Halo: Reach review

Halo: Reach, the end of an era, but in this case also the beginning of one. Bungie is calling it a day with its famous series and what a way to sign out. So just how good is Halo Reach? Is it the perfect game that it’s hyped up to be, or does it fall slightly short of greatness?

Lets start this review by saying I’m not an avid Halo fan, sure I’ve played the previous games but I’ve never really managed to get into them the way others do, however that doesn’t mean I don’t respect the game and what Bungie are trying to achieve with it. I am not blinded by hype and fanboy shades, I can see the imperfections in Reach just like I can see where it excels above all others, so lets begin as I remember Reach. The focus on Halo Reach comes from two angles really, with the campaign being just as important to some people as the multiplayer is to others. So first let’s discuss the campaign, both the good and the bad. Campaign Halo Reach is actually a prequel to the previous three Halo games and is set in the year 2552. During the story you take control of Noble 6, a member of an elite supersoldier squad, whom we know as the Spartans. Throughout the game you are locked in the heart of a battle for the world of Reach against the Covenant and it’s fair to say it isn’t an easy war to win. As far as the story goes that’s all I’m saying as I don’t want to spoil the game for those diehard Halo fans out there, what I will say though is that there’s plenty of twists and turns throughout, oh and the ending is a peach. The campaign, which can be played single player or co-op,  is certainly large in its scale. Throughout each level it really feels like you are locked in an all out war, every battle feels epic in nature and you are constantly on the edge of your seat. Even on the normal difficulty this game provides you with a challenge that would be practically impossible to get through without dying and the improvements made from games such as Halo 3 are there for all to see. There have certainly been a few changes this time around, for one you can only sprint while you have the ability, so, say you would like to use a shield or a jumpsuit, then you will need to swap out your sprint and use these abilities in its place courtesy of a pick-up. Bungie has also removed the ability to dual wield weapons, therefore you can only use one of the two weapons you have on your person at a time, though at least these are not limited in anyway, well unless you run out of ammo. Bungie do manage to mix things up a little in Reach thanks to the new style Space Mission and in a later, open world mission, where you control a falcon. The space mission is especially satisfying, seeing you control a small wing commander style craft to defend your space station against a never ending stream of Banshees and other craft. To be honest, this mission and the later Falcon mission were probably some of my highlight moments of Reach, as they are extremely well executed and a lot of fun to play. For all the twists and turns in the campaign we have to salute Reach, but at the same time it does have its drawbacks. Even though each battle seems epic in scale, sometimes it feels like something is missing. It’s hard to put your finger on but it seems to be lacking that moment of awe, the one moment where you think, “yes, this is it.” Although the ending will pull at your heart strings a little, until then it’s just a constant battle with a few, but not many surprises. Multiplayer Without a doubt multiplayer is the main focus of Reach, maybe it’s because it doesn’t need to surprise you, as here it’s all about the action. The story goes out the window, so do any surprises. Instead it’s all about you, your team mates and your weapon and it's fair to say that this is one of the most epic multiplayer experiences that you will have been part of. The changes to the multiplayer hit you even before you start. The new loadouts allow you to choose from all manner of abilities and equipment, therefore if you want to sprint, use a jetpack, shields or even have the ability to become invisible, then you just hit up your choice and begin the game. One of my favourite additions has to be the jetpacks, there’s nothing quite like flying up in the air and firing at everything below you, it's extremely satisfying and a lot of fun too. Halo has always been about choice in the multiplayer and in Reach you can times that by 10. Forge is now almost unrecognisable thanks to the huge open areas which give you the ability to create any map type that you desire. You can also mess around till your hearts content, making up your own game types and can even, if the feeling grabs you, create race tracks and race around in Warthogs (I know someone who does just this all the time). The customisation options in Forge are just crazy and should keep even the most imaginative person happy for a long time. The main meat of the multiplayer belongs to the various modes which you can take part in and Bungie has gone all out here. Alongside the usual suspects such as Slayer and King of the Hill, we are also treated to the likes of Headhunter, which sees you collect the skulls of fallen players for points; Stockpile, which sees you collecting neutral flags for points and also Generator Defence, where a team of Spartans face a team of Elites and take turns defending a generator against each other. Other modes include Invasion which sees three squads of two on each team. Here the Elites try to gain control of each area by disabling the shield to gain control of a navigation core; once they have done this they transfer it to their dropship, all while the Spartans try to stop them. Finally there’s Firefight, which makes a return from ODST. For those who haven’t seen this think Gears of War Horde mode and add a Halo skin. Here you take on an ever increasing wave of enemies as you fight for survival. You can even customise the types and number of enemies. Some multiplayer modes, such as Generation Defence are playable in Firefight mode, so there is certainly plenty of choice online should you want it. Customisation is the name of the game in Halo Reach, be it online or in the Armory shop where you can purchase items ranging from your armour all the way up to your voice and death animations. It’s certainly impressive stuff and there in no doubt the multiplayer is worth the admission fee alone. Conclusion Halo Reach is the perfect end to Bungie’s stint on Halo, it’s by far the best game yet in the series and you can tell a lot of love has gone into this by the developer to make it so. I was slightly disappointed in the campaign as I just expected more, though in saying that it's still a great experience from the first minute to the final epic moment, which really sums up everything you have went through. There is no doubt that the main meat is the multiplayer. This area of the game is about as perfect as it gets. Whether you want customisation or just an all out war with your online friends, it’s all here and by the clip load. Overall no-one will be disappointed with Halo Reach, whether you are buying for the campaign or for the multiplayer, it's both epic in scale and nature and is a perfect end to a wonderful beginning.

Rating: 9/10

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