(Posted By: Ryan Clark)
There are few things more satisfying than a story well told, and to end the Story that began with Halo, we have its temporal predecessor Halo reach. Reach's story is ended before the game begins. We know that reach falls. We know that the pillar of autumn escapes. But even with this foreknowledge, we are drawn into this world once again. And here we have our hero, Noble 6. He joins the rest of Noble team, and they endeavor to survive on a planet doomed to annihilation.
More after the break!
More after the break!
The story will not be spoiled in this review; however, gameplay mechanics for the story mode and firefight will be discussed. The first point of interest is the return to the original halo style of combat. There are both health bars and shields. Health packs make a return in this game, but as I played through the first time on normal, I did not have need of them as much as I have in the past. However, I did have need of them: halo reach is a true challenge on normal. Given, I am not much of a halo fanatic, but I have played all the games on multiplayer, and must say that the difficulty curve in reach is rather steep between easy and normal. Skulls are not found in this game, but merely activated before starting a mission. Some do not affect gameplay, such as the one that has confetti appear after headshotting a grunt, or the one that makes common dialogue uncommon and vice versa, and some make the gameplay more interesting, such as Mythic which doubles enemies health.
The weapons in this game are a compilation of all previous halo games, but they are extremely well balanced. The game does not have one gun that overrides all others. The special bonus items that one can equip, e.g. sprint, jet pack, active camo, liven up gameplay and allow for a surprising amount of variety in the way players engage in combat. Each has its own use, and all are interesting and fantastic to play with. The only complaint I have as of writing this article is that evasion is Covenant only. Evasion allows you to dodge explosives and/or weapons fire by activating the armor ability.
Firefight returns in Reach, and seems to have both matured and widened its appeal. There are multiple types, some, like Firefight, we have seen before. It is the classic fight till all lives are gone. Others are simply amusing diversions. Gruntocalypse is a hilarious grunt fight ‘til you drop game mode that is more amusing that you could imagine. Head shot grunts for confetti, what's not to love? They're difficulty has been ramped up because they are the only opponents allowed, but its certainly worth the trade off. Another hilarious game mode is Rocketfight. Unlimited ammo of any weapon (sans turrets) that allows for short and brutal matches. Another thing to mention, is that players can play as either Covenant or Spartan in the firefights. Spartans try to live for as long as possible, and elites try to kill the Spartans by using the covenant waves as fodder.
There are memorable moments that abound in this newest installment. The final mission, which we knew would come, still leaves us cheering with sorrow in our hearts as the game ends. Other memories come from firefights with friends, truly the only way to enjoy that game mode. My favorite was the first bonus mission in Rocketfight, where with but a gravity hammer, I was able to both stay alive and deal out untold punishment to literally dozens of elites standing around me. Until my room mate rocketed me from across the map.
This is the true ending to the Halo storyline. Whether or not Microsoft decides to make another game, this section of the Halo universe is done. These games have shaped an entire universe for those of us that played and their memory will not be quickly or easily forgotten.
The weapons in this game are a compilation of all previous halo games, but they are extremely well balanced. The game does not have one gun that overrides all others. The special bonus items that one can equip, e.g. sprint, jet pack, active camo, liven up gameplay and allow for a surprising amount of variety in the way players engage in combat. Each has its own use, and all are interesting and fantastic to play with. The only complaint I have as of writing this article is that evasion is Covenant only. Evasion allows you to dodge explosives and/or weapons fire by activating the armor ability.
Firefight returns in Reach, and seems to have both matured and widened its appeal. There are multiple types, some, like Firefight, we have seen before. It is the classic fight till all lives are gone. Others are simply amusing diversions. Gruntocalypse is a hilarious grunt fight ‘til you drop game mode that is more amusing that you could imagine. Head shot grunts for confetti, what's not to love? They're difficulty has been ramped up because they are the only opponents allowed, but its certainly worth the trade off. Another hilarious game mode is Rocketfight. Unlimited ammo of any weapon (sans turrets) that allows for short and brutal matches. Another thing to mention, is that players can play as either Covenant or Spartan in the firefights. Spartans try to live for as long as possible, and elites try to kill the Spartans by using the covenant waves as fodder.
There are memorable moments that abound in this newest installment. The final mission, which we knew would come, still leaves us cheering with sorrow in our hearts as the game ends. Other memories come from firefights with friends, truly the only way to enjoy that game mode. My favorite was the first bonus mission in Rocketfight, where with but a gravity hammer, I was able to both stay alive and deal out untold punishment to literally dozens of elites standing around me. Until my room mate rocketed me from across the map.
This is the true ending to the Halo storyline. Whether or not Microsoft decides to make another game, this section of the Halo universe is done. These games have shaped an entire universe for those of us that played and their memory will not be quickly or easily forgotten.
