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.

Re:O RLY?

[EvilIdler]

The Halo 3 beta will be running with mostly Halo 2 assets, at least at first. Saves download bandwidth.
I sure hope they release some larger textures to at least test the engine with later, though.

Re:Yes, audio will be important;

[Nerdfest]

I'm not sure how many people actually hook things up properly, as even the original xbox had 5.1 for most of its games. Player voices in Halo2 come from the appropriate speaker positions, and it does give you a bit of an advantage over someone only playing through their TV speakers. I'm assuming their adding better 'footfall' sounds, and other environmentals to help out a bit.

Re:O RLY?

[EvilIdler]

Here are two screenshots, one from Halo 2, one from Halo 3:
http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1353/1178912776 .jpg [teamxbox.com]
http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/472/1085785669. jpg [teamxbox.com]

It certainly looks like they've improved the graphics since H2.
More environmental detail, less blocky characters, more vibrant colours.

So I guess the complainers must have seen an overcompressed YouTube
variant only.

Gamespot review: 5/10

[Anonymous Coward]

While the multiplayer in this multiplayer beta test exhibits typical Halo levels of excellence, the single player was significantly lacking. The single player consists of no AI, no objectives, and is played on the same maps as the multiplayer levels. While some fun can be had running around in circles, we find it hard to justify the purchase price compared to games that offer hours of interaction and direction.

Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta Test:
Graphics: 9
Halo isn't Gears of War; Get over it. It still looks great.

Sound: 10
Heartstopping.

Multiplayer: 10
It's Halo.

Singleplayer: 2
Strangely neglected.

Overall 5/10
Excellent online play, but most gamers will have a hard time finding value in the single player experience.