Ok, here are a couple thoughts on the Beta.
1. Graphics are much improved over Halo 3. Not sure if the resolution got a bump, because jaggies are still noticeable, especially on Sword Base. Texture work is better, models are much better, and animations are much, much better.
2. Armor abilities are a definite change for Halo. Each one makes a difference in how you need to play the game. I used Sprint the most, especially if I had the shotgun or hammer. Closing the distance and donging on people was fun :) Evade is a cool ability for Elites. Haven't used armor lock much, but other people seemed to use it often. Most of the time I would just throw grenades for when they came out of it. Some times it paid off for them as team mates would kill me while I was circling the prey :) One guy did a good flag return usign the armor lock as well. I didn't use jet pack that much either. It is handy for getting to places easier and positioning yourself for a battle. Cloak seemed quite nice as well. Sound deadens when you use it, giving it a cool atmosphere when active. The radar jamming side effect could be quite useful for objective games to confuse enemies.
3. It took me a while to get used to the new weapons. The pistol is beastly and better than the AR for anything but really close quarters. You have to be sure not to get crazy with the trigger finger though as accuracy degrades if you don't find the correct groove to get into. Same thing with the DMR. Unfortunately I haven't gotten used to the DMR yet. It will take some getting used to, but once I do, I think it will be a real powerhouse. The needle rifle was nice and provided a nice covenant equivalent to the DMR. I got several super combines with it and the accuracy doesn't degrade quite as quickly as the DMR and pistol. Hammer is still delicious. Shotgun got an increase in range, but it didn't seem overpowered to me. Sniper rifle has accuracy degradation much like the pistol and DMR so quick headshots are out of the question. Only picked it up once because I still don't know weapon spawns. The plasma repeater is similar to the AR. Didn't use it much other than 1 covie slayer match. Haven't gotten a hold of the focus rifle.
4. The maps are pretty good. Still don't know my way around very well, although Powerhouse is pretty simple. I am not sure about Swordbase. Getting to the level you want can be a chore without the jetpack. Powerhouse looks great graphically.
5. StockPile is a pretty neat gametype. 4 flags are spawned and they must be taken back to your teams flag cap point. They do not cap instantly, there is a 1 minute timer that counts down to when the flags will be scored. So you have to get flags and then defend them. During one match, the otehr team had 2 flags in their cap point and there was 10 seconds left. I quickly moved the 2 flags out of the point and denied their scores :) The flags not in the cap point, stay where they are so they were still close to the enemy flag point. I just took 1 and ran it back to my base. Pretty neat game type. Haven't played head hunter. Only other things I played were slayer and CTF. Which don't have any differences to the usual.
6. The UI is delightful. Gorgeous and functional.
7. Didn't do much customization. The credits seem to be doled out fairly slowly so getting those cool armor items is going to take some investment on player's parts. I have about 2000 at this point after 12 or so matches.
8. I haven't fooled around with the Theatre yet. But I will try and do that tonight and drop some pictures in the thread.
So far it is a blast to play and there will be some interesting strategies around the new changes. I can see myself getting absorbed in this game.
