Halo 3 multiplayer beta over

By Robert Purchese Published 13 June, 2007

Loads took part.

The Halo 3 public multiplayer beta is officially over, and so the countdown begins to the full launch on 26th September.

More than 820,000 of you took part, notching up a considerable 12 million hours of game time - which is apparently equivalent to one person playing solidly for 1400 years. And you know what that means. Yes, you gobbled up over 350 terabytes of data and even shared roughly 580,000 saved films, presumably of you shooting the snot out of your friends.

Microsoft is well chuffed.

"The participation in the Halo 3 beta was staggering," said Shane Kim, big cheese at Microsoft Game Studios. "Witnessing such a great reaction to a small portion of the game has been inspiring. It's a testament to the fervour and anticipation that surrounds Halo 3."

"We're confident that on 26th September Halo 3 will drive an unprecedented wave of new gamers to the Xbox 360 platform and Xbox Live."

So, to celebrate, we're being treated to some fancy new merchandise. Two new limited-edition wireless pads will be available at or shortly before launch. One will take inspiration from a Covenant Brute, with the other based on Master Chief. Both are designed by comic book maestro Todd McFarlane and will cost GBP 34.99.

There's a fancy wireless headset sporting the Spartan green and gold colours, too, which will also set you back 35 smackers. Cop your eyes on these new pieces in our Halo 3 peripherals gallery.

A new Halo book, comic mini-series and Halo-themed Zune are also planned, but currently unconfirmed for Europe.

We got our hands on the multiplayer beta a touch earlier than you lot, and spouted out all kinds of coverage. You can find it all singing happily in our Halo 3 gamepage.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (37) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • afghan_jones #1 5 years ago

    it wasnt all that.
    Edited by afghan_jones at 13/06/07 @ 16:40

  • jonsaan #2 5 years ago

    meh

  • souljacker2000 #3 5 years ago

    I never played on it... heard it was a bit lame

  • lambtron #4 5 years ago

    I thought it was excellent.

  • ProtoformX #5 5 years ago

    I only played about 4 hours of the beta during the time it was available and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to Halo 3 very much now. The multiplayer even more than the singleplayer Considering the few maps available, that sure was a hell of a load of playing so the full range will probably give hours of enjoyment. There will be that "hardcore" element of players who play every map to learn it off by heart just so they can be the best at an online game but you get that with every game. I just hope some more variety comes along for Xbox Live as currently it's mostly FPS games that get the top spots in terms of hours played.

  • Dizzy #6 5 years ago

    I played shitloads... great fun. Last week I switched to Shadowrun though... didn't want to play too much H3, still need some fun in september. :)
    Edited by Dizzy at 13/06/07 @ 16:53

  • Mr-Brett #7 5 years ago

    Is it cool to hate halo 3 yet?

  • Xerx3s #8 5 years ago

    I played shitloads... great fun. Last week I switched to Shadowrun though... didn't want to play too much H3, still need some fun in september. :)

    Why don't you post your nick on the official sr thread so you can play with eg people?

    ;_;

  • IAmBatman #9 5 years ago

    designed by Todd McFarlane = look like cack.

  • kangarootoo #10 5 years ago

    Christ that was quick. I only played it once.

    It was fun enough, but it felt pretty much like Halo 2. It looked pretty much like Halo 2 as well tbh. That said, Halo 2 was the most played XBLive game until GEoW came along I belive, and I quite easily see H3 taking that crown back again.

    I should also mention that co-op ios much more my bag and I was still playing Halo 1 and 2 co-op probably once a month or so until I moved out of my previous house last year.

  • kangarootoo #11 5 years ago

    As an aside. I also played the demo of Shadowrun and thought it was really good. But again, I don't really play deathmatch online type stuff so it wasn't really for me. Pity.

  • GamesConnoisseur #12 5 years ago

    The first three replies were a bit lame in my opinion!

    The numbers of those who participate is quite big and in that term a clear success. I did play for the first 10 days but did not continue to play on the beta after then, you can only do so much on the 3 maps and also consider that it was not a proper showcase of the ranges of multi-player options. I did enjoy Beta and was impressed with the majority of lag free game and enjoyed the ability to record the replay and sure that it would be copied by other developers.

    Wait and see if the full release will clearly show that its has benefited from the public beta, and therefore that we the participatees had made our mark on the game by providing critical data.

  • Yossarian #13 5 years ago

    MEMMMMOOORRRRIIIESSS

    COLOURS OF MY MIND

    etc.

    /weeps

  • afghan_jones #14 5 years ago

    I enjoyed the beta to an extent but while it was certainly a solid FPS it didnt make me sit up and say "damn, thats what all the hype has been about, I was blind but now I see, Halo, Halo, Halo, All praise and worship to Bungie."

    was a bit of a laugh but I found most matches to either involve me getting decapitated every 5 seconds by super ninja players or playing with utter dunces who didnt put their mikes on and simply refused to use the warthog turret when i was driving.

  • Darren #15 5 years ago

    The Halo 3 beta was everything I expected it to be, predictable, safe and totally lacking in innovation, made to cater for the fans and no-one else. I'm still buying Halo 3 but it's strictly for the single player/campaign mode as I find the multiplayer mode as dull as dishwater I'm afraid but I accept I'm in the minority! Played Halo to death online years ago on the PC and it's barely changed since...

  • lennon #16 5 years ago

    I only played it once but it did enough to convince me that it will be superbly implemented and a good online game.

    I thought the new shield bubble thingy was quite nice as well.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #17 5 years ago

    I thought it was great, enjoyed it even more than I thought I would! I didn't play it every day, a few times a week, but last weekend I forgot all about it and didn't remember till it was over :-(

    September can't come quick enough... well, I'd quite like some nice sunny weather in between, but I'm still looking forward to Halo :-)

  • Dermoth #18 5 years ago

    The beta was excellent. The only two complaints I heard about it were "it's too similar to Halo 2" and "the graphics aren't very impressive".

    It IS similar to Halo 2. In the sense that it's a sequel which improves on almost all aspects of the original. What, were you expecting a third person shooter with a duck and cover mechanic?

    The graphics are fine, and the bubble shield suggests that the team are capable of very fancy graphical tricks which we may see in the finished prodcut. But if not, it's still fine - the graphics are clear, functional, and not in the least bit confusing, unlike Gears of Monochrome War.

    Plus, I've been arguing for a replay facility in Halo for years, and they've paid me off hugely. The films are *genius*. If, as promised, the retail version has full time and camera controls, it'll probably be my favourite gimmick in a videogame for years.

    Just to add - I HATED HALO 2. The single player was nothing more than an insult, the multiplayer barely acceptable. I'll be buying Halo 3 for the multiplayer alone.

    (And the films).

    YMMV.

  • Rirekon #19 5 years ago

    The multiplayer worked, but let's face it it's not standing up by itself. If the single player is the rushed and unfinished mess of Halo 2 I'll pass entirely.

  • Overlush #20 5 years ago

    When are they making Halo breakfast cereal?

  • bdc #21 5 years ago

    The multiplayer beta beats the living snot out of every other retail console game's multiplayer modes, what the fuck are you talking about Rirekon?

  • DanWhitehead #22 5 years ago

    designed by Todd McFarlane = look like cack.

    Bet it features Master Chief crouched on the top of a church spire, surrounded by chains. And fire.

  • Carrybagma #23 5 years ago

    Good. Does this mean the normal Halo3 news service is resumed then? It's been too quiet.

  • Carrybagma #24 5 years ago

    360 users want this game! Ahahahaha..

  • Les #25 5 years ago

    @Dermoth

    What's so great about the replay functionality? Do you use if for practice purposes or something? Just out of curiosity.

    edit: completed post. Damn Safari beta... ;)
    edit: completed post again. Damn Safari beta... :( Switched back to Firefox.
    Edited by Les at 13/06/07 @ 18:48

  • Yossarian #26 5 years ago

    The multiplayer beta beats the living snot out of every other retail console game's multiplayer modes

    bears repeating

    this fragment of an unfinished title was more fun than any other multiplayer gaming on the 360 to date for me
    Edited by Yossarian at 13/06/07 @ 18:10

  • morriss #27 5 years ago

    The controller's mine.

  • Khab #28 5 years ago

    Finally! Now Crackdown should be available for peanuts just about everywhere.

  • Dermoth #29 5 years ago

    Les - as I say, the replays are a gimmick, but they're still noteworthy, even though they're not incredibly practical tools to improve your gameplay.

    What vital purpose do replays serve in football games? None whatsoever. They're just cool. How badly has PES6 on the 360 been slated for not allowing you to save replays? Badly, and rightly so. When you do something outrageously brilliant in a football game, you want to preserve the moment. I don't see why FPSes should be any different. I spent ages pleading the case for a Sensible Soccer style highlights function in Halo 2. Press the back button, save the last ten seconds to the HD, relive your triple kill sticky (or whatever) at your leisure. Bungie delivered on it far too late for my liking, but it looks like they've nailed it this time around.

    And everything else, too. I'll reserve judgment on the single player, because I expect it to suck. But the online stuff, as others have said, embarrasses the competition.

    And if the four player co-op is true... oh my!

  • JayPee #30 5 years ago

    Played on occasion. Only ever in split screen mode with a mate though.

    And that was a rip-roaring hoot at times.

    Have to say, was expecting it to be "meh" but in actual fact it's some of the most fun I've had gaming recently.

    Probably only because I played it with a friend and we were drinking beers and so on at the same time.

  • Bulbatron #31 5 years ago

    I only played a few hours, but quite enjoyed it, even though I seemed to empty whole clips into other god-like players, only to have them kill me almost straight away!

    The one level I most wanted to try was Valhalla. It looked the most interesting to me. But every time I tried to get onto it, it kept getting vetoed, so I never got to see it. Thanks a bunch, those vetoing dogs!

  • Rirekon #32 5 years ago

    @bdc
    It is the most generic multiplayer this side of Counter-Strike, it lacks any innovation and is actually quite dull when you get right down to it.
    As for beating any other FPS? Shadowrun is more innovative by far. Let's face it, we've had Unreal Tournament on the Xbox for years and that's still better.

  • Les #33 5 years ago

    @Dermoth

    OK, fine, each his own. I've occasionally saved a replay in PES, only to never watch it again. But I do the same with holiday pictures, so it's probably me. ;)

  • Dizzy #34 5 years ago

    "Why don't you post your nick on the official sr thread so you can play with eg people? "

    Hehehe... you are on my friend list Xerx3s :)

  • bluebird #35 5 years ago

    Here is betting that this beta was purely for testing the gameplay dynamics and was running on a ported Halo2 engine, and that the actual game when released will use a new engine with dramatically improved graphics, rivalling or beating Gears of War.

    Anyone willing to take it? :-)

  • MikeP #36 5 years ago

    Perhaps the wireless headset you mention might actually work this time. The one released last year was awful - nasty electronic buzzing sounds seemed to be what it mostly emitted.

  • SBfistfun #37 5 years ago

    "It is the most generic multiplayer this side of Counter-Strike"

    Obviously you haven't a clue.