"Halo 3 is the star wars of the video game generation".... ugh don't get me started

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-From canada. com-

As the entertainment industry comes to the conclusion of the summer movie season, filled with rehashed blockbuster sequels to popular franchises, only one trilogy has penetrated the hearts of minds of video gamers everywhere: Halo 3.

For a generation of video game fans, the Halo series represents their own big-budget blockbuster; chock full of great special effects, heroic protagonists, and enough hype to catch the attention of the entire entertainment industry in the same way Star Wars did over thirty years ago.

On Sept. 25th, hundreds of thousands of gamers will line up in front of their local electronics outlet for the chance to play the last of a trilogy of games that have transcended the boundaries of what has traditionally been a niche pastime.

The Star Wars comparison has been used many times for the Halo series, as it has drawn the same sort of attention and fanaticism that is associated with Star Wars fans.

Most recently Wired magazine called Halo “a cultural touchstone, a Star Wars for the thumbstick generation,” noting that the Halo 3 is the “latest sequel to one of the most innovative and beloved videogames of all time.”

USA Today investigated further, and found that both the Halo and Star Wars series developed their roots in classic Greek mythology such as the stories of Prometheus, Jason, The Aeneid, The Iliad, and The Odyssey, which is the reason why the resonate with such a large audience.

Like Star Wars, Halo 3 innovated and changed the medium from which it sprang.

Halo: Combat Evolved is identified as the first console first-person shooter to nail the controls, creating a standard that every other game in the genre has used since.

It also introduced a new health system. In previous shooters, gamers would walk over health kits to regain lost health, a method which was very unrealistic and took gamers out of the experience. In Halo, the main protagonist Master Chief has a shield that automatically regenerates when he leaves combat for a few seconds.

Developers added to this realism by only allowing Master Chief to carry two weapons at a time. In previous shooters, gamers could carry over twenty weapons, which was unrealistic and created complicated control schemes.

In Halo 2, Bungie expanded their vision further, adding dozens of online multiplayer modes. The foray into the online space made Halo 2 the top Xbox multiplayer game, and it is still one of the most popular online games in the world, 3 years later. The addition gave the series extra shelf-life, prolonging the game’s impact on the global consciousness.

One of the other main selling points of the series is the story and universe. As with Star Wars, Bungie created a huge back-story with Halo, full of memorable characters, vehicles and settings.

Just as Star Wars legitimized Sci-fi to the casual movie fan, Halo made blasting aliens cool to the mainstream audience, who wanted to see what all the fuss is about

Bungie has encouraged the fans releasing books, comics, videos and viral campaigns to expand the story, and the audience has responded.

At a worldwide movie premiere, fans lined up for almost a day to catch a glimpse of the game in preview events at IMAX theatres across the United States.

Microsoft is planning launch events in New York, Seattle, L.A, Miami, Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, Milan and London, where hip-hop star Pharrell Williams will host a bash at the BFI Imax.

The company has been marketing the game hard, recently launching a $10 million TV ad campaign, an ad budget that rivals most blockbuster movies. The campaign features a massive diorama depicting a Halo-themed battlefield, and focuses on the emotional impact of war. Microsoft is hoping that by not bombarding viewers with in-game footage, they can attract the casual fans who have not yet bought into the hype.

The launch of Halo 3 is representative of the coming out party for the industry. No longer are gamers shunned, as consoles are leaving the bedroom and entering the living room as one of the entertainment staples for most families.

The games industry has seen a 43% sales increase this year according the latest NPD sales figures, and the number is expected to grow this Holiday as more casual gamers pick up the next generation of video game systems.

Analysts expect this success to transfer over to Halo 3, as they predict that the game will sell 3 million copies in its first 12 days, generating over $200 million its first day alone.

The video game business is primed for a landmark title, and developers at Bungie are hoping that Halo 3 is the Star Wars of the video game generation.

© canada.com 2007
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link:http://www.canada.com/topics/techno...=cc7d3475-91a8-408f-8e75-dc08222edfe9&k=57310



-discuss-
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Ehhh...it really kinda is....I've got mine on preorder from Liongames, so I don't expect to play the first day. I'll live.

I didn't see any of the star wars movie at midnight, though they rank as some of my all time favorites, even the new ones. I lived.

Like it or not, this series has parallels to the star wars series in all they hype, expectations, etc...
 
[quote name='Kaijufan']I have to agree with this article. The Halo series is to videogames what Star Wars was to movies.[/QUOTE]

I think the legacy of Star Wars has a lot to do with a great story (which Halo doesn't have) and amazing specials effects for its time (again, which Halo doesn't have). I think the comparison is off base.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']I actually agree with this.[/QUOTE]

And as fucking insane as it sounds, I agree with TMK.

Reminds me of the time the story my dad used to tell me of people who would hate on Star Wars (and Star Trek, two of his favorite series of all time) and it's sequels. The parallels between the people who hated SW back in the late 70s and the people who hate Halo now are crazy.

[quote name='munch']I think the legacy of Star Wars has a lot to do with a great story (which Halo doesn't have) and amazing specials effects for its time (again, which Halo doesn't have). I think the comparison is off base.[/QUOTE]

You're entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. Halo has both an deep & interesting story, as well as awesome graphics.
 
[quote name='-Never4ever-']You're entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. Halo has both an deep & interesting story, as well as awesome graphics.[/quote]I agree. At first blush, it looks like every other sci-fi humans vs. aliens story line ever made, but there's a lot more going on there beneath the surface.
 
I say as big if not bigger impact than starwars due to the much greater cost of entry into Halo 3. Starwars kind of set the vogue of going to see a movie multiple times in the theater - whats that cost 20-30 bucks at the time?. Halo will set the vouge of purchasing an xbox 360 and a $60 game, possibly even driving up cable ISP subscribers. Halo will have a greater impact even if less people actually end up experiencing it than Starwars.
 
[quote name='NWgamer666']Halo will have a greater impact even if less people actually end up experiencing it than Starwars.[/quote]This statement contradicts itself. Impact and number of people are pretty well linked; revenue generated and impact are not.
 
I guess in someways this could be true. I thought one thing that seperated Star Wars for other franchises, is how popular it remained after the first three films. People wrote sequels in books and it inspired videogames and comics. The only other similar franchise I can think of is Star Trek. I'm not sure if Halo will have the same influence after it finishes up but it looks promising. I a bit more inclined at the moment to make the Star Wars comparison with Final Fantasy VII.
 
I think it is a valid statement.

As for life of halo after the game, I am sure there will be more books. I know they have more comics coming, and the possibility of a movie
 
[quote name='MadFlava']I guess in someways this could be true. I thought one thing that seperated Star Wars for other franchises, is how popular it remained after the first three films. People wrote sequels in books and it inspired videogames and comics. The only other similar franchise I can think of is Star Trek. I'm not sure if Halo will have the same influence after it finishes up but it looks promising. I a bit more inclined at the moment to make the Star Wars comparison with Final Fantasy VII.[/quote]Final Fantasy VII doesn't have a real wide-spread appeal though. Star Wars was able to pull in a very diverse crowd who all enjoyed it. FF7 has no where near that kind of demographic.

As to whether or not Halo does, my guess is that it's closer to what Star Wars has (had) than FF7, but still probably not very close.
 
I think Halo is trash, but it would be stupid to deny that it's helped gaming to gain mainstream appeal like few other things. It's got an obsessive level of fandom that no other game has.
 
I love Halo, but hell no it's not, period. That's not even debatable.

30 years from now people aren't going to come back and go "Halo 3 is the greatest game ever made." and say things like, "No they shouldn't remake Halo 3, the original is good enough as it is!"

Halo 3 is nothing more than another console's franchise flexing its muscle during holiday season. Super Mario World, Zelda A Link to the Past, Street Fighter 2, SF2 Hyper Fighting, Mario 64, Zelda Ocarina, MGS2 SOL. Those all had launches similar. In fact, Halo 3 is only notable as the biggest Halo launch. I didn't even know about Halo when it came out, the first one. And I only HEARD about Halo 2. Everyone was busy playing FFX and MGS2.

Let's see what Star Wars did:
*Revolutionary graphics, stuff not seen before. Sorry, but Halo 3 doesn't even come close to this. People are already saying the graphics are on "par" with Gears of War and Crysis blows it out of the water, and I don't even like Crysis. FPS - Done before. Graphics - Just look better than Halo 1/2, nothing revolutionary.
*Legendary story line. I'm sorry but if you think Halo's storyline is any deeper than a marine guy killing aliens, you either have no respect for Doom and iD software or you need to start picking up some books. Curious George has more depth than this.
*Huge following. People that didn't like movies got into movies for Star Wars. The closest you'll see to Halo 3 accomplishing this is people that don't like 360's buying 360's for Halo 3. The Wii is developing more outside interest in videogames than Halo 3. You don't see people on Craiglist selling their TV to buy Halo 3 for their family. You don't see women going on gameshows and dying from drinking too much water, trying to get Halo 3 for her kids.
*Afterlife. I wasn't even born, hell most of you weren't even born when Star Wars debuted. Halo 3 isn't even out yet, and people are attempting to compare the two? No way, not a chance in hell. If I have a kid born 3 years from now, I doubt he'll even care about Halo 3 when he's older. 30 years from now you're not going to see people making videos on Youtube or whatever video website is out, using special effects from Halo 3 as part of the humor. (Star Wars Kid)

Don't get me wrong, I don't consider FF7 close to a Star Wars event to the market either, but Halo 3 isn't even the closest game to it, nor is it any close at all. People had no idea what they were seeing was real when Star Wars came out. Seriously guys, we're talking about a movie that had people thinking the things in the movie could be real. That's how good Star Wars looked. Even now, 30 years later, you could watch the original Star Wars, and the special effects look semi-realistic by today's standards. Can you imagine if you popped an Atari 2600 game in today and it looked like it was made today?
 
I absolutely LOVE Halo but...

innovative my ass. It just does what it means to do really well-a sci-fi first-person shooter that makes you feel like you're in an epically awesome movie. That and the multi-player.
 
[quote name='daroga']Final Fantasy VII doesn't have a real wide-spread appeal though. Star Wars was able to pull in a very diverse crowd who all enjoyed it. FF7 has no where near that kind of demographic.

As to whether or not Halo does, my guess is that it's closer to what Star Wars has (had) than FF7, but still probably not very close.[/quote]

I would the FF seires has more of a demographic than halo(which only seems to be males from 10-25 many of whom play nothing but halo, gta, madden and there clones) where as people like pc gamers, anime nerds, or even chicks got ps2s just to play the FF games.
 
[quote name='Ikohn4ever']people need to get off the Halo 3 teet, the shit isnt even out yet, and its the greatest thing since sliced bread.[/quote]Man, that should've been a preorder bonus. Halo 3 and a loaf of Wonder Bread. Then you could see just how much better the game is than that loaf of bread slices ;)
 
[quote name='KingBroly']The cultural thing of this generatin? It ain't Halo.

It's Harry Potter[/quote]

as much as it pains me to say it, this statement is true.
 
as big as halo is, its no star wars. this wont even be an apt comparison for another 20+ years. if halo stands the test of time, then perhaps, whos to say that halo wont be footnote in history in 2027. yes, they both changed things in their respective mediums, but star wars continues to grow after 30 years, you just cant say that about halo.

[quote name='KingBroly']The cultural thing of this generatin? It ain't Halo.

It's Harry Potter[/QUOTE]

agreed.
 
[quote name='Bathory']Hell yeah.[/quote]

can someone please explain to me what made halo so great that wasn't already done better in PC fps's long ago?
 
[quote name='SL4IN']can someone please explain to me what made halo so great that wasn't already done better in PC fps's long ago?[/QUOTE]

Most the people who played Halo as their first FPS did exactly that. They never played the older FPS, so it was all new to them and therefore there is not a thing in this world that will change that for them.

I have to agree its probably the biggest FPS in history, I do enjoy it when I play the game, but it might be the hype that is satisfying as well.

And I will hold my hand up and say I have played both Halo's and I have never played FF7. I wish I had time to do so but I don't have that kind of time.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']Most the people who played Halo as their first FPS did exactly that. They never played the older FPS, so it was all new to them and therefore there is not a thing in this world that will change that for them.

I have to agree its probably the biggest FPS in history, I do enjoy it when I play the game, but it might be the hype that is satisfying as well.

And I will hold my hand up and say I have played both Halo's and I have never played FF7. I wish I had time to do so but I don't have that kind of time.[/quote]

for the first time, that's understandable. that's actually the best reason i've been given so far.

but on the final fantasy note, FFVII is just one of those games that everyone should play atleast once.
 
[quote name='SL4IN']can someone please explain to me what made halo so great that wasn't already done better in PC fps's long ago?[/quote]I think that's just it. It was the first game to really bring the solid, quality PC FPS feel to a console, and thus to gamers who would've been lost editing their autoexec.bat and config.sys files back in the day.

Halo wasn't really about what it did new as it was about doing everything it did very well (except for, arguably, some mid-game level design, though one could make the plausible argument that such repetition was intentional if not entirely thrilling), and in a lot of ways, better than anything before it. The feel of driving a Warthog has yet to be bested by an in-game vehicle that I've played. Likewise the wrinkle of religion into your typical Sci-Fi fare made the story far more compelling for me.

Just one guy's opinion though, speaking to the single player of Halo 1. I thought Halo 2's SP was crap.
 
Both franchises are moderately enjoyable merchandise whore fests that sop money from suckers who think Jabba the Hutt/Sticky Grenade paperweights are fuckin' AWESOME.

From a cultural phenomenon standpoint, I bet trend data (if available) would show notable spikes in employee/student attendance and productivity on Star Wars release days/Halo launch days. Outside of those two aspects, they aren't that similar.
 
This is bullshit. I will never in the future be asking my girl to dress up in a Cortana costume whereas the slave Leia/my bed is a luxury sand barge thing happens with just about every serious girlfriend I've ever had. I hate hate video game journalists.
 
[quote name='SL4IN']for the first time, that's understandable. that's actually the best reason i've been given so far.

but on the final fantasy note, FFVII is just one of those games that everyone should play atleast once.[/QUOTE]

I love the older FPS's and played a majority of them as they were coming out, I even upgraded my PC due to Descent this was before I really got on "bulletin boards" etc. So even so so games were exciting as they weren't easily spoiled back then, at least for me. I still have a hug place in my heart for the first Elder Scrolls game Arena, a huge place. I think that is where people are coming from that so avidly defend the game. I really don't think they had anything to base it on as far as expereience...



Whats a guess as the the play length of FF7 on a first play through?
 
[quote name='Snake2715']Whats a guess as the the play length of FF7 on a first play through?[/quote]I think 40 hours? Although I can't recall if that was just beating the game or beating the game and leveling up to kill the optional Weapon Bosses.

Certainly too long for me to ever play through again, but when it was new and I was in high school, it was doable ;)
 
[quote name='Ugamer_X']The only difference is that Halo is actually good.[/QUOTE]

Please.

Halo 2 was shit and Empire rocked.

Stars Wars was something fairly new at the time, a revolution. Halo was merely an evolution of a style of game.

Halo is not star wars unless you are counting marketing crap. Even then it is not. It just goes to show you that not many writers at Wired are over 30.
 
[quote name='crazytalkx']I absolutely LOVE Halo 3 but...
[/quote]

You absolutely love a product that has yet to be released? :whistle2:s
 
FF7 is certainly no star wars. I am sorry but it is not a great game. Average at best and not even close to the best final fantasy game. Most popular final fantasy game and RPG? Perhaps, but who knows why.

Halo is not the star wars of our generation at all.

Yes, it is indeed the most popular mainstream gaming series in the history of video games, but it is only on its third game. It has not been long enough to claim it is comparable to something that has stood the test of time such as Star Wars (even if you personally do not like Star Wars, you have to admit it is ridiculously popular and it was WAY ahead of its time).

Even if you do not like Halo, you have to admit that it is RIDICULOUSLY popular and a huge success for Microsoft. Imagine microsoft without halo right now. The XBOX was the "it" system to own at the time and a lot of that had to do with the success of Halo and Halo 2.

That still does not mean it is our generations Star Wars, though. Too early to proclaim it as a legend and something we will look back on as one of the most loved entertainment related series of all time.

Harry Potter may end up being this generations star wars, but you also have to wait and see on that as well. If she spins the series off and does something more with Hogwarts, then it might have lasting effects. If not, it could just die 10 years from now and be totally forgotten.
 
[quote name='Rozz']You absolutely love a product that has yet to be released? :whistle2:s[/QUOTE]

Halo, sorry. And I think you could've understood me with or without the 3. Ass :lol:
 
the part about it being the first console FPS to "nail" the controls made me cringe. that had already happened in the previous generation with goldeneye.
 
[quote name='daroga']Man, that should've been a preorder bonus. Halo 3 and a loaf of Wonder Bread. Then you could see just how much better the game is than that loaf of bread slices ;)[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but then if you put something on the bread to make it even more tasty you'd return Halo 3 and just keep the preorder bonus.

Cuz Wonderbread is delicious while Halo 3 isn't.
 
[quote name='whoknows']Yeah, but then if you put something on the bread to make it even more tasty you'd return Halo 3 and just keep the preorder bonus.

Cuz Wonderbread is delicious while Halo 3 isn't.[/QUOTE]

I need some bread and some peanut butter, and with it, I'll make peanut-butter sandwiches.
 
[quote name='Chacrana']I need some bread and some peanut butter, and with it, I'll make peanut-butter sandwiches.[/QUOTE]
That's crazy.

You can't do that!
 
[quote name='Shmitty']the part about it being the first console FPS to "nail" the controls made me cringe. that had already happened in the previous generation with goldeneye.[/quote]Wow, no. Goldeneye's were passable but you really need a dual-analog setup to have a smooth-flowing FPS on a console.

They "nailed" it in that for people who didn't know any better it worked just fine. But Goldeneye's controls were a far cry from dual analog, which in itself is a far cry from KB&M.
 
Halo didn't do what Star Wars did. Star Wars took the movie industry from ok to fucking awesome profits. Video games never had that slump when Halo came out. Mario did though...

Also the health system ain't new either. Remember body armor in Goldeneye? Your health stayed the same but the body armor made you safe from the next beating you took.
 
[quote name='whoknows']That's crazy.

You can't do that![/quote]He can if he preorders and then stands in line to get it.

Don't eat it before you're allowed though. That's a no-no!
 
Halo wins. Star wars had two good movies and then became crap.

Dallow's right about the warthog, by the way. I have never enjoyed driving a vehicle more in any game. Especially in co-op/multi. And yes, Halo's story is more than humans vs aliens, but those who hate on it likely made up their mind that it must be mass market crap, and therefore far too crappy for them to enjoy before playing it, not giving it half a chance.

The best part is this time next week I'll be happy as a clam with my new copy of halo 3 and the haters will just be brooding. It's too bad you can't enjoy it.
 
[quote name='SL4IN']can someone please explain to me what made halo so great that wasn't already done better in PC fps's long ago?[/QUOTE]

This argument has been brought up and soundly defeated hundreds of time since the very first Halo. At this point you either get it, or you don't.
 
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