Bogey Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Hands-On with the Halo: Reach BetaSince 2001, I’ve been an avid Halo fan, and some might say, a little too addicted to the entire Halo franchise. Luckily, I’ve been fortunate enough to play the Halo: Reach beta before the general public gets access to it via Halo 3: ODST. Strap your boots on; it’s going to be a hell of a ride!Character CustomizationOnce the Reach menu was shining in all of its glory on my TV, I couldn’t think straight what I immediately wanted to do. Customize my character? Matchmaking? The Arena? I needed to make myself a unique Spartan, so I first headed off to customize my Spartan III. The UI for customizing your Spartan has drastically changed and it’s very impressive. The old style of two different columns to select your emblem and then background is out. It’s been changed to a horizontal and vertical axis where you can see in real-time what your emblem will look like on a specific background. Changing your primary, secondary, and emblem colors still have the same UI. Now the biggest change to customization: Armor. Much like the armor customization of Halo 3, you can customize your helmet, left and right shoulders, and chest piece. With the helmet now though, you can purchase “accessories” for it such as visors. However, different armor pieces do not enhance your character whatsoever. They’re simply visual flair for the battlefield to distinguish you from someone else. I’ll touch more on the process of getting new armor in the next section about Matchmaking when I discuss Credits (cR).MatchmakingMatchmaking, arguable the system that Bungie created back in 2004 that led the way to the success of online multiplayer on Xbox LIVE, is back and better than ever! We’ve seen some improvements in Matchmaking over the years, but now it’s seemingly perfect. The search options we saw in Halo 3 such as finding a match based on language, connection speed, etc. have been greatly improved. This time your search options actually work! Even though there are only a few thousand people who have access to the beta right now, it’s never been longer than a minute to find a match. Now the greatest feature of Matchmaking is earning Credits (cR). Credits are earned on various factors such as individual performance, winning , etc. As you earn credits, you can purchase more armor for your Spartan. That’s really the gist of Matchmaking, you know and love its earlier versions, and you’ll sure love Halo: Reach’s Matchmaking.Armor Loadouts and WeaponsWhen I first saw the Jetpack as an available Loadout, my first reaction was literally, “All of the noobs are going to be using this.” It turns out I use the Jetpack nearly every time I spawn! Bungie has once again created the magical formula of adding new features to multiplayer, but at its core is still the Halo gameplay that we’re familiar with. Every Loadout is useful , there’s not one that just seems pointless. Depending on the type of player you are, the gametype, and map, you’ll see every Loadout has a unique advantage to it. Invisibility is great for the gametype ‘3 Plot’ as you need to hold territories around the map. Sprint and the Jetpack are great for CTF for getting into the enemy base to take your prize. And lastly, Armor Lock is a great for those players who like more close-quarters action. Evade for the Elites has saved me countless times as I roll away from whoever is taking a shot at me.Now time for a breakdown on some of the new weapons. If you expect to be as good with the DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) as you were with the BR (Battle Rifle) from previous games, you are in for a rude awakening. While I’ve always used the BR as my primary weapon and have been a deadly force to be reckoned with when it’s in my hands, the DMR takes some time to adjust to. Don’t expect to be a master with it instantly, you’ll be surprised how much you’ll suck with it initially. The pistol is actually useful again in Halo and I find myself using it constantly, especially for mid-range situations. My only complaint with it is the sight is hard to see when you zoom in as it’s a light blue and very hard to tell where you’re aiming. Hopefully this will be changed for the retail game since it’s way too hard to see it at this point. There’s plenty of new weapons I could go over, but honestly, these two are the ones I find myself using the most so I have the most hands-on experience with them.OverallWhile there might be some minor adjustments that need to be made such as the sights on the good ole’ Pistol, this game delivers way more than I expected. I was skeptical of all the new changes to multiplayer, but they work so well it seems like we’ve been missing out far too long on these great features in Halo. They all flow into the core gameplay mechanics so well that it’s going to be difficult playing Halo 3 once the beta is over. If you have any specific questions about the beta, feel free to hit me up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHINESE BABOON Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 I gotta question... want to play the Beta with me now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogey Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share Posted May 2, 2010 I can't play now since I'm going to help me friend move out since I have a truck. If I'm on later I'll let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHINESE BABOON Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 NP, if I'm not on XBL just shoot me a message on here. Very nice summary too man, very enjoyable read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeKnuckle Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 That was a really good hands on, Bogey. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for writing it up for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elite Effect (Jon) Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Nice write up Bogey. Can't wait for Monday, I tried like hell all day today, and yesterday to get into the FnF beta. People on those Twitter contests, are machines when it comes to typing in those codes. I would grab one, and copy and paste the code in the redeem bar, and it would be gone within 5 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeKnuckle Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 They aren't machines. Most use Internet Explorer for those contests. It auto fills (on paste) in all the fields, unlike Firefox and Chrome. You basically have to downgrade, to win a contest on Twitter. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elite Effect (Jon) Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 They aren't machines. Most use Internet Explorer for those contests. It auto fills in all the fields, unlike Firefox and Chrome. You basically have to downgrade, to win a contest on Twitter. lolI tried with Firefox, and IE. Still had no luck doing it, I mean I would literally have the redeem button pushed 4 or 5 seconds after it was posted...BUT NOOOO I was too late. It's crazy, I tell ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeKnuckle Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 I stopped trying a long time ago. There was a time when you had a chance to win, but that time has passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb410 Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Good read, sounds like a game I'd enjoy. Stupid question but I have odst and the code, when does the beta for that open?edit: form elite's post it looks like Monday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogey Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share Posted May 2, 2010 Good read, sounds like a game I'd enjoy. Stupid question but I have odst and the code, when does the beta for that open?edit: form elite's post it looks like Monday?Yep, the beta through ODST goes up Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeKnuckle Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Don't forget to visit Waypoint, after you've played in the beta. Unlock your Beta sweatshirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHINESE BABOON Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Don't forget to visit Waypoint, after you've played in the beta. Unlock your Beta sweatshirt.Thanks for reminding me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfernoParadox Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 tomorrow will no doubt be the longest day of my life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevnvek Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 That was a pretty well written little article about Reach, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons claw69 Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Nice write up Bogey. I hope the beta isn't tied to just the one time zone tomorrow or else that's gonna majorly suck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 I stopped trying a long time ago. There was a time when you had a chance to win, but that time has passed.Tru dat. I actually won Castle Crashers and something else from either Major Nelson or Trixie back before the online Marketplace was introduced. Good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spawn622 Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Great job Bogey. I posted it up on the main page too.http://gamercide.org/?p=1407 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogey Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share Posted May 2, 2010 Great job Bogey. I posted it up on the main page too.http://gamercide.org/?p=1407ABAP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pogre Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Just for the record, I didn't read Bogeh's hands on. I clicked this link by accident instead of the one right above it.Good little summary there Bogey. I may even try it out tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevnvek Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Great job Bogey. I posted it up on the main page too.http://gamercide.org/?p=1407We still need a "Home" button on the bar up top next to "Forums" to get back to the main Gamercide.org page. Currently there is no link back there from these forums, besides typing it in the address bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeKnuckle Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Don't need to type. Just backspace /forum etc out of the URL and hit enter when it's http://www.gamercide.org. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevnvek Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Don't need to type. Just backspace /forum etc out of the URL and hit enter when it's http://www.gamercide.org.Well yeah I do that too, but we still need a home button. This site is great, but could use a few more little touches. It would be cool if the main forum page had like a panel linking to all recent GC articles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timber King Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Haven't played the beta yet, but I can definitely see some nods to Infinity Ward with some of the changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylark95 Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Don't forget to visit Waypoint, after you've played in the beta. Unlock your Beta sweatshirt.Didn't know this.. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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