Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

So, this past weekend, I finally got a Friends & Family invite into the Halo 3 Beta. I’m not gonna waste your time with a bunch of hyperbole. Let’s cut the crap. Gather ’round kiddos, here’s the Aeropause review (first of many, I’m sure) of the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta.

There’s only one question that matters. “How is it?”

It seems that everyone that knows I played in the beta has asked me that in the past few days. Here’s the answer…

Well, of course… it’s fantastic. It is Halo 3, after all. After playing dozens of rounds, I have come to the following conclusion: I suck at Halo 3. I’m not the worst Halo 2 player, but those of you that miss the feel of Halo: CE, I think you will be pleased. Where the physics seemed airy and floaty in Halo 2, Halo 3 feels solid. Generally speaking, everything feels more solid. And don’t worry, the “man cannons” are definitely not lame (partly evidenced by the video Richard posted yesterday). There’s going to be many hours of fun experimenting with the physics engine alone.

In my opinion, the vehicles are much improved over Halo 2. The biggest changes I’ve seen are that the warthog feels more durable, it’s a lot harder to kill someone with a vehicle, and by the same token, it seems like the carjacking radius has been ratcheted down quite a bit, making it harder to steel someone’s ride. So, there’s tradeoffs, I suppose.

The Mongoose ATV is an excellent addition to the game. Some people have complained about the camera view on the Mongoose being too close, that it needs to be pulled back like the Warthog or Ghost. I’m not sure I agree, but there you have it. My favorite part about the Mongoose is that you can climb onto the back of someone’s Mongoose and fire over their shoulder. So, go grab the rocket launcher, get on a Mongoose and have fun!

A glitch I noticed with the Warthog was that whenever someone hits the ‘hog with a sticky, either because of latency or who knows what, it looks like the grenade falls off, but then several seconds later, the ‘hog will blow up, long after the sticky would’ve detonated normally.

Vehicles are definitely a blast, but so are grenades, as well as the vast array of secondary equipment. The new spike grenades are my favorite right now, especially in closed spaces. And yes, it is just as satisfying to stick a spike grenade to someone’s face as it is a plasma ‘nade.

The other bits of equipment make things very interesting. I certainly couldn’t wait to try out the Bubble Shield or the land mine. The Power Drainer and the man-portable grav lift are interesting as well (and absolutely necessary in those 1 Flag CTF matches on High Ground).

I’m not sure what I can tell you about those bits of equipment that you haven’t already seen in a dozen different Youtube videos. All I can say is that there’s nothing about them that annoyed or felt out of place. They fit flawlessly into the paradigm that Bungie has established for Halo multiplayer. An added benefit is that they can be deployed using the X button (yes, THAT X button) even while dual-wielding.

Unfortunately, dual-wielding is kind of lame at this point. The weapon balance needs work. It needs a lot of work. A lot of beta-testers I’ve talked to think the Covenant carbine will undoubtedly be getting a nerf. The Needler, though now a single-wield weapon and definitely buffed up, still blows. I don’t even bother with the SMG, not when there are so many Spikers sitting around. The Spiker is the new Brute weapon that can be dual-wielded and fires a stream of metal shards that I’ve found to be an excellent weapon in close to mid-range firefights. Sustained fire from dual Spikers is enough to take anyone down in a few seconds (far superior to the plasma rifle, for example.)

Then there’s the Assault Rifle. The AR feels kind of underpowered, especially at the far end of middle range. At close range, it’s okay, but it’ll usually take more than a full clip to take someone down, leaving you vulnerable while you wait for a reload. I almost prefer a single Spiker to the AR, at least in close-range situations. Also, as many of you know, the Halo 3 AR has 32 rounds, much less than the 60 rounds of Halo: CE.

As multiplayer FPS weapons go, I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun as I’ve had with the Spartan Laser, especially against vehicles. But it’s also extremely effective as an anti-infantry weapon as well. It’s just a really fun weapon. Just as the chainsaw gives me a satisfied feeling in Gears of War, I’m finding the Spartan Laser gives me that exact same feeling. Blasting a Warthog on the other side of the maps is soooo satisfying. I love it.

I’ve also derived a lot of satisfaction in the past from the tried and true Shotty. The Shotgun is very different, now. It only holds 6 rounds, has a slower rate of fire, but it is a LOT more predictable. If you’re close and you blast someone, you can count on getting a solid hit. It is very hard to miss with the shotty at close range, as it should be.

The Rocket Launcher seems to have changed quite a bit, as well. It reloads faster and the missiles seem to fly slower, making it somewhat easier to dodge.

The Battle Rifle is pretty much what we’ve come to expect. No surprises there.

Unfortunately, I was never big on sniping so I can’t really comment on the efficacy of the Human and Covenant sniper rifles, but they seem pretty much the same as the Halo: CE version, i.e. harder to snipe with than Halo 2.

So far, there’s been no sign of the Pistol or Energy Sword. Now, based on some of the video of the Last Resort map, which is the re-made Zanzibar, it now looks like the Active Camo is living where the Energy Sword would be. Will there be no Energy Sword in Halo 3 Multiplayer? I haven’t seen any other internal videos of the Energy Sword in multiplayer, so I’m starting to wonder.

But honestly, because of the changes in physics and weaponry this really is a MUCH different game. Now, by no measure am I an amazing player, but you can see that my Halo 3 K-to-D ratio is much worse than my Halo 2 ratio. Oh come on now, stop laughing at my stats…

The maps are… well… I have mixed feelings about the maps.

Valhalla is a good Blood Gulch/Coagulation clone, but like Blood Gulch I *HATE* non-objective game modes like Team Slayer on Valhalla. I try to veto that crap every time. Unfortunately, I can never get a majority of the players to veto it, as well. And I can see why. As maps go, it’s actually pretty interesting and well-balanced. Each side gets a portable missile turret, and there’s a Spartan Laser in the middle. The man cannons are a blast (HA!) and the Mongooses are fun to tool around on, as well.

Snowbound is probably the map I like the least. The layout and spawn points don’t lend to any kind of flow. Maybe that’s more of a “me” problem, but the map just doesn’t seem to have the same rhythm I expect from a good FPS multiplayer map like Sanctuary or even Midship. This is the only map in the beta to have a Ghost, and being a consummate Ghost fan, this is one of the few redeeming qualities of this map.

High Ground is probably the best map in the beta. It lends itself equally well to objective and non-objective game modes, and despite being asymmetric is still extremely well balanced.

All of the maps are beautiful. Graphically, they look great. All of the little details are there and look phenomenal. In general, though, the graphics have not yet impressed me on the same level as next-gen games like Gears of War. I’m more than willing to chalk it up to being a beta version, but the graphics do NOT match the level of detail and polish that we saw in the Halo 3 E3 announcement trailer. Naturally, that’s a little concerning, because the people that have been saying “ZOMG! IT’S THE SAME AS HALO TEW!” are almost right. This game doesn’t yet look that much better than Halo 2. The water is KIND OF improved. The character models are KIND OF improved. The terrain textures are KIND OF improved. Graphically, that’s the overall feeling at this point.

The audio is pretty similar to the other games, but one thing I noticed right away is that far off sounds are amazing. When someone on the other side of the map is blazing away with the gatling gun they pulled off a turret, you can hear this kind of muffled “ratta-tat-tat” and really adds a lot to the overall feel of the game. I was very impressed.

Overall, this is definitely Halo. The overall quality of gameplay is there, it’s just that there is a lot left to polish and refine. But that’s why they’re doing a beta in the first place, right?

So, anyway, I’ll see you guys on Xbox Live, and make sure that when you get on Valhalla, grab a Mongoose and drive into the man cannon. It is extremely entertaining.

As the beta ramps up, be sure to let me know what I got right or wrong either here in the comments or in the Xbox 360 forum here on Aeropause.com.