Zero Punctuation: Halo 3

[PsychoJosh]

Please listen, Mr. Yahtzee.

If you don't give a shit about multiplayer why did you even bother touching this game in the first place? Halo 3 is, at its core, a MULTIPLAYER game, in and out, through and through. Its de facto biggest selling point and whole reason for existence is the multiplayer aspect, which the Halo series wouldn't be even be NEAR as famous without, and the campaign mode is just this nice little story-driven game mode (which should be considered just a bonus addition) that won't make sense at all if you haven't played through the other two games.

Halo 3 was MADE for multiplayer, and that is its biggest selling point and why the Halo series has achieved more popularity than breathing. People are going to be playing the multiplayer for years, and the fact that you completely ignore the game's true purpose, the game's biggest feature of all, indeed, the very reason the game was CONCIEVED, is very disappointing.

 

[Negdar [deprecated]]

Recently I was hanging out with my friend in his dorm, and his roommate was playing Halo 3. Naturally, since recently my Xbox died of fail, I asked him how the game was, and how it was different from Halo 2. He then proceeded to describe the additions they made to multi player and xbox live, but had failed to expound on how good the single player game was. This brought me to a crashing realization that the world was full of fucktards and spermswagglers. While I am not willing to admit that I completely shun this game, I have finally realized that You good sir, are capable of summarizing all my thoughts on video games into a hellish torrent of puns, criticisms and general silliness. So my hat is officially off to you, and your reviews, thanks for not masturbating the ego's of angry fan boys (fuck you G4).

 

[Muzz]

As I'm sure someone else must have pointed out by now: This "You can't talk about it without multiplayer" malarkey is rubbish. The game is sold on its story and setting. The Master Chief is iconic because of the story everyone and his dog has apparently played, not because he's "The Doom Guy-ish looking model in that MP Bungi game". The notoriously hard marking Eurogamer (among many others) has already given it a ten when No One could possibly have assessed its multiplayer yet. So it's more than fair game.

Anyway, I'm missing a reference and it makes me feel less of a man. Who is the 'Average' guy who crops up now and then?

 

[Chinster]

I love reading the reactions to Yahtzee's reviews. Once done I make a list of people who clearly lack a sense of humour. The list is really long now.

Next week I'm doing a list on idiots. Betcha the list has the same names on it

 

[zari]

Hrm. I'm sure when I started reading the comments there were 3 pages. Now I'm three pages in there are 5. The trouble with reading forum threads is that it is like watching a car wreck - the same sort of horrid fascination that doesn't let you look away.

I find one of the (saddest|funniest) things about the Internet is that everyone takes everything so damned seriously... even the comedy. Learn to laugh a little people, you'll be happier and live longer. It may come as a surprise to some people, but the purpose of the Internet is not to be a rage faucet - that's what telemarketers are for.

And also, quoted for irony:

For a man who hadn't even heard of the Elite series until I posted about it a few minutes ago you're remarkably stuck up about video game culture.

Seminal or not, you hardly need to have been locked in a box your entire life to not have heard of Elite. I'm sure there are plenty of people who haven't heard of say Marathon or Pathways Into Darkness, both of which would have much more relevance in a Bungie thread, but that wouldn't make them ignorant of contemporary gaming issues, which is all I've really seen discussed here so far.

(Also, 'video game culture' gave me a bit of a chortle. Images sprang to mind of wrinkly old gamers taking their grandkids to the museum to see a street fighter arcade machine or a lovingly restored Amiga running an antiquated wireframe space simulator I wonder if it'll ever get to the point where early video games will have the same charm [to non-gamers] as an early cave painting does to non-anthropologists.)

Edit: Oh and I have to thank whoever it was that said that 10/10 didn't necessarily mean a game was perfect. One of the few genuine laughs in this, err, discussion. Probably a good argument to move to a higher precision scale, although there are plenty of reviewers who seem happy to give out 100s too.

 

[Chinster]

I'd really like to take Yahtzee home to meet my mum, I think she'd be shocked a little by him but yet would still find him strangely endearing.

 

[Arbre]

I played through the SP campaign last week, and I was left with the same impression I had of Halo's 1 and 2... pretty graphics, dumbed down controls, recycled levels, and the most annoying online community in the fucking world.

...besides, if you DO give a damn about multiplayer there's Battlefront, 2142, and Ureal Tourniment that already do that... only better.

Don't forget Quake Wars.

 

[Arbre]

Please listen, Mr. Yahtzee.

If you don't give a shit about multiplayer why did you even bother touching this game in the first place? Halo 3 is, at its core, a MULTIPLAYER game, in and out, through and through. Its de facto biggest selling point and whole reason for existence is the multiplayer aspect, which the Halo series wouldn't be even be NEAR as famous without, and the campaign mode is just this nice little story-driven game mode (which should be considered just a bonus addition) that won't make sense at all if you haven't played through the other two games.

Halo 3 was MADE for multiplayer, and that is its biggest selling point and why the Halo series has achieved more popularity than breathing. People are going to be playing the multiplayer for years, and the fact that you completely ignore the game's true purpose, the game's biggest feature of all, indeed, the very reason the game was CONCIEVED, is very disappointing.

On the same hand, is it a good reason to shadow the solo experience?

After all, the story of Halo 3 gets pretentious and supposedly complex, with even a couple of books to back it up.
If we're not right to judge the game on its solo part considering the work they put in it, what should we do exactly?

More, would it mean that you concede that it's not that stellar?

Above all, you got to think in terms of overall market. Maybe on the console, there's nothing to beat Halo 3's MP, but just wait to see when it will have to compare to PC products.

 

[neojam]

Yep, totally agree with the (finally honest halo3) review.
Imho, HALO series = most overrated & overhyped game series ever.
The only reason why halo got rated so high is becouse all those simpleminded "console only" guys have never played a decent fps shooter on PC. Otherwise they would have known, that halo1-3 is just an average fps game compared to the standard set by fps games on PC.
And before you go and accuse me of being a PC fanboy, im not. I've played since late 80's (started on ZXSpectrum48K) and have owned pretty much every console that was out there since those times.

 

[splitsticks [deprecated]]

Please listen, Mr. Yahtzee.

If you don't give a shit about multiplayer why did you even bother touching this game in the first place? Halo 3 is, at its core, a MULTIPLAYER game, in and out, through and through. Its de facto biggest selling point and whole reason for existence is the multiplayer aspect, which the Halo series wouldn't be even be NEAR as famous without, and the campaign mode is just this nice little story-driven game mode (which should be considered just a bonus addition) that won't make sense at all if you haven't played through the other two games.

Halo 3 was MADE for multiplayer, and that is its biggest selling point and why the Halo series has achieved more popularity than breathing. People are going to be playing the multiplayer for years, and the fact that you completely ignore the game's true purpose, the game's biggest feature of all, indeed, the very reason the game was CONCIEVED, is very disappointing.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the type of person that I despise. The type of person that has ruined the reputation of halo. This specimen is too busy thinking of imaginative new ways to scream "headshot!" to possibly comprehend a plot with any level of depth. No doubt he skipped the cutscenes, or glazed over when they appeared. Multiplayer is the game's "true purpose?", the reason the game was concieved?! That's a slap in bungie's face. Bungie has has prided itself on its immersive story-driven games since the days of Marathon and before. In fact, the game was conceived as a rts, and even after it began to take fps form, its plot was fleshed out way before the multiplayer. Hell XBL was a pipe dream back then. Ask anyone at bungie what they're more proud of, the campaign or the multiplayer, and I bet you they'd say the campaign. Yes, mp naturally has more replay value, but if you think there's more substance in a multiplayer fragfest than in the campaign, which has spawned 4 novels and a wip movie (produced by peter jackson), well that speaks volumes about you, doesn't it?

 

[Hengst2404]

I am one of many gamers out there who simply doesn't get much out of multiplayer games or the multiplayer component of games. The exception being in a Lan setting of course. Games to me are typically a personal experience, except when I have friends over and then maybe a party experience. I am generally not interested in being informed of how I was just Pwned nor do I enjoy listening to the ranting, diatribes of the uneducated masses that seem to thrive in this make-believe online world.

 

[Lothar Hex]

You know, I posted here once with some disagreements about this review. However I just watched it again, taking into account that Halo isn't for everyone, something I knew anyway considering my best mate thinks World of Warcraft is the best thing since sliced sex and I find it a piece of mind-numbing tedium but somehow forgot when watching this before, and laughed. A lot.

So thanks you Yahtzee for making fun of my game of the year in a witty manner and yes, indeed showing some of the problems with it. I did indeed laugh, and now I'm going to go play it again.

Also, to the people who claim you have to had played Halo 1 and 2 to "get" Halo 3 or even revioew it, that's just an idiotic assumption. First I have a friend who never played a Halo game in his life really enjoy Halo 3, and further more, wouldn't it be a bit daft for every journalist in the world to play Halo 1 and 2 before reviewing 3? If anything the fact Halo 3 dumps you in at the deep end is probably it's biggest problem. You'll have no idea what's going on if you never played 1 and 2, but you shouldn't have to do that in order for the story to make sense. Halo 3's biggest problem, plot wise, is that it just assumes everyone who has bought it knows it's story, which is a bad thing story and game design wise. I like the Halo universe, in fact I have all 4 books on my shelf (which also contains 1984, the Godfather, Hithikers Guide to the Galaxy, American Gods and other books ranging from "art" [excuse the quotes] to low brow stuff such as a couple of Jeremy Clarksons books), yes even the horrible "The Flood." And while I enjoy it, it doesn't excuse the fact that Halo 3 just plunges people in to it with bugger all backstory for the new players.

And please remember, I like the game. [shameless plug] I'm one of those reviewers who gave it 10/10 on www.gamestyle.net [/shameless plug]

 

[Russ Pitts]

I'm not saying you're stupid because you disagree and think Halo 3 is awesome. I'm saying you're stupid because you apparently came here expecting glowing praise and didn't get it even though every single review Yahtzee's done has had something bad to say about every game.

I'm saying "let's bring it down a notch or two." Thanks.

/mod.

 

[Snap07]

Halo3 is fun to play. It doesnt blow me away, but thats cool. Today youre not selling a game best because of its highest quality, but because it fits the lowest common denominator and does all that stuff right. Which is basically all Yahtzees said. What part of "is by no means bad" is so hard to understand?

I just hope the "This game has made me lower my standarts and i hope its proud for that" line was not meant serious Please Yahtzee, id really love to see more positive reviews on great games from you.

Actually, besides the usual Mano-a-Mano nerdfights (Newsflash: even if you are 100% correct, telling the other guy right in the face that he is an idiot is not going to convice him) there are alot of intelligent posts in here. Ive enjoyed reading many more healthy opinions of people that dont give their respective parties a bad reputation. Says alot about my expectations, i guess.

 

[Russ Pitts]

Just remember guys, there's a whole big wide world out there with real problems going on. Perspective people, perspective....

The "just lighten up" defense is one of my favorites. Banned.

/mod.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

like halo 2 it feels it s rush job altho not as bad,its a just a shame so many sites are willing to forgive the weak SP campaign when sorry but SP is 60% of the game IMO if it blows no amount of MPing will "fix" the issues with it,either its sold as a solid game or a MP game with a SP training wheel campaign(like Shadow Run), Halo is "billed" as a great SP game that offers great MPing, remove the hype and you have good but short SP and strong MP side so I give it a 6 because the SP side is unfinished/unpolished that and no button mapping and other control options can make it control like a croft in trolly LOL.

I really cant say its "better" than Halo 2.

All in all its not the only FPS that came out this year or last missing polish and detail....