Xbox and large events go hand in hand, so when Xbox decided to host its yearly event in London, the hype was very real. 343 Industries were expected to be attending the event to show either Halo Reach or Halo Infinite. As it turns out, it was the former not the latter, but Halo news is always awesome regardless.
I was lucky enough to travel down to London for all three days of the event and give Halo Reach on PC a try multiple times. There were a few things people should know about the flight that was shown at X019, so hopefully I can answer some of those questions.
Did it play well? Where there any issues?
From my experience the build shown at X019 played incredibly well. I personally suffered no issues nor spoke with anyone who had issues. The hardest thing with the game being on PC is trying to get use to all the additional options. FOV and different sensitivity options to console can mean it takes some time to find the settings that suit you. Considering the build shown was not the finished product, it was incredibly well polished in terms of firefight and connection.
What’s the difference between the current PC flight and the flight at X019?
In all honesty there isn’t too much difference. The flight available on PC currently allows custom games, matchmaking, firefight and some campaign. The flight shown off at X019 had near enough the same setup, but it was a lot more structured. Whilst the demo at the event offered more, the team at 343 Industries set up all games for Firefight mode. Not only did this allow players to all work as a team and have fun together, but it also tested the network capabilities of the game as well.
How can feedback be taken if the game releases so soon?
A very important question with a very simple answer. Whilst the flights that have been happening are to directly get feedback, the event version doesn’t exist solely for that purpose. At events such as E3 or X019, it’s common for earlier builds to be shown. This is to give the public an opportunity to try the game before launch, but isn’t often used as a point of feedback if the game is already released or soon to be released.
Did the X019 demo reflect Halo Reach being ready for PC on December 3rd 2019?
It’s a very difficult question to answer, as the builds shown at events and for flights are always behind where the game is actually at. The build and current flights are estimated to be about three weeks behind where the in studio builds are. Those three weeks make a huge difference in terms of what bugs and issues can be solved. Unfortunately most people outside the studio don’t know exactly where Halo Reach is at in terms of it’s quality for PC, so we’ll all just have to wait and see come release date.
Stay tuned for much event coverage and first hand demos at Halo Respawn. If you want to talk to the team, answer some polls, have a discussion or just post some memes, you can also find the Halo Respawn team on Twitter. You can also chat with me on my personal Twitter.
