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Bungie’s made a pretty hefty post on Bungie.net outlining the impending Halo: Reach Beta – set for May 3 – confirming what will and won’t be available to participants.
First off, once you download the Beta from the Halo 3: ODST campaign disc you’ll be offered two choices: Matchmaking and Theatre. There won’t be any option to use custom game types and there won’t be any system link.
Bungie has its reasons.
“As much as the Public Beta has been touted as an event in and of itself, for us it’s definitely the real deal – a legitimate beta test,” said the studio. “We’re working with software that’s in an unfinished state and to ensure that we’ll be getting the right data and the best feedback, we need to make sure that you and all your friends are deployed right where we need you. So, we’ll be rolling out different playlists in accordance with those needs and making the necessary adjustments on the fly.”
The work in progress state of the game also means players are liking to come across a few rough edges – something Bungie says has also been the case with recent screen shots.
“For example, in current builds there’s a subtle application of Ambient Occlusion being layered into the scene that adds a nice touch of depth into each map’s nooks and crannies, but it’s not something that made the grade in time for the Beta or for our recent batch of screenshots,” Bungie explained.
Bungie added: “Rest assured that things are looking better and better with each new build, and most important, things are becoming more and more fun to play.”
What you will get in the Beta is, however, pretty considerable.
“Matchmaking makes the grade, obviously. And sure, if you have some guests over at your place and you want to rock some split screen action, we’re more than happy to oblige,” explained Bungie. “Four players per box over Xbox LIVE, just like in Halo 3, except for Generator Defense, which is confined to two players on one system.”
Halo wouldn’t be complete without the Theatre and the Beta allows players to test out the new media hub – saving your favourite films and screenshots.
As for the game types on offer, you’re best off heading over to Bungie.net for a complete run-down of what you’ll be playing in a few weeks.
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