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Halo: Reach Review and Video
JudoChinX
September 27, 2010
+ Fast paced first person action.
+ Superb storytelling.
+ A soundtrack to die for.
+ It's Halo.
- For the foreseeable future, this is the last Bungie-developed Halo game.
This is such a bittersweet moment. On one hand I just completed a game which I can honestly say was the best Halo experience I've ever had, but on the other hand, this is the last Bungie-made Halo for at least 10 years. Halo: Reach marks the end of a dynasty: one that has had a massive influence on games and gamers everywhere. This may be a prequel, but in its execution, Halo: Reach might as well be named Halo 4. It's every bit as monumental and complete as a numbered sequel, and though you probably don't need me to convince you to make this game a part of your gaming library, let me tell you why Halo: Reach is the ultimate Halo experience.
Reach tells the harrowing tale of the events leading up to the original Halo. I'm not going to provide a plot synopsis or go into any further detail than that. You need to experience it for yourself. Just know that the story moves at a perfect pace, brings back old characters and locations you're fond of, and keeps things interesting throughout. From start-to-finish it's a very solemn experience and one that doesn't end well for Reach. You have a chance to see events affecting not only the military, which we've seen in the past games, but also civilian cities and outposts. These elements are combined to create a more relatable experience than those in previous Halo games.
To help tell the story more effectively, Bungie has taken several steps to make the story of Reach more immersive than any of the Halo stories before it. First, emphasis has been placed on giant set pieces that are sure to make you marvel at their scale. It looks like Bungie has taken a hint from the Modern Warfare series. Also in the same vein as Modern Warfare, Halo: Reach features some extremely intense first person cutscenes, which really got my adrenaline flowing. I'll have a hard time forgetting the first time I encountered an Elite Zealot wielding his plasma sword, or watching in horror as a vital military ship met it's unexpected doom. Bungie hasn't done anything particularly new or unique with their presentation, but it's done superbly.
Thankfully, not all of the action was reserved for cutscenes. The gameplay in Reach is decidedly Halo, but there have been a few tweaks to the traditional formula. I noticed that the action was faster and more intense with gunplay and that enemies, particularly Elites, were more aggressive than ever before. For me, this is the most difficult Halo of them all. The story is all about desperation and the gameplay follows this trend by constantly outnumbering you and forcing you to make the most out of the tools you have on hand.
The main change to gameplay is found in new armor abilities. In lieu of the deployable gear seen in Halo 3, you'll now have new pickups, which grant your Spartan various abilities; including a jet pack, sprint, decoys, active camouflage, a drop shield and armor lock. Most of these are self-explainable, and can be switched out with other abilities as they are found in the game's world. You only get to equip one at a time, so which you choose all depends on your current predicament and play style.
Marty O'Donnell is sure to go down in gaming history as the man who composed the music for the Halo franchise. His work on these games has always been memorable and his work on Halo: Reach is his best yet. With videogames, we're always talking about how cinematic our experiences can be. Though we're generally talking about what we see, a game's soundtrack can be every bit as powerful. Halo: Reach takes the sweeping battle themes of the original Halo, adds in some of the more gloomy tunes from ODST, and finally combines these elements to create a score that takes you through the emotional ups and downs of Reach. The soundtrack succeeds on every level. What more can you ask for?
Halo 3 set the bar for what a multiplayer experience should be and Halo: Reach takes things up a notch. You'll still find all of your favorite slayer and objective-based games that you crave, but there are a handful of notable additions including matchmaking for campaign co-op and matchmaking for Firefight. Because Bungie wanted to avoid plot spoilers, matchmaking for the campaign is not up as of yet. Bungie has promised to create this playlist shortly, when they feel that plot spoilers will no longer be an issue. Still, if your friends list is anything like mine, you'll have no trouble finding people to play with.
For those who've been stuck under a rock for the past year, Firefight is a multiplayer mode first introduced in Halo 3: ODST in which the goal is to join forces with up to three other players to take on wave after wave of enemies without exhausting the team's supply of respawns. Skulls (Halo's name for modifiers) are enabled as players progressed, creating more difficult circumstances to overcome. Firefight was some of the most fun I'd had with multiplayer gaming, but there was one glaring flaw, and that was you could only play with people on your friends' list. Sometimes I just wanted to sit down, get matched up with players, and play some Firefight, and now in Halo: Reach that's finally a possibility. Classic Firefight, the rule set from ODST is playable, but not yet on a matchmaking playlist. Hopefully Bungie will be adding that in the near future, but for now, you have a slightly altered version of Firefight which only lasts for a single set.
Playing through the campaign, or participating in any online matchmaking mode gives the player points, which count towards your rank and allows you to purchase various customizations for your character. Your helmet, shoulders, chest, wrists, utility belts, visor color and knee guards can be changed independently of one another, and you'll also be able to choose the gender of your Spartan, their voice and armor effects. Armor effects you ask? These are the most expensive upgrades in the game, and as with all other upgrades, are merely cosmetic, but if you've ever wanted to burst into confetti or hearts when killed, or constantly emit a cloud of insects or electricity, then you'll want to work extra hard and save up them points. It's great to finally see Halo offer players the ability to personalize their Spartans. This is definitely the carrot on a stick that will motivate players to spend more time with the game than they might otherwise.
As millions upon millions of gamers already know, Halo: Reach is an awesome experience, and as such, writing this review is more of a formality than anything else. Go out and pick up the game already. You won't regret it. Not only do you get yourself a top-notch single player experience, but you also get enough multiplayer modes to keep you busy for years to come. Simply put, this is a rich and complex game to be savored and admired. This is the kind of thing that makes me proud to be a gamer and one that you'll not want to miss out on.
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