I never have issues with tapping vs holding down the bash button (B for me as well). I think it's prefect the way it is.

As for taking to long for the animation, that's kind of the point. Be smart about not humiliating yourself when you are trying to do that to someone else. I've actually saved fellow teammates by killing a spartan as he climbs an elite to stab him before he actually drives the knife into him, and the same goes for when a spartan grabs another one to knife him in the back. It's neat to be able to interrupt the animation, but sometimes it was weird because my friend died right after anyway, even though i smacked the guy killing him before he drove the knife in. Works to save him sometimes, but not all the time. Maybe Bungie should address that?

all i can say is a different improvement over the conventional beat down of the other halos, at least its different.

I don't know what you guys are talking about, half the time I hold it down and it doesn't even do a cut scene. I personally don't like them though. They look cool, but half the time when I go to hold it down the melee just misses. And you know that if you let go of the button you are holding down, it will stop the little cutscene right? I use green thumb controls because its closest to call of duty, so I click in on right thumbstick, so maybe that's why I never have a problem with accidentally doing assasinates. If anything I don't do them when I *rarely* want to.

Also, the double tap idea is stupid, most people spam melee so that they can melee again to kill the person. [If it wasn't an assassinate]

Well they want to make the game as real as it would be in real life.

being that the assassination takes to long it can screw up killing sprees. (like if i had an overkill and wanted to do a sweet assassination to end my streak for an epic video and killtack. this extra time prevents this.) you should not be punished for using the assassination. to fix this i think the kill should be awarded at the start of the animation. That way you could link regular kills and assassination and get a killaminjaro which would make the resulting video that much cooler.

Halo is a first person shooter. Halo online is a first person shooter. Why is there now a third person killing sequence that almost punishes you for getting an assassination. If you choose Stealth powerup, you are revealed upon assassination. If you regularly assassinate someone, you lose about 3 seconds of gameplay time where you could've killed someone else or actioned on an objective. And lastly, you may not even get to assassinate the intended target! The animation takes so long that you can be stopped from killing your target when you already hit the button to kill him seconds ago! If another enemy sees this assassination it makes you completely vulnerable to death by grenades or them having the upperhand on the firefight.

I quit bothering to assassinate people after about 3 days of beta play. It's now almost a waste of time to even be an included action.

Well, I guess u guys r right. but if they took it out, it would not look as real and cool.

you should have the option to have a first person view of all the assassiations and add more 1st person view like riding in warhogs like halo 1 its cool if your in the pasenger seat and other things (not flying things but it could be fun) and add cooler looking blood since if you stick a sword in an elites face weres the blood and gore (have some things that resemble how you body got that way!)
ps i like how you can save people if there being assassination (before the knife hits)
i saved my brothers life (i had the sniper on a spree it was me and my bro he was watching my back when someone got his (irony)so i turned and in complete luck HEAD SHOT NOSCOOPE and my brothere was like holy shit and he died soon after!

The whole Warthog passenger view in Halo 1 was pretty stupid because it was harder to aim and kill enemies, especially when it is a bumpy ride. the third person view is better for aiming and killing enemies.