Halo 1 & 2 for PC
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  • Subject: PC version of Halo 2 is likely to go ahead because...
Subject: PC version of Halo 2 is likely to go ahead because...
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Firstly I'd like to point out why this is relevant to the PC forum and not the Halo 2 forum.
This forum assumes it's readers are PC gamers. Halo 2's forums assumes it's readers are xbox owners. My target audience is PC gamers. So I post this in PC forum. QED

Anyway, a few people are doubting that Halo's sequel will grace our PC's, and will end up being a console exclusive. I have several solid reasons why this is unlikely (I won't say definately because like everyone else I don't know). I'd be interested if anyone could point out something I've missed because there's probably something...

1) Realistically, who's going to buy an xbox just for Halo 2? If you would buy an xbox for other games aswell then you'd already have one, surely. So the purchase equates to paying a hundred poiunds or a couple of hundred dollars to play one game. It just isn't going to happen.

2) Halo and it's sequel are Microsoft Games Studio published games. That means MS make money from every game they sell, regardless of system. This in turn means that they would lose out on potential sales by restricting Halo 2's retail format. MS do not make a profit from the xbox, in fact I believe in the UK they make a loss of £10 per xbox. The profit comes entirely from game sales, therefore more games = more money, xbox exclusive = less games = less money to M$.

3) There are more PC gamers in the world than xbox gamers, by a very huge amount.

4) When Halo was released, no one said there would be a PC version. In fact, the prhase 'ONLY' on xbox' was used. Exactly the same applies to Splinter Cell, and to the later GTA titles with the obvious change in console name. The point is, games publishers like to fool people into thinking they're getting an exclusive, when the opposite is nearly always true. the GTA series is now available on PS2, xbox and PC, and who would have bought a PS2 just for GTA if they'd known that all the way back then?

5) The official statement from Bungie is that no PC version of Halo 2 is planned, YET. Why would they say Yet if they meant Never Ever?

I accept it'll be a couple of years before the possible PC version may be released. But there is a positive side to this. Firstly, they ought to have time to do a decent port. Secondly, the standard of some FPS's on PC at the moment already surpases Halo 2's, at least graphically for example Doom 3, FarCry and Half Life 2. Hopefully this will encourage Halo2's developers to up the visuals for the possible PC version, else it will have a hard time contending with the games of the next couple of years.

That point brings me to the only reason why Halo 2 might not appear on PC:

1) Too many people have problems running Halo properly, and therefore prefer the console version, and whine about the PC port. If Bungie were keen to have their most famous game always seen at it's best, with no one saying it runs badly or is poorly coded, they might opt to have it only on xbox. Which would be a real kick in the teeth for gamers who're willing and able to have PC's powerful enough to run it properly.

I imagine that such an act would aggreivate the PC games market so much that it would have a knock-on effect for future or even present Bungie or MSGS games on PC. Surely that's too big a risk for any gmes company. As far as I can see, with Halo 1 they made money off the PC version. I see no reason why they would stand to earn more money by selling to only xbox gamers than to both markets.

  • 10.14.2004 11:47 AM PDT
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Well Skippy, just to addon to some of your answers, but know I'm not a PC gamer nor a console gamer. I'm split between them. I play fighting and RPG games on Console only. FPS and RTS are reserve on the PC Regardless if the FPS Game goes on console, I still won't buy it and will only buy it on PC.

1. Actually some people did bought the Xbox for Halo 2, but it was only a few percentage. Yes is funny how the Xbox community brags about this, but it is true some do buy the console.

2. Well Microsoft is actually now making profits off the Xbox recently after they released several versions of it like stripped down version. Instead of using the Samsung drive, they'll use the Thompson or some other low bidder company but now they're making some money. But their main strength is in their Operating system and Office product.

3. Well, thats actually questionable about whether there is more console gamers or PC gamers.

4. Well Microsoft never said anything about Halo PC at all after they bought out Bungie. It was pretty much threw out the PC community in favor of trying to start a community of their own.

5. Anybody who says Halo 2 is not coming to PC is a mental retarded @$$hole. Anybody who says Halo 2 is coming to PC is a mental retarded @$$hole. People who don't want Halo 2 on PC and keep posting about it have a mental illness and must go to the mental hospital or really plain retarded stupid. Bungie has not said anything so it is split between 50/50 on whether the game is going on PC or not.

As I said, Maybe Halo 2 is coming to PC but that is in Microsoft's decision. With games like Half Life 2 and Doom 3 usually people would forget about the idea of Halo 2 on the PC. If Halo 2 doesn't go to PC, oh well, nothing much I could do. I don't FPS on consoles anyway so.
And people who ever compare saying if you don't have Halo 2 Xbox then you're not a true Halo Fan. Does that mean you must have Blonde hair and blue eyes and yell "Sieg Heil" with a Hitler picture in order to be a human being. Get Real.

[Edited on 10/15/2004 2:52:42 PM]

  • 10.14.2004 4:04 PM PDT
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Lets hope Halo 2 comes to PC for 2 reasons: (remember this is MY opinoin. no need to get mad)

1. Let the game be on its intented platform. The PC. Yes, I belive that FPS's should not be played on consoles. They should be played how they are played best. On the mouse and keyboard at insane resolutions! (lol im gonna get flamed for that one)

2. Multiplayer!!!! Yeah, sure, your able to play halo online over xbox live. That IS a PROBLEM for me. I'm not gonna subscribe to xbox live to play online. I already have to pay for my friggin cable modem; cell phone; other subscription crap. There's no way I'm gonna subscibe to something that SHOULD BE A FREE SERVICE!!!! Why dose microsoft need to charge for a freaking game matching service. Playstations online service is free. Everysingle PC (non-mmo) online game is free.

I mean, I'm still gonna buy halo2 for xbox, but hey, it would be nice if it came out on PC eventually.

[Edited on 10/14/2004 8:47:11 PM]

  • 10.14.2004 8:46 PM PDT
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I bought an xbox for Halo 2....and a few other games.

  • 10.15.2004 12:13 AM PDT
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Posted by: DrummDragon
I bought an xbox for Halo 2....and a few other games.


Yay you. Want a cookie?

Anyhoo, HALO 2 on PC would be great, just get somebody else besides Gearbox.

  • 10.15.2004 12:39 AM PDT
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Heyyo,

Yeah, some nice arguments there. It's true that Halo1 was originally for pc, and that it was made "xbox exclusive" for a while, but then they made a pc/mac port. So yeah, they obviously went for money there. Think about it, mac's don't get many good games, so if Halo swings their way? I'm sure any mac-gamer would get it. Mac's don't even use windows at all unless they're emulating it.

I had no idea.. so PS2 online is free? wow, my respect for PS2 just went up a few knotches. It's already a nice system, n' free online is a great plus. :0

I'm sure M$ wants people to pay for xbox online so that their Dedicated servers n' stuff would pay for themselves, and then some. It's like pay-to-play games, they want the game to have a constant income. I personally will never play any of those pay-to-play games cause after a few months you could've bought 2 new boxed games! it's rediculous I say...

For xbox, there is free online, but it's illegal. I heard that someone made a xbox halo1 hack so you can play halo online via those 3rd Party DedicatedServers. I'm sure if you google it you can find some posts on this. I don't own an xbox n' stuff so I havn't checked into it beyond just some random posts I saw at other forums.

  • 10.15.2004 11:20 AM PDT

Ach! Was ist los?

Posted by: ThE_MarD
It's true that Halo1 was originally for pc, and that it was made "xbox exclusive" for a while, but then they made a pc/mac port.


Correction: Halo was begun as a Mac/PC project, and Bungie said that there would be Mac and PC versions even while working on the XBox version. They never said Halo wouldn't ever come to Mac/PC.

--Sgt. Smith notes that a large number of people have ths delusion, along with the heretical belief that Halo 2 was delayed at some point.

  • 10.15.2004 1:09 PM PDT
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Hi I think you misunderstood some of what I said Ekul1021

1) I am aware that Some people would buy the console for one game, I wasn't trying to say that No one would because that'd just be stupid. You said yourself that the percentage of people who do so is extremely small, that was the point I was trying to make.

2) I'm also aware that M$ make more money from Office and Operating systems but what does this have to do with Halo 2 or the gaming industry (directly)? I left that out of my post for a reason, not because I'm ignorant to M$'s other business ventures.

3) This was my fault for not being specific. There might be as many console gamers as PC gamers, I should have said Xbox gamers. I believe there are more PC gamers than Xbox gamers. Surely that's a reasonable statement?

4) The point is that M$ DID bring out Halo 1 on PC, after not saying that they would. They said it would be an xbox exclusive, then they 'changed their minds' (although it's likely they planned it). My point was that saying there's no PC version planned does not mean there is no PC version planned, and in many previous cases most significantly Halo1, that wasn't true because they did bring out a PC version. As long as M$ have a money-making busniess in PC gaming, why would they pull out to focus on the Xbox community? Why not have both? The xbox community is already succesful, and the name microsoft could never be dettached from the PC industry.

5) Firstly, I didn't say it would or wouldn't. I said it might and it could. Secondly, calling me a mentally retarded -blam!- does not prove you right. The only thing it says about you is that you're judgmental and immature. Bungie have said nothing about Halo2 PC which means Nothing other than it's possible. So far nothing about Halo2's 'exclusiveness' is any different to Halo 1's exclusiveness, so that's why I believe there's a possibility history will be repeated.

Why can I not be a true Halo fan without owning all their merchandise? That would make me a Halo fanatic, which I don't need to be to enjoy their game. I am a fan of Halo, why should I have to prove that to you or anyone else? And how does that make my point any more or less valid? By the way I plan on getting Halo 2 for xbox, which I already own btw with Halo 1. The only reason I wouldn't is because I'm pi55ed off at having to wait 6 days after it's released in the US for no good reason what so ever. I tried making a thread about that issue in the Halo 2 forum and they locked the thread so that shows you how civilised they are when aswering difficult questions.

And what's Hitler got to do with anything? You should 'get real' before you start telling other people to.

  • 10.15.2004 2:08 PM PDT
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Skippy TBK, forgot to let you know. That post isn't for you. Thats a followup for people who will or may come in here and start flooding this thread "I don't want Halo 2 on PC" by the Xbox extremes. Hope that clears up for you. And as for that "must have Halo 2 Xbox in order to be a true fan" comment, some xbox fanboy said that, and I said back to him "you have to have blonde and blues to be human?" And that is to show how dumb their attempts at comparison failed.

Ekul1021

[Edited on 10/15/2004 2:56:35 PM]

  • 10.15.2004 2:51 PM PDT
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halo 2 i know is so awsome plus i bought an xbox just for halo2! u must be poor or somethin or just dont watn to lol:)

  • 10.15.2004 3:30 PM PDT
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Ekul 1021 sorry I got the wrong idea no hard feelings =D

darkfox123 I own and xbox, I said that in my post. Read it more carefully and STFU I'm probably richer than 'u' anyway, if you had to wait until now to get an xbox. I bought one years ago when they were more expensive, like most non-poor gamers did.

  • 10.15.2004 4:53 PM PDT
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Skippy TBK, actually it was my fault since I wrote it in bad english anyway. Now I'm going to rock on my new Geforce 6800 GT :D

  • 10.15.2004 6:12 PM PDT
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Well halo 2 will come to the PC but not too soon so keep your hads glued to the Xbox for a while.

  • 10.15.2004 6:46 PM PDT
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Aww nice card Ekul1021! Gettin prepped for HL2 (and possibly Halo 2 PC in the near future)? You should be lol.

Anyway, playing halo 1 online isnt illeagal at all. Gamespy has a program that pretty much turns you computer into a hub for system link play over the internet. It lets you play any xbox games that supports system link play.
link: http://www.gamespyarcade.com/tunnel/

  • 10.15.2004 7:20 PM PDT
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Yeah! If it comes out on PC, say a year after, they'll sell crap-loads to all those rabid PS2 and GameCube owners who have complete crap for games. Its Genius! GENIUS I TELL YOU!

  • 10.15.2004 7:25 PM PDT
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Yep. Doom 3 plays alot faster then Halo PC thats for sure. After playing Halo PC on 1600x1200, I have to saw it really shows the aged engine on the PC and especially the terrible texture on it. On Xbox, they can get away with it because the TV blurrs out the texture, but on the PC, its really crystal clear.

  • 10.15.2004 7:39 PM PDT
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And you are usually sitting at least 5 feet away from your TV. PC your less than an arms lenth away from your moniter.

  • 10.15.2004 7:56 PM PDT
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I'm not saying halo2 shouldn't come out on pc. but

I bought my xbox back in fall of 2002 when MS said halo2 would come out in the spring (2003), because of halo2, spring time roles around MS says opps now its fall 2003, i still had very few xbox games and i didn't buy halo cause i kept hearing halo2 was just around the corner. fall roles around, Ms say **** it we dont got a clue, wait till bungie says something. So then i went out and bought halo.

anyways my point is i bought my xbox for halo2 back in 2002, and 2 of my friends are buying an xbox just because halo2 is coming out.

I personally prefer console games because their is no mumbo jumbo technical stuff to sort through, and good consoles seem to become obselete slower than good pcs do.

  • 10.16.2004 12:07 PM PDT
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Posted by: Mister_Ninja
I personally prefer console games because their is no mumbo jumbo technical stuff to sort through, and good consoles seem to become obselete slower than good pcs do.


Thats a very debatable thing. Some people love to put computers together from scrap. Thats the whole fun part of it and seeing if it they got it working good too. As for obselete in computers, I think you need to look in your computer since they haven't changed much since the computer format began using ATX form.

  • 10.16.2004 1:41 PM PDT
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Just thought I'd mention Skippy. I'd never played Halo untill the PC version came out. I got it the first day it came out. I fell in love with the game. At the time I didn't own any consoles. The last console I owned was a SNES.
About a week later my mother gave me some money for Xmas. I think it was a couple of months before Xmas but I don't see her much so she gave me it in advance. A hundred notes. I added 40 myself and got the £140 package with Halo and Mid.Mad.2 with it. Basically I bought it for Halo co-op, although I was thinking about Halo2.
I used to borrow a friends Playstations (1&2) so I could play the Resident Evil series, which I really enjoy. This won't be possible with Resi4 due next year as it's Nintendo only. So this Xmas I'll use mothers money for a Gamecube. Again, this will be to play one game.
I've heard instances of this all through my gaming "career". A mate of mine thinks I'm mad. But I asked him how he came to this conclusion. How did he "measure" this. You see he has a XBox and about 10 games. But as I said to him, which he admitted, I play my XBox more than he does. If we were to measure it in terms of hours spent on the console then I come out tops. And MM2 got used as seagull ammo. It's in my backyard somewhere!!!
About Halo2 PC. It will be interesting to see what Bungie does. They might of said they were happy with Gearbox's conversion. But what do they really think? I don't think we'll ever find out. Maybe they will hire some sort of team to work on it from BungieHQ so they can keep an eye on it.
I feel it's bound to happen, but it will be interesting to see how it happens.

  • 10.17.2004 6:03 AM PDT