On the 3rd of May Bungie threw the switch and went live with the most anticipated console beta since Halo 3; the Halo Reach Multiplayer beta. For the last two weeks owners of Halo ODST who held onto their copies were privy to a taste of things to come in Halo: Reach.
Four different maps were on offer; one exclusive to the new Invasion Mode, one exclusive to Generator Defense A.K.A Network Test 1, and two for all the other game types. Bungie has made a lot of tweaks to both the engine and visuals. The developer also made a few more obvious changes, number one among these is the new control scheme. The “Bash” or Melee input has been moved from the “B” button to the right bumper. “B” now cycles between available grenade types. To reload players must hit “X” which also doubles as a context sensitive “interact” button. The left bumper button activates or deactivates the player’s current armour ability and the left trigger throws grenades. These might seem like minor changes but to anybody who has spent many hours in Halo 3’s multiplayer it will take several matches to get used to this new configuration and once you do, you realise it’s brilliant
Another tweak that has been made is the match selection. Matchmaking is divided into five separate options; Arena – Slayer for the competitive player, Invasion – similar to Rush from Bad Company 2, Grab-a-Bag – all team based game types, Free for All – all lone wolf game types, and Network Test 1 – 3 on 3 Spartan vs. Elite where the Elites have to destroy three UNSC generators. Once one of these five options are selected and a match found, the players needs to vote for one of three possible matches.
In Halo 3 a player could search a specific game type, such as Team SWAT or Crazy Kings. In the Reach beta however, that is not the case. This can lead to the same mode being played to death. Players tend to choose the most popular game type. In Free-For-All this is Headhunter, and this means other game types are almost completely ignored unless the player is playing with a local group of friends.
Gameplay remains Halo but with a twist. Rechargeable health has been scraped for an ODST style health pack system which makes multiplayer just a little more challenging as hiding in a corner won’t restore you to prime condition. There is also reticule bloom meaning accuracy decreases during continued fire, effectively reducing the lethality of weapons such as the sniper-rifle, magnum and DMR. The new controls also feel tighter and more responsive when compared to those of Halo 3.
The new armour abilities also add an entire new dynamic to matches. Yes previous Halo incarnations had active-camo pick-ups but it wasn’t something that could be used multiple times during a match. Similarly, the jetpack means the player now needs to watch the sky as much as they watch the corners. Armour lock – which renders the user invulnerable for a brief period – also has its uses, especially when facing off against wraith tanks.
There are also several new weapons on offer. The Designated Marksman Rifle is a single shot replacement for the Battle Rifle. The Plasma Repeater is a two-handed version of the Plasma Rifle, possibly only included to mask the absence of dual wielding. The Plasma Launcher is a chargeable plasma grenade launcher capable of locking onto multiple enemies and spewing forth blue glowing balls of death. It does take a second to charge, but if used in conjunction with the jetpack it can be devastating. The Spartan Grenade launcher is far less awesome than its Covenant counterpart since it only fires one grenade. This grenade can however be detonated in a number of different ways; either one bounce BOOM, or launched as a mine, where it will lie waiting for a player to detonate it. This does take some getting used to, and can be quiet challenging to use. The scoped Magnum from Halo: Combat Evolved also makes a return though the clip size has been reduced. Lastly there is the Focus Rifle; a Covenant sniper weapon similar to the sentinel beam, it can be deadly but since it has to remain focused on the enemy it sometimes doesn’t do enough immediate damage to justify the dangers of remaining focused on one enemy at a time.
It’s hard to judge Reach based solely on the beta, since anything can change between now and the final release. However, Reach does seem to promise to once again set the bar for other titles to follow.
There is no reason to doubt that Halo Reach will be Bungie’s Magnum Opus as far as the Halo-verse is concerned, and for every Halo fan out there, it is going to be a long wait until release in September.
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