State of Play: Halo 3 hands on

BBC reports from Amsterdam, and the reporter's first impression is that the hand-on gameplay session is mostly underwhelming.

"For a moment it appears as though Halo 3 has crash landed in Gears of War territory - the gothic and crepuscular Xbox 360 title. But after a few bends and turns you emerge onto the familiar candy-coloured landscape so familiar to Halo players.

And this is where the first disappointment sets in - graphically Halo 3 is more of an evolutionary leap than brave new world. It is Halo 2 on steroids with familiar looking colours, textures and flavours.

Everything has a high definition sheen but there are noticeable jagged edges to objects and buildings, and close up some textures look distinctly rough.

It should be made very clear that the game we were playing was beta code and not finished game, but I will admit to feeling underwhelmed."

[SuperSaiyan4]

They were soo high they didnt know what they were playing...Fools.

[vidoardes]

Or mayby, just mayby... they wern't actually impressed because it wasn't that impressive? I must admit, I have yet to see anythign of this game that isn't Halo 2 with better graphics and a few new weapons.

[eLiNeS]

Halo 3 HD Screenshots: http://www.gametrailers.com...

Download the (54.21 MB) HD version here: http://www.mediafire.com/?b...

Bungie must be pulling something like they did with the Co-Op, their letting reporters play a downgraded copy to get a little bad press and then WOW them at the last min. with what we all been expecting!!! FTW

[Jo0j]

name one sequal that isn't just ''better graphics and a few new weapons.''

[deepio]

I don't think there's many people who don't find the visuals underwhelming. But, Halo games have never had amazing graphics, the attraction is much deeper than that.

[MarioFromTexas]

It's funny how xbots lastgen always talk about Halo graphics and now that HALO3 graphics are not on par with other games, now they say it's always been about the gameplay,,,biachhh plz.....Halo is a good game and have always enjoy it, it's just not the epic game people make it out to be.

How can he be playing a beta when the game comes out next month, I guess his hoping for an improvement.

[IQUITN4G]

Halo 1 and 2 had amazing graphics and just last night i was playing Halo2 on my 360 - it still holds up superbly well and this is just the Xbox version.Halo is unlikely to have disapointing visuals.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

It should be made very clear that the game we were playing was beta code and not finished game,.....

enough said... their comments about jaggies, glitches, etc mean NOTHING once this was stated.

[GnaM]

They have a month left to finish the game yet the AI is still highly buggy and doesn't seem to know what to do? Sure they'll probably work out the bugs by release, but to impress me the game would need superior enemy AI to what we saw in Halo 2; hopefully an improvement over Halo 1 even. The fact that the AI is still so buggy so late in the development cycle seems to indicate that it was a low priority and Bungie was primarily just focused on story and visuals of campaign rather than the gameplay.

[darx]

Can you tell me how old the beta they were playing was? Maybe it was a six month old beta.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Beta code is unfinished game code. It represents over all game play but is not at all representative of what the final build will be. Graphical upgrades Always occur late in developement and are not priority. As for AI bugs...obviously this is what Beta is all about.

So again...if they said we got to play a level off the final build I would be worried. But when you tell me you played off the Beta....well I will take all the critiques with a major grain of salt and wait to hear from someone who played off the final build.

[BrainDrain]

Personally, I don't want Bungie to "reinvent" Halo now that we are to finish the fight. I loved the first two and I'll be happy to have HD graphics but still have that familiar Halo feel. Bigger battles, new weapons, levels, etc. That's all I need. And 4 player coop is gonna be great. That was the one major thing my friends and I were looking forward too.

[Odion]

Why have other actual websites played the same level and said the complete opposite. I trust Gaming sites not the BBC.

also I would be pissed if they try to create a totally different game, just like i would be stupid angry if Blizzard change starcraft

[Rhezin]

I don't care what those idiots say I know the final version will be amazing in gameplay and graphics , and it will still sell millions of copies no matter what or how it plays, ITS A FRANCHISE!

[s8anicslayer]

i wonder what would happen if this game was to get bad reviews, would all xbots crawl under a rock, will sony say "i told you so" would the ps3 fanboys mock you guys for the rest of ms existance in console gaming industry. what?

[toughNAME]

will you stop commenting on 360 articles?
loser?

[BLACKJACK VII]

Well, with 4+ million preorders I guess that makes your comment 4+ million to 1. Besides, what *could* Xbox360 gamers say to Sony Troll Queens on Xbox360 threads ?

Next 4 months: MASS EFFECT, HALO3, BIOSHOCK, TWO WORLDS, GRAND THEFT IV WITH EXTRA CONTENT, LOST ODYSSEY, ARMY OF TWO, PGR4, BLUE DRAGON, COD4, ASSASSIN'S CREED, VF5, ARMY OF TWO, MADDEN 2008, NCAA 2008@60fps...

2008: TOO HUMAN, DARK SECTOR, ALAN WAKE, FABLE 2, HALO WARS, DARKSIDERS, FORCE UNLEASHED, DMC4, MARVEL MMO, NG2, DOA5, WOLFENSTEIN 360, PROJECT OFFSET, HAZE, UT3, ... DARE I SAY: GEARS OF WAR 2 ?!?

SONY is *4.3 MILLION* consoles behind M$ & slippin' everyday. Xbox360's software currently outsells Nintendo & PS3, & that's BEFORE Bioshock, Mass Effect, & Halo3 ! Just wait for the M$'s pricecuts & the *2007* software releasing this Fall - Ouch. Unless the PS3 dramaticly increases it's abysmal hardware & software sales, more & more developers are going to CONTINUE to drop off. Sucks to be a Fantard !! Hee hee hee, I hope you enjoy Lair, BIGMAMAFANGIRL !!!

Best E3 Console Game--Mass Effect
Best E3 RPG-- Mass Effect
Best E3 Action Game--COD4
Best E3 Action/Adventure--Bioshock
Best E3 Sport Game--Madden 08(@60 FPS)
Best E3 Online Multiplayer--Halo 3
Best E3 Fighting Game--Virtua Fighter 5(Online via XBL)
Best E3 Game not Mentioned--GTAIV(episodic content)

Wow, did I miss something ? Where are all the PS3 games ???

[eLiNeS]

was on the PofS3, graphically on par or not, just admit it.

[codeazrael]

when Killzone 2 comes out and gets a 2.

[DJ]

it's amazing graphics, this is pretty disappointing. I'm just hoping that that hardware hasn't restricted Bungie in other ways..

[BenzMoney]

...uh, really? I don't ever remember being in awe of Halo's graphics, and I've been following the game since it was first announced as a title for Macs in the late 90s.

Halo is about gameplay. The graphics are nice, but they've never been what the game is "renowned" for - that would be balance, multiplayer, story, etc.

[Contra26]

talk about cell+bluRay+Sixaxis = crappy game like Lair.

lol. Hardware does make better games huh.

[GnaM]

Halo was renowned for its balance? The entirety of Halo 1's balance was hinged on a single over-powered weapon, and Halo 2 multiplayer was practically broken. Yes, the Halo series has had much stronger balance than other console shooters (which is sad) but what really contributed to it's multiplayer success was it's pace; it had the features of a PC FPS (like Quake multiplayer) but it was slowed down to a pace feasible for console controls.

[TheMART]

Jees.

Yeah DJ pull another lie out of your underpants.
They should rename you to BJ. Blow Job for former Ken and Kaz now.

[VirusE]

GnaM i agree that halo1 mp became broken due to the pistol but i dont feel that way about halo 2. Please name a pc shooter that isnt extremely broken? Most pc fps games rely on the DOOM weapon system which is extremely broken. It's all about running for the rocket based weapon or what ever weapon you have to hit the no.9 to bring up. Oh did i mention all the cheating that goes on with pc fps games? It is 20 times easier to cheap on a pc fps and you cant get banned so cheaters never go away.

[GnaM]

If you don't think Halo 2 is broken, well that's a whole 'nother can of works unto itself, so I'm not going to go into it. Here's some links to get you started:

http://www.1up.com/do/featu...
http://xbox.ign.com/article...

Also, this entry from my blog pretty much sums up how I feel about the balance of the entire series:

http://juliangnam.wordpress...

The bottom line is: even Bungie admits Halo 2 was broken, otherwise why would they be overhauling so much in Halo 3? The changes to player spawns, weapons starts, the sword, the BR, the Plasma Pistols, the rocket launcher, etc all indicate points where they know they screwed up.

As for PC games; games like Quake and UT are the epitomy of balance in sci-fi/fantasy multiplayer FPS. Weapons like the Rocket Launcher and Railgun are not overpowered because unlike Halo, they take the most skill in the game to use. Furthermore, weapons like the Shotgun and Plasma Rifle are hardly underpowered; if you can't pick one up and defend yourself, it's not the weapon's fault, it's yours.

I would agree that the rocket launcher of Doom 3 was overpowered in the sense that the maps were all made of tight corridors so it was almost impossible to dodge rockets in many situations, but that's more a problem of map design, not weapon design.

If you don't think these games are balanced, you simply haven't played them enough to understand them.

[candystop]

I'm picking up Halo3 at launch and could really careless about these type of comments! Also Dj above good try but if I were you I would watch what I say because we all know which console is limiting developers regardless of what people are saying lol!

[ASSASSYN 36o]

If they changed the graphics people would have complained that bungie tampered with the gameplay. Screwed if they do screwed if they don't. Nobody is ever satisfied when a game has 3 versions come out. Metal gear solid still looks the same to me. Same hairstyle same character style and same gameplay.

And who cares this game is going to sell like a hooker at a singles convention.

[BLACKJACK VII]

Bubbles for Contra26, Candystop, & ASSASSYN 36o. Speak the TRUTH brethern !! One question, if YOU are a PS3 fanboy, then why are YOU reading about Halo 3 or Bioshock or Mass effect ? Don't you have any AAA games of your own ?

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !!!

[gnothe1]

this is just something to throw FUD on Halo 3 because Lair got a bad review. if this guy had commented on the final game like Lair was then he might have a leg to stand on, but once he stated it was a beta build nothing he said meant anything after that!! an DJ really needs to get his head out of sony arse for 1 sec then he might see this light. an those aren't roses your smelling!!

[LiquifiedArt]

You never acutally read any of the Lair reviews. Instead you want to use it as an anit-sony remark (which in itself is stupid, if you knew the intentions of Microsoft).

Lair's review was dwarfed because the readers didnt like the controls. Yet they praised everything else. quite odd huh? So get a clue before you solve the mystery kid. :P

[PS360PCROCKS]

How is it everyone who has played this is in love with everything from the graphics, to the A.I to the gameplay but a British news site got their hands on it and now it suddenly has all kinds of problems?

[PS3rd place]

I have bluray though.

[GnaM]

Of course 360 vs PS3 is going to come into conversation here (like does with EVERY topic on this site) but don't make it worse by making unprovoked attacks.

[PS3rd place]

I dont have AAA games for my owners right now.
that's why I have to slow down 360 AAA games.
Just like how the PS3fanboy do.
=)
Don't hate me. please. I'm folding @ home

[Rooted_Dust]

I think Sony could have waited another year to launch PS3, it would have had a much more impressive line up and it wouldn't have been such a long wait for the good games to come down the pipe. PS2's are still selling a hell of alot better than either system anyway.

On Topic: Halo is no better or worse than most shooters out now. In it's favor it's story is more Epic in scope than most. Hopefully it will look a little better when it come out. If it's really good I'll grab it when it come to PC.

[xmod]

Microsoft could sell the game disk in a bag full of dog sh!t and it would still probably sell 1 million copies.

Xbots don't care if Halo 3 is just slight improvement over Halo 2 (which was a slight improvement over Halo 1). Xbots like to follow Microsoft blindly.

[LiquifiedArt]

I just wanted to say i agree. If they acuatlly knew what we whooops i mean microsoft had in store for these kids, they'd be singing a differnt tune.

[Tempo]

that they could sell the PS3 with out games and you guys would still gobble them up. For now it seems that statement holding water, but i guess it depends on how u look at it

[killercam19]

They were playing a beta version of course its not gonna look great

P.S. could we get the trolls down to one bubble like BIGPOPPAGUNZ & xmod

[_insane_cobra]

BBC in a mainstream journalists are clueless when it comes to gaming shocker...

[XENOCIDE]

Halo has always absolutely awed me with it's graphics. It set the bar for every other game released on Xbox, even when the game became somewhat outdated. HALO 2...I remember playing on my 360 (so obviously I'd played a few next gen games already) and STILL being taken back by it's brilliant lighting and colors. The massive scope of everything. Now I'm not saying that's all the Halo franchise has been about, but how some can say that it's never been known for it's graphics is crazy to me. That isn't at all necessary to try n' "justify" Halo 3's graphics.

As for the article, these guys know nothing. As one said before I'll take the opinions of all the gaming sites I've read over these guys.

"you emerge onto the familiar candy-coloured landscape so familiar to Halo players." Maybe so many people (I guess the one's who haven't seen the videos or in-game screens for themselves) are hating the graphics because while they're certainly improved, they retain that familiar Halo look and haven't totally redesigned the series from the ground up? Maybe if it were a new IP, but who'd want that in the conclusion of a franchise? Without those candy colord landscapes...Halo wouldn't be Halo. You couldn't have possibly expected them to take a totally different artistic approach, such as R*'s done w/GTA4 (which was warranted). With that being said the graphics ARE truly next gen. This is no Halo 2.1 or even 2.9. Someone said something of it simply having new guns n' missions. If I had to list all the new things they're doing w/Halo 3 it'd be 5x's as long as this post.

[JCITY]

All this Halo hype isn't good for the game...people are waiting for this next GEN GAME!! but there gonna get the same crap ans 1 and 2 ...sorry man halo is all hype...ms is really banking on this title to

[xfrgtr]

"And this is where the first disappointment sets in - graphically Halo 3 is more of an evolutionary leap than brave new world. It is Halo 2 on steroids with familiar looking colours, textures and flavours. "

[natsfan7]

its like a half built car being driven by a 15 year old who just got his driver permit. BBC has not Idea what they are doing.....

[Lex Luthor]

I really wish they wouldn't review the beta version and just wait for the final build to come out.

[Daxx]

Halo is not all about obtaining the best graphics it's about obtaining the best gameplay experience. What makes the game great is that it has infinite replayablity, it's fun, and the graphics are colorful and creative from an artistic point of view.

Plus the BBC has better things to discuss than a video game, all they are doing is showing nongamers that Halo 3 is something that they are going to be hearing a lot of for months to come.

[XENOCIDE]

Well

[THAMMER1]

Because once the final game is out there will be too many people actually playing the game to stop and listen.

[XENOCIDE]

said.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

the press and many gamers alike are putting KZ2's on a pedastil (aka 40 year old virgin, lol). Once people sit and actually look at H3's visuals you will cherish that things look very familiar, why would you want to lose the ambiance from the first 2 games? makes no sense to me. I like that it looks and feels familiar. It also does look better than H2 not a complete overhaul, but it looks better... and that is what counts. Now if it perfectly matched H2 then would it be a major problem. Just possibly, do you think H3 could be the first 360 game to push HD use as standard? who knows. I don't really believe there are too many core owners out there without HD's anymore, cause how do you get a core system without EXPECTING to upgrade your system to get the most out of it?. I don't know but this should turn out interesting. If it weren't for H3, the Sony wouldn't be trying to be so dominant with finding it's own exclusive awesome FPS! 4 games I hear the most out of, on this site for PS3 = Heavenly Sword, Killzone 2, Haze, and Unreal Tournament 3 (because of the mods feature on PS3). 3 of the games are FPS... common Sony fans just admit you want a piece of that pie. Also as far as LAIR goes, if you think it got delayed just to add some more features for online I highly bet you are mistaken as Im 110% sure they are going to make Sixaxiss as a option when it comes to the flying... I actually bet the online components were already finalized. But if they fix the controls I shall buy it when it releases Sept 4th. September will be busy for me with Lair, Heavenly Sword, and Halo 3 Legendary Edition coming my way. I hope my girlfriend don't mind eatting rations and drinking tap water for the remainder of the year.... Now time to drool over my Blu-Ray 300 on my PS3! take care everyone and good gaming!

[VirusE]

COD4 looks just as good as killzone2 and crysis owns them both.

[_insane_cobra]

Not to mention RE5.

[VirusE]

Good point cobra i didnt think of RE5.

[SorenK]

I LOVED the lush colors of halo 3 beta (as well as the awesome multiplayer)

am i the only one who hates the muddy browns and grays that dominate so many newer games (like Gears)? maybe i do because my video game formative years came from the NES/SNES where color was king. The next gen (dominated by the PS (which seems to be the apparent formative console for many of the younger gamers on this site judging by the PS fans here)) saw a big increase in the use of blacks and grays as the games started pushing for more "realism"

[eLiNeS]

You need variety or you would just get bored with the same thing all the time. We all know HALO ][][][ will be the best game of the century and the trolls know it to. They’re just trying to get under our skin because they’re bored that there’s no game for their PofS3 and nothing as good as HALO ever coming to it either.

[_insane_cobra]

You're not the only one, I love Halo's art direction. Unlike some people, I was truly impressed by the E3 trailer. It's the good old Halo I know and love, only much, much more beautiful.

[kngri]

once again people confusing graphics with art direction. the fact that some people dont like halo's art direction because is cartoony doesn't mean that the game has poor graphic. If you really are gamers it's time for you to learn the difference between this two.

[Daewoodrow]

Everyone who knows the BBC like I do is laughing inside as this "hands-on".
In fact, I laugh every time they feature gaming on their news reports. The awkwardness only emphasises the "straight out of university journalism degree with honours", asigned to talk about new fangled machines that studies show 60% of viewers approve of.

This could work to the gaming companies' advantage though. As soon as one console clearly dominates the British market, they'll suddenly start reporting all about it to be "down with the kids", effectively preventing that console from ever losing popularity.

[FeralPhoenix]

Does anyone get their gaming news from the "Today Show" or the "BBC", well its not a bad thing, I'm glad mainstream press is willing to cover our industry for other than sensational violence news stories about gaming.....still its kind of like gettin financial investment advice from a Priest, he may have good intentions but I'd feel more comfortable with an professional in the industry.

I don't know what build of the game they were playing, but I and many others thought the Beta test version of the multiplayer was good looking, but not great,(basicly the same as they did) but most importantly it sure was alot of fun though, either way everybody's got an opinion but I really love the bright vibrant colors of Halo3, was Bungie suppose to make it NOT look like previous Halo games? don't sequels usually look like their predecessors 99% of the time, only much better? We are talking about a Halo game right and the art style of Halo has always been its signature along with of course the great gameplay and story, but I don't think anyone who's fair minded can say that these latest Halo3 screenshots don't look great.

"If you've got any qualms about the visual fidelity of the single-player game, let's just put those to rest right off the bat. The segment we saw took place in a lush forest, where tall trees cut off a good deal of the sunlight and moss grew on just about every available surface. The foliage and textures looked excellent, as did the "god rays" that beamed down through gaps in the canopy." -IGN

"Nearly everyone in attendance agreed that this was the footage that Microsoft should have closed the press conference with, as it surely would have impressed just about everyone in attendance. The game is definitely shaping up nicely, and the single-player campaign looks much better than the multiplayer." -IGN http://xbox360.ign.com/arti...

-I personally think IGN is one of the most fair minded sites on the net, and I almost always agree with their assessment of games, but hey its not just IGN, I could give you plenty other links to sites who have spent time with Halo3 and they all pretty much say the same thing, Halo3 is a monster.......but of course M$ has the whole world "paid off", except when they keep doing stories about hardware problems. -lol

http://media.xbox360.ign.co...
http://media.xbox360.ign.co...
http://media.xbox360.ign.co...

[Genki]

I think all this "Halo 2.5" or sub-par graphics nonsense is just testament to that the series has been over-hyped.

I don't mean over-hyped in the sense of a crappy franchise made to look good by a bunch of shills, but rather, a quality franchise that people put on an ENTIRELY too high pedestal these days. I like Halo myself, and last summer me and several co-workers had LAN parties for Halo on a near-daily basis, but the thing is, as much fun as it was, it's not the game to end all games as so many would have us believe, and there are other games people would rather play sometimes.

I'll use myself as an example in that Starcraft is my absolute favorite game of all time...bar-none, but there are a plethora of games that do many things better than SC, and that I would rather play sometimes(which is why I think the sequel is destined to disappoint the uh...WORLD).

I'm sure Halo 3 will deliver the classic single and multiplayer fun that the first two gave, but the hype and expectations for this game are an interesting parallel to the original Killzone, and I think in the end that no matter how good a game is, this level of hype and expectations will only end up hurting it's legacy. Just like Guerrilla didn't intend for KZ to be a Halo killer, I'm sure it's not Bungie's vision for Halo to be the Armageddon of console games.

Maybe the graphics aren't the best we've seen, but they're not but, so no reason to complain.

Gameplay seems similar, but that similar gameplay is STILL good fun, and maintaining fundamental gameplay is what's kept quality series like the 2K basketball games and um...VIRTUA FIGHTER(although I am admittedly sick of this game) afloat for so long.

We should just be satisfied with what we've got or will receive, because blowing things out of proportion, positively or negatively, usually ends with bad results.

[FeralPhoenix]

I Agree!.......in fact a made similiar comment on another Halo3 thread a few hours ago when I said this;

"I'm a huge Halo fan like many others but I never understood why some people think that means we don't care about other games,[[Edit 360 attach rate is proof otherwise too]] I see alot of 360 fans excited about Mass Effect and many other games, including PS3 games, but I've been playing games for over 20+ yrs and its one of my favorite games and I'm not going act as if good news about Halo doesn't really get me pumped up, when clearly it does."

-I know there are plenty of other great games out there and I fully understand some might not share my enthusiasm for Halo, hell I don't even think Halo is the best game ever, but its sure among the best at least in my book, and really thats all that matters, people should form their own opinions, personally the only thing I dislike is those who spew BS simply because of a fanboy agenda. As for this thing called "hype" you speak of, what is that?, nah just kiddin, but seriously naysayers/haters will definitely nitpick and say this was bad, that was bad, why didn't they do this? blah, blah, blah etc. Nothings perfect and Halo3 won't be any exception, but generally there is a consensus about a games quality -"generally". If the vast majority think its great thats usually the label it will get but it doesn't matter much, if "I" am satisfied with Halo3 then, its $60 well spent, of course "living up to the hype" always depends on who you ask, but I think Bungie will deliver exactly what they were suppose to; a all around outstanding gaming experience.= Mission Accomplished.