Well I just finished a few hours of War Games (the new matchmaking).

I’m loving it. The game does move a LOT faster than any other iteration of Halo.

I can say right now I totally love using the DMR. Though I have a BR loadout for smaller maps.

The needler is BEAST! Wow can it tear opponents to shreads.

So far I’ve played a sampling of Capture the Flag, Oddball, BTB slayer, Flood, FFA (custom), and 4v4 slayer, Regicide and Dominion. Might be more, not sure. Some gametypes take a little bit of getting used to. I know Dominion will be fun once my group plays more of it and we can get some strategies going. Regicide is a blast. A mix of King of the Hill and Juggernaut.

Maps played on so far have been:
Haven – Not bad. I think though since this is the one I’m most familiar with, it’s not as impressive.
Adrift – I like it. It does have some tight corners and it’s a little small on the inside. Action is quick and I find many people have gravitated towards the outer edges of the map.
Longbow – I can’t wait to get some strategies going for this map. It looks great and I know I’ve barely scratched the surface of whats on the map.
Solace – Flood on this map is fantastic. Also played some CTF.
Vortex – Played a custom FFA on this map. Need to play it more. It’s BIG.
Abandon – Kind of small, though vertical. It’s a crazy king map for sure. I like it and again the pacing is FAST.
Meltdown – Wow, do I love this map. Nice and big, yet not so much that you can get from one side to the other in a short period of time. Top mid bridge is definitely where a lot of action has taken place so far.
Ragnarok – Oh hells yeah! I love this remake of Valhalla. Plays fast, the Mantis is a Terror!

I should say that vehicles in general are stronger. No longer am I getting killed with one grenade while on a ghost. They can finally take some damage and keep going! (THANK YOU 343!!!)

While I’m still ranking up and getting used to all the options available, I can say that it’s fun chasing them down. You never know who/what you’re going to face up against in slayer matches. With so many choices, it really is coming down to your preference and skill level.

Folks this is what Halo SHOULD be!

Never mind those haters who can’t accept change. Has 343 taken from other games? Sure, but it’s some of the BEST from those games. So really, I can’t see a reason to complain.

Halo is a constantly evolving franchise. Thank goodness. If it weren’t then it would have died off 5 years ago after Halo 3.

I for one am happy with the direction that 343 has taken the franchise. Certainly multiplayer (no War games). The campaign was fun, though I’m still a little cloudy on the ending. I haven’t played Spartan Ops yet, though plan to tonight. SO I’ll have some to say about it tomorrow.

I’ll have a FULL writeup of the game in all areas: campaign, war games, spartan ops, forge, and theater; tomorrow.

Folks, if you’re on the fence, GET THIS GAME!

-Sal