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Halo 3 beta surfaces

  • By Staff, GameSpot
  • Posted May 11, 2007 1:44 pm PT

[UPDATE] GameSpot gets its hands on Bungie's long-awaited shooter and takes it for a test drive; first footage inside.

Next Wednesday, those lucky enough to snag an invite to the Halo 3 beta will get their first chance to play Bungie's long-awaited shooter. Today, press outlets were given their own codes to access the beta, and the first video footage from Halo 3 multiplayer is already on GameSpot.

Halo 3 MP beta

Watch Spartans frag each other in HD!

For several hours, GameSpot editors sampled the Beta's three maps and multiplayer modes. The results can be seen in the series of gameplay videos below, and a detailed analysis of the beta can be found in GameSpot's hands-on preview.

This afternoon's gameplay was a prelude to coverage of tonight's Microsoft event in San Francisco, which will show off Halo 3 to a select group of the games press corps. Check back later this weekend for a full rundown of the evening's festivities.

1010 Comments

  • dmonkey21

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 9:59 am GMT

    gameCRAZY101--- uhhh, u kno that cryengine two isnt in any games yet lol... and it wont be in halo 3. also that would kinda suk ce2 is based on dx10 tghe 360 is only dx9. pcs gte crysis and ce2 tho. u need like a $1700 comp for good ce2 though

  • Top-Gamer

    Posted May 20, 2007 1:15 pm GMT

    I got crackdown the other day, and downloaded Halo 3 Beta, its brilliant!

  • BansheeRider

    Posted May 18, 2007 8:24 pm GMT

    I love that beta
    it just needs some tweaking and sum more things n ill be happy

  • Alcotamaysees

    Posted May 17, 2007 8:40 pm GMT

    Lol, I love how you can pick up the turrets. Awesome.

  • game_player721

    Posted May 17, 2007 6:13 pm GMT

    BigDaveyDogz.....You must be a Hardcore Halo Player.

  • Built

    Posted May 17, 2007 6:11 pm GMT

    not bad...

  • snoxxx13

    Posted May 17, 2007 7:03 am GMT

    Puch button -> get bacon

  • gameCRAZY101

    Posted May 16, 2007 3:13 pm GMT

    Wooohoo things float in water... the MJOLNIR armor ways a halfton (read the books) so I would expect the thing to sink =P. CryEngine2 + Halo 3 = God... nuff said.

  • XB0Xelite

    Posted May 16, 2007 2:59 pm GMT

    when will the halo 3 beta come out so i can download it?

  • mooseman721

    Posted May 16, 2007 10:01 am GMT

    Nice to have these vids to watch, cos crackdown owners don't have anything to play yet!!!

  • devilscry

    Posted May 16, 2007 6:06 am GMT

    hate to be the guy who points this out, cause i've never been a huge fan of Halo or M$ for that matter, though i'm a big time gamer and i bought the 360 for the games and will be taking part in the Beta. Which leads me to what i want to say. Its a friggin beta!!! its not finished, the finished engine isn't even in place, they did this to give you whiney assclowns something to wet your appetite before the game comes out cause you Halo fans are a lil more Rabid then the normal (and i say that loosely) M$-fanboys. i don't even know when the Beta is exactly supposed to hit, i'm up way to early without coffee waiting for this thing on my day off (no i didn't take today off just for the beta, sometimes stuff just works out) and i needed something to do while i wait.

    But seriously stop complaining about how bad it looks, when its done and on store shelves and still looks this bad, then complain. But in the meantime when you complain about something thats not finished and done out of courtesy it really just makes you look like a punk. Have a little bit of integrity will you.

  • rwilcox99

    Posted May 15, 2007 8:06 pm GMT

    i think it's sorta hard to judge a game (that hasn't even come out yet, mind you) by a video thats what, a minute long?

  • Droogie_1

    Posted May 15, 2007 4:34 pm GMT

    wow...this game looks awful (just like the last one!). why are guns so non-lethal in these types of games? guess it's just not my style...

  • Metamorphos1s

    Posted May 15, 2007 3:27 pm GMT

    look at me im whining im whining... with out playing the game... i am whining!

  • jbeasly

    Posted May 15, 2007 12:48 pm GMT

    The physics look outdated and just crapy. But other than that its looking pretty good.

  • KillerJamJam

    Posted May 14, 2007 9:06 pm GMT

    I'll look forward to playing this on my fly fly LCD Tv ... 1080i folks!

  • PS2Hawk

    Posted May 14, 2007 6:45 pm GMT

    "I can't wait. After playing Halo 2 for quite some time now, I am even more excited for this last iteration. 360 owners, rejoice! This is the Live beast that was waiting to be released. Sorry to say this, but until the PS3 gets its killer app, there's no doubt that Xbox will pwn this holiday season. (I really don't mean to sound like a fanboy, so sorry if I do.) Kudos to PS3 and what it's trying to do."

    okay why would you even bring up PS3 in this conversation ??

  • Snake329

    Posted May 14, 2007 5:51 pm GMT

    I can't wait. After playing Halo 2 for quite some time now, I am even more excited for this last iteration. 360 owners, rejoice! This is the Live beast that was waiting to be released. Sorry to say this, but until the PS3 gets its killer app, there's no doubt that Xbox will pwn this holiday season. (I really don't mean to sound like a fanboy, so sorry if I do.) Kudos to PS3 and what it's trying to do.

  • crazy_boy166

    Posted May 14, 2007 5:30 pm GMT

    omfg i am just looking at the pics i i know it is going to be AMAZING

  • 50shot

    Posted May 14, 2007 5:23 pm GMT

    this game is gonna kick so much ass! can't wait until wednesday

  • igabiga

    Posted May 14, 2007 5:20 pm GMT

    just a change of subject from all of the whining, did anyone who watched the videos realize how much the guy who tested in them sucked?

  • Nemesis_x2

    Posted May 14, 2007 4:42 pm GMT

    Im not gonna buy that junk...

  • judog1

    Posted May 14, 2007 4:01 pm GMT

    Looks like fun, and I hope it is, even though I won't be playing it.

    I hope GameSpot releases that live feed instead of us having to look at short videos.

  • Vampire64

    Posted May 14, 2007 2:24 pm GMT

    It sucks, like the other two episodes

  • Chris_555_TK

    Posted May 14, 2007 2:20 pm GMT

    Man, lots of whiners.
    "It's all about gameplay!"
    "It's all albout HD graphics!"

    Is it only one or the other with you people? Games can't have BOTH?

  • Benshki

    Posted May 14, 2007 1:31 pm GMT

    bah, kids and there comments today. Is there an adult Gamespot site i could sign up for? these children are boring me.

  • dmastor

    Posted May 14, 2007 10:45 am GMT

    LOL all these Graphics talk it's a game meaning gameplay matters. rockstar table tennis have great Graphics howcome that's not the number one sold sport game? even though it's fun it's not what the people want we want halo and halo gameplay and multiplayer and to some the story line as well lol i don't care about Graphics to open world of halo is great if u see it u can go there part of the game is great and the Graphics are good enough and i know the cg's will be awesome better looking flood.... flood whoa give me nightmares thinking about them ....flood...the flood...flood..... know that i'm thinking bout it i just want the game to "finish the fight"

  • Paul_TheGreat

    Posted May 14, 2007 9:46 am GMT

    Not impressed.

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted May 14, 2007 9:32 am GMT

    There are 2 reasons why MGS4 is getting delayed until Spring 2008.

    Low PS3 install base
    Halo 3

    You do not want to release any type of Shooter against Halo 3. And if MS does a combo / price drop on their anniversary...Well that's a beast others have to shy away from.

  • BigDaveyDogz

    Posted May 14, 2007 9:11 am GMT

    I pre-ordered the Legendary Edition over the weekend! WEEE!!

  • Holden1985

    Posted May 14, 2007 7:07 am GMT

    I agree with Grimbee :-)

  • TTDog

    Posted May 14, 2007 2:43 am GMT

    Let the Sony fanboys cry all they want...... its called fear.

    If the pre-order number of 4million is right then maybe there upset that Microsoft will sell more copies of ONE GAME than Sony have sold PS3's, add this to the small matter that this will also help shift a nother shed load of 360's and any progress Sony may have made in terms of catching up the lead the 360 has built up will be slaughtered in a just a few days.

    Personally I couldn't care less for Halo 3 or the Beta test, to me Halo is one of the most overrated games out there, along with Metal Gear Solid... ones a no-brain shooter and the other a trudge through hour upon hour of cutscene and very little action.

  • dizzerascal

    Posted May 14, 2007 2:38 am GMT

    I love that game to but where da f is the replay guys

  • GrimBee

    Posted May 14, 2007 1:37 am GMT

    Waterpaladines - "The Wii has innovation, a lot of it, while the 360 is just an upgraded last-gen console."

    The ps3 is an upgraded last gen console, the wii is too, and the 360 is. Infact, the ps2 was an upgraded last gen console... DUH! Next gen doesn't mean "most powerful", if that was the case - then the ps1 would of been left in the graveyard over the "superior" n64.

    And if again that was the case - the xbox would of totally smashed the ps2 as it was 4x that of a ps2... its not about specs, its about choice of games and price so when people buy it in masses, THAT becomes the generation to develop games for.

    You could release a console 50,000 times more powerful than a ps3, but the fact is - if the best selling console is the wii, and then the 360 - you can guarantee that this generation won't shift to the power-house, it will stick with the mass market.

    The mass market IS the next generation.

    Anyways - what I am saying is, you can buy a 360 and a wii for the price of a ps3. If you want a "good deal" on a games console, why buy one when you could buy two?
    And not only that, who says games need big space for high-res textures? Check out pc games, outputting high-res images on my tv through vga, equal to the 360 in detail... yet the games only reach about 6gb in size. Its high-res VIDEO which needs all that space, its why games like mgs and final fantasy took up more than one disc bck in the day - cut-scenes, videos - etc.

    I disslike it when people say "the 360 already is maxed out with gears of war" and stuff like that. Not true. Hideo Kojima in an interview with edge magazine stated "both ps3 and xbox 360 produce very similar results and effects". Meaning, the big man himself sees both consoles on an even plane.

    The real difference between the ps3 and the 360 is their networking. If the 360 pulls off the connectivity with pc - then that opens up a whole new world. Playing people online either on a pc or a 360 is a great addition, not to mention all the data that you can stream from your pc.

    On the note of graphics, the beta is probably close to the end product, however - its multiplayer, how many times does this need to be said!? Nobody rates Gears of War for its multiplayer - the game was at its best when the beserker was after you, and all those great locations to shoot in whilst everything was going on.

    If you look at gears in a multiplayer aspect, its just pretty looking and as a main game it would get incredibly old - fast.

    The key to a SEQUEL is not to drastically change too much. Check out mgs4 for instance, if they made snake hyper-detailed and made all people move differently and everything - its not like metal gear is it!

    Fact is, at the core, mgs4 looks to play exactly like the others. But the advantage that it has is that we saw cut-scenes running on the game engine - and it looks fantastic.

    But, check out the e3 videos of the cut-scene from halo 3 running on the same game engine. How can you say THAT looks bad?

    Judging a game by graphics and its multiplayer is just stupid. Especially when Kojima stated that the 360 is very similar to the ps3 in terms of graphical results, sales of the wii prove that graphics aren't everything - and at the core, people care about gameplay over graphics.

    Halo 3, even by looking at the multiplayer seems to of satisfied halo multiplayer enthusiasts as its kept all the core material for the fans. But when I see that e3 video where the main character is looking out at this thing opening in the ground... I am led to believe that the actual single player is going to be awesome to look at, and with the gameplay too - it looks like a great game.

  • josephmadde2005

    Posted May 14, 2007 12:48 am GMT

    I love Halo and my 360, but I find irony in all the X-boys who creamed the Wii because of the whole gameplay over graphics line and now they are saying the same crap about Halo 3. Oh and WalterPaladines if you want to write so damn much geta BLOG. Then leave a link to your blog so we don't have to scroll a mile to NOT read your opinion.

  • kevin82485

    Posted May 14, 2007 12:27 am GMT

    I don't understand people who ridicule Halo 3. Is it because you don't have an Xbox 360 and, therefore, can not play it? Or is it because you are not talented enough to play the game and don't want to put in the time to learn how to play? I just don't understand....maybe you could enlighten me by giving some reasoning behind you're smattering talk instead of hating Halo 3 for no apparent reason.

    Just a thought.

  • chrisb736

    Posted May 13, 2007 9:16 pm GMT

    While i know theirs alot of peple falmeing the graphics but seriosly. One: when did a games greatness become about the graphics. Two: Has halo 1 or 2 let you down as the game will have the same gamplay they wouledent mess with the formula that is halo three and this is Beta images and some are even alpha(Not the videos of course) and Three: If you dident like any of the halos befroe this i cant figue out why your even posting in halo 3 forums stuff. Halo is one of the most popular frachise (Never said most poular but most say it is) and the secound best selling if you dont combine both game and 3s preorder(Gears of war is #1 i belive but dont quote me) and no halo 3 is not gonna look better than gears of war b/c GOW uses the unreal 3 engin one of the most powerful graphics engine in the world. So really what did you exspect. Also why are so many dounting halo 3 4 mil prorders....Once again one of the most popular and not count the guys who will buy it just to sell those ledgendary versions on ebay for 200+. So to those of you who dont like halo(Alsmost like myself iam in th beta but iam not to thrilled about the gameplay of MP...love the SP though) Go to the game you like and go talk in its forums and make the game you love better by giveing the dev or other players ideas and stratagies. Well this was a long post but i think i made my point. 2days somthing hours left...see you in beta P.S yeha how bout some SP news lol. and those in the Beta dont let the beta make you think its what the game is gonna be about. Exspect many problums in networking(Its what the beta for) and a few glitchs. Its a beta nowhere near finished so if its messed up i woul really love not to see hundreds complaining of lag....Prepare for the worst, Hope for the best.

  • Trogeton

    Posted May 13, 2007 9:04 pm GMT

    well its coming out in 3 days

  • kappareign

    Posted May 13, 2007 8:18 pm GMT

    so uh, how about some single player news? or are they just going to cut that out altogether this time?

  • phaqutomb

    Posted May 13, 2007 7:38 pm GMT

    KillerJamJam 4 Million Pre-Orders in the first week, And PS3 fan boys still stanning ... uuuuhhhhh

    4 million in the first week. i wish i could do M$ math

  • Kenzo287

    Posted May 13, 2007 7:20 pm GMT

    I gtta say it looks fun to play but the visuals I think are way overhyped. Im actually looking forward to seeing this one play out.

  • KillerJamJam

    Posted May 13, 2007 6:38 pm GMT

    4 Million Pre-Orders in the first week, And PS3 fan boys still stanning ... uuuuhhhhh

  • solidusdeus1

    Posted May 13, 2007 6:33 pm GMT

    That to me looks like halo 2.2

  • mrhuntin

    Posted May 13, 2007 5:41 pm GMT

    this is awsome

  • DrMario57

    Posted May 13, 2007 5:06 pm GMT

    Beta versions of things really tend to be finding the bugs and glitches. So why don't you people shut up that Bungie 'are still gunna sharpen the graphics up' BECAUSE THERE NOT. THESE ARE THE GRAPHICS, AND YOUR GUNNNA HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT. (or like me, live with out it. har har har) You guys can't face that your best games sequal is RUBBISH.

  • okassar

    Posted May 13, 2007 4:29 pm GMT

    I'm a big fan of the Halo series but Gears of War increased my expectations of Halo 3, which we all know, Halo 3 IS AND BETTER BE GOOD(I'm 95% sure it would).First of all,understand that the graphics are greatly enhanced,you do not have to give a worry about that. What we are awaiting is the new elements added into the game; something that differentiates Halo 3 from the first two games of the series.As for the beta?I'm just waiting for the game.

  • headbound

    Posted May 13, 2007 2:22 pm GMT

    The people who say that halo 3 is crap, that it looks like halo 2 are complete morons, its a BETA its not the full game stop whining and be greatfull that they even released a beta to play with

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