Halo 3 beta date confirmed for May 16

by Justin McElroy { Apr 10th 2007 at 8:24AM }

What are you still reading for? What more could you possibly want to know? Halo 3. Beta. May 16. Joy. Ok, if you insist, we can tell you a little bit more, straight from Microsoft's official announcement this morning. It's going to be begin at 5 a.m. PDT on May 16 and run for three weeks, until June 6. You'll need to have done the whole "Rule of Three" thing or bought your specially-marked copy of Crackdown and be an Xbox Live Gold member to get all up in heaven. Bungie's reminding fans that it's still a beta and there will be some rough edges, but that it will look "somewhat close" to the final game.

In the beta, you'll get your grubby mitts on three maps, "Snowbound," "High Ground" and "Valhalla," which "represent a mixture of large- and medium-scale combat environments." You'll also get new vehicles, like the Mongoose all-terrain vehicle, and weapons like the new and improved Assault Rifle, Brute Spiker, Spartan Laser and the new Spike Grenades. A lot of the new content is available in a new Halo 3 feature on Xbox Live Marketplace and at Bungie's site called "Quisnam Protero Damno!". So, what are waiting for? Go watch the doc, go buy Crackdown and find a crossword puzzle that'll take you a month to finish.

Tags: beta, bungie, crackdown, halo3, halo3beta, highground, livegold, snowbound, valhalla, xboxlive

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Kizzle @ Apr 10th 2007 8:27AM

That's a pretty thin amount of time for the beta. I'd be pissed if I bought Crackdown just for that.

Steve Tran @ Apr 10th 2007 8:28AM

Watched the video and my expectations are high. Trap mines and bubble shield will make this game really an awesome experience. Also, I bet there will be people on here complaining and say "Zomg halo 2.3 graphix". It's Alpha guys, they haven't implemented alot of stuff to the game yet. Spare your criticism when beta releases

william_varrenti @ Apr 10th 2007 8:32AM

The True Gamer @ Apr 10th 2007 8:36AM

Kizzle, you've obviously never played Crakcdown, because it's a damn fine game that can stand on it's own merits, beta invite or not.

Tadioku @ Apr 10th 2007 8:39AM

this thing better not suck this is the only reason I bought a damn Xbox360

SynikaL @ Apr 10th 2007 8:45AM

I'm disappointed in how much the gameplay resembles Halo 2.

The first "Halo is overrated" guy should pop up by post 10. At that point, this thread will be rendered useless.

-Kimosabae

Kritz @ Apr 10th 2007 8:49AM

Well, so much for passing the 12th grade.

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 8:52AM

"Halo is overrated"

Twenty5 @ Apr 10th 2007 8:53AM

Here is a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbtKbtuX7fs

Steve Tran @ Apr 10th 2007 8:55AM

@6.
The pace as pointed out is just much faster and smoother here it seems and there's a more balance feel to the game. All of the changes add a HUGE layer of strategy to the gameplay. The trip mines and bubble shields alone are changes the game the way it played. It evens out the playing field on how 1 person can create choke points in objective based games.

SynikaL @ Apr 10th 2007 9:01AM

@10

I admire your enthusiasm, but to deduce so much from promotional footage of a game you've never played is absurd. It is impossible to have any idea of how "balanced" the game will be when you're missing so many pieces to the puzzle -- you don't know all the weapons, all the X button functions, the power ups etc.

Of course, you do sound like a Halo 2 fan, which I consider an abomination gameplay balance wise, so your enthusiasm makes sense.

-Kimosabae

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 9:12AM

Kimosabae

You have not play the game either so your opinion is in the same league as his.

SynikaL @ Apr 10th 2007 9:15AM

What "opinion"?

That the gameplay seems to resemble Halo 2? Hardly an intricate deduction by any means; simply a first impression I got from watching the video...which is all a promo video is really good for.

-Kimosabae

baby sea tuna @ Apr 10th 2007 9:15AM

@6

We don't need to wait for "that guy," cause you're already here. Thanks a lot, asshole, for ruining everything.

Kizzle @ Apr 10th 2007 9:17AM

"Kizzle, you've obviously never played Crakcdown, because it's a damn fine game that can stand on it's own merits, beta invite or not."

You didn't read what I wrote. I have owned Crackdown since day 1 and I love it. I said "IF I bought it just for the Halo 3 beta." If it wasn't for SOTN and Guitar Hero II, I'd still be playing it. I honestly couldn't care less about the Halo 3 beta, but like I said - if I spent 50 bucks for it, I would be annoyed that it's only like 3 weeks long.

Erick Lorenzo @ Apr 10th 2007 9:19AM

This is going to rock

ssuk @ Apr 10th 2007 9:20AM

lol halo overrated

but in seriousness, this is good, may intice me to pick up Crackdown sooner rather than later. Hm...

SynikaL @ Apr 10th 2007 9:21AM

Sea Tuna:

How about you siphon farts from a manatee's asshole? Thanks.

I actually love the Halo mythos, so I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Obviously, neither do you, so don't address me.

-Kimosabae

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 9:27AM

"That the gameplay seems to resemble Halo 2?"

"Of course, you do sound like a Halo 2 fan, which I consider an abomination gameplay balance wise,"

intricate deduction

Geo @ Apr 10th 2007 9:38AM

Does Halo 3 graphics look more like Doom engine or Unreal 3 engine.....?

baby sea tuna @ Apr 10th 2007 9:51AM

Kimosabe,

It is possible to show your respect for and/or disappointment with the Halo franchise without coming off as an arrogant prick.

"Thanks,"
baby sea tuna

Seedy @ Apr 10th 2007 9:55AM

"Halo is overrated"

ScreamingSkull @ Apr 10th 2007 10:01AM

@20

Halo 3 graphics look more like halo 2 graphics. With deeper bump maps. I honestly don't know why people keep pushing out alpha era video/graphics for this thing. I mean I own both H1 and H2, but until I see something that makes me drop my jaw or at least looks better than this, they can keep their 150$ bazillion dollar "rape-me" edition.

Louis S. @ Apr 10th 2007 10:07AM

@ScreamingSkull

Those are Alpha images. Not final, or even beta screens.

Mikeo @ Apr 10th 2007 10:09AM

@23
Wow. Can you read?

Anonymous @ Apr 10th 2007 10:11AM

This right here, it has made my day.

ScreamingSkull @ Apr 10th 2007 10:14AM

Uh, yeah. Why are you guys getting your wet panties in a twist over a chance to beta-test an alpha build?

And why haven't they tried to put out anything looking any better? I mean it's not rocket science to render out a single frame of something looking better than this.

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 10:18AM

"And why haven't they tried to put out anything looking any better? I mean it's not rocket science to render out a single frame of something looking better than this."

MS isn't Sony.

Geo @ Apr 10th 2007 10:18AM

@ 23 ScreamingSkul wait for Crysis and your jaw will drop all the way to the ground......

Phil @ Apr 10th 2007 10:20AM

I may have to cancel my Bahamas vacation (which starts on May 17) to get the full three weeks. Bummer.

Yeah, ScreamingSkull, those graphics are bad/sarcasm.

KilgoreTrout XL @ Apr 10th 2007 10:24AM

Synikal, you need to relax man.

You came off as arrogant and then a half-dozen people called you on it.

Accept it and move on.

ScreamingSkull @ Apr 10th 2007 10:25AM

They're not erm, bad, per se. They're just Halo 2 with bump maps so far. And crysis looks pretty, but man that story sounds like it'll fall to pieces in like 10 minutes of gameplay.

And no MS isn't putting out Killzone 2: extreme edition for massive damage, but hey, I want to #$^%ing see what halo 3 is really going to look like, not what they can do with the halo 1 engine with 5 pages of new bump coding in there. And and 3 new-ish weapons. And a new use for a button.

Intentless @ Apr 10th 2007 10:29AM

Bungie has opted for the approach of keeping the art style in line with halo 1 and 2 without going drasticly different. They arn't going for Gears of War detail up the rear graphics. They are going for making the game to look as good as possible without destroying the orginal feel. Plus they are putting more into the AI and the numbers on the field as opposed to graphics...

Louis S. @ Apr 10th 2007 10:35AM

Yeah, instead of going all out on the detail, they are going for more of a visual enhancement of a different kind. Like the water, wind and other type of effects that will make it seem more real.

Jason @ Apr 10th 2007 10:35AM

The graphics look fine to me. They're clear and sharp without being uselessly detailed. The video is running really smoothly, it looks good.

Cheesehead @ Apr 10th 2007 10:46AM

Lmao... console gamers get shafted again... this isn't a beta test, this is a demo... a limited edition demo to build hype.

Real beta tests last for months, and only involve people who have proven to be willing and reliable bug reporters, who are given full access to a game so that they can find as many bugs as possible.

THIS IS A DEMO TO GET YOU EXCITED AND PAY A BAGILLION BUCKS FOR A FAKE TOY HELMET!!!

ScreamingSkull @ Apr 10th 2007 10:50AM

@33

Yeah keep telling yourself that. I want it to be so good I'll feel bad talking smack about it. I'm not saying I want it to look like Gears or anything else for that manner. I just want it to look like a 2nd generation 360 game, post Gears.

Heliophage @ Apr 10th 2007 10:51AM

I wish the bubble shield looked more like the one in the CGI ad, which spikes into the ground, and less like something that rolls along side of you.

I can see them being very annoying, as well as the trip mines, but they'll be a lot more fun than annoying should they be as rare of a spawn as a rocket launcher or sniper rifle on the map.

Fun stuff, though. No real complaints.

Heliophage @ Apr 10th 2007 11:00AM

@36 ...*sigh*

Internal testing will be significantly different than the external, mass scale testing that Bungie is doing in May over Xbox Live.

First of all, it would be *impossible* to do what is typically done with most Betas because it would be impossible to enforce an NDA over so many practically anonymous people. Secondly, it's really a matter of *what* they're testing to determine *how* they test it. This is likely a benefit for Bungie because they get to distribute the build to a large mass of people for zero cost to them and increase the rate at which they narrow down bugs X-fold. On top of that, there will be a lot of P2P testing that will let Bungie know how they matchmaking need be tuned to allow for more lag-less hosting selections and disperse connection issues.

They may also be testing how ranked match data comes in to their servers, and they need plenty of volunteer players to help them do that.

I don't know what you're whining about.

Geo @ Apr 10th 2007 11:02AM

!Helmet Toy thought i was suppost to use it to play the game; you know virtual reality......

Jake @ Apr 10th 2007 11:12AM

Kimosabae, you should know by now what happens when you make the basic "Halo sucks" statement, even if you did roll some big words into it. Any statement that indicates your opinion is that Halo is over-rated or whatever will get shot down. It is the way of the world.

Hopefully the finish product of Halo 3 looks and plays great. Considering how much time and effort has already been put into the game, as well as the fact that the formula is already a 2 time critically acclaimed uber popular success story, my guess is that Halo3 will be considered awesome by most all game critics and sell a ton of systems/destroy college GPA's, just like 1 and 2 did.

I really don't know why it would be any different. Sure, plenty of people don't like Halo (every Nintendo and Sony fanboy hates it). I don't like Counterstrike and don't like Halo multiplayer much (run and gun isn't my bag). But it is pretty obvious that Halo 1, 2, and likely 3 are all awesome AAA games. Why else would it be rated so high critically and have sold so many copies? Marketing? Pulease. Pull your heads out of your butts, naysayers. You don't need to love a game to recognize that it is great. I hate JRPG's with spiky haired punks and obvious storylines, but respect the FF series.

The Halo franchise is easily in the top ten all time overall. It has defined console run n gun shooters.

fludblud @ Apr 10th 2007 11:40AM

HAH BUNGIE FINALLY ADMITS THAT SMG SPAWNS SUCK! ASSAULT RIFLE FTW

thank god for that, this game will rock now.

trio @ Apr 10th 2007 12:05PM

@ 42 Jake The Halo franchise is easily in the top ten all time overall. It has defined console run n gun shooters.

Well Halo could be the top ten console shooter but easily not the top ten PC shooter.....

IslandLife @ Apr 10th 2007 1:36PM

@30 Phil

C'mon Phil, do really want miss out on a vacation down here in The Bahamas for a beta. The waters great Phil, c'mon JUMP IN! Get it...jump in, like "jump in" the water which is also the slogan for... oh forget it!!

theDude @ Apr 10th 2007 2:13PM

@Jake

"Any statement that indicates your opinion is that Halo is over-rated or whatever will get shot down. It is the way of the world."

Well, in this little "XBox/MS/Halo fanboy world", maybe. But the rest of the "XBox/MS fanboy world" appears to think otherwise and then there's the non-XBox world, which is far larger than either of the previous two worlds combined. Otherwise there might have actually been more than 24 million XBoxes sold and just over 5 million copies of Halo and just over 7 million copies of Halo 2 sold.

A 21 percent adoption rate for Halo and
a 29 percent adoption rate for Halo 2.

Don't get me wrong, those are good percentages, just that each is less than a third of the XBox owners that cared about the Halo franchise.

So, to be fair, Halo is overrated.

theDude @ Apr 10th 2007 2:36PM

Just to put this into perspective. Top five selling games for the consoles over time. All numbers are in millions of units and rounded down.

Xbox
* Halo 2 (8)
* Halo: Combat Evolved (5)
* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2 in US only)
* Fable (1 in US only)
* Star Wars: KOTOR (1 in US only)

Xbox 360
* Gears of War (3)
* Oblivion (3, includes PC release)
* Call of Duty 2 (1)
* Madden NFL 07 (1 in US only)
* Perfect Dark Zero (1)

Nintendo Entertainment System
* Super Mario Bros. (40)
* Super Mario Bros. 3 (18)
* Super Mario Bros. 2 (10)
* The Legend of Zelda (6)
* Zelda II: Adventure of Link (4)

Super Nintendo Entertainment System
* Super Mario World (17)
* Donkey Kong Country (8)
* Super Mario Kart (8)
* Street Fighter II (6)
* The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (4)

Nintendo 64
* Super Mario 64 (11)
* Mario Kart 64 (8)
* GoldenEye 007 (8)
* The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (7)
* Super Smash Bros. (4)

Nintendo GameCube
* Super Smash Bros. Melee (6)
* Super Mario Sunshine (5)
* Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (3)
* The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (3)
* Animal Crossing (2)

Wii - limited data
* Wii Sports (4)(this one shouldn't count)
* The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2)
* Wii Play (1)

Sony PlayStation
* Gran Turismo (10)
* Final Fantasy VII (9)
* Gran Turismo 2 (8)
* Tomb Raider II (8)
* Tomb Raider (7)

Sony PlayStation 2
* Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (14)
* Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (13)
* Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (11)
* Grand Theft Auto III (11)
* Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (7)

Sony Playstation 3 - very limited data

So, there you have it. Many many games have outsold the Halo franchise.

TheHostileDwarf @ Apr 10th 2007 2:43PM

methinks theDude is conflating "games" with "franchise". Even according to his own numbers, Halo makes the top 10 franchises, even if just barely.

theDude @ Apr 10th 2007 2:56PM

@TheHostileDwarf

True, I did combine them as a franchise rather than just referring to them as individual titles, which I should not have done. Thank you for the correction.

There's also no differentiation between Halo and Halo 2 owners. How many Halo owners got Halo 2 vs how many new Halo 2 players came into it that never had Halo, etc. The same holds true for other sequel titles too though. I wouldn't assume that all GTA3 owners bought GTA:VC or GTA:SA or begin to guess at how the overall breakdown works out.

Again, the Halo games are fine games which defined the FPS control scheme for consoles for some time. But I still hold that Halo, in general, is overrated.

KilgoreTrout XL @ Apr 10th 2007 4:21PM

theDude:

Trying to prove that a francise is OVERrated by demonstrating that the francise UNDERsells when compared to other major series is a contradiction in terms.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion that the game is overrated (I'm biased- a HUGE fan of the halo games), but you're arguing against your hypothesis with your above posts.