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[SCULLIBUNDO]

We could have had Blood Gulch at night! I knew it!

 

[Slightly Live]

Marty might not like it, but Steve Vai's version of the main Halo theme is the best piece of music to appear in any Halo game to date.

I'll take electric guitars over chanting monks any day.

That said, the added 'edge' that the guitars brought to the theme matches up well with the '**** hits the fan' tone of Halo 2, while the Halo 3 theme was a better match for the more somber 'this is the end' tone.

Pft. Marty shits over any other piece of Halo music including his own other works with this - Skyline.

After ODST I have high expectations for Reach's music and the little we've heard so far is sounding sweet.

 

[zumphry]

Pft. Marty shits over any other piece of Halo music including his own other works with this - Skyline.

Yep.

 

[Slightly Live]

HALO REACH invades GTTV tonight at 12:30 on Spike with lots of exclusive footage from the upcoming multiplayer beta.

Woot. When is this going online again? 1-2am PST? 9-10am GMT? Any stream available?

 

[Tashi]

Pft. Marty shits over any other piece of Halo music including his own other works with this - Skyline.

After ODST I have high expectations for Reach's music and the little we've heard so far is sounding sweet.

By Skyline do you mean Neon Night?

 

[Slightly Live]

By Skyline do you mean Neon Night?

=P

Marty really does some great work. I think the fact that he was free from the use of the regular Halo "sounds" likes monks allowed him to create something very special in the whole of the ODST soundtrack. It's easily his best package of works to date.

With Reach seemingly not relying to heavy on the older Halo formula for it's Campaign, I'm hoping it allows Marty to be just as a daring and creative this time around too. To be honest, whatever he does, I'm sure it will be pure win.

 

[big ander]

Updates up. Reading now.
That Halo 2 article was awesome.
HEADHUNTER and Stockpile sound like so much fun.

 

[Dirtbag]

Pft. Marty shits over any other piece of Halo music including his own other works with this - Skyline.

After ODST I have high expectations for Reach's music and the little we've heard so far is sounding sweet.

I wasn't really feeling that song in the first real trailer we got, sounded kind of cheezy to me. I did like the MP trailer music though.

 

[wwm0nkey]

Besides, when you broke into Customs the last time out, all you did was play Plasma Punchout with 300% speed and zero gravity. That’s not helping. That’s just bizarre.

Now I wonder why this was in the BWU :lol

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Okay. I'm probably gonna get murdered for saying this, but I found so much of the music in ODST depressing to be honest, and maybe that was the point. But whether or not that fits the mood of the game, all it made me want to do is stop playing (not the best ingredients for a game). It felt like I was being dragged through the game as opposed to being inspired to press on. Just my own personal opinion, though. It's basically how I judge the music I listen to. Is this music going somewhere or is it just gonna drone on? For me the music in ODST just droned on and on, no crescendos, no variation, just one looooong depressing piece.

 

[Apath]

I wasn't really feeling that song in the first real trailer we got, sounded kind of cheezy to me. I did like the MP trailer music though.

Yeah, I agree with this. Though the music can't be entirely to blame for the cheese. Lines like "Spartans never die Jorge. They just go missing in action" *music ramps up* didn't really help much.

 

[Roche]

Why is there an entire section in the BWU all in caps?

Edit: Now I know.

 

[Tashi]

Speaking of nuance, flag juggling didn’t make the cut.

Didn't make the beta cut or won't for the final game?????????????

 

[urk]

Didn't make the beta cut or won't for the final game?????????????

Gone for good.

 

[Tashi]

Gone for good.

 

[Apath]

Gone for good.

Frame a game play depth stand point, this sucks. From a spamming messages is annoying as fuck stand point, good for you guys.

 

[Kibbles]

And if you were worried about players flying with the flag via Jet Pack, I can assuage those fears. Won’t happen. If you have hold of the flag, using an Armor Ability will cause you to drop it instantly. Pick it back up, and the effects from your Armor Ability will vanish. Same goes for any multiplayer specific object you can hold in your hot little hands.

Wow, that was one of the only things I thought Sprint would be useful for, to make objective games more interesting.

I love that generator defense screenshot with the Elite though, so hot. 3v3 sucks though... should at least be 4v4.

[edit] Okay, no flag juggling really sucks.

 

[Dirtbag]

Gone for good.

Flag Captured!

Frame a game play depth stand point, this sucks. From a spamming messages is annoying as fuck stand point, good for you guys.

The gameplay was not enhanced by jumping and juggling like a fool, but I do hope we can move slightly faster with the flag in hand now that we have movement enhancements like sprint and jetpacks hunting down the flag carrier.

 

[Hey You]

Gone for good.

Looks like some hearts have been broken.

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Gone for good.

What about jumping and throwing the flag? Or will the flag simply drop straight down?

Also, I couldn't get the video to play at the end of the update. Is it just me or is everyone experiencing the same problem?

 

[Lazslo]

Hey NJ Slice (sry spelling) I just got your Halo Reach Iphone app

Spoiler

I think it's yours.

I actually used one of your free codes you gave out awhile ago but just downloaded it recently, thanks mang. Great job on the app, it's well organized and very informative. Keep up the good work!

 

[bobs...onGaf]

Flag juggling was nerfed in Halo 3 so im not suprised to see it gone. It actually kinda worked well in gameplay.

Bungie, you are crazy

A lot of the stuff that makes Halo fun for me seems to be stuff that Bungie didnt intend and which Bungie hates. A toned down Sniper, a 5 shot kill precision weapon, and now this - I really cant wait till the beta to see if its still the Halo I know and love.

Objective use and Armour Abilitys could have lead to some interesting scenario's, I know the Halo 3 equipment mixed with Objectives lead to good times. Oh well

 

[dslgunstar]

Hmmmm, so it looks like Arena has Standard and Pro variants, for AR/Mag and DMR/Mag starts.

Does that mean no loadouts for Arena confirmed?

I actually think its REALLY stupid that armor abilities dont work when you're carrying an objective like a flag or a bomb. That would give abilities like Jetpack and Sprint additional strategic value.

STUPID.

 

[Slightly Live]

Also, I couldn't get the video to play at the end of the update. Is it just me or is everyone experiencing the same problem?

Yeah, just noticed this, the video loads but I can't play it. Just checked older updates over the past few weeks. Same dealio there too.

 

[MrDaravon]

I'm all for no more FLAG DROPPED FLAG TAKEN FLAG DROPPED FLAG TAKEN etc. Looking forward to Invasion info, I'm concerned about it being 6v6, but want to see how it's implemented.

Also there's still people on Halo 2 :lol . My final game finally registered on Bungie.net but you can't see the details on it (like a really really old game), but the one custom game I played isn't reflecting at all on my account, so it's only showing I played 76 games across the two days, fuck.

Incidentally, do we have any idea when they're going to announce the beta end date? I had to drop my only two days off at the start of the beta due to having to take time off this week as well as my wife's hospital stay, but I might be able to get a day or two around the end of May, but would need to know exact dates real short-like .

Edit: Videos are working for me okay, although Silverlight is still the devil.

 

[urk]

Yeah, just noticed this, the video loads but I can't play it. Just checked older updates over the past few weeks. Same dealio there too.

Might need to update Silverlight.

 

[wwm0nkey]

I honestly don't mind flag bouncing gone as for armor abilities though, I think only sprint should be used to carry a flag, but oh well.

 

[Tashi]

Damn, that's a real letdown. Flag running in Halo is an art.

I guess now there will be 2 man flag running. 1 guy picks up flag and throws it while his teammate next to him, running full speed does the same right after. The first guy then recovers his speed and picks it up and throws it again and they go back and forth until the flag is capped. :lol :lol That sounds so ridiculous.

 

[zumphry]

Liking the flag designs going back to the Halo 1/2 style. Wonder if those Eagle/Snake designs for Blue/Red team are back?

Reading through the update, for custom gametypes, are we possibly going to be able to give descriptions for them ourselves? Or hasn't that been determined yet?

 

[blazinglazers]

Generator defense, or Network Test 1, is actually testing out the mechanics of having actual players control the Elites you fight during specific campaign set pieces. When the game ships, one of the playlists you can join effectively puts you into someone else's campaign. Hell, maybe the whole Invasion game type is tied to the campaigns end-game.

/wild speculation

 

[NJ Shlice]

FYI, suicide thread going on in the OP. NSFW
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=393018&page=3

Edit. Bah, funs over already

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Gone for good.

Spoiler

I'm all for it being 'solved', interested to see what Flag'll be like in Reach.

 

[metareferential]

Generator defense, or Network Test 1, is actually testing out the mechanics of having actual players control the Elites you fight during specific campaign set pieces. When the game ships, one of the playlists you can join effectively puts you into someone else's campaign. Hell, maybe the whole Invasion game type is tied to the campaigns end-game.

/wild speculation

That's everybody wet dream. I support your speculation xD

 

[Kapura]

Damn, that's a real letdown. Flag running in Halo is an art.

I guess now there will be 2 man flag running. 1 guy picks up flag and throws it while his teammate next to him, running full speed does the same right after. The first guy then recovers his speed and picks it up and throws it again and they go back and forth until the flag is capped. :lol :lol That sounds so ridiculous.

DOUBLE KILL.
This will eliminate the over-abundance of the announcer in Flag games. Good.

So, urk, what will be tested in NT 1 that is different than normal MP? It's obviously for the campaign netcode, but I can't see what would be significantly more complex than multiplayer in the descriptions we've seen so far.

 

[Butane123]

Even with flag running now gone, I know I'm still going to try to do it out of habit.

 

[Striker]

Good.

Bummer about AA/flag carrier, though. Makes sense for others, though, like Oddball.

I'm guessing CTF (all variants), Assault (all variants), King of the Hill, Oddball, Headhunter, and Territories (including 3 Plots) are in Grab Bag?

 

[Slightly Live]

Thanks for the reminder Urk.

Also folks, need some assistance.

Any willing victi... er, volunteers to do some proof reading for a short article for my site? Just send a PM and I'll hook you up.

 

[Foxy Fox 39]

Yeah, just noticed this, the video loads but I can't play it. Just checked older updates over the past few weeks. Same dealio there too.

Hover the mouse above the big centered play button. Like near the top of the video.

Or hover it in the window until you see the cursor change to the clicking hand.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

I didnt realize this at first but carrying the flag is now going to leave you pretty damn vulnerable, if you run into a enemy you wont even be able to drop the flag and escape or kill him if hes half decent.

Not sure if I like this. Bungie seem adamament to kill any potential awesome moments. We will never see someone dropping the flag, sniping the two attackers in the head at close range before casually taking the flag for the cap.

 

[Butane123]

I didnt realize this at first but carrying the flag is now going to leave you pretty damn vulnerable, if you run into a enemy you wont even be able to drop the flag and escape or kill him if hes half decent.

Not sure if I like this. Bungie seem adamament to kill any potential awesome moments. We will never see someone dropping the flag, sniping the two attackers in the head at close range before casually taking the flag for the cap.

Wat?

You'll still be able to drop the flag, there just won't be a difference in speed if you try to juggle it like in Halo 3.

 

[Apath]

Flag Captured!


The gameplay was not enhanced by jumping and juggling like a fool, but I do hope we can move slightly faster with the flag in hand now that we have movement enhancements like sprint and jetpacks hunting down the flag carrier.

I always thought it was. You either go the fastest route but alert the entire enemy team of where you are, or you go the slow but stealthy route. The only real annoyance with it was the fucking announcer going on and off for 45 seconds -- especially when you were already losing and the team was about to score again.

 

[reetva]

I didnt realize this at first but carrying the flag is now going to leave you pretty damn vulnerable, if you run into a enemy you wont even be able to drop the flag and escape or kill him if hes half decent.

Not sure if I like this. Bungie seem adamament to kill any potential awesome moments. We will never see someone dropping the flag, sniping the two attackers in the head at close range before casually taking the flag for the cap.

I prefer this method, actually. It means that your team must, at all costs, protect the flag runner. This creates a different kind of awesome moment, where you see your teammates get pumped full of hot lead as they create a path for you. This will effectively stop any Rambos in CTF and give a sense of teamwork not found in the previous games. Or it could suck because no one ever tries to protect the Flagdude. Though I imagine that after the initial learning period, people will do a god job of covering Sir Flagsman.

 

[Princess Carl]

Happy to see grab bag as a playlist.

Thought I have one concern. I'd like to hope if the playlist decides to pick an objective game, we have 4 different objective game/map choices. Please don't stick a slayer variant in as well. Cause then I'll never get to play any objective game

 

[Shrennin]

Pft. Marty shits over any other piece of Halo music including his own other works with this - Skyline.

After ODST I have high expectations for Reach's music and the little we've heard so far is sounding sweet.

I think Marty is most likely my favorite video game composer. It's not just that his music is so good, but that it generally fits the mood of the gameplay as well. ODST's score was amazing in that regard.

 

[Lazslo]

Damn Wu, you got the weekly update formatted really fast tonight! Thanks, I enjoy reading it on HBO due to it being easier to read for some reason. Anyway it's up on HBO if anyone wants to read.

 

[Slightly Live]

Damn Wu, you got the weekly update formatted really fast tonight! Thanks, I enjoy reading it on HBO due to it being easier to read for some reason. Anyway it's up on HBO if anyone wants to read.

He's a damm ninja with his dark arts.

 

[Domino Theory]

Awesome WU. I'd yell and scream that Invasion wasn't talked about in the WU, but we're going to find out tonight anyways along with a heep of footage.

Good stuff.

 

[Thermite]

I'm really bummed that you can't juggle nor use Armor Abilities when taking the flag home..sadface.

I can't wait to find out all about Invasion tonight, though. Based on the tiny, tiny bit we've seen about it, and with all the differences between Elites and Spartans, it seems like it's going to be batshit crazy awesomeness. Bring on GTTV!

 

[Deadstar]

I wasn't really feeling that song in the first real trailer we got, sounded kind of cheezy to me. I did like the MP trailer music though.

Marty needs to get back to making more intense music like the menu song from Halo: CE. I would love a menu music toggle that would change the music from boring (Halo2/3) to awesome (Halo 1). The Halo 2 and 3 title songs were too slow for my liking.

I agree with dslgunstar in that they really need to bring back the guitar and give Halo the power it deserves!

 

[Slightly Live]

I'm happy with the flag juggling being taken out. It was always a chore to attempt to juggle with the slight connection variances in the average game for me and I always thought it was a cheap technique, obviously exploiting the flag/player mechanics. I hated the fact that it needed to be done in some situations to keep up with another team that would employ it.

The AA/flag issues are great. Sprinting or jet-packing with the flag or oddball would have been game breaking I'd think.