I'm a Halo fan and will be getting a 360 when it comes out. It would be nice if the graphics were awesome, but really I'm looking for new levels, continuation of a good story line, and a great xbox live experience, all of which I have no reason to doubt they will deliver on. To me that is what will make a good game.

They already have a great thing going - just don't mess it up.

I want it...

YAY!!!!! im a big fan of halo games!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and i just pre-ordered it!! :)

Yeah, and I just read it's the most pre ordered game EVER. Money talks.

Why should anyone be impressed?

The game only supports 16 players per online match. Microsoft couldn't or wouldn't give the game dedicated servers so it is still running on the lag prone p2p networking setup. And to make things even worse you have to pay 50 dollars every year just to be allowed to play the game online.

Games like Resistance have dedicated servers that support 40 players per match. Completely lagfree online play. Completely free to play.

If Halo 3 had come out at launch it might have been excusable to have last gen level of graphics, but the game is coming out two years into the 360's life. For the one big franchise Microsoft has the game should be the graphical and networking gold standard. Instead it has laughable network support and at best mediocre graphics.

Microsoft is going to have to throw giant wads of cash at review sites and other gaming media to recover from this PR disaster over the next few months before release.

How does 40 players make a game better?

I've played some games and sometimes I just think they'd be better with smaller numbers. I've found 8 players is a great number in many games. 16 is fine in others.

And obviously you have a gripe with MS. The $50 is well spent for everything you get. And I've played plenty of online matches in various games ever since Xbox live launched and its been an overall awesome experience. Yes, there's been some games that have lagged, but a very small percentage.

And as far as reports for people playing it.. I think many people hype things up so much they expect way more than anyone can ever deliver. And I also don't think Halo 3 is out for awhile still, right? Plenty of time for them to tweak things still.

Number of players is a personal opinion, though I have to agree that 8 players, in many console games, is a good chunk. Sixteen can be quite a bit too (again, relative to console gaming).

I also think Halo 2 has had the same lag issues that other games have had, which doesn't set it apart in anyway. In fact, I'm surprised Halo 2 has been, for the part, pretty lag free considering how popular it was and how many ppl played (in large parties, no less).

Well stated Sony fanboy. There is nothing wrong with paying for much superior service. Halo on a bad day is better then the best day on resistance.

Hardly suprising, there is no way Halo 3 can ever live up to the hype created by the Xbots...

In addition, the 360 being "so easy to program for", and limited by the DVD drive, means it's reached the limit of it's capability...

i dont understand the title of this article. a lot of people are impressed, a majority of the people that matter (the franchises following) will love this game. people dont seem to understand why halo is so popular... its becasue of the gameplay!!! what happened to all of the arguments that "gameplay is more important than graphics" that was echoing all over the web not too long ago? seriously, odd huh? now people are "graphics graphics graphics" out of no where.

the internet is funny at times

COD4 owns Halo

*Edit* Same a PC_Tool

Beaten to it.

[/i] ED! Close the Italics tag!!!

...thank you.

I'm surprised by the amount of criticism the BETA is receiving. Some of the latest videos show some pretty impressive weapons, vehicles, and maps. I think at first glance the game barely looks enhanced (perhaps that speaks volumes about the original Xbox version). But, again, the new videos that have been release have a lot more subtle enhancements that look pretty decent on a small WMV video. I can only imagine the beta in HD! Many review sites, such as IGN and Gamespot, have said that when they played the beta, they noticed improvements in other areas like the animations and the additional detail added to certain maps/textures within the maps.

It may also be worth noting that Bungie may actually make the single-player a lot more "graphics heavy", where mutliplayer is meant to be optimized for speed and mayhem.

These people have to write about something. "Halo looks good - people are looking forward to it" just doesn't ring the news bell. News anymore needs to stir the pot to keep itself going.

It is too soon to pass judgement yet. Only a few choice people have even got to play it yet. Also as stated many times below this is a BETA. It is not finished yet.

yay for halo 3..

I dunno, it all seems Italicized to me

Another letdown from Microsoft ..eh? 'Tis becoming the norm. :)

Wow Dave thank you for your well thought out contribution. /sarcasm off

Does it matter what some people think? Most console gamers will eat it up anyway. Halo is too popular for it to fail on console. I don't like Halo one bit, but that doesn't mean anything. I've been playing FPS games on PC for years before Halo came, and they where all better. It's just that Halo was one of the first "good" console shooters.

Yeh, kinda like this website...www.betanews.com...it's OK but some say it really sucks and could use some major work.

H3 will be a very good if not great game. It will be the best selling video game of this generation...count on it!

Some people are too much of a tard to understand what beta means. It's not yet a release candidate either.

If I remember correctly halo is in BETA so of course theres going to be issues as its not finished yet.

.. yea issues.. with gameplay and glitches, everything that is found and addressed in betas. the graphics will not be vastly improved from the beta stage that is what detailed as less than expected. the halo series has been the biggest seller of mircosofts gaming console but it appears the 3rd installment is not as strong as the second. the idea of real world physics not sure if it will improve the gameplay as its not what is to be expected from the series

A game is not all about graphics. The graphics in Halo 1 or 2 is not what made them great games. There are plenty of games out there that had better graphics. What made them great was the gameplay.

hmm... italics

im aware of that, thats why i stated that it was specifically the graphics that were criticized. the graphics aren't what made the games great but i think people who are a fan of the series (including myself) were hoping for some improvements as it will be on a next gen. the idea of it being a game that mircosoft hopes to use to sell system it should have some more improvements to it than just added weapons and vechicles or it might be a halo 2.5 and could've been released when originally announced for the 360 released? i like the series but if they game isn't that large of an improvement over halo 2 then im not certain it will move more systems for people who are not already 360 owners or microsoft supporters

I don't think they really need Halo 3 to move systems. There are plenty of other great games out there. I don't think Halo is the "end all" game. I enjoy the game. But I actually enjoy other games like Call of Duty 3 and Battlefield 2 more. To me the 360s selling point is it's large oasis of great games either already out or coming in the near future. Rest assured though there are plenty of Halo fanatics out there that have been waiting for Halo 3 to buy a 360 regardless of how much it has improved.

yea those people are called fanboys... to buy something regardless if the end product is satisfactory to them only because they are fans.
this great oasis you speak of.. im not sure i've seen it, not exclusively at least.
microsoft has in the past used halo to move system and hopes to do the same again if it falls short.. it will been seen as a result of them not improving much from halo 2.
yes as you said they don't need it to move system they do already have a largest install base and a monthly subscription service (which most content is pay per on top of that but regardless) so its not like they are going out of the console business but if halo 3 is not as big as a success as they had hoped, perhaps they should consider why it may not overwhelmingly appeal to new customers rather than their already established "Halo fanatics out there that have been waiting for Halo 3 to buy a 360 regardless of how much it has improved."