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Halo Reach is the latest instalment in developer Bungie's franchise, and is their last Halo game. Yes, you read that right. Bunge will not be making any more Halo games after this. So is Bungie's last installment in the franchise good? In this reviewer's oppinon, yes.
The game stars Noble Team. A group of Spartans stationed on the doomed planet Reach. You play as the newest member of Noble Team. Noble Six. Very little is known about Noble Six, and also the rest of Noble Team. This is a problem, as you never get to know each of the members, and it's not long before they're killed off one by one. Even Six is victim to this. Though that's not really anything new.
The ill fated Noble Team
The campaign is solid though. It chronicles the last few days of the planet Reach. If I remember my Halo history, then it was one of the first colonies established on a planet. As I previously stated you conttol the newest member to Noble Team, Noble Six. No information is given on what happened to the original, but from the tone of the rest of the team, he didn't survive. The planet is soon under attach from the alien conglomerataion known as The Covenant. Their goal is to start something called the Great Journey, their version of Heaven. Any race they deam worthy is absorbed into The Covenant, those who aren't, are exterminated. Unfortunately, we aren't worthy in their eyes.
There's enough variety to keep you entertained. The firefights are fun and exciting, and there's even a space battle. Yes, a space battle, and it's easily the best part of the entire game. I for one would have like to have seen more of this. Hell even space battles in Matchmaking would make me get back into competitive multiplayer. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Bungie missed and opportunity to do something that would have made the community go nuts.
Wasted Potetial, but one hell of a ride in Campaign
Speaking of multiplayer, it's here and it's a bit different than previous Halo games. The standard gametypes are there, Slayer, CTF, Assault, along with the rest. There are new gametypes as well Headhunter is a variation on Oddball. Instead of one skull being on the map, and you having to get it and hold it the longest. Now when you kill an opponent a skull flies out of their deceased body, you collect said skull then make a choice. Do you kill more enemies and get more skulls, or do you run to the bank and get rid of them? There's also Stockpile, which is like CTF on steroids. Instead of one or two flags, there's 4 or 5. You grab a flag then run it back to your "base" though it's not safe when it gets there. You have to make sure your flag is in the "base" untill a countdown timer expires, or you don't get a point.
The gameplay in this mode is much like Halo 3, though there's been some changes. For instance you no longer run as fast as you did in H3, nor jump as high. Though there are new armor abilities to play around with that make up for this in my oppinion. The new abliities are Jetpack (Mavrick would be proud), Evade (bob and weave like a boxer, sorry Spartans, this is Elite's only), Active Camo (Cloaking), Hologram (now you can have a meaningful conversation with someone who shares your interests....till they disappear), Sprint (quickly get around the map like Speedy Gonzales) , Armor Lock (Pound the ground and be invincible.....for a little while anyway). These little gems give you the ability to change the way you play. If you know someone is standing around the corner with a shotgun, waiting to blast you in the face. Send a hologram of yourself out to lure him out and then move in for the kill. That's just one example, I'll let your imagination do the rest.
Need to learn how to walk down the stairs.....
There is a brand new gametype for Halo. Invasion. In this gametype it's Spartans Vs. Elites. The gametype plays much like any other objective game, though instead of getting flags, or bombs. You are getting pre-determined area's and with each area that you gain control of the higher tier weapons and vehicles you get to play with. The game ends when the offensive team gets a core to their respective dropship.
Firefight makes a return from Halo 3: ODST, though it's undergone an upgrade, just like the rest of the game. No longer do you just go into firefight and play against the same enemies that come at the same wave. No you can now change every aspect of it. From the enemies you face, to what skulls get activated. There's no limit to what you can do in FF this time around, and in my oppinion, it's the best feature of the game.
Me just showing off a little....why can't I play this good in multiplayer?
Forge is back as well, thought it' gotten an overhaul as well. The tricks of old, are now standard features. No longer do you have to build tall towers to get something to float in the air. Now you can set it t fixed and POOF! It stays in place, untill you move it yourself. If you want to merge two objects, you can set one of them to phased, and now you can move it through the other object, or hell even the ground or walls. Forge this time around is far easier to work with this time around.
Ranking up is alot eaiser as well. Gone are the ways of single XP for each win you get in game. Now everything is on a credit system. As you play ANY game mode in Reach (save for theater) you will gain credits. Those credits go toward two things. First is your rank, after you finish a game you'll be shown a screen showing all the credits you've earned in game. You get various ammounts of credits for different things. You'll always get credits for finishing a game though. These credits act like XP of old, though you get far more now than in Halo 3. You'll gain new ranks at predetermined ammounts. The other thing that credits are used for, if you haven't guessed by now is buying new Armor peices for your Spartan. Sorry Elite lovers, credits can't be spent on your alien avatar. That's not to say there's not various armors for you to choose from.
Before you ask, yes that's my Spartan.
All in all, this is a great game. If you like the Halo franchise then you probably already went out and bought it. If not, then go now and pick one up. If you don't like Halo, then this isn't gonna convince you. and for the rest, rent before you buy.
Thanks for reading, and sorry it took so long. As a special treat, for waiting patiently. I leave you with this.....
Thanks again,
Vangle
(Edit: I went back and reread this review and saw some parts that were lacking. SO I went ahead and fixed them and added some new things as well. Happy reading. Vangle)
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