Well, last night I played the Halo 3 beta for a few hours and I have to say....I came away pretty damn impressed. To me, the gameplay is better and more refined than either of the first two games. Halo 1's main problem was that the pistol was so ridiculously overpowered (so that's all anyone used, and rightfully so). The main problem of Halo 2 was lack of balance. Some of the power weapons were too overpowered, and the weapon you started with (SMG) was useless when not dual wielded, that it made finding another weapon the first thought...then shooting at someone, which kinda sucked. (I loved both games though, don't get me wrong)

Well, neither of those problems are apparent in Halo 3...all of the weapons seem nicely balanced and everything seems pretty useful now (especially your starting weapon...the assault rifle from Halo 1). You'll go around the map picking up new weapons just to see how they work, and find out that everything has its place....the new weapon the "Spartan Laser", even though it's shot power is ridiculous (it can easily take out a vehicle or person with deadly accuracy), the drawback is its long charge time...and only 5 rounds. Another new weapon, the Brute Spiker, is great for dual wielding purposes...although dual wielding definitely is a second option in Halo 3...as it isn't nearly as effective as H2...a good thing, mind you.

The maps are fairly large, and very detailed...a couple seem too big for just 8 players, but that's no big deal...they're a lot of fun, and remind of the good old days (Halo 1 maps ruled, plain and simple). The equipment you can pick up and use with your X button adds an element of strategy not evident in the first two Halos....all of the accessories have a purpose and timing is definitely everything with them.

It will take a while to learn all of the nuances, and new stuff the game has to offer...but so far, it's a very impressive game...graphically it's much better than H2 (no matter what anyone says), and gameplay wise, it's better than the other two games, IMO. All in all, I think Halo 3 can be better than both the first two in the end...and one of the better games of this generation.

So far, I've been having a lot of fun with this. I think the graphics were pretty good, and the maps seem fairly detailed and fun to explore. The gameplay is awesome. I wasn't really considering purchasing H3 before, but now I probably will.

Overall, I had a pretty good experience. High Ground is probably my favorite of the three maps.

the weapons are a lot better and the maps own. Love the bubble shields and trip mines too

yeah definitely, i think the gameplay is a lot better and more refined, everything about it is better than the previous Halo's, I love the "Man Cannons" and I can't get enough of the bubble sheild, the graphics havent really changed much at all since Halo 2, but they're still damn good, thats my impression

I haven't had as much fun in awhile. I'm so excited!

i think the beta is great but i'm curious about the weapons the gods at bungie left out: the pistol and sword (and any new ones the holly ones haven't revealed yet). like gza was saying the pistol was overpowered in halo 1 and rather useless in halo 2, unless dual wielded. I'm just wandering what the holy ones will do.
and please post your gamertags, half the people i play with are complete ass holes.

My 360 remains unconnected to the internet. (Long story) Is Halo 3 going to be worth playing for one player, or is the co-op play the only worthwhile aspect of it?