Must the H3 beta roxxorz our boxxorz?
IGN has posted an interesting article claiming that the Halo 3 beta must "rock our faces off." The reason the beta must do this is twofold. One, what we've seen of Halo 3 so far has been unfinished. Bungie repeats this every time they release a snippet of video, but that doesn't stop the intertron from pointing out all the graphical inadequacies. We'd like to point out that the Halo 3launch trailer was in engine and looked fantastic, something many seem to have forgotten. Still, plenty of Halo fans are waiting for the next graphical "wow." So, the beta will be expected to present that (as unfair as that is).
The second reason the beta will need to be great is that console owners (especially rabid Halo fans) may not understand the distinction between a beta and a demo. Demos, by and large, are accurate examples of what gamers can expect from a retail game. Betas, on the other hand, are riddled with bugs, balance issues, and otherwise imperfect bits and pieces. The issue then becomes whether or not the average Halo 3 beta tester will know the difference. If said beta tester is expecting a polished Halo experience, he or she could be sorely disappointed.
Is IGN's assessment accurate? Maybe. Halo 3's beta is going to be a big deal. The Shadowrun beta, by comparison, has been running for some time now with hardly any buzz at all. We have participant non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to thank for that. Anyone participating in the Shadowrun beta is bound not to discuss it publicly. Microsoft is dreaming if they think the Halo 3 beta will remain off the radar. Let's look at the numbers. The "Rule of Three" beta program admitted 13,000 people. The first shipment of Crackdown includes the beta. Let's be conservative and say the first shipment is 50,000 copies. Add in the unknown number of the first wave of beta registrants and we're hovering around 60-80,000 participants (and that's just North America). If MS couldn't contain the closed Alpha build of Halo 3 (which is on a much smaller scale), there is no way they'll keep 60,000 people quiet, NDAs or not.
Microsoft and Bungie undoubtedly know this, so it's in their best interest to present a good product to the public. Then again, supposing the beta is decried on the internet, is that enough to derail Halo 3? We'll go out on a limb and say no. Considering the fact that Halo 2 sold over 2 million copies on the first day it was available, 60,000 complainers doesn't look too bad.
The question then, is will the beta essentially be a glorified demo, or will it be an honest-to-God beta test, warts and all? We're going to go up the middle and predict that it's a well polished beta, something like the 1.0 version of Halo 2 multiplayer. It'll play well and graphics will be close to final, but feedback will be necessary. In the end, though, we're not even sure it matters. If one beta/demo is causing this much ruckus already, we'd say that the PR is already done.
