Halo Reach Review

[Jokersvirus]

This was a long time coming. As this was the start of the end for the Halo series, I think I should do it some honor and redo this review.

Background/Story: Halo Reach takes plays on a colonized planet of, where else, Reach. This is the second planet to have contact with the alien race known as the Convenient, according to Dr. Halsey, I think that is her name, the aliens hacked our computer terminals and chose that name. The convenient, or convies for short, are on a holy war with all of humanity and anything else deemed unworthy to live. First planet to come into contact was Harvest. To start off You, Noble 6, just arrived and are thrown into the Noble Team, your military record, as given by Noble 1, in VERY short detail, describes you as an American badass. You've pwned a few noobs before. Well as the game starts off the first mission is to investigate an area close by. It seem Reach has had an issue or two with Rebels and they needed a good beating up. Well we know what occurs, we find the convies and its a race to inform command they are invading.

The main objective through out the game is kill the convies and save Reach. Well that all changes after about 90% through, which is a SPOILER ALERT Your new mission becomes get Cortana to the Pillar and out of here. Also, the convies take out Reach in about 10 days time.


Game Play: As you know it is your typical FPS, run and gun. This time around we've been given new weapons, items and armor abilities. Jetpack, Armor Lock, Invis, Drop Shield, and of course, running. The weapons are new and fun, they bought back the old pistol from Halo CE that we know and love and it is great to use, got the Assault Rifle in a cool design, got a brand new weapon known as the DMR, designated Marksmen Rifle, this replaces the Battle Rifle, Its a single fire weapon. Now they also added the rectical to expand and become harder for you to shoot after exhausting so many rounds so quickly so they force you to take your time shooting and not spray and pray, which people still do. For those who have played Halo before, not much has changed from Halo 3. Also, they threw in some assassinations, which are animated and very sweet to watch. They differ from Spartan to elite, but still a good watch if you have time and wont die.

Controls: Very standard for a game like this, if youve played Halo 3 your control scheme is same, expect for now one of your buttons control your armor ability, nothing has changed beyond that. You will get use to it quickly.

Online play: Several different options to pick from, this time around its mainly unranked, meaning no 1-50. Just military rank and since the bungie community hit 117 million completed challenges they gave us more ranks, armor and other things. If you want to play rank there is ranked games where you have to complete 3 games to get a ranking from 000 - 5,000 or something. I think it is close to that. Mainly this online was designed for fun play not MLG try hards and what not. There is always something in that play list for you to do and not get bored.


Annoying things:
1. Armor lock is abused and beaten to death on MP. It is annoying to go into games with a power weapon such as the sword hit someone and the game still allows them to live even tho you hit them with the sword before they entered AL.
2. It did suck during campaign you only flew a falcon once or twice during campaign would have liked to see more of that.
3. During some parts of the campaign the grunts had massive numbers and Fuel rod cannons, even on normal or heroic, this is over-whelming and can cost you your life if your not paying attention.
4. How large the zone is in campaign, as I do enjoy exploring this does become annoying when I have to start from A have a battle in between and to run with nothing else to do, an example of this is the first mission. You can fight convies you found around the road as you head to the next point but its a waste of ammo. Another is when your flying a falcon and if you arent sure where to go and you aren't getting communications from Kat its a bit annoying.


Overall:

Pros:
I enjoyed how they created the first game that starts the series
The online aspect is always enjoyable to play and have fun with
the new weapons are a treat, along with the new vehicles given
the storyline was awesome
jetpacking, that was fun
over all armor abilities.

Cons:
limited use of certain vehicles
massive zones to run from A to B on
Annoying brats
abuse of Armor lock.

In conclusion, this game did justice to the series as a whole helping to open the events of Halo CE through Halo 3. The Spartans have learned their name, which was chosen by Dr. Halsey to replace Origin projection Generation 3 soldiers, or something along those lines. The game is beautiful the sceney is nice, and above all this game is something worth playing time and time again.

5/5 - buy.

[Charlotte]

Nice preview. If you can include this awesome trailer, it will be awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMYrKTU8Hmc

[HamadaLFC8]

Great review man!!! Keep them coming ;)

[Jaykub]

:'(

Oh if only I had a new XBox 360, Good review btw.

[Iceskater101]

yeah this is a good review for a good game

[DirtyDMan]

nice review and I love the vid as well

[Maxss280]

I don't currently have an XBOX 360 but used to have a normal XBOX and loved Halo. This new release makes me want to go out an buy a XBOX 360 just for this game.
Another Great upcoming game that I can't wait for is Fable 3 lol

[jango]

An enjoyable read Joker, if a little brief. I'm not very sold on Halo Reach really, but that's just a personal view.

However, +rep for the review though.

[ViciousGamer04]

I hate the Halo Game series, however. The Halo Reach level editor makes me want to get the game. :)

It looks prettttyyy sweet! Anyways, good review. The pictures were a bit unnecessarily big, though.

[Aniki]

Good review, I like reviews about new/fresh games :D That image is way too big, post a link with the image or something. But good image too, I'll make a render out of it for PR :P

[LemonRising]

Good stuff joker <:


One day I'll get an xbox ) :

[Th3-devils-princess]

Good stuff joker <:


One day I'll get an xbox ) :
you so should then come join us on halo :) :) :)

[LemonRising]

i know eh D:

man.. if i had a decent tv i'd ask for one for christmas then i could play it in my room. lol

[Aizen]

Great review, very nice.

[Kelranox]

I played the campaign, completed it within a day and must admit that it was horrendously short. Also, I didn't enjoy the fact that the Covenant were much stronger as opposed to how tough they were in later Halo titles. I suppose the key element that warded me away was the multiplayer. Since the bullet magnetism was dropped, everything seems sloppy. Not to mention with the addition of sprint, using the sword and shotgun in addition to said ability basically breaks the game.

The only saving grace I could find within the game was Forge World. It will be a sad day when the Halo 3 servers are shut down.

[Diligence109]

Also, I didn't enjoy the fact that the Covenant were much stronger as opposed to how tough they were in later Halo titles.

I wont speak on the difference between this Halo game and others, as I've only played Halo 1 on PC and this game, Halo: Reach, and only with limited experience at that... but I felt the Covenant got tougher in this one because the game took a shift away from you being the hero and forced you to effectively play with your team/squad. I thought it made for refreshingly different than previous halo titles and especially made the co-op campaign very engaging.

The multiplayer played very smoothly, fairly, and halo-y to my eye, but again, I'm not comparing that to anything but Halo 1 and other FPSs.

Also, the Pistol got its scope back :D

[Kelranox]

I wont speak on the difference between this Halo game and others, as I've only played Halo 1 on PC and this game, Halo: Reach, and only with limited experience at that... but I felt the Covenant got tougher in this one because the game took a shift away from you being the hero and forced you to effectively play with your team/squad. I thought it made for refreshingly different than previous halo titles and especially made the co-op campaign very engaging.

The multiplayer played very smoothly, fairly, and halo-y to my eye, but again, I'm not comparing that to anything but Halo 1 and other FPSs.

Also, the Pistol got its scope back :D

I realize that you aren't playing as Master Chief, however you're still using several of the same weapons. As far as I'm concerned, a bullet is a bullet. I felt fine with being limited in power on ODST, so I didn't want to go through it again on Reach. As for the Pistol, that's nice but I'd happily trade that in for the mechanics of Halo 3.

[Ilyich Valken]

In many ways, the mechanics are better than Halo 3's.

The reason you seem slightly more vulnerable is because they wanted to bring the Covenant back to their origins, being this fear-inducing alien race. They made the Covenant stronger, while keeping you at a good strength, but Reach gives you more options too, allowing you to think instead of just run in guns blazing as was often the case with Halo 3, co-op or not.

It's no longer spray and pray with the AR and then melee when you get close enough for the people who aren't good with the BR, and those good with the BR can no longer dominate from any range.

Each gun has it's own purpose and actually take a small bit of knowledge and control to use efficiently. The armor abilities all have their own pros and cons, it all comes with knowing what to use and when, and how to counter the others.

All that "bullet magnetism" was. is an increased sticky aim, and it could wreak havoc on your aim if a dumbass team mate runs in front of you as you're shooting.

Not to say Halo 3 was horrid, but on the whole, Reach is a much richer, in-depth and is better off as a result.

[Kelranox]

In many ways, the mechanics are better than Halo 3's.

The reason you seem slightly more vulnerable is because they wanted to bring the Covenant back to their origins, being this fear-inducing alien race. They made the Covenant stronger, while keeping you at a good strength, but Reach gives you more options too, allowing you to think instead of just run in guns blazing as was often the case with Halo 3, co-op or not.

It's no longer spray and pray with the AR and then melee when you get close enough for the people who aren't good with the BR, and those good with the BR can no longer dominate from any range.

Each gun has it's own purpose and actually take a small bit of knowledge and control to use efficiently. The armor abilities all have their own pros and cons, it all comes with knowing what to use and when, and how to counter the others.

All that "bullet magnetism" was. is an increased sticky aim, and it could wreak havoc on your aim if a dumbass team mate runs in front of you as you're shooting.

Not to say Halo 3 was horrid, but on the whole, Reach is a much richer, in-depth and is better off as a result.

1. That doesn't raise any logical reason as to why they -are- stronger, other than the fact that Bungie simply -wanted- them to be.

2. It isn't the BR, it's the DMR. At any rate, the weapon didn't make the player. Use MLG as a medium. Everyone was given access to the BR, however only those that were exceptionally skilled in using such could prevail in matches. So, it's safe to say that people of whom were initially skilled with the BR in H3, are doing just as well with the DMR in Reach. I never did use the AR, because it's a less tactical weapon as a whole.

3. The armor abilities don't really utilize situational awareness to its fullest, considering you can only choose one per spawn. So, it basically becomes a game of rock, paper, scissors in most situations. I just feel that it's tacked on and I'd be fine with no abilities at all, teamwork was just as fine in competitive gameplay in H3 without such.

4. Bullet magnetism is a term used by game designers. It sounds much better than sticky auras. I know why it would drop if a team mate ran in front of you, that doesn't change the fact that it feels sloppy in Reach. The first three shots are mostly smooth and clean, however getting that last shot to clinch a kill is always too loose.

In the end, it comes down to what you enjoy. I didn't enjoy the majority of Reach and will continue to play H3 until the servers are shut down. Then I'll have to rely on Halo 4 and pray that whichever company takes on the project, won't add features from Reach to it.

[Ilyich Valken]

1. That doesn't raise any logical reason as to why they -are- stronger, other than the fact that Bungie simply -wanted- them to be.

2. It isn't the BR, it's the DMR. At any rate, the weapon didn't make the player. Use MLG as a medium. Everyone was given access to the BR, however only those that were exceptionally skilled in using such could prevail in matches. So, it's safe to say that people of whom were initially skilled with the BR in H3, are doing just as well with the DMR in Reach. I never did use the AR, because it's a less tactical weapon as a whole.

3. The armor abilities don't really utilize situational awareness to its fullest, considering you can only choose one per spawn. So, it basically becomes a game of rock, paper, scissors in most situations. I just feel that it's tacked on and I'd be fine with no abilities at all, teamwork was just as fine in competitive gameplay in H3 without such.

4. Bullet magnetism is a term used by game designers. It sounds much better than sticky auras. I know why it would drop if a team mate ran in front of you, that doesn't change the fact that it feels sloppy in Reach. The first three shots are mostly smooth and clean, however getting that last shot to clinch a kill is always too loose.

In the end, it comes down to what you enjoy. I didn't enjoy the majority of Reach and will continue to play H3 until the servers are shut down. Then I'll have to rely on Halo 4 and pray that whichever company takes on the project, won't add features from Reach to it.

1) It doesn't explicitely say it, no. However, it's more of a gameplay mechanism than anything else. If you're going by gameplay alone, then the Elites in 1-3 are wimpy little babies. In all other lore, the Elites are faster, stronger, and bigger. They wanted to bring this in to their final game, to give them the menacing look and feel that they should have had all alone.

2) I never said the DMR and the BR was the same. Not one little hint. And I never said that the gun made the player either, because it doesn't. However, if you've got one person with an AR and one with a BR, chances are the BR is going to win, because it's an overall better gun, not taking into account the player's skill. There was no reason to use the AR or any other gun other than the BR or the power weapons because they were all weak compared the BR. They fixed this in Reach so each weapon has it's strong point.

Also, the AR is not as tactic-less as you seem to think it is. It's useful if you use it smartly.

3) Sure they do, you've just got to be situation-ally aware, yourself. It may feel tacked on to you, but they work quite well with the pace of things.

4) If you're talking about any of the Human weapons (With the exception of the Spartan Laser, grenade launcher, and rockets), there is no bullet magnetism, it's all hit-scan for the most part. If you have problems getting a kill it's because of the bloom or you just can't get the reticule on your target.


Honestly, anything after Reach is going to be iffy at best until released, as bidding for the next Halo game is still open.

[Kelranox]

1) It doesn't explicitely say it, no. However, it's more of a gameplay mechanism than anything else. If you're going by gameplay alone, then the Elites in 1-3 are wimpy little babies. In all other lore, the Elites are faster, stronger, and bigger. They wanted to bring this in to their final game, to give them the menacing look and feel that they should have had all alone.

2) I never said the DMR and the BR was the same. Not one little hint. And I never said that the gun made the player either, because it doesn't. However, if you've got one person with an AR and one with a BR, chances are the BR is going to win, because it's an overall better gun, not taking into account the player's skill. There was no reason to use the AR or any other gun other than the BR or the power weapons because they were all weak compared the BR. They fixed this in Reach so each weapon has it's strong point.

Also, the AR is not as tactic-less as you seem to think it is. It's useful if you use it smartly.

3) Sure they do, you've just got to be situation-ally aware, yourself. It may feel tacked on to you, but they work quite well with the pace of things.

4) If you're talking about any of the Human weapons (With the exception of the Spartan Laser, grenade launcher, and rockets), there is no bullet magnetism, it's all hit-scan for the most part. If you have problems getting a kill it's because of the bloom or you just can't get the reticule on your target.


Honestly, anything after Reach is going to be iffy at best until released, as bidding for the next Halo game is still open.

1. Again, the simple reason that they wanted them to be stronger doesn't make any sense chronologically.

2. You confused BR with DMR =P That's what I was pointing out.

3. Alright, let's say you choose a hologram to begin with and immediately, you're killed by a sprinter with a sword. Hologram couldn't save you there. Paper beats rock. To prevent this from happening in the future, you decide to go with armor lock. The next time you're charged you immediately use armor lock, drain his shield, stop him in his tracks and clean up the kill. Scissors cuts paper. That isn't really situational awareness, that's trial and error.

4. I'm talking about weapons in general. I realize that no bullet magnetism exists in Reach, that's why I stated that it was -dropped-.

[Ilyich Valken]

1. Again, the simple reason that they wanted them to be stronger doesn't make any sense chronologically.

2. You confused BR with DMR =P That's what I was pointing out.

3. Alright, let's say you choose a hologram to begin with and immediately, you're killed by a sprinter with a sword. Hologram couldn't save you there. Paper beats rock. To prevent this from happening in the future, you decide to go with armor lock. The next time you're charged you immediately use armor lock, drain his shield, stop him in his tracks and clean up the kill. Scissors cuts paper. That isn't really situational awareness, that's trial and error.

First, it makes total sense chronologically. Like I said, going by gameplay of Halo 1-3 alone doesn't do the Elite any justice in the end of it. They changed it to better fit how the Elites are in Halo lore. They changed it to better fit the story.

Second, I didn't confuse anything. It's called an example. In Halo 3, everyone grabbed the BR because it was a better weapon than all the rest. I never once said or implied that the BR was in Reach, so stop putting words in my mouth.

Lastly, you're only using them in the most basic of examples, and somewhat poorly at that. 90% of people STILL fall for the Hologram. You can't immediately melee/shoot right out of using sprint. Sure, there may be a seemingly small recovery time, but there is a recovery time.

Say someone sticks you, you can go into armor lock and it flings the grenade off of you. A rocket or plasma launcher is shot at you, hit it at the right time and the projectile flies back at the shooter. You see a vehicle coming at you, wait until it's too late and hit AL, and bam! Dead vehicle.

There are lots of useful things you can do with the armor abilities, you just have to look beyond the obvious and use some creativity.

[Kelranox]

First, it makes total sense chronologically. Like I said, going by gameplay of Halo 1-3 alone doesn't do the Elite any justice in the end of it. They changed it to better fit how the Elites are in Halo lore. They changed it to better fit the story.

Second, I didn't confuse anything. It's called an example. In Halo 3, everyone grabbed the BR because it was a better weapon than all the rest. I never once said or implied that the BR was in Reach, so stop putting words in my mouth.

Lastly, you're only using them in the most basic of examples, and somewhat poorly at that. 90% of people STILL fall for the Hologram. You can't immediately melee/shoot right out of using sprint. Sure, there may be a seemingly small recovery time, but there is a recovery time.

Say someone sticks you, you can go into armor lock and it flings the grenade off of you. A rocket or plasma launcher is shot at you, hit it at the right time and the projectile flies back at the shooter. You see a vehicle coming at you, wait until it's too late and hit AL, and bam! Dead vehicle.

There are lots of useful things you can do with the armor abilities, you just have to look beyond the obvious and use some creativity.

1. You're basically saying that because Bungie falsely defined the Covenant as being tough, it makes sense chronologically because they only got it right in the precursor to the main Halo series. It would make more sense if they had stopped doing pushups or something.

2. You didn't state -In Halo 3- before or anywhere during that comment, so it led me to believe that you confused the two weapons. Loads of people are confusing the two, so it's commonplace. umad?

3. The most basic? You aren't going to find yourself in the right situation for every game, I'm taking true examples. Even though you can't immediately strike when having come out of sprint, a hologram would do you no good if you can clearly see the enemy within two or three feet of you. When using armor lock, you aren't going to constantly have a vehicle baring down on you, someone chasing you with a gravity hammer or even a rocket launcher.

I know this. I've played the multiplayer, not every game is as close and convenient as that. You can't only include the good moments. I understand the -purpose- behind the armor abilities, however they aren't always going to be utilized to their fullest extent. Sometimes you'll find yourself in a good situation, others not. Just like a game of paper, rock, scissors.

Again, it boils down to whether or not you enjoy the game. I stated that I didn't enjoy the game and have been very calm in doing so. I didn't put words in your mouth, nor did I intend on starting an argument. =P

[LemonRising]

This got supranerdy really fast


hawhaw

[Kelranox]

This got supranerdy really fast


hawhaw

Seems right for a gaming forum. =P

[Ilyich Valken]

Seems right for a gaming forum. =P

Haw.. my thoughts exactly. :twitcy:

[Jokersvirus]

Just a quick post I edited my review and made it longer and more details.