Feature: Halo 3 beta taken apart- part I

Firstly I'm sure you're wondering how good Halo 3 actually is. Well in short, it's good- very good infact. Halo 3 plays very similarly to it's predecessors- which is a good thing. Duel wielding is very much present again from Halo 2, however unlike Halo 2 where the main gameplay emphasis was placed with duel wielding, this is not so in Halo 3- mainly down to the superb weapon balancing and the return of the assault rifle from Halo: Combat Evolved. Melee and grenades useage are now a much larger part of the game, something that many (including Bungie themselves) often missed in Halo 2 as when duel wielding you can't do either of these. In gameplay terms- Bungie seem to have got it so right.

Now lets talk graphics. I'm sure you've heard, even perhaps thought- 'man, that looks kinda like Halo 2.' Stylistically the game is very similar to Halo 2- key word 'stylistically.' Halo 3 looks awesome- trust me. The environments are hugely detailed- and look simply stunning in high definition. Textures also look just great- rusty steel, shiny smooth metal plating, bark on trees- you name it, the textures are there in outstanding form. The highly sophisticated physics engine is ever present too, from grass blowing in the wind, to floating bodies when killed in the river.

In this first part I'm going to talk about the vast array of weapons at your disposal, and hell they're good!

Assault Rifle:

Makes a very welcome return! This is your base weapon as it where. Works great at mid-range and decently close up too. Has quite a shallow clip, but works perfectly with melee and/or grenades.

Battle Rifle:

This is a scoped, burst fire weapon- great for mid range distances. Seems more important to aim for the head now than with the Battle Rifle in Halo 2. Has a zoom capability.

Beam Rifle:

This is the Covenant Sniper Rifle, and works pretty much the same as it did in Halo 2.

Brute Shot:

Basically a grenade launcher, as used as the title suggests by the Brutes. A couple of shots with this usually does the trick.

Carbine:

Very similar to the Battle Rifle, however the Carbine is a Covenant weapon. Burst fire, ideal for mid-range, and has zoom.

Grenades:

There are now 3 types, rather than 2- you can carry a maximum of 2 of each type at any given time. Frag and Plasma grenades remain about the same as before, with the new Spike/Brute grenades (which look like a long stick with protruding spikes) can be used (like plasmas) to stick and kill your opponents.

Minigun:

Not as daunting as you might think. Wielding this beast of a weapon not only slows you down, but gives you a 3rd person perspective too. Powerful, but easily stoppable. New for Halo 3.

Missile Pod:

Like the detachable Minigun, the Missile Pod is both slow and cumbersome and gives you a 3rd person perspective. Unlike the Rocket Launcher this has a homing feature, by holding your reticule over an enemy spartan or vehicle for a few seconds until it turns red. The enemy will then receive a 'you have been painted by enemy targeting tech' warning. You have a few seconds of lock on time to let rip with your missile. Don't worry though- ammunition is very limited. New for Halo 3.

Needler:

Wow did they give this some umph! Bungie have made the needler much more powerful than before, but as a result the needler is no longer a duel wieldable weapon.

Plasma Rifle:

Is duel wieldable. Same as the Plasma Rifle from Halo 2 really. Can still over-heat.

Plasma Pistol:

Is duel wieldable. Has remained largely unchanged, however there is one new key feature of the new Plasma Pistol. Fire a charged burst of plasma at a moving vehicle to stop it right in it's tracks!

Rocket Launcher:

Now requires more skill. The lock on the vehicles and turrets feature from Halo 2 is now gone. The Rocket Launcher is much like the one from the original Halo now.

Shotgun:

Has remained largely the same from Halo 2. Obviously very affective at close range, one shot and they're down.

SMG:

Is duel wieldable. The SMG has a much larger clip capacity than the assault rifle, but lacks the range. Up close, a SMG is more affective against the assault rifle- and is duel wieldable.

Sniper Rifle:

Unchanged really- has 2 zoom functions, works just as well as before.

Spartan Laser:

A new weapon for Halo 3. Aim at a target by pressing and holding the right trigger for a few seconds, unleashing a powerful red laser. Your opponents' death will rapidly follow.

Spiker:

Much like the SMG, but Covenant stylee. Has a slightly shorter clip than the SMG, but for fire power and distance it's pretty much the same. Duel wieldable and a new weapon for Halo 3.

So there you have it. Bare in mind that these aren't all the weapons that will be present in the full version. Watch out for part II which will contain all the details on the maps, gameplay types, vehicles, and gadgets.