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HALO 3 is now 10 years old
- Thread starter Cranster
- Start date
Easy Breezy
Neo Member
My personal GOAT game.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this game back in the day and I still have online friends that I met on it 10 years ago (finally got XBL about a month after release).
It's actually really sad thinking that I'll never get to experience something like that again. AlI those amazing times I had in campaign/ MP/custom games with friends and randoms.
Edit: I remember my original disc getting massive scratches in it because of the early 360 and having to buy a second copy. Worth it.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this game back in the day and I still have online friends that I met on it 10 years ago (finally got XBL about a month after release).
It's actually really sad thinking that I'll never get to experience something like that again. AlI those amazing times I had in campaign/ MP/custom games with friends and randoms.
Edit: I remember my original disc getting massive scratches in it because of the early 360 and having to buy a second copy. Worth it.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
The GOAT game announcement trailer.
Booker Dewitt
Member
Cool game, wish I got it at launch so I would have had positive memories to outweigh the bad.
chronic_archaic
Member
I was late to the party, but I remember the launch - I was 10 at the time. Next year I got the Halo CE demo on PC and played it to death, and by the end of the year all my friends had a 360 and I wanted one for some time. Traded my Wii collection (slightly regret it but... oh well) for a 360 arcade and a bunch of games... but not Halo 3 since it was $40 and The Orange Box was $20. My friends had it and since we basically only played multiplayer split screen I didn't get a copy of the game until I was gave one by a friend which I still own. My memories are mostly from local play, I got XBL stable in late 2009 and played online a little but really it stayed good over time and I love it on MCC now. Will play the OG version online today however for fun.
The launch was huge at the time. One of those gaming events you had to be there to see.
Great game and one of the few AAA games that lives up to its praise. Tons of content on-disc. I'm not even an FPS fan but I enjoyed almost every aspect of it.
And yeah, I can't believe it's been 10 years. It feels like a long time ago to me now.....but not quite ten years.
Great game and one of the few AAA games that lives up to its praise. Tons of content on-disc. I'm not even an FPS fan but I enjoyed almost every aspect of it.
And yeah, I can't believe it's been 10 years. It feels like a long time ago to me now.....but not quite ten years.
Simply Sami
Member
A bit off topic.
But can't believe it's also nearly 10 years since the last PGR game came out.
But can't believe it's also nearly 10 years since the last PGR game came out.
fluffydelusions
Member
Team Fortress 2 is also approaching this milestone on Oct 10
Simply Sami
Member
Oh and fuck off to that Cortana mission. The only shitty thing about the game.
Not_A-Cop_Maybe
Member
Campaign still hold up well. Multiplayer at the time was amazing. Now, compared to 5, no way. Everything feels like molasses.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
COD4?
Elfotografoalocado
Banned
I always wondered, what are the staple games in the barracks of deployed soldiers? I know Halo, Gears and COD, but what else? Would you guys play stuff like Mario Kart and Smash Bros? Street Fighter? Tekken? Forza?
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Best HALO.
If MS made H3 Anniversary an X exclusive, I'd jump on. But they're dumb fucks that don't want my money.
If MS made H3 Anniversary an X exclusive, I'd jump on. But they're dumb fucks that don't want my money.
COD4 doesn't have a level playing field.
What a fantastic game. The marketing campaign was insane. I still remember chugging Mountain Dew Game Fuel that summer. It's crazy to think back to when Halo was recognized as the MP game.
It still holds up surprisingly well. I don't understand the people that say 3 feels too sluggish in comparison to 5. Faster isn't always necessarily better. Today, I appreciate the more slow, deliberate feel of old Halo. It feels like every FPS has become blazing fast wall run, dodge, die and repeat. I want there to be tension in the match and for every life to count. Halo was great at having those tense matches where it felt like things were neck and neck. You were also punished for doing worse in a match, which makes much more sense than today's "every player has to feel good all the time" XP systems.
It still holds up surprisingly well. I don't understand the people that say 3 feels too sluggish in comparison to 5. Faster isn't always necessarily better. Today, I appreciate the more slow, deliberate feel of old Halo. It feels like every FPS has become blazing fast wall run, dodge, die and repeat. I want there to be tension in the match and for every life to count. Halo was great at having those tense matches where it felt like things were neck and neck. You were also punished for doing worse in a match, which makes much more sense than today's "every player has to feel good all the time" XP systems.
I was a pretty big Halo fan but hadn't picked up a 360 due to being at the end of my degree and broke. However I'd followed development closely - I'm pretty sure I read Halo.bungie.org everyday at that point too.
Come release day I was back at home with my folks whilst I finished up my degree, struggling due to health and 70 miles away from my girlfriend (now wife), so generally having a naff time.
That evening there's a knock at the door - it's my friend Rob with his 360 in a bag and a shrinkwrapped copy of Halo 3. He just handed it all over and said to keep it as long as I wanted. Amazing friend, amazing game.
Come release day I was back at home with my folks whilst I finished up my degree, struggling due to health and 70 miles away from my girlfriend (now wife), so generally having a naff time.
That evening there's a knock at the door - it's my friend Rob with his 360 in a bag and a shrinkwrapped copy of Halo 3. He just handed it all over and said to keep it as long as I wanted. Amazing friend, amazing game.
The horrible Flood/Cortana level can do one though.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Compsiox
Banned
Come play Rainbow Six Siege. Sounds perfect for you.
this statement appears to be a contradiction
ResidentDante
Member
One of the best coop games I have played and probably my favourite Halo! Love it!
i remember standing out in a line waiting for my tin copy limited edition.darkwing-buck
Member
One of the best games I have ever played in terms of experiences and being there during launch.
Game was just all around one of the best packages a single game could offer.
Game was just all around one of the best packages a single game could offer.
Oh man, 10 years? Wtf where did the time go...
Still to this day one of my personal best gaming achievements was completing the campaign solo legendary. Fuck Cortana that entire section of the game sucks lol.
Multiplayer was great and officially gave birth to GRIFBALL. Forge made Zombies, mongoose racing, my favorite vehicle which hasn't returned since: The Brute Chopper.
So much to love about the game. Might not be the favorite compared to Halo CE or Halo 2 in different aspects but for me during its peak time it was so good.
Still to this day one of my personal best gaming achievements was completing the campaign solo legendary. Fuck Cortana that entire section of the game sucks lol.
Multiplayer was great and officially gave birth to GRIFBALL. Forge made Zombies, mongoose racing, my favorite vehicle which hasn't returned since: The Brute Chopper.
So much to love about the game. Might not be the favorite compared to Halo CE or Halo 2 in different aspects but for me during its peak time it was so good.
alexbull_uk
Member
Hard to believe its been a full decade. Time really does fly.
Still miss playing custom games with my friends for hours and hours. Honestly some of the best online multiplayer experiences Ive ever had.
Its amazing to think what a great package Halo 3 was when it launched. Co-op campaign, multiplayer, split-screen, custom games, forge, theatre mode, Bungie.net stats, file share, etc.
Still miss playing custom games with my friends for hours and hours. Honestly some of the best online multiplayer experiences Ive ever had.
Its amazing to think what a great package Halo 3 was when it launched. Co-op campaign, multiplayer, split-screen, custom games, forge, theatre mode, Bungie.net stats, file share, etc.
I can't think of that many games myself where you can pull off this kind of Rocket Kill. I literally had to to take the map size plus warthog speed into account plus the slight delay when said warthog has to turn in order to accurately guess when to fire a rocket at that spot in order to take it out.
Best of all, it was a headshot!
Best of all, it was a headshot!
I Wanna Be The Guy
U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
"But I don't care about online multiplayer. I don't want to play Halo"
*plays Halo 3*
"HOLY SHIT THIS IS AMAZING"
*plays Halo 3*
"HOLY SHIT THIS IS AMAZING"
I can't think of that many games myself where you can pull off this kind of Rocket Kill. I literally had to to take the map size plus warthog speed into account plus the slight delay when said warthog has to turn in order to accurately guess when to fire a rocket at that spot in order to take it out.
Best of all, it was a headshot!
That's incredible! <3 Rat's Nest
hanspampel
Banned
And here i thought kinect adventures was a 360 exclusive
Most of those sales were probably because it was a pack in title.
Ryouji Gunblade
Member
And now I really miss the Katana again.
rokkerkory
Member
Need to replay this
Foxy the Fox
Member
It was my last "woah" graphically, it really felt like nothing before and I doubted if it would be surpassed.
My 17y self spent 13 minutes looking at the rocks. They just looked so real.
My 17y self spent 13 minutes looking at the rocks. They just looked so real.
rokkerkory
Member
If only the game version was as good
Amazing game. Second best after Super Mario Galaxy that year, which is saying a lot since 2007 was incredible for gaming. It was quite refreshing in a time when most shooters were quite brown and dull in color to have something as bright, colorful and light-hearted as Halo 3.
I don't have a number of total hours played in MP, but it had to've been above 1000, I was so hooked.
I don't have a number of total hours played in MP, but it had to've been above 1000, I was so hooked.
whitemex88
Member
All I remember from the halo 3 launch is playing the modern warfare multiplayer beta
If I remember the game came out on a Wednesday in the UK (or everywhere?) and really weirdly we had some sort of teacher training day at our high school so we had the day off, swear our head must have been a Halo player or something.
Spent the whole day just busting through the campaign, whole night on MP. So many good memories, we used to take my 360 over to a friend's house and do 8 player system link across 2 TVs. So much fun in DM, Forge, etc. Some of my best multiplayer memories.
Spent the whole day just busting through the campaign, whole night on MP. So many good memories, we used to take my 360 over to a friend's house and do 8 player system link across 2 TVs. So much fun in DM, Forge, etc. Some of my best multiplayer memories.
lifeexpectancy
Member
The decline of midnight release "hype" and festivities...
Ever-shrinking playerbases after launch week/month for most online games (though not all)...
The decline of the Halo franchise itself...
These things make me sad. Halo 3 was a cultural phenomenon, at least in the US. It was something EVERYONE knew about, even non-gamers. I cant think of anything quite like it in the modern gaming landscape, except maybe minecraft, but that was a slow burner, not a BIG EVENT release. It is bigger than Halo ever was, but feels smaller in a way.
The let-down that was Halo 4 didnt help. Halo 5 felt like it recaptured SOME of what made Halo, Halo... but it still left a lot to be desired in the story part. Without some serious retcon, you can't keep that special magic alive between Master Chief and Cortana, because Cortana is now seemingly the villain, or at least a tragic hero. It didnt help that Hunt the Truth gave a lot of folks a VASTLY different mental image of what the campaign would entail than what it turned out to be. I dont think the Halo franchise will ever truly recover, but I find it even more lamentable that we probably won't experience that 'magic' that came with Halo 3's launch again. The excitement in the community was palpable. It was contagious.
I felt that magic once again playing Ori and the Blind Forest, but it was different. Singular, not social. Endearing, not awe-inspiring. I was thankful for it, mind you, thankful that a game can still be released among all the noise and gluttony in modern gaming that tapped into my truest sense of what joy in gaming really is, but I do miss that ferver that surrounded touchstone releases of generations past.
Gamers have become so cyncical and jaded, so complacent with our expectations of games, that we often fail to appreciate how much work goes into crafting them. Halo 3 was one of the greatest games I've ever played, yet were it to release today, many noses would be thumbed at its "short campaign" and likely at its multiplayer suite as well. It was a game of its time, THE game of its time, but that time has passed.
Look how cool and edgy I am!
Ever-shrinking playerbases after launch week/month for most online games (though not all)...
The decline of the Halo franchise itself...
These things make me sad. Halo 3 was a cultural phenomenon, at least in the US. It was something EVERYONE knew about, even non-gamers. I cant think of anything quite like it in the modern gaming landscape, except maybe minecraft, but that was a slow burner, not a BIG EVENT release. It is bigger than Halo ever was, but feels smaller in a way.
The let-down that was Halo 4 didnt help. Halo 5 felt like it recaptured SOME of what made Halo, Halo... but it still left a lot to be desired in the story part. Without some serious retcon, you can't keep that special magic alive between Master Chief and Cortana, because Cortana is now seemingly the villain, or at least a tragic hero. It didnt help that Hunt the Truth gave a lot of folks a VASTLY different mental image of what the campaign would entail than what it turned out to be. I dont think the Halo franchise will ever truly recover, but I find it even more lamentable that we probably won't experience that 'magic' that came with Halo 3's launch again. The excitement in the community was palpable. It was contagious.
I felt that magic once again playing Ori and the Blind Forest, but it was different. Singular, not social. Endearing, not awe-inspiring. I was thankful for it, mind you, thankful that a game can still be released among all the noise and gluttony in modern gaming that tapped into my truest sense of what joy in gaming really is, but I do miss that ferver that surrounded touchstone releases of generations past.
Gamers have become so cyncical and jaded, so complacent with our expectations of games, that we often fail to appreciate how much work goes into crafting them. Halo 3 was one of the greatest games I've ever played, yet were it to release today, many noses would be thumbed at its "short campaign" and likely at its multiplayer suite as well. It was a game of its time, THE game of its time, but that time has passed.
Look how cool and edgy I am!
EYEL1NER
Member
I was in Korea when it launched. I had gone back home to the states for vacation that summer and pre-ordered a Legendary Edition at GameStop. My parents were nice enough to go pick it up at the midnight release and ship it to me the next day (along with my copy of Beatmania for PS2 and my Dreamcast with a ton of games). It took forever to arrive to me, but when it did... oh man. I had so much fun playing the campaign and playing over LAN. I went to the LAN shop in the comm squadron one night with one of the networks guys and he made a ton of several-dozen-foot-long cables to run out the windows of the first, second, and third floor day rooms of the dorm. I was one of the only people that had a legit copy of the game, everyone else on base would head into Songtan with their 360s to mod them and buy copies of the game.
When I got orders to a base in the states, I played a TON of online. I put a ton of hours into the game playing with former coworkers who were spread around the world at that point or playing with my little brother back home in Missouri. I loved Halo 3 though. I'be bought the Legendary or Special Editions for every subsequent game and played them a lot (except H4, which I did buy but didn't play that much of) but H3 is my favorite of the series. My Legendary Edition cat helmet is sitting on top of a bookcase staring back at me in the living room right now as I type.
Still bummed I never got the Recon helmet when they unlocked it for everyone. I was up in Greenland at the time and wasn't able to use my internet or connect to Live for much. I had previously gotten the VidMaster Achievements while offline but didn't realize that it was something I'd need to log in for it to unlock. I do wish that the Hayabusa armor had made it into Halo 5 too, seeing that picture earlier ITT hit me hard in the nostalgia bone.
Halo 3 is right up there with Punch Out, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Jet Set Radio Future, THPS4, Rock Band 2, and others as one of my favorite games of all-time.
When I got orders to a base in the states, I played a TON of online. I put a ton of hours into the game playing with former coworkers who were spread around the world at that point or playing with my little brother back home in Missouri. I loved Halo 3 though. I'be bought the Legendary or Special Editions for every subsequent game and played them a lot (except H4, which I did buy but didn't play that much of) but H3 is my favorite of the series. My Legendary Edition cat helmet is sitting on top of a bookcase staring back at me in the living room right now as I type.
Still bummed I never got the Recon helmet when they unlocked it for everyone. I was up in Greenland at the time and wasn't able to use my internet or connect to Live for much. I had previously gotten the VidMaster Achievements while offline but didn't realize that it was something I'd need to log in for it to unlock. I do wish that the Hayabusa armor had made it into Halo 5 too, seeing that picture earlier ITT hit me hard in the nostalgia bone.
Halo 3 is right up there with Punch Out, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Jet Set Radio Future, THPS4, Rock Band 2, and others as one of my favorite games of all-time.
Best marketing campaign of all time, the only thing close was Hunt the truth, and even that kind of annoyed me as it was so good, the game would have had to have been the best game ever to match up to it.
Not to say H5 wasn't good, just the HTT was amazing.
But H3 was amazing, a genuine honest to goodness game of the generation, a cultural event that was so impactful 10 years later we still remember it.
Believe.
Not to say H5 wasn't good, just the HTT was amazing.
But H3 was amazing, a genuine honest to goodness game of the generation, a cultural event that was so impactful 10 years later we still remember it.
Believe.
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