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Halo 3 Beta Closes Up Shop
"Don't get attached to anything" is the message conveyed by Bungie, concerning the end of the public Halo 3 Beta. The event, which concluded yesterday, was the proving ground for multiplayer portion of the highly anticipated title. Halo 3 is due out this September. "The Beta has been a great success for us in terms of the sheer amount of data it allowed us to gather, for matchmaking, networking, general bug-bashing and of course some gameplay elements. As the Beta heads to the great software graveyard in the sky, it's vital to remember that things you got used to during these short few weeks, are almost certain to change. Some of those changes will be subtle, nuanced, perhaps even invisible. Others will be less subtle - with shifts in game types, weapon functionality, spawn points and map details."
The Halo series is a pretty solid game for a console shooter. I dislike PC shooters for their uber-competitive nature, yet most console shooters are annoyingly awkward in multiplayer, which is where most of the fun comes from. Yet as someone who isn't head over heads for FPS games, and also doesn't hold Goldeneye in high regard, I probably had the most fun online in Halo 2 than any other multiplayer game I've played. There's enough consistency and interesting balance in the game that most games end up very entertaining. I think the game rates poorly for people who are very competitive, since it's not as open to clanning and grouping compared to a PC game. I also think the fact that it's based on a gamepad discourages people, especially those who are very focused on using a mouse and getting constant headshots. But for people who like FPS games but don't want to deal with uberweapons, there's enough variety and subtle balance in the game that I really, really enjoyed it. Most FPS games for a broad audience just shoot for cheese or wacky, like TimeSplitters. Or there's too much emphasis on giving everyone crazy weapons or weird customization that does nothing to really make the core game better (just a different avatar). Halo, I think, succeeded very well at being a broad-audience FPS, as I think its sales numbers show. I don't think it's "the best," but "best" is very subjective anyway. I appreciate that the game was serious about strategy and maps and weapon balance, without focusing on the elite gamers who only play for rank or achievements. I hope Halo 3 follows in those footsteps.
I'm not really a Halo fan. Completed the first one on the PC, never played 2 and only played 3 because I wanted Crackdown.
Having said that, I'd expect the final release to have much better graphics than the demo -- and not because they've still got a few months to work on it. Basically, the H3 beta had to be delivered via Xbox Live. So, they had to keep the download size reasonable. Now, if you're looking to strip stuff out of a game, your choices are limited. Simplify the map layouts or alter the game engine and you're (a) making way too much work for yourself and, (b) not really giving an accurate representation of how the game behaves.
The only real way to reduce a game's size without upsetting the aims of the demo/beta is to seriously drop the size and quantity of the world's textures. Possibly drop the complexity of some non-critical models too.
I've seen this happen before. Compare the Xbox Live demos of Crackdown and Forza 2 -- both demos are significantly crappier-looking than their full retail counterparts.
So, whilst I'm not expecting anything jaw-dropping from Halo 3 once it's out, I'd certainly expect it to look significantly crisper and slicker than the beta.
What's the frequency, Kenneth?
This isn't H3 related, but just wanted to vent anyway. I got my 360 on Live for the first time recently and started playing some Halo 2 games. I am 90% confident that every single opponent on the network is a robot. Of course, most of you may have already come to a similar conclusion.
They all have the same whingey American accent. They all talk themselves up. They're all obsessed with making allegations of homosexuality, a split second before telling you to suck their dick or threatening to buggerise you (not their actual choice of words, mind you). (Seriously, it borders on obsession with gay acts - can't say I understand it. If I want to run around and gun people down, I'll play Halo; if I want to get my dick wet, I have a girlfriend.)
People quitting games is also annoying. Either you feel overwhelmed and check the scoreboard to see you're the only one left facing another eight minutes of trying to escape four guys from the other team, or you end up running around for 10 minutes without sighting an opponent until you realise it's 6 on 2 and your team gets so bored they turn on each other for fun.
Other than lag (being in Australia and getting put on US servers - are there even any AU servers?), you're right, the people are the problem. Guns don't kill a game, people kill a game.
Still, it's fun.
'Thats they exact same thing a banana wrench monkey.'
But let's ignore that for the moment, and focus on this: Halo 3 has really driven a split into the current Halo community. You now have a pretty clear divide in the reactions to the game into two camps: * The diehard Halo fanboys who are emotionally attached to the series * The general gamer population on the 360 that doesn't really care if Halo fails since there are so many other great options to play I know you're trolling just based on this statement. You don't have a fucking CLUE what the Halo community thinks and feels about the Halo 3 beta. It most certainly is NOT divided into two camps like you describe, and trying to stereotype all these people like this truly shows your ignorance.
It's called trueskill and it's one of the only reasons I play halo instead of any other FPS, and one of the reasons I enjoy my experiences on XBL (Usually).
You see, when you're truly level 25 or 30, you probably worked your ass off to get there. You've put countless hours into getting that high and are probably (greatly) excited/disappointed when you gain/lose that level. Here's the good part: Your peers are of comparable level and most likely spent a comparable amount of time and have a similar interest in having fun and not losing those levels. Especially in a team based objective game, you're unlikely to find quitters at those levels because the (rank-losing) nature of quitters generally precludes them from being that high. You also know that your peers are likely pretty competent at accomplishing team based objectives.
Even better, you know that the opposing team is under the same circumstances, so you know you're generally in for one hell of a game, every single time you play.
Note, this is generally the case (I'd say 90% of the time or so). The new stuff bungie is adding RPs for quitting covers another, what, 5% of that spectrum? The last 5% of the games are inexplicably infested with douchebags who couldn't grab a flag from a 1 year old, can't shut the fuck up, or are playing their friend's account. It may also include someone who's very very good at something, or knows a glitch that will inevitably surface, assuming bungie knows how to tease those sorts of things out of their numbers.
The Halo 3 beta really isn't going to change the opinions of the game that gamers have had for years now. Those that like the franchise continue to be wowed by the gameplay, and the sheer fun they have in the multiplayer. On the other hand, if you've never understood what the fuss was about, or even a "Halo hater" (something that's common and the "in" thing to do especially if you're a PC gamer), then it's not like the Beta is going to suddenly change your opinion of the franchise. There's plenty to pick on in the Beta, if you're for or against the series.
IMHO, all the debating and argument that goes on is pretty moot, and just turns into a huge troll-fest. It's like two groups speaking two totally different languages. Personally, I'm a fan of the franchise, but since I grew up as a hardcore PC gamer (keyboard/mouse forever!), I can definitely understand the "meh" attitude from some fellow gamers. As a result, I like the franchise, but I'm not "OMG! I <3 M4ST3R CHEIF".
The one thing that pretty much is indisputable is the massive presence this game will bring come September. Halo fans are vocal, and there are definitely a lot of them. I cringe at the amount of marketing and Halo talk that we'll get plenty of this Fall.
-- jchenx
How do you know it is mediocre?...it is not even out yet! It is a BETA that is hampered and only multi-player. How can you judge a game until it is actually out.
This goes both ways for all you Halo lovers as well.