Halo 3 Beta Impressions

Yesterday in New York City Microsoft held an invite-only preview of the Halo 3 Beta, and passed out early Beta keys to a group of game journalists. The result is a barrage of coverage about this most-anticipated title. Notable features beyond basic previews include Dan Hsu's take on the game, Dean Takahashi's 'I got my butt kicked' perspective, the San Jose Merc's interview with Bungie Community Lead Brian Jarrad, CVG's hosting of the official Beta Movie, and Joystiq's interview with Frank O'Connor, Bungie's writing lead. From the 1up preview: "It's unmistakably Halo gameplay, despite the rearranged controls (which feel natural after 10 minutes), and all of the additions fit perfectly into the multiplayer universe we've come to love. The interface has been overhauled and is even easier to use, and you now have such niceties as being able to change your control layout at any point on any screen. While the visuals are rich and beautiful, it's the audio that's really impressed us so far. The rumbling throttle of unleashing dual SMGs makes them feel incredibly powerful, and the Spartan Laser tearing past your head is as scary as you'd imagine. Audio cues are more important than ever, and the better your sound system the more next-gen this will feel." More coverage below.

Comments

Still missing one thing.

[An Ominous Coward]

Wake me when a console FPS game ships with a mouse and keyboard.

Re:Still missing one thing.

[The One and Only]

You know, I'm really sick of this particular criticism of console FPS games. The game was designed around a controller.

Not very well.

It plays perfectly fine with it.

No it doesn't.

Everyone else playing is using the same input device, there is no need for a keyboard / mouse.

Yes there is.

Remember the first time you ever used a keyboard / mouse to play an FPS? I'll bet it didn't seem intuitive at all

Yes it did.

Re:Still missing one thing.

[giorgiofr]

No, we really, really do NOT need to stop explaining why it's impossible to play an FPS with a console controller. I'm sorry, but the fact that it makes you feel bad does not mean it's not true. Aiming with such controller basically means waiting while your weapon travels towards the point you want it to be. Using a mouse makes you jump to the desired point. Yeah technically it still travels all the way to the destination but it's instantaneous if you know how to play.
Which you obviously do not know, because *you* *are* *not* *a* *gamer*. Deal with it. Besides, if you dislike us so much, as you say, then why the hell do you strive to be just like us?

Re:Still missing one thing.

[-noefordeg-]

It's still doesn't change the fact that using an analog controller is vastly inferior to using a mouse/keyboard combination. It really is!
And no! It didn't take long to get used to the mouse/keyboard combination in Wolfenstein 3D. It felt quite good from the start.

Low Quality Graphics

[Anonymous Coward]

The graphics quality of the game looks about what Battlefield 2 looked at medium quality. At this point in development the graphics aren't ever going to get much better. Halo games also aren't know for their unique or revolutionary gameplay so what reason do I have to buy this?

Shocked

[Anonymous Coward]

"Only id and 3d Realms have ever made FPS games worth playing." ...

Valve?

Re:Never played Halo..

[Anonymous Coward]

Gears of War? You have to be joking...

The crappy UE3 can only handle 4vs4 players at a time in tiny constrained environments. The networking code is easily the worst ever to ship in major online title. The lag bugs and problems are a complete joke.

And the actual gameplay is mind numbingly lame. Epic really showed the gaming world that put out a bunch of bogus and fake marketing shots for your game and it just doesn't matter what a piece of crap it really is, they'll still buy it.

mod upp

[Anonymous Coward]

its coRpse turned

WMV......lame.....

[wellingj]

any one have a ogg mpg or avi for us?

Re:Never played Halo..

[Anonymous Coward]

Just as shitty.

Gears of War ups the texture detail a bit but has to limit the player counts to only 8 and constrain the levels to tiny confined areas.

Halo 3 has crappier graphics and 16 players and somewhat larger areas.

Neither have dedicated servers which is pathetic in 2007. If you want quality online gaming you need to buy a PS3 or stick to your PC.

Re:Never played Halo..

[Anonymous Coward]

"I've found that dedicated server games almost always need the dedicated server because their code is so slow and laggy"

Gee, let me guess some of the other Xbox 360 damage control memes you post...

"I don't see the need for more storage next gen since it just lets developers be lazy and not compress their game data and anyway I heard Microsoft has some amazing compression tech that will fit tens of gigs of game data on a 7gig 360 DVD anyway"

"I don't see the need for backwards compatibility since I am totally focused on next gen games"

"I don't think the red rings of death are a problem since Microsoft really treated me well each of the three times I had to send my 360 in to be replaced"

Xbox 360 - Keep Lowering Your Expectations

50 dollars a year for laggy p2p online play. Yeah, it's the developers and not Microsoft's shitty online service. Right?

Re:Why would MS need to create a Resistance killer

[Anonymous Coward]

Wait, you mean THIS graphical turd:

http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1167/full-res/1 162870685.jpg

Oh sorry Xbots, I didn't have time to find one of Epic's highrez marketing shots to post...

And to think that jaggy 720p 30fps mess is the 'king' of 360 graphics! Hilarious!

8 players max online
tiny environments
jaggies everywhere
no more than 10 enemies onscreen at once
p2p networking with laggy online play
50 dollars a year
retarded weapons and gameplay

vs

40 players online
pristine AA - not a jaggy to be seen
dedicated servers
free to play online for everyone

Yeah, those clowns at Epic sure blew everyone away with their little UE3 game.

Re:Do we have to listen to this again?

[giorgiofr]

Well that's just flat out wrong. This story is about people playing Halo. They were doing it with console controllers. Halo is an FPS. There for, playing an FPS on a controller is clearly possible. You might think a keyboard and mouse is better, that hardly means that using a controller is impossible. It is not possible and they are not *playing* an FPS. They're taking part in a make-believe marketing move by MS or Sony.

Now lots of people play FPSs on consoles, and they seem to be enjoying themselves, so I don't think theres anything wrong with using a controller. I do think using a keyboard and mouse is better, if by better we mean provides faster response times. In any multiplayer game, where half the players were using K/M and half controllers, the K/M guys would win every time, all other things being equal. Exactly! So whay the hell are you still arguing? K/M is superior, end of discussion.

On the other hand, I think controllers have some advantages over K/M. My consoles are all in my living room, and I play games sitting on my couch. I don't have a desk in front of my TV, so there's nowhere to put a K/M. Try balancing a keyboard on your lap and running you mouse on the cushion next to you. Comfortable? Thought not. I also prefer a thumbstick to WASD. What does that have to do with gaming? I thought it was all about, you know, playing rather than choosing what to sit on.

But really, why does it matter? As the OP said, why do we have to keep having this stupid argument? You like the K/M, dislike the controller. OP likes controllers. I'm happy with either. Why does each side feel the need to not only say "I like x" but to also insist "because y is inferior"? I feel like I'm back in the playground arguing about C64s and Spectrums. Because I wouldn't like X more, if Y were superior. The reason I use X rather than Y is *precisely* that it is superior.

AH, so you are the final arbiter of who is and isn't a gamer? Wow. Am I a gamer? I've been playing video games for twenty years, but I like some console FPSs, so I might fail your test. Perhaps you mean he isn't a PC gamer? Are PC gamers the one true gamer clan, to whom all others are inferior? Are those who are unwilling or unable to drop stupid amounts of cash on new graphics cards and processors supposed to keep quiet and never offer an opinion? Should they just kneel in supplication and reverence before their PC gaming overlords? A-yup, you fail.

I'm not even sure what this means? Where exactly did he say he was trying to be like you? He said that when he whined because real gamers consider him inferior. Which is the same thing you're doing.

Re:Do we have to listen to this again?

[giorgiofr]

Thanks for proving you had no point to begin with.