I didn't buy ODST for the beta access because first of all, ace game, and second of all I rarely do multiplayer stuff. The whole situation is kinda ironic though because the Halo 3 mp disc that came with it got me pretty into the multiplayer component for the first time - which is ironic enough on its own - but the access through ODST turned out to be a kick in the balls compared to just leeching codes off twitter. :)

A store name and number for what? :)

EDIT: Never mind, I worked it out now.

I played a few games tonight. Struggling to adpat to the new controls to be honest. Fun though, didn't sense any of the armour abilities would be over-powered in the scheme of things. Feel free to leave questions, I'll see if I can answer them in the morning.

I'm struggling with the new controls too. It's been a while since I've played any Halo 3, but I still find myself hitting Halo 3 buttons. I'll adapt, but it's a bit rough so far. Every game I've played so far has been in sword base too, which is cool, but I want to check out more maps. Someone reclaimed my HDTV for a while so I'm going to have to wait to the wee hours of the morning to play more, but I plan on going back as soon as I can. So far I've only tried scout and whatever the jetpack loadout is called, but let me tell you, being able to sprint in Halo is AWESOME. It's especially awesome when you have the energy sword :)

Dammit, Grift, didn't your mother tell you about running with plasma swords?

When you finish, the main site should reload and there should be a link to reclaim your code, and then they email it to you instantly. I had to do it twice to get it to work.It would be hilarious if you could trip and kill yourself.

Does anyone who is in have multiple Xboxes? I keep hearing that you can only activate this on one console, and I want to bring my hard drive to a friends tomorrow so we can play at his house. I'm wondering if someone can try swapping HDD's for me and see if they can still play or if you really can only play it on one Xbox.

The site has been timing out on me for hours. Too bad too sad for me :(

Expert Zone has no more keys.

People on bungie.net are going crazy over this shit. They want us all banned because they feel cheated. I understand their position, but I did buy ODST and it's not like they're getting shorted in any significant way. They were told that the ODST beta starts on May 3rd and it still does. Oh well, I knew that there was a risk when I signed up, and I knew it was against the TOS.. but I saw everyone on NeoGAF doing it and I couldn't resist. I do feel a little guilty now that ExpertZone is out of keys, but I also think that people on b.net are way over reacting. The only people who have any right to be that angry are legit ExpertZone users who missed out, and I do feel bad about that.

I spent all day on twitter trying to get a F&F code.. it was exhausting.. so I know how they feel.

I have to say, it's sorta refreshing to suck at Halo again. It's been like six months since I've even attempted to play Halo, or any FPS on the 360, so I'm hella rusty.. but it's fun!

Tinks: Can you try running Reach from your HDD on your roommate's 360? I'm pretty sure it will work, but I've heard some conflicting information and would like to confirm. Thanks.

Also: there's split screen? Sweet.

God I'm bad. My gamepad skills are seriously rusty. It seems like some of these people may have been playing non-stop since yesterday afternoon too, or longer. Hopefully things open up a bit when the beta opens up. I played my first covy slayer game earlier. Elites are really cool. The spartan loadouts are obviously a lot more varied, and a lot of fun. I played with armor lock a bit, and it seems like it would be devastating in the right hands, especially in defensive positions. I also can't wait until they add more gametypes to the beta.

One thing I did notice, getting softened up by a nade in this is horrible! Quite disorientating with the ringing noise and screen flash. The frags are way less bouncy too which means it's quite easy to drop one at someone's feet to drop shields and of course, most people start with the Pistol as a zoomable headshot weapon.

I can see something in this area getting nerfed when people get good at this little combo. I'd hope it's not the nades as the effect is cool, just not when you're on the receiving end.

God, if you're struggling i've got no hope.

I wouldn't assume that. I've been pretty PC centric for the better part of a year. I haven't played Halo in about six months, but even then I was pretty good at it. I think this is certainly a different game, but, more than anything my gamepad skills are a little rusty. I'll get it back. Once there's proper skill based match making, friends to play with, and more noobs online, it'll be easier to acclimate to it. I'm using the recon control set now by the way. I'm not sure why that wasn't the default, since it mostly mirrors Halo 3's default configuration. It's made things a little easier.I don't mind getting softened up by a frag and then fragged by a headshot. That's such a common technique in every Halo game that it feels right at home here, but frags definitely feel much different. It's also weird not constantly having a fuckton of grenades like you do in Halo 3. I love that about previous Halo games. There's a dynamic between melee, grenades, and weapon combat that certainly feels a little different now. That trinity of gameplay is still featured in Halo Reach, but it just feels different. I'm also glad assassinations aren't really very common. Melee feels relatively familiar without it.

Oh, and I'm not loving the two maps I've played so far. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad, but they're not as good as the Halo 3 beta maps. Valhalla and High Ground are much better maps than what I've played so far in Halo Reach. I'm sure there will be a nice selection of maps in the final game though, so I'm not too worried about that.. but I am mildly disappointed. My opinion may change as I play them more and learn the maps more. Plus, we're still missing a map, right? I can't wait until they open up more play lists. Grab bag can only keep me entertained for so long!

So far, so good. It's definitely shaping up to be a killer entry into the franchise. I just hope that it stands out as the Halo game when they're finished. For me, that game is currently still Halo 3.I think we're missing one map, but yes, they'll be messing with the play lists for the whole duration I hope.

When I first saw Swordbase, I thought I'd hate it. Actually it's very fun to play on. Powerhouse is ok, it's not bad. I think we're missing Overgrowth and Boneyard which won't be available for a while I don't think.

I agree with you on nades, they just feel much more powerful when used against you because they are dramatically much more disconcerting. They've certainly delivered on their promise to make them nastier and scarier and perhaps this is why there are less grenades in general, to balance it a bit.

It's going to be a bit of a shock for new players rocking up on Monday though to find good players with the ability to drop frags at their feet and pick them off with the pistol.

As an addition, I managed to kill one person with the armour lock EMP. I don't think it's over-powered at all, especially with the changes to nades. It's almost more an anti-vehicle ability if you ask me. I wonder if they've amped up the vehicle damage seeing as they seem to have made it much more feasible for a player on foot to take on a vehicle (with armour lock, grenade launcher, plasma launcher and lock-on rockets).

Oh, two maps? I miscounted :) Nice.

I think there will be plenty of new players Monday, so it won't be too hard on the folks just joining in. I also think armor lock serves a big purpose in infantry only modes and maps too if it's used correctly. Sure, the EMP isn't that powerful, but if you time it right you can ward off frags, save yourself from certain death in firefights, etc. I think it's potentially pretty great even without vehicles. I have to play with it more though.

Sword Base isn't bad, and really, the other map is pretty nice too, I just think that Halo 3's beta maps (well, maybe not Snowbound) stand out more as instant classics. But there are more maps coming, and I still have a lot to learn about these maps, so I'll withhold my final judgment :)

Finally got to play with some friends, and finally started to learn some of the weapon and health placements on the maps. It's helping a ton. Elites are so much fucking fun! I adore being an Elite and having the energy sword.

ROLL ROLL DIE!