So, along with the great masses beside me, I've put on an olive hoodie as a Halo: Reach Beta-Tester.
My first thoughts?
Well... my VERY first thought is: Why are they claiming to have changed anything?
Because there is nothing about it that feels terribly different from any previous Halo multiplayer. Load-outs? Are you kidding me? There isn't much variety in the load-outs and, much of the time, the only real difference between them is what armor ability you are taking. What's that? How can I mention armor abilities after saying nothing is different? Well, because the armor abilities themselves are just replacements for pick-/power-ups that we previously knew and, really, who in their right mind thinks that running or diving for cover (that's Sprint and Evade for you slow people) is something that should count as a special ability? New maps and game types? Invasion stands out here as a shining beacon of freshness to the Halo recipe but nothing else even comes close.
The weapons haven't really changed either. A few adjustments scattered around but nothing worth giving more than a shrug to. And I'm not sure why so many people are talking about how different melee is. "You have to knock their shields down first." Um... you always had to before too. Which is why the old approach of softening with the AR as you close for a (hopefully) well-timed punch is still the most common method of getting a kill.
Beyond that?
Well, being that it still feels much like every other Halo multiplayer, I find it very ponderous. Not in the way that you will hear other people describe it at "slow" when they complain about movement speed or killing someone compared to Modern Warfare or Bad Company but in the actual handling of the game and how it effects pacing for me. Because whining about how "slow" Halo is often comes as a direct result of being killed when "it shouldn't have happened!!" and not any real lacking in the game itself. The problem, as I see it, is that just shooting at your target gets by in other games whereas Halo's system shrugs off the "unskilled" spray-n-pray or snap-fire kills. You have to do more than just hit to maximise damage, so the division between who is really skilled and who is just playing is extremely blatant.
There is far less handicap in Halo multiplayer and people hate to realize, let alone admit, that they aren't quite as good as their performance in other games may infer. For me, I expect a game to be fun and it isn't very fun to spend most of my time getting gunned down because I don't spend as much time devoted to playing as some people. The fact that they will seem to claim great glory from this disparity just makes it even less fun.
As for Reach itself, the "new" features really seem under-developed/-utilized.
Loadouts still leave the tried and true Halo factor of memorizing where key weapons are on each map and rushing to control them. Being able to actually have some say in the weapons available to me allows me to overcome some differences in skill by selecting equipment that I am better with or, at the very least, have more fun using. It really just offsets the fact that the pros were going to beat me to the weapons they wanted anyway and gives me a bit more of a fighting chance. Since Reach is already using a credit system to unlock armor permutation, why not expand that concept to unlocking what is available for selection in your loadouts?
Armor abilities, as I said before, really aren't very innovative, being mostly rehashes of things we could always do. Sprint and Evade should be standard parts of the game. Really. The Jet Pack and Armor Lock aren't so bad as they can end up being their own worst enemies at times, exposing you to straightforward and uncomplicated responses. As much as the slightest movment undoes Cloaking, scrambling sensors is idiotic. So now everyone knows that you are there... defeating the purpose of Cloaking... AND you can't use your sensor either, making it easier for someone to sneak up on YOU. Personally, I'd prefer to see Sprint and Evade pulled out into regular movement and replace them with a regenerator of sorts (stop in place like Armor Lock but regain lost Health) and extra ammo (either a passive, you spawn with and pick up more ammo or another Armor Lock to replenish current stocks).
As for the weapons, the variety is nice and there are lots of fun options but the balance can be awe-inspiring. The magnum seems to be back to its CE performance levels, which is surprising given that it was nerfed for Halo 2. The shotgun seems to have gotten a boost too, since I always die the second time I hear it fire no matter what the distances involved in those two shots. Melee is still just as retarded as it has always been and despite some minor changes that includes the sword and hammer being grossly overpowered. The fact that you can parry the sword now, while neat, is ultimately stupid as it is inconsequential... since they're just going to swing at you again and your odds of another parry are low. The new grenade launcher can be fun but getting use to the rather unreasonable bouncing of the grenades can be a headache. The plasma launcher is likewise entertaining to use but the time it takes to get a lock-on with enough shots to make a difference makes it likewise headachey to use. Finally, grenades seem a lot stronger, both in damage and radius as well as how easily plasma's seem to stick now. More grenades would be fun, to me, since I liked using flame to discourage advancement and some other "utility" grenades like smoke or EMP could be fun.
Overall, Reach will be another Halo game that I get and play predominantly for the campaign while my multiplayer time will be very limited.