November 15th 2001, a game called Halo: Combat Evolved was developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox and later the PC. That game has gone on to become one of the most played, loved and influential games of the 21st century, setting the bar for all first person games that were to follow afterwards. The lead character, ‘Master Chief’ was to become a somewhat unofficial mascot for Microsoft’s Xbox with this role continuing on with the release of the Xbox 360.
Since Halo: Combat Evolved’s release, two sequels, Halo 2 and Halo 3 have been released, as well as various spin offs including Halo Wars and now a prequel to the main story arc to the trilogy, Halo Reach.
These games have managed to bring together a community in the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, all driven to proving their worth as Spartans.
Plot
Halo: Reach is the newest game released and since it’s announcement at last years E3 Expo, much speculation and anticipation followed every press release and interview that revolved around the game. Reach is, like we’ve already said, a prequel to the main story arc of the trilogy. As a player you take on the role of a newcomer to a Noble team of fellow Spartans, as Noble Six you are replacing a fallen comrade, something that leaves many of your new comrades on edge.
Sent out on a mission to investigate a relay station, Noble Team soon uncover that damage which was believed to have been caused by rebels has in fact been the work of the Covenant and the alien force have made base for an invasion force on Reach.
As a member of Noble Team, you are paired with the best of the best and your missions will take you into high orbit assaulting massive carrier ships, destroying high powered artillery and wiping out assault forces.
All the time we are playing Halo: Reach we are fully aware of the futility of these missions, as a prequel we are all well aware by now the fate of those on Reach and their actions. Despite our knowledge of future events you still hope and persevere through these missions hoping that somehow you yourself have the ability to change this timeline.
Gameplay and Graphics
The first person shooter gameplay for Reach hasn’t changed much since the Halo 3 game… And this is not a bad thing. The control system for the Halo games has always been a marvel and joy to play, simple and straightforward. A few touches have been added to the overall game, power ups from Halo 3 which granted a temporary boost or ability to Master Chief are now an ability that may be equipped by Six granting them the option of, camouflage, generating shields or even running faster. There are also new weapons available to your Spartan allowing him or her to take on different roles in combat.
The biggest change in gameplay comes in the updates for the ‘Forge’, a level editor which was a new featured added for Halo 3. There are now more maps to edit, with several thrown in by the developers Bungie and the tools which you use to edit your maps have been revamped giving you a better sense on control.
Visually Halo: Reach is a feast for your eyes and ears, as Noble Six you are thrown into the world of Reach, surrounded by detailed landscapes, propelled into high orbit of the planet, gazing at the haunting darkness of space and the world below you. The backdrops for missions seem to expand for miles, letting your imagination wander as you race through areas on your Warthog. Reach is a place that much like Pandora from Avatar, we can only hope really exists.
Multiplayer
One of the biggest draws for fans to the world of Halo has been the multiplayer modes; it has also been one of the most controversial points for the game and for the publishers Microsoft. Halo multiplayer is known for three things: it’s fantastic playability, the elite players and the trash talk. If you did not know you’re way around your assault rifle and the map then you had no place playing the game and to do anything otherwise would cause players to bring a torrent of abuse down upon you.
We played Halo: Reach for almost fifteen hours…online only and in that time one thing has become very clear. As with the game and the series, the players have grown and matured. Competition still gets heated and a teammate who messes up (apologies Memex) can still be berated for not following the team plan. There are also settings which allow you set the type of game you wish to play, a free for all where you trash talk just as good as you get or you get out or games where everyone remains quiet!
Overall
There is no question about it, Halo: Reach has to be the BEST First Person Shooter game released all year, whether it is the best overall game is yet to be decided but it is definitely a strong contender for the title. This will be the last game made by the Bungie developers but does not mean we are looking at the end of the Halo series by any means. What Mario did for Nintendo, Sonic for Sega, Master Chief and the Spartans have done for Xbox – an army of loyal supporting Spartans eager to take up controllers as each new game comes out to play. Halo: Reach is no simple FPS by any means, it just doesn’t allow us to escape into the world of the Spartans for a few hours, this game is just as good as any war movie, just as emotional and inspiring as any book and just as demanding and challenging as anything we might face. We have realised now why Halo has been so successful and why it will continue on to be such a success, Halo isn’t a game…Halo is a way of life!
The Good
Breath taking visuals and musical scores
Heart wrenching story and character interaction
Fantastic Gameplay
The Bad
It ended!
Gold Stars: 9.5 / 10
This trailer actually got us a little teary eyed…
