Halo: Reach

A PS3 Gamers Totally Biased Review of: "Halo: Reach"

Not much was expected from the release of Halo: Reach. Halo 3 was much like Halo 2, and seeing videos and screenshots, Reach seemed a lot like Halo 3, which was like Halo 2. I went into this game know what I was playing, was Halo. And I wasn't even close to being wrong. It has the same game play, same enemies, just a new prequel story. I really don't see the appeal of the Halo lore. Should we really care about these characters and the Halo story line? Does anybody actually remember what happened in Halo 1? I guess Master Chief has become a huge poster child for Xbox and anybody who plays the system is supposed to automatically love anything related to the "Halo" franchise.

The combat hasn't changed much in the newest version of Halo. I was hoping we could move on in the series and they would try and follow some things that other developers have implemented in their shooters. It was tough to adjust to the zooming feature in Reach after using "down the irons" style in so many other games like ModernWarfare 2 or Killzone 2. Reach's new standard weapon is a single-shot assault rifle called the DMR which would have absolutely benefited from "down the irons" style shooting. Instead the game still uses the thumb stick click to lock-zoom for long range shots, and if you are hit by another attacker, you zoom out. I find this extremely aggravating. The other issue I have always had with the thumb stick click in Halo, is I grip the controller tightly while playing and find myself zooming in during close combat fights when I am only trying to turn my character, usually resulting in my death because I get so disoriented. Weapon shots are solid, but lock-zoom is outdated. The main change to combat is the introduction of space combat, allowing you to pilot one of the "A-Wing" like ships to blast Banshees and other spacecrafts out of the air. This part was pretty good, flight mechanics worked well.

The story of Reach is told through the eyes of the newest Spartan, know as "Six". You're character has just joined Noble Team, which is sort of a special ops group that pulls off the toughest jobs. The team has some interesting characters. Each has their own personality and skill set. You're team is trying to find some artifact that is the key to winning the war against the covenant. Very exciting.

Multiplayer is the real main draw of any Halo game, as well as most FPS games. You will find a lot of things to do in the multiplayer portion of this game. Bungie has finally implemented matchmaking for Firefight mode, which was introduced in ODST. This makes things a lot easier when trying to find some teammates to run around and blast waves of bad guys with. The online can be fun. There are plenty of different game modes. The new maps are nothing to get excited for though, hopefully we see some new DLC shortly, its already rumored to be releasing soon. If you loved the online component of Halo 2 or 3 then you will love this, as not a lot has changed. Is that good or bad? That's up to you.

In the end, Halo: Reach doesn't bring much new to the series other than being close to the same game as its predecessors. If you've played the other games, and love them, then you will be sure to enjoy Reach. If you're looking to upgrade from the Halo 3 online experience then there isn't much I can say here, you'll be playing the same game almost, with some different maps and some new, though not that great, weapons. Reach will hold my interest probably until Medal of Honor releases on PS3, and then I probably won't play this game again for a while.

Story: 5/10

Graphics: 8/10

Gameplay: 7/10

Replayability: 8/10

Final Score: 7 out of 10

written by FoxTodd

• VideoGameHollywood.com

Halo Reach is a prequel to the original Halo trilogy, taking place on the planet Reach, which is destroyed before the events of Halo 1. The story follows Nobel Team an elite group of super soldiers who attempt to fend off the vicious Covenant, a group of genocidal aliens. You play as Nobel Six the teams most recant edition. Most games have your character as the star and your teammates as the supporting characters. Reach is the opposite. Your character is quiet, never removes his/her helmet and is completely customizable. You never even get a name, your just referred to as "Six". Your character is more of an observer to the story as apposed to a character. Nobel Team is the real star and you will get to know your teammates as you go through various missions with them. The team is likable and you will find yourself growing attached to them. The game succeeds in presenting a very bleak story. As much as you do, no matter how hard you try, deep down you know Reach will fall.

Gameplay is what you expect from Halo. Weapons are varied, enemies are tough and smart, and your teammates are indestructible but fail to shift the tide of battle. The new editions come in armor abilities and space battles. Armor abilities are special abilities that you can pick up and reuse as much as you like so long as they remain charged. They are as simple as sprint or roll to as complex as cloaking or hologram. Having the right one in the right situation can literally be the difference between life and death. Space battles are the other new edition and work well even though they are a very small part of the game.

The multi-player is the real draw to Reach and you will not be disappointed. You're offered up a bevy of new maps including Powerhouse, Sword base and Boneyard as well as a re-imagined blood gulch. You're also given new game types such as Invasion, head hunter and various forms of racing. If there is one draw back to the multi-player it is that there is no longer any form of ramification for leaving matches early, making deserters very common, but this could easily be fixed with an update.

All in all this is the same Halo you've come to love, with a few improvements. If you weren't a fan before this probably won't change your mind, but if you're craving more Halo don't wait, suit up and prepare for Reaches final stand.

Pros:

A good story that isn't difficult to follow.

Fun Gameplay

Good multiplayer with great modes.

You can create and play a variety of games within the forge mode I think; and probably have a good time with friends.

Cons:

Friendly fire. I know, Halo is about precision, but some team mates get too trigger happy, and that could be bad for the team and drive the unit apart. Instead of playing a game of Halo, depending on who you or your team members are, your group will be playing a game of revenge seeking until someone is kicked from the match.

Short Summary:

This is probably one of the best games I've played with a strong campaign, enjoyable gameplay, fun multiplayer and a variety of modes I believe you can play. The only thing about it is friendly fire; but I think you can disable that in the single player section of Reach, or you can play with friends who are serious about the game; and won't kill you unless it was by accident.

"Halo Reach" takes place about a month before the events of "Halo Combat Evolved" where the planet Reach is under attack by the Covenant Empire.

I've played other Halo games before (Halo CE, Halo 2, and Halo 3), but this is the only Halo game I own. And it's awesome. The campaign is good. I like how it shows what happened before the first game and shows you how those events led to the defeat of the Covenant (as we see in Halo 3).

The graphics are great, the A.I. is actually really good, and the voice actors are pretty good. Also, multiplayer and Firefight are awesome, especially with being able to drive warthogs, ghosts, etc.

Also, no Halo game is complete without its amazing music. The theme music delivers that "war tone" feeling you would want in a game like this and the other games in the series. I also liked playing co-op campaign with either other people or just with a buddy.

Overall, "Halo Reach" is a great game, one of my favorites, and I give it an "A+". By the way, I also play "Call of Duty". I'm saying this, because I know there are a lot of people who play Halo and don't like COD, or vice versa.

I just beat the game after 4 hours so granted, game play is not long but what Bungie did was condense over a dozen hours of tedious "busy work" missions and BS into just several hours of pure excellence--which is what I'd rather have than an empty but long game. The plot was genius and incorporated everything from previous Halo games in a sophisticated, implicit manner that felt like it merged perfectly with this game. Online multi-player is also fantastic with new add-ons like active cameo, sprint, jet pack, bubble shield, etc. (I love jet pack). Also the graphics and physics engine are impeccable and bring both multi-player and campaign alive with realistic, open environments. I bought the game today (9/18) after an extensive debate between preordering CoD Black Ops or buying Reach as I was on a budget. I am so happy that I chose Reach and do not regret it for a second. I know I won't get bored with this game for months to come.