User Interface
So we booted it up and receive a warm welcome message to the beta and out pops the the Halo 3 menu. Even the menu seems like a mix of Halo 1 and 2. You have the classic monks in the background (which transitions to the halo 3 theme a bit later) which sound better than ever, and you have the blue tint over a fly-cam view of Valhalla. The User Interface is very clean and easy to navigate. I'm sure it will change by launch, but so far so good. Upon entering MatchMaking you get to choose from Ranked Playlists or 'Social Playlists'. The social playlists are all un-ranked and you can party up with friends and play together. The Ranked are obviously ranked and you can choose from Rumble Pit, Team Slayer, and Team Skirmish. Social Playlists were Rumble Training and Team Training. You can also view films which are surprising low in size. They average somewhere around 5MB each. I'm guessing this is because it just stores data of everything that happened in the match and then replicates the match through this data, like a saved replay. You can share videos with friends and other members of the community. I'm sure you guys know most of this so I'll just move on. Oh and the HUD is great. It's spread out and doesn't get in your way at all, nice and clean, just like most of the game. I like how it curves and how it shows the grid as you respawn, like you are turning on the HUD inside your helmet. Very neat.
Graphics
Halo 2 HD my ASS! Seriously though, the graphics are beautiful, especially for the stage it's in. Lighting is gorgeous, and the textures and graphics are just so smooth and fit into the Halo experience. I'm not sure how it looks in pics and what not to you guys, but when it's in motion and that controller is rumbling in your hand, you will find yourself completely satisfied. Same goes for the water. Take a walk down the beach of high ground and go to the far edges. Watch the waves sound and move realistically. Get taken out over water? You can hear the faint echoes of battle realistically through the water as if you were sitting down there. Your body floats for a while and then sinks to the bottom. The snow in Snowbound, ah yes... you will see players running around and snow flying back as they make visible footprints in the snow. Expected nowadays, but it looks great to see it. Oh and the ice is shmexy too. I can't wait to see the finished graphics. I enjoyed the graphics but man, to think it will only get better by Fall!
Single Player was confirmed to have even better graphics [since they don't have to tone it down for online lag] in the recent IGN Interview. Man single player will just blow us away. Guaranteed. So so far the game is looking great (though still could be a bit more polished up)
Gameplay
Even though it was only for a few hours, I have to say... I had a fantastic time. It has improved since Halo 1 and Halo 2. So much that when I tried going back to Halo 2 tonight, I just couldn't. You won't be able to either. It just feels like crap compared to Halo 3, dare I say. The gameplay still has the great Halo feel to it and it's smoother than ever. The new equipment do not take away from the Halo Experience. They just make it even better. The portable turrets and missile launcher are just insane! (in a good way). I love how it goes into the third person view giving it that heavy feel and animation. You can feel the destructive power it contains and can't wait to unleash it on someone. Due to the amount of ammo and how it slows you down I can say that it is balanced. The equipment just adds to a whole new level of strategy. People will come up with numerous ways to use them to their advantage for offense or defense. People keep finding different successful ways to use them and it just works out great. They aren't over-used either. The Assault Rifle is one of my favorite weapons. It totally owns the SMG as a starting weapon. I love the sound and the look of it. The Spartan Laser is a beast as well, though the long charge up, it can completely obliterate your opponent; use it wisely, don't be a fool. I'm not sure why the sniper has a green scope since it doesn't seem to have night-vision, but then again it isn't needed in any of the levels. The effect looks cool though through the scope. Noob Combo haters will love this - The Plasma Pistol seems to have less tracking than before and if you keep it charged it will drain the battery!
It also shoots faster. SMG is pretty useless due to the Assault Rifle. The Brute Spikers work pretty well and really aren't that bad. Dual wielding is effective. The Needler has been improved as well and now is not dual wieldable - it starts out slow and then shoots really fast and the needles are more explosive than ever. A half a clip used wisely will take out an enemy. The Carbine seems to be more effective than the Battle Rifle this time around, but the battle rifle is still it's great old self. That's all I really remember toying around with... I think. The Mongoose is an awesome addition to the game. I love it! Quick transportation across the map. Broke-back riding is so much fun, even for the driver just watching his buddy shoot. Shield doors on Snowbound work very nicely as well. Lots of waiting and popping in and out, sort of like with the bubble shield. All in all the gameplay was Fantastic. Everything we love about Halo and more. Bungie has said that there are more un-revealed weapons/vehicles, and I can't wait to see what they come up with.
Overall, I had a great experience and I can't wait to play it myself all day long on the 16th... my friend has track today and tomorrow so I'll have to wait again just like the rest of you. Gameplay was fantastic, performance was very stable and we had minimal lag - if any at all. Graphics look great for the stage it's in, but I'd also like to see it polished up a bit more. The three maps were very nice but after the teases in the ViDoc and leaks of other maps, I'm dying to see what Bungie comes up with. Seems like Halo 3 is going to be one helluva game.
PS: Man Cannons pwn.
Random Screens from EuroGamer
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