So tonight’s the big night. The official Halo 3 launch date is upon us. Will I be in NYC tonight, waiting for my midnight hour copy of Bungie’s shooter? Nope, I’ll probably be in bed sleeping, or maybe I’ll be playing the original version of Halo on PC. It’s not that I don’t want play Halo 3, I do! It’s just that I don’t want to fall for the same trick twice.
Consoles usually have a mascot to help move systems. Nintendo has Mario. Sega used Sonic. Microsoft has the Master Cheif. I probably would not have bought the original XBOX if not for Halo. That’s my greatest problem. I’ve seen this before. There were only two games on the XBOX that truly impressed me – Knights of the Old Republic and Halo. Both of those games ended up on the PC. I even picked up KOTOR – brand new – for only $10. Why would I want to waste my money on an XBOX 360, especially if I know that the best games will eventually end up on the PC?
Eh, who cares right? It’s HALO 3! I gotta finish the fight, right? I’ve been playing Halo since it was called Marathon. I should buy this game simply out of tradition. I’ve been following the franchise for over a decade. I admit it. Under normal circumstances, I’d probably drop the money on an XBOX 360. There is something to be said about the comfort of a console. It’s just easier to play games on a system designed just for games.
Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a little problem with the XBOX 360 – Hardware Failure. Aware of the red ring of death syndrome, I’ve been waiting for the new 65nm chips to hit the scene. It is widely believed that the cooler chips will make the XBOX less prone to failure. Plus, a revised system should consume less power and make less noise. When will these new boxes reach the market? I don’t know. There’s little incentive for Microsoft to make a big announcement right now. They’re using Halo 3 to sell systems. They don’t want people like me waiting for a revised system.
So that’s my problem… why buy Halo 3 when a better version will end up on the PC? Why buy an XBOX 360 when a better version is on the way?
What am I doing, being the voice of reason? These are video games. They’re not supposed to be about fiscal responsibility or economic logic. They’re supposed to be about fun. It’s too bad Microsoft didn’t get their act together sooner. Unfortunately, I can’t see past the problems with the XBOX. It’s time to be smart with my money. But hey, that doesn’t mean I should avoid the launch party.
You know it’s going to end up on the PC at some point in time, the other 2 have!
If you get a 360 just get a warranty. It will save your 360 if it dies! But you get to play Halo! And what about mass effect, that may never come over to PC. So you can play that first! Ninja gaiden 2, GTA 4, and can’t forget lego star wars, rock band, and guitar hero.
So there are plenty of games coming out that warrants getting a 360!
It might just be me, but the warranty doesn’t appeal to me. Sure, they will fix my Xbox. But that might break all my downloads. In addition, everytime your Xbox break, you don’t have your console for 2 weeks. Tell that to the people who’s Xbox died on September 23rd. I aggree with Photics. Reliability is crucial. Nobody wants to buy a lemon or a time bomb. As for me, I’ll wait for Vista 2009 to play Halo 3
Hmm… I think I’m one of the few people who were never enthralled by Halo. Agreed, Halo had nice graphics, but playing a shooter with a gamepad… yeah, right. Next thing you want me to go to my kendo lessons with a plastic lightsaber, right? I’m ALWAYS faster and more accurate with mouse and keyboard.
Then Halo 2 hit the PCs and… whoa! Requires Vista? For what reason? For none other than MS trying to rip us off. Bioshock, which is the far better game IMO (which has also the far better graphics than H3), supports DX9 and 10. Bioshock, now that’s a game. Had me hooked up ever since Day 1.
Additionally, I found the whole storyline of Halo boring (Aliens vs humans, wow, that’s… sorry, did I fall asleep?) And after trying the first one ages ago I really never understood the hype. The SP part is… well… I found Doom 3 more challenging (even though it bored me at times, the last fight was extremely disappointing, just like many other things in it), and it certainly can’t beat good old Half Life. As for the MP part… well… Nothing new there either. So, I really don’t get the hype. It’s just another standard shooter. It never set new standards like Half Life (gameplay- and plot-wise, graphics, dear children, aren’t everything).
And well, I don’t like the Xbox, I don’t have one and chances are slim I will ever get one. Wii, check. PS2, check. PS3, check. But Xbox… uhmmm… maybe on the day when hell freezes over.
As long as you have a warrenty through a store you can go into the store and swap out a new console with your old one. Keeping your existing HDD.