Games
Review and Description from Amazon.com
The graphics are exquisitely detailed, but only move at 30 frames per second rather than 60. The sound effects and voice acting are superb. The level design is among the best ever; most of the game is engaging and challenging without being frustrating. There’s also high replay value thanks to the built-in single-player, cooperative, and deathmatch modes.
Much like the outstanding GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64, Halo raises the bar for console first-person shooters. All console action games will be measured against Halo for years to come. –Raymond M. Padilla
Halo takes you deep into the future, with the fate of planet Earth hanging on your shooting skills. After a massive battle, only one ship is left and its crew is stranded on an abandoned space station. You must do whatever it takes to keep the Covenant from reaching Earth.
Experience the ultimate Halo challenge with all-new online multiplayer for up to 16 players. Take on the world in any of the 15 multiplayer maps including 6 brand new maps never before seen. Unleash destruction with incredible weapons and vehicles including brand new armaments for intense online multiplayer games. Voted Game Of The Year by IGN.com, Electonic Gaming Monthly, and Xbox Magazine.
Review and Description from Amazon.com
Halo 2 opens with a cut scene in the Covenant Holy City of High Charity. Much has happened since Master Chief (that’s you) created so much havoc for the Covenant in the first Halo, and the Arbiter has much atoning to do for his failures. This first cut scene is long, but the lush graphics, orchestral sound, and polished voice talent for both this and other cut scenes as well as the game itself put most animated television shows to shame.
In the end, though, Halo 2 is unabashedly a first-person shooter. It has a Mature rating and is not meant for kids. Gameplay is constant and intense. No sooner is one bunch of aliens taken care of than another descends. The controls are identical to the first game so those familiar with it will be up and blasting in no time. And the sound and graphics have been beefed up so that Halo 2 is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful console games available.
Opening Fire
Most of the weapons from the first game return, although strangely the MA5B Assault Rifle (the default weapon in the first game) is not available. There is a single melee weapon known as the Covenant Sword, but the controls for it are the same as that for all the shooter weapons, making it difficult to direct. Also, for a new twist, you can hold two of the smaller guns at the same time and shoot double-fisted.
As for vehicles, the old favorites are back and joined by a few new, mostly Covenant wheeled monsters. Some improvements have been made to the AI so that the nonplayer characters can drive without running into too many obstacles while you man the turret. This improved AI also has enemies ducking for cover, and the banter from both the Marines and the bad guys has undergone massive improvements so that it no longer sounds quite so repetitive.
On Your Own
The most significant change in the single-player game is with Master Chief’s much-touted defensive suit. At the beginning of the game, he is told that the suit has been upgraded, but it’s really undergone a severe downgrade. In Halo 2, the player has only one lifeline. Unlike in the first game, there is basically no defensive shield on the suit, making gameplay tougher. It can often take multiple–sometimes a maddening number–attempts to make it through thorny parts of the game.
Or with a Friend
Finally, no review of a Halo game is complete without mentioning multiplayer. One of the main reasons to buy Halo 2 is the ability to play through Xbox Live, a feature not included in the first game, which was among the original releases for the Xbox. Multiplayer for Halo 2 uses all of the same weapons and vehicles as in the single-player game, and the types of games available in Halo (King of the Hill, Slayer, Capture the Flag) return with a host of new maps. Multiplayer Halo 2 offers customizable profiles, control layout, and screens as well as a voice proximity feature, where you can talk with other players via an Xbox Communicator so that those closer to you sound louder than those farther away. Players can also create both permanent clans and temporary parties in the Xbox Live world. Undoubtedly, this multiplayer feature alone ensures that Halo 2 will remain a top-selling game for years to come. –David Morel
From the Developer
The Master Chief and his space-marine allies return to battle the full complement of Covenant forces, as well as not yet revealed foes. Halo 2 expands the Master Chief’s already substantial arsenal with powerful new weapons, many pried from the twitching claws of his defeated enemies. There will also be yet more drivable vehicles, giving players new ways to speed into battle or explore the game’s vast landscapes.
Halo 2 surpasses its predecessor in graphical beauty and combat intensity, thanks to a completely new graphics engine designed specifically for the Xbox. “Our code squeezes every drop of power out of the Xbox,” said Chris Butcher, one of the sequel’s engineering leads. “We’re doing dynamic lighting and shadows, per-pixel everything, rendering gigantic, lush environments. The graphical features we’re using are so advanced we don’t even have buzzwords for them yet.”
In addition to an epic single-player campaign, Halo 2 allows multiplayer via split-screen play, System Link, and Xbox Live.
“We still have the multiplayer game types that people loved in Halo, but we’re planning something special for Halo 2,” hinted Jaime Griesemer, lead designer of Halo 2. “I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but imagine the essential Halo single-player experience: pitched battles between the humans and the Covenant, massive vehicle and infantry engagements. Now imagine that every combatant is an actual person playing over Xbox Live!” The Halo 2 online multiplayer experience will feature squad-oriented team play, real-time voice chat, and extensive community support.
Product Description
Halo 2 returns you to the role of the Master Chief – still humanity’s best weapon against the Covenant. Their defeat at Halo was only temporary, and they are pursuing their goal – the complete obliteration of humankind – with renewed zeal. Human military forces are exhausted and unable to stave off the Covenant’s rapid advance toward Earth.
Review and Description from Amazon.com
Adding to Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, the epic saga continues with Halo 3, the amazingly anticipated sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. In this third chapter of the Halo trilogy, Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.
Game developer Bungie announced that Halo 3 will be released for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 sometime in 2007. The game was revealed to the world at the Microsoft press conference held at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA in May 2006. To gamer’s delight, the announcement was a complete surprise. The rumors have been abound for the past year, as everyone wondered when the next installment would be ready. Bungie and Microsoft did a stellar job keeping their lips sealed, and fans benefited from their first glimpse of the hallowed third and final installment.
The short presentation was delivered in real-time on the Xbox 360 using the current version of the Halo 3 game engine. That’s right, no studio production video, Bungie and Microsoft delivered the real deal: what they showed at the announcement is what gamers will see when they play Halo 3 in 2007. The HDR lighting, self-shadowing, GPU-run particle system and many other effects are rumored to show up in full effect in the final game. Needless to say, the gaming community is salivating.
CJ Cowan, Bungie’s director of cinematics discussed one of the most startling moments of the presentation: the return of Cortana. “Given the variety of character and story arcs at the end of Halo 2, we wanted to boil down our announcement to a few key threads. Cortana and the Chief being a galaxy apart is a situation we haven’t seen before, and is something that is a powerful component to Halo 3. We are using her transmissions in the demo to give the viewer a few subtle clues to her situation and state of mind, without revealing any specifics we want to save for the game itself.”
Graphically, the game closely follows in the tradition of Halo 2, although it has been upgraded to take advantage of the Xbox 360′s more prodigious visual abilities. As art direct Marcus Lehto explained, “[The presentation] was intended to be an understated announcement of Halo 3 — the tone is that of mystery and suspense — the calm before the storm. I wanted to make sure that we reintroduced the Chief, showed that Earth was thoroughly conquered, with Covenant everywhere, and that there is a glorious, ancient artifact buried under the Earth’s crust which will provide Halo 3 with the epic journey which we all want.”
Taking full advantage of the power of Xbox 360, Halo 3 expands on everything that has made the franchise great, adding a wealth of technical and gameplay advancements. The game design has evolved with next-generation, high-definition visuals, enhanced A.I., an advanced real-time lighting engine, and, of course, new weapons, characters, and challenges. Halo 3 promises an unparalleled first-person shooter experience and, in the end, the most compelling and engrossing story in the franchise’s history. Last, but certainly not least, Halo 3 builds upon the unique social multiplayer experience and innovative, evolving online gameplay of Halo 2. Rest assured, you’ll still be able to run with your clan and battle with (or against) your buddies from coast to coast.
Product Description
The Covenant rules the Earth the Flood has been unleashed — and the fate of life everywhere hangs in the balance. There is only one person capable of saving the human race: Master Chief. This genetically engineered super soldier is the last chance for humanity’s survival. Everything he has gone through has led him to this monumental moment. Stowed away on a Forerunner ship, he rushes back to Earth to defeat the Covenant once and for all. Hopelessly outnumbered, and with his Artificial Intelligence companion Cortana ensnared by Gravemind, things look bleak. But when you are bred for battle like Master Chief, you fight past the breaking point and bow to no one. It’s all been building to this — a desperate, final war that leads to a soul-shattering climax of epic proportions. Help this incredible hero stop the Covenant, destroy the Flood and save the lives of every person on the planet.The third chapter in the critically acclaimed franchise features insane battles with an arsenal of alien and human weaponry. You’ll discover all-new armaments and characters as you fight to the finish. You can even play online with Xbox Live and battle in pulse-pounding multiplayer action. Next-generation graphics and technological advances, such as enhanced artificial intelligence and a beefed-up real-time lighting engine, make Halo 3 shine with stunning realism. Finish the fight once and for all in the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood and the entire human race in the climatic curtain call of the awesome Halo saga.
Description from Amazon.com
Product Description
Developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by acclaimed developer Bungie, Halo 3: ODST is a new, stand-alone expansion to the Halo saga that lets players experience the events leading up to the epic story told in Halo 3 through the eyes of an entirely new character the ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), as they search for clues leading to the whereabouts of their scattered squad and the motivations behind the Covenant’s invasion of New Mombasa. The game adds a new dimension to an all-encompassing universe that gamers around the world have known and loved since the release of the first Halo game in late 2001.New Campaign, New Hero, New Tactics
Much more than an expansion, Halo 3: ODST allows players to explore dangerous new ground, search the dark, abandoned streets of New Mombasa for clues, and fight back against the Covenant invasion from multiple perspectives. Dropping in as “the rookie,” a new member of an elite squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST) sent into New Mombasa on a classified recon mission, you’ll be armed with specialized weaponry and upgraded technology, including silenced weapons and a VISR enhanced vision mode.Separated from your squad, you’ll have to scour the city for clues in order to learn what happened to Buck, Dare, Dutch, Mickey, and Romeo. As you collect new clues, you’ll experience the story from their perspectives, fighting through the occupied city hours earlier.
A New Way to Play: 4-Player Co-op Firefight
Drop feet first into a new way to play Halo with the cooperative campaign mode, Firefight. Form a squad of your friends over System Link or Xbox LIVE and put your skills to the ultimate test against the invading Covenant war machine for glory, high scores, and achievements. Do battle in multiple environments, on foot or in vehicles, and against increasingly difficult waves of Covenant attackers while Halo 3‘s skull modifiers progressively activate to up the ante.
After the Firefight, relive and review every last kill you earned and see how your high scores and stats stack up against your friends’ and the community overall using Bungie.net’s persistent online stats and Firefight leaderboards.
3 New Halo 3 Maps
Three all-new maps make their debut for Halo 3‘s traditional, chart-topping multiplayer. Heretic, Longshore, and Citadel drop in alongside the original Halo 3 multiplayer maps, all packed in and playable from one standalone disc. Twenty-four maps in all, including the Heroic, Legendary, Cold Storage, and Mythic Map Packs, provide a peerless multiplayer experience, near limitless content creation and customization via the Forge and Sandbox, and a slew of new multiplayer achievements for Halo 3.
New Challenges and Achievements
For the first time, Recon Armor for use in Halo 3 multiplayer will be made available to players who complete the “Road to Recon” challenge. Earn all seven of the Vidmasters, a series of Xbox LIVE achievements that span Halo 3‘s Campaign and Multiplayer and Halo 3: ODST, and then visit your Bungie.net Service Record with a linked gamertag to enable your sweet new set of digital duds.
If you already own Halo 3, you can get started now by collecting the “Annual” campaign achievement and the “7 on the 7th” and “Lightswitch” multiplayer achievements in matchmaking. And, if you’ve already downloaded the Mythic Map Pack, you can collect the hidden skulls on Assembly, Orbital, and Sandbox today.
Community Features
4-Player co-op experience over Xbox LIVE or System Link, screenshots, saved films, custom Halo 3 multiplayer map and game variants via the Forge…all of the award-winning features included in Halo 3 are packed into Halo 3: ODST with an extra 1,750 available achievement points piled on for good measure. And Halo 3: ODST introduces an all-new single player experience with new characters, new weapons and technology, and the frenetic cooperative experience, Firefight, an entirely unique way to play Halo.
Bungie.net Integration
What good is winning if you can’t brag about it to your friends? Extend your gaming experience beyond the console with Bungie.net’s expansive integration. All of your lifetime stats are aggregated into your online Service Record – every last kill, every single medal, and your entire collection of career post game carnage reports, plus robust charts, graphs, and leaderboards allow you to instantly see how you stack up against the rest of your squad and the Halo 3: ODST community at large.
Invitation to the Halo: Reach Beta
As an added benefit of buying Halo 3: ODST players receive an invitation to participate in the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta due to hit Xbox LIVE in 2010. Halo: Reach is Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie’s upcoming prequel to the events of the original Halo: Combat Evolved game. Based on Eric Nylund’s novel “The Fall of Reach,” it is packed with details surrounding the origins of the Sparten II soldiers, of which Master Chief was only one of many and the beginnings of the conflict with the Covenant and the Flood. If you want in, hold onto your copy of Halo 3: ODST and stay tuned to Bungie.net and Xbox.com for more details.
Halo 3: ODST for Xbox 360…Halo 3: ODST is a new game in the Halo saga that lets people experience events leading up to the epic story told in Halo 3 through the eyes of an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) as they search for clues leading to the whereabouts of their scattered squad and the motivations behind the Covenant’s invasion of New Mombasa. The release adds a new dimension to an all-enpassing universe that gamers around the world have known and loved for close to eight years.
Description from Amazon.com
Defense, offense, and the ability to hold down a command center in the face of hostile attacks: there’s a lot to think about when laying out tactics for an all-out alien war. Featuring detailed environments and complicated new battle mechanisms, this game demands a different kind of perspective than the first-person shooters from the original Halo series. You’ll need to uncover the hidden strengths and weaknesses of each unit and play them to your tactical advantage, and that’s just the beginning.
UNSC: Be Part of a Legendary Conflict
The story opens with UNSC forces retaking the planet Harvest from the Covenant. At your disposal — should you choose to take command of UNSC forces — will be everything from a corps of highly-trained Marines to the Warthogs, Scorpions, and Hornets you’ll need for air and land attacks. You’ll take stock of the map and decide between holding your ground or advancing on enemy strongholds, all while trying to navigate the local terrain and outsmart Covenant forces. And when you need something extra to tip the tide in your favor, UNSC leaders can provide you with the ability to mobilize highly specialized units or call the Spirit of Fire vessel for support from above.
Covenant: A Capable, Playable Enemy Faction
That’s right, Covenant is playable in this corner of the Halo universe. This alliance of alien species has manipulated advanced technology, firepower, and tactical prowess into a powerful force that is engaged in a Genocidal war against human race, having branded humans as heretics. With the ability to play as these tough, alien fighters, you’ll have advanced shield technology, the modular Citadel at the heart of Covenant’s colonizing power, and, of course, the iconic Scarab attack vehicle at your disposal, adding a whole new dimension to your strategic warfare. The Scarab is a terrifying military vehicle crafted from heavy mining equipment. And with a mining laser that delivers massive damage across battlefields large and small, turrets for taking on air attacks, and the ability to clamber over any terrain, what’s not to love about commanding Scarabs instead of fighting against them?
Developed Exclusively for Xbox 360
Most console RTS games are adapted from existing PC games, which can make their controls bulky or awkward, but Halo Wars has been developed for Xbox 360 from the ground up. This means the controls are sensitive, intuitive, and easy-to-operate in the midst of battle. And the UI is just as intuitive, so whether you’re managing a unit of marines or a deadly machine, you can focus on creating a battle strategy instead of worrying about how to overcome a clumsy controller.
No matter which faction you choose to play as, you can test your skills against those of other players in online skirmishes that allow up to six players with the New Xbox Experience through Xbox LIVE.
Take Control of the Halo Universe. The Year is 2531, twenty years prior to the events in Halo®: Combat Evolved and the Covenant have found something on the planet Harvest. The UNSC ship “Spirit of Fire” is sent to investigate and stop whatever the enemy is up to. What the crew finds could be the only thing that stands between humanity and certain annihilation by the Covenant.
Command large armies, lead them into battle, control their every move and use their abilities to gain the upper hand in combat. Your strategy is infinite.
Overview:
Halo Wars is an exciting strategy game based on the legendary Halo® universe. In campaign mode, command the armies of the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire, with familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind. Halo Wars will immerse you in an early period of the storied Halo universe, allowing you to experience events leading up to the first Halo title for Xbox®.
With the guidance of Serina, a spirited artificial intelligence (A.I.) persona, direct legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs, Scorpions, and more, each group having its own strengths and uses in battle. Adventurous commanders can also call upon ancient Forerunner technology, if they are fortunate enough to find it hidden throughout the battlefield.
Covenant forces are also waiting for you to lead them into battle in multiplayer skirmishes via the New Xbox Experience. Call upon an arsenal of new and familiar Covenant units such as Grunts, Elites, Ghosts, and even Scarabs to defeat foes on the battlefield. Strategic-minded players who react well under pressure will emerge victorious.
Features:
New take on a legendary world: Set in the iconic Halo universe, Halo Wars predates the original first-person shooter Halo. Experience the early battles between the UNSC and Covenant, the far-reaching conflict that has been diligently followed by the masses in the blockbuster Halo series. Join the crew onboard the Spirit of Fire, a Phoenix-class colony ship converted for UNSC military use and guided by the A.I. persona Serina. The storyline follows the Spirit of Fire’s discovery of an ancient artifact during a journey to the planet Harvest, the first planet to be attacked by the Covenant.
Strategic command of armies: Halo Wars puts you in command of the battlefield over an arsenal of UNSC units and vehicles as you engage Covenant forces. Counter and crush your opponent by tactically fielding the superior army. Choose among Leaders that possess elite skills, which turn the tides of battle. Using various combinations of Leaders and units, create countless strategies tailored to your preferred playing styles and personalized strategies.
Skirmishes using the New Xbox Experience: See who the superior commander is through multiplayer online skirmishes supporting up to 6 players with the New Xbox Experience. Choose to command either unique civilization, UNSC or Covenant, each with unique attributes and strategic characteristics. Ancient Forerunner technology can also be found to create unique units to gain an upper hand in battle.
Groundbreaking strategy game: Since inception, Halo Wars was explicitly designed to cater to console gamers and bring to Xbox 360® a genre that has typically been played on the PC. Easily command and manage powerful armies, effortlessly control troops and incredible machines, engage in epic battles and expand your empire using an intuitive user interface. Halo Wars represents the true next-generation experience, combining a masterful control scheme using the Xbox 360 controller with the award-winning strategic gameplay only Ensemble Studios can provide.
Description from Amazon.com
Halo: Reach,” developed exclusively for Xbox 360® by acclaimed developer Bungie, is the blockbuster prequel to the best-selling Xbox franchise of all time. It represents the culmination of Bungie’s 10 years of experience crafting groundbreaking “Halo” games that have raised expectations for what can be achieved in a video game.
In “Halo: Reach,” players experience the fateful moments that forged the “Halo” legend. It’s the story of Noble Team, a squad of heroic Spartan soldiers, and their final stand on planet Reach, humanity’s last line of defense between the terrifying Covenant and Earth. This darker story is echoed by grittier visuals amid a backdrop of massive, awe-inspiring environments. Characters, enemies and environments are rendered in amazing detail by an all-new engine designed to deliver epic-scale encounters against the cunning and ruthless Covenant.Once the campaign is over, the battle continues online with an unparalleled multiplayer experience that expands on the award-winning suite of features that helped define the Xbox LIVE experience.1The “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta, on track to be the largest beta program of its kind on any console, is expected to see millions of participants when it begins May 3. Players can access the multiplayer beta on Xbox LIVE through the “Halo 3: ODST” disc.2
Product Features:
- Meet Noble Team. For the first time, players will fight alongside a squad of iconic Spartan soldiers, each with deadly talents as unique as their individual personalities and customized gear.
- An intense campaign. Live the events that set the stage for the “Halo” trilogy as the UNSC and Covenant clash at the height of their military power. New weapons and abilities complement the familiar “Halo” arsenal for the largest-scale battles ever witnessed in the “Halo” universe. Fiercely cunning artificial intelligence (AI) adds depth and complexity to each encounter, helping make every play-through a unique and epic experience.
- Stunning technical advancements. “Halo: Reach” takes a massive leap forward through all-new engine technology designed to take full advantage of next-generation graphics, audio, special effects, AI and animation while continuing to expand on the campaign, cooperative and multiplayer sandbox in a way that only “Halo” can.
- The definitive multiplayer experience. “Halo: Reach” builds on the success of its predecessors, setting a new standard for competitive gameplay, customization, variety and community integration.1
- Unparalleled feature suite. “Halo: Reach” expands on the industry-leading suite of features found in “Halo 3,” including four-player cooperative campaign play, split-screen support, saved films, screenshots and exciting new surprises that have yet to be revealed.
About “Halo”
The “Halo” franchise is an award-winning collection of properties that have grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. Beginning with the original “Halo: Combat Evolved” (2001), the critically acclaimed and record-shattering series of games has since inspired multiple New York Times best-selling novels, comic books, action figures, apparel and more.Published by Microsoft Game Studios, the “Halo” franchise of games is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. To date, more than 34 million copies of “Halo” games have been sold worldwide, driving more than 2 billion hours of gameplay by people connected to Xbox LIVE.
About Bungie
Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve its real goal of total world domination. Over the past 20 years, it has produced games such as the “Marathon” trilogy, the first two “Myth” games, the “Halo” trilogy, “Halo 3: ODST” and now “Halo: Reach.” The “Halo” series has been hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world, breaking both sales and Xbox LIVE records throughout the past decade. Bungie became a private company, independent of Microsoft, in October 2007. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net.
Description from Amazon.com
Product Features
- Bundled with seven of the most popular multiplayer maps.
- Include a bounty of new features including cooperative play over Xbox LIVE.
- Achievements
- New challenges
- New fiction to uncover.
Combat Evolved Anniversary is a spectacularly remastered version of the original “Halo” campaign, created in celebration of the 10th anniversary of one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history. With a bounty of new features including cooperative play over Xbox LIVE, a bundle of some of the most beloved multiplayer maps in “Halo” history reimagined for Xbox LIVE, new challenges and a new story to uncover, Halo: Anniversary is a must-have experience, coming exclusively to Xbox 360 on Nov. 15, 2011.
Product Description
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a spectacularly remastered version of the original campaign, created in celebration of the 10th anniversary of one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history. With a bounty of new features including cooperative play over Xbox LIVE, a bundle of some of the most beloved multi player maps in history re-imagined for Xbox LIVE, new challenges and a new story to uncover. Anniversary is a must-have experience.