| The Halo2 and E3 Interview — 05.17.03When one thinks of Microsofts big green machine, there is but one game that rules the roost. You may have heard of it, its a little game called Halo. I call it the Xbox’s savior, simply because I don’t think the Xbox would have had near the success it is currently enjoying if not for Halo.Halo can only last so long before Microsoft needs its next true killer app. Its next system seller. The game that tends to get this burden/blessing is Bungie’s follow up to to their masterpiece, Halo2. Halo2 needs to have what Halo had, but amplify it several times. It needs to be something that will dissapoint no one.It might just have some of the biggest shoes to fill in terms of living up to expectations. Ok,you were most likely aware of all this. Take a gander at that screenshot at the top, yeah the one I used for my logo. Ok, now say, “in game engine.” Yeah, that badass staring at you is rendered in real time. The graphics are definately shaping up to be what they need to be. Graphics are all nice and dandy, but what about the other aspects of the game. I don’t know if you’ve seen the in game demo shown at E3, but if you haven’t make the necessary clicks to head on over to your E3 media downloadery of your choice. Ok, yeah, I know you picked BreakmanX.com. We weren’t able to get our own video of the Halo2 demo, so you’ll just have to settle with those other guys on this one thing. IGN or Gamespot would do nicely.Halo2 looks to be a totally immersive experience. The chatter among your teamates is nothing short of breathtaking. I’ve always been a sucker for this type of thing, and seeing it done this well is almost enough to bring a fully grown BreakmanX to his knees. The AI controlled players don’t seem to react based on preprogrammed scripted events, they seem to actually be responding to the environment. And, as Greg tells us, this is the case a lot of the time. Seeing the enemy make a formation based completely on AI decisions was a truly wonderful experience. Halo 2 is packed full of so many little things that it really draws you in. Being able to ride on the back of the warthog and take down enemies with your heavy canon, while the completely AI controlled driver makes decisions and maneuvers the mighty vehicle, is a real treat to the eyes. Just imagine playing it.The gameplay is the only thing we really can’t judge yet, as we haven’t gotten to hold the controllers for ourselves. But, the way the game looks and fits together looks to put together a great gameplay experience. Dual-fisted weapons, ability to take any position in a vehicle, and what looks to be many different types of encounters looks to provide a fun and varied experience. Stealing vehicles from the enemy is also a new possibility in Halo2. Halo2 is going to be everything that Bungie wanted Halo to be. It is my personal pick for best of E3, and is one of my most anticipated titles. I am glad to see that Bungie is taking their time with this one. With its already great looking single player elements, multiplayer, and Xbox Live support; Halo2 is one of those games that you can just feel the greatness emitting from it.Knowing how great Halo2 is, it was a great pleasure to have Greg on the show with us. I would like to thank him for helping us out, and for telling all of us more about this game we are all looking forward to. Without further ado, I present Greg. And remember that Greg said he would take suggestions for Halo2 here. With the possibility of him taking them to Bungie with him, and incorporating them into Halo2.—The Interview— Audio –>Zipped mp3 – 85.3MB – Winamp (or any mp3 player) and Winzip is required. –>Streaming Audio – Streaming (no download.) Real Player 9 or above is required to listen to this version. {Lower quality, and is recommended for modem users or for those that would rather not download a large file.} Discuss in the forums. This was a special presentation of the BreakmanX.com Game Show; which is a live radio talk show about Video Games that takes place every Saturday at 6:00 PM CST. Listen live on Saturday or listen to some old episodes now.        |
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