... we shall post, in this thread, our awesome stories, epic screen shots, video clips or both.
 
The Halo: Reach Beta as been one hell of a ride.

Is it officially over?  I haven't played since Saturday...

I played it the day it came out, and then two days after that. 
 
 
Halo seriously needs to change its gameplay with more than just jetpacks and sprint for me to be interested again.

" @AlwaysAngry:  Yah they should just copy COD*Sarcasm*.  I think they did as much as they needed to make it different, but still keep that Halo feel that distinguishes it from other games. "

" @Skytylz: They took away what made it feel like Halo. Now it just feels like a super competitive online shooter.   And I don't even want to comment on your Call of Duty statement, because you are obviously retarded. There are other games besides Halo and Call of Duty. "

it was extended to the 20th so keep playing.

Man, I haven't played since Invasion first came out. I got bored of it after that. Anyone still planning on buying it? Just curious who still plans to and who doesn't.

" @The_Laughing_Man: I wonder what people would say if they changed the main character, changed how the character moves, how the gun shoots(reticle bloom), added a bunch of different weapons,modes and multiplayer characters that play completely differently.   Oh wait,I know, "Halo is Halo." "

" @The_Laughing_Man:  It's a franchise which spans over 2 consoles that are pretty similar(not like SNES to N64). It's one of the most popular franchises ever, what kind of ground breaking changes could there be? "  

" @The_Laughing_Man: There are big changes, some of which I mentioned. The fact that you don't see them doesn't mean much.  I don't see the differences between GTA4 and RDR gun play but hey... what are ya gonna do? "

" @The_Laughing_Man: That was more of a "It is how it is" type phrase but cool story anyways :). "

People, this isn't the final product. There will be a single player campaign and they will revise the multiplayer based on the beta. Jeez, don't act like this is the game you're gonna be getting when it launches.

I love how this thread went from something positive, then all you douches went and screwed it up.  Thanks everyone, I appreciate it.

" @Levianth: Of course there isn't going to be major changes, are you crazy? If they decided to make a major change, they would delay the game. Then probably have another beta. Betas are about small tweaks to balance things out.  And betas were ALWAYS meant to gather hype for the game. They're letting people with special access play a game before it comes out. That's kind of the whole point, to advertise the game, create hype, and tweak small issues. "

  
Had a lot of fun with the beta, thought id make a minitage before the beta went down. (I used my camera to record these clips that's why it looks a bit shit)
 

Halo still sucks.

so the beta is over now?

Game was really fun. Had some great moments. Can't wait until September

I've never even been a huge Halo buff, but the Reach beta was some of the most fun I've had on my 360. Even for just a beta the game felt very polished and smooth, and I kept coming back for more despite the fact that there were only a few maps/gametypes. My one big gripe with the game is that I think grenades should be limited to 1 per spawn since they're so much more powerful now. I'm fine with the increase in power but not with people spawning with 2. If someone spawns really close to some action, 9 times out of 10 they'll throw both of their grenades right into the fray which even ends up killing teammates. This led to way too many situations where grenades were blowing up in my face left and right  far too often. The game should be a first-person shooter not a first-person grenadier. :) 
 
But yeah, I've got Reach pre-ordered and I'm definitely looking forward to this beast in September. Whenever this game ships with tons of maps, game variants, unlockables, and whatnot then there is definitely going to be some fun to be had.

" 5/5 stars "

Never been in to Halo, or multiplayer on consoles for that matter, but I got the Halo Reach beta out of inquisition and had so much fun with it - really can't wait for release now. 
  
As I've never really played the old Halo games, I can't speak for whether these points are specific to Reach or not, but I thought I'd share:
I'm awful at shooters at console; I'm still trying to master FPS' without a keyboard and mouse, but despite sucking immensely, I was never criticised, trolled, griefed, shouted at or otherwise had any anger directed at me (OK, I had one guy suggest, in jest, that they didn't realise their grandmother played Halo, but I got a laugh out of that) - which I was told was the norm for most multiplayer games, let alone Halo. Quitters were the biggest issue, but it seems they're working on sorting that out.

Despite being used to PC-style shooters, Halo Reach feels perfectly optimised for consoles, it has a really great pace which feels fast, but is slow enough to give you a chance to get your bearings with the slower controls, every part of the experience from matchmaking to the post-match report seemed to 'just work', where a similar PC experience might not be quite as smooth. 
 
My girlfriend was equally engrossed, when we weren't playing together, she was watching me play - said it reminded her of playing Unreal Tournament (which is a complement, surely) and was as disappointed as I was when the beta finished. 
 
I'm sure some of the diehard Halo fans will have problems with the game - they're the ones that know every nuance and every possible issue - but from the perspective of a newcomer to the series, Reach is insane amounts of fun - definitely recommended to anyone who didn't get a chance to play the beta.

" Never been in to Halo, or multiplayer on consoles for that matter, but I got the Halo Reach beta out of inquisition and had so much fun with it - really can't wait for release now.   As I've never really played the old Halo games, I can't speak for whether these points are specific to Reach or not, but I thought I'd share:I'm awful at shooters at console; I'm still trying to master FPS' without a keyboard and mouse, but despite sucking immensely, I was never criticised, trolled, griefed, shouted at or otherwise had any anger directed at me (OK, I had one guy suggest, in jest, that they didn't realise their grandmother played Halo, but I got a laugh out of that) - which I was told was the norm for most multiplayer games, let alone Halo. Quitters were the biggest issue, but it seems they're working on sorting that out.Despite being used to PC-style shooters, Halo Reach feels perfectly optimised for consoles, it has a really great pace which feels fast, but is slow enough to give you a chance to get your bearings with the slower controls, every part of the experience from matchmaking to the post-match report seemed to 'just work', where a similar PC experience might not be quite as smooth.  My girlfriend was equally engrossed, when we weren't playing together, she was watching me play - said it reminded her of playing Unreal Tournament (which is a complement, surely) and was as disappointed as I was when the beta finished.  I'm sure some of the diehard Halo fans will have problems with the game - they're the ones that know every nuance and every possible issue - but from the perspective of a newcomer to the series, Reach is insane amounts of fun - definitely recommended to anyone who didn't get a chance to play the beta. "

The beta felt very much like the original, which is something Bungie's been trying desperately to re-harness since Halo 2.  
 
And, despite the arguments otherwise, Halo and Call of Duty are the two staples of modern first-person shooters. They are Coca-Cola and Pepsi, respectively. There are other shooters, sure, that sell a bajillion copies, but all of them owe an incredible debt to both of these two franchises. And the evolution of Call of Duty owes much to the evolution of Halo, and vice versa.  
 
At this point, both franchises have passed a certain threshold of quality, and we as gamers aren't going to see radical changes in their formulas until some paradigm-shifting sales low comes around for one of (if not both) the two; moreover, it's a matter of taste now whether you prefer Call of Duty over Halo, Halo over Call of Duty, or some third quantity as your shooter-of-choice.  
 
Asking for Halo or Call of Duty to "break new ground" is stupid, period. It's like asking for Hershey's to change the flavor of its chocolate. What Bungie and the-developers-formerly-known-as-Infinity Ward have are winning concoctions that have proven successful in the past and remain successful in the present, and their successes have come on both a critical and commercial plane. If you don't like the games for whatever reason then don't whine about what the developers need to change to cater to your tastes on some microscopic level of specificity. Conversely, the gamers aren't to blame, but they ought to consider that no game is perfectly suited for every conceivable audience. 

Played: 260 
Won: 190 
 
Invasion was rather much of a disappointment, but, intentionally or otherwise, bungie created the best small-team game of all time with network test. It needs to be in the full game.

The matchmaking system is superb. Not a fan of the weapons though.