By Aaron N
Bungie announced that they were going to make Halo: Reach their final game in the Halo saga. Now we know that this is only half true as Halo 4 is being made but by another company. But nevertheless Bungie hoped to end their influence with a bang and tell a story that took place before the original trilogy. With customization like never before seen in a Halo game, and a variety of types of characters to play as, Halo: Reach was poised to become the best game in the series. This is a tough task to pull off, but all signs pointed to this being very possible.
Graphics:
The graphics have improved with every Halo game. The detail put into the characters and the universe were the best I have seen so far in the series. There are slight tweaks in everything, including the look to the weapons and armor. It was nice to see familiar settings upgraded with better graphics. This game benefits from a High Definition television, which tells how top notch it is. Although some of the facial features and lip movements feel a little lacking. That is my only complaint in this department as I felt more into the universe than I have in a game lately.
Story:
Halo: Reach was described as being about the fateful mission of the Noble team. You take control of Noble 6 who is the newest and final member of the team. The story is dark and dreary at times as it is heavily foretold that the missions could very likely have a bad ending. This is present in the very first scene of the game where it shows your helmet in the ground with nothing around it before flashing back to your first mission with the team. They story delves deeply into each character, making them all have completely different personalities. It makes you care about every character in the game, especially every member of the Noble team. It is filled with heart-wrenching scenes and climactic moments. The final main fire-fight feels like a climactic scene. I will get into that more in the "Sound" section as it deals with the music, but my point is that each moment feels important. They story drags at the beginning though as it seems as if you are just moving from mission to mission. But when you start to get a sense of the overall story, and when they reveal how it connects to the main trilogy, you really start to get into the story. There is a bonus level/scene after the credits that is unlike anything I have played before. That scene, without spoiling it, made the game for me. It is my favorite campaign in any Halo game.
Gameplay:
The gameplay isn't much different than the typical Halo format. It is a first person shooter. You shoot your way through the levels, encountering stronger waves of Covenant forces as you near the end of each level, and each level being harder than the previous one. One thing that I did like in this game that seemed different was the space battles in two of the levels. There have been some space battles in previous games but these ones stood out to me. They reminded me of the levels in some of the Star Wars: Rogue Squandron games. They were drastically different in gameplay than the ground portions. It gave it that needed break from the norm in the middle of the game.
Sound:
I loved the music in this game. One of my major complaints in Halo: ODST was that the music didn't feel like a Halo game. The music in Halo: Reach got it right. They didn't outright use the classic Halo theme, but they made music that would have fit in the other games. Also, some times they had no music at all, which emphasized the moment. Now they did have allusions to the old music. This came more when the connection to the original series became apparant. This made the necessary emotional connection for me that made the ending so memorable. I mentioned earlier about the final fire fight and how it felt epic to me. As you fight the troops, the music gradually crescendos. They also splice in some of the classic Halo theme to show how close you are to the events in the original trilogy. It was a brilliant use of music and it created one of my favorite gaming moments. The one thing I disliked about the sound was the voices. The voice acting itself was good, but at times it was inaudible. This led me to be confused about events in the game and I couldn't understand what was going on at the beginning. I had to strain to understand them. But that is just one blemish among an otherwise perfect sounding game.
Overall:
Halo: Reach is my favorite game in the Halo saga. I felt invested in each character. The twists and turns in the game meant something for me. The ending, the connection to the original trilogy, everything in the second half of the game had me wanting more. There are a few flaws in the first half and with the sound. But it did not deter it enough to warrant too much of a deduction. I fully enjoyed this game and had a feeling of fulfillment at the end that left me satisfied.
Halo: Reach gets an 9/10
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