Halo 3 online mutiplayer beta.

[Mardigan8]

The Rbute spiker is cool, combine it with another one or with and SMG for some carnage.

Ah, so its abrute weapon, nice!! Does look close to the brute shot actually so combined with an SMG or plasma rifle I can see it being quite handy.

One thing I would love to see brough into Halo 3 would be more functionaltiy for close quarters combat. In Nylunds books the bits where the Cheif is cracking Elite heads with his bare hands was always the best for me so I would love to see some of that make it into the game.

The bubble shield and spike grenades will do in the multiplayer for now though

[Jebus]

Why would you start with a short range weapon though?

I'm not saying it's ****, there is clearly a game to enjoy here, but not for me. I will keep playing it purely for the crack, though I was a little disappointed with the lack of chatter in the game Everyone on silent?

I just don't get it, I can't describe it, but I enjoy playing games like Gears, Vegas, GRAW SO much more. Maybe I'd enjoy alternative game modes more, I didn't like the ones we played much, perhaps I'd enjoy a pure deathmatch.

[El Leone]

AR works best at close range, but its workable at middle to hurtm distract or maybe kill.

Shame Jebus, maybe the game isnt just for you? Alternatively, you may just need to play with some of the people from here or something. But if Halo hasn't 'clicked' from the first two it doesnt seem good..

[Mardigan8]

The best thing would be to get some games with the folk from here, they were always my best games in Halo 2 and no doubt will be in this.

Its a lot faster paced than the likes of Gears, Rainbow6, etc so I can see why you might not feel 'at home' with this given your preferences.

I will be on in to the wee hours tonight for those who will be kicking about

[Soi]

You can't really judge any game after a couple of rounds with randoms. Play a few games with 3 others from here first.

[babs]

There are numerous. On their own, they sound like small things, but they make a fundamental difference to the way the game is played:

• Super melee attack - Before Halo, melee attacks in FPS were a last resort. They were the last ditch attack that did little damage and you only used when all your ammo ran out. In Halo and games since, they are deadly weapon in their own right and have their own unique button. If you think about it, it makes no sense that the butt of your gun should do more damage than a bullet, but in gameplay it works.
• Health System - The regenerating shield (or similar) has been employed by more games that I can remember, from FPS to Splinter Cell.
• Grenades - Grenades used to be relegated to 'second option on the 5 key'. Again, Halo promoted them to have their own designated button. You didn't have to swap guns to select grenades anymore, hence this made a massive difference to the way the game actually played.
• Two Weapons Only - Sometimes less is more. The concept of not carrying a huge arsenal around and having to make tactical choices.

Basically, if you look at a game like Call of Duty 2, you can see all of those four Halo specific innocations employed. yet because it has now just become a part of the furniture, people forget. You never hear someone call COD2 a 'Halo clone'.

There are games that flaunted with a couple of those innovations, but never really made a thing of it. To take away Halo's credit would be like saying Wolfenstein 3D wasn't innovative because of 3D Monster Maze.

Plus there are numerous advancements that Halo didn't introduce alone, but helped to push forward along with other games. Stuff like the use of vehicles, squad combat, open sandbox levels and more advanced AI.

Although it has it's detractors, no-one has ever put forward a convincing argument that Halo isn't a landmark game.

I'd agree to a certain extent, but only with regard to console-based games. Anyone who grew up playing Team Fortress (and Classic) would be the first to praise the virtues of smaller arsenals, (multiple) grenade buttons, melee attacks etc. TF wasn't the only game to do it either.

Bungie did well to utilise it on a console though, kudos for that.

[Jebus]

Sorry if I didn't make it clear, I have been playing with people from here...hence my disappointment at the lack of chatter.

In fact I've ONLY played with people on here. Not played with or against a single random.

As I say, it's not like I think it's ****, I just don't get why people love it SO much. It's very smooth and that but when I kill someone I don't feel like I've killed them, and it seems SO easy to die...

[Revolution6000]

While you make some good points, if you ask me Halo still doesn't make enough use of the vehicles and seem to be left for one or two of the larger maps.

Grenades at only a button press away is a horrible move, and I've yet to see a game that uses this that didn't turn into a complete 'nade fest. Vegas did this and it was horrible, people just spamming grenades everywhere.

Melee is best as a humiliation as opposed to a necessity, Halo just turns into shot the guy while running at him and hope you melee the other guy before he gets you. And in alot of other games melee is pretty much instagib, for example in CS 1.6 a knife from behind would instant kill and a knife from the front takes away at least half your health.

Loads of other guns forced you to be smarter with your weapon choices, again games like CS and others before, ofcourse Halo changes this slightly by letting you have any two, as opposed to a rifle and pistol.

[Yoshimax]

There are numerous. On their own, they sound like small things, but they make a fundamental difference to the way the game is played:

• Super melee attack - Before Halo, melee attacks in FPS were a last resort. They were the last ditch attack that did little damage and you only used when all your ammo ran out. In Halo and games since, they are deadly weapon in their own right and have their own unique button. If you think about it, it makes no sense that the butt of your gun should do more damage than a bullet, but in gameplay it works.
• Health System - The regenerating shield (or similar) has been employed by more games that I can remember, from FPS to Splinter Cell.
• Grenades - Grenades used to be relegated to 'second option on the 5 key'. Again, Halo promoted them to have their own designated button. You didn't have to swap guns to select grenades anymore, hence this made a massive difference to the way the game actually played.
• Two Weapons Only - Sometimes less is more. The concept of not carrying a huge arsenal around and having to make tactical choices.

Basically, if you look at a game like Call of Duty 2, you can see all of those four Halo specific innocations employed. yet because it has now just become a part of the furniture, people forget. You never hear someone call COD2 a 'Halo clone'.

There are games that flaunted with a couple of those innovations, but never really made a thing of it. To take away Halo's credit would be like saying Wolfenstein 3D wasn't innovative because of 3D Monster Maze.

Plus there are numerous advancements that Halo didn't introduce alone, but helped to push forward along with other games. Stuff like the use of vehicles, squad combat, open sandbox levels and more advanced AI.

Although it has it's detractors, no-one has ever put forward a convincing argument that Halo isn't a landmark game.

You forgot proximity chat - amazing considering it is probably the single biggest innovation on the MP front.

[Bleeders]

I sooo don't wanna be at work now...

3 months with NO Halo 3 after the BETA ends is gonna be LOOONNNGGGG.

I hadn't played Halo 2 for a long, long time, but I fell straight back into it when I played this morning. Like an old pair of shoes.

[Jebus]

Halo just turns into shot the guy while running at him and hope you melee the other guy before he gets you. And alot of other games melee is pretty much instagib, in CS 1.6 a knife from behind would instant kill and a knife from the front takes away at least half your health.

Loads of other guns forced you to be smarter with your weapon choices, again games like CS and other before, ofcourse Halo changes this slightly by letting you have any two, as opposed to a rifle and pistol.

That's one of my problems with the game, it's so BASIC it's untrue, there appears to be very little in the way of thinking, or tactics...it's just run around shooting, almost back to the days of strafe left/right whilst holding the attack button down!!

[El Leone]

While you make some good points, if you ask me Halo still doesn't make enough use of the vehicles and seem to be left for one or two of the larger maps.

Grenades at only a button press away is a horrible move, and I've yet to see a game that uses this that didn't turn into a complete 'nade fest. Vegas did this and it was horrible, people just spamming grenades everywhere.

Melee is best as a humiliation as opposed to a necessity, Halo just turns into shot the guy while running at him and hope you melee the other guy before he gets you. And alot of other games melee is pretty much instagib, in CS 1.6 a knife from behind would instant kill and a knife from the front takes away at least half your health.

Loads of other guns forced you to be smarter with your weapon choices, again games like CS and other before, ofcourse Halo changes this slightly by letting you have any two, as opposed to a rifle and pistol.

Fair enough and at least you to go to effort to explain your points, although as the mods have stated, could you keep it out of this thread and if you want to discuss it in more detail make a thread about it but even then I think we've all seen enough console vs PC FPS discussions to last us a life time...

[Mardigan8]

I sooo don't wanna be at work now...

3 months with NO Halo 3 after the BETA ends is gonna be LOOONNNGGGG.

I hadn't played Halo 2 for a long, long time, but I fell straight back into it when I played this morning. Like an old pair of shoes.

Wait till you fire this up mate... it wont feel drastically different in terms of visuals or controls but overall it is a tremendous taster for what is to come in a few months time.

[Simmy]

That's one of my problems with the game, it's so BASIC it's untrue, there appears to be very little in the way of thinking, or tactics...it's just run around shooting, almost back to the days of strafe left/right whilst holding the attack button down!!

And in thinking that, and playing it like that, you probably have the reasons you don't enjoy it. There are allot of tactical ways to play Halo 2, can't say for 3 yet, you just have to work out how. If you run around like a headless chicken firing and attempting a melee then you will die often. I'm not that great at the game, but I can enjoy the tactical play of it, I always prefered what they classed as pro games in Halo 2 because of this !

[hudson]

Never really, got into Halo single player and got into Halo 2 MP side very late (still can't download them new maps ). But after giving this a good go this morning, I can see what the fuss is about. It is quality. I love the one bomb mode, but, and for me presonally, I find deathmatch mode a bit dull at times, especially on that Snowbound map. the other maps make it more interesting. The objective types are ace. Bomb mode attack/defend for the winz0r!