http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/29/ha...-to-some-fans/

Lol some fans just haven't let go of halo 2 yet...

Never went back to H2 after H3 dropped. Had some great memories but H3 was superior in every way imaginable.

Yeah that's not really a TV ad campaign

There's a shed load of early access codes about...

I have two guys on my friends list playing this already. I hate them.

Classy.

Kotaku released a bunch of Reach codes right on their front page for a first-come-first-serve basis this morning - I missed it. But I can wait one more weekend, I guess.

Me and my bro will be on the Beta once I get home from class tonight. If any of you are heterosexual enough you can join in. Pretty much playing this and SSF4 all week.

Downloaded it...Ive yet to play it cause everytime I try to it says the Reach server is down...but while it says that for me my friends are all playing it.

Tried downloading it, but was freaking stuck on 1% for 15 minutes so I cancelled it.

um...no.

The whole game feels fresh and amazing. I love it :)

Yeah, but we're not doing this here and now. :mad:

Anyway, Beta analysis:

General:

The interface is slick, but I can't help but believe H3's interface was better. Reach has some nice and convenient slides for the UI but it feels like how Vista feels after you used XP for so long. Seems to have unnecessary functions. Post game stats seem to be a chore to explore now that for some reason Bungie feels I wanna see the player's Spartan model while checking out his individual stats. The medals should return to it's grid view instead of a list.
The Active Roster is pretty cool, tracking your friends automatically and keeping you updated. Like H2's Party System, this has to be standard eventually, though the Party System still isn't standard so...

In Game:

There is a significant change in movement speed (for Spartan), in that they seem slower than I remember. A lot of guys on B.net are complaining about this but it's not really that bad. They spouted BS like how it's harder to dodge grenades (no it isn't) and the game's slower (Hell no). In fact the action is more deliberate, and the general mood of the game seems to value those who think first and on their feet. I also think it makes the new Sprinting move something worth using.
The button layout will take a game or two to get used. Well... maybe more, because I still press RB trying to pick up weapons. It is, however, not a mess like some have said. The transition is akin to going from H2 to H3. The Abilities activation being on LB felt natural almost instantly, though.
Not being able to jump as high will affect your game if you're used to the past Halo's low gravity. I still try to jump on ledges I felt like I should. Perhaps Bungie should lighten up there... just a little. Sprint jumping feels great, though.

Armor Abilities:

The big addition to the series, shockingly, doesn't really change the dynamic very much. The flow is still 'Halo', but there is a strategic element. Like Battlefield BC2, it seems to reward thinking on your feet - and moxie. Although it's a team oriented game, certain lone wolves who like to pull stunts have interesting tools this time.

Jet-Pack:
Yeah... the infamous Ability is popular amongst fools and sensationalists alike lol. You can tell who'll be cannon fodder by whoever Loads Out with the Jet Pack first. Nobody seems to use it right and all I've seen were guys flying in the air and shooting guns that do not complement the increased range. And even if you took to the skies with the wonderful DMR or Needle Rifle, there's too much motion to trust your own accuracy. The Jet Pack is good for taking vertical shortcuts, setting up tricky flanks, and relocating to a higher position with a well ranged weapon. I highly advise not actually fighting while hovering in the air, by my observation you'd be giving the team kills.

Shield:
Aside from the cool pose you do when you power this baby up, it's quite useful at attracting the opposing team. It may save you in a pinch, but most players are already hip to just waiting it out and raping you after you power out. Some players even still don't know that the shockwave after the power out zaps their shield, so free kills if they stray too close (the wave can even kill weak players). It's best to use it and let your team know what's going on, while you attract people like moths to a flame, your team can clean up house or toil away at the objective (if you're not playing Slayer). One of my go-to Abilities.

Sprint:
About as useful as all the other games that have it. It gets you out of grenade range and danger real nice. And against those players that seem to throw grenades on reaction, you could dash ahead and whack 'em, finishing them off easily. Another go-to Ability for me, lots of conventional uses.

Cloak:
Cloak has this paradox that you're never really stealthy since the radar jamming will tip off the other team. While you can't as sneaky as before, it does cause a bit of panic when you come around, and that can be useful in itself. Not as useful overall as you might think.

Weapons:

First off, regarding Req's observations, the weapons aren't 'easy to use'. They're about as skill based as H3's package if not more so. No weapon is universally useful (even the DMR), and you will have to use the right tool for the right moments. The reticule is not a problem, everything's balanced, I have very few issues here. The Plasma Launcher isn't as overpowered as I thought it would. It has kick, but you'll rarely find a good time to use it. There's nothing I could say for each weapon that hasn't already been said, though. Other than me assuring everything's well balanced and skill-based.

Game Modes:

Headhunter is tough as Hell, I wonder how people land so many skulls without being hunted down. Oddball is oddball, still with morons shooting you and not the leader. Stockpile is meh, a pretty chaotic mode that I'm not terribly interested in. CTF is made interesting with the Abilities, and the super shield move is great for flag defense, sprinting great for offense. You cannot use your abilities while holding a flag, and I agree.

Be on later today.

My cousin came over last night to play it with me and he ran into the same problem. We hooked it up in the backroom of my house and he started to download it and it took him about 30 mins to get to 10%. We redid it in the living room and the whole thing downloaded in about the 30 mins

Pretty much agree with most of that Kalyx. Postgame medals are annoying although not quite as annoying as I first thought.

Jetpack is pretty much essential for crazy king but not much else.

I love the needle rifle. Not sure about the tracking on the needler, it does seem a bit too easy.

Love headhunter, frustrating but in a good way. Lost count of the number of times I've been KOd like a centimetre away from the goal. Stockpile is ok but I'm tired of it on Swordbase, don't mind on Powerhouse.

Not sure about Covy slayer - not enjoying it as much as regular for some reason, can't put my thumb on it. Maybe the relative lack of loudouts, I don't know.

Is headhunter only in free for all?

Yes, but a team variant would be interesting.

- Sword + Sprint = "Grim Rapist"
- Seen some nifty set-ups with the overshield Ability, it's proving to be very versatile.
- SWAT plays better here than in any other Halo.
- Fairly close to denouncing Cloak as useless, more annoying than anything.

The whole shild lock thing I find a little worthless.... Ive maybe used it one or two times successfully and the only thing I saw cool was a guy get blown up with his own rocket after it shot back off his shield.

But sadly this seams to be what happens most of the time.

Guy A is chasing Guy B.....Guy A does the shield lock...Guy B steps back a little bit and waits patiently and right before the shield drops throws a couple grenades....Shield drops... Guy A takes damage and gets finished off by a gun or melee kill from B.

lol

There's a tactic going around where somebody runs at someone throws a grenade and then shields.

lol Yeah I seen that. Also using it as a 'forward block' on CTF is perfect. I'll put up some files for you later of a great CTF game where I use it that way.

Invasion gametype is up today.

Invasion is epic.

Some exploits of mine. Will be expanding render minutes to upload more gameplay when Reach drops.

http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/Fi...px?fid=1253772
http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/Fi...px?fid=1253754

Love that Armor Lock.

Drops Sept. 14, 2010.

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FIREFIGHT MODE IS BACK

- Now with matchmaking.
- Now customizable, including Create-A-Skull.
- Weekly Firefight challenges award you with exclusive armor pieces.

New armor, Drop Shield, is like a small Bubble Shield that heals those within (looks like the bubble shield from Halo 3 trailer that revealed it).

New weapon, Target Locater, marks targets for an orbital smackdown ala Gears' Hammer of Dawn.

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/In...lTheLadies.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/In...ingSpecial.jpg

As I suspected there will in fact be feminine models for your avatar (in the past choosing the female gender only changed grunts and death squeals). I guess my sister would like it or whatever. As with other customizations, your options will be represented in the single-player cutscenes (oh the magic of real-time cutscenes).

Kalyx, you gonna be getting the 'Legendary' edition?

Unlikely.

Love being on the right track with my game development philosophy. This is from an in-depth interview on what may be my new favorite game development site. Holla.

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/In..._of_vision.jpg

Visor color customizable. Firefight voice up for choice as well.

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/In...Face_First.jpg

Also, Halo 3's playlist updates will slow down once Reach comes around, just as Halo 2 did when Halo 3 dropped:

1. Playlists are going to be combined, modified, or removed, based on how we predict they will perform once Reach is released. Ultimately the number of playlists will be reduced from its current number.
2. No new playlists will be added from this point onward.
3. Playlists will progressively become DLC required, leaving Social Slayer and Lone Wolves as the only DLC-optional playlists once again.
4. Double EXP weekends will come to an end on 9/13. But not before we throw them a little going away party.
5. 7 on 7th will live on, but beyond the release of Reach no further updates are planned for Halo 3 Matchmaking.

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Hopefully the expansion of the map doesn't ruin it...