After finding myself on the receiving end of so many flames after failing to name Halo: Reach as one of our most-anticipated games of 2010, I promised myself I'd deliver some good coverage of the game for our readers. Bungie did one better, and let us simply play the game for an afternoon. As is our policy, Ars Technica paid for 100 percent of our travel and hotel expenses.

The best preview events, the ones where you know the game is going to be good, are the ones where the people behind the game know enough to get out of the way and let you play the game. Last week I flew into Seattle at the invitation of Bungie to sample the multiplayer of Halo: Reach, and the crew gave the assembled press a short presentation of each of the maps and game modes we would be playing. Then they simply stood back and allowed us to play against each other.

The mood was serious at first, as everyone spent time taking notes and murmuring to themselves about this detail or that reveal, but soon the room devolved into a group of hooting, cursing fans playing the game. "This is the first time anyone outside of Bungie has played this," we were told, but the developers were more than happy to allow us to enjoy the game.

"Do you guys want to play a round of Juggernaut?" we were asked. Of course we did. There was some question of how much to reveal to us in our time with the game, and this seemed to create a short internal struggle. "It's in there," one of the developers said, shrugging as he motioned to our builds of the game. Soon he was setting the game type up on one of our stations, and we were playing. In another round of Headhunter, things were extremely tense as a three-way tie finally ended with a victor. After the cheers, those of us in the room took a moment to sink back into our seats and take a breath.

The gaming stations set up for the press

"That was one of the closest rounds of Headhunter I've seen," we were told by the onlookers. I nodded. The game clicked for everyone in the room, and we were lost in the struggle of collecting the flaming skulls and trying to up our own score. It was a delicious assignment: hang out with a dozen or so members of the gaming press and just take the new multiplayer modes of Halo: Reach out for a test drive. Kick the tires a few times. We weren't shown everything, but we were given the run of the content that will be available in the beta when it goes live, with promises that there was a lot from the full game that we wouldn't be seeing.

There is a reason this series is so respected

There is a fair amount of hate for the Halo series, in the way that anything with this level of popularity brings out the haters. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that nothing else in gaming feels like Halo. If you don't enjoy the series, more power to you; taste in games is personal and you should always play what you like. For those who love Halo though, they understand that it's a slower paced, deliberate, slightly insane multiplayer experience.

The fact that you're stuck with only two guns at a time, the reliance on grenades to flush out enemies, the floaty jumps and the love of melee attacks—it doesn't look or play like anything else on the market. Every time Bungie releases a Halo game, the multiplayer is tweaked and refined and improved, but the formula remains consistent. Halo is a game that simply works, and its fans expect a high level of polish when they play.

Matchmaking is set to get a boost in this version of Halo, with a smoother experience that works well even with more players. The new system also allows for impressive granularity: you can make the game prioritize connection speed, skill level, or games in your native language when trying to find a game. You also have social settings to choose from, to make sure you play with people who match your style. Do you talk? Are you quiet? Do you play competitively, or simply to enjoy yourself? Do you go Rambo, or enjoy teamwork? Do you like a polite game, or are you a trash talker? By adjusting all these options you'll be able to filter out people whose play styles may be distasteful, allowing you a better play experience.

There is also a credit system, where you gain virtual currency by playing the game. You use these credits to buy different options for your armor, and your aesthetic choices will be shown in both the single and multiplayer modes. You gain credits by playing the game, and by clearing challenges that will be constantly added to the game. Daily challenges may be easy to accomplish, but the weekly challenges will require a heavier time commitment. Commendations will also be awarded based on your behavior, with seven different Commendations included in the beta. All these things simply serve as your way to gain credits, and the credits are only spent on prestige items to change how you look to other players.

Credits can be used to change how your character looks in both single- and multiplayer, but it won't change any of your avatar's capabilities.

Derek Carroll is the Multiplayer Designer on Halo: Reach, and I asked him if there was ever a temptation to allow players to purchase better weapons or powers with credits."Not for us," he said. He understands that some games have you begin with an underpowered character and make you earn a "good character," but that simply doesn't fit into what they want for their own games. "Halo has always been about everyone having the same bag of tools... when you first start playing it you'll learn and grow, the RPG happens on the inside." You get better with practice, not by earning better weapons and abilities. "It has come up, but internally there has not been the temptation to do that."

The multiplayer isn't class-based, but you'll be making choices

Certain game modes will ask you to choose from a selection of armor powers, which come with a set loadout when you spawn. You'll still be able to pick up any weapon in the battlefield, but these powers will affect your strategy and give you some advantages in certain situations.

The jetpack was the most remarked upon addition to multiplayer, and it adds a very welcome sense of the vertical to the game. It's also wonderful to simply fly over the head of an opponent stalking you with the energy sword. You have a limited amount of thrust, and you can take falling damage if you fly too high and don't have the energy left to break your fall. Spartans can also take the Sprint ability, which is simply a flat run to increase your speed, while taking away your ability to shoot. The Elites can take the Evade power, which allows them to dodge and roll away from attacks, just like they do in the single-player game. Throwing a well-aimed grenade, only to have your prey tuck and roll to the side and continue to come after you is unsettling, to say the least.

Active Camo is now an Armor Ability as well, giving the player a limited time to be less visible. Standing completely still makes you completely invisible, while walking, running, and shooting makes you easier to pick out. Armor Lock is an interesting ability: when activated the Spartan crouches and becomes completely invincible, but cannot shoot or move. It's an easy way to soak even the most powerful weapon shots, and if you stay down for long enough, you throw off an EMP charge when you get up, killing the shields of nearby enemies and allowing you to quickly turn the tables. It's a risk/reward move, but when used well it's a very effective tactic.

You choose your Armor Power when you spawn, and can change from one to the other as many times as you'd like in a single round. Don't worry: there are still plenty of game modes that don't allow these powers if you like a more classical experience. Each game mode offers different loadouts, with a combination of weapons and Armor Abilities to choose from, and those will be specific to different game modes and maps. In the final version you may also be able to customize these yourself.