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This weekend I was able to give Halo 2 for Windows Vista a test run. They have truly done an amazing job with bringing this game to Windows Vista. Tina Wood interviewed Jo Clowes from Hired Gun a few weeks ago on Halo 2 for Windows Vista talking about what the game offers for Windows Vista users and what is different between the console version and PC version of the game. However I want to dive a little deeper to the LIVE features that Halo 2 for Windows Vista offers.
Halo 2 for Windows Vista is Games for Windows - LIVE "enabled" meaning you can sign-in to your Xbox Live Account and earn achievement points throughout the game that improves your gamerscore (just like you would a game on the Xbox 360). Don't have an Xbox Live Account? All you need to do is go to Xbox.com and set one up with your Windows Live ID. Any achievement you unlock within Halo 2 or any other LIVE enabled game will appear under your Gamertag.
You will be able to play with other Halo 2 for Windows Vista players in awesome multiplayer action. You will not be able to play with Halo 2 players who are playing on the Xbox console however (see Tina's video on Channel 10 for explanation). Halo 2 for Windows Vista is designed for slick PC-to-PC gaming experiences. You get 23 multiplayer maps, along with a Map Editor to customize maps and will be able to download exclusive content for Halo 2 for Windows Vista as well. You can even setup a dedicated Halo 2 Server too! You will need an Xbox Live Gold account to enable multiplayer achievements, LIVE game hosting, and in-game chat.
The LIVE experience starts right when you fire up the game after installation. You sign in with your Windows Live ID and your Gamer Profile from Xbox Live is active within the game. Accessing Xbox Live and your friends on Xbox Live is done through the Guide.
Within the Guide, you will be able to view messages, view which friends are online, see game players, launch a private chat with a friend, and tweak your personal settings and profile. If your friends are on their Xbox 360's they will see you sign in just as if you were on an Xbox 360 too and will be able to chat and send you messages.
Through LIVE - you will be able to jump into Quickmatches on public servers throughout internet. If you have a Gold account, you'll be able to jump into Gold-only LIVE servers. There is peer-to-peer abilities as well.
Game Options Screenshots:
Xbox Live Screenshots (the Guide):
In-Game Screenshots:
Overall - Halo 2 for Windows Vista takes PC gaming to the next level. And this is only the beginning for Games for Windows - LIVE!
On my way to Los Angeles last week for WinHEC, I stopped by and picked up a few magazines for the trip. One of the magazines was the Games for Windows Official Magazine's June 2007 issue. Inside, they interview Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Entertainment and Devices Division Peter Moore who talks candidly with the magazine on Games for Windows - LIVE. Very cool (and interesting) article. Worth checking out if you want hints at what is to come.
My concern with Halo 2 is how it will run considering nVidia's drivers cause most other games to run at half speed compared to XP.
I'm probably going to wait until someone hacks together fake DX10 libs for XP that work with Halo 2.
Yeah they have done a fantastic job, put lot's of effort into it. That's obviously why it still says press the x button on the screenshots.
Well done
Not sure I follow you in regaeds to where it says "press the x button" in the screenshots.
But yeah they have indeed put a lot of effort into getting this game ported over with added functionality of LIVE on Windows Vista.
He is referring to the fact that the 'X' button is only really relevant for external controllers. i.e. the XBOX... not a PC keyboard or mouse...
nothing to do with halo 2, but I need help running Batttlefeild 2. Message from admin of this game say I dont have the required O/S privelleges. Can you explain and/or offer some advice. I should add that this has only occured since I got my new pc with vista home premium. Thanks in advance.
hi i just got halo 2 vista a few days back. everything works fine...except that i cant connect to gfw live on my xbox live account. i tried adding halo 2 and port 3074 to my firewall exception list, but it still cant connect. ive created a new xbox account from the link in the game, and it doesnt work. ive searched the net and it seems other people have also faced the same problem. please if you know of a solution, tell me. my email is tv_jin@hotmail.com, or you can respond here if you want
I am currently investigating this issue. Folks have recommended making sure port 3074 is opened on your firewall but you appear to have done that so let me move forward with trying to find a solution.
Thanks,
Brandon
i got it to work. i dont think it was the port problem. turned out that i had to use an account that said i was over 17.
Hey i have a problem with live it was a logon error code 0x8015 something but it ended in 90E but when i go to more ionformation there is no comment on how to fix it PLEASE HELP I WANT TO PLAY ON LIVE AND I NEED TO
OH COME ON! no has answered!
Sharks3167: uh, you can configure your Battlefield 2 executable to be inside the Games Explorer Windows, and from there you can then set the game to run as an admin everytime you click the game icon. The same thing went for my Rainbow Six Vegas game.
It says "press X" in case you are using an external controller, which is mapped the same way as an Xbox 360 controller, no lack of effort there
If Halo 3 doesn't supply my gaming fix - then it's uninstall Vista and back to XP. You mention a good job but not about the speed.
Let's talk about other successful PC games - Single player CoD runs like a dog on a brand new 64 bit machine ($1,200 box before I count my 24" widescreen lcd) and MP won't work (not even in an admin XP window).
If you read tech forums most IT depts are shying away from Vista at an alarming rate due to it's resource needs.
woof woof. This Vista dog dont' hunt.
And you're playing H2 on x64 why....? It's written in 32-bit code and is going to run in emulation mode under x64; why add another process to an already resource-hungry game when it can't take advantage of the 64-bit instruction set? Must be Vista's fault...
How do i make a account for halo 2 ?