Fuchal's Ill Informed Opinion on Halo 3 (Beta)

18 May 2007

Ok, I've had been playing Halo 3 (Beta) for the past 36 hours (not continuously, of course), so here are my thoughts on how the full release may shape up. Please note, I use the term 'may' due to the fact that this is a beta of the online element only - and a lite one at that! As such, I won't be able to comment on the story line in single and co-op play; so elements of theme, narrative, voice acting, and cinematic audio-visuals will not be touched on. Applying the principle of charity, I won't draw any final conclusions on the beta which can be cemented to the full release, nor would it be fair for me to apply a score. Having said that, hopefully this article will both express my feelings on where the Halo franchise is at with the impending release of 3 and, more importantly, generate some forum discussion.

Even though we were delayed by 12 or so hours with the Crackdown glitch on Halo 3 Beta, since I am not a die-hard fan of the franchise I could handle waiting another day to get my hands on it. In fact, the delay allowed me to try out the God Mode in Crackdown which had been released as a free update earlier in the week. To Bungie's credit, the fault with the Beta release was acknowledged very quickly, even if they didn't provide us with a reason for the failure. Further, my 900+mb download for the Beta also only took 15-20 mins, so I can't fault the server speeds considering Australia is at the arse-end of the world.

Right, we are three paragraphs in and I still haven't discussed the game play. So here goes. As far as shooters go, Halo 3 isn't shaping up to be particularly ground breaking. Why? Well there seems little in the way of new content when compared with Halo 2. Yes, the graphics are certainly a step forward - a next gen step forward. But that is a standard expectation for a title delivered on a graphics geared console. Nevertheless, most of the other elements are carried over from Halo 2, which in itself wasn't a dramatic improvement from Halo 1. The uniform modelling, landscape styles, vehicles and weapon choice, as well as control system and sound effects differ little from Halo 2. So after just two or three rounds, I found myself thinking "Fuchal, you've played this game before!" And before long, I my mind was wandering onto other games I could play.

No I wasn’t bunnied in the rounds I played, which might result in a disgruntled old gamer writing this review.  In fact, I did above average which I am pleased with considering I haven’t played Halo 2 since 2005.  I even found myself enjoying the moment in a rather hectic deathmatch.  But after the shooting had stopped, and before the game could shuffle me into another session, all sense of gaming fun flowed out of me. I didn’t wait in anticipation for another round.  I was able to go to bed and get up without that gaming addiction calling from the back of my head.  In fact, when I found some spare time in the afternoon to game, I found myself drawn back to Crackdown and Gears of War – both of which I’ve already completed.

I just felt that Halo 3 could be too easily compared with Halo 2.  And that is a bad thing.  Yes, sequels need to be compared with their predecessors, but I find the really good sequels (just like the really good stand alone titles) shine when they are contrasted with what has come before.  What qualities do they possess which those who have come before lacked?  What have they done right which others haven’t?  What have they created which will set a benchmark for others to follow?  These are the questions I wish this review could provide answers for, but it can’t.

Now, before you bite my head off in the forums for basing this only on 3 maps in a lite multiplayer beta, allow me to justify my claim.

With the full launch just over four months from today, we can safely assume that Bungie are not going to be completely revamping the weapons, vehicles, models and landscape. And nor should they.  After all, I am just one person so what does my opinion matter? But this leaves the full release needing to play some big cards.

The story line which Master Chief & Co. find themselves in will have to be truly great; I'm talking Half Life style 'rock the gaming world,' with a seminal plot, narrative, dialogue and game play which weave together so well you could never imagine any of them existing apart from each other. To just tack on another Halo template to this engine and control style will be a major let down... kind of like The Phantom Menace.

Enemy and friendly AI will also need to be on par with the likes of Gears of War, if not truly original - walkthrough authors should have to struggle to recommend how to overcome a certain section due to the unpredictable nature of the enemy.

Lastly, level design will have to make you stop and shake your head in disbelief (in a good way). I've seen some good levels for shooters over the years, but Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight (1997) has never been surpassed - there's something about a level in which you have to traverse the inside of a star ship crashing down to a planet's surface that makes you go back over a decade later to experience the thrill again.

To be fair, Bungie may just pull this off. Stranger things have happened in sequels. Who would have thought that Empire Strikes Back would leave Star Wars for dead? And who could have predicted Radiohead's OK Computer at the start of 1997?

If the team at Bungie don't deliver, though, at least existing Halo fans won't be disappointed. There will plenty of multiplayer action to last them the next few years. Just don't expect to see a slew of new converts buying a 360 based on a mediocre Halo 3.

-Fuchal

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