Writing about videogames for a living definitely has its perks. Exclusive parties. Cool coworkers. Enough free t-shirts to clothe a small nation.
But the real reason we get into this business, of course, is to play all the games. Better yet? Experiencing them days, weeks, maybe even months before anyone else. And best of all? Knowing you're the first person to play something PERIOD.
So imagine what it must feel like to be the first journalist - in fact, the first hardcore fan outside of Bungie and Microsoft - to complete the biggest and most anticipated product of the year, Halo 3. You've battled through every mission... competed on every multiplayer map... watched every cut scene, including the ending to the entire trilogy.
Imagine no more. That journalist - Francesca Reyes, Editor-in-Chief of Official Xbox Magazine - works right down the hall from GamesRadar (another lucky perk of the job, eh?). We talked to her about her one-of-a-kind trip to Bungie to finish the fight before anyone else.
Editor's Note: Look for Fran's 10-page (!) review of Halo 3 in the next issue of Official Xbox Magazine, hitting newsstands the same day the game releases, September 25.
GamesRadar: You're the first journalist - the first fan outside of Bungie and Microsoft - to see and play Halo 3 in its entirety. How does it feel?
Francesca Reyes, Editor-in-Chief of Official Xbox Magazine: You know? I think I was kind of in a state of shock for most of it, especially after I finished the campaign. I was happy, yes - but it didn't really hit me until I was back in San Francisco and eating a big bowl of ramen at some neighborhood joint. I sat there at the table with my bowl of ramen and a copy of Wired (the one with Master Chief on the cover which I bought for the flight home) - and I thought to myself: Wow. I can't believe I just did something that hundreds of thousands of people have been waiting years to do. I can't believe I just did something that I'VE been waiting years to do. It was one of those epiphany moments when I got really, really happy and realized how much I loved my job. You kinda wanted to call all your friends up and blab on and on…but because I'm still under embargo, I can't exactly do that, so I have to just be happy knowing what happened, even if I can't tell anyone about it.
GamesRadar: How difficult has it been to stay quiet? Are people bugging you for information? Besides us?
Fran: Hella hard. You want to really go into detail and tell people everything you saw and played, but you can't. I mean, because of the nature of how we do the magazine, we have to share information among the OXM staff - but other than that, mum's the word, really.
GamesRadar: Okay, so you arrive in Bungie's hometown of Kirkland, Washington. What happened next?
Fran: I get to Bungie's studio at 9:00 AM in the morning. It's such an unassuming building with absolutely no signage that it took me a few loops around the neighborhood to finally realize I had passed the right building twice. Ryan drives up right when I get out of my car and then we go through security.
Frank O'Connor (Writing Lead for Bungie Studios) shows up and then escorts us into a quiet room with four monitors in it. It's basically a meeting room, but it's somewhat cozy and pretty much had everything we needed for playing the game.
At this point, I was both really excited (this is Halo, after all, right? And I had no idea what to expect from single player...) and really nervous. Was it going to be fun? Was it going to suck? Was I going to be able to take it all in? My brain was kinda frazzled. Then Frank basically had us create new profiles to play as, gave us controllers and left the room. No hubbub, no drama, just me and Ryan and two setups with Halo 3. I turned off the lights, and we were off and running.
GamesRadar: Halo 3 starts... you choose "New Game" and fade to black. What's going through your head?
Fran: God, I don't know. I think I was pumped full of adrenaline when I first started up the game. As much as you think you know a game series, when you're put in the position to play through and review something as gargantuan as Halo 3 - you kinda feel the importance of it weighing on you. It's kind of like sitting down to take the S.A.T. or something - but fun and your future won't be shaped by it if you make a wrong turn or get killed. You just hit "continue."
GamesRadar: How long did you spend playing the single player campaign?
Fran: Um, I kinda don't want to spoil that here. Sorry. But rest assured, it's not like only 4 hours long.
GamesRadar: How many missions were there?
Fran: I can't really go into any detail on this stuff because all of what we saw and played is currently under embargo, but I would say that there's a LOT of variety between missions.
GamesRadar: Did you die often? How difficult is it?
Fran: God, yes. I'm not claiming to be some incredible five-star Halo savant or anything. But then again, for the first run through, both Ryan and I played on Heroic difficulty. Hardcore!
GamesRadar: What did you like and dislike about the first two Halo games?
Fran: That's not too difficult to pin down because they're the same complaints pretty much everyone has: H1's Library level was too long and H2's ending was the equivalent of being stood up at the prom. Nothing shocking or new here. But one other thing in Halo 2 was the cheating and rampant just jerk-ism that really soured most of us on the Live play.
GamesRadar: What did you want improved for Halo 3?
Fran: Honestly, going into this review, I wasn't sure. All I knew was that it'd have to seriously add something new to the mix as far as campaign and that the story would have to deliver. I mean, this is the last chapter in the trilogy, so this game really had to earn it - especially with all the fan outrage from H2's campaign.
GamesRadar: Were you satisfied with the end then? Does the trilogy wrap up well?
Fran: I won't say anything about this other than... it's not Halo 2. Make of that what you will.
GamesRadar: How different is Halo 3 from Halo and Halo 2?
Fran: How can I put this? It's a very Halo game, so if you've played either of the first two, you'll know what to expect... well, sorta. It manages to be really different without being too different. Cryptic enough? Probably too cryptic.
GamesRadar: Did you play the multiplayer too?
Fran: Yes, we played multiplayer. We got to try out all the maps that weren't in the beta on top of those ones, too. Mainly we played with various people at Bungie. Unfortunately, I don't know who all of them are, since we weren't in the same room as them and everyone had unrecognizable Gamertags.
GamesRadar: Were you able to hold up against the Bungie folks? Just how good are they?
Fran: Let's just say that these guys could certainly put the hurt on all comers. Luke Smith (Content Manager on Bungie.net) is a monster in pretty much any game type, but actually all the guys were pros. Did we hold up against them? Not really, but I won't speak for Ryan - he held his own. Me? I did pretty lousy - but I blame not knowing the maps. Haha. That's me putting the "spin" on my suckage.
GamesRadar: What's the craziest, most unexpected thing that happened to you while playing the multiplayer?
Fran: I wouldn't say unexpected, but... well, there's a ton in this game, honestly. So, when you say multiplayer you could mean co-op or you could mean the five billion other ways to play like Forge or any of the dozens of gametypes. I think the most unexpected thing is that fact that there are just so many different ways to play Halo 3. I know that sounds like PR BS, but it's surprisingly true.
GamesRadar: Did you have to change your old Halo multiplayer strategies to succeed in Halo 3?
Fran: Well, it really depends. There are many ways to play multiplayer this time around. It's so customizable that strategies are kinda kicked to the curb and you have to rebuild them all. You'll see what I mean when you get to go toe-to-toe with all of it, yourselves. It's crazy.
GamesRadar: What was your favorite multiplayer map in the previous games?
Fran: Blood Gulch, forever. Well, at least for CTF matches. Or Hang 'em High for Rockets was always a crowd pleaser. For another office favorite - swords matches - it'd have to be Lockout.
GamesRadar: Do you have a new favorite map now that you've played Halo 3?
Fran: I really liked the one map we played Ninjaball on that had all the tunnels and grav lifts and the threat of... oh wait. That one hasn't been announced yet, so I can't say what it is!
GamesRadar: What about weapons or vehicles? Any new favorites?
Fran: I confess. I love the Battle Rifle. I hated it in the beta, but man was I wrong. I won't call it my favorite, since a lot of the new weapons are good, but it's up there. As for vehicle? I'm still a Ghost nerd, but I'm now a devoted fan of the Hornet and the Chopper's alright, too.
GamesRadar: Most Halo fans at least saw or played the multiplayer beta in May. How close was that to the final product?
Fran: Only thing to say here is that the graphics? Well done. If you were disappointed in the beta, well you got nothing to worry about.
GamesRadar: You're the Editor-in-Chief of Official Xbox Magazine. Part of your job is to know everything there is to know about Halo 3. Was the game still able to surprise you?
Fran: Oh of course. I mean, most companies - if they're smart - would never reveal absolutely everything about a game before it's released. That would leave nothing for gamers to discover for themselves. So, yes - there were surprises that I hadn't known about. And even some of the things I did know about were surprising once I was able to actually interact with them.
GamesRadar: What would you say to every other fan eagerly anticipating the experience you've now completed?
Fran: Um, read OXM for the review? Haha... I'm kidding. Well, not about the review or about you reading it, but if I had something to say to other Halo fans? I'd say - September 25th can't come fast enough. It's really hard to do this from a neutral standpoint since I don't want to say one way or another about the OXM outlook on the game without the review being out there to provide context - so, I'll leave it at that.
Klik om te vergroten...
