- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
OK guys, I have a lot to say so just bare with me. I promise you this post will not disappoint you, no matter what your initial response to the thread title. Also let me assure you, the follow opinions are those expressed by a person who has an Xbox and a PC, and Halo for both, so I'm not single minded or biased or inexperienced. I still play both versions every day. With that in mind, please read on.
I want certain recurring issues brought to an end. The same things are being argued over again and again, so I've taken the time to research and resolve them:
1) The textures in the PC version are exactly the same as the Xbox textures. OK? Exactly the same. If they look different to you, then that's beside the point.
2) Weapons are also exactly the same. This means they are not unbalanced in the PC version (in reference to an earlier post). They're the same, OK?
3) The netcode is not 'crap, as someone unfairly said. Gearbox have done their best to cope with the infinitely different ways in which a PC can be configured. Some PC's are fine with Halo, in my opinion the majority, judging by what online players say to me. Obviously I acknowledge there are people who have problems with lag. Same as every other Pc game ever made. This is not Halo's fault.
4) Halo 2 will come out on PC. Microsoft didn't become the richest company ever in history by selling Xbox’s. In fact, they make a loss on every Xbox they sell, revenue comes from game sales. It was from a little thing called Microsoft Windows that Bill Gates earned his millions. Sorry, 40 Billion Dollars US. Just thought I'd be specific. PC owners outnumber Xbox owners by goodness knows how many to 1. There are a lot more PC gamers out there than Xbox gamers. So don't be stupid enough to think Halo 2 will be an Xbox exclusive. Btw, in reference to a previous post, people who would be willing to spend $300 on an xbox2 just for Halo are no different from people like me who spend a lot to get the most from PC games. You pay your money you take your choice, as Status Quo once said. It means you get what you pay for. My PC will run games brilliantly for years to come, and if not, I'll upgrade it. That's my hobby, and I'm not ashamed of that. Xbox owners will however be Forced to buy a new xbox2 for new games, which will undoubtedly cost more than it'll cost me to upgrade my RAM for example.
5) PC lovers and Xbox lovers are not 'self-centred morons' (quote earlier post). Don't be rude. Standing up for something you believe in does not make you shallow or ignorant. It's called Passion. And for the record (again) I own a PC AND Xbox. So what does that make me? An open-minded moron? A system slut? Don’t be ridiculous.
6) If you don't have any luck enjoying Halo on PC, then that's fine, go ahead and enjoy the Xbox version. That is after all the point of the game, enjoyment. DO NOT tell people who do enjoy the PC experience more that they are wrong. That's just plain stupidity. If they happen to be able to get Halo to look better and play without lag, then good for them. It’s not your place to tell them they're wrong based on your own experience. Devoted PC gamers pay for; nay live for that ability to experience that little extra from their games. They do not deserve to have casual gamers deny them this pleasure. In fact to do so would sound a lot like jealousy.
7) Halo PC is only better on better PCs. I KNOW THAT ALREADY so please stop telling me. In this thread, I wasn't asking people with low end PC's to tell me how crap Halo plays on their PC. I already had a good idea of how it would play; I've had bad PC's in my past. That was not the point of this thread. The point was to ask people who have experienced BOTH versions of the game to their full potential, and to make a judgment based upon that. Not for people to voice their grudges or disappointment at the way their PC failed to handle the game. This leads me very well onto point 8.
8) If you haven't played BOTH versions of Halo, your opinions hold no weight in this thread. I don't want one-sided opinions from those who have not experienced that which they are knocking. Don't say the Xbox version is bad based on it being a console, if you haven't played it yet. Don't say the PC version has bad graphics if you haven't seen it played on a good PC, because that'd be an unfair assessment. You can't compare what you have yet to experience. And one last time for those of you skim-reading, I own BOTH VERSIONS so I am experienced enough to voice my opinion.
9) You don't need an Alienware to run Halo. I'm getting sick of the technologically retarded not understanding PC performance history, and yet constantly whining about it. Powerful PC's don't have to cost thousands, try building one yourself, try buying parts from wholesalers or factory outlets instead of PC World who charge huge amounts for profit and services. Shop around, ask questions. If you're not prepared to put the effort in, don't expect the best results. More to the point, don't knock the opinions or motives of those who Are willing to devote more to their gaming experience than you are.
10) Don't kid yourself, whoever posted this earlier. The Xbox runs Halo at much lower graphical settings than even low-end PC's would attempt. The reason for this is because TV's simply can't display the same quality as a PC monitor, and that's solid fact. Most TV's struggle to achieve a 640x480 resolution. They refresh at only 50 or 60Hz. My monitor allows 1280x1024 pixels at 75Hz. Most average monitors allow at least 1024x768 at 70Hz. This results in far greater image quality. Anti-aliasing is lower on the Xbox, because the graphics card lacks power. It tries to compensate with over-using anisotropic filtering, but this results in the blurry edge given to in-game objects. An example of this can be seen when the Pelican drops the Warthog at the beginning of Silent Cartographer. The amount of blur around the outline of the dropship is astonishing compared to the crisp lines of a PC monitor. Yes, it might look this bad on some PC's, but the point is it doesn't have to. With the Xbox you have no choice.
11) Stop arguing for the sake of it. The fact that opinions expressed in this thread are becoming increasingly trivial (weapon balance, texture depth, etc...) shows that we are no longer focusing on the point of which format we enjoyed more. In fact we're not even focusing on Halo, we're simply using it as a medium with which to fight over which System is the superior. Xbox owners generally either hate or resent PC's, and vice versa. I didn't think this would result in a fight; it certainly wasn't the aim of this thread. Over 40 responses to a non-sticky thread is also concerning.
So... what's the conclusion?
Forget about graphics for a moment. Forget about control systems for a moment. Forget about trivial differences which incidentally have been proved unfounded anyway. Do not judge Halo on 3rd party influences, like your ISP's performance or service, or your PC's reliability, or retail cost. Even the Pc version's extra maps and weapons can be set aside; we're focusing on the core of the game here. When you bring it down to basics, it's the same game on both formats with one important exception:
A) The PC version offers more to PC gamers. Sounds simple, it is. People (like me) who are willing to pay more and devote more to their gaming experience are therefore deserving of and rewarded with a better gaming experience. That's fair. For those who are unwilling to make this effort, it is not fair for you to expect tomorrow's technology to wait for yesterday's hardware. I don't buy graphics cards to have games look the same on a PC without one, one Bungie, Gearbox and every other PC games designer do or should appreciate that. After all, who buys most of their games?
B) If you're not a hardcore PC gamer however, you do not deserve to miss out entirely. Chances are if you're not hardcore, you don't even really care about pixel perfection, you just want to enjoy the game 'the way it's meant to be played' (Please don't sue me, nVidia... or Microsoft, Bungie, ATi...). The Xbox version of Halo allows you to do exactly that. It allowed me to do exactly that before I got a job and could afford my new hobby (passion?) of PC gaming. The Xbox offers reliability, compatibility, Playability - to use a cliché.
My advice? Choose your Halo experience by the type of gamer you think you are. Neither format is 'better' for Both types of gamer. Despite they're obviously similarities, the two versions are incomparable. If you're a PC gamer get the Pc version, like it more, enjoy it more. If you an Xbox gamer, get the Xbox version, like it more, enjoy it more. Either way, you already do, you didn't need me to tell you that. You might have needed me to clarify the focus of this thread, however. Thanks for reading. Have fun playing Halo.