Halo 3 Beta: First Impressions

Now that all the problems downloading the Halo 3 Beta build have been cleared up, I was able to download (through Crackdown) the beta build of Halo 3, as I'm sure countless other gamers have done so. So what are my first impressions of perhaps the biggest game that will ever release on the XBox 360? First and foremost, the biggest aspect of the Halo 3 beta is that not a lot has changed. The gameplay is pretty similar to Halo 2, with the biggest changes being a tweaked physics engine (jumping isn't so "floaty" anymore), the addition of gadgets (such as the bubble shield and land mines), and the much-welcomed return of my favorite weapon in the Halo universe: the assault rifle.
While something may seem insignificant, such as less "floaty" jumps, subtle changes to the gameplay do make a difference. A better physics engine keeps the gunfights more grounded, eliminating the "bunny hop" scenario that all Halo 2 players are familiar with. The addition of gadgets also makes for more interesting matches, especially since some (like land mines and personal jump jets) may change the dynamics of a map from time to time. Players can now create choke points and funnel opponents into specific areas with strategically placed gadgets. Lastly, the assault rifle is a Godsend. In Halo 2, most of the time when you respanwed you had to grab a battle rifle or the rockets to stand a chance. Now that the assault rifle is back, grabbing a more pwerful weapon doesn't have to be priority one. If you spawn and get into a gunfight with someone with a battle rifle, you have a chance of winning the gunfight, which was next to impossible in Halo 2, and that helps keep the playing field a little more level this time around.
As far as the maps go, we are able to play three new maps: High Ground, Valhalla, and Snowbound. High Ground is a very close-quarters, team based survival map, Valhalla is a wide open, sniper-friendly map, and Snowbound is a little bit of both. Personally, my favorite map is High Ground, because I love close-quarters. I don't like having to run for 20 seconds before seeing someone, or getting spawn-sniped from God knows where. Overall, the maps are pretty balanced, and reek of Halo 2, which isn't a bad thing. Graphically, they can be improved, and probably will when the retail version releases on September 25th.
I'll be back to post more in the next few days, but until then I have a date with some red and blue spartans tonight.

Turret Action on High Ground

A Look at the Mongoose on Valhalla

Carnage on the map Snowbound

--all pics courtesy of Bungie.net--