Halo 3 on PC: is it possible and should we even care?

[Treblaine]

Hey, I love forward planning and I'm making a list of games in 2010 and I was looking over the release history of the Halo franchise.

It was then I noticed that Halo 2 was not released for PC until 3 years after it's Xbox release, almost at the same time as its sequel. 2010 will be 3 years after Halo 3 came out and same year as the release of Halo: Reach (planned release at least). Also roughly coinciding with Microsoft releasing a new operating system. Overall, I am getting a distinct sense of De Ja Vu.

So, Halo 3 on PC in 2010? Possible? Probable? Wishful thinking?

The question of whether we should even care about Halo any more may be a valid one, but I always thought Halo 3 would be the perfect game for the PC treatment.

Well for one Halo 3 to spite having good graphics is let down by its low native resolution of 640p and the complete lack of any anti-aliasing makes it even worse to upscale. These are problems easily solved by just having a more powerful graphics card. Mouse aim would be great to have as well.

Then there is the online. I mean has anybody played Halo 3 and possibly wanted to have an online community more like Steam than Xbox Live? It'd also be nice not having to pay an annual fee for online mutiplayer...

Halo 3 has run its course on consoles, I don't know how ODST factors into this but I think the obvious way to milk Halo some more is to expand onto PC. I know this is in the wake of Activision utterly sodomizing the PC release of Modern Warfare 2... but who knows, maybe Bungie are listening to the internet and know a market when they hear it.

 

[MGlBlaze]

Technically it is possible. Although if Microsoft tries to do the same bullshit they did with Halo 2's PC version and made you have to pay a subscription fee to use online features (which I am fairly sure failed...) it probably wouldn't work out too well.

Not to mention Halo 2 was made compatible with only Vista for some utterly arbitrary reason, though people have made ways for it to work on XP.

 

[Sassafrass]

It's possible, but not many PC gamers will care as the hype has died out now.

 

[lostclause]

Whether or not you should care is a matter of opinion, there are pc gamers who care and many who don't. Possible? Most certainly. Probable? Different question entirely.

Personally, I think they should do it, it seems a bit unfair to leave the pc gamers hanging instead of finishing the trilogy.

 

[AdambotLive]

It could be possible.

Also, a strange coincidence. Bungie revolves over the number 7. Now think; Windows 7.

 

[Jarc42]

Then there is the online. I mean has anybody played Halo 3 and possibly wanted to have an online community more like Steam than Xbox Live? It'd also be nice not having to pay an annual fee for online mutiplayer...

No, because Microsoft would use their PC version of LIVE (Games for Windows LIVE), so no Steam-like community support. In case you didn't know, Halo 2 came out for the PC a while ago and it was a titanic piece of crap.

 

[comadorcrack]

Speaking as a PC Gamer. We Didnt care when It came out. And we still dont care now. The PC has been treated to much better FPS's.

 

[TheFerg]

Of course it comes out 3 years after. Bungie and Microsoft like to milk EVERYTHING as much as possible. 3 years of players having to pay for the online play and then throwing it at PC gamers when nobody even really cares about Halo 3 anymore. I would like to see Bungie release anything Halo related PC first. These assholes are just trying to take our money. Personally I think the 360's hardware is either a pile of shit that is worthless and we're just paying for software and a logo, or they're purposely making it so they don't last long. Just think about it, more console failures when alot of 360 players a bunch of dumbasses who'll go blow another 300 to get another without any questions is pretty genius.

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

Possible? God Yeah. Developers aren't thick. They know how to write a game to a platform. Probable? Yes. More money for Bungie, which is their ultimate reason for existing.

 

[LGC Pominator]

has the news that Halo is not in the hands of Bungie passed PC users by? 343 Industries is at the helm of any future halo games or series post Halo Reach, they are a 360 based developer, and will likely follow the rest of the industry into allowing the PC generation to pass away with some dignity, rather than sitting at the bedside desperately claiming that they loved him all along, hoping to get some of the inheritance once he truly passes on,

Bungie may develop titles for the PC in the future, not being leashed to microsoft gives them some creative freedom in terms of development platforms, however they are quite aware of the situation with PC gaming as it stands right now, and they have expressed no intention of taking such a step back in development, as right now it is most cost-effective to develop for the most stable platform with the best game sales market, that happens to be the Xbox 360.

Long story short:
Bungie do not own Halo
Bungie aren't planning on developing PC games in the foreseeable future
343 Industries are developing with the Xbox 360 as its primary market, so future Halo games will also be 360 based.

And personally:

Halo 3 is the perfect 360 game, it doesn't need moving to other platforms, the mouse and keyboard system is not suited to first person shooters and, with years of experience of said system, I can happily say that there is no need for the game to be developed on such a system.

 

[Snotnarok]

If they follow the tradition of Halo to PC ports, it'll far more resources than it should, have no co-op, and will "need" the latest windows to run till someone hacks it to run on XP.

 

[Woodsey]

Is it possible? Are you seriously asking whether a PC could handle Halo 3 or not?

Who cares anyway - it's ugly, unimaginative and not the best at what it does (by quite a long shot).

 

[fix-the-spade]

Unfortunately, the timing of Halo PC releases mean they are largely an irrelevance by the time they land.

I would quite like to see ODST hit PC so the modders can get their hands on it and set up some badass ODST V Elite scenarios. But ultimately we are unlikely to see either it or 3 in the foreseeable future, especially after 2's relative bombing on PC.

It really depends on whether Microsoft stump up for a PC development team, which I can't really see them doing.

 

[Jonny49]

Halo 3 has come and gone. Everyone who wanted it most likely has it already or played it and didn't like it.

 

[LGC Pominator]

Halo 3 has come and gone. Everyone who wanted it most likely has it already or played it and didn't like it.

what do you mean? I got it on release and I still play it to this day.

 

[Jonny49]

Halo 3 has come and gone. Everyone who wanted it most likely has it already or played it and didn't like it.

what do you mean? I got it on release and I still play it to this day.

When I say it's come and gone I mean on a hype level, not gameplay wise. Halo 3 is one of those games you can play for ages.

 

[chase211]

The original Halo and Halo 2 both came out on PC to very lackluster sales, I highly doubt Microsoft will give PC gamers a 3rd swing at the series.

On a side note, who cares.

 

[Zarthek]

Halo 3 on the PC is more than possible, i'll bet that they'll push it out soon enough, and with how beefy computers are there will be EVEN BETTER graphics as well most likely.

I'm not sure how many people would care though

 

[LGC Pominator]

Halo 3 has come and gone. Everyone who wanted it most likely has it already or played it and didn't like it.

what do you mean? I got it on release and I still play it to this day.

When I say it's come and gone I mean on a hype level, not gameplay wise. Halo 3 is one of those games you can play for ages.

tis true
I do

 

[Komus]

the mouse and keyboard system is not suited to first person shooters

Did he just say... no, wait... really?



Really though?

To be fair, the poster does have a point in that as the gaming industry becomes increasingly globalized [Bobby Kotick bashing goes here] consoles and the "console experience" are increasingly being forced down the throats of we the gaming elite - although it's reactionary to suggest that we'll choke. Unless Microsoft embraces the option for keyboard and mouse control for console games. And mod support. And some form of meaningful community. And dedicated servers. Perhaps word processing and creative functionality. Wait...