Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta: Hands-On Preview

We tell you everything you need to know about Halo 3 Multiplayer in time for its public Beta release this week.

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By Adam Doree

Let's face it: rarely is there a gaming moment as satisfying as a kill in Halo multiplayer. Whether it's a snipe from afar or an up-close beat down melee attack, killing in Halo is pure delight.

And there's plenty of killing in Halo 3. In this third instalment, the war has come to a climax; the armies of Earth are scattered and decimated, and the Covenant threaten to activate the Halo - effectively destroying all life in the galaxy. Of course it's up to Master Chief to save the day... but if you want to know more, tough, because right now all Bungie is showing us is the vital Multiplayer side of the game. Halo practically invented console FPS multiplayer - and set the standard to beat, at any rate. So nothing less than perfection is expected from Halo's next-gen, Xbox Live powered arrival.

I've had a bit of a short attention span lately when it comes to online multiplayer titles though, and I'm not exactly the sort of gamer who's been playing Halo 2 online non-stop since its release. However, with Halo 3, things could well be different: maybe the excitement of this early, coveted Beta access has infected me, maybe it's the power of Halo finally here in front of me on a next-gen system, or perhaps it's just a tad more fun and better executed than before. Whatever it is, Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta has grabbed me and, to my slight surprise, won't let go.

Bungie has started collecting valuable data and identifying potential bugs and fixes it could make in the three-week trial, to make sure the final release later this year is the true series finale that fans have been demanding. But while singleplayer campaign mode and the main game story are under wraps, Multiplayer - complete with some new weapons, tools, maps and vehicles - is being exposed in this exciting Beta release that's got everyone talking.

This 916MB download goes on general release on Wednesday, 16 May at 12AM PDT (8AM UK time) to anyone who's signed up for the Beta, by using the code supplied with Crackdown. A few lucky members of the games press (we're not sure how many in total, but estimate maybe 500) have been treated with advanced access; we plugged our 25-digit retrieval code into Marketplace and the download of justice began - some 100 hours before the full-on trial begins, much to the envy of basically everyone we've told. Is all the hype justified? We were about to find out.

The thing about opening up the Beta early to some of the world's most experienced gamers and Halo fanatics is that the standard of play is joke-high, so it's been a curious time to check out how the system supposedly matches you up with players of similar skill - an incredibly important part of the experience. Based on my time with the game I'd say that about 75% of players are quite obviously much, much better than me. I'm slightly above total n00b status (thank you very much) but worlds apart from some of the absurdly skillful, alien ability of some of these guys.

Regardless of game mode, maps, time of day, or specific players in a match, Matchmaking seems to have a hit-and-miss success rate. Although it probably does depend on player availability right now, sometimes all the other players in a match are outrageously better and it can occasionally be pointless even playing. In one regular six-player deathmatch I couldn't go more than a few seconds without getting killed by guys barely putting any effort in who came out of nowhere, in a scenario where I could happily empty three minutes of gunfire on them and barely dent their armour. I don't get that. Frustrating - if humbling.

But the obvious truth is that they're just much better, much more accurate, and already more experienced with these new maps. I can deal with that, and I'm quite happy with a simple kill against a guy from a rival site, or perhaps a 'Double Kill' earned here and there. "Not coming last" feels pretty good as well, too, and my perfoemances have steadily been getting better. You may learn techniques from (or be in awe of) players who reach the King of the Hill win score of 100 when the second guy is only at 10 points, but really, what's the point in trying to compete? It defeats the object of Matchmaking like-skilled players.

So the jury's out on Matchmaking for now, but I am hoping that once the Beta player population vastly increases later this week we'll have a better idea of how good it will be, and after all, the skill on show in Multiplayer simply reminds us how much scope Halo offers for true, other-worldly mastery of a game that a novice can still enjoy if things are done right.

Often though (and in fairness, the majority of the time - just) matches do feel slightly better matched, and more fairly balanced. And in terms of the general nuances that make or break FPS multiplayer - respawn points, scoring and time limits, weapon positions, bases, map layout and so on, things are solid and fine-tuned, as you'd expect from Halo. There simply aren't any complaints - and we're not sure what 'bugs' Bungie refers to when it says it will be fixing things. It's months away from release, and what we've played so far seems outstanding.

I'll quit bitching now - let's explore more of the Beta...

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