Halo's Newest Entry Gets a Classic Reboot
Overview :
Another amazing Halo experience in the long line of successful first-person shooters, a return to what made the original Halo so great.
Obviously one of the most anticipated games for 2010, Halo: Reach has big financial shoes to fill as well as satisfying the almost insurmountable level of expectations fans of the series have. After the first Halo brought the first person shooter genre to the home console and showed how successful their formula could be, the second and third halo’s could be said to be lackluster when compared to their older sibling. While both Halo 2 and 3 were financial success stories that would make any businessman jump with glee, the fans of the series felt their concerns growing with each entry. Game design choices caused many to pick one game over the other or turn off fans to the games altogether, which (I believe) lead many to the revamped Call of Duty franchise with Call of Duty 4. Does Halo: Reach suffer from the same design choice flaws or has Bungie found that same magic which made the first game so successful.
First Impression :
When starting Halo: Reach for the first time, I was quickly taken aback by how beautiful the artwork for the game is. Not only are there examples seen quickly such as the opening movie or during gameplay, but there are also examples tucked away that can be easily overlooked such as the drawings behind the menus. Seeing this attention to detail was a first indication that Reach is a game Bungie took a lot of pride in, and I was excited to see what my first experience with the game would be like.
Menus and Features :
Starting Reach will bring you to a simplified menu system where everything in the game is easily accessible. You may begin a new solo campaign or choose the main menu where you will find the other game types of Reach such as Multiplayer, Firefight, Theatre, Forge and also Campaign. The menu system may take a moment to become acquainted with due to the amount of options immediately available, but once you experience it, the system becomes easier. Also, you will see a much more tuned “friends list” on the side of the screen that will list all your friends playing Reach online and what they are doing. It’s great to see the game immediately showing you what you want to know rather than constantly clicking through menus. Scrolling to the list will show the player’s own “Noble 6” as well as other achievements that player has completed.
Campaign :
I will admit that I do enjoy the campaigns of many first person shooters as I like actively participating in the stories the developers are trying to tell. Bungie has definitely put the time and effort into creating the ‘swan song’ of their famed franchise. Reach’s campaign tells a truly heartfelt story of fighting against all odds, accomplishing the impossible and success with sacrifice. You play as ‘Noble 6,’ the new member of Noble Team right before beginning of series of missions that will see you through Reach’s end. As you are part of a team, the other members of Noble Team are all represented well enough to distinguish their own personalities, but, unfortunately, that does not translate into actual combat. While they may be other Spartan soldiers, the ally AI only goes so far. The same, however, cannot be said about the Covenant AI. Those Covenant are the nasty aliens attacking Reach and, boy, do they pack a punch. Even on easier difficulties, the Covenant soldiers can really give you some headaches and put your aiming reflexes to the test. Whether it be dodging, flanking or just the amount of Covenant on screen, they are certainly not push-overs in Reach.
Gameplay :
Speaking of combat leads me to the main focus of Reach -- gun mechanics. Many of the guns in Reach have their own pros and cons, and you can see that there are certainly “Rock, Paper, Scissors” going on in the design. There is no one gun that trumps all others, if properly used. You have all the standards you would come to expect: machine guns, semi-automatic and the Covenant energy guns. Where many players will find their sticking point is the DMR or Designated Marksman Rifle and the Needle Rifle. These weapons are those insta-kill, headshot weapons that you will need to master not only in singleplayer, but also in multiplayer to be successful. However, getting those headshots is not going to be as easy as you would think. Reach has instituted a bloom effect on its weapons so that when you take a shot, the reticule will expand making you less accurate with each following shot. This mechanic forces the players to either spam the trigger hoping for the best with landing shots or carefully measure out each pull to get the most accurate shots over a period of time. The blooming effect changes the mechanics, certainly, but this is something, I feel, that players can get used to with time and experience.
Multiplayer :
The other main aspect that people will be looking for in Reach is going to be the multiplayer component. Halo is a big name in the competitive scene with a focus more on skill and team communication. That being said, you are going to find the majority of players in the competitive aspect of the game for better or worse. Reach caters to this even more so than predecessors by including an Arena mode that generates a rating based on your performance in matches. While a somewhat flawed system based solely off kills and deaths while limiting the other factors in a match, it does provide a good measure of where you stack up against the thousands of others getting rated. It also provides that nudge to say, “You can do better.” Reach is still an accessible game for those unfamiliar with Halo or FPS’s, but multiplayer is definitely not to take that lack of skill. Needless to say, you will be ripped apart by players who are much more “into it” than you are, and you will probably face a barrage of insults and less-than-kind words. This will no doubt turn off many people who would otherwise enjoy the game just for a fun experience. Reach suffers the same fate that made the other Halo’s so popular in the competitive crowd: it’s fun to win, but really, really sucks to lose.
Forge :
Forge is also present in Reach and improves upon the formula that made it great in Halo 3. Admittedly, I have little time spent in Forge, but it is functional and the options allow for greater customization for even the least creative of Forgers.
Closing :
All accounted for, there are a lot of features that will make many people happy with Halo: Reach and not just because it has Halo is its name. The content is probably worth the $60 to pay, but, in my opinion, if you are not going to take part in the competitive aspect, there will be little holding you to this game after a couple weeks or so. After those 14 days, you will have probably experienced all that you wanted to experience leaving little left. There is a ranking system that has armor permutations associated to it, but these are purely cosmetic and do not matter in the grand scheme. Reach is a great game with great features. Some of those features cater to very specific people and Bungie seems to know that. If you fall into that category, then you have a great time with Reach waiting. Otherwise, pick up a rental and see the rest of what Reach has to offer.
Another amazing Halo experience in the long line of successful first-person shooters, a return to what made the original Halo so great.
Obviously one of the most anticipated games for 2010, Halo: Reach has big financial shoes to fill as well as satisfying the almost insurmountable level of expectations fans of the series have. After the first Halo brought the first person shooter genre to the home console and showed how successful their formula could be, the second and third halo’s could be said to be lackluster when compared to their older sibling. While both Halo 2 and 3 were financial success stories that would make any businessman jump with glee, the fans of the series felt their concerns growing with each entry. Game design choices caused many to pick one game over the other or turn off fans to the games altogether, which (I believe) lead many to the revamped Call of Duty franchise with Call of Duty 4. Does Halo: Reach suffer from the same design choice flaws or has Bungie found that same magic which made the first game so successful.
First Impression :
When starting Halo: Reach for the first time, I was quickly taken aback by how beautiful the artwork for the game is. Not only are there examples seen quickly such as the opening movie or during gameplay, but there are also examples tucked away that can be easily overlooked such as the drawings behind the menus. Seeing this attention to detail was a first indication that Reach is a game Bungie took a lot of pride in, and I was excited to see what my first experience with the game would be like.
Menus and Features :
Starting Reach will bring you to a simplified menu system where everything in the game is easily accessible. You may begin a new solo campaign or choose the main menu where you will find the other game types of Reach such as Multiplayer, Firefight, Theatre, Forge and also Campaign. The menu system may take a moment to become acquainted with due to the amount of options immediately available, but once you experience it, the system becomes easier. Also, you will see a much more tuned “friends list” on the side of the screen that will list all your friends playing Reach online and what they are doing. It’s great to see the game immediately showing you what you want to know rather than constantly clicking through menus. Scrolling to the list will show the player’s own “Noble 6” as well as other achievements that player has completed.
Campaign :
I will admit that I do enjoy the campaigns of many first person shooters as I like actively participating in the stories the developers are trying to tell. Bungie has definitely put the time and effort into creating the ‘swan song’ of their famed franchise. Reach’s campaign tells a truly heartfelt story of fighting against all odds, accomplishing the impossible and success with sacrifice. You play as ‘Noble 6,’ the new member of Noble Team right before beginning of series of missions that will see you through Reach’s end. As you are part of a team, the other members of Noble Team are all represented well enough to distinguish their own personalities, but, unfortunately, that does not translate into actual combat. While they may be other Spartan soldiers, the ally AI only goes so far. The same, however, cannot be said about the Covenant AI. Those Covenant are the nasty aliens attacking Reach and, boy, do they pack a punch. Even on easier difficulties, the Covenant soldiers can really give you some headaches and put your aiming reflexes to the test. Whether it be dodging, flanking or just the amount of Covenant on screen, they are certainly not push-overs in Reach.
Gameplay :
Speaking of combat leads me to the main focus of Reach -- gun mechanics. Many of the guns in Reach have their own pros and cons, and you can see that there are certainly “Rock, Paper, Scissors” going on in the design. There is no one gun that trumps all others, if properly used. You have all the standards you would come to expect: machine guns, semi-automatic and the Covenant energy guns. Where many players will find their sticking point is the DMR or Designated Marksman Rifle and the Needle Rifle. These weapons are those insta-kill, headshot weapons that you will need to master not only in singleplayer, but also in multiplayer to be successful. However, getting those headshots is not going to be as easy as you would think. Reach has instituted a bloom effect on its weapons so that when you take a shot, the reticule will expand making you less accurate with each following shot. This mechanic forces the players to either spam the trigger hoping for the best with landing shots or carefully measure out each pull to get the most accurate shots over a period of time. The blooming effect changes the mechanics, certainly, but this is something, I feel, that players can get used to with time and experience.
Multiplayer :
The other main aspect that people will be looking for in Reach is going to be the multiplayer component. Halo is a big name in the competitive scene with a focus more on skill and team communication. That being said, you are going to find the majority of players in the competitive aspect of the game for better or worse. Reach caters to this even more so than predecessors by including an Arena mode that generates a rating based on your performance in matches. While a somewhat flawed system based solely off kills and deaths while limiting the other factors in a match, it does provide a good measure of where you stack up against the thousands of others getting rated. It also provides that nudge to say, “You can do better.” Reach is still an accessible game for those unfamiliar with Halo or FPS’s, but multiplayer is definitely not to take that lack of skill. Needless to say, you will be ripped apart by players who are much more “into it” than you are, and you will probably face a barrage of insults and less-than-kind words. This will no doubt turn off many people who would otherwise enjoy the game just for a fun experience. Reach suffers the same fate that made the other Halo’s so popular in the competitive crowd: it’s fun to win, but really, really sucks to lose.
Forge :
Forge is also present in Reach and improves upon the formula that made it great in Halo 3. Admittedly, I have little time spent in Forge, but it is functional and the options allow for greater customization for even the least creative of Forgers.
Closing :
All accounted for, there are a lot of features that will make many people happy with Halo: Reach and not just because it has Halo is its name. The content is probably worth the $60 to pay, but, in my opinion, if you are not going to take part in the competitive aspect, there will be little holding you to this game after a couple weeks or so. After those 14 days, you will have probably experienced all that you wanted to experience leaving little left. There is a ranking system that has armor permutations associated to it, but these are purely cosmetic and do not matter in the grand scheme. Reach is a great game with great features. Some of those features cater to very specific people and Bungie seems to know that. If you fall into that category, then you have a great time with Reach waiting. Otherwise, pick up a rental and see the rest of what Reach has to offer.
