Bungie and Microsoft has given out codes to select members of the press to get a first-hand look at the open beta of Halo 3 before it goes live on May 16. CVG has been hammering the game since last night and we can now proudly present our first-hand impressions.
Weighing in at just over 900MB, it took us around half-an-hour to get up and running late last night. By now everyone should have seen the leaked YouTube movies and had a quick look at the maps, weapons and game modes of the open beta. What you'll see in the beta is nothing revolutionary and your first impressions will be that you've been here before.
It's essentially the same formula as Halo 2 online only with a few new spices to liven things up. But did we really expect it to be a totally different game? No, in fact it was just good to be playing new Halo again. Halo 2 has been pretty much exhausted since it came out and even releasing remade maps from Halo 1 will do little to give the game a fresh feel.
Snowbound, Valhalla and High Ground all serve as a good indicator that Halo 3's multiplayer is going to be just as much fun as previous instalments of the franchise. All three maps are small and open allowing you to spend most of your time engaging in combat rather than wandering through corridors and mountain passes trying to find someone to shoot. These have clearly been selected for the immediate fun factor.
You can play team or solo games and Bungie's new matchmaking options are being put to the test. Finding a game is no problem and the beta hasn't even gone public yet. But once you've joined a game and then finished, you can stick around the lobby and 'party-up' with other players just by hanging around. The game will then take whoever's left off to find more players for a new game. This saves the need to quit out and fire out friends requests, accept them, and join their games if there's someone you've got on well with on the battlefield.
There's a massive community feel to Halo 3 and you'll get to try out the much-talked about Saved Film function. Once you game's finished you can hit a button to save a replay of it and watch it later. The idea being that you can analyse you or your team's performance and improve it.
Clans are going to love this and you can swap and share clips via Xbox Live. There's limited function in the open beta of Saved Films but it's enough to give you a idea of the potential for fans sharing their greatest moments long after the glory has gone. Remember all those homemade videos of players blasting Warthogs around maps in Halo 1? Bungie has now basically given the community a set of tools to do it properly. It's just another sign that user generated content is beginning to take over the world.
Visually the game is looking good, nothing draw-dropping like in a Gears Of War kind of OMG, but that's more down to the art direction of Halo than developer skills or tools. There are some nice little touches in there though and they're so subtle you may or may not even notice them. For example Snowbound features soft surfaces and if you look closely, you'll be able to see character models sinking into the snow as they move on the map's surface.
The matchmaking process decides the game mode you're about to play and the playlist's favourites so far seem to be standard deathmatch, rockets and Shotty Snipers. Main team modes feature Team Slayer, Territories and CTF. Whether you're a fan of solo or team games, there's plenty to chew on in the beta.
Performance-wise we haven't run into any problems yet. Maybe that'll change when it goes live to the masses but everything seems to be running as planned, which isn't bad considering the size of the demo and that fact hat it hasn't been optimised yet.
The Halo 3 beta won't surprise you but it does serve as a reminder of how strong the console shooter is online. As we said before, it's just good to be playing new Halo and we'll be playing as much as possible for the three weeks it's live.
Expect more impressions and reports as the weeks unfold. If you're lucky enough to have got a place on the closed beta, let us know your initial thoughts below.
Michael Jackson: Firstly, ignore cross-comparisons between this and Halo 2 claiming they look the same. The detail, the lighting and the explosions are all miles better than Halo 2 and in action this really does look gorgeous.
Graphics aside, the one thing this Beta does well is demonstrate how well balanced the weapons are, and the new variables brought in by the new weapons and items. The introduction of 'Equipment' is genius.
I've seem people throw down Bubble Shields then, as an enemy approaches, drop a grenade into it and back out for the opponent to eat a face full of explosion. The portable Grav Lift is cleverly used on High Ground to enter a base in a sneakier, unexpected way. The Energy Drain and Trip Mine are equally as clever, but none give you so much power as to spoil the mechanic of the game.
Bungie has served up a brilliantly varied pick of levels too. High Ground has both great outdoor and indoor fighting and, for close-range combat, it's the most intense (and is my favourite). Snowbound is more open and more about sniping but still relatively fast, while Valhalla is a huge, sneak-about sort of stage - one for sniper demons.
Most importantly, it's fun. Despite the lack of the customisable options and only three levels, I've done 10 hours already and can't wait to get back on it tonight. You're in for a treat come Wednesday.
Andy Robinson: Halo 3's addiction factor cannot be questioned. Saturday consisted of an all-day session on the eerily-empty closed beta servers, a short detour to the pub before returning to join the still-fragging CVG comrades until 4am.
Initially we were attempting to drive warthogs through the man cannon but with little success, but once the novelty has worn off the little touches eventually began to shine though. The new Brute toys are true warrior weapons; dual Spikers are lethal and it'll be a truly sad day when beta users become wise to spike grenade tagging.
Equipment seems to be somewhat of a novelty at this point but at least its adds a sprinkling of variety to normal fragging affairs - and there's nothing better at shaking up a gunfight than a Bubble Shield thwarting any attempt at exchanging gunfire.
Graphically I'll admit I'm a little under whelmed; the art is there but so many other shooters make better use of the Xbox 360's horse power. The three maps however flow wonderfully, with lots of little touches like hatches you can shoot open and wired fences for smashing cars through.
Hopefully, by the time the general public arrives I'll be able to put up a decent fight.
Does anyone know if the beta will let you play with just a group of friends over live? I'm guessing theres no LAN play for the 'live' beta, but what about custom games; example: I invite 7 other friends in to a lobby and we play four on four over live. can his be done within the beta. Also what time is it out in the uk? thanks Mike
It's obviously going to be a decent game, though why only 16 players? Next generation should be churning out more than this. Maybe it is the vehicles that limit the amount of players. Personally, after playing resistance fall of man with 40 players, I am struggling to get excited about this. Halo over-hyped? You betcha...
I disagree. Sometimes big teams are great fun but it is a totally different type of game to one that has 16 player limit or even 8 like gears of war. The number of people doesn't bother me. If the maps are well designed there is always some actin to be had so its irrelevant if you have more players.
I prefer smaller sizes - the game is much more considered. With too many it feels like you just get lost in the crowd.
I disagree. Sometimes big teams are great fun but it is a totally different type of game to one that has 16 player limit or even 8 like gears of war. The number of people doesn't bother me. If the maps are well designed there is always some actin to be had so its irrelevant if you have more players.
I prefer smaller sizes - the game is much more considered. With too many it feels like you just get lost in the crowd.
It's obviously going to be a decent game, though why only 16 players? Next generation should be churning out more than this. Maybe it is the vehicles that limit the amount of players. Personally, after playing resistance fall of man with 40 players, I am struggling to get excited about this. Halo over-hyped? You betcha...
After playing Resistance online myself with 40 people, i can say im thankfully a AAA game like Halo 3 isn't going to have its online experience runied by making the game just crazy and unplayable by having so many people. 16 is a nice balanced number and actually makes you feel part of the team. Your not just a countless drone that you could care less about but a valuable team member.
As for the BETA, i saw some HD videos of it and it looked great. Only saw 2 maps but some of the new weapons looked fun. The graphics, while not a GEARS beater are extremely crisp and very next-gen. People will obviously complain but it looks great. Can't wait for the open BETA to begin.
I know what your saying and I agree to a certain extent. It's just that the game has'nt wow'd me like I thought it would. It's been hyped up so much that it just has'nt reached my expectations, especially after seeing gears of war (not that I liked that much, the game itself was poor in my view). I think people are still in love with the franchise because of the first game, which in my opinion was one of the best games ever, but, like the second game, this looks more of the same to me.
Spot on. Battlefield online is a great experience, especially with the full 24 players.It also has vehicles, from helicopters to tanks. Resistance is quite clever online and caters for different numbers of people by making the maps larger or smaller depending. Still, nothing quite beats 20 v 20 on the large maps. It can be hectic, but it puts a big grin on my face when I come top out of 40 people. Can't beat it. More is better!
Yeah that's a good point, too many people on a map kind of inhibits the kind of fun gameplay that a more intimate setting can spur. Defending is almost impossible without teamwork and everyone does their own thing. Twenty people or less is the way to go.
i don't understand why people are complaining about a large amount of players on one map! at the end of the day you don't have to choose a 40 player match if thats not your thing, and if it was included then people who like it, choose it. people who don't then choose a 16 player match or whatever, it's as simple as that!
People are also commenting on the graphics not being too good, let's not forget guy's that THIS IS THE BETA VERSION! bungie has said theres going to be an improvement in the final version!
last thing is to people who say it's just like Halo 2. all i can say is "if it ain't broke, dont fix it!"
If Insomniac released a slightly tweaked version of resistance in 3 years time after hyping it up to be the best thing ever, then Halo fans would be very quick to snipe (no pun intended). I'm sure Halo 3 will get staggering reviews just like gears of war - even though that game did'nt deserve it. If GOW's graphics were pump then nobody would want to play it, simple as that.
I found gears of war to be incrediable, not just because of the gameplay, the combat and weapons were satisifying and chainsaw bayonets, need i say more?
Halo 3 Beta summed up in a few words, tired, same old same old,unoriginal. Its Halo 2 HD, but then the graphics are not even "Next Gen". New maps? more like could'nt be bothered to create new maps. Bungie need a new team of artists with imagination! Whats going on. Put it right Bungie, or sell it for Ł29.99 like that Earth Defence Force crap! We need something new, something fresh I can only hope the SP campaign is better. Sort it out Bungie, theres not much time left and so much to do.....
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