Where is HALO 2 for PC?

W

WillowHawk

Gawd
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
590
i'm just kinda lazy for these kind of things, but i wanna know if they are developing HALO 2 for PC...personally, i hate console games.cant stand em. so i'm a 100 pc man, not MAC, but pc..is there a way to take the xbox format and put it into pc format? are there appropriate emulators for it? can my cd drive read xbox format?
 
Halo 2 for pc will most likely just be another direct port of a console game. If it is that, it will suck just as much and die just as fast as the first one did on the pc. Sorry, but taking the limited control console users have in FPS style games and not adding a damn thing when porting the game to pc makes the game feel too basic for my tastes.

To answer your questions though. No there aren't any xbox emulators that work well, and it will probably be at least 6 months before there is a pc release. Hopefully it will be quicker than the over a year it took for the first one to be ported
 
Simple Answer: No.

Long Answer: Converting from Xbox to PC is not as simple as Microsoft tells developers. The network code on the Xbox is a hell that damns programmers souls. It has to be almost entirely rewritten.

Advice: The translation from consoles to PC doesn't usually work. The interface and controls usually get torqued in the process. I suggest expanding your horizons and play console games on a console. The experience is usually better and you end up becoming a better player.
 
The only emulator in existence for Xbox plays only the original Halo, and according to others, quite poorly at that. You'd need a staff of programmers to port Halo2 to PC and in that case you should just wait 2 years until M$ finally ports it to PC at which time it'll be mediocre compared to other titles already out. I installed the original Halo on my PC again yesterday and now I remember why the game is so mediocre. The Textures, animations, and models are on par with some of the earliest games that licenced the Q3 engine (looked similar to Elite Force). I can't stand the singleplayer because of all the backtracking through previous locales in the game.
 
IMHO releasing Halo 2 on console only is terrible for PR. Not answering consumer demands is only one of the numerous reasons why piracey is so high.
 
NeghVar said:
IMHO releasing Halo 2 on console only is terrible for PR. Not answering consumer demands is only one of the numerous reasons why piracey is so high.
Click to expand...
That makes no sense. How can someone pirate an unreleased game?
 
That makes no sense. How can someone pirate an unreleased game?
Click to expand...

By leaking the gold copy, which happened over a week ago for Halo 2.

Halo 2 won't be coming to the PC for quite some time...sorry.

1: PC market is saturated with FPS.

2: Halo 2 is a guaranteed multi-platinum seller on consoles (I believe it has one, if not two-million preorders)

3: Exclusivety to the Xbox is crucial; they need to establish hype leading into the next-generation of hardware.
 
lomn75 said:
That makes no sense. How can someone pirate an unreleased game?
Click to expand...


I never said it was BEING pirated. I was saying that it is likely and its not limited to Halo 2 only. Any excellent game that is released on only one platform. Think of it like this. people don't like to buy CDs for $24.99 when all they want is one song on the CD. RIAA refuses to release singles anymore. Consumer goes to a source where that demand can be met. i.e file-sharing networks. Would you want to purchase an X-box JUST to play that ONE game you want (Halo 2)? Espicially sense the controls can't be customized to your comfort.
 
Espicially sense the controls can't be customized to your comfort.
Click to expand...

Analog sensitivity is completely under your control. Or, if you prefer, you can simply get the keyboard/mouse peripheral.
 
halo2 for xbox has surpassed 1.5 million preorders

expect it to sell 3 million copies upon release
 
Halo 2 for XBOX is on its way for Nov 9. The PC version is unknown... seeing how bad the port of the original was, it will be a shame if they shoggle this port.
 
If it does ever make it to PC, it will be at least 2 years from the Xbox release. By then, it would be cheaper to pay $100 or less for the Xbox and $20 for the game than to buy a card that can play it on PC, even though it came from the same console as Halo 1 did.

I didn't find Halo 1 lacking or simple. first game to really only let you carry two weapons. Some good action gameplay. Decent store. Amazing vehicle controls that really still hold up or better to new games. I just don't see what's wrong with it. Some bad performance and one long repetitive level and everyone hates it. Doom 3 should be even worse if you say Halo or PC is boring and simple.
 
Is there a new slim xbox on the way like the slim PS2. I'd be tempted to get an xbox if they made it smaller.
 
I guess this problem of porting was already addressed my Microsoft. Which is why they created XNA.

http://www.microsoft.com/xna/

Microsoft XNA is the catalyst for a new ecosystem of interchangeable, interoperable software tools and technologies from Microsoft, middleware and game development companies. By integrating software innovations across Microsoft platforms and across the industry, XNA forms a common environment that liberates developers from spending too much time writing mundane, repetitive boilerplate code. Instead, XNA frees game creators to spend their time where it matters most -on the creativity that differentiates their games.
Click to expand...
 
Is there a new slim xbox on the way like the slim PS2. I'd be tempted to get an xbox if they made it smaller.
Click to expand...

As of now, they have made no official statement as to whether a revision will be made. I doubt they will bother to redesign the system now since it's so late in the life cycle. It seems like they could have made it smaller to begin with though; there is a lot of free space in the Xbox that simply doesn't need to be there (In contrast, the Gamecube is tight/organized...I'd go so far as to call it a manufacturing miracle; the insides of the system are amazing).

They will be focusing more on the X2 design by now. Microsoft has acknowledged that they failed utterly on that point (Aesthetics), especially with the Japanese (Who love sleek gadgets...not monstrous boxes).
 
NeghVar said:
I never said it was BEING pirated. I was saying that it is likely and its not limited to Halo 2 only. Any excellent game that is released on only one platform. Think of it like this. people don't like to buy CDs for $24.99 when all they want is one song on the CD. RIAA refuses to release singles anymore. Consumer goes to a source where that demand can be met. i.e file-sharing networks. Would you want to purchase an X-box JUST to play that ONE game you want (Halo 2)? Espicially sense the controls can't be customized to your comfort.
Click to expand...

This would be true if the Xbox didn't already have a shitload if great titles that people like to play...
 
WickedAngel said:
1: PC market is saturated with FPS.
2: Halo 2 is a guaranteed multi-platinum seller on consoles (I believe it has one, if not two-million preorders)
3: Exclusivety to the Xbox is crucial; they need to establish hype leading into the next-generation of hardware.
Click to expand...
Those aren't the reasons why Halo 2 won't come out for the PC. The PC market has shown that it can support multiple FPS shooters at the same time. MS could easily hit Spring 2005 and find a large market for the title. That nixes reason number one.

Reason number two is somewhat true, but isn't a reason to exclude the PC platform. Doom 3 is being readied for release on the Xbox shortly and numerous other titles have come out for the PC and Xbox at the same time.

Reason number three is half-true. An exclusive title can raise sales of the console, thus "locking in" the consumer to that platform for future games. That's no guarantee of future sales of Xbox 2. It certainly hasn't worked that way for Nintendo.

The real reason? Xbox games are a pain to convert to the PC. The first Halo took so long because the network code had to be almost entirely rewritten. From what I understand, it's okay to translate a PC game to the Xbox, but going the other way is a total bitch. I think that MS learned a lot from that experience and did things different this time around. I expect that they'll want to keep Halo 2 exclusive for about six to eight months and then start the PC port. They'll want to leverage Halo 2 as much as possible this time around.
 
Funny little story I read about the Halo port. They spent A LOT of time re-writting the Xbox code for PC, and then when they were almost finished, they "found" a lot of the old PC/Mac code and they ditched a lot of the new stuff because the older code worked better. lol, funny stuff...
 
Yeah, let's just say that MS isn't exactly helpful when it comes to ports. They weren't when I worked there and it hasn't changed much since.
 
MS could easily hit Spring 2005 and find a large market for the title. That nixes reason number one.
Click to expand...

There is no way they could've had the console project finished now if they were working on a Spring 2005 release for the PC. They could saturate Bungie with employees, but the quality of the game would likely be decreased.

Reason number two is somewhat true, but isn't a reason to exclude the PC platform. Doom 3 is being readied for release on the Xbox shortly and numerous other titles have come out for the PC and Xbox at the same time.
Click to expand...

Bringing a game from the PC to the Xbox is far easier than taking an Xbox game to the PC. With PC-to-Xbox, you're simplifying code from thousands of set-ups into one format. With Xbox-to-PC, you've got to diversify the code to work on a near limitless amount of set-ups. You already know this though...you said it later in your post.

Reason number three is half-true. An exclusive title can raise sales of the console, thus "locking in" the consumer to that platform for future games. That's no guarantee of future sales of Xbox 2. It certainly hasn't worked that way for Nintendo.
Click to expand...

Nintendo has failed miserably in terms of support for their console. They have very few big titles coming from third-parties (Especially in terms of mature titles...those usually go Xbox/PS2 only). On top of that, their first-party support has gradually grown slower and slower over the years. There are huge, unfilled gaps between their big titles; Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. Consumers aren't happy about this (I own a Gamecube and haven't played it regularly since Metroid Prime, if that tells you anything).

I expect that they'll want to keep Halo 2 exclusive for about six to eight months and then start the PC port. They'll want to leverage Halo 2 as much as possible this time around.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. It's very rare that a publisher has a guaranteed multiplatinum seller, but that's exactly what Microsoft has with Halo 2. Not only that, but they don't even really have to spend much money on advertising; the media and fanbase have generated more interest than any marketing campaign ever could.
 
WickedAngel said:
There is no way they could've had the console project finished now if they were working on a Spring 2005 release for the PC. They could saturate Bungie with employees, but the quality of the game would likely be decreased.
Click to expand...
Ports are almost always farmed out to another company. For Age of Empires going to the Playstation we were going to use Psygnosis. Microsoft used Gearbox for Halo. Microsoft could have done parallel development using in-house and another company and have both platforms released at or near the same time.

Good post BTW.
 
there is no way i could play halo 2 on a PC....

if i cant even play halo 1 at decent speeds , then halo 2 will destroy my vision and cause me to have a siezure.

i blame it because its a port , but i think with some better coding and some elbow grease they could make it work better.... then again my video card is pretty outdated , but it plays Doom 3 pretty well. so thats no excuse.
 
Catch22sk8r said:
but i think with some better coding and some elbow grease they could make it work better....
Click to expand...
A lot of people seem to think that making a port is pretty simple. The process is not what you think it is. I don't know the exact detail surrounding the port of Halo (although I can easily find out) but typically there's not a lot of money involved, the resources dedicated to a port is limited and the timeline is extremely short. Often a port isn't given the time or money needed to really polish it up like everyone wants.
 
Torgo said:
A lot of people seem to think that making a port is pretty simple. The process is not what you think it is. I don't know the exact detail surrounding the port of Halo (although I can easily find out) but typically there's not a lot of money involved, the resources dedicated to a port is limited and the timeline is extremely short. Often a port isn't given the time or money needed to really polish it up like everyone wants.
Click to expand...

Thats basically what he just said, that given the proper money and attention the port could be made very well.
 
No, "better coding and some elbow grease" is not the same as time and money. The two groupings are totally separate in game development. Just because you have one, doesn't mean you have the other.
 
One of the resons why i dont like console games is lack of real control i have over it...not to mention crappy graphics (and before you flame me for this, one of you can start a thread posting ur xbox screen shot, and then get another dude with a good computer, i'm talking 6800 here, and post his)...there is no contest. i never really liked the controls for it, and i cant do anything else with the box..i'm not into the whole "lets go solder 100 wires from this awesome modchip i bought and now i can save hundreds of games on here"...whats more is that i cant stand the TV...cant stand it. i never watch it. havent for a few years now. no, i dont use it for VCR's or DVDs, not to mention the highpitched squeal that only i seem to hear when its on...but thats besides the point.
when i go into a gaming shop, everyone in there is always surprised that i would play halo on PC. its not normally done they say. the only pple who i talk to who play it are those who i met(and killed) in the game, but i'm rambling again...

i think that if the PC gaming world were to pay more attention to it, then microsoft wouldnt have any qualms about porting it to pc. i'm sure that someone, somewhere would come up with an emulator for it, so i can drive down to my local blockbuster and pirate a copy sometime in the future... but those are only dreams. whether or not they would come true is a different story
 
Torgo said:
Ports are almost always farmed out to another company. For Age of Empires going to the Playstation we were going to use Psygnosis. Microsoft used Gearbox for Halo. Microsoft could have done parallel development using in-house and another company and have both platforms released at or near the same time.

Good post BTW.
Click to expand...
Yea, ports are almost always farmed out. It doesn't make sense to keep staff familiar with all the platforms out there considering the size of these game developer companies is relatively small.
 
Quasi-non-sequiter:

If porting is such a bitch, why are there so many ports of old SNES games to the GBA (albeit with lesser quality graphics)? Is there just not as much code to wade through, so it's easier? Just curious.

And yeah, I don't think it's likely that the PC will ever see Halo 2 for all the reasons already discussed in this thread. I was going to post here earlier, but after reading the thread, I realized everything I wanted to say had already been said :p
 
...not to mention crappy graphics (and before you flame me for this, one of you can start a thread posting ur xbox screen shot, and then get another dude with a good computer, i'm talking 6800 here, and post his)...there is no contest.
Click to expand...

If you want to make a ridiculous comparison like that, make sure the price tags are posted as well.

If porting is such a bitch, why are there so many ports of old SNES games to the GBA (albeit with lesser quality graphics)? Is there just not as much code to wade through, so it's easier? Just curious.
Click to expand...

The difficulty of porting depends on the system a game is coming from and going to. The GBA is simply a slightly modified SNES (It's a bit stronger, and the design is far smaller obviously). The Xbox is made from PC parts, yet the methods used to develop for one platform (Xbox) simply don't translate well to developing for an unlimited number of systems (PC industry).
 
Hooray for Microsoft for stealing our PC enjoyment! PRAISE MICROSOFT FOR THEIR BASTARDIZATION OF GAMING! PRAISE THEM! :rolleyes:

Ya know, for a market that is supposedly "saturated" with FPS or any "other" game, there is surprisingly little out there thats worth a shit. That kinda happens when you either buy out, agressively compromise, or buy out and make what was once a pc game an exclusive to your console system.

But you know, there are just thousands upon thousands of really good new games for the PC, right?
 
wood said:
Quasi-non-sequiter:

If porting is such a bitch, why are there so many ports of old SNES games to the GBA (albeit with lesser quality graphics)? Is there just not as much code to wade through, so it's easier? Just curious.
Click to expand...
There's porting (ripping and rewriting code) and there's emulation (tricking the software into thinking it's running on a different platform). The GBA is more akin to emulation than anything else. That's also how the PS2 can play Playstation games. The hardware recognizes the software code and runs the software on in a compatible space. Greatly simplified I know, but adequate for this post.
 
who cares where the Halo 2 port for PC is ... the first halo port was half-assed and buggy as hell and not optimized for pcs. What makes you think bungie will do a better job on the second ???
 
Vagamus said:
Hooray for Microsoft for stealing our PC enjoyment! PRAISE MICROSOFT FOR THEIR BASTARDIZATION OF GAMING! PRAISE THEM! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

They made a good game. It looks like they're about to release an even better one. What's there to be upset about?

It's not on my platform of choice, but I won't hold it against them. I'd rather play GTA:SA on Xbox, but I'm not going to scream about it just because Sony snapped up the exclusive.
 
im a 100 pc man
Click to expand...

i have like 2 PCs, but 100? wow.

this is kind of off-topic, but is there a way that i can make icepicks shoot out of my monitor and stab myself in the eyes when i come across really good posts like this one?
 
bonkrowave said:
who cares where the Halo 2 port for PC is ... the first halo port was half-assed and buggy as hell and not optimized for pcs. What makes you think bungie will do a better job on the second ???
Click to expand...

First of all I care. I'm much more a PC gamer than a console gamer.

Second, Bungie didn't do the port, Gearbox did the port and we all know how that turned out.
 
the game industry is not making games for us gamers, but instead for money, duh! But since it's easier to put a game on a console and not have problems than on a pc they're gonna gi with the console, and because they're conformists
 
who cares where the Halo 2 port for PC is ... the first halo port was half-assed and buggy as hell and not optimized for pcs. What makes you think bungie will do a better job on the second ???
Click to expand...

Combat evolved did run slow for hardware at the time, but get any of the new hardware and you shouldn't have trouble playing it at 1600x1200, everything turned up. At times, it will even stun you with how good it looks..

Buggy? Halo CE is one of the most stable games I've installed. The netcode on the "Custom Edition" add on is superb, and the graphics performance is has been greatly improved. I'm sure the making of a sequal would be much improved over the last offering given their experience.

Beyond all that, Halo Combat evolved was just a damn good game. Look at the reviews, it gets 9's all around.
Avault's Review
Gamespot's Review ,
or Gamespy's Review (Editor's Choice)

In my own opinion, Halo is definately one of better games to be on the PC, and I'd love to see a sequel.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top