XBLM Deal of the Week: Halo
by Randy Nelson 
{ Dec 22nd 2008 at 10:51PM }
The fourth and final of Microsoft's weekly Xbox Live Marketplace holiday deals is none other than the original Halo: Combat Evolved. Major Nelson has announced that the franchise-launching, system-selling FPS will be available for 600
($7.50) starting tomorrow, Tuesday, December 23 for Xbox Live Gold members. Its usual going price is 1200 ($15).
When the history of video games eventually becomes mainstream college curriculum, Halo will the "required playing" equivalent of War and Peace. You can get ahead of the curve – or make sure you're as hip as those young whippersnappers – for one week only. Last week's deal, Bomberman Live, is available until midnight tonight at the half-price sum of 600 ($7.50).
($7.50) starting tomorrow, Tuesday, December 23 for Xbox Live Gold members. Its usual going price is 1200 ($15). When the history of video games eventually becomes mainstream college curriculum, Halo will the "required playing" equivalent of War and Peace. You can get ahead of the curve – or make sure you're as hip as those young whippersnappers – for one week only. Last week's deal, Bomberman Live, is available until midnight tonight at the half-price sum of 600
($7.50).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Timett @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:04PM
My friends and I still go back to the original Halo for some good old fashioned split screen multiplayer. The sequels never came close to grabbing us as much as Combat Evolved did. I'm tempted to buy it just so I don't have to track down my disc when we want to play. If I had a bigger HDD than the 20gig I almost certainly would!
Fosssil @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:16PM
Every time I play Halo: CE, I'm reminded of how Bungie has completely butchered everything that made Halo great to begin with. I suggest everyone who hasn't played this game do so immediately, if only to see how much worse Halo 3 is by comparison.
Anticrawl @ Dec 23rd 2008 2:27AM
Simple answer is the lead designer for Halo: Combat Evolved left Bungie for FASA (you know the guys that are singlehandedly responsible for the Xbox Live experience and standard you have come to love and enjoy). You can thank Halo fans for driving FASA into the grave after Shadowrun (most overlooked title of 2007).
Anticrawl @ Dec 23rd 2008 2:33AM
Just to clarify John Howard was the lead designer on Halo: Combat Evolved and was responsible for the classic multiplayer experience in said game. He worked on Shadowrun as well, which is probably why I hold it as the best FPS on the 360 and perhaps the most innovative. Anyone who claims it to be a gimmick or rags on it for being multiplayer only simply has not sat down with the game for a few days to experience the depth of the gameplay and thought John Howard and FASA put into the game. The learning curve is higher than the typical run and gun game, which deterred the vast majority of players, the rest either being the pen and paper RPG fans or fans of Jeff "Shovelface" Gerstmann (who I might add reviewed Shadowrun and was nothing more than a bitter mindless fanboy rant about how it was not an RPG and was later cut from it's 3 pages down to a half a page after his firing).
And yes I am a Shadowrun fanboy, and no one can complain about the continuity and trueness of the game to the source considering the originators of Shadowrun some 20 years ago worked on the development of the Shadowrun FPS for the 360. I am also a fan of the RPG.
b at t er y @ Dec 23rd 2008 3:54AM
Shadowrun was lame.
tcc3 @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:56AM
The shadow run demo was great. Some of the spells really added depth to the standard fps gameplay.
The problem was, between H3 and COD4 there was no one to play it. I wasnt going to pay full price for a Multiplayer only game with a community of 4 people.
It came out at the wrong time, had the wrong price point, and wasn't promoted aggessively enough.
Duke @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:33AM
Shadowrun may not be as bad as many people made it to be but, "....I hold it as the best FPS on the 360 and perhaps the most innovative." I just can't see how you can think its the best FPS on the 360. That blows my mind. COD4, GRAW and RB6V were all a lot better in my book.
Obie @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:44AM
Shadowrun, nuthin' but love for ya....but Shadowrun was not that impressive.
Fosssil @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:19PM
Anticrawl -- Yes, Shadowrun was (and still is) a fantastic game. I still play it regularly, especially when I get fed up with all of the inconsistency of Halo 3. John Howard is a great designer, and I'd really like to know what project he's working on now.
Duke -- Did you spend much time with the game? Because of the steep learning curve, it can take a few days of playtime to really understand the intricacies of the gameplay, but once you take that step and invest that time, it is well worth it. The game isn't nearly as casual-friendly as Halo 3 or CoD4, and it's very hard to just pick it up and start playing (unlike the other two) because it has a huge skill gap. The thing that endears me to Shadowrun is the same thing that endeared me to Halo: CE -- the more I practice the game, the better I'll get. The game is much more rewarding than Halo 3 or CoD4, because even if I invested tons of time in those games, I'd still get screwed over by a bad spawn every once in a while, or have my shots not register over a smooth connection, or trip over someone's martyrdom grenade, or end up with one of those horrible "mutual beatdowns" that occur so often in Halo 3. In Shadowrun, a player who's invested a week in the game would never beat a player who's invested a few months of practice, but in Halo 3 and CoD4 it happens all the time.
emotaku @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:20PM
The Silent Cartographer will always hold a place in my heart.
Premature ejaculation man @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:38PM
Assault on the Control room too!
Obie @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:49AM
All were great, except the Library...no one likes the library.
Zeus.:God @ Dec 23rd 2008 1:53AM
I loved The Library.
JerJer @ Dec 23rd 2008 2:52AM
zeus: .... go home.
NvM @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:22PM
The 360 was my first Xbox so Halo 3 was my first Halo.
I ended up really enjoying it despite the internet hailing it as the antichrist.
So I picked up Halo 1 and 2. I can tell Halo: CE being a really fun multiplayer back in the day, but all the interior campaign missions were badly designed as we couldn't tell where we are going and I eventually got headache and stopped.
Halo 2's campaign was closer to 3, but tbh i never picked up after the first couple levels we through, and about the same for it's online which seems more balanced but overall less fun.
So maybe it's nostalgia but I'm just saying that a fist time Halo player thinks Halo 3 is the best game.
But I guess I rage too, when people say Twilight princess is one of the best Zeldas.
LuiginDaisy @ Dec 23rd 2008 6:59AM
That makes me rage as much as a PS3 fanboy telling me PS3 is superior because it has Call of Duty 4 and GTA 4.
Question: Will there be multiplayer in Halo? If yes, I'm buying it.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:25AM
Most people who agree with the whole, "HALO 1 IS THE BEST ALL THE OTHERS ARE GARBAGE" crap, are pretty much the equivalent of people who still believe that Goldeneye is the greatest FPS game ever. It's really they're looking at the games through nostalgia goggles. Don't get me wrong Halo 1 was a good game, but Bungie definitely improved the Halo formula in the sequels.
Shmil @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:15AM
I think halo 3 is far superior to Halo CE as well, but everyone knows that I'm joystiq's halo 3 defense force
Fosssil @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:38PM
Vegeta --
Do tell me how the gameplay of the Halo series has improved since Halo: CE. Please give me a specific example of something that Bungie has done right with the gameplay since that first game. Sure, additions such as Forge, Theater, Xbox Live, and an improved UI are all great, but they're not at all improvements on the core gameplay, they're just extra features included in the game.
Please explain to me how the introduction of a poor spawn system, a highly unbalanced and largely useless spawning weapon, map design that promotes camping and discourages flow and movement, a "latency window" based melee system that rewards a player with slower reflexes, default player movement speed that is barely above a crawl, equipment, and a weapon sandbox that is filled with superfluous weapons and is fairly unbalanced is, in any way, an improvement of the Halo formula.
Halo 1 is not Goldeneye, and it isn't just a nostalgia piece -- it remains, to this day, the best in the genre.
NvM @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:23PM
^^
Also that was just badly written rant
MarkHawk @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:25PM
I wish it was more then one item. I wish it was like the Black friday weekend where I got a list of 15 things to spend away on.
VENOM @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:31PM
Would this run better than the disc? Or worse?
If anyone cared I already own Halo for PC...but the rest of my friends don't, see? The multiplayer rocks, so I might as well get it on my 360.
Disc or download?
Misfit Toy @ Dec 23rd 2008 1:05AM
The speculations of what I've read says that downloads don't hold up as well as discs when it comes to performance. I don't know if that just isn't backwards compatibility as a whole being the issue or not. I have it on disc and it works just fine. Discs have the portability factor, but for $7.50 and if you don't have it you can't deny the convenience of cheap and immediate. Plus you'd never have to put the disc in. Just instant go.
I'm probably going to download this too, even though I own like 4 copies of it...from the old LAN party days mind you. I don't collect multiple copies for fun ;-)
Premature ejaculation man @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:40PM
An extremely good deal for anyone who hasn't played it before, or dislikes switching between Halo 3 and Halo CE discs all the time =3
Premature ejaculation man @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:43PM
Wait the final weekly deal?
That sucks, I was thinking it would go on for a long time...It actually has me consider purchasing items I normally wouldn't.
Joeshie @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:41PM
Equating Halo to War and Peace is just wrong on so, so many levels.
ver7 @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:03AM
yeah, war and peace sucked.
Rollins @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:03AM
I agree.
Someday, when Final Fantasy # is truly the final Final Fantasy, they'll compile them all into one ridiculous collection. That will be the gaming equivalent of War and Peace.
Not sure how you'll be able to beat 11, though.
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:38AM
Dear God War and Peace is being compared to FF and Halo I..I just need a seat.
What's next The Lord of the rings comparation with Maple story.
¿
Extinction @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:33AM
"Halo will the "required playing""
What?
porplemontage @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:38AM
"Wednesday, December 23"
Something is not right here.
josh @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:47AM
does the xblm version of the game have online multiplayer like the pc version does?
Riley @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:53AM
no, the xbox originals are the same as they were for xbox
blinguskahn420 @ Dec 23rd 2008 1:37AM
Good thing my original disc still works on the 360.
Ahmedz @ Dec 23rd 2008 2:07AM
That's good news!
there's only one problem.......WHY CAN'T I DOWNLOAD IT!?!??
Courtney @ Dec 23rd 2008 2:40AM
Okay, so their whole "Deal of the Week" thing really didn't meet my expectations. Actually, it crushed my expectations, violated them in ways best not described on a family friendly blog, and finally fed what was left of them through a wood chipper. None of these seemed like, "Wow, at that price, I must go buy it right now" type things.
ChiTownRuler23 @ Dec 23rd 2008 3:34AM
7.50? i seen a used copy at gamecrazy for 5 bux and some change, i dont see myself buying any classic XBOX games anytime soon well maybe if they lower the price on stubbs the zombie id download it
baby sea tuna @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:58AM
That sort of made sense.
j.howlett @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:02AM
does installing games work for original xbox games? just curious
Lee @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:45AM
Best console FPS since Goldeneye itself. Amazing how quickly Halo 2 and 3 dropped in quality. Much laughs are had when having big gaming get-togethers.
"Halo 3 anyone?"
"Hahahahbhabha you fucking RTARD"
"Halo 2 anyone?"
"What the hell Lee? Are you pissed again?"
"Halo 1 anyone?"
"Yes. What a mighty fine selection you made, shall we take turns in co-op or just LAN together some Xbox's and have all 8 of us playing? I think that'll be the best option. Anyone want Cheezy Poofs?"
"Yea I want Cheezy Poofs"
Mike @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:20AM
Christ, how unnecessary.
Enderjsv @ Dec 23rd 2008 1:14PM
So, basically your friends are idiots. Fair enough.
Lee @ Dec 24th 2008 9:30AM
Eh, going off comments here it also seems that more people prefer Halo 1 to 3, LOL.
Zingerhill @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:10AM
All Xbox originals should be $5. I have a lot of the original disks but would probably pay a little just to have the games on the HD. I don't understand who would buy any of these games when you can pick up the disk version cheaper in most cases.
Lysdexia @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:20AM
Am I the only one who didn't like Halo?
I remember seeing the Halo trailer back in the day, when it was supposed to come out for the PC
Man it looked so good...
Then it came out on the Xbox...
So I played it, I was so disappointed
The level design was absolutely terrible, repeated hallways after hallways, I imagine the buttons "CTRL" "C" and "V" were pretty worn out on that designer's keyboard.
They also removed a lot of the things that made the trailer great...things that I cannot recall right now, since it's been so long...
Anyway, the point is: I don't like halo
Multiplayer was decent, but single player blew ass
umm....hello??? @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:31AM
welllll...I own 2 copies of this game on disc (for local multiplayer). the achievement whore in me wants me to get this game, but the exclusion of XBL multiplayer kills this deal for me. on the third hand, I'd have my x360 with this game and 2 EXTRA copies for 12-person multiplayer...hrmmm. and I do miss the pistol quite a bit. dammit. guess I have a few days to think this over some more.
(The Award-Winning) dark_inchworm @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:07PM
The achievement whore in you will be disappointed. Xbox Originals don't carry achievements.
The Alex @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:53AM
Pretty sure Bomberman is currently on sale for 25% off, not half price as stated in the post.
As for the Halo deal, as mentioned before, these Xbox Originals should be $5 bucks all the time. But i guess if there are suckers to buy them...
BattoMan @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:42AM
I am shure that you are all aware of this:
http://loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/228/halo-the-future-of-gaming
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:42AM
I remember when Halo was released; I even assisted a local tournament.
I won 2nd place without any effort (I just lose 1 match to a rocket whore) and I find the game unimpressive back in the day. I liked more the Voodoo doll game and Midtown Madness 3whihc I never got to play because the both was always occupied.