Halo 3 Preview

Halo fans rejoice. Unlike the many postponements of Halo 2, the beta version of Halo 3 will be released on May 16th. Microsoft has already allowed a few press members to compete online against many people handpicked for the game's testing trials during press conferences in New York and San Francisco.

This new Halo will not be radically different; instead, designers have worked on bettering the overall game. One difference is when playing, you will be able to look down and see you player's legs and dead bodies will be mold themselves to their environment. There have been a few key changes: one lets you reload a gun while firing another. This will be a valuable toy in massive gunfire fights. Overall, the new Halo 3 will be like playing a better Halo 2, with the same feel and look. There is a new level of detail, so that there is a deeper feel to the game than before.

Another great feature is that the beta version will have the ability to tape fights and watch them again later or share them with friends. The grouping process will also be improved. No longer will parties have lag during game play, instead now parties will be formed will similar connection speeds. Players will also be able to skip maps that the party doesn't like.

Halo 3 beta users will be relieved to know that this beta version does not play like a beta. Instead Halo 3 has smooth game play, graphically impressive, and worthy of being called Halo.

There are three levels in the beta: Snowbound, High Ground, and Valhalla. Snowbound, as the name sounds, is a winter nightmare. The gameboard is two alien bases connected through underground tubes. There are shields that protect the entrances. They prevent damage from players on the other side.

The High Ground maps features the new Mongoose All-Terrain Vehicle, a small four-wheeler that lacks in guns and whose only purpose is to go fast. The Valhalla features "Man-Cannons," which serves to shoot players and vehicles into the far distance. If a play uses the zoom feature combined with a sniper rocket, they will be able to hit other plays in mid-air.

There are lots of new weapons in Halo 3. There are now spike grenades that attach to walls to make powerful blasts, bubble shields that provided the player temporary protection, the portable grav lift, the trip mine and the energy drainer.

No one would comment on Halo 3's one-person story line, except Bungie's level designer Lars Bakken, who stated that it would in fact end Master Chief's story.

On May 16^th, many people who purchased Crackdown simply for the beta Halo 3 version will be elated. After 2 ½ years of waiting, Halo addicts everywhere will have a new Halo to play.