So, Halo 2 for Windows Vista is launching on May 8, 2007, and we have been able to spend some time reviewing the title. Since everyone is familiar with Halo 2, we felt a full review wasn’t in order. Instead, we wanted to clue you in on the ten best improvements we experienced while reviewing the game. These ten features raise the bar for Halo as a whole, and may be a foreshadowing of things to come in Halo 3.
Check out the Halo 2 Vista article, and let us know what you think.
I have to say, I am impressed. Thanks for the article, it was a good read, I’ve been looking forward to this game for a while. (But I still have to get Vista >.<)
Think we could get a high-res. screen of the Beaver Creek one you took (sexy) and the Dedicated server?
Oh ps, can you tell me a little bit about the netcode? It’s not the same horrible one that was shipped with the first Halo PC is it?
Couple things in this article made me go “wtf?”...
Voice Communications: PC gamers have never had the level of voice chat support that is enjoyed on the Xbox platform. With Games for Windows LIVE, that changes, and Halo 2 for Windows Vista is the first game to take advantage of it. With no separate software to install, gamers can now inititate and participate in both in-game and out-of-game voice chat with friends across both Windows Vista PCs and Xbox 360. Same goes for text messages using the Guide.
This being the biggest. How long has it been since you’ve played a PC game? Even the old HL1 based CS had voice com integrated into it. UT2k3, 2k4 and most Unreal engine multiplayer games have had it. CS:S, DoD:S, Battlefield 2… almost all PC games in the last few years have had full voice chat support. As a PC gamer I found that offensive.
Improved Graphics: Like, much improved. We can now see why this game is only available on Vista. The game features much higher resolution, and higher LOD models. Everything just feels more realistic, especially when you crank the resolution up to 1680x1050. [/quote
Again, wtf? There are far better looking games that run on WinXP and Linux. Quake 4, Quake Wars, HL2:Ep1, Stalker… I could keep going for a while. Not only that, but the game doesn’t even use DX10, so even then it’s not using the additional graphical features that Vista brings to DirectX.
Couple things in this article made me go “wtf?”...
Voice Communications: PC gamers have never had the level of voice chat support that is enjoyed on the Xbox platform. With Games for Windows LIVE, that changes, and Halo 2 for Windows Vista is the first game to take advantage of it. With no separate software to install, gamers can now inititate and participate in both in-game and out-of-game voice chat with friends across both Windows Vista PCs and Xbox 360. Same goes for text messages using the Guide.
This being the biggest. How long has it been since you’ve played a PC game? Even the old HL1 based CS had voice com integrated into it. UT2k3, 2k4 and most Unreal engine multiplayer games have had it. CS:S, DoD:S, Battlefield 2… almost all PC games in the last few years have had full voice chat support. As a PC gamer I found that offensive.
Improved Graphics: Like, much improved. We can now see why this game is only available on Vista. The game features much higher resolution, and higher LOD models. Everything just feels more realistic, especially when you crank the resolution up to 1680x1050.
Again, wtf? There are far better looking games that run on WinXP and Linux. Quake 4, Quake Wars, HL2:Ep1, Stalker… I could keep going for a while. Not only that, but the game doesn’t even use DX10, so even then it’s not using the additional graphical features that Vista brings to DirectX.
Sure a lot of games have had voice intagration, but none of them (from what I’ve played) have had as good quality as other programs I’ve used, like ventrilo. Most of the games, you can barely make out what the other people are saying, unless you’re on LAN. Hopefully this will have better audio quality.
And it’s on Vista to take advantage of the new “Windows Live”, which Microsoft isn’t making on XP.
Couple things in this article made me go “wtf?”...
Voice Communications: PC gamers have never had the level of voice chat support that is enjoyed on the Xbox platform. With Games for Windows LIVE, that changes, and Halo 2 for Windows Vista is the first game to take advantage of it. With no separate software to install, gamers can now inititate and participate in both in-game and out-of-game voice chat with friends across both Windows Vista PCs and Xbox 360. Same goes for text messages using the Guide.
This being the biggest. How long has it been since you’ve played a PC game? Even the old HL1 based CS had voice com integrated into it. UT2k3, 2k4 and most Unreal engine multiplayer games have had it. CS:S, DoD:S, Battlefield 2… almost all PC games in the last few years have had full voice chat support. As a PC gamer I found that offensive.
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You are right that other games before the new Windows Live games have had voice chat, however, the new games take it to a bigger level by integrating that feature with the system not just the game. In the same fashion as does the 360 game console.
Yes, Oscar is correct. The voice chat is system-wide. It doesn’t depend on the type of game you are playing - or the system. You can chat with your Xbox friends, or people playing totally different games.
As for the graphics, it’s true. They are better than Halo 2 on Xbox. I wasn’t comparing it to ANYTHING but Halo 2 for Xbox. Bringing other PC titles into the mix is irrelevant, as that isn’t what the comparison is for 😉
Yes, Oscar is correct. The voice chat is system-wide. It doesn’t depend on the type of game you are playing - or the system. You can chat with your Xbox friends, or people playing totally different games.
As for the graphics, it’s true. They are better than Halo 2 on Xbox. I wasn’t comparing it to ANYTHING but Halo 2 for Xbox. Bringing other PC titles into the mix is irrelevant, as that isn’t what the comparison is for 😉
Actually, it is relevant, as you said the graphics were a reason that it’s Vista exclusive. And PC’s have had integrated chat across the system too, see Ventrilo and Teamspeak. And again, those are old, free, and will work on almost any OS.
Ah - I didn’t see the context in which you meant it.
Truth be told, you have to see it to “get” it. There are a lot of subtlties that take advantage of some Vista technologies.
As for the chat, if Ventrilo and Teamspeak allow for communication between a game console and PC, I certainly stand corrected!
That has nothing to do with the service being good, that has to do with Microsoft having a complete lockdown of what’s allowed on 360. And Halo 2 doesn’t use any of the DX10 technologies, so there are no graphical features that couldn’t be done on XP.
And Halo 2 doesn’t use any of the DX10 technologies, so there are no graphical features that couldn’t be done on XP.
Actually, that’s isn’t entirely true. Halo 2 for Vista may not use DX10, but it uses the new DirectX 9.0d, which adds improvements on top of DX9, which is exclusive for Vista, for non-DX10 capable cards. Therefore, Halo 2 DOES take advantage of graphical capabilites not available in XP, though not to the extent of DX10.
