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."

Re:Thank god...

[ObiWanStevobi]

Graphics don't matter, what is important is that the teabagging is slightly improved.

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[bobo mahoney]

So are you the savage that teabagged me on Friday? That is just wrong!

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[Wicko]

Yes, I think you are required to teabag if you want your kills to count.

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[Pojut]

I have news for you.

The graphics are exactly as dissapointing to you as Halo was to every PC gamer out there when it was released.

The halo series has NEVER had amazing graphics...it's been pretty, but far from amazing in comparison to other FPS's at the time.

I love console gaming as much as I love PC gaming, but fucking hell Halo-claimers are annoying little roaches. ( a Halo-claimer is someone that "claims" Halo was the most revolutionary game evah!)

Re:Thank god...

[EggyToast]

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.

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[alxbtk]

Maybe Myth I & Myth II were not jaw dropping, but the gameplay was excellent, the multiplayer a lot of fun (th), and the technology at the time impressive and innovative enough (great physics engine) and made sense in a tactical game. Granted, Bungie's FPS always sucked. But more than that, they were oversold. I remember how Oni was supposed to be a revolution. Of course, after being fed with such claims for months, when you actually get your hands on it, it sucks even more. Myth III sucked too, but t

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[Sibko]

Jesus, you've got to be kidding me. Marathon was THE FPS to get on the mac, It had an incredibly engaging and very well written storyline, while having the gameplay you got from Doom. Honestly, in my books, Marathon trumps Doom in terms of quality and enjoyment.

Of course, we then get to Halo, which a lot of PC players love to hate. Nevermind how beautiful the game looked, or how well it played, or what the story presented. [It wasn't on par with Marathon's but it's still good.] Many PC players who hate H

Re:

[jamie(really)]

Wow. Oni is one of my favorite games ever. I think ICO #1, Oni #2, UFO (X-COM) #3. I loved being able to knock a gun out of the guys hand, and for the AI to be able to do the same to me. Given the AI, I probably imagined it, but I swear there were moments when me and the AI looked at the gun, then looked at each other, then dived for it! Truly inspired gameplay and done incredibly well. Jamie

Re:Thank god...

[displaced80]

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.

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[Wicko]

I haven't seen this occur in any of the other demos? I sincerely doubt that it will get a massive facelift (which, IMO, is what it needs), but definitely some improvement.

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[Endo13]

I have news for you.

The graphics are exactly as dissapointing to you as Halo was to every PC gamer out there when it was released.

The halo series has NEVER had amazing graphics...it's been pretty, but far from amazing in comparison to other FPS's at the time.

I love console gaming as much as I love PC gaming, but fucking hell Halo-claimers are annoying little roaches. ( a Halo-claimer is someone that "claims" Halo was the most revolutionary game evah!)

I have to agree with you 100%. I've tried Halo - its only real claim to fame is that at the time Halo 1 came out, it had no competition on consoles. The PC version was one of the worst FPS's I've ever tried.

As for that being modded "Troll"... obviously someone with mod points has absolutely no fucking clue what "Troll" means in this case. It may have been somewhat flamebait (debatable) but definitely not a troll.

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[MeanderingMind]

I've seen some interesting anonymous posts in my time, this one being the foremost amoung them.

Why would the people complaining that the "very poor graphics" of Halo 3 aren't good enough turn around and buy Wiis? The very nature of their criticism is specifically tuned to the eyecandy and pizzaz rather than any gameplay.

In fact, I'd think people who didn't care about graphics wouldn't be turned off by the "poor graphics" of Halo 3. They might be turned off by the price, the controls, or the Microsoft Logo,

It didn't seem like that big of a deal

[Ammishdave]

This was the second thing I had heard about it.
This was the first [penny-arcade.com]

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[bobo mahoney]

I'm with you. Bungie stated from the begining that things would change from the demo to the final realease. Hello there were no swords in the demo - does anyone think that they have actually been removed from the game?

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[aplusjimages]

Doubtful since the internets were a buzz about the leaked Halo 3 videos that showed a little kid playing it and comparing it to an erect penis. Also you could use it if you got into a custom game.

One Word: Meh

[Anonymous Coward]

The question that seems to be on everyone's mind about Bungie and Halo 3 is "What the hell have they been doing for the past three years?"

They didn't really do anything to the networking code. Same 16 player matches and the rumored dedicated servers turned out to be not true.

They didn't really do much in the way of graphics. Beta, multiplayer, blah,blah,blah...But the game looks very, very dated compared to what else is out there right now.

They didn't really do much with the gameplay. Yes there are quite a

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[Sibko]

The question that seems to be on everyone's mind about Bungie and Halo 3 is "What the hell have they been doing for the past three years?"

Er, no. That's only you, I'm afraid. I played the Beta, and it was significantly better than I was expecting. Nevermind the fact that the Beta was only the multiplayer component, toned down, with only 3 maps. A significant number of vehicles, maps, weapons, and equipment were not included in the Beta, and no one's seen more than a glimpse of the singleplayer. Whatever your basing your statements off of, it most certainly is not what you've seen of Halo 3.

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[dancin_mitch]

The question that seems to be on everyone's mind about Bungie and Halo 3 is "What the hell have they been doing for the past three years?"

They didn't really do anything to the networking code. Same 16 player matches and the rumored dedicated servers turned out to be not true.

They didn't really do much in the way of graphics. Beta, multiplayer, blah,blah,blah...But the game looks very, very dated compared to what else is out there right now.

Is this one of those quantum dupe things where people complain befor

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[aeproberts]

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.

Bye Bye Brute Shot

[Chouonsoku]

Your ability to spam and destroy everything in your path will be missed. :'(

Halo 3 Beta Was Great

[Conception]

So, so far there are a bunch of "haters" out there... so need some positive energy or something here.

Halo 3 is the best Halo MP I've played. Every issue that I had with 1 and 2 has pretty much been dealt with with 3. The maps are laid out really well. The new game types are actually interesting, if not revolutionary. (The new territories makes for such a better game) The weapon balance is fantastic. I never felt like anything was "broken". In any match up if I was killed, it was because they had a skill or strategic advantage, not because they were using the "newb combo" or something. The graphics may not be Teh BomB0rz but they didn't detract from the game nor are they ugly. But by far, the most impressive thing is they fixed the "people".

With the 360's rep system, the easy to mute in game and the ability to turn off having to listen to the other team, I never once was called a racial or homosexual slur. I was amazed. When people drop out of a game, they lose RP (XP points basically?) and you can tell the 360 never to play with those people again. Now, if they can just keep the cheating out, they will have fixed the biggest problem with Halo 2. The People.

And that could make Halo 3 a bigger success than any other online FPS I've played yet.

Oh, and as to, "What have they been doing for 3 years?" It was 3 maps on a limited multiplayer to test their servers. Not three years worth of work. Fool.

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[Sibko]

It will be interesting to see if people will buy Halo 3 just because it has the Halo name on it and Microsoft is spending huge amounts of marketing money on the game.

And when it does come out, and makes bucketloads of money on opening day, I'm certain you'll just chock that up to it being marketing and halo drones. I mean, there's no WAY several million people might actually find the game incredibly fun and engaging!

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 li

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[Frogbert]

Wow it sounds like its got features almost on par with Unreal Tournament!

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[antic]

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 (n

Re:

[bigman2003]

The fact that you mention 'servers' pretty much negates everything else you said.

Re:

[antic]

Why's that?

I'm not familiar with the architecture. Are all games user-hosted?

Any tips (from yourself or anyone else)?

I am new to Xbox Live but previously played Halo with friends so I am not entirely useless (just on maps/game-types I've not tried before).

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[fimbulvetr]

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

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[antic]

In summary then, "Stick with it, things will get better"? ;)

A few of the wankers I've encountered to date (griefers) have been higher ranked players (15-20?) against guys like me (1-2).

Surely there are enough new-to-Live players from Australia who could fill a server with me? I'm routinely the one in a game with the worst lag (I assume the little green meter on the right of your name is the health of your connection?) and it makes it a real challenge. There can be a notable gap between me assassinating some

Re:

[bigman2003]

Xbox Live games are generally (almost always) user-hosted.

In Halo they do a lot of very cool things to make this work well. One of the most noticable is the 'pause' screen you get when the host drops.

The host (determined by Bungie) may drop during a game. You will see the entire game freeze and go to the score screen. Hang on a few seconds and the game will poll the remaining players to determine the best host. That person will take on hosting duties and the game will continue.

Much nicer than the game d

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[antic]

Interesting. I had assumed that people quit the session *because* it stalled like that and hadn't realised it was shifting the game host completely because the original had fallen - very clever.

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[iainl]

Thanks for that; it's good to know it was good fun. In a less than incredibly sensible move, I got Crackdown a week before the beta started, and I've been so absorbed by the full game since that I never actually got around to trying Halo. Oops.

at least....

[MrBallistic]

...crackdown will drop in price a bunch. it was floating at 40something used last week, but i bet it'll drop a ton now that everyone's keen to sell it.

MP is great and all..

[Wicko]

..but I'm more interested in the single player. It's what kept the original alive for so long for me. The giant maps, huge battles, shitloads of Flood to feed shotgun pellets to.. Halo isn't really known for its fantastic graphics.. they are good but have never been at the top. Halo 2's storyline was a huge disappointment to me, so I'm hoping that they make up for it this time around. But it seems like they are focusing more on MP, as that is what kept Halo 2 alive for so long.

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[bigstrat2003]

I disagree. We really didn't hear much about Halo 2's single-player before it was released, they guarded it much more closely than multiplayer. Just because Bungie isn't telling us about the single-player doesn't mean they aren't committed to it, Halo 1/2 had amazing single player experiences, and I fully expect Bungie is working hard to make sure Halo 3 lives up to its pedigree.

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[hibiki_r]

Amazing single player experiences? Are you sure you mean the same repetitive Halo that the rest of s suffered through?

Tycho and Gabe said it best:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2001/11/28 [penny-arcade.com]
 

Re:

[bigstrat2003]

If you didn't like it, fine. I loved it, it's the best FPS I've ever touched, bar none (even the supposed greats, like HL 1/2 don't come anywhere close).

You can still play

[Sibko]

Assuming you never turned your xbox off or signed out before last night. You won't be able to get into matchmaking, either. But if a friend has a custom game, you can join up and play with him.

Either you love it or hate it ...

[jchenx]

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.