After 7 games, I have the following to say :
Graphically, the game is not that much of a step up from Halo 2. But, it looks good enough, and the player models are definitely more detailed.
The new UI takes a little getting used to, but quickly becomes 2nd nature.
The Spartan Laser is a fairly awe-inspiring weapon, but it takes FOREVER to charge! Kills with it therefore feel very satisfying.
AI 'Guardian' guns in Snowbound pwned me! Good idea, wish I'd known what they were beforehand.
I am fast becoming sick of the sight of the map 'Snowbound'. All of my games seem to be there! It's a decent map, nice and compact, I just want to see the other ones.
WTF? Why can I not dual wield the needler?
'Higher Ground' is a fabulous map! The mongoose vehicle seems pretty pointless, though. Why would I want a single seat, gunless Warthog?
In Slayer mode, it really does seem like first spawn can determine who gets to control the match. I have yet to try the team games, but I imagine Higher Ground will be phenomenal for team modes.
Why can I only hear people in the lobby? I wanna trash talk! "IMMA CHARGIN MAH LAZER! SHOOP DA WHOOP!"
I love the in-game awards. Things like Killjoy, earned for ending a killing spree. I did wonder what the hell it meant at first, as I got it right on the back of a Double Kill announcement!
Bubble shield is handy, but far from 00ber. Portable Grav Lift is gonna be all over YouTube, mark my words.
Despite getting beaten quite comfortably on pretty much every match, I did enjoy myself. Last on my opening game, 4th (out of 6 players) on every other one.
More as I play more. For now, I declare the beta worth the wait.
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EDIT : A few games later!
I was mistaken about the Mongoose. It is basically a Warthog without the gun. Handy in the team games, but when they have Warthogs available too, I still wonder why they exist!
The map called Valhalla ... is superb. The 'Man Cannon' is just fun. Also, it is the only map on which I have seen the Missile Pod weapon, which is pure hand-held finger of god stuff.
Like any other game, you need to be in a team that plays as a team to actually enjoy the team aspect. Players who don't communicate are useless. (As are players who only communicate in German!)
Talking of ... um, talking ... you can talk to anyone by pressing the d-pad. Your team can automatically hear you. To talk to others without the hassle of d-pad, you need to join a party. Ranked slayer games have a party size limit of 1 player. And, you can choose to not hear anyone who is not in your team/party. GOOD THINGS!
Territories is where I can see the best fun being found. Offense = Capture 5 flags. Defense = Don't let the other team capture your flags. Sadly, my team didn't seem to realise this, but we still won.
I don't really understand Assault. I need to play it again, with people who actually posess headsets.
The announcer shouts 'BETRAYAL' when someone team kills.Not that I ever team killed ... ahem...
Having the red team's names in blue above them, and the blue teams's names in red above them is, in my opinion, counter-intuitive, and in the short term at any rate will lead to accidental team killing!
I am actually more excited about Halo 3 now than I was already. This beta is definitely a success.
Your last match is recorded, and can be viewed afterwards. The console only saves one match at a time, so you have to manually save the movie if you wish to view it later. I like this, and YouTube is probably gonna break as a result of it.
So, there we have it. The beta is FUN. As usual, player matches are going to be infinitely preferable to ranked, since people are already taking that side of the game a bit seriously. NONE OF IT MATTERS, YOU FREAKS! WAIT TILL THE REAL GAME IS OUT!
I would strongly reccomend to anyone who is thinking of renting/buying Crackdown in order to take a look at the beta to do so. EVERY copy has access to it, not just limited pre-orders. If you can find the game pre-owned, then all the better, since Crackdown is in itself well worthy of a full-price purchase.
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honestgamer - May 17, 2007 (10:10 AM) Maybe I should buy Crackdown. It wouldn't hurt for me to have a clue what people are talking about when it comes to Halo 3, and time until the beta closes is limited... |
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EmP - May 17, 2007 (01:55 PM) I have Crackdown, but I'm not online with my 360. I'm sad now. |
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