[quote]Halo 2 headed to PC; new OS required
Master Chief and fellow Space Marines say, “Hasta la Vista”; Microsoft Game Studios to develop Halo 2 for PC and its next-gen operating system.
If PC users are having trouble deciding whether to move over to Windows Vista, Microsoft’s next-generation operating system, when it is released later this year, the fact that the fate of the Earth depends on it may tip the scales. Microsoft Game Studios today announced that it is developing Halo 2 for the PC.
The game will be only for Vista, and is being developed in partnership with the franchise’s original developer, Bungie Studios. The PC version will include Halo 2, the bonus maps that came in the Multiplayer Map Pack, and the ability to “build, create, and customize their own multiplayer levels.” No release date or other details have been announced.
Last week, questions arose when Bungie revealed it was hiring PC programmers to help “work on the biggest franchises for Microsoft Game Studios.” Many presumed that Bungie would be porting Halo 2 to the PC in house, unlike the PC version of Halo, which was developed by Brothers in Arms creator Gearbox Studios.
Halo 2, now over a year old, is the best-selling Xbox game of all time. Bungie has not yet announced its next project. For more information on Halo 2, read GameSpot’s full review of the Xbox version. For more information on Windows Vista, check out GameSpot’s feature on the operating system.[/quote]
Should be interesting to see what kind of mods will come out for it.
Will this be Halo 2 proper or the Halo 1.9 that got released for X-box?
I would put a link here to the page listing the various things Bungie had to cut to get the game released on time after spending 18 months on a demo, but I can’t find it.
I bet it will still be the Halo 1.9 you speak of Arcie. There still won’t be a proper ending or any new vehicles and features that where promised but cut for the sequel. The good thing is, you can bet that all good Halo 1 maps will be remade for by players, such as the original Blood Gultch, Hang 'Em High, and Sidewinder.
Considering i’ve been playing this game consistently since it’s released with friends, i’m not that excited. Good news for anyone who hasn’t tried the game on Xbox.
[quote=“Arcie”]
I would put a link here to the page listing the various things Bungie had to cut to get the game released on time after spending 18 months on a demo, but I can’t find it.[/quote]
Seriously, when I heard about all the ATV and melee combos I was more psyched than you could imagine…way to tread on my dreams Bungie! Halo 3 better have some sort of ATV, one which you can ride while shooting a weapon or having the sword equipped. Riding around slaying enemies, Halo joust all the way.
I’m guessing that Bungie will leave the single player campaign mostly the same. If a more complete ending was provided in Halo 2 for PC, it wouldn’t be fair to all those who bought the original Xbox game and would therefore miss out on the rest of the story. More likely, though, this may turn out to be a “Halo 2: The Lost Chapters”, where the PC version contains additional extras (like multiplayer maps). But we shall see.
Someone in the comments section below the Gamespot article posted “This just shows onces more that I was right into not buying any Microsoft Console. Everything good on XBOX or XBOX 360 eventually hits the PC, with better graphics, controlls, & content. XBOX is for people that don’t have a good PC.” While this is generalising a bit, the unfortunate truth for PC gamers is that while Halo 2 was exclusive to Xbox to sell Xboxes, Halo 2 for PC will be exclusive to Windows Vista for no other reason than to sell copies of Windows Vista.
Lets hope that the other half of the story in Halo 3 is worth the wait.
Not many great ones I imagine, I doubt it will get the community support required for such things. Especially since it’s Vista only which means it will mostly be purchased by new users (PC bundled with Vista) or people who just have to have the latest and greatest all the time… Not the sort of people who would spend a year’s worth of free time in order to build something serious.
For mods, Half-Life 2 is where it’s at right now. Perhaps not for players just yet since not many are released (a few good ones are though), but it has the biggest developer support and we should start seeing the results of that later this year. It takes a long time to create something good, especially by unfunded amateur developers.
I imagine UT2007 will have a good chance to be the next mod king, but by the time it’s released many great mods will already be available for Half-Life 2 which should make it quite a challenge despite the huge difference in visual quality.
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I feel offended here.
I’m referring you to the extra DVD that came with the HALO 2 special edition. They removed those things (melee combos, warthog variants and most importantly the ATV), as well as others (enemies mostly, including a lame-ass alien sniper) because even if those sounded like a good idea in the beginning, they couldn’t get it to fit in the gameplay. An ATV would have done nothing better than a warthog or ghost than being poorly armed and armored, resulting in players just driving it to teamkill or make jumps all around the map, I guess.
Also, have you tried the rocket warthog in HALO PC? it sucked. Big time. Its design was really cool, but it wasn’t that useful. two variations of a single vehicle is more than enough to me, and the “snow hog” and “jungle hog” we saw on the net long before launch were not even from bungie, they were obviously manips of warthog pictures from HALO: CE.
Same for the flamethrower. They worked so much to make it work properly, it was modeled and all but didn’t fit the game. The ATV was modeled and working too. All I want to say is that Bungie didn’t let those features out of the game by lack of time (well at least not all of them), but because after a few tries, it just didn’t fit. Halo is not only tons of orgasmic stuff put together, it needs a certain consistency (I won’t say balance seeing what HALO 2 on xbox live has become)
Well, that is all… sorry for the outburst :anjou_embarassed:
