Here at GamerFill we've been working diligently on covering the new Halo: Reach Beta. And by "working", we mean "playing constantly". Thus, allow me to introduce our "Halo: Reach for the Sky" montage.
Needless to say, Bungie has really stepped up to the plate and delivered an all-out enjoyable experience; and it's only the Beta! Keep in mind, Bungie has openly stated that they want to hear all of your gripes, complaints, and compliments, so be sure to drop them a line if you've got something you want to say.
Bungie Development Staff, if you're reading this, be sure to stick around, as we've come up with some decent ideas of our own.
So today, we have for you four full videos (each around 10 minutes long; so make sure you've got a nice hunk of time to spend before watching them all), each in HD quality, and none of them with anybody talking.
That's right, it's all straight gameplay so you can see for yourself how this new beta has played out over the last week.
But before we get to these videos, let's chat.
(You can click on any of the screenshots for a full-size view)
Gameplay
The Reach beta plays very similarly to the Multiplayer in Halo 3, as expected, however there are some subtle, and some not-so-subtle differences, that make it slightly different at the same time.
For one, the default controls have changed around a bit. At first, you'll be punching instead of reloading, and changing grenade types instead of punching.
It is rather frustrating in the beginning, but I personally got used to it after the first few matches, and it seems to make more sense when considering how frequently you do an action compared to where it's located on the controller.
In the Matchmaking room, you can now actually Vote on what game you want to play prior to the match, and you can do this each and every match. So long inefficient veto method, hello democracy.
And if you have people playing as guests with you, your vote just counts as if you were however many people that are there. (In other words, you all have to vote for the same thing)
As for the actual gameplay itself, things are very familiar to the average Halo player, however there are some neat new additions.
For instance, now you get special abilities that you can choose at the start of the game, and then again before every respawn.
Take note, the names below aren't necessarily the names of the powerups. We just called them the same thing as the names above just for aesthetic reasons.
Scout allows you a short burst of speed, allowing you to sprint away from danger or run to an area faster to assist your allies. It's a simple concept, but can prove to be very effective in getting yourself out of a sticky situation. (Literally and figuratively speaking)
The only suggestion I can think of for this powerup would be to allow the user a higher resistance to grenade explosions while running.
Guard gives you the ability to be immune to all damage for a brief moment of time. But you'd better pray that you activate it at a time where you allies are coming in, or you'll just be giving your enemy more time to line up a sticky throw.
My suggestion to Bungie for this ability is to allow the user to either walk around slowly while activated, or be able to shoot with LARGELY reduced damage output. Because just being there as a sitting duck isn't exactly helpful.
Stalker does what it sounds: it lets you walk around in stealth mode. No more bloodbaths or team betrayals over trying to get the invisibility orb! Now if you want to walk around with a decent cloaking system, all you've got to do is select this at the start of battle.
My only gripe with this incredibly useful ability is the fact that when activated, nearly all of the sounds around you are silenced. This is very frustrating, and might I say, can create some boring bouts of gameplay when making videos.
My suggestion to Bungie on this matter is to continue the implementation of sound reduction, but don't completely silence all of the important sounds. Just make them quieter. Because since when can't sound enter an energy field?
Airborne is an awesome ability, which can be very helpful depending on your situation. You basically get a jetpack and can fly around anywhere you want, or use it to jump up larger gaps. This will add a whole new altitude to gameplay, allowing for new discoveries to take place and hiding spots, or outright aerial battles to commence.
I don't really have any suggestions for Bungie on this matter, as the fuel output (flight time) is just right and the physics while you're in the air feels correct.
There is an additional ability exclusively for when you play as the Elites, which is just a barrel roll in the direct that you are running. This actually can be a very useful powerup if you know when to use it.
These abilities don't last very long however, so you need to be wise when you use them. They do recharge, but if you have ever played Halo before, you know just how fast you can go from being totally fine to completely dead; and having that ability might have saved your life in Reach.
These abilites are part of a new system in Reach called "Loadouts". In a nutshell, Loadouts change based on your playlist and race. They are pre-set, but allow you to choose what kind of weapons you want to start with, as well as your starting ability.
Customization
Once again, you can customize your characters' armor and emblem, however this time things are a little different:
Now you can actually purchase new armor styles and equip them using credits that you earn in battle. Some armors are restricted to certain ranks only, so you need to play before you can unlock those styles for purchase.
As of right now, these upgrades do not give you any special abilities or enhance anything, and we don't think they will either, because that would make things incredibly unbalanced.
Finally, you can now use 4 characters in your indentification tag. I appropriately called mine "GFIL". (Can you think of any other four-letter words to put there?)
And yes, as you've probably noticed, I rock the kitty cat emblem; with a cowboy hat. I have since opening day of Halo 3. In fact, I might just contact Bungie and ask if I can purchase copyright holds on that combination. (I kid)
But if I start seeing more of you with my emblem combination, I'll take it as a tribute to GamerFill. Thanks for supporting the cause.
Technical Aspects / Graphics
There's a lot of ground to cover here, so I'll be rather broad.
Bungie has given a full-scale tune up to both the weapons and the graphics system itself. Now the game looks more like Halo: ODST, and that's a good thing.
You'll notice some weapon design changes, including the very obvious change in the Banshee skin.
The pistol is a lot more useful now, and now you should be able to actually kill people so long as you have good aim. (It's ranged like in ODST now, but less powerful)
The "Battle-Rifle" (which is now nonexistent) equivalent is now single-shot, which I personally love, as the recoil is much easier to handle, causing higher accuracy and less time to line up consecutive shot.
There has been the addition of some new weapons like the "Needler-Rifle", an interesting concept that allows you to shoot single-shot needles of the Needler at longer range. Shoot fast enough and in the right areas, and you'll be entreated to the nice needler-esque explosion of your target.
One my personal favorite additions is the grenade launcher, in which you can cause a lot of damage with a single shot so long as you know how to time and aim your shots.
Boom indeed
But do not fear, this launcher is nothing like the noob tube. Simply shooting around aimlessly will not reward you with much success, as your ammo supply will be depleted relatively fast. These shells bounce before detonation, allowing for awesome ricochet shots.
yeah I got to issue a beat down on some 13 year old smack-tards.
