Halo: Reach beta to attract 3 million-plus - Bungie

@melty3219 At least you didn't get suckered into the MGS4 bundle. I paid $600 for that, then they gave me a stupid PS2 av cable so I had to buy a High def cable and a headset, only to realize they ruined one of my favorite franchises.

@PhilipO45 I was excited for Killzone 2, ya know what killed the hype for me? The demo. It was awful and there was no going prone in what was supposed to be a quite realistic shooter. Also the blur when you turn tended to give me a headache and the lack of 1080p. Also the controls were awful and slow to respond IMO. I canceled my pre-order after I played the demo, though I picked up KZ2 later in a bargain bin. The online was not good at all, which explains why nobody plays the game now.

@The_crapgamer I agree Killzone 2 was garbage I was one of the idiots who fell for Sonys marketing and purchased a PS3 along with KZ2 and boy was it horrible! not a good way to spend £250 :(

@The_crapgamer: I agree with much of what you have said, but i'll add this: Killzone 2 did have so much hype from the original(fake in-game graphics) CGI footage to it's pre-release. But with all that hype..you need to match it..lol, and while Killzone had the fancy graphics(be it on very tiny maps), it lacked that 'it' factor, that made Halo:CE so damn great. It had a generic storyline and it's main character was just plain dull, and that matters, especially when two of the best FPS series ever(Halo and HL) both have such great main characters. And i've played through Killzone 2 twice, and i still don't remember the name of it's protagonist , but after the first 10 min's of Halo:CE back in late 2001', i fully knew all about Master Chief. Actually i thought Killzone 2 was reviewed way to high, and more so for it's top quality graphics(but given these were on small maps and always on a linear path), rather then it's storyline(bland..sos), boring enemies, and some very lackluster map design. Actually i still believe Resistance: Fall of Man 2 was alot more balanced a FPS then Killzone 2. And no doubt, Sony needs to wake up and realize it's online does need to somehow match up to XBL 1.0, at the least, even if they need to charge for the service.

If you have never played a Halo game, yet choose to bash them, stop posting.

@ theend818 Well I don't consider myself a fanboy actually. Most fanboys don't give the other console or games a shot. I own all the consoles, have since the Nintendo days. I give everything a shot. I just flat out found out why PS3 is in last place and I can totally see there mistakes. I am a fan of the Halo series, not sure how that makes me a human advertisement?

really sad buying a 60$ expansion just for beta kinda reminds me of sc2 idiots who bought beta key for 300$, but eh its your money

@ theend818 They Bought ODST for the Reach Beta, The Single player is just a little somethin' somethin' that people enjoyed. You will be buying it soon too if you haven't already.

@theend818 People bought ODST for the Beta. :P I wouldn't have gotten it if it wasn't for the Beta, I would have bought Halo 3 instead.

The_crapgamer; do you like being a human advertisement or does ms pay you?...........dont understand the 'fanboy' why cant ppl just enjoy games!

@ PhilipO45 I will say I didn't like the Halo 3 online as much as the Halo 2 online. Though I did like the Infection and Rocket Race modes and Forge can be fun on Halo 3. As for hype, Killzone 2 got more hype then Halo ever did IMO. From the first E3 in 2005 when we saw those fake CGI "Supposed" in game graphics. All I remember hearing was how it was the Halo killer. Then it came out with a bit of a wimper. Halo ODST was really just an offline expansion, the only online was the Hoard like mode where you killed AI, which was fun nonetheless. I think it might come down to great online. I think Microsoft really put out a great online service and voice chat is part of that. While the online on PS3 isn't as fun or structured and the voice chat is awful. I know I would probably play PS3 a little bit instead of none if they had a decent online service. If Sony came out with a paid service that was good or even XBL 1.0 quality then they would be taken more seriously in the game community. Maybe not MLG serious, but more then now.

wow im actually excited after wachting gameplay alot of changes and it dosent just look like and expansion like other sequels(halo3&odst)............hope it dosent play just like halo3 and the insanely overprice P.O.S ODST(dont know why ppl bought it)

@The_crapgamer: Agreed on the mic's, and the voice chat is just not done very well. Now about hype, i just don't buy into it that much, as there is internet hype from the major sites and there is actually gamer hype. And the only one that counts is actually gamer hype. Halo:CE was a landmark game, and while Killzone 2 is a very good FPS, it's still not in that elite league of Halo:CE. And because CE was such a major hit, it grabbed in so many fans..which led to huge sales for Halo2, and then Halo3. And while Halo2 and 3 had inferior sp campaign's compared to Halo:CE, what they did do, was deliver on superb mp in every which way. Killzone 1 was a mess, and the Killzone series has a very far way to go to match up Halo. And you really do need to look into how much great online does play into sales, because it really does have a major impact on sales..in the short and long term. Do you realize how many gamers still play Halo 3 online, every day? Also, do you really think Halo:ODST would have been the #9 seller if not for it's great online play? Actually just look at the success of one little Half Life mod called Counterstrike, and how that mod itself sold so many copies of HL1 in itself.

I can't stop laughing at these jealous Halo haters! XD

@PhilipO45 Said like that i can only agreed with you. and i appreciate game like HL more but maybe not for what you do, the story mode is great and all but i really love games like Half Life and UT for the mods and the other great game born from them (team fortress,css.dod...).Game like halo can't do that. That said i dont hate halo its alots of fun with friends or without and i think thats why it is popular.Game like KZ2 missed that part. @The_crapgamer: your right 4 players Co-op is awsome and more game should have a great co-op mode

@ Choad-Warrior Halo ODST sold 2.2 million in it's first week. I believe I read somewhere that it is around the 3-4 million sales range now. << LINK REMOVED >>

@PhilipO45 The mic or lack of mic is something that has bugged me about the PS3 from day one. Even the few that do have the mic's aren't much help because the voice chat system on PS3 is so low quality that everyone sounds like the Drive through guy at Burger King. It's a high pitched tone to it. I agree for the most part yet again. There is "Hype" and then there is "Actuality" Hype from games like Killzone 2 didn't deliver in actuality. While Hype for the Halo and Gears series in actuality lived up to it, which is why so many people play those games online to this day. The online aspect doesn't hold as much water for me, because the force unleashed and Mass Effect 1 & 2 as well as Assassins creed all lack online but sold well on the 360.

Not sure if this question was addressed....but they say that a copy of Halo 3: ODST is required to play the beta of Halo: Reach. They also said that they expect 3 million people to join (and that it was a conservative number). But the article posts that Halo 3: ODST sold ~2.3 million copies. Are they expecting Halo3: ODST to push additional units just for the beta? Or simply not realizing that they hadn't even sold 3 million copies yet?

@The_crapgamer: You make some valid points, but here's is why PS3 exclusives do not sell well, in a nutshell. 1) Sony's last outage of exclusives were mainly sp or lacked good online play to give these lasting selling appeal. MGS4/UC2/Heavy Rain/GOW3..lack any online play, while Killzone 2 just lacks good online play. 2) The installed base of the PS3 compared to the 360 is very deceptive, as it's sometimes bought as a cheap BR player..or as a combined BR & game console. The 360 is a gaming only console, and i can assure you if you ask why most PS3 buyers bought a PS3, i'd be shocked if 50% said it was for a gaming only. This is why games like GOW3/Killzone2..even UC2, will not hit the crazy numbers of Halo:Reach/Gears3. But there is one more reason that's more crucial... 3)The biggest PS3 exclusives, lack the great online play that the Halo and Gears series have, plain and simple. And that is why these games have lasting appeal to sell in the 8 million+ range. 4)Having played BF:Bad Company 2 on both consoles, there are so many more players using voice on the 360, mainly because it's the mic. is packed in with every 360, which is still a major mistake Sony keeps on making, as they just don't take online gaming as seriously as MS does.

How exactly do you get into the beta?

ps that wasn't trolling or anything im going to get this game and love halo online just asking

@ tomcrole I got Halo 3 exclusively just for the story and campaign. 4 player co-op online campaign is awesome. I don'[t think any other console has a 4-player co op campaign like Halo 3 had. I am super excited about the Gears 3, 4 player co-op campaign more as well

does any one get these game for the story mode? personally i cant stand the story due to it begin shallow and stereotypical (like very over shooter.

@PhilipO45 I like mostly what your saying, but even when Sony was doing "Good" last year those games were not selling that well. I mean for all the hype around KZ2, it sold poorly IMO. Now nobody plays that game. For some reason the PS3 doesn't sell it's Exclusives very well. I mean we all know Halo Reach will sell great and I'm guessing between 8 and 10 million copies. While the Sony big Exclusives are lucky to sell 1 or 2 million. The big reason I believe is install rate in the United States. The Xbox 360 has like 24 million 360's in the USA while the PS3 has like only 11 million. So what we consider their "Big exclusives" like Uncharted 2, they don't sell well compared to Halo and Gears game because the PS3 is geared more towards the Audience in Japan, it's home country. People in Japan don't want to play as Drake and they don't want to play as Kratos. Now if the PS3 had an install base in the 20+ million range maybe there exclusives would sell better, but to me, Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2, MAG, God of War 3 and even games like Little Big Planet are underachieving. Now MGS4 did appeal to the people in Japan and so that sold a bit more, but still find it odd that 4 million is a top seller on the PS3, where as most exclusives for the 360 get that in itself.

Pew: What Halo:CE did was to give respect to the FPS genre in a time where it's was laughed upon by pc gamers. The after Live in 02' was launched Halo 2 delived on the ultimate console online experience, ans since then console online gaming has not just gotten respect, but has outdone even the pc, and since Halo:CE the console's have been the place to play FPS, and MS has pushed for that..not Sony. Personally, i prefer my FPS more cerebial, in the HL1 &HL2 way..or Bioshock 1 & 2, but let's give credit to the Halo series, as it's stamp on the console industry has been enormous and second to none.

Halo is a good game no doubt but it didn't "reinvented the FPS",to me Halo is just a more popular clone of "Unreal Tournament" with a storyline.ill stay with halo till Epic do another Great UT game

The time from may until next april, will be MS's time to deliver on it's exclusives, first with Alan Wake to Halo Reach to Fable 3 to Gears 3. Now this goes in cycles guys, as Sony had a nice run from Killzone 2 until GOW3, in nearly the same 1 yr span. Having said that, and as an owner of both consoles, where MS dominates is that it's titles appeal to the mainstream gamer alot more the Sony's. -would you rather play the Halo series or Killzone? And make sure you take the mp element into that question. -would you rather basically just watch and direct a movie(Heavy Rain) or rather play in one(Alan Wake)? -would you rather play Gears 3 or Gow3? Remember add in mp, ok? -would you rather play Fable 3/Mass Effect2 or some obscure japanesse rpg's(ie..Yukuza 3)? -Are you a more into SC:Conviction or MGS4? Sony's exclusives were very solid, from Killzone 2, to UC2(

It seems that finally they are going to make 360 work, not with does LOW LEVEL graphs from ODST and H3

3 million for a beta that's crazy! I know i'm going to be play Reach nonstop till the Beta is over. Cheers to my favorite Developer Bungie.

@Stryder_18 Because some people can have all three consoles and still have a favorite or totally dislike one for a reason or another. I think that's the case with me. I absolutely cant stand playing the PS3 online anymore, it's so bad and primitive. I check the PS3 topics and I never see this type of trolling over there. You get the occasional idiot, but these PS3 trolls are the worst. They seem to be out in force, especially when it comes to things that they know are going to do well on the XBOX 360.

I can't wait for the Beta. Halo Reach is going to be Grrrreat!! FYI, I also have a PS3 and Wii.

@dt2003 you are incredibly stupid. You need to stop flooding this article with you messages that state you're hate over a video game that's popular. Halo and COD redefined the fps genre. It's amazing to see three posts of hate on one page and you most likely have more. Please come back to post when you have something that's worth posting.

The good part about having all three consoles is that when you combine exclusives, timed exclusives, and third party games, you can choose to play whatever you want, whenever you want, on whatever platform you want. And you don't NEED to partake in flame wars, unless you want to, which is sometimes fun to get a rise out of people. Whoever said the best things in life were free, was obviously a troll. Gamer 4 Life Jim

Halo sucks but to each his own I guess.

Mothers, quick, REACH for your wallets, M$ gonna milk you...again.

@dt2003 - You're an idiot. There's my two cents. When you have something constructive to say, come back and post.

Now im not taking sides or anything but how is what PS3 fanboys are posting on 360 topics any different from what 360 fanboys post on PS3 topics? I'm just saying both sides are incredibly bad at bashing each other and that these console wars are the f***n stupid. Whatever happened to the good ole days when we all played games and not systems? Just do what I do buy all 3 systems and be happy that you get everything. :)

@ dt2003 Halo and COD redefined the FPS genre. In a time when it wasn't that good. If you don't like FPS games, why even post here about it? Reality TV didn't destroy anything, it's a personal choice on what to watch. There is still and will always be quality programming on. You don't seem to be making much sense.

HALO + COD = the two franchise that will destroy videogaming. Just like how reality TV destroyed television. there's my 2 cents. PEACE.

@ dt2003 What would you consider a success?

@The crapgamer lol, probably :P

Can't wait!

I bet Halo Reach outsells the entire PS3 exclusive list this year by itself.... Any takers?

Can't wait

im a sony guy, I love my xbox just as much tho. I just prefer ps3. reach is looking awesome tho. my friends and I used to have halo parties like every weekend when we were in highschool. but halo 3 sucked sooooo much. so we all ended up losing interest. im gald to see halo is back up on its feet

Wow two days in a row I see the same haters in here posting their dislike for Halo, 360 and whatever else they can think of. Keep it up Fangurls. I find your misinformed and adolescent post to be highly entertaining. lol

I am LOVING all the Sony girls over here OBSESSING over Halo: Reach! They just can't stop talking about it ! We thank you for your interest. (Pure, unbridled envy is an ugly thing)

Wow I so can't wait for Reach this is gonna rock!!! Bungie definetly know's what their doing. As for next game being an original IP good for them and us. I hope some day though we get to find out what happens to Master Cheif after Halo 3 Hope Cortana and him end up fine!!!