Halo 3: Five lovables on Bungie’s 3rd baby

How much do I love thee? Let me count the ways…everybody’s been lovin’ the new features that have been popping up Bungie‘s Halo 3, and for the moment, we’ve got 1Up taking about the top five things they liked, as they walked away from a playtest over at Bungie‘s studio:

1. The MA5C Assault Rifle
Bungie’s updates to Halo 3 included balancing out the humble assault rifle, hacking down the ammo cap to 32, and beefing up its long-range accuracy. A fairly balanced weapon for the new game, the MA5C ensures that even guys who’ve just respawned will have a fighting chance against the likes of dual-wield fighters. The gun begins to handle like a real-life H&K G41 – solid, functional, and versatile.

2. New control setups:
The reload button’s been mapped to the bumpers – During a dual-wield, RB reloads the right weapon and LB reloads the left weapon. Similarly, vehicle-boarding, weapon pick-up, and other formerly X-button functions are now allocated to the RB button. While the 1Up team admitted to getting used to the new setup, the new degree of movement freed up by the new controls was noticed, such as their ability to look around while reloading.

The full article awaits after the jump!

How much do I love thee? Let me count the ways…everybody’s been lovin’ the new features that have been popping up Bungie‘s Halo 3, and for the moment, we’ve got 1Up taking about the top five things they liked, as they walked away from a playtest over at Bungie‘s studio:

1. The MA5C Assault Rifle
Bungie’s updates to Halo 3 included balancing out the humble assault rifle, hacking down the ammo cap to 32, and beefing up its long-range accuracy. A fairly balanced weapon for the new game, the MA5C ensures that even guys who’ve just respawned will have a fighting chance against the likes of dual-wield fighters. The gun begins to handle like a real-life H&K G41 – solid, functional, and versatile.

2. New control setups:
The reload button’s been mapped to the bumpers – During a dual-wield, RB reloads the right weapon and LB reloads the left weapon. Similarly, vehicle-boarding, weapon pick-up, and other formerly X-button functions are now allocated to the RB button. While the 1Up team admitted to getting used to the new setup, the new degree of movement freed up by the new controls was noticed, such as their ability to look around while reloading.

3. The High Ground Map:
While not exactly as noticeable as the old favorites in Halo 2, or the other new maps, High Ground got plus points for the sheer numbers of weapons selectable in this new Halo 3 map, allowing for all sorts of nasty possibilities as players traverse through the multiple entrances to the base to be defended/assaulted. Weapons available on demo include: Spike Rifles, Spike Grenades, Sniper Rifle, Spartan  the Laser, the Rocket Launcher, and the ever-famous sword.

4. Matchmaking in H3
The biggest feature the 1Up team liked about Halo 3 is the updated Custom Games system. Bungie has added XBL Public specifically for this mode, and players who used to have probs advertising or find custom games in H2 will be happy to know that XBL Public will make it easier for players to find custom games to their taste. Then there’s the two-fold ranking system in place, one run by skill and the other by experience. This was implemented to discourage cheating in the multi-player battles that was found rampant in H2.

5. Multiplayer Beta:
While the game’s still a long way off, players might just get a chance to play in the Multiplayer Beta Test of the game, available Spring next year. Keep your eyes peeled for this particular update.

Via 1Up