It can be assumed that Halo 3 fans are anxiously waiting for public beta that is scheduled for next Wednesday. With over four million pre-orders already, it’s being labelled as one of the most highly anticipated video games ever. Microsoft held a Halo 3 preview event in San Francisco and New York Friday so that people could get to see what Halo 3 should look like in action.The event had over 10 high definition televisions set up for people to jump into the fray. Halo 3 had the same feel as the previous Halo games, except the graphics are sharper, there are new items, and the details added to the environment make it more “realistic”. In snow covered landscapes your grenades won’t bounce around as though you dropped it on a rubber mat. It’ll just land where you tossed it. There are new items that can be activated by pressing X. Instead of using X to switch and pick up weapons, that has been moved to the RB button. One item throws up a bubble shield, once it’s activated. There is also an item that pushes you off the ground, like a levitation device. When placed in a convenient location, you can activate it to launch you to higher ground. There are plenty of spikey grenades for you to stick on other players, which is always entertaining.
Another new feature is a “safe room” where you are protected by an invisible shield but people can still see in and fire. Enemies will have to come in to harm you, but it’s amusing to stand there and taunt them for a little while.
There are new weapons including a spiker which seems to be a rapid fire gun but with a blade attached at the bottom. There is a laser gun where you need to hold the trigger down for several seconds, but once it fires, you can be sure your enemy is toast--unless you totally missed. Turrets can be picked up and carried with you. There was no sign of the sword, which is unfortunate, but who knows if it will be included when the game is released.
The vehicles, of course, are the best part. The new ATV allows a partner to jump in the back and shoot with their own weapon from all angles. It handles much better than warthog but it also flips over easily, especially if you decide to drive it into the river.
Halo 3 is much faster paced, so it doesn’t make the environment feel too big. The areas that we got a chance to play in were a good size; it never took too long to find someone to shoot at. Graphics are enhanced, with beautiful visuals and a lot of detail. The gameplay is a little choppy still, similar to Halo 2 so hopefully that will be fixed by the time it hits the store shelves.
Now we just need to wait and see what the storyline is all about. For those who like playing Halo 3 multi-player, don’t expect anything mind-blowing. It’s an improvement, but it’s more like Halo 2 that’s been finely tuned.
I am a Canadian living in California with my husband and my precious baby Bailey (95lbs of labrador fun). I work full time and go to school, so finding the time to play video games is tough. I still manage to sneak some time in, whether it's playing on my GBA while I wait in line or sitting in the back seat of my car so I can use our dvd player to play the Gamecube on long trips. I've always been fairly decent at playing games to give my younger brother some competition. I started at the early age of 6 when I inherited an Atari 2600. I played any computer game I could get my hands on during those Commodore 64 days. Now I'll play anything from RPGs to first person shooters, racing games or basically anything that's fun and allows me to play with at least 3 other people.
