I'm feeling much more excited for this then I did for ODST. Not quite sure why I think that because I'm feeling the COD vibe lately, but I will definitely be looking into Reach.

I'm all for hoping that this game will be the best of the series (naively hoping, maybe?), but this kind of speculation is bananas. We've seen next to nothing from this game at this point. Give it some time. Who's to say that the possible exclusion of an enemy type will make a better game?

I think they will have some new enemy's that will die off during the events on Reach.

Reach looks good. Although we would have to hear and see more about it first before we make decisions on what is better. Halo ODST was pretty slick indeed. It'll be hard to beat.

The new engine might also be sweet.

i think people want to play as a spartan. this will not only achieve that but add more spartans to the mix!

" The new engine might also be sweet. "

" Whats so bad about brutes??????????????? "

" Whats so bad about brutes??????????????? "

Well being better than ODST would hardly be a difficult task.

The brutes were no fun in Halo 2. They often charged at you and you had to empty too many rounds into them. In 3, they were not as tough but not as respectable as in 2. I also find the Hunters not as difficult in Halo 3 compared to 1 and 2.  But yeah... reach is probably going to be as good as Halo 2, my favorite.

" No brutes! Seen as how they only join the covenant in the second they presumably won't feature in Reach. I do expect there to be new enemies varients though (some of which also annoying?). "

@Cefka

" The brutes were no fun in Halo 2. They often charged at you and you had to empty too many rounds into them. In 3, they were not as tough but not as respectable as in 2. I also find the Hunters not as difficult in Halo 3 compared to 1 and 2.  But yeah... reach is probably going to be as good as Halo 2, my favorite. "

Actually the Brutes did not join the Covenant in Halo 2, they have been part of the Covenant since before even the events of Halo: Contact Harvest. In fact it was during the battle of Harvest that the Brutes made their alliance with Truth as part of their eventual plan to overthrow the Elites. In Halo 2 the Brutes took the position of the Prophets' honor guards from the Elites after the Elites failed to defend the Prophet of Regret against the Master Chief and after the great schism with the departure of the Elites from the Covenant the Brutes had an even stronger presence. However, as Reach is all pre-Halo 2 it is very likely that we'll see at least less Brutes in this game. At any rate we know the Elites will be back as an enemy.  
 
I didn't think the Brutes were a badly designed enemy myself and after 2 games of mainly killing Elites it was nice to experience something different. Also although I have high hopes for Reach and am sure Bungie will be able to deliver does the absence of Brutes immediately make a game we've seen no gameplay of whatsoever better than its predecessors?

"

Actually the Brutes did not join the Covenant in Halo 2, they have been part of the Covenant since before even the events of Halo: Contact Harvest. In fact it was during the battle of Harvest that the Brutes made their alliance with Truth as part of their eventual plan to overthrow the Elites. In Halo 2 the Brutes took the position of the Prophets' honor guards from the Elites after the Elites failed to defend the Prophet of Regret against the Master Chief and after the great schism with the departure of the Elites from the Covenant the Brutes had an even stronger presence. However, as Reach is all pre-Halo 2 it is very likely that we'll see at least less Brutes in this game. At any rate we know the Elites will be back as an enemy.  
 
I didn't think the Brutes were a badly designed enemy myself and after 2 games of mainly killing Elites it was nice to experience something different. Also although I have high hopes for Reach and am sure Bungie will be able to deliver does the absence of Brutes immediately make a game we've seen no gameplay of whatsoever better than its predecessors?

"

I want Brutes AND Elites though. They were around during the Battle of Reach and well, it would be an interesting dynamic if Bungie made the 2 work together and you get elements of their rivalry to show.

It'll be better than ODST that's for sure.
 
I'm really looking forward to the fact there won't be 5 grenade types (one that isn't even used in matchmaking) hundreds of useless weapons, etc... Looks like Bungie is going back to basics (which is the right thing to do).

I think it was Halo 3, but you could beat a brute in the back while he was pissing. That was priceless!

im not a big fan of brutes either :P 

"

Well being better than ODST would hardly be a difficult task.

"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TvhlZbY_U4&feature=related

 @ 4:33 = Brutes

I'm waiting for Bungie's latest excuse when it's revealed that the Flood are back.  Is there anyone outside of Bungie that actually likes them?

Don't you mean it will be better because IT HAZ MOAR POLYGONZ!!!!1!

No doubt it'll be better, ODST was made within major time constrictions and like Halo 3, it was about the brutes. Reach has probably been the answer to our prayers too for those who can't stand BR spamming constantly.
 
It also makes me smile that it's pissed off MLG too. A game should not be bent over for the needs of a smaller community than the central fanbase in general like Halo 3 was, a community should adapt to the game.

" No doubt it'll be better, ODST was made within major time constrictions and like Halo 3, it was about the brutes. Reach has probably been the answer to our prayers too for those who can't stand BR spamming constantly.  It also makes me smile that it's pissed off MLG too. A game should not be bent over for the needs of a smaller community than the central fanbase in general like Halo 3 was, a community should adapt to the game. "

" @WoolyAbyss said:

" Whats so bad about brutes??????????????? "

In three they were ok in 2 they were god awful, but nothing was ever as much fun as fighting the Elites in 1 they are just a good enemy.  This game I hope, I think is going to be awesome this is the final stand of the spartans, hundreds of super soldiers fighting impossible odds? Whats not to love? "

You don't think you have to go too far to out do ODST.

Brutes are back, thank god. First time we will probably be seeing them fighting ALONGSIDE the Elites, rather than against.

" @crunchUK: Well mostly my point about BR is that the BR I believe is overpowered when it's in any game type and people stick with it and refuse to use other weapons. Now before anyone says that's not true, Im aware not every single halo player on earth does this, its just annoying when it does happen. And there is an MLG Playlist I know, MLG players go there, but they can also come to other playlists and still try to just BR everyone. Anyway Im not willing to get into a BR arguement.  All in all, Im happy there's a DRM rifle in Reach that functions like a BR without the burst. I just think it makes more sense really and should have been something in Halo 3. "

Yeah it's just unfortunate that there's rarely a match like that for me, people often veto to GET a BR start. Also yeah maybe a BR might work for getting rid of drivers in vehicles but that's where I feel most players miss out that plasma pistols stall vehicles and where I feel Bungie should have had lighter but more common anti-vehicle capable weapons, missle pods often get wasted and the spartan laser I'm a little unsure what to think of about it's position as a weapon. Reach may solve that with the grenade launcher. The solution seems to be the BR but the fact it falls to a scoped bullet firing rifle just makes me feel there's a few things just not right about Halo 3 looking back now. 
 
Maybe Reach will change things with a few more newer weapons.

"  It also makes me smile that it's pissed off MLG too. A game should not be bent over for the needs of a smaller community than the central fanbase in general like Halo 3 was, a community should adapt to the game. "

Just because i can't resist, here's the TODs of the last 5 games i player
 
Team BRs on ghost Town, ToD Rockets, +9 k/d 
 
Team BRs on Narrows, ToD melee, +6 
 
Team Slayer on Last Resot, ToD shotgun, +16 
 
Team slayer on Last Resort, Tod... shotgun, +12 
 
Team Slayer on Construct, ToD missile pod, +4 
 
Now i'm not going to lie, my tool of destruction is the BR, followed closely by melee, banshee, sniper. And to be doubly fair i do like to mix things up when i play, no sense repeating the same over and over, but i'm just showing here there's plenty of weapon variety to be had. 

Brutes made no sense, they never explained their origins in the 2nd. Reminded me of Planet of the Apes.

" @Evilsbane said:

" @WoolyAbyss said:

" Whats so bad about brutes??????????????? "

In three they were ok in 2 they were god awful, but nothing was ever as much fun as fighting the Elites in 1 they are just a good enemy.  This game I hope, I think is going to be awesome this is the final stand of the spartans, hundreds of super soldiers fighting impossible odds? Whats not to love? "

Excluding the SPARTAN-III's, there were only roughly 60 or so Spartans (S-II) fighting on Reach, and like, eight died hitting the planet at terminal velocity (the Pelican was shot down, they had to jump), and some 5-10 more were injured as all hell. Three S2's were in space recovering a data packet (The Chief among them).
 
I didn't even know Spartan 3's were on Reach until a while ago. Did Bungie just throw them into Reach for the sake of having more Spartans? I mean, all the S2's were pretty much in one place, and shortly after landing under Reach (CASTLE base to be specific). Guess they can play with that, since the book never mentions anything but the S2 stuff, and none of the side-stuff.
 
Then again, what I just said made it more bad-ass (not hundreds, but tens of Spartans fighting an army). Like you said, what's not to love? Hell, in the book, one Spartan II (Kelly) threw a grenade-sized nuke into a covenant ship and took it out, and the army of roughly ten thousand soldiers beneath it, and to them it still wasn't worth the death of one Spartan. Titanium balls.  ...err, anyway, I can't wait for Reach. "

" No brutes! Seen as how they only join the covenant in the second they presumably won't feature in Reach. I do expect there to be new enemies varients though (some of which also annoying?). "

" I wanna hear Elites say "Wort Wort Wort!" again. "

Becuase Halo 3 and ODST were not that great.  Reach at least looks great.

The new soundtrack promises to be pretty awesome too:  http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/vidaudio.aspx?c=55

" I'm all for hoping that this game will be the best of the series (naively hoping, maybe?), but this kind of speculation is bananas. We've seen next to nothing from this game at this point. Give it some time. Who's to say that the possible exclusion of an enemy type will make a better game? "

Yeah I know. Brutes fucking suck compared to Elites. 

brutes will be in reach.

better for a variety of reasons: 
1. return of health 
2. (Speculation) Elites in "invasion" only gametypes 
3. Sage is lead sandbox designer (worked on Shadowrun, the 2007 version) 
4. DMR+scoped pistol=1-shot kills=more skill 
5. add on to 4-competition with sniper for long-range kills (knock sniper out of scope=reduced power of Sniper without nerfing it 
6. Needle rifle as a precision version of needler+no needler=yet another weapon that takes skill. 
7. No perks/player progression that would make the playing field uneven.