Halo 3 to be PlayStation 3 Spoiler?

Game Vs console showdown looms.

Posted by Staff
Halo 3 to be PlayStation 3 Spoiler?
According to gossip currently doing the rounds, Microsoft Game Studios is planning to release Halo 3, the latest instalment of Bungie’s stunning multi-award winning FPS series, on the same day Sony Computer Entertainment puts its long-awaited PlayStation 3 on sale.

If the news proves true, it will make for an interesting day in the videogame calendar and no mistake. MGS will be pinning its hopes on Halo 3, the only killer app confirmed for the somewhat rushed Xbox 2, as a hardware-shifter.

Indeed, the new Microsoft console breaks all traditional launch timelines and is something of a tester for the games industry, with consumers faced with an upgrade purchase decision which for some people will come less than a year after the original machine was bought - if those 'some people' got an Xbox-shaped treat last Xmas, that is.

Interestingly, SPOnG believes that the Xbox 2 will be paraded at some point during the month of March again, a decision that might well be little more than a PlayStation 3 spoiler. SCEI has, for a long time, stated that it will unveil its Cell-powered monster before the Electronics Entertainment Expo, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in May. Perhaps March 2005 will be somewhat more interesting than the usually tepid news month it has been in the past.

As do you, we look forward to revelations scheduled for the not too distant future. Keep it locked.

Comments

ohms 1 Mar 2005 13:34
1/15
This being an early release title for XBOX2 is a given really, especially with the sudden end to Halo2.
It definately felt like a chunk of game and story was missing, so I guess that's being padded out as Halo3.




saurian 1 Mar 2005 13:43
2/15
ohms wrote:
This being an early release title for XBOX2 is a given really.



Releasing Halo 3 at the same time as Playstation 3 is probably a good strategy, but this means it will not be an early release for Xbox 2. Playstation 3 is way behind, probably at least a year or even more in Europe. Halo2 with an added proper ending may be released with Xbox2. Makes you wonder if this was the strategy all along.

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Dreadknux 1 Mar 2005 13:51
3/15
"saurian" wrote:
Releasing Halo 3 at the same time as Playstation 3 is probably a good strategy, but this means it will not be an early release for Xbox 2. Playstation 3 is way behind, probably at least a year or even more in Europe. Halo2 with an added proper ending may be released with Xbox2. Makes you wonder if this was the strategy all along.


Although it's just a rumour, for one. And for a second, there's nothing stating it will be an XBOX2 launch title.
NiktheGreek 1 Mar 2005 14:13
4/15
It's funny, I remember Sony doing this for the European launch of the Xbox in 2002. Walking into the shop that day, there was a choice of the lovely new Metal Gear Solid 2, or the lovely new Xbox. I bought Dreamcast games.
Ditto 1 Mar 2005 16:33
5/15
I still don't think Halo is anything above the average.
kid_77 1 Mar 2005 16:38
6/15
Adam M wrote:
I still don't think Halo is anything above the average.


It's pretty much all I play :)

Ah, the world's wonderous variety warms my heart...
fluffstardx 1 Mar 2005 17:17
7/15
Halo 2 is one of those things: once you've watched the DVD with the special edition, you realise what happened.

What happened is simple: post-E3, they realised they had no game. They also realised it was supposed to be out in November, and that meant they had... 6 months?

So yeah, the fact the game is so playable is a miracle, and shows some true goddamn skill. Look at how long the much-maligned GT4 took...
Pandaman 1 Mar 2005 22:57
8/15
Microsoft could get away with this if it were only a two horse race, because the market is big enough for two major companies for sure.

But in the current market...

This kind of reminds me of when the N64 launched and Mario 64 was pretty much the only big name game on the console for what seemed like an eternity. If Nintendo did that today, they'd be eaten alive. It just seems strange that Halo 3 could be any different.
saurian 2 Mar 2005 13:08
9/15
NiktheGreek wrote:
It's funny, I remember Sony doing this for the European launch of the Xbox in 2002. Walking into the shop that day, there was a choice of the lovely new Metal Gear Solid 2, or the lovely new Xbox. I bought Dreamcast games.



How Sad !!!
saurian 2 Mar 2005 13:09
10/15
NiktheGreek wrote:
It's funny, I remember Sony doing this for the European launch of the Xbox in 2002. Walking into the shop that day, there was a choice of the lovely new Metal Gear Solid 2, or the lovely new Xbox. I bought Dreamcast games.



How Sad !!!
fluffstardx 2 Mar 2005 16:44
11/15
Not as sad as double posting.

Besides, at that point i was making the same choice; MGS2 sucked, and the Xbox, at the time, offered me nothing more than backache carrying it home. Plus, i was saving my money for the impending launch of the cube, IIRC. Oh, how naive i was...
NiktheGreek 2 Mar 2005 20:59
12/15
saurian wrote:
NiktheGreek wrote:
It's funny, I remember Sony doing this for the European launch of the Xbox in 2002. Walking into the shop that day, there was a choice of the lovely new Metal Gear Solid 2, or the lovely new Xbox. I bought Dreamcast games.



How Sad !!!

I'm evidently so rubbish you felt the need to post it twice. Or, more interestingly, I was buying Headhunter and Space Channel 5, and cheaper than top-quality PS2 or Xbox games were at that time (and cheaper than the PS2 ports of both, at that). I'd conclude that I was the one that came away laughing.
config 3 Mar 2005 09:37
13/15
Talking or Headhunter - which I quite enjoyed, but it just seemed to lack a little something - has anyone played Headhunter 2?

What did you think of it? Is it worth my (extremely limited) time?

I'm almost done with Metroid Prime2: Echoes, and am looking to the next step.

Right now it's either Mercenaries or a re-play of Half-Life 2, but I know there's a whole heap of past games that really ought to get some attention.,
NiktheGreek 3 Mar 2005 16:25
14/15
config wrote:
Talking or Headhunter - which I quite enjoyed, but it just seemed to lack a little something - has anyone played Headhunter 2?

What did you think of it? Is it worth my (extremely limited) time?

I got it when it first came out on the strength of my love for the original, and because no two reviews seemed to agree about it. It's good, but it's certainly not as good as the original. If your time's a precious commodity, it'd be better spent with something else unless you have to know what happens to Jack Wade.

The main issue is that it does a lot of what the original did (minor stealth, lots of shooting, simple puzzles), but doesn't seem to actually do it quite as well. This may be because whilst Headhunter provided a few advances back in 2001, in 2004 much of what Headhunter Redemption did had become commonplace.

If the plot (and surrounding dark humour) was what kept you playing the first, you'll be pleased to know the sequel retains quite a lot of that. For example, the audio messages about not having to worry when you don't meet your productivity targets, as the government now has legalised suicide centres!

Still, if you're going to play it, I'd definitely suggesting trying before you buy - as well as media opinions clashing, the public doesn't seem to have decided. The person that sold it to me said it was "as enjoyable as swimming in sewage". I like it enough though.
kid_77 4 Mar 2005 09:55
15/15
NiktheGreek wrote:
The person that sold it to me said it was "as enjoyable as swimming in sewage". I like it enough though.


And so does Frank Dreben: "I've been swimming in raw sewage. I love it!"
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