Well now that was profound. But I I have to agree, it won't suck....but how good will it be?
It really doesn't matter how good a game actually is, just the public's perception of the game. Honestly, I expect the game to be a GotY contender, and earn scores around 9-9.5. At a glance, people would generally consider those to be great scores, but one must consider the unrealistic expectations surrounding this game:
1.) Halo has become the face of Microsoft, and one of the premier franchises in gaming.
2.) Halo 2 was a letdown. Thus, people expect Halo 3 to be
vastly superior.
3.) (And Most importantly) Halo 3 marks the end of the trilogy. It is the LAST installment of the series. The media and gamers alike expect to be left with an unforgettable taste in their mouths after playing this game.
Considering those factors, can it live up to the hype? Personally, I'm going to have to say no for a few reasons:
1.) Halo 1 was the definitive shooter of its generation, and had no competition. Hence, people loved it and deemed it the best X Box game of all time. Next, Halo 2 was released in the midst of competition from Half-Life 2. Halo 2 was overshadowed now that it had better competition, and Half-Life 2 got better reviews. Now, what have people been complaining about for the past 3 years (especially on the X Box systems)? Shooters. Quite frankly, most people feel there are too many shooters out there, and the genre is quickly becoming stale. People are expecting something revolutionary, which just seems unrealistic. And in terms of competition, Halo is up against some of the best shooters of the new millenium in GoW and TCR6 Vegas. Can Halo 3 live up to the hype by surpassing near-perfect games? I think not
2.)
The only way Halo 3 can live up to its hype is by surpassing Halo and Halo 2. My question here is: What can they possibly do to top the perfection of the other games. The multiplayer is already perfect, and has been acclaimed as the best of the consoles. The only thing they can really add is a few new levels and weapons, which may not be enough to appease the average Joe.
Also, consider that Microsoft had a similar time frame to work on Halo 2.. After ALL that time spent, Bungee turned out an 8(ish) hour campaign. If this game isn't AT LEAST 15 hours, I expect some sever dissapointment on behalf of the fans. Hopefully (despite a similar time frame), Bungee will be able to work some magic.
So there you have it. And mind you I'm not saying Halo will be bad! I'm simply saying that it's hard for a game to live up to such hype. Note the animosity towards TP on this very board. Was TP a bad game by any means? No! But we
expected perfection. I fear the result will be the same here. It's just human nature to expect so much :'(
Again, thanks for reading
