Halo 3 Beta: A Seriously In Depth Review

Friday was a good day to be among Bungie’s “Friends and Family” as roughly 10,000 lucky Halo nerds got invited to the Beta almost six days early.

Personally, I thought the message in my Bungie inbox was a joke. A joke that insisted I leave work immediately, telling no one, and drive home to verify its validity. I mean, five days early? That’s too good to be true, right?

Apparently not. The code worked and 15 minutes later for the 990mb download, the dulcet tones of the Halo theme song were emanating from my speakers. Halo 3 Beta… Love, Bungie. Whatever.

The opening screen is much like that of Halo two visually. It’s a slow pan around Valhalla in shades of Halo blue. Down at the bottom you can Play the Beta or Watch a Film (more on that later).

Once you’ve signed in, there are all kinds of options. You can choose how matchmaking finds a game (best connection, etc.). You can choose from Social or Ranked games. Social has Team Training (party up to 8) and Rumble Training. On Wednesday, I’d recommend partying up with your friends in Rumble Training or Team Training, calling a ceasefire and exploring the map.

Before that, however, you’ll want to trick out your Spartan.

Emblems and Armor:
There aren’t any new emblems, though there are some new backgrounds (some stars, some bars). There are probably 8-10 more color choices for your emblems and armor. Half of those are light and girlish. For, you know, the girls.

As for armor, you get a primary color, a secondary color and a detail color, which is basically a band around your bicep and thigh on the right side. Emblems only show up on the right side shoulder and the center of your back. You can sort of end up looking like Boba Fett.

Also, don’t for get to change your numbers. You get one letter and two numbers.

Voice:
Remember how Frankie kept promising us ways to keep the random jackassery at bay? Bungie has delivered. There are three general voice options: All, None or Team and Party Members. They’re self-explanatory so I won’t bother explaining further.

Muting is also as easy as promised. Select a gamertag in the lobby with the A button. Thumb down the list of options until you see “mute” and select it. Say goodnight, Timmy.

Over on the Bungie forums, they’re saying that there’s a Team Chat voice option that leaves the voice channel between you and your teammates open all the time. I apparently haven’t found that yet, but if it’s true then I’m a happy man.

If they’re not, you’ll be using the D-pad to activate your com. It makes a goofy noise when you do. Using the D-pad to talk is inconvenient. If you take your thumb off the left stick to activate voice, you stop moving. Why would you ever want to stop moving in a Halo game? I’m hoping the Timmies on Bungie are correct. If they are, that’s the most brilliant, simple thing ever.

Sound:
I hope you have surround sound. Halo 3 sounds like war. The gunfire echoes off the walls and changes pitch and tone depending on how far you are from it. In fact, much like the graphics, everything sounds crisper and more realistic. It’s good stuff. Can’t wait to try it with my Trittons.

Controls:
There are no new schemes in the beta, and I imagine by now you’ve seen the button assignations on bungie.com. RB picks up new weapons, reloads your single (or right handed weapon) and activates things. Everything X did in Halo 2, basically. LB runs nades when you’re single wielding, reloads your left gun when you’re dueling.

One cool option is the ability to toggle crouch. I know a bunch of ninja players are going to enjoy not having to hold down the left stick.

Lobby:
In the lobby, you can look at the stats of the last game (and save vids) right up until the next game starts. You can select any other players name and see their individual stats and medals, and then look at their Service record, see their ranks, Shared Files, etc.

Once you’ve selected which matchmaking list you want, the opponents have been found and MM finally shows you the gametype, you have the ability to Veto. If more than half the lobby vetos a game, MM automatically selects a new map and gametype (if you’re not in team slayer). That’s awesome for when you’ve played High Ground six times in a row.

HUD:
Don’t worry, that slight arcing you see in the vids is in now way distracting. In fact, this may be the best HUD of any of the three Halo games. It’s much easier to keep track of your shields now, and the radar seems easier to use (although the active range of the radar seems to be greatly decreased, which makes things exciting on multiple-level maps).

Eye Candy:
I read in some other review that it doesn’t look “next gen.” Honestly, what the hell does that really mean anyway? What’s a “next gen” game supposed to look like? Crysis? The graphics in the Halo 3 beta are crisp, detailed and pretty to look at. And they look like they’re from the Halo universe.

I imagine there’ll be comparisons made to Gears of War. Halo 3 is just as pretty in its own way. Neither game is photorealistic. Halo 3 is, well, Halo only better. I hate to say Frankie was right, but … the water is fantastic. There’s a spot in the middle of Valhalla where the water flows over some rocks in the stream… you could literally just sit there and watch the water.

Except, of course, there are people shooting at you. Which brings us to the reason we’re all here…

Weapons:
First off, the pistol and sword aren’t present. Not anywhere on any of the three maps. Don’t bother looking. Also, as a general rule, the auto-aim in Halo 3 seems much lighter than Halo 2. In fact, it feels much more like Halo. The BR, Carbine and Sniper are all more difficult to score hits with, which will make them more valuable weapons once mastered.

Assault Rifle: It’s not a bad gun, really. It’s not what you want for shooting out in the open, but it’s nasty inside of a base or in a garage. If you pulse it, you can headshot with it. The clip isn’t very deep, however, so make sure you soften them up with a ‘nade first or you get close enough to throw the melee.

It is better than the Halo 2 SMG, but don’t put any sort of distance between you and someone with a Carbine or a BR. You’ll lose.

SMG: The rate of fire sounds like it’s increased and with two of these and a decent range, you can chew someone up in a hurry. Very comparable to the Spikers. Not worthless, but as 90 percent of the Beta maps is open terrain (excepting the base on High Ground), you’re better off with your AR and some nades.

Battle Rifle: The BR isn't the precision instrument it is in Halo 2. It's not unusable by any means, but it feels... squishy. It’s much more difficult to get a headshot, though your reticle shows a dot when you’re lined up on a target’s dome. Zoomed in, it’s more difficult to control than in Halo 2. You can still get a four-shot kill with it, as long as they’re running right at you and not trying to dodge. Range is what determines the better weapon for the job now. Don’t let someone with an AR get the jump on you in closer quarters. You’ll get dropped.

Carbine: Probably the gun to use right now as far as accuracy goes. It’s got the most distance, seems to be more controllable than the BR and will fire as fast as you can shoot it. With a steady hand, you can beat an opponent with any dual combo, an AR or even the BR.

Sniper and Beam Rifle: As I mentioned before, it feels harder to use. Less auto aim. You can still sweep snipe, but the sweet spot is smaller and less forgiving. The rate of fire is also slower. It also feels as though Bungie has tightened up the target mapping. A hit has to be a hit. You can shoot between a Spartans legs and miss entirely.

Spartan Laser: You’d think this thing would be overpowered. It’s an automatic one-shot kill, after all. If, that is, you’re lined up on your target when it fires. That’s not so easy. First, the pre-shot targeting laser makes a noise the target can hear when he’s lined up. It’ll take you one time getting lased to pay attention to that sound.

When you first pick it up, you might find yourself trying to use it like a plasma pistol as both weapons require you to hold down the trigger. Where as with the PP you let off to release the shot, with the laser, you just keep the beam on the target until it dies. Again, that’s easier said than done.

You have about three seconds from the time you pull and hold the trigger until the weapon fires. If at that time you're having to make a twitch adjustment, you're going to miss. Then again, the reticle is nice and big and if they're in it at all, they're toast. It seems easier to lase something if you're moving parallel with it.

Plasma Pistol: Let’s just say the noob combo has survived, but it’s not as easy to use this time around. The plasma bolts don’t make right turns and the reticle has to be red when you release or it’ll easily miss. That said, out on open ground, it’s just as deadly as ever. The handy info panels in the pre-game lobbies tell you the PP will disrupt vehicles, whatever that means. Good luck hitting a moving vehicle with it.

Brute Spikers: These feel, look and sound awesome when firing. If you’ve got a single, they’ll drop someone in combo with a melee or nade easily. Dualed, they’re nasty up close, again, much like the new SMGs.

Plasma Rifle: Honestly, I haven’t picked one up yet. Nothing new to report.

Turrets/Rocket Pod: You can now take turrets with you, and if not practical all the time, it’s kinda cool to pretend to be the Terminator. You move in slow motion (and the view changes to third-person), but it’ll chew people up. Ammo, however, is not infinite.

The Rocket Pod spawns in the basement of the bases on Valhalla. Same movement restrictions as the turret. It has an eight-shot magazine and heat-seeking capabilities for turrets and vehicles. It appears to take two-three rockets to take out a hog, though it’ll take care of a Mongoose in one shot.

Needlers: Needlers no longer dual-wieldable. They still track will kill someone much quicker than in H2. I’ll have a tough time considering it a weapon to pick up, but that’s more mental reprogramming than anything else.

Shotgun: The shotgun falls somewhere in between the Halo and Halo 2 versions. It’s more lethal than in H2 for sure, but can still take you two shots to kill someone if there’s distance between you. Then again, you may be able to cover that with the Shotty Lunge, which is lightning quick.

Nades: I remember Frankie saying somewhere that the stickies were more sticky than in H2. I haven’t seen evidence of that. Though they are prettier when they blow up. All of the ‘nades explosive diameters have been reduced, so you’ll have to be more accurate. The nail grenades do stick to walls, but don’t have a huge blast radius. They’ll be instrumental in teaching a basic tenant of Halo-gameplay: don’t chase. Also, they look awesome when stuck to someone’s forehead, like you’ve just made a Spartan Unicorn.

Rockets: Like nades, rockets have a smaller blast radius. And they no longer track. In short, they’re much more Halo than Halo 2.

Equipment:
For those worried about equipment unbalancing the game, don’t be. They’re very limited in use and hard to come by. Even if you can find a strategic use for the, staying alive to accomplish that feat is another matter entirely.

Portable Lift: I’ve only seen it on High Ground in the beta. It’s helpful for getting you into the tower, but that seems to be about it so far. Kind of a utility/novelty thing. If you're looking toward the base from the beach on High Ground, the lift will spawn at the mouth of the cave on the left.

Trip Mines: They’re only present on Valhalla in the beta, and spawn on the top of each base, left side next to a pair of brute spikers. So far, I’d say they’re good for either booby-trapping the bomb plant spot, covering a retreat, or saving yourself from an oncoming vehicle. They’re not particular as to friend of foe, so maybe let your teammates know where you left it.

Power Drainer: By far the coolest of the equipment options. The power drainer spawns near the downed pelican on Vahalla, and on one of the balconies in the tower on High Ground. It discharges a hemisphere of EMP, which takes down everyone’s shields in the area, including your own. After about 10, 15 seconds, it blows up. Great surprise to keep in your pocket.

Bubble Shield (aka, the Thunderdome): The bubble shield spawns under a rock ledge in the middle of the hill outside the bunker on High Ground. On Valhalla, it spawns on the sunny side halfway between the two bases and near a Mongoose and portable generator.

As a tool, I can see the shield covering your escape or allowing you to recharge your shields after a battle on open ground. It’s like portable cover. But if someone decides to run in with a shotgun, you’d better be ready to melee. Or duck out the far side. Out in the sun on High Ground and Valhalla, it’s hard to even see from a distance.

Additional weapon spawns:
High Ground (looking toward the base from the beach): Invis (which looks awesome now and is the size of a beach ball) is up on a ledge on the left side, along with a BR. A shotty is straight ahead behind a concrete wall. The sniper rifle spawns at the mouth of a cave on the right side (and doesn't wait for someone to drop it before it respawns; no, I haven't timed it yet). if you continue up that cave, just to the left of the mouth of it, there's another concrete wall. Rockets are in front of it. The base is mostly loaded with carbines and dual-wieldables. Nades are everywhere. There is a BR in the back in a garage.

Vahalla: Each base has two mongooses and a hog. In the basement, there's a rocket pod, a sniper rifle, a BR and a couple plasma pistols. Up top, there are a couple of spikers, some more ‘nades and a couple BRs. In the caves to the dark side of the map, there are more BRs and shotguns. I believe the Spartan Laser spawns in the middle of the map.

Snowbound: I believe in military terms, they’d call this map a “Charlie foxtrot.” There are tunnels everywhere. One side of the map gets carbines, the other, BRs. Both spawn on the backside of the bases either side of the entrance to the basement and one up top. Inside one base, there's a beam rifle and a bubble shield. The other base gets the laser. There's a tunnel on the... glacier side of the map with a ghost in it. On blue side, there's a small tunnel front and right of the base where the invis spawns. A power drainer spawns inside the base with the Spartan laser.

Vehicles:
You only get the Hog, Ghost and the ‘Goose. The Hog seems slower, slightly, but it’s the hog. There’ll be time for messing with it when the retail comes out. Same with the Ghost (which is basically exactly the same with weaker guns and a prettier paintjob).

The Mongoose sounds and drives amazing. It’s fast as hell and great for getting you from one end of the map to the other. Riding “Brokeback” will have its advantages, probably for flag running.

Also, there are some gnarly big ramp-like rocks that provide sweet jumps for the ‘Goose on Valhalla. Do yourself a favor and do some joyriding.

Gametypes:
VIP: Each team has a VIP who has an OS. You only score by killing the VIP and it's first team to 10. Fun on Snowbound, not so fun on Valhalla.

Assault: You "arm" the bomb just by carrying it to the plant spot, at which point, you drop it. You then defend it while it arms. Takes 10, 15 seconds, but you don't have to sit there with your hands holding the bomb. If you're the defensive team and you kill the offensive guys, you can "disarm" the bomb, at the end of which it returns bomb to sender.

King of the Hill: the hill indicator is like nine fucking feet tall and more difficult to see through. So far, it's been first to 100 points I think. you get points for being in the hill instead of time. Be sure to check out the "hill" generators.

Halo 3: The Theater
After every game while looking at your stats, you can save a video of the game. Just press X. The videos, while not a “recording,” capture every move you make. Every twitch of your reticle, every wrong turn, every missed melee. And they look incredible, which they should as they’re being rendered in real time by the Halo 3 engine.

Once you’ve saved your game, you can upload it for others to see. All they have to do is check out your service record, select “file share,” and download your video. Frankie has said the video feature is nerfed in the Beta. Can’t wait to see how to export these films or maybe do some in-game editing?

Final Thoughts
First off, Halo 3 is still a Halo game. It feels comfortable the moment you step in. As rife with hallways, crevices and tunnels the maps are, they’re easy to memorize and you’ll have them down in just a few games.

The guns will take some getting used to. There’s little auto-aim, which makes it seem like it takes more shots to down someone (which’ll be really bad if the game is laggy). Fortune rewards the steady hand in Halo 3, apparently.

The bad news… I’m pretty sure someone standbye’d in one game and bridged out in another. Literally bridged out. Hopefully Bungie’s new Douchebag Detection System will seek and destroy the offenders so we won’t see so much of it. Be sure to utilize the voice and mute options to limit your contact with the unwashed masses (if you want).

Yeah, I’m biased, but it’s still a blast to play. Harder, prettier, more seductive. Oh, and so far, no button combos. It’s going to be tough going back to Halo 2 when this is all said and done.

Happy hunting.