Halo 3 Beta Impressions
(Keep in mind, the game which I am writing about is in it's beta phase, meaning not yet ready for retail release. I am one of many consumers who purchased Crackdown to get in on the early testing of Halo 3, and as such, certain features of the game, be they negative or legendary, may not be present in the final version. I just thought I'd let you know how the game works in it's adolescence, in a neat bulleted list.)
1. Halo 3 has changed up the traditional Halo controls that stayed the same throughout the first two games, but ever so slightly. The left and right bumpers replace the cumbersome and nigh-unreachable black and white buttons on the original Xbox controller, improving their functionality. The right bumper has taken over most of the controls of the X button: climbing into vehicles, picking up weapons, reloading, etc. The X button, in turn, is used to deploy "equipment", a new addition to Halo 3. Equipment includes items such as the bullet-blocking bubble shield, the shield-diminishing energy drainer, and the portable jump lift.
The left bumper is used to change grenade types. There are three types now, and you can only carry two of each (from what I've seen, perhaps there is a way to modify that number in personal matches.) Added to the Frag Grenade and Sticky Plasma Grenade (traditional Halo fare) is the "Nail Grenade" or "Spike Grenade", a homemade-looking bomb which can stick to walls (or other players, or vehicles) that sends spikes flying in all directions upon detonation. It's absolutely devastating to a crowded room of enemies (or friends, for that matter.)
Also, when dual wielding two pistols, the two bumpers correspond to their individual hands. Left bumper reloads the left weapon, right bumper reloads the right weapon. It's possible to never leave yourself vulnerable while reloading, a feature not present in previous Halo titles. These are small changes, but their effect on gameplay is very positive.
2. The new weapons and equipment help even the field. In Halo 2, if two men enter a room, and one is more skilled than the other, he will always win. No question. This is why I stopped playing Halo, I fell behind the curve, and couldn't survive more than a few seconds. However, with the implementation of equipment, which can greatly enhance your survivability, and heavy weapons (such as the removable turret or the rocket pod, which are incredibly powerful but slow you down significantly), it seems like anyone can hold their own on the battlefield, provided they get the drop on their prey.
3. The Spartan Laser is simply the most satisfying weapon ever fired. It's a giant laser that you have to charge for a few seconds, but if you are looking at someone when the weapon is charged, they vanish as a pillar of red light splits the world in two. You can almost hear their look of fear over the XBox Live Communicator.
4. Certain weapons seem to have been nerfed (made less powerful.) Including, but not limited to: The Brute Shot (it takes about 4 direct hits to kill), the Ghost (a bit slower, and the laser cannons aren't quite as powerful) and grenades on a whole (the blast radius has been reduced, and you can only carry 2 of each type.) Oh, and the Needler and Assault Rifle are still useless.
5. That weapon I referred to as the "Gunblade Jr." in a previous post? It's called a Spiker, and it rules.
6. The Man Cannon. The greatest name for anything, ever. It's a sort of gravity lift mounted on both bases in the "Valhalla" level (a re-recreation of Blood Gulch). It fires anyone who steps into it halfway across the level. It's a rush. But that's not the only thing you can do with it; my friend Patrick, who is far more creative than I am, started throwing explosive barrels into the cannon, firing them into unsuspecting players midfield. Awesome.
7. Smack Talk still exists, even in beta. Getting killed by someone right before capturing the flag is infuriating. Getting killed by someone right before capturing the flag, and then listening to their screaming, prepubescent laughter... that's an echelon of anger I've never reached before. I reached GRRRvana.
8. We beta players broke the internet. Take this with a grain of salt, considering that it's just beta, but the connection issues are plentiful. Loading into a game takes a while, and there will be times where you won't be able to access the matchmaking at all. I'm hoping these problems are beta-related, as they could seriously hamper the Halo experience after launch.
9. Oh yeah, you can make your own Halo films with the Theater Lobby. Just play a game, and right after, you can save a video of the game on the 360 Hard Drive. In the final version, you'll be able to "direct", i.e. change camera angles or slow down footage. This is an awesome feature, but I can't really imagine a situation where I want to spend an afternoon sitting back, watching XxPwnDoNkEYXx23's greatest sniper shots.
By and large, it's fantastic. There are things that put me off, but most of these things are engineered specifically for the beta, like the inability to choose your game type, and the limited number of levels. So, it really is early on in the game's development - but you'll be glad to know that everything's looking (and playing) really, really well.
