What I played in London was just a part of the Maxi-Beta that is going to hit on December 29th, the content of the Beta will be released over time and we will have the chance to play 7 maps and 3 gametypes. During our 2 hours of gameplay, we had the chance to try the first part of the Beta, which will be featuring 2 Gametypes on 3 maps, but before we had the chance to play, 343i introduced us to Halo 5's new features: There's many.
There have been added some small Thruster packs which allow for many new ways to move around, in a Titanfall fashion. A double jump has been intruduced; you can also stay in the air for a few seconds or evade side-wise, even while airborn.
Using a new animation system, our Spartans are able to climb on platforms with their arms with a very fluid and fast motion. There's also a couple of special moves:
The first one is the ability to sprint (faster than the usual run) to charge enemies from the front or from behind. Getting them from the front will remove the enemy's shield immediatly, from the back will insta-kill them; watch out though, Sprinting will prevent you from recharging your shields.
The second one instead is a charge from above: you can click the right stick while aiming on the ground to perform a Ground Pound, but you will be left vulnerable to enemy fire.
Our first game was a classic deathmatch 4v4; there was an indicator for The spawn points of Power Weapons like Rockets, Sniper and Sword. There's also a timer that will let you know when they will spawn.The first map we played on was on the top of a skyscraper, with many platforms with outside and inside zones.
The second one was instead (The guy is talking about Midship, I'll prevent you from reading his terrible description).The Multiplayer felt like an evolution to first person shooters, with a frenetic pace in which it's better to always run and jump, where aiming skills are more important than well knowing the maps.
The second Gametype is called Breakout. It's a 4v4 deathmatch without respawns; if you get killed, you'll be out for the rest of the round. The map is small, it has a Tron look to it, it's an open space with pyramids, parallelepipeds and cubes that can be used as cover. The game will start with the team been literally catapulted on the map: you must be very fast to reach the Power positions on the map. First team to 5 rounds wins,
This gametype is very immediate and fun.
From a technical standpoint, the game runs at 60 fps with an engine that shines for special effects like lights and reflections.
Unfortunately we had no chance to have a look at player customization that will surely be provided in the beta.
It will be possible to choose a loadout, but it won't be like in Call of Duty, the best weapons will be on the map in a typical Halo fashion.
