One of the main selling points of the entire Halo series has always been the multiplayer experience. With Xbox Live streamlining things, you would think there would be nothing but praise about how easy and convenient it is to connect and play. For the most part it is easy and convenient, but there are those out there who beg to differ.
Xbox360wire recently wrote an article complaining about the frustrations and difficulties they’ve had connecting and playing multiplayer matches. Halo 3 relies on "matchmaking", where you are able to form parties, and jump into games as a group, always playing with those who you want. They did away with hosting, and shopping around for custom games.
Personally, I’ve found this extremely convenient, as I have a posse of friends I roll around with from game to game (not to mention the little Gamernode Gang we have had going on). There’s a lot less waiting around, and searching. In fact, the only time we have to wait around now is when forming the party; Bungie does the rest.
Xbox360wire complains about how you can seemingly never get into the game type that you want. The example given is CTF. Which is true to a degree. If you’re looking to play a specific game type on a specific level, good luck, because its not going to happen in matchmaking. It’s about as easy to predict as tossing 6 coins in the air and getting tails on all of them. In my experience, I haven’t really seen this as a problem (maybe because I’m not that picky, or maybe because I play with the same people every time.), but I can see where this could be a legitimate complaint.
Bungie does, however, have the option of playing custom games, but it’s closed to the public. What does that mean? You need a populated friends list to get it going. Apparently the writer is "25 years of age. [and only has] a handful of acquaintances that still play videogames." But I’m 23… oh no… 2 more years left on my gamer life?!
But let’s be honest, not everyone has a connected network of people on Xbox Live, like Brendon or Chris. With custom maps AND Co-Op only open to those who have buddies… that leaves a lot of people in the dark. Bungie has no intention of redoing their multiplayer format, either.
So what does this mean? Make some friends. Just like in the working world, building a network will ensure you take advantage of all that there is to offer. Trust me, on the other side of the coin, the multiplayer experience is extremely convenient, streamlined and most importantly: fun.
