I’m going to try to run a series of Halo 3 Beta reviews starting today that examine a number of elements from the game.  This first entry in the series is going to look at the new maps.

Valhalla

Valhalla is far and away my favorite map of the three.  It’s a roughly symmetrical map set in a valley with a base at each end.  A small stream flows through middle, bisecting the map and giving a little visual interest.  And let me just say that the water effects are stunning!

My favorite new thing here is the man-cannon – grav lifts tilted to a 45-degree angle so as to launch your avatar into the map.  Each base has two man-cannons, one of which shoots you straight to the middle of the map and one that shoots you 30-degrees off to one side.  Your gametype strategy will often determine if you use one of these and which direction you wish to launch. 

Each base also hold a variety of weapons, two Mongooses, and a Warthog – the latter of which now features a pumped-up chain gun that will quickly lay waste to almost all opposition. 

There are all kinds of great locations on this map for various strategic maneuvers.  Commanding the knolls in the middle, though, is often the best spot for controlling the map.  A sniper rifle or Spartan laser based here can kill just about anything that moves.  But watch out for that ‘Hog and gunner because they can drive over that hill before you realize you’ve even been gunned down.  So far, my favorite gametypes for this map are Team Slayer and Territories.  I’ve yet to play a CTF game, so I don’t really know how the dynamics play out here.

High Ground

High Ground is just that – a ruined base sitting at the top of the hill that must be defended (or stormed) at all costs.  Access can be gained through a portable grav lift over the wall on the left side, through the bunker at the base of the wall, through the main gate (that first has to be opened from inside the base, by a stairwell on the right side, or through a short tunnel off the staircase.  Despite these access points, the defense can quickly force a chokehold on access, making it very difficult to secure those territories, grab the flag, or plant the bomb. 

Weapons litter the map, and two new action items – the bubble shield and the power drain – grace this map with their presence, affecting the dynamics of battle in new and interesting ways. 

Oh, and watch out for those spike grenades.  They stick to whatever surface they strike and throw shrapnel every which-way.  They’re only instantly deadly is they get stuck to you, but they’ll take your shields down in an instant, if you happen to get caught in the blast cone.

Storm the base, take the High Ground.  That’s what this map’s all about.

Snowbound

Snowbound is my least favorite map at the moment, but it’s growing on me the more I play it.  This map features two bases in a winter landscape.  The bases are connected by an underground tunnel, and there are a series of force-fields in each.  Players can pass through, but weapons-fire and grenades cannot – you might just find yourself with a face full of explodey if you’re not careful.

Be careful not to walk outside the perimeter of the map – there are cannons lined up for the sole purpose of blasting your sorry butt back onto the map.  So, no straying!

Ghosts are the vehicles of choice on Snowbound.  After all, anything with wheels simply won’t roll well on this terrain.  Oh, and grenades don’t bounce on the snow, either.  Remember that.

All in all I’m loving the Halo 3 Beta.  The visuals are fabulous, taking advantage of the greater processing power of the Xbox 360 and launching the Halo experience to the next level.  I can’t wait to see what multiplayer maps get released in the final version in September!

For the work of a 15-year-old writer, Eragon is an amazing story – I enjoyed it as much on the second read as I did on the first, perhaps even moreso.  The book tells the story of a young farmboy who stumbled across a dragon egg and becomes an unlikely hero.  He is forced to flee his home in order to save the people he cares about and thus begins the quest of a boy-turned-man and his dragon to find their new places in the world.

Eldest picks up the story immediately where Eragon leaves off and is, in my opinion, an even better story than the first volume in this trilogy.  Eragon makes his way to the forest of Du Weldenvarden to complete his training with the elves and become a Dragon Rider, one who will hopefully be powerful enough to face and overthrow the evil Galbatorix.  In the process, young Eragon faces numerous philosophical and intellectual challenges, in addition to his physical and magickal training.  He experiences heartache, betrayal, and loss before leaving us with a cliffhanger ending.  The evolution of Paolini’s writing style shines through in this second volume.

These two novels may be classified as Young Adult fiction, but they are well-crafted and strong enough for anyone to enjoy.  Paolini tackles some difficult topics and, in so doing, weaves together a world that is fascinatingly complex.  Lovers of fantasy fiction will enjoy these two books and eagerly await the arrival of the third.  It only remains to be seen, then, whether Paolini will extend this universe beyond this initial trilogy into an epic series to rival the likes of Middle Earth and the land of Shannara.

My wife bought me this game for Christmas since it had been on my list for quite a while.  Prince of Persia is basically a game of puzzles, with a healthy dose of sword fighting thrown in for a change of pace.  It’s a short game – I completed the whole thing in just under 10 hours of gameplay.  It requires both brains and coordination to make it through, as booby traps and pitfalls abound.  There isn’t a whole lot to the story – as plots go, it’s fairly basic and could probably be told in under five minutes.  But this game doesn’t actually need much of a storyline to be fun (which is probably one of the only times you’ll ever hear me say that).  The enjoyment here is in solving every riddle and finding solutions to every secret.

One of my favorite features of the game is the cinematic effects.  The camera angles shift as you move along, providing you with unique and interesting viewpoints.  Of course, these camera angles can also sometimes be annoying, but such instances are few and far between.  The fighting sequences are both fun and frustrating, but once you get the rhythm, they’re generally pretty easy¹ to move through. 

I really enjoyed this game, so much so that I’ve already started a second run-through, and despite having beaten it once, it’s actually no easier the second time around.  Of course, a healthy dose of over-confidence may be partially to blame for this.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time comes highly recommended from me.

1. ‘Easy’ here is a relative term.[back]

Pixar does it again.  Cars is another outrageously funny animated film from the successful film studio, the first produced by Pixar since becoming a part of the Walt Disney franchise.  Featuring an all-star cast of voice actors, including several noted race car drivers and commentators, Cars races to the top of the list of funny, family-friendly films that all will enjoy.  Like most of Pixar’s movies, adults will probably appreciate the humor best, but children will also be delighted by characters like Lightning McQueen, (Tow) Mater, and Sally.  Stick around through the movie credits for additional fun snippets.

A big part of the humor for me revolved around the redneck character Mater.  His over-the-top antics reminded me all too well of the hillbilly community in which I grew up.  The tractor tipping scene left me laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face.

I admit to being somewhat apprehensive when I first saw previews for this film.  It appeared that this film might be less interesting and humorous than most of Pixar’s prior works, but I was delighted to be proven wrong on this count.  Cars makes a wonderful addition to their collection of animated films as well as a great addition to our personal movie library.

The DVD also contains two short films.  Mater and the Ghostlight is hilariously funny and will leave you in stitches, and One Man Band follows in the footsteps of Pixar’s delightful film shorts.

I’m looking forward to seeing Ratatouille, the next of Pixar’s upcoming animated films.

Rating: 5/5