Halo 3 wins two from the Visual Effects Society

by Xav de Matos { Feb 11th 2008 at 6:45PM }

For their 6th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards, Halo 3 was chosen as the recipient of two awards during the announcement last night in Hollywood. Marcus Lehto, Jonty Barnes, Stephen Scott, and CJ Cowan got the nod for Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Video Game, while Matthew Gratzner, Alan Scott, Seth Curlin, and Greg Boettcher, won Outstanding Models or Miniatures in a Broadcast Program or Commercial for the Halo 3 Believe campaign. We love Halo as much as the next guy, some more than others, but when it comes to visuals we're thinking maybe the VES had their mailbox raided and missed a few contenders.

[via HBO]

Tags: award-winner, bungie, halo3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Ice9 @ Feb 11th 2008 7:51PM

About time Halo 3 got some recognition for its graphics. People think it's bland, but get it on an HDTV and get the camera in close in theater and you'll see hundreds of tiny scratches on armour, and close in you'll see tons of stunning visuals.

Josh @ Feb 11th 2008 7:56PM

Just looking at the light and the water in the first level is enough proof that Halo 3 does have some nice looking graphics, and I thought the in game cutscenes were well done also in terms of graphics and story.

Xav de Matos @ Feb 11th 2008 8:03PM

I think Halo 3's visuals are fantastic too, I'm just surprised it won this award.

bryan2four2 @ Feb 12th 2008 1:38AM

I made these people's desserts last night too! I was in the kitchen without being aware that Halo 3 won any awards.

Patrick @ Feb 11th 2008 8:27PM

Seriously. This award had to be only for 360 games. Halo has decent graphics but nothing compared to other games. Halo isn't even in the same book as Uncharted. Bungie used the same engine as in halo 2. They didn't upgrade like every other developer. If it says Halo people will buy it, you can have peach on the cover, still wouldn't matter. My guess Microsoft paid VES some money like they always do.

erivera3 @ Feb 11th 2008 11:25PM

Yes they did upgrade, how can you even think that's remotely true?

Halo 3 deserves much more praise for its graphics than it is given, MUCH more.

Knight Marquise @ Feb 12th 2008 12:43AM

Always nice to see the Sony fanbots work their way over here.

Patrick, I'm curious; how many copies did Uncharted sell, and how much money did it make? I always wondered how a male version of Tomb Raider would do.

dartmerc @ Feb 12th 2008 1:28AM

When Uncharted 3 comes out on the NEXT gen Playstation, I'll quote you the sales figures and list the awards it's won.

Knight Marquise @ Feb 12th 2008 10:18AM

It's always the same with you fanbots: wait...just wait until the PS3 Launches, Just wait until 2007, Just wait until Drake, Ratchet, Heavanly Sword, Lair, just wait until 2008, etc. ad nausium.

Sorry, both are nex gen games, both first party, both touted by MS & Sony. One broke all records, the other came no where close. Go figure.

mattclarkie @ Feb 12th 2008 11:56AM

I completed Heavenly Sword, and am waiting for the sequel. It was a very good game. Generally good looking, in places it went wonky, but I was playing on a console that was dying so maybe that was why.

I have yet to play Uncharted, or Ratchet, but they both look good.

RFOM is good, but I have yet to complete it.

Why can't we all just get along, I have both consoles, I don't count the Wii, so I have all the Next Gen Consoles, they have pluses and minuses, but I prefer my 360.

dartmerc @ Feb 12th 2008 5:38PM

@ Knight Marquise, lol, I think you missed my point.
What sold more, Halo 3 or Halo 1?
Halo 1 was a great game (far better then 3 for it's time), but obviously it wasn't going to break any sales records. When a great game builds into a great franchise then you can expect to see big numbers.
Also, I checked out some details on this VES mob, they seem to give awards to anyone, they gave some to a harry potter film, cars, and nemo. Figures.

mattclarkie @ Feb 12th 2008 3:58AM

Halo 3 was a very beautiful game. The reason that it gets stick is the art style, a game doesn't need a "realistic" art-style to look realistic.The style of the games, especially Halo 2, but present in all of them meant that it is hard to make them look like CoD4, but it doesn't mean that the graphics, textures aren't as good or better than CoD4. When you are modelling fictional creatures, aliens, technology, and space-craft it takes a lot of work to make them convincing, it is much easier to make copies of real-life items like in CoD4.

Also just look at the backgrounds and level designs and tell me that they aren't brilliant, remember Halo 3 has "over 100 more p's than CoD4".

Teabag @ Feb 12th 2008 5:07AM

"Outstanding Models or Miniatures in a Broadcast Program or Commercial", really? Is this a regular award or created for Halo 3?

Anyway, Halo 3 had decent graphics. Fantastic in some places, old in others and bland in a few spots. I think Call of Duty 4, Crysis, Bioshock, Mass Effect, all these takes the cake away from Halo 3. I wonder what made them give it the award. Bluntly put, dollars maybe.

Josh @ Feb 12th 2008 12:38PM

Everyone is complaining about how other game have better graphics than Halo. This is true, but that is not what the award was for. Halo isn't getting the waward for "best overall graphics," it is being awarded for features like its particle effects which are at the top of the game. It is the minor effects and the technical aspects of accomplishing them being looked at.