Halo : Reach Review (360)

say Halo, wave goodbye (for Bungie that is!)

With Halo Reach, Bungie have finally made the perfect FPS… there I have said it.

In case you are not aware of the Halo franchise, I will fill you in with a little history lesson, before explaining my opening statement. The original Halo: Combat Evolved was the game that many people believe ensured the success of Microsoft’s first console, the XBOX- a horrible looking , hulking black suitcase of a console, with a controller bigger than a Gamecube (ok, so maybe I did exaggerate on the controller size, but it sure was a monster!). Yep, Halo was the game everyone wanted to play, the ultimate space based FPS. It was like nothing else available on a home console- the closest thing to a PC based FPS, that we had seen- such innovations as the option to dual weald weapons, and the best AI seen, along with the excellent pacing and set pieces, made it an instant classic The main thing that Fans of Halo 1 & 2 will remember, is the way the online multiplayer worked. It was the first time console gamers used xbox live! to form communities and clans, and halo ruled XBOX LIVE!

Halo 3 was the first Halo for XBOX 360, and while it was an excellent game, it had seemed that Bungie where trying too hard to fit too many gameplay elements, and then with ODST, they changed the gameplay totally and even though it was an excellent game, it didn’t quite cut it with the core fans. So here we are, with the final Halo game Bungie are releasing for Microsoft, and it just happens that they have left the best till last. Halo Reach is in fact a prequel, and lets you partake in the events that happen before the original game. So the first thing you need to know is that there are no Flood- nope, this time round, it’s just humans vs Covenant, and you are placed in the middle of a full scale invasion, of the planet Reach. Reach is the heart of the UNSC`s military might, and home to the Spartan super soldier (master chief is in fact a Spartan)

With Halo Reach, Bungie have finally made the perfect FPS… there I have said it.

This time round you play as a rookie Spartan, and newest member of Noble team. You can customise your look, and are just known as Noble 6. There are a few game changing changes this time round, the most important being Armour Abilities. These are activated using the left bumper (the left trigger is still for grenades), and these abilities are picked up in the field, but you can only use one at a time, these are limited use, but recharge after time when they have been expended. Armour abilities include an awesome jet pack, a temp invulnerability shield and a speed boost. As you can guess, the jet pack is awesome, but not overused so it becomes a drag.

Also a series first, are some sniper missions, and a couple of on rails vehicle sections. If all this makes it sound a lot like COD: Future Warfare to you, then that was my initial thought. Halo has become a complete shooter. Hell, without trying to spoil the plot, you even get some Star Wars style space battles in. There are a few new vehicles and weapons to mix things up, and the pacing is just perfection. Bungie show they know how to create a thing of beauty. Graphically this is up there with the best that the xbox 360 can offer- talk about pushing hardware to the limit!

Co-op fans are well catered for also (and I don’t mean people who like shopping at their local co-operative supermarket either!) Up to 4 people can play through the single player campaign online, and there is also a system link option for those who prefer to trash talk face to face.

The only negative thing I can say is that the single player campaign is over too soon, it can be finished in a weekend (about 8 hours if you speed through on the easier settings- I managed to finish it with 14 hours gameplay). But considering the 2 COD: Modern Warfare games took about the same time to complete, I’m sure you guys will not be that bothered, since it’s the stunning multiplayer on xbox live! That will elevate this game to game of the year…so far anyway!