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Archive for the ‘Halo’ Category

Halo 3 ODST

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 hero, old enemy. View larger. Join the ODST. View larger. Stunning cinematics. View larger. New co-op multiplayer mode. View larger. 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.

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Halo Wars Limited

A strategy game based on the Halo universe, Halo Wars immerses you in an early period of the storied Halo universe, allowing you to experience events leading up to the first Halo title. 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. 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. Unique In-game Vehicle – Honor Guard Wraith. Six Leader Cards – Leaders possess elite skills that can turn the tides of battle. Spirit of Fire Patch – Start the journey as an official Spirit of Fire crewmember.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Good if you like the genre
I’m not ganna make this long, try the demo, give it some time and if you like it, you will like the game. If you don’t like the demo, you won’t like the game

4 Stars Wicked game, plus good extras.
This is a very good game! I recomend this to any halo fan, except the people that are all FPS and no story. The extras are cool bit a little useless. You should get THIIIIIIIS!!!!

5 Stars Halo Wars – ROCKS!!!
The overall verdict on this product from the men in the house is that it is ASTOUNDINGLY GREAT!!!!

1 Star NOT FUN
OH man did I ever HATE this game. And there is no bigger fan of the HALO series including games, books, and comics. But this thing just stunk. I played it for 20 minutes and just couldn’t stand it. Pulled it out of the XBOX and put it in the ‘give away’ pile. They got their money from me but darn sure won’t get anymore. Going back to HALO 3 which i’ve played through I bet 30 times but HALO WARS is out of my house.

5 Stars Halo Wars Limited Edition = Win
I first tried the demo on Xbox Live Marketplace and was instantly hooked, and shortly thereafter found out the limited edition is the same price on Amazon as the regular edition is in stores. So if you liked the demo, and like to save a little money, pick this up.

The game works very very well for being an RTS on a console, at times the game can be choppy but really only if you have a bunch of squads on the screen at any given time. The music is great, very Halo-like.

At first I was expecting to play both the Human and Covenant campaigns but I eventually found out, its the Human missions and thats it, 15 in total. But the game also includes a nice Skirmish mode and Online Multiplayer. I myself have yet to explore the multiplayer but the skirmish gives you a good idea of what it might be like.

If you’ve played the demo and liked it, and if you have Halo 3 but haven’t bought the Mythic Map Pack I strongly recommend buying this.

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Xbox 360 Wireless Covenant Controller

True Halo fanatics will be able to extend their gaming experience with the Limited Edition Halo 3 accessories launching in early September. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controller comes in 2 designs: Spartan featuring Master Chief and Covenant Brute featuring a Brute Chief. Each design contains stunning original artwork from comic book master Todd McFarlane (Spawn, Spiderman) on a high quality, scratch and wear resistant surface. Each controller also includes an exclusive collectible Halo 3 figurine from McFarlane Toys. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers are only available for a limited time and bring a completely unique and new look to the award winning performance of the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Wow!
I couldn’t believe the price for theses controls and so naturally i was a little bit skeptical. My skepticism was however misplaced as this product is perfect. The control that i received was completely new and came about 2 days after i ordered it (with general shipping). I would strongly recommend this product to any one with a need for another controller looking for a smart buy.

4 Stars More show than anything.
This is the default Xbox 360 wireless controller with some awesome Halo 3 artwork slapped on.

This is an excellent edition to any Halo 3 fan’s collection, however, one must note that the controller itself is more of a “show-off” item rather than an actual game playing one.

The top plate of the controller has a smooth, glossy finish with the back side being of a normal matte finish, like the regular controller. The problem I have with the controller is that the glossy finish gets in the way of intense gaming. Sweaty hands may create a slippery or sticky surface, especially after long hours of gaming.

I recommend this controller only for diehard Halo fans, but not the regular and/or hardcore Xbox 360 fan. Any other game player should stick to the default Xbox controller.

From Xbox Live gamer, “Really Unlucky”.

5 Stars Good Buy
Amazon had the black XBox 360 controller for a good price, cheaper than any other color and it matched my living room decor. It is the actual Microsoft brand and works perfectly. I would recommend buying this controller and buying it from Amazon.

5 Stars Xbox blue wireless controller is awesome
Hey, I just want to let you know that I love the controller. I cant believe that I got it so fast. Thanks a lot.

-Andrew

4 Stars One extremely fragile controller.
Whatever you do, don’t drop this thing. Its awesome playing without a wire, but once you drop it you may be annoyed with the aftermath. A button becomes stuck, your player in the game moves on its own, and other things that could happen after it has been dropped. So just a warning: be extremely careful and don’t endure the amount of time I have had with a semi broken controller. Mine still work, just not the way it should.

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Halo 2

Halo 2 continues the story of Master Chief, the heroic super-soldier who defied the invading alien Covenant and survived. The Covenant leaders within Halo are angry at this unheard of event. To save face, they launch an invasion of our planet. Earth’s defenses are breached, and we’re all in danger — unless Master Chief can lead a small military squad to victory against Covenant forces, in all-out guerilla warfare!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Super fast shipping!
Item arrived within a couple days of ordering. Item was in condition promised. Great seller. Thanks!

3 Stars Fine if you care more about multiplayer games
Halo 2 is a game that really starts well, but piddles out in the final acts of its single-player campaign. The story of this game falls into clich?s and doesn’t really try to surprise the gamer; most of the game is just predictable and offers far less replay value than its predecessor.

The game just goes on, and on, and on without getting much done for its story, and aside from two levels taking place on Earth there aren’t many levels that offer much in the ways of entertainment and replay value. Also, the feeling of the game feels very cheap, and light compared to its predecessor, which offered some legitimately intense gaming moments (such as the introduction of the Flood). This game offers little worth remembering, aside from cool things you do on Xbox Live. The game’s single-player is just weak compared to the original game. If this was the game we got in 2001 Xbox would have certainly been sunk.

The character designs are a downgrade, I’m afraid to say. The Marines units have been reduced to what I’d expect soldiers to be wearing in CNN newsreel footage and they do not look like they are from the future in any way. This is just one of my many complaints about the feel of this game. The first game you felt like you actually were serving a purpose and providing help (key word being “help”) for the human forces. Everything about this game can be summed up by “Run in. Shoot stuff. Cut scene. Repeat.” There never is really anything to challenge the gamer, other than whether or not he/she can shoot something enough that it dies, and then they have a clich? plot revolving around this concept (Serious, most of the missions you’re goal is “You must kill this dude/thing”).

Halo 2 does offer some positive things. The graphics are top notch, really improving upon the engines used in the previous game. Visually a lot of work obviously went into making this game look good, and visually Halo 2 has little in the way of flaws. It is probably one of the best games to look at in the original Xbox’s inventory. The main aspect of Halo 2 that makes it worth playing is the online multiplayer, and I do believe Bungie put more effort into this aspect of the game than the actual game’s campaign. However, if you’re like me and seldom have access to Xbox Live you’re gonna care more for the single-player campaign.

It’s a fun game especially for people who enjoy co-op and online multiplayer matches, but for someone looking for a thrilling 1st person experience such as that provided in the original game you’d best steer away from this game or lower your expectations. That being said this game is 50x better than the rip-off that was Halo 3.

5 Stars The Best Game Ever
It’s the best game I have ever played, this is per my 12 year old grandson. I purchased it for him as he has all the Halo games and is waiting for the next one to come out. He loves playing Halo as they are exciting and challenging.

5 Stars Wrong Cover
Next time please show the correct cover of the video game and not a fake one to lure buyers. I received the platinum edition and it states that this is the standard which is not. If I knew this was the one I was getting I would of never bought it.

1 Star BAD GAME; RENT IT DON’T BUY IT
This is a horrible sequel to the first Halo game. The screen is pitch black 99% of the time and doesn’t offer any real challenges.

Don’t buy it, you’ve been warned.

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Halo 3 Legendary Edition

Halo 3 is the third game in the Halo Trilogy and the thrilling conclusion to the events begun in Halo: Combat Evolved. 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. The Covenant occupation of Earth has uncovered a massive and ancient object beneath the African sands, an object whose secrets have yet to be revealed. Earth’s forces are battered and beaten. The Master Chief’s AI companion, Cortana, is still trapped in the clutches of the Gravemind, a horrifying Flood intelligence, and a civil war is raging in the heart of the Covenant. It’s all been building to this–a desperate, final war that leads to a soul-shattering climax of epic proportions. Take control of Master Chief to defeat the Covenant and destroy the Flood as a measure to prevent the annihilation of the human race. Online multiplayer, the game builds upon the party-based social multiplayer experience from Halo 2 with new weapons, vehicles, maps, gametypes, and added customization features.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Da Bomb of XBox Games
This review is dedicated to my Xbox playing brother. This is the best version of Halo 3 on the market. It comes with the game itself, a DVD, a model of Master Chief’s Helmet, and a display stand to display the helmet and hold your games. I think you can modify the helmet so you can wear it. This is the last of the trilogy. In the last clip, you see Halo take his helmet off. The carboard that the box comes in forms a poster of the Master Chief. I recomend this to ANY Halo or XBox 360 fan.

5 Stars Great game, Cool Stuff
I’ve played every Halo game so far and it just keeps getting better with every iteration. Halo 3 is my favorite First Person Shooter to date. The helmet is pretty cool and looks great in my game room. Get this if you have not already. Everyone who has an XBOX 360 should own this game.

5 Stars Best Maltiplayer game ever
This is a must have game. I have playing this game sens HALO 1 after 5+ years it is still fun to play online.

5 Stars Legendary edition rocks
The shipping was fast and every thing was there. Halo 3 legendary edition rocks and everyone that loves halo should buy it and its a good price

5 Stars A definite own for all 360 owners
It arrived before it was supposed to.

It wAs in perfect condition and, it was totally worth it

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Halo 3 Limited Edition

Halo 3 is the third game in the Halo Trilogy and the thrilling conclusion to the events begun in Halo: Combat Evolved. 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. The Covenant occupation of Earth has uncovered a massive and ancient object beneath the African sands – an object whose secrets have yet to be revealed. Earth’s forces are battered and beaten. The Master Chief’s AI companion Cortana is still trapped in the clutches of the Gravemind – a horrifying Flood intelligence, and a civil war is raging in the heart of the Covenant. It’s all been building to this — a desperate, final war that leads to a soul-shattering climax of epic proportions. Take control of Master Chief to defeat the Covenant and destroy the Flood to prevent the annihilation of the human race. Online multiplayer – Halo 3 builds upon the unique party-based social multiplayer experience from Halo 2 with new weapons, vehicles, maps, gametypes, and added customizability!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Halo 3 Limited Edition
Purchased for son for Christmas. Game arrived in original condition. Owners manual included. Very pleased with purchase

5 Stars If variety is the spice of life, Halo 3 is Methuselah.
Campaign:

While the story still left me with a slight feeling that the script might have been written by the Wachowski brothers, the sheer diversity within the single player in terms of locations, voice acting, sound and graphical effects offer up a product second to none. However, where Matrix: Revolutions confuses the viewer even more, the story in Halo 3 was much more improved over the sequel. There really was not one defining moment in Halo 3’s campaign that gave me that feeling of being “immersed” into the game, but rather multiple moments of “shock and awe.” In Halo 1, it was at the end of the game. In Halo 2, it was crossing the bridge in the tank to defeat the scarab. In Halo 3, it spanned flying the Hornets to avoid the crumbling platform at the end, or even (my favorite) plowing through the rolling hillside with a platoon of tanks in order to defeat the scarab. And that’s just to name of few. Bungie broke out all of the possibilities with the single player, and I’m glad. They didn’t stick to a loosing formula (ie the Arbitar story) but kept you in the shoes of the only fighter that counts – Master Chief.

When combined with the much more polished, engaging, and customizable multiplayer, Halo 3 translates to being well worth it’s weight in gold.

Multiplayer:

I will start by saying that my biggest gripe with the first two games has been answered, and the weapons in Halo 3 probably are some of the best balanced that I have ever experienced.

In Halo 1, the pistol dominated, thus reducing the game to a glorified pissing match of who could see who first, with no motivation to use any other weapon, or even have close combat duels.

In Halo 2, this problem was negated with another one… or two rather. The game minimized any medium range option via dual wield ability not countered by any viable medium-long range weapons. Secondly, Halo 2 choose a piss poor choice for a weapon spawn (smg).

Halo 3 corrected this with the assault rifle throwback to start, and a workable replacement for the pistol (ie a non-nerfed battle rifle) while still maintaining and encouraging the dual wield and close combat engagement.

In addition to a great weapon selection, the variety in other aspects of this game (besides a solid map selection) make this game really shine. From customizing your match made games, to downloading others game variants that people have created (Grifball anyone?) matchmaking has been taken to a brand new level not even seen in any other game to date, Call of Duty and Gears included. The graphics are on par with the campaign (read: average) but the effects hold up very well. The equipment brings a whole new option to think about in multiplayer, and some great networking engineers have done a bang up job of allowing the ever fun 4 player coop. That’s not to say it’s perfect, as 16-player killfests still take on a bit of lag, but it’s most certainly improved over the stand-by days of Halo 2.

5 Stars Good game
Halo series has and continues to be fun to play. It’s fun online, but I wish they’d finally go to free online like the PS3.

5 Stars XBox Tradition
The HALO series really brought a new light to the XBox community and created a huge fan base to really get people motivated to purchase a xbox or invest in the newer XBox 360. With a greatly improved graphics engine at its core, HALO 3, brought a new glow to the already popular series. There is little I can comment on how awsome this game is, that has not already been said. My only concern is that legitimate gamers who truely enjoy the game can pursuade hackers and cheaters from continuing their use of these tools to dominate the battlefield unfairly. If you are a truly good gamer, you do not need cheats to win. Enjoy the game everyone.

5 Stars AWEsome!!!
this is such a fun game. me and my brother play it on xbox live everyday. it is very addicting and i play it after school so it keeps me from doing homework early which is bad… the game is totally amazing although i have not yet trieed oout the essentials disk which is the bonus disk included

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