toggle

AAPL Stock: 562.29 ( -3.03 )

MacNN News

MacSoft to ship Mac Halo on December 3

updated 12:40 pm EDT, Tue October 21, 2003

Destineer's will be available on December 3. MacSoft says the game features many enhancements over the critically acclaimed and best-selling Xbox game, including online multiplayer support, new maps, vehicles and weapons: "Halo is optimized for the Macintosh with the precision offered by the mouse-and-keyboard and full support for high-end hardware including graphic resolutions up to 1600 by 1200 and beyond. Halo's online multiplayer feature will enable players to battle it out with fellow gamers worldwide in a variety of individual and team-based games."

by MacNN Staff

(32)

TAGS :

gaming

Share the Article

Facebook Twitter Delious Slash Dot Digg

toggle

Comments

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 12:50pm | report spam | close Reply |
WOo Hoo

Halo on its birth-platform! (And the day after my birthday!)

-Owl

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 12:53pm | report spam | close Reply |
Double WOO HOO

Finally!! It's about time! Thank you MacSoft.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 12:57pm | report spam | close Reply |
'Thank you' is right!

Thanks! It don't matter how long it took since this game is great no matter how old it is.

-Owl

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 01:01pm | report spam | close Reply |
Sys Requirements

I'd like to know what the system requirements are for the game. the win specs (700MHz, 32mb vid card) seem pretty tame.

this has a whole new engine, right? not using UT2003 or Quake engine, right?

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 01:01pm | report spam | close Reply |
Cinema Displays

There better be a res for the cinema displays - cant understand why new games ported to mac dont have a setting for cineama displays (or at least a custom file you can edit like Q3)

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 01:23pm | report spam | close Reply |
Performance?

Coming form the PC Side, a lot of people are disappointed at the performance of Halo...
(high-end machines play like c***, basically..)

Any word on how it performs on Macs?

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 01:27pm | report spam | close Reply |
so what now?

honestly where is my incentive to play? I played the h*** out of it years (plural) ago on my Xbox with 4 friends and with the netplay hack, and it was only OK then with S***** controls and lack of story.

halfway through the game you have to backtrack from the very start, hardly a well thought out game really. And from what I've played on my high end games only PC it is utter rubbish with low poly models and atrocious performance. I will not clutter my mac with such garbage (my sweet little G4 is better than that!) and I hope it falls flat as the almost 3 year old game it is...we're gearing up for halo 2 now, so I'll just go drool over that trailer while suckers pick this up.

if you pay more than 20 bucks for this you got taken for a ride- that is a perspective you'll find from any hardcore gamer.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 01:34pm | report spam | close Reply |
f*** this.

come ON man.

this game was cool three years ago. don't be robbed by this too-little, too-late port.

this is a real slap in the face to mac gaming, you should all be really offended.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 01:37pm | report spam | close Reply |
Halo not on Mac first

While yes, Halo was first shown publicly on a Mac at MWNY 99, the Mac version wasn't even up and running properly 12 days before it was shown. Halo was actually shown privately at the 99 E3 show running on PCs. They even had to show Jobs the demo on PCs because the Mac version was nonfunctional. So yes, the game was meant to come out for both Macs and PCs, but no, it was never going to be Mac only, and it wasn't a Mac first then PC second game.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 01:39pm | report spam | close Reply |
Halo is still good

And it's still fun to play. Getting it on the Mac and with keyboard and mouse control is great. Remember, portions of the game are being completely rewritten so it's possible that we can get better performance than PCs.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 01:54pm | report spam | close Reply |
no its not

we will not (macs AND pc) be getting better performance than that of xbox, and THAT wasn't all that great. This game shows its age and its simple run and gun missions arent cutting it anymore if you've started playing some real shooters lately. This game is marginal- the scope of each world now seems cramped and trite, I have no joy roaming around areas in the 'hog, h***, I've memorized every area completely and played online via xbox's tunnel system.

20$ is too much for this actually, the game is:
A) extremely long in the tooth (OLD)
B) fairly simple/ not complex (technically the poly count sucks, and retracing your steps is LAME- they just gave up and decided to not make another half of the game)
C) runs plain S***** on the BEST pc's out there. And those stupid things are bred for games and not much else as we mac users know.

BOTTOM LINE: fun 3 years ago? yes, while waiting for something better to come out. Fun now? NO.

halo= old and busted

PS- what makes you think we will get better frames than the PC crowd if their custom bred XP consoles cant run it worth a damn. I hold out no hope for this sorry-assed lame duck.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 01:54pm | report spam | close Reply |
PC Halo

The PC version of Halo does not perform well at all. I have a 2 GHZ PC with a 128MB radeon and I have to have the graphics settings on Halo set low. It will take them on high but it runs like c***. I hope the Mac version is better.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 02:09pm | report spam | close Reply |
how many years?

ok, we first publicly saw it in jan '98 was it? it was probably in production for several years beforehand, and its been 5 years since? all that time, all those years, what did they do, put it on a shelf with a "DO NOT OPEN TILL XBOX" sticker?

with all that time, you'd think they could have made it better. Damn you microsoft, damn you to h*** the day you thought of buying bungie. think where the mac gaming community would be today if bungie were still around as its own entity.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 02:09pm | report spam | close Reply |
keyboard/mouse isn't goo

You guys criticizing Halo are mad. It was rightly voted best game of the year, across all consoles, by some magazines. A lot of Mac owners haven't played it, and so they can discover how great it is, and shouldn't worry at all about the fact that it's a couple of years old. Think of this, having Halo should increase the chances of Halo 2 also being on the Mac.

I find the dual joystick control on the XBox Halo to be an excellent way to play FPS games. Keyboard and mouse is painful by comparison, and just imagine how it would be with keyboard and trackpad on a Powerbook.

Does anyone know if the game will make use of the XBox controller USB adapter leads? That would be a nice thing.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 02:10pm | report spam | close Reply |
Dude, Halo is Awesome

First of all, Halo come out for the Xbox 2 years ago, not 3, so it's not that old. The controls for the Xbox are awesome, if you play for more than 5 minutes, you'll understand why.

Simple run and guns mission? Bah, what other FPS isn't like this? Halo is more thought out than Unreal 2k3 which really is a run and shoot game.

The Xbox version was not made to play online, so of course it's not going to be the greatest.

I still play the Xbox version with may of my friends, multiplayer does not get old.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 02:28pm | report spam | close Reply |
Reality check

"this is a real slap in the face to mac gaming, you should all be really offended."

Honestly, if this sort of thing offends you, it's time to step outside and smell the fresh air.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 02:29pm | report spam | close Reply |
we're gamers you d***

no, you simply need to understand that hardcore gamers are passionate about their hobby. grow some understanding you chud.

listen it was game of the year 2 ALMOST 3 years ago this year. its not game of the year this year. s***, go buy a gamecube and eternal darkness for a rich game experience, this s*** isnt it.

FACT: Halo PC/MAC is warmed over xbox c***. it ran optimum on the xbox @ mostly constant 30fps, yet our computer equivalents with more ram etc etc average 20. that sucks. the game pace is slow.

i say run and gun because it lacks originality that say, a true pioneer like half-life offered: rich story/ gameplay. this is further underscored by teh games second half, in which you go back and play verbatim the first half with slightly different objectives. LAME. backtracking is something lazy game devels do.

xbox WAS made to paly online by the way, hence this little thing called xbox live? perhaps you've heard of it? and I guess I don't have to mention they all ship with a f****** ethernet port. (and Im not even a huge fan of the console, it collects too much dust at my house).

obviously the poster that enjoys using the xbox controller (type S not withstanding) isnt a hardcore gamer, otherwise he wouldnt decry the use of the tried and true WASD/mouse combo....no other setup offers that flexibility at this point and I've been doing it since you could hack the mouselook in Quake with a sweet little bind script. keyboard and mouse painful? maybe if you're missing a hand, otherwise the xbox setup, while adequate, lacks precision.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 02:37pm | report spam | close Reply |
The graphics are horid...

My friend has a decently spec'ed PC (9800, 2.4c P4, 800 FSB). The graphics look bad. Just flat out low qaulity. I mean, look at Doom 3, or Half Life 2. Now that is how a FPS should look these days, not this low quality garbage. Granted, I know those games aren't do out for a bit, but Halo on the PC looks like graphics from the Quake 2 era.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 03:24pm | report spam | close Reply |
Gimme

Urban Terror or give me Death

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 03:33pm | report spam | close Reply |
Woot

So Halo is finally coming out! I see the PC world has had it for a bit, and I know the ridiculous X-Box people think it's theirs for some reason, but now that it'll be out for the platforms it was actually conceptualized for, I'll agree it's finally ready.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 04:04pm | report spam | close Reply |
Geez ...

... I've been hearing about this game since I was a KID.

Maybe it's an awesome game for all I know (I still like KABUTO, so draw your own conclusions on my taste in games), but I don't care HOW good it is, it wasn't worth a four-year wait.

I've got a lot better things to spend my processing time on now.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 04:11pm | report spam | close Reply |
fine then

as a mac/xbox/gamecube/ps2 owner I can honestly say that a statement such as "finally ready" and "inteded platform" are rubbish.

I guess you apologists can simply look the other way as you get short changed since, as others will testify, the game simply sucks. unfortunately for some the xbox is the best platform to play this so-so game on...I simply find it hard to believe any REAL mac user would fall for the smoke and mirrors (not to mention failed promises/ delays/ what have you). think different and see that this game's time has come and gone.

go play something with some legs like another reader suggested: Urban Terror.
or maybe windwaker. or REZ. or Disgaea. or metroid prime (my definitive FPS/FPAdventure game).

halo is not cutting it anymore, and the real gamers refuse to let it have a pass. sorry casual guys.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 04:22pm | report spam | close Reply |
Real News: SSX3

Isn't it great the way the best multiplatform games come out for the ps2's which let you play online for free? You guys can whine about Halo all you want, but it's just another game that makes your mac more valuable. Some things suck on computers, some on consoles. I have NO IDEA what ppl are thinking using a mouse and keyboard v a laptop. Trackpads make laptops huge game controllers (and I can use the clunky xbox controls fine thankyou verymuch). So if you want a new game for your mac, then halo is probably a pretty good investment, but if you think about it...console games get down to $20.00 by the time they come out for wintel/macs so if you want a lot of the latest games and a good collection of different ones then buy a console. Just don't be a sucker. If you only have cash for one: PS2. If it's a money thing then you just buy the xbox (since you have to pay for every damn thing), and if you want to risk into some potential or keep w/ your favorite storylines..it's gamecube (no dvd though). But let's be real...the best game out there right now is SSX3 and if you didn't play Tricky then you wouldn't know, plus it won't get old before halo's out ;)

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 04:46pm | report spam | close Reply |
All the complainers

will end up pirating the game and playing it a lot anyway. Funny how that works.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 06:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
still say Halo is great

I have completed WindWaker, Metroid Prime, except the second half of the final boss battle, and even that all out violent epic Pikmin (in 23 Pikmin days). I'm not a huge fan of FPS games, mainy because of the difficulty of playing using a keyboard and mouse, although I did finish American McGee's Alice, but then that was a third person view, with Quake III keyboard control. I have also completed Turok Evolution, and some other console FPS's.

I've played the campaign on Halo 17 times now (including three on Legendary). It's like listening to a favorite CD, or watching a favorite movie. The game is a lot of fun, and I don't care if there are even better games around, it's a fine game.

In any case, hopefully there will be a free demo download for the Mac version like there is for the PC. Then people can make their own minds up. The demo level is Silent Cartographer, which is not neccessarily typical of the overall level design, but should give people and idea of what the game is like. I did notice though that your troops in the PC demo seem to be better than in the XBox version, I watched a colleague play the start of the level on Heroic, and he really took his time killing off the Elites, and yet most of his troops were still alive. Maybe it's made easier to not put people off.

I wonder how many of you that say Halo is a bad game have completed it on Legendary?

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 09:27pm | report spam | close Reply |
I can't wait...

to download it on Bit Torrent.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/21, 11:25pm | report spam | close Reply |
Well, at least...

...it didn't take as long as Duke 4Ever :D

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/22, 01:52pm | report spam | close Reply |
fine then

ive bested halo on legendary alone and with companions, i still say the later half sucks because of repetition. sucks large.

of course since you like that american mcgee s*** i can see it doesnt take much to impress you, i dont know a serious gamer that would touch that c*** without a laugh and/or a cringe.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

10/22, 02:02pm | report spam | close Reply |
my point was...

American McGee's Alice is an interesting telling of the Alice story. I only mentioned it to illustrate that I had coped with keyboard/mouse control for an entire game, and not to say that it's the best game ever, just so that you knew that I had given keyboard/mouse a fair try. Halo, on the other hand, was the best game ever. So was Mario 64, and Zelda 64, etc. Each game is as good as it used to be at the time that it was the best around, and I'm only arguing that there's a lot of people out there who haven't played anything as good or better than Halo, and will still have a great time. Anyone who has outgrown Halo need not buy it.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

11/16, 06:40pm | report spam | close Reply |
Looking 4 a whoopass FPS

Some Things never change. The flaming of Mac 'ers by Pc 'ers and Mac 'ers pointing down at the Pc 'ers. The amount of software games for Mac vs PC. has also not changed. But I don't get it if Apple is now "open source" why don't we see more of the porting of these games to the OS X platform. If Unix is so dam good then why are the masses hanging on to there windows box?
Common sence I would state as most of the gamers are of the working class and really don't think money grows on trees. I just want to play an outstanding game, that lets me forget for a while.

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

11/16, 07:07pm | report spam | close Reply |
Roger on the whoopass fps

Just buy a sony playstation or an Xbox thats a great way to ecape. Open source is somewhat confusing becuse its not free. If it takes you a few months to write code you time is worth something don't you think?
My hat is off to Macsoft and thank them for the games on my Mac. I'll buy Halo 1 and play it and if it helps fund a Halo 2 , ( 'v' )

MacNN.com Reader
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2001

0

01/22, 10:12am | report spam | close Reply |
idiot

"with all that time, you'd think they could have made it better. Damn you microsoft, damn you to h*** the day you thought of buying bungie. think where the mac gaming community would be today if bungie were still around as its own entity. "

Bungie was on its way to bankruptcy before Microsoft bought them.

Show More Comments

Login Here

toggle

Network Headlines

05/26	Apple updates iOS 5.1.1 release for...
05/25	Sotheby to auction Jobs Atari memo,...
05/25	Apple hiring new chip engineers for...
05/25	Third-gen iPad coming to Philippines...
05/25	Apple to integrate Baidu search into...

Show All

05/27	Manufacturing problems delay blue Samsung...
05/25	Sotheby to auction Jobs Atari memo,...
05/25	Apple to integrate Baidu search into...
05/25	Google picks up webOS Enyo team, Open...
05/24	Apple submits surprise optical stylus...

Show All

05/25	Sotheby to auction Jobs Atari memo,...
05/23	Google launches redesigned Search app...
05/22	Leaked next-gen iPod touch part hints...
05/22	Hulu Plus updates with iPad Retina...
05/22	TiVo Stream to push TV to iPhones,...

Show All

03/02	Save $330 on refurb. 15.4-inch, 2.4GHz...
03/01	Pre-owned 8GB iPod touch 2G, drops...
02/29	$150 off Nikon Coolpix S80 Compact...
02/28	Plantronics BackBeat 903 Bluetooth...
02/27	Refurb. Seagate 1.5TB GoFlex Portable...

Show All

toggle

MacSoft to ship Mac Halo on December 3

updated 12:40 pm EDT, Tue October 21, 2003

Related Articles

Recent Articles

WOo Hoo

Double WOO HOO

'Thank you' is right!

Sys Requirements

Cinema Displays

Performance?

so what now?

f*** this.

Halo not on Mac first

Halo is still good

no its not

PC Halo

how many years?

keyboard/mouse isn't goo

Dude, Halo is Awesome

Reality check

we're gamers you d***

The graphics are horid...

Gimme

Woot

Geez ...

fine then

Real News: SSX3

All the complainers

still say Halo is great

I can't wait...

Well, at least...

fine then

my point was...

Looking 4 a whoopass FPS

Roger on the whoopass fps

idiot

Login Here

Register for our weekly email newsletter:

Connect tools:

Subscribe

to our RSS

Follow us

on Twitter

10 Most Read

10 Most Discussed

MacNN Marketplace