Halo 3 - now coming to Xbox One. MC Collection.

[Straps]

Yep, you can store 100 'things' on your 360 - those things including Custom Gametypes, Saved Videos and Saved Photos. So you can have 99 custom games, and 1 video, or you can just upload the photos and videos to Bungie.net and store them on your PC.

Can you expand plz? I don't really get what you mean. How can you save custom games? How can you save videos on your PC? What's this 100 limit? I'm missing something, I guess.

[Guest alisdair]

store them on your PC.

Bungie have repeatedly said that the only way to get videos onto a PC is to use a capture card attached to your 360's video out. Sadly.

[The Chief]

Has it been mentioned as to whether or not achievements unlock in co-op?

İs the Halo 3 Xbox 360 available to pre-order anywhere yet also?

[The Cactuar Cat]

It's been available for pre-order for months.

[Chaz]

Don't know why you'd want to though.

[BeeJay]

It's been available for pre-order for months.

Slightexageration.gif

[Guest alisdair]

It's been available for pre-order for months.

Online? Where from? I can't find it anywhere.

Don't know why you'd want to though.

Because it has HDMI, probably 65nm, and looks awesome?

[Chaz]

looks awesome

Are you sure?

[Snowman]

Can you expand plz? I don't really get what you mean. How can you save custom games? How can you save videos on your PC? What's this 100 limit? I'm missing something, I guess.

Bungie have put an arbitrary limit of 100 items that can be saved per Halo 3 player profile. These items can be custom game types that you create (just like in Halo and Halo 2) eg. Low-Grav Ninja Oddball, or saved films or screenshots. You can get around the limit to an extent by uploading your screenshots to bungie.net and then downloading them to your pc. Is that any clearer? Or do I need to shave?

[Lorfarius]

Online? Where from? I can't find it anywhere.

Because it has HDMI, probably 65nm, and looks awesome?

Amazon, Play, Gamespot etc etc. Have you actually tried looking?

[The Boatman]

He means the special edition console rather than the game.

[footle]

So Point scoring and freeform multiplayer map editing. Hmm.

[dan_tm]

I keep forgetting about the map 'editor', it could add absolutely loads to custom games and should be useful for making up new gametypes*.

*Non-Sticktacular lovers need not apply.

[Space Renegade Ulala]

So co-op can have the Chief, the Arbiter and...? Manky jawed, Robert Davi-voiced Commander guy? Will the other 2 Elites have the normal active camo abilities?

[Snowman]

So co-op can have the Chief, the Arbiter and...? Manky jawed, Robert Davi-voiced Commander guy? Will the other 2 Elites have the normal active camo abilities?

Allow us to introduce them:

PLAYER 3 (Sangheili)

Name: N’tho ‘Sraom

Affiliation: Fleet of Retribution/Special Warfare Group/Special Operations

History: N’tho ‘Sraom is the youngest member of his Special Operations unit and is one of a growing number of human sympathizers amongst the Sangheili youth. He is a fairly typical young male adult Sangheili—he began compulsory military service at the end of adolescence, and remains unmarried with no close, non-familial relationships outside of his martial order. N’tho Sraom refused to stand idly by while the Prophets replaced Sangheili units with Jiralhanae packs, and now bears deep resentment toward those Sangheili politicians who landed his kind in their current predicament.

Although N’tho ‘Sraom’s romanticized nationalism is emblematic of all Sangheili, he has developed a healthy respect for humanity—not for their physical abilities or martial prowess, but for their audacity and resolve.

PLAYER 4 (Sangheili)

Name: Usze ‘Taham

Affiliation: Fleet of Retribution/Special Warfare Group/Fleet Security

History: Although Usze ‘Taham was born into a respected merchant family he was fathered by Toha ‘Sumai—one of the preeminent swordfighters of this age. Usze graduated with honors from the top War College in the Iruiru region of Yermo, Sanghelios (a distinction he shares with Rtas 'Vadum). Shortly after receiving his first post within the Covenant Navy he was offered a place on the Prophets’ Honor Guard but he declined citing "lack of practical experience". In truth, he had no desire to be part of a largely ceremonial unit, and at the end of his third combat tour, Usze ‘Taham again refused the post—even though his superiors warned him such behavior could be misinterpreted as apostasy.

Since that time Usze has evaded countless punitive actions, at least two assassination attempts, and served with distinction for two additional tours before the Schism. Following the dissolution of the Covenant, he was approached by the Ascetics to become one of their liaisons within the Navy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every player will have identical abilities – only their appearance and weapon starts are different (Elites will start with Carbines versus Battle Rifles for example, depending on the mission). So there you have it. Mystery solved. Internet dramas ended.

Edit: I should add that neither Elite is the SpecOps commander with the mangled jaw. I just took a quick look at the graphic novel to find out his name: Rtas 'Vadumee.

[Nagrub]

I may be wrong, but did that guy not die in halo 2? I never read the graphic novel. (any good by the way?)

[Hass]

Slightly underwhelming report of Halo3's single player has just gone up on BBC News:

Linky

[Snowman]

I may be wrong, but did that guy not die in halo 2? I never read the graphic novel. (any good by the way?)

According to Halopedia, he was last seen just before the Arbiter heads off to the control room, saying he was going to "take that cruiser back", so he may well be alive still.

IMO, the graphic novel's pretty awesome, but then it's got Halo written on the front cover, so I would say that. It's certainly beautifully presented. I think that if you're a Halo fan and you like comics, you can't really go wrong. There's a small gallery of some of the art here.

[superfunk]

Slightly underwhelming report of Halo3's single player has just gone up on BBC News:

Linky

He seems to have missed the point that Bungie have said they have deliberately kept the geometry stark so that they could devote processing grunt to the big battles.

[K]

I really hate it when alien races are given names with loads of random apostrophes in them to indicate how alien they are. It's such a cliché.

[Straps]

Bungie have put an arbitrary limit of 100 items that can be saved per Halo 3 player profile. These items can be custom game types that you create (just like in Halo and Halo 2) eg. Low-Grav Ninja Oddball, or saved films or screenshots. You can get around the limit to an extent by uploading your screenshots to bungie.net and then downloading them to your pc. Is that any clearer? Or do I need to shave?

No need, clean-shaven already! I was being a bit thick, I thought he meant there was some PC game-viewer they'd made, and didn't know about the 100-limit thing.

[Sprite Machine]

He seems to have missed the point that Bungie have said they have deliberately kept the geometry stark so that they could devote processing grunt to the big battles.

He doesn't seem to have missed that at all. In fact he says right here:

Happily, the graphics engine of Halo 3 is able to throw much more action onto the screen than previous titles. Battles are definitely bigger, huge ships swoop overhead, marines and aliens engage in fierce action, and there is a tangible feeling of epic scope.

Sounds good to me.

[K]

Slightly underwhelming report of Halo3's single player has just gone up on BBC News:

Linky

It's not so much underwhelming as a proper slagging-off – it's interesting to see someone's opinion on the game that isn't "OMFG PWNXX0R". The criticism about the scale of the battles sounds interesting, as I can easily see it being a big problem. The biggest battle in the first two games – the suicide run at the end of 'Two Betrayals' – could only really be won by hanging back and waiting for all the other units to eliminate each other. If Halo 3 has even bigger scraps, I can see it being a bit chaotic, in that the player will no longer be the focus.

[superfunk]

He doesn't seem to have missed that at all. In fact he says right here:

Sounds good to me.

I meant he missed that the two were connected i.e. big battles are possible because of relatively low detail

[Sprite Machine]

I meant he missed that the two were connected

Not necessarily. He's reporting on the game, not Bungie's excuses.

[superfunk]

Not necessarily. He's reporting on the game, not Bungie's excuses.

Well maybe. Whatever, I'd rather the big battles and epic scope than million-poly blades of grass if it's one or the other. If that's perceived as a Bungie excuse then so be it

[Rowan Morrison]

I really hate it when alien races are given names with loads of random apostrophes in them to indicate how alien they are. It's such a cliché.

It's as bad as adding apostrophes to non-possessive pluralised nouns and we shouldn't oughta stand for it.

The biggest battle in the first two games – the suicide run at the end of 'Two Betrayals' – could only really be won by hanging back and waiting for all the other units to eliminate each other. If Halo 3 has even bigger scraps, I can see it being a bit chaotic, in that the player will no longer be the focus.

Ah, but you could just as easily get stuck into that battle and have a blast, so in a way it was an optional cop-out for the weak or nervous. I can't talk, more than a few times I legged it across to the Banshees and flew back around the corner. There was a bridge above the battle, too, wasn't there? I seem to recall flying up to that and watching the carnage, though on Legendary you can still find yourself on the wrong end of a long-distance plasma shot.

I do take the point that battles that are too big might be overwhelming, but I don't think Bungie will let us down here. Fingers crossed we'll get ramped-up versions of Two Betrayals and the start of Silent Cartographer - of course, in SC you could sit back and let the AI do the work, but on Legendary they'd just be butchered (with or without your help most of the time).

[footle]

of course, in SC you could sit back and let the AI do the work, but on Legendary they'd just be butchered (with or without your help most of the time).

If they can find the appropriate balance between "letting the AI do the work" and "regardless of what you do, the AI are butchered" while still getting the AI properly stuck in + shooting + dying where appropriate, this will represent a fairly big improvement in FPSes...

Can we also have kamikazi marines who run at the enemy waving grenades in both hands?

[Puck]

Well maybe. Whatever, I'd rather the big battles and epic scope than million-poly blades of grass. If that's perceived as a Bungie excuse then so be it

The lastest screens and the E3 vid looked gorgeous IMO compared to the beta. The Beeb article was based on a play with beta as well, so...

[K]

Ah, but you could just as easily get stuck into that battle and have a blast, so in a way it was an optional cop-out for the weak or nervous. I can't talk, more than a few times I legged it across to the Banshees and flew back around the corner. There was a bridge above the battle, too, wasn't there? I seem to recall flying up to that and watching the carnage, though on Legendary you can still find yourself on the wrong end of a long-distance plasma shot.

I do take the point that battles that are too big might be overwhelming, but I don't think Bungie will let us down here. Fingers crossed we'll get ramped-up versions of Two Betrayals and the start of Silent Cartographer - of course, in SC you could sit back and let the AI do the work, but on Legendary they'd just be butchered (with or without your help most of the time).

Yeah, I have faith in Bungie – even after the mass battles in Halo 2, which were a bit rubbish. I was thinking more of the three-way rucks from later on in the game, which were largely a matter of hiding in a box for the duration for Flashman-types like me, as opposed to the humans vs Covenant paggas from earlier on, which you couldn't pull a sickie for. The latter would be very difficult to balance, especially when you look at how almost-impossible bits of Halo are, but I reckon Bungie can pull it off.