Halo 3: 4-Player Co-Op on Live

[Kamalot]

MaxConsole.net is reporting the first piece of news that has me excited about Halo 3: 4-Player Cooperative play (http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=16963) over Xbox Live. Some new details surrounding the upcoming Halo 3 campaign have been leaked. It appears that Bungie have some big surprises lined up for the sure-fire hit, possibly one of the biggest of them all is the inclusion of 4-player co-op over Live and system link. Fans have been begging for the feature, and it seems Bungie have adhered to the fans pleas. Co-op multiplayer has proved to be extremely popular amongst titles such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Epic's blockbuster, Gears Of War, with the inclusion of 4-player co-op, it looks like Bungie's attempting to raise the bar.This game went from being a big disc of 'meh' to something I'll have to buy.

[cp#]

You thought Halo 3 was going to be a disc of "meh" :confused:

[appel]

Now I just have to convince three friends to get an xbox 360 and this game.. and I'll be all set for a lot of fun. :D

[Kamalot]

You thought Halo 3 was going to be a disc of "meh" :confused:
Yes. It never impressed me on its own. The only times I enjoyed it are when I played Co-Op with friends. Playing games cooperatively with people you like is almost always fun. I'll buy games that are otherwise not-so-hot if they allow me to play games with friends. Hell, Earth Defense Force 2017 is a freaking blast with the right people.

Edit: So much of the map design in Halo felt copy-paste'd all over the place. At least with a friend there, you had someone to bitch with about having to walk through the same room AGAIN.

[IrishWhiskey]

Now I just have to convince three friends to get an xbox 360 and this game.. and I'll be all set for a lot of fun. :D
I think if you know three people with 360s, that will be taken care of.

And yeah, Its features like this and clan support that peak my interest much more than bubble shields or shiny graphics.

[Murtaug]

Ooh, this is a much welcomed feature. I fully expected at least two player co-op over Live, but four is very cool as well. I really only ever played through the Halo 2 campaign with my buddy doing co-op, so this is pretty cool.

[appel]

I think if you know three people with 360s, that will be taken care of.

And yeah, Its features like this and clan support that peak my interest much more than bubble shields or shiny graphics.

Unfortunately I only know one, and he doesn't have live gold =) And playing on live with people I don't know is usually not too much fun. Guess I need to get more gamer friends ;)

[Kamalot]

Unfortunately I only know one, and he doesn't have live gold =) And playing on live with people I don't know is usually not too much fun. Guess I need to get more gamer friends ;)
I am 100% certain you will be able to find people with whom you can play right here on Evil Avatar.

[appel]

Edit: So much of the map design in Halo felt copy-paste'd all over the place. At least with a friend there, you had someone to bitch with about having to walk through the same room AGAIN.

This sounds pretty much indentical to my halo experience. Didn't get far playing it on my own, but me and a friend marathoned through the entire thing co-op in one sitting, having a blast. :)

[Mashidar]

I'm happy to see this. Heck I was hoping just for 2 player co-op over live. To see that I can have 4 player co-op over live might make going through the legendary settings all the more fun.

[Psykoboy2]

Hell, Earth Defense Force 2017 is a freaking blast with the right people.

That has co-op over Live?

[lockwoodx]

You thought Halo 3 was going to be a disc of "meh" :confused:


I know I did. 4 player co-op tho, is a Must buy.

Of course this is all just a Micro$oft plot to sell more gold accounts where they make real money.

[Xerxes]

Bah, is it explained where all this reinforcements come from?

[bone_matrix]

This just went from "I can't fucking wait" to "I may have to require that day off I can't fucking wait that much."

Alright, who wants to co-op with me day one?

[Kamalot]

That has co-op over Live?
Sadly, no. We play in the same room, which is even better for fun but not as convenient as online.

Friends in the Same Room > Online > No Multiplayer

[shunoshi]

Wow, any possibility of me not buying Halo 3 just got thrown out. Just the idea 4-player coop anything makes me happy.

[Johan]

I'll join the train of co-op fans here and express my excitement as well.

Co-op online is the best thing, to me, since sliced Wonderbread. It makes nearly any game more fun.

I'm psyched about that addition. It makes me actually feel ready for Halo 3. Nothing else so far really has done that.

/now that I think about it, let's say wheat bread. Wonderbread is white, and that crap gets all bound up in your colon. Makes pooping a chore. ;)

[Yellowman]

Love the co-op play. Really pleased they went 4 player as well, should be interesting. Can't wait to try 4 player co-op on legendary!

[flinxz]

I am amazed at how the mention of good co-op can turn me from not giving a damn about a console shooter, to being very much interested.

[bapenguin]

Bah, is it explained where all this reinforcements come from?

What do you mean?

[Doctorossi]

Oh! Le petit mort!

[Texas Speed]

Bah, is it explained where all this reinforcements come from?

No. I saw this earlier (along with some screens from a beta bug that leak some of the custom game types here (http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/05/19/change-gravity-and-more-in-halo-3s-custom-games/)), but its just some people saying they went digging through the beta stuff and came away with this. I think the original site was here (http://flamesoffeenix.wordpress.com/2007/05/19/revealed-halo-3-campaign-4-player-co-op-over-live/). Take everything you see and hear about Halo 3 that doesn't come from Bungie with a big grain of salt.

[DaXIthR]

Man, on the DS we'd be able to play 4-player with a single cart. MS should figure out a way to do that.

Seriously, this is pretty good news. Now it's up to implementation and downloadable levels.

[Heretic Machine]

Dude, four player co-op on Live? That's basically putting a squad of Spartans into Halo 3. Things just got much more interesting!

[karak]

I can seriously say that despite my dislike of the beta that four player had me at hello. This what i have been wanting since Halo 1, 2, and gears. After playing serious sam with 6 player co-op hacks its hard to go back. I am so stoked.

[bapenguin]

Oh my god...can't wait. I need to get my college roomates on Live...stat!

[Xerxes]

What do you mean?
A squad of Spartans after MC has been doing it alone. Do they fit into the story or is it a half assed, non acknowledge the other Spartans type play. GoW it made since. Then there PDZ where it's like who the hell is this secondary chick.

[Wyrm]

I think the four player co-op won't be in the campaign mode. I think it will be in regard to a few new game types they are tossing around. You heard it here first!

[Wyrm]

A squad of Spartans after MC has been doing it alone. Do they fit into the story or is it a half assed, non acknowledge the other Spartans type play. GoW it made since. Then there PDZ where it's like who the hell is this secondary chick.

And to that remark, they never really explained it in the first or second Halo games either, but that didn't stop anyone from playing the co-op. You just sort of have to suspend your disbelief so that the game can be played with other people.

Besides, there actually are three other Spartans that should still be alive, at least, according to the Halo novels.

[The Continental]

A squad of Spartans after MC has been doing it alone. Do they fit into the story or is it a half assed, non acknowledge the other Spartans type play. GoW it made since. Then there PDZ where it's like who the hell is this secondary chick.The coop buddy in both Halo 1 & 2 is never even acknowledged, let alone explained, so I wouldn't count on #3 to do anything different.

That said, 4 player coop has me suffering from a multiple nerdgasm, regardless of how it's implemented.

[Xerxes]

Oh nos, I've exposed myself as someone without friends to play games with.

<hides>

[archon]

And to that remark, they never really explained it in the first or second Halo games either, but that didn't stop anyone from playing the co-op. You just sort of have to suspend your disbelief so that the game can be played with other people.

Besides, there actually are three other Spartans that should still be alive, at least, according to the Halo novels.

At least three others, in addition to one female Spartan that is already on Earth still as of the Halo Graphic Novel. Four Spartans fighting together isn't that much of a stretch. :)

[TheDancinMan]

I am tremendously impressed. After no online Co-Op in Halo 2, I figured it wasn't much of a priority for them. This is fan-damn-tastic.

[Sl1pstream]

At least three others, in addition to one female Spartan that is already on Earth still as of the Halo Graphic Novel. Four Spartans fighting together isn't that much of a stretch. :)

It is if they'd have to build separate cutscenes and basically change the entire story, just for co-op. They could make the entire game like that but by making it a squad-based game, it won't be Halo for a lot of people not to mention that they'd have to change the role of Cortana, who's been MC's only companion for the most part of the trilogy. Too much hassle, won't happen. They'll either make separate missions or keep doing what they've been doing in the past and ignore that there is more than one player in the storyline. I really hope it's the latter.

[johnymitsu]

believe it or not i read this on a preview box for the game at ebgames about 4 -5 months ago, i just dismissed it cause ebgames doesnt usually know shit

[archon]

It is if they'd have to build separate cutscenes and basically change the entire story, just for co-op. They could make the entire game like that but by making it a squad-based game, it won't be Halo for a lot of people not to mention that they'd have to change the role of Cortana, who's been MC's only companion for the most part of the trilogy. Too much hassle, won't happen. They'll either make separate missions or keep doing what they've been doing in the past and ignore that there is more than one player in the storyline. I really hope it's the latter.

It's highly unlikely they'll include other Spartans in the main storyline, yeah. I'm just saying that given all the story info they've released thus far, it is possible for 4 Spartans to be fighting alongside the Chief *theoretically*, just like the first two games' coop.

EDIT: You're also ignoring the idea that they could already have included the final survivng Spartans in the main Halo 3 storyline as is, but like I said above, it's unlikely.

[Borgboy]

I would caution everyone to take MacZero's words to heart:

Take everything you see and hear about Halo 3 that doesn't come from Bungie with a big grain of salt.
While I sincerely hope this is true, and it obviously was a goal of Bungie's at some point in time, this verifies nothing. These people are simply pulling text strings out of data files, and calling them "fact." Finding a text string in a data file means nothing. There is lots of left over junk that isn't used at all residing in those files. Halo 2 on the Xbox had references to the Mongoose, but did it have a mongoose? No.

With that said, this article (http://main.halodev.org/devblogs/posts/nick/may-19-2007/a-disgrace-to-halo-modders) made for an interesting read. This news post really needs a big [RUMOR] tag slapped in the title, if it should even be on the front page.

[jeffool]

My biggest question is if it will allow me three players in the same room, or a mix of two people on one TV, and two others over Live, etc.

/edit: It seems the string in question reveals two on one box, or four over live. I just hope you can have both, two on a box and others from Live.

[Vandenh]

That's basically putting a squad of Spartans into Halo 3.

No just one Spartan. The other 3 people play bunnies.

[Adam Blue]

Ha. Co-op for this type of game? People.

We need more co-op similar to Syphon Filter: Omega Strain. Halo wasn't made for co-op multiplayer. It was made for just fucking multiplayer. It's honestly not as fun to run through the single player with someone else...seriously...just running through with someone else. That's not player specific objectives.

Give me a call when something up to par with SF co-op comes out.

[DeathtollWRX]

The best console multiplayer game ever just got better.

[johnymitsu]

The best console multiplayer game ever just got better.

"ONE OF" the best console multiplayer games ever just got better.....

[easi]

You know what this game needs now? One player to carry an ammo bag.

And make sure there's a friendly fire option.

[Disgustipated]

Instant purchase. 4-player co-op is amazing.

[Rock Bandit]

Damn, I would of been happy if they said you could do the regualer 2-player co-op online but four? Between that and multi I don't see solo campaign getting much play (from me I mean, I'm sure the dangerous loner crowd will get a lotta of use out of it).

[F3nyx]

Ha. Co-op for this type of game? People.

We need more co-op similar to Syphon Filter: Omega Strain. Halo wasn't made for co-op multiplayer. It was made for just fucking multiplayer. It's honestly not as fun to run through the single player with someone else...seriously...just running through with someone else. That's not player specific objectives.

Give me a call when something up to par with SF co-op comes out.You're kinda weird. Halo coop is much more fun than solo SP.

[SuperMonkeyFighter2]

"ONE OF" the best console multiplayer games ever just got better.....

Damn right! Everyone knows the best console MP game was The Crow: City of Angels for the Saturn. One person would control the Crow, while friends in the room screamed in pain watching him play

[51|RandoM]

Oh nos, I've exposed myself as someone without friends to play games with.

<hides>

you're here, aren't you? Every decent game that comes out gets a group of players established on this site. Halo is the last game you have to worry about finding people on this site(or anywhere, for that matter) to play with.

I don't have any close friends that I game with either, because they either a) don't game at all, b) don't game in the same genres I do, or c) suck really bad at the games I do play. My roommate loves gears, but he is just hopeless when it comes to playing it. He is missing the gene that allows you to use two analog sticks simultaneously. Stop, look, move, stop, look, move. Move while looking? He can't do it.

[Mdot23]

preach, Bungie. this is lovely.

[wyeast]

It's like adding bourbon and boobs. Just about ANY game becomes better with co-op. Hoo-rah.

[Xerxes]

you're here, aren't you? Every decent game that comes out gets a group of players established on this site. Halo is the last game you have to worry about finding people on this site(or anywhere, for that matter) to play with.

I don't have any close friends that I game with either, because they either a) don't game at all, b) don't game in the same genres I do, or c) suck really bad at the games I do play. My roommate loves gears, but he is just hopeless when it comes to playing it. He is missing the gene that allows you to use two analog sticks simultaneously. Stop, look, move, stop, look, move. Move while looking? He can't do it.

51 is my alter ego. :-P

My friends don't or can't game. I do remember playing coop with a buddy from school once. I mean it was good to feel like a hero but after a while I just wanted to hit him up side the game. I'm not super or anything but I'm at or slight above average. The last mission with him trying to drive us to safety, horrible.

Also my original "no friends post" was mostly talking about my lack of halo split screen coop. I actually just erased that instance from my mind.

[digitalErich]

I can see myself playing more co-op than standard MP.

[Darkkoji]

Meh, I'll wait for them to patch this feature in Gears....yawn.

[EasterElf]

Meh, I'll wait for them to patch this feature in Gears....yawn.
Good luck on that one coming out of the pipes soon. I highly doubt they'll make your dreams come true.

[johnymitsu]

Damn right! Everyone knows the best console MP game was The Crow: City of Angels for the Saturn. One person would control the Crow, while friends in the room screamed in pain watching him play

ahahahahhahaha

[Roc Ingersol]

I'm with the 'it used to look meh' crowd. But throw in co-op over live and my curiosity is piqued.

However, they also said Halo2 would have co-op over Live - and that got cut.
So I'm not sold yet.

[Mortis]

Sold.

co-op ftw

[toadkick]

Now I have to get 3 friends...or build robot friends...girl ones...yeah, screw Halo.

[Zanzibar]

You're kinda weird. Halo coop is much more fun than solo SP.
Yeah, sorry Adam, while SP is cool, playing some co-op is a freakin' blast. I don't think I've ever played a co-op-enabled game that wasn't MORE fun playing with a friend. Something about finishing a firefight and perusing the weapon selection with the obligatory scenes:
"You take it."
"No, I'm good, you take it!"
"Crap, I'm outta grenades, do you see any?"
"Um. Yeah. I just picked up four of 'em."
"Sniper rifle - MINE!"
"Fuck. Okay. But I get next big ticket item."

[Adam Blue]

Yeah, sorry Adam, while SP is cool, playing some co-op is a freakin' blast. I don't think I've ever played a co-op-enabled game that wasn't MORE fun playing with a friend. Something about finishing a firefight and perusing the weapon selection with the obligatory scenes:
"You take it."
"No, I'm good, you take it!"
"Crap, I'm outta grenades, do you see any?"
"Um. Yeah. I just picked up four of 'em."
"Sniper rifle - MINE!"
"Fuck. Okay. But I get next big ticket item."

I meant the online deathmatch-type multiplayer is much more fun than two people running through the singleplayer campaign. Now if the campaign invloved the players having to take multiple paths, or one's actions affected the others, then maybe we have something different here.

I'm not sure anybody really understand what a 'real' co-op game would be like. Not many games have even done it. Just simply walling through the SP with a bud is fun...but that's simply it. If it's the same thing you can do in sp...big whoop.

Maybe I'm just expecting more gameplay for co-op. Is that too much to ask?

[Kamalot]

I meant the online deathmatch-type multiplayer is much more fun than two people running through the singleplayer campaign. Now if the campaign invloved the players having to take multiple paths, or one's actions affected the others, then maybe we have something different here.

I'm not sure anybody really understand what a 'real' co-op game would be like. Not many games have even done it. Just simply walling through the SP with a bud is fun...but that's simply it. If it's the same thing you can do in sp...big whoop.

Maybe I'm just expecting more gameplay for co-op. Is that too much to ask?
I am going to flatly disagree with you.

Playing through a single-player story WITH someone is better than playing against someone any day of the week.

I realize this is personal opinion, but I get a much deeper sense of accomplishment, and have a hell of a lot more fun, when doing things with people, instead of conquering them.

Co Op can turn a blah game into a good game, and will turn a great game into an excellent game. Taken up a notch, Co-Op can turn an excellent game into an unforgettable game.

[Adam Blue]

I am going to flatly disagree with you.

Playing through a single-player story WITH someone is better than playing against someone any day of the week.

I realize this is personal opinion, but I get a much deeper sense of accomplishment, and have a hell of a lot more fun, when doing things with people, instead of conquering them.

Co Op can turn a blah game into a good game, and will turn a great game into an excellent game. Taken up a notch, Co-Op can turn an excellent game into an unforgettable game.

I agree that co-op can be a lot more fun than being against someone...but not in Halo. Seriously, sit down with 1-3 other people and play through Syphon Filter on PS2. There is no other co-op game that touches it. Unless that is, you prefer simplicity and less intensity. Honestly, while Halo co-op is fun, it really is nothing compared to what can be done.