Halo: Reach

For the past decade, Bungie has been cranking out exclusive Halo titles for Microsoft since the very first XBOX.  Starting with the original Halo: Combat Evolved (2001), both Bungie and Microsoft saw overwhelming success with their interplanetary first person shooter.  Follow up titles such as Halo 2 (2004), Halo 3 (2006), Halo Wars (2009), and Halo 3: ODST have come in waves over the years, each one adding a different element to the franchise (although I fail to see what Halo Wars added).  Now, at the culmination of the series comes a prequel to the original Halo, Halo: Reach.  Reach seemingly tries to take everything that was good from past games and put it into one game, while at the same time removing those things that infuriated gamers in past titles.  While they may not succeed in making the perfect Halo game (Halo: CE is still at the top of the charts in reviewers' eyes), it is definitely a satisfactory conclusion to the decade long series that has drawn in millions of fans over the years. 

In Halo: Reach you're placed in a group of elite Spartans referred to as Noble Team.  The group is comprised of six members, each with a particular specialty such as heavy weapons, sniping/stealth, technology, etc.  You play as the nameless Noble 6 who rounds out the original group of five.  While no Master Chief, Noble 6 will eventually grow on players as a heroic character and will not only gain favor with gamers, but each player will be able to identify with Noble 6 thanks to Bungie's innovative customization options.  As in past Halo games, players can customize their Spartan to individualize themselves amongst the torrent of online players.  However, in Reach, your character not only looks unique online, but also throughout the campaign.  Immediately, I saw my character in the Reach campaign, the one I created, my Spartan.

The story for Reach is much more fleshed out than in previous games and makes an attempt at character development, however, it falls short due to the short play time.  While the campaign isn't infuriatingly short for a FPS, it definitely isn't an RPG where dialogue options are available, something that really boosts story and character development.  With that being said, some characters are very hit or miss.  Jorge (Noble 5), the heavy weapons specialist, was immediately a character that grew on me with his burly, yet teddy bear like attitude.  Unfortunately, other characters such as Catherine (Noble 2) really drove me nuts and not until towards the end of the game did I appreciate her;  I blame this in part because of the poor character development on her part, not pointing out that she had a biotic arm in place of a real one, something I had to notice myself from video cut scenes.  Another thing that made me hate Cat was her stupidity; the AI at times has to be some of the worst I've seen in a game.  At times, Cat would sit in a Warthog and stay there while I got out to shoot enemies across the map. At one point in particular, we had fought off some Hunters, yet there was still an Elite in the room.  Instead of helping me fight him off, she ran by him and stood at the objective waiting for me.  Other AI would wait in a plane for me while I seized a base, yet would communicate to me that they had my back and were going to "kill all you alien bastards."  This may be because I was playing on Legendary difficult, but regardless, Legendary is when you need the most help.

Graphically, Reach surpasses its predecessors in detail and expansive environments.  Each level is different and unique (with some exception) and really keeps you in awe of the change to the your surroundings due to the relentless invasion of the Covenant.  In some instances you'll even revisit a space that, at one point, was clean and polished, only to return and see its walls charred by flames and its ceilings blown wide open.  Minute details can be seen far off in the distance and as you get closer have a great deal of detail.  The only point at which Reach falls short graphically is its character models.  While they look exceptionally better from past games, they still pale in comparison to games such as Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption, two games, which in my opinion, have some of the best graphics I have ever seen (not to mention both are in contention for Game of the Year this year).

Despite some of Reach's set backs, who can question Halo's multiplayer experience?  Without question, the Halo franchise has always had a firm grasp on gamers as one of the most enjoyable and most widely played competitive online games.  Reach, by far surpasses each and every online Halo game to date.  With the edition of load outs, each with their own special ability (sprinting, a jet pack, active camouflage, armor lockup, drop shield, evade, hologram), multiplayer brings an element of unpredictability that has yet to be seen in the Halo series.  You never know when an enemy may fly overhead or if the enemy you're attacking is actually an enemy or a hologram.  The leveles are new and refreshing, something that was much needed since Halo 3 has gotten stale.  Gamers have the option of choosing from three different level and game type options at the start of every match.  If none of these options appeal to the players, a fourth option is available to get a new list of game types.  This makes level decision a bit more democratic and leaves the option for vetoing without the fear that you'll get stuck with "fucking Snowbound."  The ranking system is much improved using a points system like that seen in Modern Warfare, which doesn't penalize you for losing, but rather rewards you for winning and less so for losing.  By playing games, players earn points that they can spend on various customization options for their spartan such as armor, voice types, and even special effects that will occur when you die ,such as confetti flying out of your head.

While certain positive aspects can be expected of a new Halo game, such as a magnificent score and addictive online play, Reach brings new elements which are not only exciting and innovative, but breath life into a game that has plagued the XBOX for ten years.  Reach ties in the beginnings of Halo well, but at the same time makes you feel as though you're playing something fresh and new.  Customization puts you in the driver seat of not only your online character, but how you see yourself in the campaign as well.  While there are certain drawbacks like the disappointing friendly AI and the enemy AI who seemingly never runs out of ammo, the anticipation for Reach will not disappoint audiences.  The campaign is engaging and sucks you in from the beginning (I should know, I completed the game in two days); the multiplayer will have you addicted not just for competitions sake, but because there are so many more elements to it, such as a multitude of customization options and online Firefight.  Halo: Reach, much like its predecessors, is a game you won't be able to put down for months once you start and is, without doubt, a must buy for every XBOX owner.