ff_halo_w.jpg

A fellow blogger recently wrote about the long awaited Halo 3 game. Just like him, I had promised to avoid this basically over-beaten dead horse.

However, he shared a link to a part of the Halo 3 promo site that I now can’t help but write about.

First off, let me give you my background on the Halo saga so you can fully understand me frame of reference.

My first encounter with Halo was from a challenge to battle from a small 11 year old boy. I accepted, and was subsequently pummeled for the following 30 minutes. The boy had played the game at least everyday for many months and had memorized every nook and cranny of the field. I had no chance, and he made sure not to give me one.

So I said screw it. I didn’t play Halo ever again. My ego couldn’t take it. I still shudder when I reflect upon it.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not Halo ignorant. Throughout the following years I have attended many Halo parties and seen countless hours of gameplay, though I was never at the analog sticks. Believe me, I have said my Hail Marys to Master Chief many a night.

 

highres_95257.jpeg

So I have a love, hate relationship. Love to watch it, hate to play it.

But what fascinates me most about the upcoming Halo 3 is the hype that has been generated. If you visited the link from my friend’s blog you can see a completely different form of advertising. They are not advertising a game, they are convincing a life style. They are taking virtual characters and accounting for their experiences as recorded history. The message, Believe, resonated through each statement made in the site’s videos. It is a fascinating tactic, which truly succeeded in adding hype where I had very little.

Another thing I’d like to throw in is that if you are like me and are hesitant on buying sequel games unless you are sure they have a great deal more to offer, check out the information I found on the new Halo 3 from a recent Wired blog:

The Game

What’s New in Halo 3

  • More weapons And meaner ones, too. Our favorite: the Spartan Laser. Modeled on a powerful real-life laser, it can destroy an enemy in one shot.
  • More vehicles The number of vehicles has been doubled, from eight to 16. These include the Brute Chopper, a monowheel-meets-hovercraft that can turn on a dime and mow right over Warthog ATVs.
  • Instant replay In Saved Films mode, a virtual-camera application lets you record any fight, view it from any angle, and then send it to friends on Xbox Live to show off your moments of triumph.
  • Enhanced audio The new sound engine can deliver up to 100 separate tracks at a time. You’ll hear bullets whiz past your ears, enemies creep up on you, and AI characters scream and curse during firefights — all in full 5.1 surround sound.
  • Vast levels You’ll battle through lush jungles and enormous hangars and maneuver atop alien ships. Bonus: a multiplayer level inspired by medieval cathedrals.
  • DIY game design Using the new Forge tool, players can customize multiplayer maps by dropping weapons, vehicles, and flags anywhere they choose. Always wanted to play a free-for-all round using only grenades? Now you can.

    • And Remember: Don’t try this at home…

    halohome.jpg

    Note: After the posting of this blog, my friends gathered for a Halo party as a warm-up for the upcoming release of Halo 3 (equipped with Game Fuel and all). Due to hours upon hours of forced practice and improvement, I now have relinquished some minor anger issues with the game.