Halo: Reach Beta Impressions

The much anticipated Halo: Reach multiplayer beta has come and gone, and I'm quite happy to report that my original positive impressions from the Halo: Reach beta preview I attended have not only remained intact, but have been largely improved. Very little changed from the preview to the beta itself, so I won't rehash anything I wrote there, and will instead focus this article on the new content I experienced.

When all is said and done, due to my busy schedule, I only had time to play 31 games of the Halo: Reach beta, reaching the rank of Corporal Grade 1, and while that's not a huge amount of playtime, it certainly allowed me to sample what was on offer and leave me wanting more.

I love Invasion. Simply put, this has to be my favourite versus objective gametype ever. Invasion took place on the map called Boneyard, a large ship building facility on Reach, and it featured twelve players. Six Elites are invading attempting to steal a data core which will reveal the location to Earth, six Spartan-IIIs try to stop them. Even better is that Invasion is far more complex than a simple Spartan vs. Elite concept.

The map is broken up into sections, and the Elites need to capture and hold one of two specific areas long enough on the first part of the map to unlock the second. Once complete, not only does the additional part of the map open up, but better Loadouts are made available upon respawning and basic vehicles enter play. Next, the Elites need to capture and hold one of two other points to unlock the core itself, and once completed additional Loadouts and vehicles become available. The final phase sees the Elites trying to extract the core itself to a waiting Phantom. The Elite carrying the data core moves like he's carrying a turret, save that he can't attack, so his teammates must protect him. The Spartan-IIIs, on the other hand, need to prevent the Elites from unlocking each phase to win early, or prevent them from extracting that core before the timer runs out. If the Spartan-IIIs win, some Shortsword bombers fly by bombing the snot out of the surviving Elites.

The sheer size of Boneyard, plus the different Loadouts, vehicles, and the differences between the Spartan-IIIs and the Elites themselves, really helped to vary the gameplay and keep things exciting. Elites really do move faster and they are tougher, so you do need to be more crafty as a Spartan-III to defend, survive, and take them down.

A variant to Invasion that cropped up towards the beta's end was Invasion Slayer, which I played a few times. In it, the goal is no longer to extract the data core or unlock additional areas, it's to reach 100 kills before the timer runs out and to control random spawning territories for vehicle reinforcements. The Warthog, Ghost, Wraith, Scorpion, and Banshee all make appearances in both Invasion game types and they handle like you remember from previous offerings.

Another really fun game type that came out near the end of the beta's run is Network Test 1 (Generator Defence). Here, the map is called Standoff and it's a nice little farm-like setting. There are three generators set up around the map, two outside, one inside, and three Elites are trying to destroy them while three Spartan-IIIs try to defend them. As a Spartan-III, you can touch and lock down a generator making it invulnerable for several seconds, and you can repeat the process after a cooldown period. Strategic use of this lockdown feature will win you rounds and cause your Elite adversaries a whole world of frustration. Heavy weapons like the Spartan Laser and Rocket Launcher also drop in at the beginning of the round, allowing either side who can claim them to have an advantage.

The purpose of Network Test 1 was, coincidentally enough, to test something on the network, so there was a lot more lag and other issues here and there than the other gametypes, but it was still enjoyable. Once the round was done, win or loose, the next and final round begins where you switch sides, allowing both teams to play as Spartan-IIIs and Elites. At present this gametype will not be in the retail version of the game, though if enough people request it Bungie has said they may put it in so make sure to let them know!

The only additional classic gametype I played which I didn't experience in the preview was Juggernaut, and I personally didn't like it at all. The Juggernaut now spawns with a Gravity Hammer, making him truly, well, a Juggernaut, but I found it more frustrating than fun to take him down, and this is a gametype I stopped voting for after my first go-around.

Due to the crazy damage caused by Frag Grenades, I can certainly tell you that I didn't miss dual wielding, as in Halo: Reach, you want to be tossing Grenades everywhere! Bungie has said that Grenades will be tweaked for the retail release, so we'll see how their effectiveness changes this fall. I did gain a new appreciation for the Needle Rifle, however, and found I began to prefer it over the DMR, and I also found the Needler quite useful, particularly coupled with Active Camo in a Loadout.

Another interesting change to a classic weapon is the Energy Sword. Now, if an opponent lunges at you with the Energy Sword and you Melee right at the point of contact, you block the blow, giving you one last chance to try and save yourself. Realistically blocking the Energy Sword with anything other than another Energy Sword should destroy your weapon, but canon aside this makes for an interesting gameplay mechanic and can present a nice surprise to the Sword wielder expecting a quick kill.

I also tinkered with the new Assassinations during the beta. In Halo: Reach, if you melee your opponent while they still have any Shields left, you drop their Shields but no damage carries over to your opponent's health, thus requiring a second Melee for the kill. That is, unless you use an Assassination. Get right behind your opponent and hold Melee, and no matter how much Shields or Health they have, you kill them with a great little animation, and you can even Assassinate in mid-air! Though Assassinations are quick, you are left vulnerable for a few seconds and if you're not careful, you will be killed or Assassinated yourself (watching an Assassination train was great for a laugh!).

By and large though, my biggest gripe with the Halo: Reach beta was the matchmaking process itself. Unlike previous games, you can now specify additional matchmaking options, such as the kind of communication level you like (Chatty or Quiet), the kind of game mentality you like (to Win or to have a good time), etc., and while said options are certainly a very positive addition, they don't guarantee a match with someone with similar preferences, and of course, people can lie. You may specify that you like Polite people and still end up in a lobby full of jerks.

Overall though, these settings are a welcome addition and with a much larger player pool this Fall, we'll see how they work out, but regardless of what options I checked, I almost always found myself matched up against players who were far too skilled for me or quite under skilled, with both counts leading to less fun. Granted, I've experienced this with Xbox LIVE in general, as I've always found public matchmaking on Xbox LIVE to be an exercise in frustration compounded all the more by the fact that it's a paid service. I would really love to see a quality system put into place, something akin to what Battle.net used for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Close games, good players, and good fun and overall, Xbox LIVE lacks this outside of private matches.

Despite the universal matchmaking issues of the service itself, however, there's no question that Halo: Reach is doing a great job of not only pushing the envelope of what we're used to, but grounding it in a strong feel that is unmistakably Halo. With roughly three or four months until launch, it will be interesting to see what gets overhauled, what stays the same, and what gets added. We only got a taste of what Halo: Reach had to offer, and what we did see isn't even final.

I'm quite looking forward to the full game's launch this Fall.