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Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - General Gaming - Halo 2....HUGE NEWS!!!

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<blockquote><font class=fonts><i>Originally posted by Super Sion</i></font><hr>This info was taken from the latest OXM magazine...enjoy.

4 or 5 new screens(most small). There is a making of Halo1 article(which is 7 pages long), and a pretty funny new Halo2 ad (nursery) 
-A screen of a grunt jumping OVER a Wraith tank 
-Big one of chief shooting at an Elite, while a grunt jumps over a Wraith tank. Level is indoors, with light shadows on the wall. 4 small ones: 3 with the badass drones. A couple of those show off the daytime lighting, very cool. Another bigger one shows Chief shooting a couple Covenent with a battle rifle. 
-The pictures have the elites in a couple different single player color schemes. They have a silver, blue, and red version in a couple different pics. Of course none of the pics are from the first person. They are all taken away from the action. There is no mention of the new HUD design either. 
-The graphics of the environments look a lot better than the '03 E3 demo. Back then all the buildings looked nondescript... no features to them. One pic shows a new enemy hovering in the sky attacking Master Chief and the background has a tall sky scraper... but opposite the tall building is what looks like a run down apartment complex. It's brownish in color and it has great shadows... The windows have awnings above them and the achitecture is more realistic in appearance... looks like a city in present day New Mexico 
-The structures look more organic and weathered.Yhey have what looks like water damage where the roof meets the wall. The first building is in the light where as the rest of the complex looks like it is in the shadow of the sky scraper... 
-About the shadowing. It looks excellent. 
-There are also two pics of what looks like new mutliplayer levels. The first is from the level that the new sniper pic was taken from. It shows a Red masterchief piloting a banshee and he is being jacked by a green spartan. They are falling into what looks like a circular cropping of stones. The next is taken from what looks like the level that was the very first shown. The dirt is red in color and there is an old structure coming out of the ground. It's hard to see what is going on because the Covenant tank is firing right at the camera and the explosion takes up most of the screen. It also has a green Elite manning the turret on a Warthog while a red spartan drives... 
-What the images show are outdoors, in more of a 'weathered" part of the city. It looks excellent, with powerlines, realistic shadows, etc 
-The First pic in the mag looks like it's from a cutscene. It has Master next to two helljumpers and they are firing at something off camera. There are two pelicans flying overhead. You can tell the characters are in game models but the background action is blurred somewhat and has a more movie like feel to it.

Enemies 
New Covenant Drones: 
-It is pretty much believed that this action figure is a drone. 
-Accompanied by the disctinctive buzz of insect wings is a swarm of new Covenent creatures that come fluttering over the rooftops of outlying buildings. "These guys are called drones. They fly, they can snipe, and they're total jerks." O'Connor quips. 
-They say drones fly in packs and they fly erratically so it is hard to draw a beed on them. The hunters have an upgraded fuel rod gun mounted on there arms and it will take more then 1 shot to the back to kill them this time around. 
-They are greenish, almost teal. They very much look like flying insects. Their wings are opaque, with blues and purples. Their bodies have a lot of "sharpness" to them. 
They do have backwards feet. 
-After fighting the covenant they describe the introduction of the drones. They fly in over the buildings and use the environment to shield themselves and zig zag between areas while they snipe you from afar. They say it's like playing hide and seek with the enemy. The drone prefers to snipe and use speed and attack in numbers. They have limited armor so they can be taken down quickly if you can get them in your scope. 
-[Added Oct 1 2004 4:35AM]The drones wings can be shot off making them a severe ground threat when equipped with a carbine. Word of advice make sure your first sniper round is a bio-hazard shot because it may be your only free shot at a clean straight kill with these things. Don't let them get on the ground! 
Various Enemies: 
-"What's imemdiately noticeable in our first skirmish with Halo 2 is just how much livelier its compatants-both friendly and hostile-have become. "When you hear the buzzwords like how there are 20,000 lines in the game, that's not just throwing a bunch of dialogue onto the bonfire," Parsons says, "The AI in this game is fundamentally different than it was in Halo." 
-Hunters have their fuel-rod gun still attached to their arm. The one jumping has his arm in front of his face like he is swinging it. 
-Unlike hunters from the first halo, these doggies exhibit much more aggression, taking care to let loose with their hand cannons whenever possible, while going to greater lengths (such as pushing aside the wreckage of an overturned truck) to bury you and your comrades. 
-Hunters can't be killed with one shot to the orange part. 
-To our surprise, the covenant are actually sniping back, with pockets of drones and jackals taking potshots at us using Covenant carbines and beam rifles.

Various SP Campaign Details 
Storyline: 
-Here's the opener... 
We arrive at Bungie on a quiet Sunday afternoon. After introductions, the ground rules: No one may write about anything they are expressly told not to write about, such as the big, cool thing at the beginning of the second level. Or the ridiculously enormous ship that levitates ominously over New Mombasa. Or the thing that happens at the end of what may be the third level after crossing the really impressive Golden-Gate sized bridge in the newly remodeled scorpian tank. It must also be accepeted that cimematics are incomplete, graphics are unfinished here and there, and this build of Halo 2 is still preoptimized, things could get a little choppy in the framerate department, especially when master chief is attacked by that huge - oops! 
-Really not much is given on the story line that we don't already know about. I was hoping for more impressions of the gameplay versus the first one, but it delves more on the history of the lack of Halo 2 info and what happens in the books between the closing credits of Halo and the beginning of this game. I find it interesting that the journalists started on the 2nd level and not the first. I'm assuming that it holds some cool surprises that would have revealed too much story. They describe the 2nd level as being close to the movie Blackhawk Down. Except the enemy soldiers have been replaced by jackals and elites. Wave upon wave of enemies attack you as you try to make your way through the city streets. 
-You start off in a Pelican, but a large creature (they don't describe it) attacks the squad and knocks the Pelican out of the air. You then are on foot and have to fight your way to a clearing so other troops may land. 
After fighting the covenant they describe the introduction of the drones. They fly in over the buildings and use the environment to shield themselves and zig zag between areas while they snipe you from afar. They say it's like playing hide and seek with the enemy. The drone prefers to snipe and use speed and attack in numbers. They have limited armor so they can be taken down quickly if you can get them in your scope. 
Then you face off against two hunters. 
Next you're in a "cool shade of a crowded alley" . At the end of the alley you make your way through a pitch black motel interior. You have to use your lights to see while you are being attacked. You can see the enemies glowing green eyes in the murky interior. Once outside you are on a beach where the vehicles are waiting for you. At this point Frank took them directly to the next level so it's up in the air how much more there was to this level. This is kind of a streamlined version as they decribe more interactions within these events 
Switching Guns with Marines: 
-"I'm not having much luck with this gun here" O'Connor says, "while Sargeant Johnson over tehre has a sniper rifle--and I want it--so I'm going to chase him up here. Sergeant, I need that." By walking up to Johnson and pressing X, Master Chief can swap weapons at will with fellow UNSC infantry. 
After the exchange, whereby forcefully barter our crappy submachine gun for a sniper rifle, Sarge *****es indignantly, "That hurts, Chief. That hurts real bad." 
On the hole...I mean whole: 
-"On the whole, single-player Halo2 is a tender balance of missions where you're propelled onward by way of level design while being bombarded by enemies and areas where the pacing is more diliberate, giving you plenty of time to explore your surroundings."

User	Post
Super Sion Posts: 1615/2472	The game is awesome, the only reason Im posting at all is because Im at school. My only major gripe about the game is the but ugly cut scenes with the ridiculous pop ups, it really ruins the drama.
Nebetsu Posts: 490/1574	lol. In Social Studies I said that as a current event. People told me to shut up and that noone cares... >> I wanted to smack them SOOO much! ^^
Anya Posts: 3438/5337	Hmmm..wasn't as big as a turn-out as I thought it would be. We got rid of the line about 45 minutes after midnight, and after that, we had maybe about five more people pop in. I think we sold about 75+ copies. Busy day tomrrow, though.
Colin Posts: 5019/11302	I figure the Halo 2 tournaments will be a crapshoot... Halo skill will be a plus, but at the same time there's still new quirks that you can't pick up in just one day. I doubt there'll be many people absent in class tomorrow but... You never know.
Xeolord Posts: 632/3418	I'm getting it today myself at Midnight. Gonna sleep for awhile and stay up all night to play it. Our school moved "Senior Skip Day" too tommorow, lol. I'm a Junior though, so not like it really applies to me.
Super Sion Posts: 1609/2472	I should get my Halo 2 today, I ordered it online months ago so hopefully when I get home itll be there....then Im gonna play and play and play, then Thursday im gonna go to a 16 player Halo 2 tournament.....for money! This is gonna be one fun week....dont expect to see me much.
Colin Posts: 4994/11302	400+. Wow. Might as well bump with the official reviews for the game, which were allowed to be posted at 3 PM today in anticipation of that Tuesday release. Gamespot Gamespy IGN ...Enjoy.
Anya Posts: 3344/5337	We have about 400+ reservations for this game and we're going to be opening up at midnight and until 2am. This is going to be a huge turn out! Hmmm..maybe one day I'll get an XBox. For now, I'll be part of other's joy.
Xeolord Posts: 579/3418	Well hopefully this isn't considered a big bump ... it was still on the first page. But anyways, if you're behind schedule and haven't seen the newest trialer yet, check it out. If it doesn't work, try opening the URL through WMV. http://www.xeogaming.net/download/halo2_60sec_commercial.wmv And since the game is only a week and a half away... we could continue to discuss?
Super Sion Posts: 1467/2472	At first I kinda didnt really like Halo...I thought Perfect Dark was 10 times better...but I after playing it for so long I found out that what makes Halo great is the multiplayer its just fantastic...and it was the first console game that I ever played 8 players on.
Zem Posts: 204/1107	Originally posted by Kasumi-Astra Half Life was a revolution because of the depth the storyline, AI, graphics and level design offered. Compared with other FPSs of the time, Half Life completely changed what people expected of the first person shooter. Halo simply took what was around at the time and fused it with new technology and original design. This was my thinking, only much better stated. Thank you. In my view, "doing everything well" is not a revolution.
Super Sion Posts: 1465/2472	But I dont have to deal with the madness that gonna go down at nearly every gaming store. Here you guys go becuase Im so nice. http://img16.exs.cx/img16/8357/13956.jpg Grunt, Wraith, and Elite vs. MC and Marines http://img16.exs.cx/img16/5586/13958.jpg http://img16.exs.cx/img16/3773/scan127.jpg http://img16.exs.cx/img16/5194/scan128.jpg
Xeolord Posts: 513/3418	Originally posted by Master Sion The stages in Halo 2 will be even more expansive so no worries and the developers tried as hard as they could to balance the game, hence the pistol not being a death machine like used to be. I bought my copy of Halo from GameStop.Com months ago so all I have to do is wait for the UPS guy on November 8th...thats right I said 8...jealous? No, actually ... no, I'm not. I pre-ordered my copy of Halo 2 ... June of 2003, anyone who's pre-ordered the game before November of 2003 gets it a day early, around here at least. So boom.
Super Sion Posts: 1462/2472	The stages in Halo 2 will be even more expansive so no worries and the developers tried as hard as they could to balance the game, hence the pistol not being a death machine like used to be. I bought my copy of Halo from GameStop.Com months ago so all I have to do is wait for the UPS guy on November 8th...thats right I said 8...jealous?
Garmichael Posts: 92/166	Originally posted by Kasumi-Astra To be honest, to be a revolution a game would need to change the way we think about a given genre. ...etc... Halo simply took what was around at the time and fused it with new technology and original design. I already said that the most revolutionary thing about halo was that it did everything well. Medal of YHonor is highly proclaimed, but its really not that great of a game. The AI is terribly weak, the engine is generic, the scripts are obviously scripts.. i mean.. it had alot of potential, but it screwed up on alot of things. halo DIDNT screw up on alot of things. The engine was great, the inclusion of melee and grenades as their own buttons.. the POV Box.. the ai.. vehicles that were FUN (finially...).. everything about Halo was above-standards. Thats what made halo great. Halo looks at all those annoying problems with other FPSs, and fixed them, and then polished everything up. Halo, like Half Life, HAS changed what I expect from a first person shooter. It changed it drastically. Look at Doom 3. It was a huge flop. It fucking sucks. Its got Eye candy, a solid engine, and a huge following from the series. Plus, it was one of the most anticipated games of the last couple years. All thsi should add up to success, but the gameplay blew chunks. no innovation, and the core of the game was a frag fest run and gun. We've played this game before tons of times. Its basically Unreal 2. Had Halo not been released, I think Doom might have done a little better. Up untill just recently, FPS games have been 'good enough' with a basic story line, a standard engine, some spiffy light effects, and lots of levels. That has changed, and Doom 3 proves it. Because of these phennomally well put together games, Our expectations of the genre have been increasing quite a bit. Battlefield 1942 was a pretty good sucess. But if you notice, thanks to it's success and innovation (what little there was), its damn nearly responsible for the huge trend in better and better military FPS's. If other developers follow Bungie's lead and creating fully immersive games - instead of their half ass scripts, weak ai, generic weapons and combat, and frag-fest principals - then Halo WILL be proven as a revolution. Just because theres not many other games out there that meet Halo's calibur, doesnt mean its not worthy of a 'revolutionary' title. But i guess you cant start a revolution if theres no one else revolting the old.
Xeolord Posts: 511/3418	And Deus Ex "wasn't" revolutionary ... sob such an underated game...
Kasumi-Astra Posts: 878/1867	It's fair to say that Halo was a breakthrough, but it wasn't a revolution. It'd be fair to say that it's a product of it's time. It was showcasing technology with a game that put it to the test. To be honest, to be a revolution a game would need to change the way we think about a given genre. Half Life was a revolution because of the depth the storyline, AI, graphics and level design offered. Compared with other FPSs of the time, Half Life completely changed what people expected of the first person shooter. Halo simply took what was around at the time and fused it with new technology and original design.
Xeolord Posts: 504/3418	Excellent points Garmichael. Halo indeed had the most impressive and non-scripted AI of it's time, and still even to this day is considered one of the best. (Doom 3 is pretty new, but where is it's AI? Nothing). I also like how there were a small amount of weapons, and like you said it wasn't "Get the BFG, then nothing stands in my path". You get the RL, sure it's great, but it can only hold a small amount of rockets. I mean, you watch movies and does anyone ever run around with "that 1 machine gun?" no, they run out of bullets, and pick up another weapon, hence Halo's style. I don't see why a lot of people argue about Halo's level design, even in the 2 hour AoTCR, I loved every moment of it. Sure the areas are quite big and stretched out with not a whole lot of detail, but wasn't that the point? You also get a lot more out of Halo if you read the books. Fall of Reach is a direct prequel to Halo and synapsis of what the Spartans are and how they came about. The end of the book is the very beginning of the game. The Flood, I haven't read yet sadly, but this book is just based off of the game, more than likely providing more detail in the events of the game. First Strike is my personal favorite of the current 3 Halo books. It takes place directly after Halo ends, when the Master Chief is in the ship and thinks he's alone and the only spartan left. This book, more than garunteed, leads directly up to Halo 2. The end is the MC reaching Earth. I could go on and on about Halo, but Garmichael pretty much summed up the facts. One thing Garmichael can you reason why you think "Halo 2 is going to be the Star Wars Episode 1 of video games"?
Zem Posts: 194/1107	I read some things you stated as "revolutionary" in Halo, then pointed out that I thought they had been done before in Half-Life. Apparently the conversation's been broken down past that point now. But I'm perfectly willing to continue it. It's up to you now. EDIT: My point was, I don't think Halo did anything more than one or two things better than Half-Life, and therefore I don't see it as revolutionary in any real sense of the word. And that's the point where it becomes a matter of opinion.
Garmichael Posts: 90/166	Originally posted by Finneram I'll admit it, I skimmed all that. But what about Half-Life? That had a good campaign, maybe a lot of weapons but they were all useful, and lots of strategic battles. Halo was good, but I still don't get the revolutionary part. either read my post, or dont reply to it. You asked a question, and i gave you the answer. you chose not to read the answer, and you asked the same question again. That really fucking irritates me. Half life was a good game. But the levles were boring and cliche. Im tired of going through ventilation shafts because the level designer wants to make the level 'interesting'. The engine is mediocre. Its solid (as proven by lots of mods), but its still just a standard engine. The AI isnt that great. most of it is scripted (meaning that everytime you play the game, the same exact events happen).. Tho, i gotta say, thsoe scripts were pretty awesome. The gun problem exsists. Why have a crowbar, when you have an automatic weapon? why have the pistol? Its the generic "upgrade to a better weapon" layout. Other than all this, and epsicially due to its time, half life was a real good game. But why cant it make sense to you that there could be more than one revolutionary game ever? I never said Halo was the only innovative or revolutionary game to ever be made. Ugh, you're a fucking moron, tho. I dont even know why im continues tis conversation with you.
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