halo noob

nevaeh-2die-4

Hi Guys

im new to the halo series i havent played 1 or 2 (i know shame on me)

im going to buy halo 3 on launch.

do i need to have payed 1&2 to get the the jist of halo 3???

cheers Boys

Gamer Tag

Dublin 2pac

delta_bravo

no, not really. You might miss out on some of the cut scene stuff but its really the content of the game that matters

Retr0gamer

Considering how poor the Halo story has become it won't make a difference. Halo is 99.9% about shooting things so all you really need to know is where your next victim is.

FranchisePlayer

As retro as stated above the story really did fall of the track so to speak but if you still want to catch up look on wikipedia..

koneko

I can't look at this page in work but it supposedly has a restrospective (with videos) of Halo 1 and 2:

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/halo-3/halo-retrospective/531310

Retr0gamer

You can always pick up the two originals for next to nothing and play them. The first game is well worth a play through, the second one a lot less so but you will still enjoy it.

nevaeh-2die-4

i played the beta of halo 3- i wasn’t really that impressed with game play the graphics were amazing, it was just shooting no strategy at all. , which really suits the Americans, there all about using one weapon, finding glitches to cheat. trying to spawn kill etc etc. spending like 24 hours a day playing the game.

hopefully that the online system will have some sort of intelligence & put you into games with play at your level or close enough.

xanthor

nevaeh-2die-4 wrote:

which really suits the Americans

*clap clap clap*

Mitch Connor

GamesRadar (www.gamesradar.com) has a summary of the first 2 Halo games, and a (useless) video recap of them.

Retr0gamer

nevaeh-2die-4 wrote:

i played the beta of halo 3- i wasn’t really that impressed with game play the graphics were amazing, it was just shooting no strategy at all. , which really suits the Americans, there all about using one weapon, finding glitches to cheat. trying to spawn kill etc etc. spending like 24 hours a day playing the game.

hopefully that the online system will have some sort of intelligence & put you into games with play at your level or close enough.

Welcome to the world of online gaming. If a game can be exploited idiots will and will ruin the game for everyone. FFS they are even doing it in mario kart DS on line with snaking.

nevaeh-2die-4

i was plying fear for a while i was doing pretty well i was in the top 20 of ctf, then these American retards found glitches in walls- where u cudnt be killed, they would capture the flag once- then capture it again- hide in the wall, let the time run out & take full score for capturing the winning flag. it became a fooking joke. people were just hiding in walls blasting u & staying there. Taking the fun out of the game & putting me like 50,000 on the leader board

0ubliette

Halo does have a pretty good story. Seriously, you cant expect someone to pick up halo 3 and just get into it without any explanation! you wouldnt have a clue what was going on, especially as reports are saying that theres absolutely no 'previously on halo' style intro to H3. I mean not every story has to be a 70 hour japanese epic about a surly teenage boy who looks like a teenage girl falling in love with a teenage girl who looks like an 8 year old just to have an immersive story!

So, to save anyone being confused...

LONG READ FOR PEOPLE WHO DONT KNOW **** ABOUT HALO

THE STORY SO FAR
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved takes place on a mysterious planet-like construct referred to as 'Halo'. Some days before the story begins, the Covenant, a collection of alien species committed to the destruction of the human race, launch an assault on the home of Human military production, Reach, destroying it. A single starship, the Pillar of Autumn, survives the alien onslaught, carrying one of the last known SPARTAN IIs - the 'Master Chief'. The ship initiates a random jump to Slipspace, hoping to lead the enemy away from Earth. Following coordinates chosen by the on board Al construct named 'Cortana', they jump to an alien built ring which orbits a planet. This ring is called Halo. Halo was built by a mysterious group of people in the distant past called 'The Forerunners'. Although the Protagonist (the Master Chief) does not know it, seven rings were constructed to completely eradicate all life in the galaxy. The rings were built as weapons of last resort to stop a parasitic race called 'The Flood'. Most of the history between the Forerunners and the Flood is unknown, but it appears that the Forerunners were overwhelmed by the Flood, who then proceeded to destroy their own civilization in an attempt to starve the flood, leaving the universe empty and safe for new organisms to evolve. The Covenant discovered the rings and believe that they will lead their civilization on a 'Great Journey'. The 'Sacred Rings' are the most treasured artifacts of the Covenant and they guard the rings savagely. Each 'Halo' requires an Index to activate. The player is to stop the Covenant from activating Halo and prevent the Flood spreading across the universe, while faced with a massive four way war fought over immense and beautiful landscapes.

In more detail: http://rampancy.net/halostory

Halo 2
The game opens with Master Chief and Sergeant Avery Johnson receiving awards aboard Cairo Station, a MAC gun platform orbiting Earth, alongside Miranda Keyes. Miranda is the daughter of Jacob Keyes, who died during the course of Halo: Combat Evolved, and Miranda is accepting a posthumous award for her father's bravery. This ceremony is juxtaposed with the judgement and torture of the former Covenant Elite Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, who is being punished for his incompetence. Both events are in response to the destruction of Halo during the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. The Master Chief and newly promoted Sergeant Major Johnson are awarded medals for their bravery and sacrifice, and the unnamed Covenant admiral is being tortured for his inability to prevent the destruction of Halo. It is also revealed that the Covenant's interest in Halo lies in the belief that the activation of Halo would bring about the 'Great Journey', which would cleanse the universe of lesser lifeforms (including the Flood) while providing salvation for the Covenant.
Soon after the commencement of Master Chief's ceremony, a Covenant fleet jumps out of slipspace near Earth. The Covenant proceeds to send boarding parties towards a battlecluster of stations. These boarding parties are secretly carrying explosives designed to take out the MAC (Magnetic Accelerator Cannon) guns that protect Earth from attack. Master Chief finds and disarms a bomb located on Cairo Station with the help of Cortana, while the flagship of the Covenant fleet speeds past Earth's defenses and heads toward Earth itself. Master Chief and Cortana join the UNSC ship In Amber Clad, which is en route to New Mombasa to deal with the Covenant flagship.
Before reaching New Mombasa, Cortana decodes transmissions revealing that the flagship carries the High Prophet of Regret. The UNSC successfully repels the Covenant invasion force with the help of Master Chief, and the Covenant ship begins preparations for a slipspace jump to an unknown destination. The ship makes the jump, and the city is destroyed in the shockwave. To avoid destruction In Amber Clad follows, and discovers a second Halo installation dubbed 'Delta Halo'. The crew of In Amber Clad learns more about the Covenant's belief regarding the Halos, and Master Chief ultimately slays the High Prophet of Regret while Keyes attempts to secure the Index to prevent the activation of Delta Halo.
The action switches to the condemned Covenant fleet commander assuming the role of the Arbiter. His first mission is to silence a heretic who doubts the Prophets' teachings, in turn starting the Arbiter along a path which ultimately results in Arbiter doubting his own beliefs. Seeds of discord are further sown within the Covenant when the Prophets decide to grant the Brutes the job of protecting the Prophets instead of the traditionally favoured Elites. During his missions, The Arbiter realizes the danger that the rings represent: they are weapons designed "to destroy all sentient life in the galaxy" according to the Oracle, not the religious artefacts the Covenant believes them to be.
The Master Chief and the Arbiter meet upon the release of the Flood from Delta Halo. A mysterious Flood creature called the Gravemind sends the Arbiter and Master Chief in separate directions to prevent The High Prophets from activating Delta Halo. Master Chief finds himself aboard the Covenant Holy City High Charity, a gargantuan space station, and pursues the remaining Prophets. During his mission, he finds himself in the middle of an erupting Covenant civil war between the Brutes and the Elites. After capturing In Amber Clad, the Flood, led by Gravemind, arrive at the city and begin to consume and infect the populace. The only remaining High Prophet, Truth, escapes on a Forerunner vessel hidden in the core of High Charity. The Master Chief stows away on board while Cortana stays behind in order to detonate the In Amber Clad's engine reactors to destroy Delta Halo and High Charity if Tartarus activates the ring.
The game concludes with the Arbiter's mission to stop the firing of Halo. Together, they pursue and kill Tartarus and his Brutes in Delta Halo's control room. Tartarus, however, has already succeeded in inserting the Index, making Delta Halo fully operational. After the Arbiter kills Tartarus, Miranda Keyes manages to pull the Index out of Delta Halo's control panel, thus halting the firing sequence as the Oracle mentioned. Despite this success, Delta Halo's deactivation sends a signal out to the other remaining Halos, sending them all into a standby mode so they can be remotely activated from 'the Ark'. Meanwhile, the Forerunner ship that Master Chief has stowed away on approaches Earth. One of Earth's remaining orbital forces contacts him and asks what he is doing aboard the Forerunner ship. He replies, "Sir, finishing this fight," ending the game with an abrupt cliffhanger and setting the tone for Halo 3. After the game credits finish rolling, a scene appears in which Cortana and Gravemind are conversing. This is meant as a further teaser for Halo 3.

In more detail: http://rampancy.net/halo2story

ciano1

does halo really live up to the hype.....im getting a lend of the first and second ones to get to know the story....i have only played halo 1 for about 10 mins and thought it was fun

johnny_ultimate

ciano1 wrote:

does halo really live up to the hype.....im getting a lend of the first and second ones to get to know the story....i have only played halo 1 for about 10 mins and thought it was fun

Depends on what you are looking for. The gameplay is simplistic but very solid - it litreally is just shooting the hell out of the enemy with few complications (occasional vehicles etc...). Think Doom style gunplay done extrememly effectively.
One of the best multiplayer games around too.
But the series has a very weak story (overblown sci-fi melodrama) and there are more rewarding single player experiences.

I am not a Halo fan, but the game certainly has some extremely strong points - whether you love it or not is based on your own preferences.

The story is not as good if you are purely playing the games. I got hooked on the halo story and the novels expanded what was in the games out into a good space opera. The only exception is the second novel, "The Flood", which is sup-par and not worth reading.

cosgrove80

I'm new to Halo too. Only bought the first game last week.

Considering buying Halo 3 and if I do it will be my first foray into Xbox Live.

Is a 1 Mb fast enough for smooth online play?

Dades

cosgrove80 wrote:

Is a 1 Mb fast enough for smooth online play?

Should be okay - though it will also depend on the upload speed and the ping times. The upload speed you can find out from your ISP, but I'm not sure if there's much you can do about your ping times if they're low.

Some of the lads here might have better ideas about the minimum download/upload speeds...

Fnz

Halo: The Story So Far (Part One)

You should be able to find the link to part 2 on the same web page.

brav

The link in post number 5 does a better/more consise history of the previous games

faceman

im just like the OP, will have my copy tomorrow.

im running out of life time so i dont watch cut scenes anymore on games. And i hate nothing more than a game that doesnt let you skip cut scenes!

quarryman

played and completed both the Halo games but I'm a cut-scene skipper so most of the above is new to me.

So basically there's a ton more other Halos that Master Chief has to stop from being activated? Talk about dragging it out.

the story really has that tacked-on feel.

redbhoy1888

For me the two Halo games proved that you can do great FPS on consoles before that I was a die hard Pc FPS fan.Now all the PC does is look at this forum!

Mr Moon

0ubliette wrote:

Halo does have a pretty good story. Seriously, you cant expect someone to pick up halo 3 and just get into it without any explanation! you wouldnt have a clue what was going on, especially as reports are saying that theres absolutely no 'previously on halo' style intro to H3. I mean not every story has to be a 70 hour japanese epic about a surly teenage boy who looks like a teenage girl falling in love with a teenage girl who looks like an 8 year old just to have an immersive story!

So, to save anyone being confused...

LONG READ FOR PEOPLE WHO DONT KNOW **** ABOUT HALO

THE STORY SO FAR
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved takes place on a mysterious planet-like construct referred to as 'Halo'. Some days before the story begins, the Covenant, a collection of alien species committed to the destruction of the human race, launch an assault on the home of Human military production, Reach, destroying it. A single starship, the Pillar of Autumn, survives the alien onslaught, carrying one of the last known SPARTAN IIs - the 'Master Chief'. The ship initiates a random jump to Slipspace, hoping to lead the enemy away from Earth. Following coordinates chosen by the on board Al construct named 'Cortana', they jump to an alien built ring which orbits a planet. This ring is called Halo. Halo was built by a mysterious group of people in the distant past called 'The Forerunners'. Although the Protagonist (the Master Chief) does not know it, seven rings were constructed to completely eradicate all life in the galaxy. The rings were built as weapons of last resort to stop a parasitic race called 'The Flood'. Most of the history between the Forerunners and the Flood is unknown, but it appears that the Forerunners were overwhelmed by the Flood, who then proceeded to destroy their own civilization in an attempt to starve the flood, leaving the universe empty and safe for new organisms to evolve. The Covenant discovered the rings and believe that they will lead their civilization on a 'Great Journey'. The 'Sacred Rings' are the most treasured artifacts of the Covenant and they guard the rings savagely. Each 'Halo' requires an Index to activate. The player is to stop the Covenant from activating Halo and prevent the Flood spreading across the universe, while faced with a massive four way war fought over immense and beautiful landscapes.

In more detail: http://rampancy.net/halostory

Halo 2
The game opens with Master Chief and Sergeant Avery Johnson receiving awards aboard Cairo Station, a MAC gun platform orbiting Earth, alongside Miranda Keyes. Miranda is the daughter of Jacob Keyes, who died during the course of Halo: Combat Evolved, and Miranda is accepting a posthumous award for her father's bravery. This ceremony is juxtaposed with the judgement and torture of the former Covenant Elite Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, who is being punished for his incompetence. Both events are in response to the destruction of Halo during the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. The Master Chief and newly promoted Sergeant Major Johnson are awarded medals for their bravery and sacrifice, and the unnamed Covenant admiral is being tortured for his inability to prevent the destruction of Halo. It is also revealed that the Covenant's interest in Halo lies in the belief that the activation of Halo would bring about the 'Great Journey', which would cleanse the universe of lesser lifeforms (including the Flood) while providing salvation for the Covenant.
Soon after the commencement of Master Chief's ceremony, a Covenant fleet jumps out of slipspace near Earth. The Covenant proceeds to send boarding parties towards a battlecluster of stations. These boarding parties are secretly carrying explosives designed to take out the MAC (Magnetic Accelerator Cannon) guns that protect Earth from attack. Master Chief finds and disarms a bomb located on Cairo Station with the help of Cortana, while the flagship of the Covenant fleet speeds past Earth's defenses and heads toward Earth itself. Master Chief and Cortana join the UNSC ship In Amber Clad, which is en route to New Mombasa to deal with the Covenant flagship.
Before reaching New Mombasa, Cortana decodes transmissions revealing that the flagship carries the High Prophet of Regret. The UNSC successfully repels the Covenant invasion force with the help of Master Chief, and the Covenant ship begins preparations for a slipspace jump to an unknown destination. The ship makes the jump, and the city is destroyed in the shockwave. To avoid destruction In Amber Clad follows, and discovers a second Halo installation dubbed 'Delta Halo'. The crew of In Amber Clad learns more about the Covenant's belief regarding the Halos, and Master Chief ultimately slays the High Prophet of Regret while Keyes attempts to secure the Index to prevent the activation of Delta Halo.
The action switches to the condemned Covenant fleet commander assuming the role of the Arbiter. His first mission is to silence a heretic who doubts the Prophets' teachings, in turn starting the Arbiter along a path which ultimately results in Arbiter doubting his own beliefs. Seeds of discord are further sown within the Covenant when the Prophets decide to grant the Brutes the job of protecting the Prophets instead of the traditionally favoured Elites. During his missions, The Arbiter realizes the danger that the rings represent: they are weapons designed "to destroy all sentient life in the galaxy" according to the Oracle, not the religious artefacts the Covenant believes them to be.
The Master Chief and the Arbiter meet upon the release of the Flood from Delta Halo. A mysterious Flood creature called the Gravemind sends the Arbiter and Master Chief in separate directions to prevent The High Prophets from activating Delta Halo. Master Chief finds himself aboard the Covenant Holy City High Charity, a gargantuan space station, and pursues the remaining Prophets. During his mission, he finds himself in the middle of an erupting Covenant civil war between the Brutes and the Elites. After capturing In Amber Clad, the Flood, led by Gravemind, arrive at the city and begin to consume and infect the populace. The only remaining High Prophet, Truth, escapes on a Forerunner vessel hidden in the core of High Charity. The Master Chief stows away on board while Cortana stays behind in order to detonate the In Amber Clad's engine reactors to destroy Delta Halo and High Charity if Tartarus activates the ring.
The game concludes with the Arbiter's mission to stop the firing of Halo. Together, they pursue and kill Tartarus and his Brutes in Delta Halo's control room. Tartarus, however, has already succeeded in inserting the Index, making Delta Halo fully operational. After the Arbiter kills Tartarus, Miranda Keyes manages to pull the Index out of Delta Halo's control panel, thus halting the firing sequence as the Oracle mentioned. Despite this success, Delta Halo's deactivation sends a signal out to the other remaining Halos, sending them all into a standby mode so they can be remotely activated from 'the Ark'. Meanwhile, the Forerunner ship that Master Chief has stowed away on approaches Earth. One of Earth's remaining orbital forces contacts him and asks what he is doing aboard the Forerunner ship. He replies, "Sir, finishing this fight," ending the game with an abrupt cliffhanger and setting the tone for Halo 3. After the game credits finish rolling, a scene appears in which Cortana and Gravemind are conversing. This is meant as a further teaser for Halo 3.

In more detail: http://rampancy.net/halo2story

This makes as much sense as the Matrix sequels!!