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So over the weekend, (which I promised myself would be spent only lazing about ignoring the outside world), I managed to download the Halo 3 Beta and got stuck into it. Now for those of you who don't know, Halo 3 is (and maybe, the greatest thing to come about since sliced bread), a game upcoming on the Xbox 360, the final part of an epic trilogy that's been played the last few years. Starting on the original Xbox, it brought about also Halo 2, through which many countless hours of fragging over pizzas, beers, and gratuitous amounts of swearing have been played. Halo 2 has been in effect, the game in which we've always played.Back in the day, (which in this case refers to the days in Sahari Village @ Hyatt), we used to play on brokeass tvs we dragged around everywhere. Using our limited knowledge of networking and routers, we "borrowed" a router from work, cajoled an IT employee in crimping hundreds of meter of cabling, and linked up several xboxs in the now infamous Liwa #7. Marc will well remember the indestructible Phillips T.V.,(that actually fell twice out of the car boot, dents and all), which was carried all over Sahari, even twice to Dubai Marina for some serious fragging.
Special mention must be made to Snowman, Garikai, how much we cried to see you running around pointing your gun in the sky. Those were the days . . .
At home now I've finally setup the networking I've always wanted, with sweet Cat 6 cabling running through the walls, wired and wireless throughout the whole house, and two Bravia LCDs broadcasting in glorious 1080i picture the carnage that comes about. Boys with toys only get older, and better toys.
Back to the Beta.
Now the pictures aren't going to give it justice, so I'm not even going to try. In short; the game is amazing.
Now having played Halo 2 for quite a while, and even having played in on the 360, the graphics haven't been able to come on par with current 360 games, (especially Gears of War), which also kicks some serious derier), so I was quite curious of the upgrade. I always appreciate the little things, game environments, music, AI, and all these small points that come together to make a product or game what it is. Wandering through the game, (while all the time getting absolutely fragged silly), you notice the details that stand out, vegetation moves in the breeze, and parts as you walk through it. Water looks absolutely amazing, and leaves fall in the distance as you walk by. In snow you create footprints, which slowly fade as the seconds go by. Granted, you don't get much time to notice these things as you're running around throwing grenades while shotgunning MonkeyLord35 in the head. Call me a geek, but technology on this level makes me feel all funny inside . . .
Which brings me to my next point, sound. The sound really does kick ass, and I can now rest in comfort that my investment in the Harman Kardon system was well worth it. Going to be released in 5.1 Digital, even now the intricacies of sound layering is clearly audible. The sweet sound of bullet shells clinking as they hit the floor in a continuous pour, the ambient sounds of flies and birds, even bloody wind rustling by. All adds to the ambiance. The much touted control scheme has also been talked about endlessly. And my honest opinion, it takes a few games, (in which you fumble briefly like a dyslexic), but after the first stumbles the new scheme feels very natural, and much more refined. Things like using the respective bumper buttons to reload each gun is a much needed change, while the X button to use new things like trip mines and bubble shields are great. Not going to spoil it more for you, but a LOT of cool stuff is on there.
With the announcement that it will officially be released on September 26, the countdown begins. I hope it doesn't get as bad as when Halo 2 was coming out, and delayed, and delayed again, till brains were scrambled and it was almost an internal hemorrhaging when we actually go to play it. And of course, which version would I get but the only one worthy of purchase, the Legendary one. 
The Halo 3 Legendary Edition, comes packed into a Halo Spartan Mjolnir Mark VI Helmet replica. How awesome is that! (And no Paul, you can't wear it.) The Halo 3 Legendary Edition, which will sell for $99.99, includes a behind-the-scenes at Bungie Studios with new insights into the Halo Universe and the making of Halo 3; a special hi-res collection of all cinematics from Halo 1 and Halo 2 with director commentary from the Bungie Team bonus; community content from Red vs. Blue, This Spartan Life and Exclusive Gamer Tiles & a Theme. Each unit will be serialized for added individuality and collectability. Respect. Let the countdown begin.
