Red vs. Blue

It’s been almost a week since the end of the Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a whole lot of time to play with it. I did spend long enough to acclimate myself with the new “loadouts” and weapons, though, so here’s my take:

1. Multiplayers are not for me. I don’t spend hours upon hours on Xbox Live looking for my next human sacrifice. I want story. But we know this already.

2. The grenades have become waaaaay too powerful. Now I get that Master Chief (Spartan 117 – John Smith) was the last of the Mark III Spartans. I get that Reach takes place before those upgrades with the Spartan II series. But what the hell? The Spartan’s are still supposed to be a bunch of bad-asses that make the ODST human soldiers look like child’s play. A well placed grenade in a tunnel or room still shouldn’t KIA you instantly. From what I understand, this was a well known complaint around the Beta.

3. Armor Abilities and Loadouts.

Ok, this is the newest feature that seems to delve further into the Halo universe and what the Spartans were truly capable of. Of the 4, I thought the Sprint was the most tacky ability, but it did provide all those run-and-gunners the ability to move in for some quick kills. And I mean quick. I had my butt handed to me several times by one of these. Cloaking is back. This time the Elites aren’t the only ones hiding in the shadows. This is extremely useful for sneak and slash with the energy sword. Jet packs are… well… jet packs. You get the idea. Burst jumps, limited flight, etc. IMO, they just leave you a really good slow target for snipers. The last was my favorite. Armor Lock. I am the king of getting myself in over my head in battle scenarios. This is why I won’t last a zombie invasion very long. Well, now, when you see that sticky grenade headed for your face, engage the shield, and you may have just saved your hide long enough to prevent a respawn. :) Note, that each of these abilities are limited, as Bungie explains it. They require a “cooling off period” after you use them. Being the non-manual reader, I had to figure that one out the hard way. My own personal speculation and interpretation of the Reach storyline is saying similar to ODST. Your 4/5 advertised Spartans are each going to be specialized with their own favorite weapons (remember, Romeo likes sniping and Dutch likes heavy weapons?). This is where the Loadouts will probably come into play. Your standards are back with a new look: assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles, etc. The new Elite weapons are always my faves. Pink Mist of Death has been my all-time favorite achievement in the series (i.e., Halo 3 - the Needler). To see the new Needle Rifle… 

oh, it’s on now! Also, there are two new grenade launchers with the Covenant version popping out 4 stickies that will track your butt down and launch you into Reach’s stratosphere. Beware this handful instant death. Even the Armor Lock can’t save you. Especially if Bungie doesn’t do something about that grenade power issue.

So until this Fall (or Bungie’s next round of press releases), we’re left with a taste of the new gooeyness that is Halo. We can only wonder, “who is the ‘Lone Wolf’?”

 

On another note, I finally downloaded the Grifball maps! Anyone up for a game? ;)

 

l8s!

(images courtesy of Bungie.net)