The beta for Halo: Reach has been out for two days, I've had plenty of time to play and have fun. This is what I have to say. It is everything I expected it to be.
These are the things that I loved.
Armor abilities : While adding a new twist to the game play that makes the experience new, it doesn't completely change the game into a class based FPS like Team Fortress. This also allows for new game play styles while catering to old play styles. For example, players with the jet pack are given more mobility making them a great offensive soldier that gets into the heat of battle quickly; on the other hand is the armor lock allows for a supportive/defensive soldier.
I personally enjoy using active camo because I enjoy not being seen and sniping people down. Then there are the sprinters who aren't good for too much, though I have seen some very good utilization of the sprint, where a player has the energy sword or gravity hammer and sprints up and kills you. (I got killed several times in one match by players like this.)
New Weapons: Because Halo: Reach is a beta, Bungie made weapons look different and perform differently. I noticed the assault rifle isn't quite as effective as it was in Halo 3, but still managed to get the job done, but I personally prefer the new DMS (Designated Marksman Rifle) and Needler Rifle. The DMS looks to be the replacement or equivalent of the battle rifle, it is semiautomatic and equipped with a scope, a few shots to the head with this will take down an enemy in an instant. The Needler Rifle functions similarly with a scope also, but seems to deal slightly less damage but being a needler if you manage to stick enough needles into your opponents, they'll explode. This is especially convenient when the target you are trying to snipe is dodging many of your head shots, you can always hit his body enough times until he explodes into pink mist. Another weapon I would like to give praise to is the return of the scoped magnum! Put in the hands of a skilled player the magnum is an all purpose tool of mass destruction, a few well placed shots to the noggin will take any opponent down in an instant, but prepare to have expert aim if you want to do this.
The new plasma launcher is really something to mention. Though I've never personally used it, it proves to be a very effective tool of destruction and a more than adequate inducer of anger. This weapon will launch up to 4 plasma grenades at varying speeds depending on what you do, this will usually end up in one man killing you, your buddy and possibly the other two people on your team. You will either a) get stuck with one of the grenades, b) get killed by a surrounding grenade launched by it, or c) both. I hate that weapon with a burning passion.
New Maps: Sword Base and Power House are both incredibly enjoyable maps that allow full utilization of all armor abilities. There are no unfair sniping nests or clog points that break the flow of the game and are both very easy to navigate. I look forward to seeing the other maps Bungie has up their sleeves. I hope they bring back Blood Gulch for the sake of nostalgia. Highground was fun, and Powerhouse is fun too, but you can't beat the tradition of Blood Gulch.
Voting System: As opposed to the old veto system of Halo 3, players in the pregame lobby are given 4 game type-map option to choose from, one of the 4 is a none of the above option. As the countdown clock goes down players pick which mode/map they want to play on and the one with the most votes is the mode and map played. If none of the above is picked, a new set of 3 options is presented and the process repeats again. I think it's very beneficial to have multiple maps to choose from, as opposed to vetoing one map to find that the new map chosen is far worse, or else the game mode is odd ball or something similar to that...
Assassinations: There's nothing like sneaking up behind an enemy and holding the melee button and see the camera go into a third person view and you see your character stab your opponent in the back as they helplessly watch themselves get killed. This new feature is incredibly satisfying and just plain fun. It's a lot like tea-bagging but it actually accomplishes something and looks much cooler. The best part is they can't do anything about it and just have to watch themselves die as I silently laugh at their pain.
I could go on and talk about how awesome it is, but it gets kinda boring. Let's talk about the kinks of the beta. It's good, but what about the bad? Nothing is perfect right?
It's a beta: There are still bugs that need to be worked out. Does anything need to be explained?
Missing some weapons: There are some weapons missing. Something to mention would be brute weapons like the brute shot and mauler. Despite Brutes not being part of the story of the game, it would be nice to have them online to add some more variety to the game. The carbine is missing but you could say the needler rifle replaces it, but I still think the carbine could have made a return. Not to mention that the SMG/Spiker is gone, I appreciate those weapons for close range encounters because of their fast rate of fire.
Dual Wielding? I know these are the third generation of Spartans and that they're not as great as the second generation like Master Chief was, but I don't think that necessary means we should throw out dual wielding. I personally think it takes off a layer of strategy and variety while playing online.
It's still beta, and so far they have only released two maps and a few game modes. Here are a few things I am looking forward to.
Elites: There is now a distinguishable difference between Elites and Spartans besides appearance. Elites have different armor abilities, one of which is a dodge making easier to get to safe cover. Once you take the different Spartan armor abilities and then throw in Elites and their abilities, I hope to have an awesome, diverse game of team slayer.
New Game Modes: Generator defense and head hunter look to be very exciting game modes that could become very competitive. Head hunter not so much, but Generator defense seems to a great new addition to team game modes. Then there is Spartans vs. Elites, which seems to be a very interesting new addition. An on going match between Spartans and Elites, I like that. I don't know much, but I know that I'm excited. I'm very excited for all of these new game modes and look forward to playing them
Overall, the beta is an incredibly fun experience. There's nothing extremely bad that seems to take away from the experience; sure there can be some additions to make it better, but it is no doubt, still, a very good game so far. It's still a beta and there's still room for improvement, and I'm extremely excited to see what else they could add on to an already spectacular game.
