Halo 3 MM veterans will you...

Games Other Halo
1

…please tell me, as someone who started out on Halo Reach and loved it and loves Halo 4 even more, what I can gain and enjoy from playing more of a traditional Halo 3 type of game/mode/setting?

I have come to a stage where I want to know why, according to many of you, that type of Halo is better, why I should give it a go, and why it will be worth the effort.

I share some traits in common. I like to do well, I like to win, I like to have fun and so on. The sole reason I do not enter Team Throwdown or other similar types games, or even the forth coming so called Pro/Classic modes, is I am a random player, no friends list, no team. Is it that, perhaps, what it comes down to; having a team as opposed not having a team?

No! I’m not asking to be converted 100 per cent. In future Halos I want there to be play lists/game modes in the Infinity style for the many that like that and also play lists/game modes in the traditional/Halo 3/etc style for those that prefer that. I am asking to allow me to have a better understanding about it all (traditional Halo), what I can get out of it (if anything) and will it be worth the effort?

2

I started with the first game but I shall tell you that when I played 3 it had soul.

3

The reason the original trilogy was enjoyed more because it was more balanced. The is the big key… balance. Even in Halo 2 or Halo 3 going in random could be fun in social playlists. I rarely had a team to play with and H2/H3 social/unranked was my hangout. It’s essentially as casual as Infinity Slayer with way more balance.

4

You’ll never get to experience the Halo 3 MM like it was meant to be. The way it is now is a shell of its former self. The wait times are terrible, the lag is almost unbearable, and there’s not really any competitive games anymore. You either get paired with noobs who don’t know how to play and you destroy them, or you match up against tryhards who melt your face without you getting in a shot.

Either way, it doesn’t really matter, if you enjoy this style of Halo, then you shouldn’t want to go back to an older game. Starting with Reach, it changed gameplay for the worse, and it keeps going down that path away from core mechanics and strategy.

For me, it’s as simple as this–in Halo 3, I could literally play for hours on end and never be bored or tired of playing. There were some literal 6-7 hour late night sessions.

With Reach, it really felt like a choir to get through 2 hours of MM, and I never got really excited to play it, because of no ranked playlists and the game play itself is horrendous. That leads to less than stellar play IMO.

With Halo 4, I wouldn’t even be playing it without Team Throwdown. Still though, I rarely get excited to play Halo 4, and it shows in my gameplay. I’m what would be considered a “random” I don’t search with a team or a mic, but I’ve found the most fun times I’ve had in Throwdown was when I was paired up with 3 other dudes and beating heads in.

Having no mic does hold me back from being a good objective player, IMO. I prefer straight slayer, and that’s what I’m best at. But, I rage so hard when I play it would be more a detriment to the team than a contribution if I had a mic on. To put it in perspective my raging makes Gandhi (Pro Personality) look like a cute little puppy.

I said all that about Throwdown, because you can search as a random and still have tons of fun. And another great thing about Throwdown is when you are paired with Pro players. It really turns the adrenaline up and makes you play your best. Even though the one time I’ve gotten Pistola on my team I played like a chump. How do you lose when you have the Halo GOAT on your team, just shameful on my part and it still burns me that I didn’t have a better showing.

5

> <mark>I said all that about Throwdown, because you can search as a random and still have tons of fun. And another great thing about Throwdown is when you are paired with Pro players. It really turns the adrenaline up and makes you play your best. Even though the one time I’ve gotten Pistola on my team I played like a chump. How do you lose when you have the Halo GOAT on your team, just shameful on my part and it still burns me that I didn’t have a better showing.</mark>

Thank you! I enjoyed reading your reply.

I am honestly going to give Team Throwdown a try then. I’ll probably die and burn but, I’ll give it try all the same.

6

The separation of Ranked/Social through playlists, which meant not forcing one unto another. Not only that, but social had balance; it didn’t have as much of this game controlled (rather than player controlled) randomness like Halo Reach and Halo 4 has.

7

I started with Reach as well (Multiplayer at least) but for some reason I just don’t find Halo 4 all that enjoyable. It feels like there’s something wrong with the game but I can’t tell what it is!

8

> …please tell me, as someone who started out on Halo Reach and loved it and loves Halo 4 even more, what I can gain and enjoy from playing more of a traditional Halo 3 type of game/mode/setting?
>
> I have come to a stage where I want to know why, according to many of you, that type of Halo is better, why I should give it a go, and why it will be worth the effort.
>
> I share some traits in common. I like to do well, I like to win, I like to have fun and so on. The sole reason I do not enter Team Throwdown or other similar types games, or even the forth coming so called Pro/Classic modes, is I am a random player, no friends list, no team. Is it that, perhaps, what it comes down to; having a team as opposed not having a team?
>
> No! I’m not asking to be converted 100 per cent. In future Halos I want there to be play lists/game modes in the Infinity style for the many that like that and also play lists/game modes in the traditional/Halo 3/etc style for those that prefer that. I am asking to allow me to have a better understanding about it all (traditional Halo), what I can get out of it (if anything) and will it be worth the effort?

It is difficult to know whether you’ll like Halo 1-3 better than Halo 4 or not. As you become better at shooters In general and start to prefer a more balanced game that may be the case.

One thing for sure is that you will get much better at FPS games in general playing the older games instead of Halo 4.

9

With a more classic Halo type gameplay, the outcome of a match is largely dictated by the actions of the player. If you get your strategy right, you win. Concepts such as map control, situational awareness and basic understanding of game flow were essential if you ever wanted to hold your own against half decent teams.

The randomness introduced by things like personal ordnance, loadouts and world ordnance remove a large degree of the players influence over the outcome of a game. The best laid strategy can be undone by a rocket launcher miraculously appearing right outside someones base.

Things like sprint and jet pack seriously damages the concept of map control. Camo and ordnance seriously damage the concept of situational awareness. Put all that toghether and your left with a messy cluster -Yoink- of engagements that can not be predicted.

In short Halo 4 tries to give you awesome, in classic halo gameplay you EARN your awesome. It’s simply more rewarding.

That’s why I still play Halo 3.

10

> > One thing for sure is that you will get much better at FPS games in general playing the older games instead of Halo 4.
>
> Thanks!
>
> I do intend playing Halo 3 MM at least once per week. I actually played Halo 3 last week!

11

Halo 3 had a good matchmaking system, but ZBNS Reach is better in almost every way gameplay-wise.

If you want to experience some “classic” Halo, I’d recommend the Anniversary or MLG playlists in Reach before anything in Halo 3. Just be warned that you’ll be playing a lot of Sanctuary.

12

From a 4v4 perspective, its the same as Reach, minus the AAs. However, the game is faster paced. On longer ranges, there is a mechanic unique to Halo 3 where you had to lead your shots. This gave a layer of skill, while giving players breathing room to move around the map.without being picked off by one player using a CC or BR.

In BTB, vehicles were important, and so were the power weapons. A chain gun warthog was very sturdy and could take hits. Plasma Pistols were treated as a Power Weapon, spawning on each team’s base. Plasma Grenades were there, but not in huge amount compares to today. This usually makes players consider NOT destroying warthogs, but rather hijack it and use it against them, even if it was damaged a bit. In Halo 4, warthogs are recycled parts for a Scorpion.

Halo3, while not entirely perfect, did have some really good qualities to it that would make some mechanics in Halo 4 look like a huge step back. I still have gripes with Halo 3, and I’ll probably still have gripes after June 3rd. But Halo 3 is a good halo game. You should check it out.

13

People!

It’s okay…

I have found the answer to your problems.

14

You should play it and get a feel for it yourself. Like, its hard to describe it, but Halo 3 makes you think alittle more. Like when you encounter a warthog in Halo 3, you would get to cover instead of take a PP and EMp it in Halo 4 and toss plasma grenades. Vehicles were alot stronger. Vehicles played an important role in BTB, a chain gun warthog with a good driver and gunner could go unbelieveably far.

In Halo 3, there was a limited number of power weapons on a map and controlling these weapons along with the map meant victory.

Everyone would spawn with the same weapons and would have to pick up other weapons instead of getting weapons handed to them via ordiance drops or changing up their loadouts. It was an even playing field.

Players would pick up equipment and only use them when they really needed too.

Its really hard to describe a traditional Halo experience. I for one started with H2’s campaign and H3’s for multiplayer. Halo 3 is one of my alltime favorite multiplayer games to date. It wasn’t perfect, but it was alot of fun.

Also I enjoyed/still enjoy Halo Reach Multiplayer.

You should play a couple of games of Halo 3 and see why people enjoy it.

15

> I share some traits in common. I like to do well, I like to win, I like to have fun and so on. The sole reason I do not enter Team Throwdown or other similar types games, or even the forth coming so called Pro/Classic modes, is I am a random player, no friends list, no team. Is it that, perhaps, what it comes down to; having a team as opposed not having a team?

I started from Halo 3 and none of my friends played as much as I did at the time, so I end up searching alone like 97% of the time.

Halo 3 played very balanced than Reach/H4. Everyone started out fair, and the only way to win was just be the better player.

When you lose you know you lost in a fair fight. Not like “Damn, he/she was using Armor Lock”, “Didn’t see the Sniper because of Camo”, or “Without the Jetpack, he/she couldn’t have killed me”.

EDIT:
In Halo 3 I was a tryhard wanting to get a 50. But I ended up at 43 holding a K/D of 1.3,
I played casually in Reach and held a K/D of 1.67,
Same thing with Halo 4, played casually and held a K/D of 1.77,
That should show something, Reach/H4 made the game easier to play.

16

> > > One thing for sure is that you will get much better at FPS games in general playing the older games instead of Halo 4.
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > I do intend playing Halo 3 MM at least once per week. I actually played Halo 3 last week!
>
> I am willing to play Halo 3 (50 High) with you so you can experience how the ranking system works, and understand why people would want such a system.
>
> If we are lucky we might get to play and lose against some known doubles guys.

17

While you read what I have to say play this on the background.

Words cannot describe how great Halo 3 is. Yes I’ve played every Halo game since the series started back in 2001 but Halo 3 was the pinnacle of the series for me.

Sure you can still play Halo 3 now but it’s not in it’s former glory and the era where Halo 3 was the only Halo game on the 360. It was a time in the Halo series where raw skill of a player mattered and balance in gameplay rewarding those players who were good over random actions was important.

Everything from the magnificent simple menus with the amazing Halo music playing in the background that you could just stare at late into the night, to the warthog that was strong as steel and took a real spartan with skill to take down, and lets not forget the ranking system that left so many wanting more as they face opponents that didn’t know what the word failure or lose meant.

You see, Halo 3 wasn’t just a Halo game. It was the Halo game that defined and set the standard for what Halo in the future should have been like. Instead everything that once was balanced and about skill was replaced with watered down unsatisfying instant gratification and broken promises.

There are fools out there that would try and discredit what I say but their feeble actions cannot compare to the greatness of the truth and fact that the original Halo trilogy games were and still are the best. Nothing they say can sway me from what I have played and witnessed with my own hands and eyes over a decade of playing Halo. They wouldn’t know since they have never played them in their truest form and have not lived through all these years of Halo. They simply missed the greatest era and truly the only real era of Halo games.

Halo 3 can teach you what it means to be a good player and when faced against extremely good opponents that there is no scapegoat like sprint or jetpack to save you. No, you must rely on your own skills of strafing, tactics, and ability to out shoot the opponent right then and there. If you fail to do so there is no get out of jail card. You will die if you fail to act right then and there. If you can conquer this masterpiece you will forever be a better Halo player that doesn’t need AA’s loadouts, or even cheap gimmicks to survive some of the more complicated situations many players in Reach and Halo 4 deem ‘hard’. What they call hard I call it child’s play.

18

Halo 3 was competitive and fun at the same time. Now only Halo CE anniversary can be closer to Halo 3 gametype and settings

19

I played about 2000 odd ranked Halo 3 MM games back when it was still fresh off the shelf. So annoyed I got stuck on 39 in lone wolves for most of it though.

Was a epic experience when it was at it’s peak because all the playlists were full of players. You could find players within at most +/- 10 ranks of you in no time.

I don’t really know how to answer your question though. You maybe will just get an appreciation of the roots of Halo multiplayer and a feel of the game play that made it so popular.

20

It was pretty freaking amazing at its time. Like what everyone else is saying though, now it’s not the same. It was different than Reach and H4 simply because of the separation of ranked and social. In ranked, you used major strategy to win. You had to time power ups and know when to use the equipment such as bubble shield or regen at the right time. That’s what I like liked most about it. Ranked was pure skill. Then in social you can screw around or just play to get experience points. You still got experience points in Ranked, but it was easier in social because guests were allowed and simply being social it didn’t have as many try-hards. It was a lot of fun. Trying to get that 50 to be a General and no longer be a scrub. Double Exp Weekends were great too and a lot of fun. A different specific playlist for it every weekend that had grifball, fiesta, ffa fiesta, team flag, rocket race, living dead, and a lot more fun and different gametypes to play. You still had your normal playlists such as swat, snipes, and team slayer/social slayer.

What I didn’t like about Halo 4 is that when it launched it barely any playlists and they were rotating playlists that should have been permanent like swat. That turned me and probably a lot of other people away from the game as it got boring kind of fast. We couldn’t play what we wanted to play. Now we can, but it shouldn’t have take until like January/February to get it right. Now, I just have no interest in the game. I also feel that the BR should be back to 4 shot to counteract the DMR as I feel it is still overpowered. Now that’s a whole different topic and I’m not going to talk about that right now.

Overall, H3 was amazing in its prime. It had a true skill system, an experience point system, and both were tied together. You had pure teamwork and strategy in Ranked, and you could have fun and mess around in social and still get exp. The skill system made players want to improve their skill and get better which was awesome. Custom games were also amazing in H3 too and a lot of people played them all of the time. All of this can possibly be resurrected with an HD remake of Halo 2 for the next Xbox if 343i and Certain Affinity choose to. It would bring many fans back and it would also make players to want the next Xbox. That would make it a day 1 seller for me.