Today's most almost in-the-wild video: Halo beta footage
by Zack Stern 
{ May 13th 2007 at 12:00AM }
Are you sick of Halo 3 yet? We're not, although it's going to be a fine line to get through these next few days without a Haloverdose. Our video pick for tonight shows Bungie's latest footage from the multiplayer beta, with some snappy editing to keep everything moving. Keep looping the video until the public beta drops on Wednesday, or use this time to go outside.See the footage after the break.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim B. @ May 13th 2007 12:08AM
Looks pretty cool
Dux @ May 13th 2007 12:13AM
In this video I can clearly see that the graphics have actually improved quite a bit since Halo 2.
faraz m. @ May 13th 2007 9:43AM
what i don't understand is that people are complaining about the graphics
this game is awesome and those graphics, to me at least, aren't just higher resolution halo 2.... i see a lot of tiny details that really show that this is next gen right here and correct me if i am wrong, but beta usually means that it's about 70 to 80 % done and there are like 6 more months which is plenty of time until we get the same graphics as the announcement trailer with in-engine graphics.
and another thing, wouldn't GOW's graphics be difficult to compare to halo 3 graphics wise because both games exhibit a different style of graphics that highlight different aspects? cause i am not sure but wouldn't the textures that we see in GOW and other games that use unreal like area 51 1and unreal tournament have similar dark textures that are unlike the textures in games like halo 3 and hallf life 2?
Hannibal @ May 13th 2007 6:32AM
Did anyone say otherwise Dux? If they did, they're blind fanboys or just blind.
ridestowe @ May 13th 2007 12:51AM
this video really shows off whats been missing in the ign ones, the graphics. this game looks gorgeous. the snow shader in snowbound look phenomenal!! i cant wait to play it on wednesday :)
Purple Haze @ May 13th 2007 12:52AM
yeah that definitely looks better than halo 2
Borat @ May 13th 2007 1:00AM
Idk...I'm a graphics whore and I was expecting something more...but since it runs at 60fps (can't tell from the video) I think it'll look great. The shield effect is cool.
Grant @ May 13th 2007 1:11AM
wow, that was pretty sweet.
i'm so sick of these tiny videos trying to show this beast off, it really does it no justice.
less than a week til most of us can enjoy it on our own nice big TVs!
Andrew Fong @ May 13th 2007 1:30AM
Wow, it's like all those other realistic looking games ... except it's not brown!
Kritz @ May 13th 2007 1:55AM
@7
Just wait 'til you play High Ground. The whole base area is filled with browns / oranges.
Oh, and my advice? Don't play Snowbound at 3AM in the morning. It hurts the eyes.
Adam @ May 13th 2007 2:38AM
Was the chief wielding a skull?! (approx 2/3 of the way through)
p3arl @ May 13th 2007 3:00AM
@9, dude that was oddball.
is it just me or can the warthog now take ALOT of punishment, a nade like that in halo 2 would destroy it, are the vehicles still destructable?
Dragod @ May 13th 2007 3:25AM
I already have Halo 3 Beta. Got it last night, been playing it all day. It's a much better matchmaking system in my opinion. Even as just a beta, it's a great experiance. Now, if only my friend would get off of my Guitar Hero 2, I could play it before I fall asleep...
Brian B. @ May 13th 2007 5:08AM
wow that rocket hitting the turret guy quarter of the way through made me jump off of my seat, why was so much louder :P
Sam @ May 13th 2007 4:06AM
I think that video makes the graphics look considerably better, but i think its because of the shadows and lighting more than anything, just gives it that extra bit of detail =)
Anonymous @ May 13th 2007 4:44AM
This video is running at less than half of the resolution we'll be playing it at on the 16th, and already I can tell that the textures are alot more defined across the board than with Halo 2. The gun switching seems alot more fluid, the control scheme seems spot-on (wouldn't expect anything less from halo) and it just generally feels like an improved game (over Halo 2). Is it Gears of War? No. But did you really want them to make over Halo in such a gritty brown-covered way? While all the other games on the market are turning to brown, Halo 3 seems to be going for brighter colors, which is something I've been sorely missing with games like Gears, Twilight Princess, Resistance Fall of Man etc.
Ted @ May 13th 2007 5:42AM
I just hope it doesn't take 3 years to come out on PC.
adium @ May 13th 2007 5:48AM
if you want t osee good graphics, download the HD vids on www.xboxyde.com. they have a couple and they look great
Kitt Thrust @ May 13th 2007 10:55PM
Video Doesn't work for me :(
Breserk @ May 13th 2007 7:36AM
Ted- I'll eat half my arm if it comes to PC in less than 2.5 years.
rfom @ May 13th 2007 8:27AM
I am curious why so many posts here express surprise that it looks better than Halo 2, its 360 vs XBOX 1 after all? And that too the 360's flagship game with 3 years of coding, so it has to look much better, or am I missing something here?
And its good to hear of titles that are giving the "brown, gritty" look a miss in favour of more colours (Ratchet and Clank and Drake:uncharted are also good examples), about time, though it looked super-cool on the first next-gen games in 2006, gets a bit boring with time.
Matthew Walsh @ May 13th 2007 8:40AM
It's all really fun at the moment because we've only got about 1500 people on at any one time and they're all pretty nice guys. It feels really close knit because... well it is!
That's going to change on the 16th, but hopefully the fact that matchmaking will be quicker to find a game will compensate.
My stats: http://www.bungie.net/Stats/PlayerStatsHalo3.aspx?player=Sir%20Fragula
Homer 918 @ May 13th 2007 9:03AM
@10:
It has always taken a minimum of two nades to destroy a Warthog. Also the video looks very nice and I personally cannot wait to get in on the fun.
Stewie @ May 13th 2007 11:47AM
Not that spectacular, the graphics and shadows look very dodgy in places...
There is no way Halo 3 can live up to the hype created by Microsoft's army of Xbots...
Ian Von Porter @ May 13th 2007 9:30AM
Graphics look pretty generic fps to me... Lost Planet is a better looking game. Although, the 60 fps will help, i guess its a trade off.. but, the graphics are not mindblowingly amazing as its beingmade out to be.
Gameplay looks to be exactly the same as every other fps ever made. Ooooh, bubble shield.. so amazing!
GO SENS GO!!!
bearattack79 @ May 13th 2007 9:47AM
Single player *SPOILER*
You will be able to use the warthogs winch in the campaign mode. Trust me.
arthur barnhouse @ May 13th 2007 10:10AM
There was a skull in Marathon multiplayer. It was a sort of mobile version of king of the hill. You had to capture the skull, and the longer you held it, the more points you got. Maybe they brought back my favorite game type.
Patrick @ May 13th 2007 2:03PM
*Waits for Halo=overrated post*
sheppy @ May 13th 2007 10:25AM
I seriously will not watch this video. Over the past week and a half, I've seen so many leaks to Halo 3 beta videos. On Wednesday, I play so I'm not looking at this video. I only hope it's not a repeat of the Gears Of War Emergence Day or Phantasy Star Freeview fiascos. Despite volume, I want to be able to log in, find a game, and not have connection issues and or game servers being too full.
Shmil @ May 13th 2007 11:40AM
@26
...um that gameplay was in halo and halo 2, it was called oddball
Taylor @ May 13th 2007 12:16PM
I don't know if anyone else noticed, but the game sounds really good too. All the guns, grenades, voices, explosions, equipment. It all was good on the ears and sounded spectacular. There were sounds I would never get sick of, which is good.
dustandechoes91 @ May 13th 2007 12:23PM
i dont like the walking animations, it looks like they are floating an inch or two off the ground, and moving thier legs like they are walking. The animations just dont look like they correspond to the movements
Ghostsoft @ May 13th 2007 2:04PM
By a lucky chance I got into the F&F.
I have to say, the multiplayer is damn fun. Videos alone do not do it justice. The weapons are fairly well balanced, and I think they have got the Halo-feel back into the MP (personally H2 MP felt a bit too UT for me). A lot less dual wielding and a lot more single guns. And, despite what anyone else might say, equipment does not make the game unbalanced. In most cases it feel s like having a really cool grenade to use.
The greatest thing is the SOUND. You can really hear combat stuff in the distance, and it sound far away!
@20 I agree with the feeling of a close-knit community now. It makes the MP feel that much more enjoyable. I have played 31+ games and have only come across 1-2 people who were not fun to play with. Only problem with the low # of people is that it takes a long time for matchmaking.
Ghostsoft
Triforceowner @ May 13th 2007 3:05PM
Rfom, people sound surprised, because this is a beta, and betas hardly ever represent the final graphics, so these graphics aren't even what the final ones will look like.
Dragod @ May 13th 2007 3:23PM
Well, the graphics are better than Halo 2's, but of course, it's not finished. There are some really cool things in the Halo 3 Beta, now weapons sound completely different when you're far away, and when obstructed. The Battle Rifle sounds about the same when near someone, but when you're far away, it's more of a "Clanking" sounds. And the Bubble Shield, and all those things, don't help as much as you'd think. When dropping a Bubble Shield, it takes about a second to actually be a shield. The only time it really helps is when someone is sniping you, they miss the first shot, and you drop the shield to save your self. It doesn't work like you're in the middle of a Fire fight, drop it and you can wait inside to have your shields recharged.
Tom @ May 13th 2007 3:32PM
They should have an option for 3rd person perspective. That way I could actually play it without getting dizzy.
Jake @ May 14th 2007 8:36AM
The game looks great. It will obviously satisfy the Halo junkies out there.
I am one of the few people that is actually more interested in the Live Co-op portion of the game. I'm really hoping they did 4 player Live co-op with difficulty and game modes to handle it.
It's just that the single player is more of a wild card. We already kind of know what multiplayer is going to be.
AZSLIC @ May 14th 2007 11:40AM
That was much better than the videos they have put out in the past. I was disappointed in the past. Im starting to remember the Halo days once again.
Iscariote @ May 14th 2007 10:40AM
The HD videos are insane. Can't wait for Wednesday.
Jared Ewing @ May 16th 2007 9:37AM
Anyone having problems downloading the Beta using crackdown? we only get the button and it says come back at a later date. Help!!!!