Microsoft has just announced two birds with one press bulletin: Halo 2 will be coming to Windows Vista on a PC near you on May 8, 2007 — at the same time as Games for Windows LIVE goes public!
As the official press release states, Halo 2 for Windows Vista will have superior graphics compared to the Xbox version, and it’ll come with a Map Editor too (that we’ve known for a while now). It’s good to finally have a concrete date set for one of the most anticipated games in PC history.
Halo 2 was the most popular game for the Xbox, taking up where the original Halo for Xbox left off. Halo 2 and Microsoft/Epic’s Gears of War currently top the popular list for Xbox 360. Gears of War is another game PC gamers are looking forward to playing on the PC.
Following the May 8th release of Halo 2 for PC, another FPS game for Windows Vista will be released come June: Shadowrun. Shadowrun will PCs and Xbox 360s at the same time, making it the first true multi-platform experience on Games for Windows LIVE.
This is seriously the best Windows Vista-related news I’ve heard since the days of Longhorn!
Thanks for sharing,
SL
Agreed!
HALO 2 was one of the biggest let-downs in XBOX history. I got the game three days before its release date at its full $50 price and a buddy and I played it through in just several hours, got completely confused by the story line, then just kind of looked at each other and said “That’s it??” A few of the Bungie folks that created HALO 2 have gone as far lately as to bad-mouth their own product, but I’m not sure if they’re being sincere or they’re just trying to sell more copies of HALO 3 (by publicly acknowledging how bad HALO 2 was).
True, HALO 2 had better graphics than HALO, but we all know that graphics are only part of the story. HALO 2 lacked a decent story and had no soul. So “Vista’s better graphics than the XBOX version” means squat, at least to me.
Save your money. Stick to HALO. Or see if Bungie redeems itself with HALO 3 and wait for it for Vista or get an XBOX 360 console if you can.
I have to agree, the gameplay experience for Halo: Combat Evolved was a hundred times better than Halo 2, despite the presence of more flexible maps, better weapons, and more choice in when and what you do.
However, Halo 2, in comparison to the other games out there, is still a decent game. I’m looking forward to Halo 3 and Halo Wars, but Halo 2 isn’t a total failure, just a let-down.
One more thing: Halo: Combat Evolved + all the patches is MUCH MUCH better than the original Halo.. The entire gameplay was practically re-written in some of the later patches!!
i have a question, is the halo only coming out for windows-vista or for other products as well?
Hello Andrew Wiggin!
No, unfortunately it’ll only be out for Windows Vista. Microsoft cites “technical advantages” in Windows Vista and DirectX 10 as being the main reason behind this move.
(BTW, that’s one of my favorite books too!!)
Halo 2 for Vista only? Didn’t Halo 2 run on the original XBOX, in all it’s Pentium III glory (with a Geforce 3 series card and it’s DirectX…uh…like version 4? 5?)?!? And someone at Microsoft is trying to tell me that I need to upgrade my O/S and be running DirectX 10 software and hardware to run Halo 2?
I think someone should send a mobile MRI machine over to the big building in Seattle and offer free C.A.T. Scans for all of Bill’s cronies. A Game that was designed for 7 year old hardware somehow requires cutting edge hardware and software? And especially when Vista starts at what? $150? Who’s kidding who?
Vista starts at a hundred bucks, but that’s not the point.
Technically, MS more than has the right to reserve a game for their latest OS for no good reason but making money: it’s their game, and their OS – so why not?
I’m than beyond-sure that some of the games for XBox 360 would run just fine on XBox 1.0 hardware – same going for PS2 -> PS1, etc.
It’s economics and a money game, it’s not pretty, but it’s not exactly wrong either.
Consider Texas Hold ’em Poker for Ultimate.. It runs on Home and Business, but it’s an “Ultimate Perk,” so why is it so difficult to consider Halo 2/3 a “Vista Perk” as well?
I’m all against lying and claiming it’s for technical reasons, but it’s Microsoft’s right to decide what operating system it releases its own software/games for, including IE7, .NET 2.0, and Halo 2.
what a piss take direct x 10 means ive got to spend £400 on a new graphics card and another £90 for system memory i aint made of money also doesnt grow on trees but hey
It may well be microsofts decision to make halo 2 exclusively for windows vista , however , its the consumers choice to buy it or not . The XBOX version is a waste from what ive seen , so now what ? The consumer is forced to upgrade their os plus buy a product that will be as big a flop as the XBOX version .. Get a grip Guru .. ill wait for the crackers to do their thing , as with all MS products , eventually it will be available for free … LMAO
It’ll be available for free, but not for XP.
DirectX 10 isn’t something small that’s easy to port back to XP’s DX 9 platform.
Smoking crack Computer Guru? A company, Falling Leaf Systems, already ported it back to XP.
Idiot.
Hi,
That comment was made prior to our being made aware – and indeed, even before any announcements regarding – the “Alky Project’s” compatibility with Halo 2 and other Vista DX10 games.
Even so, as far as I can tell, the “Alky Library” has not yet been made available in a form that runs Halo 2 on Windows XP, at least judging by this quote taken from their own site:
I may be wrong, but the way they phrased it, the Alky Compatibility Library, in its current form, does not run Halo 2 yet.
Anyway, be that as it may be, I don’t think that makes it necessary to start heckling over a month-old post, don’t you?
I don’t know why you hate halo 2. Halo 2 is not a let down for the xbox. Halo 2 was one of the Biggest games of 2004. Since its now 2007 I don’t have halo 3. I heard halo 3 is going to be the best game for the Xbox 360 only. I always into the halo series. I love halo since 2001. I still think its better than Mario, but thats not going to stop it. If you have Xbox live for halo 2, Boy you will have so much fun playing with your friends all night. It do have co-op, But not xbox live co-op. It only has 4 player co-op for the family are your real friends, But not xbox live. I love halo combat in envolve and Halo 2. I just Hope I get Halo 3 for Christmas. That’s going to be cool.
Ps- Halo 3 will have xbox live co-op and playing with your family and friends co-op
pss- Halo 3 is going to be the best single player and xbox live for the whole year.
Later