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Halo 3 beta: Did it kill the hype?
Over the weekend, David at MyArcadePlanet tossed around the idea that the Halo 3 beta actually hurt the game and killed off much of its hype. He feels that the beta was both a fun and entertaining experience, but his hands on time with the game released much of the built up Halo 3 excitement within' him. His personal stash of Halo 3 hype is gone.And we can agree with David to some extent, because Bungie is treating the Halo 3 release differently than its we're tight lipped, no one can touch our game, Halo 2 launch. So, we're sure some fans' hypometer may be running lower since they got hands on time and know what to expect, even if it was only a little taste of what's to come. But on the other side of the coin is that the beta has actually increased the hype in other fans' eyes, because they loved their time playing the beta and want to see, learn, and play more. But we can all agree that the Halo 3 beta has had some effect on those who played it, good or bad.But what about you. Did playing the beta increase or decrease your excitement (and overall hype) for Halo 3?
Bungie's Halo 3 beta breakdown
Not satisfied with gigantic numbers and statistics? Bungie has posted a brief article detailing the team's thoughts on the Halo 3 beta. We must share one more number first, though. Remember those twelve million hours that were logged into the beta? According to Bungie, 816 years worth of that time was spent in-game. Yowza. Back to the task at hand, the Bungie team is pleased with the information gleaned from the beta. Network bugs in particular were weeded out very effectively. However, those of you hoping for any drastic weapon changes may be disappointed, as the team will leave the weapons mostly the same. There will be minor tweaks, of course, but don't expect anything drastic. Finally, the team is definitely aware of the many map escaping exploits (particularly Banshee ... in ... Space) and plans to seal the maps a little tighter for the retail release. Still, Bungie knows that fans are dedicated to finding ways around such measures, and has no illusions that they won't. Hit the "read" link for the full article. Update: Clarified Bungie's claim of 816 hours worth of play time.
Halo 3 Beta statistics released
Now that the Halo 3 beta has been over with for over 72 hours, some statistics for those number crunchers out there to feast upon. First off, with 820,000 unique gamertags playing online, that's a lot of copies of Crackdown, probably well over 750,000 after you deduct the initial beta registrants, 13,333 "Rule of 3" winners, and Friends and Family testers. Those gamers also logged twelve million hours of play time in the three weeks, with 350 terabytes of data being transfered across live, from downloading the beta, as well as possibly bandwidth for games, and file share movies. Either way, that's pretty impressive.
Master Chief's face? Kinda sorta ...
From day one Halo fans have been wondering what's hiding under that Spartan helmet and what our hero really looks like. And thanks to the Halo 3 beta and some nice camera work, fans were able to position the Mongoose camera inside the helmet of another player. The result, a look at a fully modeled face behind the visor featuring some pale skin and glowing eyes. True, it isn't the best look behind the helmet and one could make the argument that it's just a generic multiplayer model and not our Master Chief. But we can't help but take this one step further and fantasize about the possibility that Master Chief will be taking his helmet off this September seeing that Bungie went through the work to model faces. Speaking of which, would you be down with seeing the person behind the helmet or do you think Master Chief's badass appeal comes from his semi-hidden look?[Via Game Stooge]
Hey Bungie, include open chat in Halo 3!
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/xbox_360/Peition_for_open_chat_in_Halo_3'; The Halo 3 beta wrapped up earlier this morning and for the most part everything was grand. That is except for one major issue that has been taunting us with an evil grin since first playing the beta ... lack of an open chat system. True, open chat has never been a part of the Halo franchise, which opts instead for a push to talk system, but with the trilogy coming to an end it's a feature that needs to be included. Who really likes pressing a button to talk anyway? So, we're asking you for your help. We want you to comment on this post stating that you support an open voice chat system in Halo 3 multiplayer and want Bungie to get rid of the push to talk mess. We'll make sure the big guys over at Bungie see this post and all the fanboy support for opening up Halo 3's chat. Let's band together and fight this push to talk madness, comment away fanboys and let's make a change! Hoorah!But wait, you aren't sold on the whole open chat idea? Well, after the break we've posted a few reasons why open chat just makes sense and why it will make Halo 3 a better game. Trust us, push to talk is so 1977.
Last day to play the Halo 3 beta
Yes, we had a rough start at the beginning, but we soon got into the swing of things and have had a lot of fun these past few weeks as tripmines exploded, Banshees flew out into space, and custom games were created. But all the Halo 3 beta goodness will come to an end tonight as Bungie pulls the metaphorical plug at midnight pacific time. So we advise everyone to jump online, play a few games, and pull off a few last Spartan laser kills, because you'll have to wait a few months to get your next Halo 3 fix. We bid you fine farewell Halo 3 beta, you were all that we had hoped for and more. We'll see you in September.
Halo 3 Collector's Edition: lacking in mysterious extra discs [update]
Update: Presenting the Halo 3 Collector's Edition sans the mysterious "Game Disc Two." We still don't care how many discs the game is on, but you'll want to learn more in our look at Bungie's Weekly Update. [Original post follows]Oh no. Or rather, oh noes. Representing the average person, compared to the Standard Edition's luckless vagrant or the Legendary Edition's overweight sultan, the Collector's Edition of Halo 3 can now be seen sporting two game discs and a bonus disc. What does that mean, exactly? Well, it depends on who you ask.Just one logical assumption (see update below) would be that the first disc contains the single-player campaign, whilst the second functions as an entry into the game's multiplayer arena. Not an outrageous conclusion to make, but certainly not a very entertaining one. Perhaps we'd be better off seeing this as a message about the inadequate capacity of DVD, a frightening glimpse into a world where switching weapons also requires us to exert physical effort and switch discs. Discs, as in plural! This is a dark day for us immobile couch denizens, with no ray of hope in sight. Could somebody hold us?%Gallery-2154%
Video: Halo 3 beta: Needler ... in ... space!
A couple weeks back we showed you video footage of the Banshee "... in ... space!" This time involves the Needler, which as you may have noticed since the release of the beta, has gotten a significant boost of power as it is not dual wieldable as found in Halo 2. Whenever in High Grounds on Snowbound, nabbing a few needling kills always adds a slightly more satisfactory experience to you killing spree. So, where does the extraterrestrial extension come into play here? You'll just have to watch and see. In spite of the source, it's still pretty catchy in this context. Enjoy!
Live Top Ten: Betacular
This week's Live Top Ten shows a trend that will continue on through to the 10th. The Halo 3 Beta is being played a lot, by way of our actions Crackdown. Not enough to knock Gears of War of its top spot, but certainly enough to give the retail game second, and the beta in accesses in third. Of course, there is more on the list worth noting other than those three worth mentioning, such as the DiRT demo, or the free XBLA title, Aegis Wing. Full list can be found after the break, or you can just go back to playing the beta. We'll encourage you in your habit.
Top five Halo 3 beta weapons
Game Daily whipped together a list of what they think the top five Halo 3 beta weapons are in their current state. Making the list at number five is the slightly less powerful Rocket Launcher with the Chaingun, Brute Spiker and Shotgun all making an appearance. And what's Game Daily's favorite Halo 3 beta weapon that they feel has the most pwnability? Old trusty herself, the sniper rifle. Though, we can't help but notice that a few of our favorite weapons are absent from their list including the beefed up Needler, the punishing Spartan Laser and the good-in-any-situation Carbine. So, we can't help but disagree.Now we ask you, fellow fanboys, what are your top five Halo 3 beta weapons? Missile Pod need not apply.
Watch Master Chief suck at Halo 3
What better way to start off your Monday (here in the Western Hemisphere anyway) than with a hilarious YouTube video? No better way, that's what! The fact that it presents a startlingly accurate portrait of Halo on Xbox Live is just a bonus. We present to you Master Chief Sucks at Halo. If any of you have ever played a significant amount of Halo online, then many parts of this video are likely to strike a familiar chord. Without spoiling anything, we suggest you go ahead and watch. (Warning: NSFW. lololololololllololollolol.)[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Jayman007]
Today's chiefiest video: Master Chief Sucks at Halo
With all of the Halo 3 news that's been appearing on Joystiq, and every gaming related site across the globe, we thought we'd offer up a moment of levity in the form of this video.Now, first things first, the language in this video is definitely NSFW, for home, for younger ears, or your grandma, just so you know. However, it's probably the best representation of the type of behavior and communication you run into while playing both Halo 2 and the Halo 3 beta.it's also pretty funny, lolololololololol.[Thanks, DawgOnU]
Halo 3 beta T-shirt Giveaway: It's Over!
They say all good things must come to an end, and that remains true for us here at Xbox 360 Fanboy. The fantabulous Halo 3 beta T-shirt giveaway has come to an end. Before we bid a fond farewell to our week-long giveaway, we must announce the final winner, who will no doubt accept his or her T-shirt with quiet dignity and grace. The winner of our final shirt, of Large size and brown hue, is ... Gorkinlot, who "likey the free." We all do buddy, we all do. Congratulations, Gorkinlot, we'll be contacting you shortly.We'd like to thank everyone who participated in the giveaway. We'd also like to let you know that we have many more giveaways planned for the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned to X3F and you could be a winner too.
Bungie says Halo 3 graphics will improve
Ever since the first Halo 3 ViDoc surfaced, fanboys everywhere have been complaining that Halo 3's graphics may not be up to snuff. Speaking to Next-Gen, Bungie's Frank O'Connor offers some hope for ailing fans. First, he does note that multiplayer will always be geared towards performance before graphical wizardry. After all, what's the point of beautiful multiplayer if the framerate is unplayable? Still, O'Connor says that there will be "a few nifty graphical improvements in multiplayer," though he notes that he expects the real graphical polish will best be displayed by the single-player campaign.Are you at all bothered by Halo 3's graphics so far, or are you too busy enjoying yourself?
Fanswag: Halo 3 beta T-shirt Giveaway Day 6
Update: This giveaway is now closed. To see the winner, click here. To enter the latest giveaway, click here.This is it folks, the final day of our Halo 3 beta T-shirt extrabonanza. Let's not much up this post with extra wordiness. Time to announce the winner of yesterday's Large brown T-shirt. The winner is ... sam johnston, who proudly proclaims that he is the winner. How did he know? Congratulations, sam johnston, we'll be contacting you soon.Now, on to the last, final, and ultimate T-shirt to be given away. Today's shirt is brown, size Large. If you'd like to get your grubby little mitts on it (or your delicate, clean mitts), all you have to do is submit a comment on this post (limit one entry per person. Limited to U.S. residents 18 and older). Leave your comment and good luck!Click here for the Official Halo 3 beta T-shirt Giveaway rules
Video: Sword and Wraith unlocked in H3 beta
After the secret got out that custom games were accessible in the Halo 3 beta, it hasn't taken long for more vehicles and weapons to be revealed. Of course, the latest GamePro has some official information, but we've got these positively unofficial videos. The first video, embedded above, shows off the Energy Sword as it appears in Halo 3. It's noteworthy that the sword does have a battery. If you look at the top right corner, you'll notice that the charge decreases as the player makes successful hits. Also displayed in the video, it seems that movement speed has been increased and gravity decreased, making for a sort of Benny Hill version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Check out the second video, which features a Wraith tank, after the break.
Fanswag: Halo 3 beta T-shirt Giveaway Day 5
Update: This giveaway is now closed. To see the winner, click here. To enter the latest giveaway, click here.It's nearly that time folks, the Xbox 360 Fanboy Halo 3 beta T-shirt Giveaway extravaganza is nearly over. But fear not, for there are still shirts to be won. And now, on to today's winner. The winner of an Extra Large green Halo 3 beta T-shirt is ... gibber9583, who informs us that Master Chief is very handsome. That's true, so long as you can get past the whole "pale as a cave fish" thing. Congratulations, gibber9583, we'll be contacting you soon.For today's giveaway we have a Large brown beta T-shirt. If you want to win this sucker, you're going to have to comment on this post. Just as a change of pace, why not post something completely irrelevant like, say, some random celebrity gossip? Everybody likes celebrity gossip, right? At any rate, simply post a comment below for your chance to win (limit one entry per person. Limited to U.S. residents 18 and over). We've only got one left after this one folks. Hop to it!Click here for the Official Halo 3 beta T-shirt Giveaway rules
H3 beta custom games unlocked, pistol spotted
Remember all the hullabaloo over the custom game menus uncovered in the Halo 3 beta? Unfortunately, it was somewhat muted thanks to the fact that custom games were still unplayable. At least, that's what we thought. It turns out that a few people have managed to actually start custom games of Halo 3 using the beta. Both of the videos in this post (one posted after the break) show a custom game of VIP. In the videos we see a few things that are not currently available in the beta, including multi-team gameplay and the M6G pistol. There is also one instance of automated team switching in the video, which would allow for more complex gametypes, such as the popular Zombies gametype. Unfortunately, it seems that the custom games created so far have been created by accident, so none of the custom options -- such as adjustable gravity -- have been tweaked.Here's hoping Bungie opens up custom games in a future beta update.Update: Be warned that the first video is NSFW thanks to some salty language. Thanks to Mrfreezie from pointing this out.
Halo 3 armor types and achievements discovered
The Halo 3 beta code digging continues as the 7th Columnist has uncovered information on Halo 3's achievements and more customizable armor options for multiplayer. In the Halo 3 beta code there are over 40 references to Halo 3's achievements including everything from grenade sticking in multiplayer to advancement in Halo 3's campaign. Speaking of campaign, mission based achievements include a part of the mission's name which gives us a hint to how the campaign will progress. Flood making an appearance in mission five anyone? Complete list of achievement text pulled from the beta code is posted after the break.Also, newly discovered in the beta code is confirmation of an Elite model and references to armor customization in multiplayer. It looks like there will be different styles of armor to customize your Spartan or Elite with which will allow for greater personalization. The Spartan's armor types include default Mjolnir, Cobra, Intruder, Ninja and Regulator with the Elite model having default, Predator and Raptor. And since the helmet, shoulder pads and body are all listed as separate tags in the code, it may be possible to mix and match the various armor styles.[Thanks, MasterDigg]
Halo 3: Features that should be in the game
After playing a bunch of the Halo 3 beta, the guys over at GameSpy wrote up a list of ten features that they're hoping Bungie will include in the retail build of Halo 3. Among their top ten are a few great ideas, including a rating system for shared videos, available commentary on user-made videos, new multiplayer character models, and four player campaign co-op. Though, their wish list also includes a few things we don't necessarily agree with like an optional third person view and retro mode (this is Halo 3, not the complete Halo trilogy). But, to each their own. And speaking of which, what do you really want to see in Halo 3 when it ships this September that is either lacking in the beta or hasn't been officially announced?
