Halo 3 - September 25

[blazsox]

I am surprised no one posted about this - Halo 3 lands September 25 (of this year).

Linkage (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6170815.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;title;1)

I thought for sure it would be November again, but I was wrong.

[AeroHudson]

Yeah, I had a friend throw me a message last night from an email he had recieved communicating the release date. Quite a bit earlier than I thought it would be but it's great we don't have to wait another 2 months for it. The power of GTA is pretty profound if it can alter the release date of a major first party title for MS. Word on the street is that MS agreed to not publish Halo 3 the same month as GTA IV in order to get it on the 360.

[snorkle256]

I found an email in my inbox from MS as well. I thought it very strange that it included the information that you can still buy Crackdown including the Halo 3 beta with free shipping through Gamestop. MS is doing the adverts for Gamestop now???

[Buddy Knox]

damn how dare they release that shit on my birthday.

[blazsox]

I've been watching the beta videos on GameTrailers and its pissing me off that I want to play the multiplayer (no regrets selling Crackdown). I just dont want to anticipate this game for its MP after the disappointment of Halo 2 (I enjoyed the SP).

[hithisislee]

yeah i sure hope its better then halo 2. i'll have to rent first, buy later.

[big isy]

damn how dare they release that shit on my birthday.

:lmao:


AAAAAAnyway, I'll be sure to grab a tonne of games beforehand.....you just know nobody is going to release a game during the same month.

[blazsox]

Mass Effect is slated for September (placeholder date)

[big isy]

I can't believe they're releasing Mass Effect, Halo 3, Bioshock and GTA IV all in the space of 6 months.

[DJSteel]

it's too early to announce that...

[blazsox]

I can't believe they're releasing Mass Effect, Halo 3, Bioshock and GTA IV all in the space of 6 months.

Am I the only one not psyched about BioShock?

[big isy]

Nah, there's plenty of people that just can't get into it. I know a few who loved the System shock and Deus Ex titles but just can't dig this.

[AeroHudson]

I'm not pumped for Bioshock but I will be checking it out. It looks different and intriguing.

[aquaboy1976]

I haven't read anything about Bioshock, so I don't know what the story is with it.

As far as Halo 3, that's cool. Hopefully the single player on it is good.

[AeroHudson]

I think the single player for Halo 3 will be superb. There is sure to be plenty of drama and epic moments considering it is the last in the trilogy and they are wrapping up the story. Should be a good time had by all!

[DeaconBlade]

i wonder how many patches or premium downloads will follow?

[big isy]

Way too many, Deac. Its Halo, Microsofts biggest title and you can bet its gonna make them the most amount of cash.

[DJSteel]

i wonder how many patches or premium downloads will follow?

lmao...4 maps for 1200 pts...coming soon

[AeroHudson]

I think for FPS / Shooter 360 games most devs are starting to figure out what the sweet spot is for DLC. 800 points for 4 to 6 maps and maybe a gamemode or two is about right. Take a look at the latest Gears and Ubi DLC for prime examples.

This DLC thing is still in "figure it out" mode and mistakes in pricing will be made. I for one was very dissappointed with the DL song packs for GHII. Way over priced and as a result I did not buy even though I wanted this DLC more than most other stuff. Eventually, the price with either drop or sales will be lackluster. Devs and pubs will learn from this.

As far as Halo 3 DLC is concerned, I think they will be pretty close to the sweet spot. The DLC for Halo 2 was priced right and it was free after about 2 months on the marketplace. I expect something similar for Halo 3.

I have said this multiple times...don't buy it if you don't like it. Voting with your pocket book is the best thing to do. If the retail game is great in an of itself than missing out on overpriced DLC should not be a big deal.

[DJSteel]

matter or not they'll still hold dome sort of DLC for launch instead of including it on the disc.

[AeroHudson]

matter or not they'll still hold dome sort of DLC for launch instead of including it on the disc.


You just described just about every dev now a days. That's how business is done in gaming today. You define what you retail game will look like and what kind of value will be driven based on the $60 price point and then you offer extra stuff. Every company out there offers this kind of stuff.

For example, you can buy a stripped down model of a car or you can add on optional accessories to make it better. Not getting the add ons doesn't make the car less drivable.

[big isy]

My one and only concern is just how much they charge for the content they give. I'm sure there'll be free content but the premium stuff will likely cost quite a bit.

[DJSteel]

okay.. well I don't mind paying dlc... if they'd knock down the price of the discs..

[AeroHudson]

okay.. well I don't mind paying dlc... if they'd knock down the price of the discs..

Don't get me wrong, I would like to see cheaper games and content as well. Heck, I'm always stating the old adage "Cheap is good free is better". At the same time I think games are priced about right at the present moment with most DLC being the same way. When you look at the old N64 games 10 years ago being over $70 a pop in some cases and the fact that game prices haven't risen all that much since the PS1 days it was about time we saw an increase.

I think that the devs that just don't get what good pricing on DLC should be give the rest of the Marketplace a bad name.

[DJSteel]

n64 was cartridge based, thus the cost was hire.. 360 games are on the same type of disc as the xbox games..yet they are 10 bucks higher... and the dlc has also inflated a bit.. they need to be careful.. they'll price themselves right out of it.

[AeroHudson]

n64 was cartridge based, thus the cost was hire.. 360 games are on the same type of disc as the xbox games..yet they are 10 bucks higher... and the dlc has also inflated a bit.. they need to be careful.. they'll price themselves right out of it.

Considering PS3 games are also $59.99 I think the 360 games are priced right. Nintendo is the only company right now coming in lower. I agree with you that DLC pricing will be scritinized and they are still trying to figure out a good pricing strategy although some devs and pubs I feel are doing a great job while others are pathetic.

In short, pricing is where it should be based on the rising budgets for games and where all the players are at right now. Just my 2 cents.

[DJSteel]

PS3 games are also on blu ray discs..again a different format...360 games are not.. there is no excuse for it.

[big isy]

The cost comes from the development of the game itself, not the actual format used. 360 games are a lot more difficult to create than Xbox titles hence the price increase. Putting the game onto the disc is apparently the cheapest thing to do, from what I understand. But DJ is right on the PS3 comparison, new disc format = higher production cost. They managed to come into the market cheaper than what the 360 came in with.

360's launch games were priced at £50 whereas PS3 came in at £40. I recall first party games being £10 more than other titles.