Halo: Reach

I didn't hear a whole lot about this game in the months before this game's release, and that led me to believe that people were honestly getting tired of Halo. Heck, I was tired of Halo and had convinced myself that I had moved on to "bigger" and "better" console shooters by partaking in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. I didn't need a new shooter and I didn't really want one, but due to living with a room mate who preordered the game, I decided I'd give it a shot, and let's just say I'm very glad I did.
 

Story

 
The story is simple if you want it to be.
 
You are a soldier identified as Noble Six. You and your team are fighting to keep aliens off of a planet called Reach. You fail.
 

See? That's pretty simple. It covers (very broadly) what happens from beginning to end. For me, the story of the Halo while playing the games never seems to pull me in during the first play through. Perhaps it's because I never played Halo 2. Nonetheless, Halo: Reach has what I find to be the most engaging, well thought out stories of any of the Halo games thus far, providing that you can throw out anything you learned from the books. Bungie wanted a game about the fall of reach, but it has nothing to do with The Fall of Reach. Contradictions occur, you aren't Master Chief, and there shouldn't be SPARTAN IIIs on Reach, at least as I understand it. Either way the story as presented is very well done and at the top of Halo games, even if it doesn't pull you in, it helps progress the story, even if all you care about is killing Covenant.
 

Yep, It's a Halo Game.

 
This is Bungie's last Halo game, so don't be surprised when you play this game and think "This feels like Halo."
 
Yes, it plays just like Halo with a few differences. If you hate Halo, you probably won't like Reach. That being said, if you love Halo games or once enjoyed Halo but eventually parted ways for other shooters (as was my case), give Reach a shot. At first glance it plays just like a Halo game for both single player and multiplayer. Energy Shields. Assault Rifle. Needler. Plasma Grenades. Tank Level. Announcer Guy. It's important, though, that I point out some differences. Your health is back, much like it was in Halo: CE and ODST, and technically you aren't the Master Chief. Since you aren't the MC, Bungie added customization options for your Noble Six. 

Customization

 
Customization works via credits, which are earned across most game types.  As long as you're playing single player or anything in matchmaking, you earn credits. Credits you earn can be spent on new armor and effects for your Noble Six. Armor pieces are purely cosmetic, and do nothing  to actually buff your character's stats. Oddly enough, the thrill of upping your look becomes intoxicating, motivating you to play more and aim to complete every day's daily challenges, which give you credit bonuses.
 
At first glance you might not think there are really all that many options for customization, but once your character begins to level through the online ranking system, more options become available for purchase. I don't personally know how far the ranking system goes, but it is a little intimidating knowing that I might buy a helmet I really like only to know that a better more expensive one may pop up as soon as I reach my next rank.

When I got the game the first thing I did was play through the campaign, and I had trouble figuring out which SPARTAN was my SPARTAN, but once I had spent some time in multiplayer and had taken time to customize myself, it was much more apparent which one was me, which sometimes made a difference to how I felt during the cut scenes.
 

Weapons

 
Now I'm not going to go through all of the weapons here, since most of the weapons have been around a while, but I will draw attention to some of the more notable new weapons in the game.
 

DMR

 

The DMR is pretty much the single shot equivalent of the Battle Rifle of previous Halo games. In fact, it is used as the replacement of the Battle Rifle of Previous Halo games. At first I hated the lack of BR, but over time I grew accustomed to the DMR, and I believe it is one of the finer weapons of the series.  
 
 
 

Needle Rifle

Think of the Needle Rifle as the Covenant DMR. It is single shot, has a scope, and does similar damage. The difference here, though, is that if a target without shields is struck three times, the needles explode. This makes dealing with most brutes simple and may save you ammunition. The drawback for this boost, though, is that the scope will not magnify as far as the DMR.
 
 
 

Plasma Launcher

The Plasma Launcher locks on to enemies and then fires homing plasma grenades at them. Very simple. Very awesome.
 
 
 
 
 

Multiplayer

Multiplayer has been one of Halo's claims to fame ever since Halo: CD, before they were able to introduce online play with Xbox Live, and Halo: Reach does not disappoint. The multiplayer and matchmaking systems in place are the most solid they have ever been, and the online gameplay is great. Granted I'm talking about hoe the game functions and leaving the "Halo Douche" stereotype out of this. There will of course be those who get online and ruin the whole experience for everyone for whatever reason, but I'm leaving them out of this review.
 
There are plenty of game types available for online matchmaking, ranging from the traditional slayer to Halo ODST's Firefight, ensuring that there's plenty for you to play.
 

In Conclusion

Halo: Reach is another Halo. It feels as much like Halo as any other Halo ever has, but it is certainly refined and renewed my interet in playing Halo games.  I wouldn't call it the best game I've ever played, but it's well up there in my favorites. If you like Halo, give Reach a shot. If you hate Halo, this probably won't change your mind.
 
I'm also realizing I neglected to mention both armor abilities and assassinations, and I don't currently have the time to write about either of those, so I apologize for forgetting about two of the more prominent changes in this game.