Halo Reach Game Review

Game Information

• Publisher (Microsoft)
• Developer (Bungie Software)
• Genre (First Person Shooter)
• Console (XBOX 360 Exclusive)

Halo has been the most successful franchise on the XBOX 360 for a long time now with only the release of a Call Of Duty game to rival it, Reach is Bungie's latest and final attempt to bring Halo back to the top where many believe it belongs. With ODST receiving allot of criticism, mainly because it could have been released as a download rather than a full priced title Halo fans are expecting something big! from Bungie's latest attempt and i can tell you Halo Reach delivers another great gaming experience.

The story in Reach is one of the most powerful and emotional of any Halo game. You play as a member of Noble Team only known as Spartan 6. The game will pair you up with each of your team mates on various different missions, This helps give each member of Noble Team their own role in the story and makes you connect emotionally with each individual on your team. The campaign offers a new and fresh feel with the traditional closed indoor fighting mixed in with huge open battlefields, even taking the fight to space this time around. The game manages to feel new and fresh with the introduction of new weapons and items such as the jet pack which is my personal favourite of the new additions. Stealth kills have also been introduced and there is a wide range of ways to kill an enemy with a knife from behind always managing to satisfy the player in a way we have never seen before in a Halo game. Four player Co-op is back and even better than ever, There is nothing more fun than jumping into a Halo campaign with 3 other friends and struggling through a mission on Legendary. This is even more true now that allot of the problems with dumb AI in previous Halo games has been fixed, Reach is tougher and smarter than any of it's predecessors, But don't worry while the game is tough it is also rewarding, You earn Credits from everything you do in the Game which can be used to customize your character for online multiplayer and campaign mode. The customisation is outstanding in Reach delivering a huge scale of customisation options to make you look as unique as possible, giving each player online or offline his own individuality when playing through the game. Finally i just want to mention the audio in Reach, once again Martin O'Donnell is back and provides an outstanding soundtrack to help create the atmosphere and emotions felt when playing this remarkable game.

The gameplay is the same as with any Halo game, However the biggest difference is the introduction of Jet Packs. This adds a new element to a Halo game giving hardcore veteran Halo players a new challenge to look forward to in Campaign or online multilayer. The shooting feels as smooth and crisp as ever with any Halo game and with the new weapons and stealth kills the gameplay should feel new, fresh, and fun for even the old school Halo gamers.

The Graphics in Halo Reach are gorgeous, you will feel like you are in another world when your eyes look out into the distance and see the stunning and beautifully designed backdrop to each mission and different area in the game. Sometimes there can be a slight problem with the frame rate but this is only because the battle scenes in some areas are unbelievably huge in scale. Weapons, Character models, Vehicles, and the Environment looks much better in Reach compared to previous Halo games with more detail and better lighting effects. One of the things you will notice when playing through Reach is the Atmosphere, The Atmosphere in ODST was the highlight of that game and Reach follows on from ODST by creating a world that not only looks amazing but feels amazing when playing through. At some points when playing through Reach i would feel as if i was in a real war zone, i would find myself looking at Spartans falling and think of them as real people. Halo Reach manages to capture you inside it's world and deliver a memorable experience that is not to be missed.

Multiplayer is always the biggest selling point with any Halo game and in Reach it's better than ever. Although it is disappointing to see a low number of maps, some of which are just jazzed up re-makes of old Halo classics we are sure to see downloads released in the not to distant future. Halo Reach offers us a new Forge mode which is better than ever. Forge mode allows you to edit maps and create new game types and it seems the only limit with Reach's forge mode is your time and patience. Fire fight is back and even more fun than in ODST with the new wepons and ability's, The improvement to the AI can make it a very challenging experience but with a group of friends there is no better experience in the game world.

Halo Reach achieves what all other Halo games could not, a complete package. 9.5/10