--Halo 2.5 -IT'S OFFICIAL -Xbox 2 Launch Title- -READ NOW--

[Kschreck]

Have you been naughty or nice? Maybe Santa cares about that when delivering Christmas gifts but we here at TeamXbox have a present for you regardless. You can wait until Christmas night to open your gift or keep reading for what might be the very first real info on Halo 2 Director’s Cut.

OXM was the first to report about Halo 2.5 revealing that the game is planned as an Xbox 2 launch title but now you’re going to read the very first details, straight from one of our most trusted sources:

“Halo 2.5 will be an Xbox 2 launch title and is going to run in HDTV resolution with new, improved textures and graphical effects. All the stuff that people expected from Halo 2 but didn’t make the cut will be there.”


Although our source didn’t specify which HDTV resolution the game will run at, HDTV’s lower spec is enough to get excited. Can you imagine Halo 2 running at 1280x720?!!! We also wonder what was meant by “all the stuff people expected from Halo 2 but didn’t make the cut.” With this kind of top-secret info, you don’t ask; you simply listen. We cross our fingers that this will include online co-op, more multiplayer maps, and the final conclusion to the Halo 2 story.

“The technology that powers Halo 2 has been designed from day one to take advantage of the next generation hardware,” the insider added. “In Halo 2, the Xbox was pushed to its limits but now the game will reach new heights with the advanced hardware.”

But that is not the only info our insider had for us as soon after he dropped the bomb: “Now, here is the twist. Halo 2.5 will come preloaded with the optional HDD. It’ll be one of the two reasons to get the Xbox 2 that comes with a hard drive. The other reason… well, you’ll just have to wait”

Sounds crazy to us but that’s what we have been told. Interestedly, if this is true, the rumor confirms the existence of, at least, two editions of the Xbox successor. Last month, we reported about the supposed Microsoft plan to release three versions of the Xbox successor. Although never in console history has an add-on sold enough to represent a large percentage of the install base, the inclusion of Halo 2.5 would probably sell millions of hard drives and/or other peripherals that includes this special edition.

And supposedly, there’s still one other reason…what could that be?

The Article:


http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/7408/Halo-25-and-Xbox-2-The-Bomb/


They planned this for a long time, but just now decided to drop the bomb. They claim that all the shortcomings from Halo 2 will be fixed in Halo 2.5 for Xbox 2. This is exciting news for all Halo 2 fans!!!

 

[DigiQ8]

" Can you imagine Halo 2 running at 1280x720?!!! "
hahaha

cant wait for PC Version

 

[Sui]

I';m getting the Xbox live and Halo2 starter kit on monday- so for me just halo 2 is exiting

 

[Foxtrot]

" Can you imagine Halo 2 running at 1280x720?!!! "
hahaha

cant wait for PC Version

The reason you can't wait for it is because it is never coming.

 

[Varsity]

Can you imagine Halo 2 running at 1280x720?!!!

Those poor, poor people...

 

[DigiQ8]

The reason you can't wait for it is because it is never coming.

i want PC version to see it running on 1600x1200

 

[Kangy]

*POP!*

Cashcowmagazimo!

 

[Korgoth]

man i hope this isn't the "only" big launch title for the next xbox, if so, woohooo rehash a game (that i personally get bored to tears playing) that we've already played.... Why not halo 3?

 

[PvtRyan]

A pretty weak launchtitle if you ask me, a rehash of a game that everyone has already played (by then) 1-2 years ago.

 

[ship]

You know, Bungie's really been getting on my nerves lately. First they screw up by showing us a version of Halo 2 that isn't possible on the XBOX hardware, and then they drop the ball with online play.

Now they're going to try and make me buy the exact same game that I already own, but also try and make me buy a $300 console to go along with it? Hell no. Screw you, Bungie. :upstare:

 

[blackeye]

what really disturbs me about this statement is the fact that halo 2.5 will come with the optional hard drive. I think microsoft is making a BIG MISTAKE but not having the hard drive as standard. Unless they do not have memory cards and the hard drive is the memory card, and you are able to plug it in to a port on the front of the xbox and you can bring it to your friends house or something.

But if halo 2.5 finishes the story line then I will be happy.

Microsoft is very smart for doing this though. They have halo 2.5 as a launch title and then around the time ps3 is ready to launch microsoft is going to drop the price of the console and announce halo 3.

 

[WhiteZero]

lol, so their just going to re-sell it with slightly better gfx and finish what they should have in the first place.
Mmmmm, thats some goooooood snake oil.
:thumbs:

 

[Locust]

I like the idea. I was expecting a hell of a lot more out of halo 2, and this looks to deliver. I wonder if they're going to have a halo 1.5 to boot.

 

[Foxtrot]

Wow, you people really assume a lot. Of course Halo 2.5 isn't going to finish the single player story line, if you didn't know a trilogy is usually consists of 3 parts. Also, why the **** would that game be the only launch title? What the **** console launches with only 1 ****ing title? 2.5 is going to be so cheap to make it will hardly cost Microsoft any money at all to produce, god some of you people are ****ing dumb, I can't spell and my grammar is terrible but atleast I can think on my own and not be fed rumours and lies as truth.

 

[Stigmata]

First they screw up by showing us a version of Halo 2 that isn't possible on the XBOX hardware

And the fact that it was presented as a live play session doesn't dispute that?

then they drop the ball with online play.

I don't have Xbox Live, so I can't say if I like it or not. The general concensus seems to be "It's good but it could be more streamlined".

-----

Sounds crappy to me. Microsoft is always looking for some way to pull cash from their customers. As much as I love Bungie... No. Just no.

[edit/addition]

Also, why the **** would that game be the only launch title? What the **** console launches with only 1 ****ing title?

I'm sure people on this board aren't stupid enough to think that. Maybe you're too stupid to realize that they meant Halo 2.5 would be "the" Xbox 2 launch title? As in, the title that pushes sales of the console itself? Way to jump to a bitter, angsty conclusion.

 

[blackeye]

Wow, you people really assume a lot. Of course Halo 2.5 isn't going to finish the single player story line, if you didn't know a trilogy is usually consists of 3 parts. Also, why the **** would that game be the only launch title? What the **** console launches with only 1 ****ing title? 2.5 is going to be so cheap to make it will hardly cost Microsoft any money at all to produce, god some of you people are ****ing dumb, I can't spell and my grammar is terrible but atleast I can think on my own and not be fed rumours and lies as truth.

who said it was the only launch title?

 

[Foxtrot]

who said it was the only launch title?

No one said it, but it was implied.

 

[Narcolepsy]

No one said it, but it was implied.

No, it was inferred.

 

[Direwolf]

And you all realize this is a rumor too? I don't trust it at all until something more concrete comes along.

 

[Asuka]

Waiting the the pc version here.

 

[Top Secret]

HAHAHA!

IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME THE CONSOLE MARKET GET'S SCREWED LIKE US PC PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GETTING.

(Yes, I realise caps are very annoying, I'm just trying to emphasize.)

 

[SenorDingDong]

WOW 1280 x 720 resolution! OMG!!

PC Games have been running at that or higher for years... nothing special...

 

[Foxtrot]

But televisions have not. Seeing a TV at that kind of resolution is quite a different experience than seeing a computer monitor.

But, it's a cheap move by Microsoft and anybody has to be an idiot to buy into it. Unless they add a ton of extra content, severely overhaul the graphics, and package the disk in solid gold, it won't be worth the money.

So if I want to continue to play Halo 2 on my xbox 2(or whatever it is called)I should hold onto my xbox instead of just selling my xbox and xbox games?

 

[Sparta]

Hmm interesting. But i really just wnna know if Xbox 2 will be backwards compatible. Because i just love my Ninja Gaiden :E

 

[Korgoth]

So if I want to continue to play Halo 2 on my xbox 2(or whatever it is called)I should hold onto my xbox instead of just selling my xbox and xbox games?

No thats not the point, point is, if they (microsoft) weren't money hungry fishheads, then all your current xbox games would be backwards compatible with xbox. Thus not forcing you to sell off all your current games.

And don't think for a second that halo 2.5 will be "free" with the xbox 2, that just doesn't happen. You will pay for it some way or another trust me....

No one said this was going to be the only game that launched with the new system, but lets face facts, how many xbox 1 launch titles survived the launch? Not many, if I recall, halo was the only gaem that kept the xbox afloat until microshaft could buy more dev houses from nintendo and sony.

Don't get me wrong, I likes me xbox, and i'll probably get and xbox 2. But when I think "next gen" (which seems to be the buzz word these days) I think NEW, not rehashed with better graphics.

 

[satch919]

I get the feeling that Halo 2 wasn't what Bungie intended it to be. They had all the great fx when they showed it off at E3 the first time. As time went on, I'm pretty sure they had to seriously cut down on those initial mind blowing graphics. As a result, it just didn't look as good.

Halo 2.5 will have the large scale battles we were all expecting with the excellent graphics to boot.

:cheers:

 

[mortey]

I honestly can't wait for it! I need more halo.

 

[bliink]

Now MS is just Halo-Whoring

 

[Cole]

There copying valve.
Cs -> Cs:CZ -> Cs:S. Just graphics improvments...
Isn't it obvious..

 

[Korgoth]

but counter strike isn't being used to launch a new gaming system.... just uh steam, and we all see how fantastic that is...

/sarcasm

 

[destrukt]

There copying valve.
Cs -> Cs:CZ -> Cs:S. Just graphics improvments...
Isn't it obvious..

why is everything valve do original/unique.

anyway, i'm incredibly excited by this. i can't wait until i find out what the "extras" are.

 

[ship]

And the fact that it was presented as a live play session doesn't dispute that?

Sorry, I'm not following you on that one. I'm talking about the level of earth - New Mombasa - that they had to pull from the game. They were playing it off of a dev kit, which I'm pretty sure are actually more powerful than the XBOXs themselves.
Bungie themselves said they had to pull that level because the XBOX couldn't handle the processing.

I don't have Xbox Live, so I can't say if I like it or not. The general concensus seems to be "It's good but it could be more streamlined".

The thing with the online component is that it is good, but you have to play it Bungie's way. Yeah, yeah, I know. Get some friends.
But seriously, I don't really want to make XBOX Live friends. I want to come home from work and just play for a good half-hour.
Gimme the choice to choose from a bunch of lobbies. Just set up a server list, and we'll take care of the rest. We'll choose the gametype and map, thankyouverymuch.

 

[destrukt]

when i had first got xblive, i just went and found matches similar to the settings i chose.

i had no idea who these randoms where, but it was fun playing with them.

i played many many days before i actually added people.

 

[h00dlum]

Thats just stupid...if its the same game it should come free with the console. Cuz every xbox kiddie has probably already played Halo 2---

 

[nutcrackr]

hmm sounds interesting.

 

[Gorgon]

I am gettin the PC version ........

........

........

 

[Stigmata]

Sorry, I'm not following you on that one. I'm talking about the level of earth - New Mombasa - that they had to pull from the game. They were playing it off of a dev kit, which I'm pretty sure are actually more powerful than the XBOXs themselves.
Bungie themselves said they had to pull that level because the XBOX couldn't handle the processing.

I'm talking about the same level I'm fairly sure it was going to be a part of the game. After watching the Making Of Halo 2 documentary on the special edition, you see them (Bungie) showing off the New Mombassa level at E3, returning to their offices after E3, and only then seeing that what they had worked on for months just wasn't fun to play. So they scrapped it and started anew on the singleplayer. [edit] And the level that they had to pull/rework, the one that you might be thinking of, is the Library in Halo 1. It used to allow you to see nearly straight through the entire level, but the Xbox couldn't handle the graphics load, so they had to rework the geometry.

Additionally, I think if the Dev Xboxes were more powerful than their retail counterparts, that would create a lot of problems, i.e. you'd end up implementing features that would cause normal Xboxes to crash

 

[blackeye]

well when I watched the documentry they said they took the new mombassa level out of the game because it didnt "feal" like mombassa. They wanted more of an older rustic look so they reworked the level so it would still feal a bit like present day mombassa.

 

[Direwolf]

Yeah, from what I've seen the New Mombassa level is a very close mirror to the actual level in the game, and most of the differences are cosmetic. (There are real differences such as the airstrike sequence too.) I just took it to be the normal process of trial-and-error development.

 

[Jackathan]

After Bungie sold out to Microsoft, they've turned into just a money making company... Good ol' Microsoft can kill anything great.