly happens every single time Halo is even remotely brought up in a discussion.

Guild Wars actually gets treated much the same way, at least by the serious MMO players. Many people just ignore it or brush it off as being garbage, usually without even having played it.

Giga Strike · Sep 24, 2007, 02:56 PM // 14:56

there is no game that deserves the hype that halo 3 is getting. its all microsoft trying to make it seem like the best thing in the world. it's probably going to be a great game but the only reason its the "most anticipated game in history" is because microsoft wont shut up about it.

Brianna · Sep 24, 2007, 03:51 PM // 15:51

Well.. the game is nice, but i haven't had much chances to play any halo's myself.

The only bad thing i see about ''Over-Hyping'' is when people actually get the game, they are very disappointed with it, or it didn't meet ''expectations''.

Giga Strike · Sep 25, 2007, 02:50 PM // 14:50

in case u were wondering, heres what they did for the halo 3 release in new york.

they shut down all of 5th anvenue so that real marines could ride replica mongooses in formation infront of a fully painted van that carried the games. a guy in a master chief suit brought the first one in and personally haned it to the first ppl in line. then he walked away carrying a replica of the red flag.

captainccc · Sep 25, 2007, 09:09 PM // 21:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by WinterSnowblind

Obviously it has it's hardcore fanbase, but like I said, there is always someone who has to say something bad about it. I'm not sure if that's just because of how popular it is, or if it's because of Microsoft. The majority of gamers won't even recognise the advancements it's made for it's genre, particularly on consoles.

I mean, personally, I've never been such a big fan of the Final Fantasy series, but I don't feel the need to barge into every discussion made about it, to express my dislikes about it. Yet that undoubtedly happens every single time Halo is even remotely brought up in a discussion.

Guild Wars actually gets treated much the same way, at least by the serious MMO players. Many people just ignore it or brush it off as being garbage, usually without even having played it.

Are you serious? The amount of fans completly stomp the couple of guys at the work place that "think its an old game". Everything has its haters and saying that halo doesnt get the respect it deserves...that blows my mind.

My Sweet Revenga · Sep 26, 2007, 12:26 AM // 00:26

Only way the game could ever live up to the hype is if master chief takes off his helmet and reveals...... CHUCK NORRIS

Otherwise yeah it's just a big profit bandwagon everybody's jumped on. At least the game is turning out to be somewhat good but I dunno if I'll ever truly enjoy the game without a mouse and keyboard. Halo 2 was just frustrating cuz it felt like I was trying to aim through molasis and I never did finish it even though from what I've read, I was about 90% of the way through. Might start up my xbox again just to finish off the story.