Ten Reasons Why Halo: Reach Is The Best Halo Ever

Nowe, after five days of gameplay [noncontinuous thankfully] I have pulled out the top ten reasons why Halo Reach is awesome. These are opiniated and I didn't include some of the obvious reason like the weapons, maps, and stellar pics but looked to what stood out form the previous halo games.


Prior to playing Halo: Reach, I wasn’t a huge Halo fan. I was probably somewhere in the ten-thousands on the consummate Halo fanboy leaderboard, having merely “liked” Combat evolved, not played much multiplayer and only thought about Master Chief once before I went to sleep in the run-up to the Reach review event. But having completed Bungie’s Halo swan song, I deem it to be the best Halo game ever – and here are ten reasons why:








1. Because it’s Bungie’s Last Halo

You can imagine the insane brainstorm session Bungie had at the start of Reach’s development, with orders from top Bungie brass for the Halo team to do whatever they like, just raise the bar so impossibly high that 343 Industries will have to “crunch” for three years solid just to create game fit to walk in Reach’s shadow.



2. Because Derek Carroll Says It Is

Halo multiplayer designer Derek Carroll is an honest man. He eats fish on Fridays, considers television to be a vice and doesn’t even tell white lies to save people’s feelings. This is why we believe him when he told us “We set the bar really high. We don’t know what the next Halo game will be but, Halo: Reach is the best Halo”.



3. Because It Has A Jet Pack

Bungie takes a great campaign game with sprawling, tiered map design and then gives Noble 6 a limited amount of three-dimensional movement with a jet pack, opening up the boundaries of experimental shooting and hinting at the emergent potential of Reach’s multiplayer online gaming.



4. Because It's Truly Legendary

Bungie knows how to spin a good yarn. You know the feeling that you’ve just played a role in small but epic piece of fictional history? Combat Evolved players will know what I’m talking about: that yawning sense of gravity imbued in your every decision. Every level of Reach has that in spades and Noble 6 is the very definition of a legend.



5. Because SPARTANS Never Die

Okay I’m chomping at the bit here… I want to give you some details of Reach’s final level so badly, but the merest mention will spoil it for true Halo fans that have saved themselves for the official launch. All I will say is, it’s one of the best-conceived, most ingenious series sign-off’s I’ve ever played.



6. Because Map-Making Rocks

Halo 3’s Forge World was fairly inaccessible to all but the most dedicated cartographers, and even then some sterling maps emerged from it anyway. Bungie has made Forge World a lot easier to use for all while giving top-end map makers even more control over their creatons.



7. Because Firefight Has Evolved

Bungie has applied the same treatment to Firefight 2.0 that it has to Forge World. Creating new multiplayer modes has expanded to give mode-makers the option to fine tune enemy types and how they appear, manipulating skulls and uploading maps for community perusal and play. It gives life to Reach way beyond what you get in the box.




8. Because Your Gran Can Play Too

Yup, you heard it right. Reach’s Trueskill means players will be rated within around ten games or so according to their skill levelm then matched to the appropriate online games. Players of all levels can muck in with team and multiplayer games without having to worry about beating their two-second average life span or finding a decent challenge.




9. Because It’s The King Of Vehicle Combat

It’s a testament to the overall quality of Halo that it can feature the most diverse and exciting vehicle combat in the genre, yet not be known as the shooter with the cool cars. From the mundane Warthogs to Ghosts, Banshees, an entire level devoted to space flight in the Sabre and the awesome Scorpion, we haven’t enjoyed vehicle combat this much since we first played Destruction Derby.



10. Because It Will Last Until Oblivion

When Microsoft wanted to turn the last servers of the original XBox Live off, a hardcore contingent of Halo players kept them going for weeks by refusing to log off. Halo fans will be playing Reach well past its “sell-by” date and undoubtedly well into the life span of the next generation of Microsoft console. And they’ll still be playing when those servers are inevitably switched off, too.

Second Opinions On Halo Reach

Remember Reach

Halo: Reach is Bungie's final Halo game. And judging by the reviews from all three IGN regions (US, UK, and Australia), it's a worthy sendoff. But why trust the opinion of three of IGN's most notable editors? We've got plenty of other editors who have played Reach and are ready to offer their thoughts. You want multiple opinions? Oh, you're gonna get 'em.

Halo Reach ?Has The Best Gametypes Of Any Online Game

It's the ending that won me over. Oh, I had some great fun with Halo: Reach, which builds to its finish better than any previous Halo game, but it wasn't the conclusion that put this over the top. This is my favorite Halo campaign.



The bonus level that comes after the lengthy credits perfectly closes out Reach and emphasizes the hopelessness of the situation. Coming into this, Bungie's last Halo title, it was already known that Reach was doomed. Being witness to the planet's demise is a bittersweet reward for nearly a decade of loyalty to the franchise. I've got to admit, the minute Reach ended, I popped in the original Halo and started playing it again. I couldn't help myself.




Multiplayer maps

Some of my favorite Halo missions are in Reach. Including a mission, "Long Night of Solace," which introduces space combat into the series. And while battling above Reach is awesome, the best part comes afterwards, when you board a Covenant Corvette and experience some low-G combat. The sound alone makes this level worth playing.



Then, of course, there's the multiplayer, which is the real bread and butter of Halo. Bungie has been tweaking Halo multiplayer over the years and this seems like the best balance to appease the broadest number of fans. Firefight, for me, is where it's at, and the ability to fully customize this mode is going to have me playing Halo: Reach for months.



I'm a Halo fan. I've loved every game. So it's probably not a shock that I love Halo: Reach. I won't apologize for digging another Halo game. Bungie knows how to make a great first-person shooter. It's a fitting finale for Bungie and hopefully the start of something new and exciting as the series continues under 343 Industries' stewardship.



I've always had a love/hate relationship with the Halo franchise. The universe is extensive and the storytelling is fantastic, but the gameplay is also extremely linear and the graphics always seem behind the curve. Still, I've picked up every Halo game on launch day and played the hell out of it in the months to follow. For me, it's about the experience Bungie works so diligently to create, the epic nature of the story, and the hype and fan culture surrounding Halo games. Halo games are an event, and Halo: Reach has been the greatest thus far.



As I write this, I'm sitting at my desk, and at the back of my mind I'm thinking about how I want to get home as quickly as possible to finish the campaign and see how the story ends. I spent hour after hour last night trying to fight my way to the finish, but before I knew it, it was 1 a.m. and I realized my eyes could no longer bear to gaze upon the screen. So, I reluctantly retired despite being right on the cusp of the crescendo of the story.







Halo in Five Minutes

Few games ever have this type of effect. Usually it's because I can't get invested in the story, but I'm rarely up into all hours of the night playing a game feverishly. But for me, Halo: Reach is all about the story. I love how references and characters of the previous games are interwoven, and how well Bungie has created the drama of a planet under attack. In the Halo universe, the fall of Reach is huge, and Bungie has told the story exceptionally well.



Still, I also found plenty of issues with Halo: Reach. The updated engine looks good, but I wouldn't say it is a staggering improvement over Halo 3, nor does it really hold up against other recent titles, like Uncharted 2. The frame rate drops are also an issue, and they took me out of the experience at times. I also appreciate that Bungie wanted to make Reach a bit more challenging than the previous games, but the relentless waves of foes can be a bit of an annoyance.



But at the end of the day, I'm loving Halo: Reach. Bungie is sending themselves out in style, and there is no question that this is their greatest effort yet. I'm sad to see the end of Bungie's Halo, but I'm sure Microsoft will leave the universe in able hands.



While I could probably gush about Halo: Reach for a few pages, I'd like to instead focus on one of its missions, "Long Night of Solace," which is my favorite mission in the Halo series. This is the space dogfight mission that was revealed at E3 2010, but it doesn't start in space. You begin this mission pushing through waves of Covenant forces on a beach with a full complement of Spartans that can essentially clear the way for you if you just sit back -- although I prefer to sprint ahead and jack a Wraith to flank the enemy. All standard Halo fare. But at the end of the beach, a launch pad awaits, and, as you hop into the Sabre and launch into space, the battlefields of Reach fade as you slip silently into the upper atmosphere.



In space you assume control of the agile Sabre fighter. As different Covenant ships jump into view, the gun batteries of Anchor 9 space station begin to blaze and sounds of radio chatter and dull explosions fill the cockpit, you realize you aren't really playing Halo anymore, but the best Battlestar Galactica episode ever. Few games have tackled space combat as well as Bungie in this brief interlude in Reach -- although Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II for Gamecube immediately springs to mind. It's a game-within-a-game, but it's executed so well that a standalone space shooter from Bungie is now higher than an HD Zelda on my fantasy game list.



Eventually you must disable a large Covenant ship by swooping in and taking shots at its massive engines. This concludes the dogfight, but not the mission. You then land on the disabled ship where you are tasked with clearing out the Covenant forces in low gravity. Space jumps and dull, zero atmosphere sound effects make this battle unique -- and difficult. Halo: Reach has a few more surprises in store after this mission, but I feel like this campaign is both the height of the game and of the series since it highlights many of the series best qualities: scale, variety and, of course, combat (evolved).

The Confirmed Playlists Of Halo Reach Revealed

Halo Reach Starting Play-lists

• Rumble Pit: Free For All Slayer With A Side Of Objective  

Max Party Size:8
Max Local Players:4         

• Team Slayer: 4 On 4 Team Slayer

Team Party Size:3-4
Max Party Size:8
Max Local Players:4

• Team Objective: 4 On 4 Team Objective

Team Size:3-4
Max Party Size:8
Max Local Players:4

• Multi- Team: Slayer And Objective Games, Pitting 6 Teams of 2 Against Each Other

Team Size: 2
Max Party Size:12
Max Local Players:2

• Invasion: 6 On 6 Spartans Vs Elites Featuring Invasion And Invasion Slayer

Team Size:6
Max Party Size:12
Max Local Players:4

• Big Team Battle:8 On 8 Big Team Slayer And Objective Action

Team Size:6-8
Max Party Size:16
Max Local Players:2

• Firefight: 1 Team Of 4 Takes On The Standard Firefight Experience
• Team Size:2-4

Max Party size:4
Max Local Players:2

• Score Attack : Put Your Friends To Shame With A High Leaderboard Score In This Firefight Playlist

Team Party Size:1
Max Party Size:1
Max Local Players:1

•  Team Arena: Two Teams Of Four Square Off In The Arena Team Size 

Team Size:4
Max Party Size:4
Max Local Players:2

•  Team Doubles Arena: 2 teams of 2 put their skills to the test

Team Size: 2
Max Party Size: 2
Max Local Players:2


The astute observer may note that the pair of Arena playlists aren’t set to go live when the clock strikes midnight. In the interest of fairness, we’ve decided that the inaugural season won’t begin until 11am PDT on 09/14. If you fancy yourself the competitive type, take the extra lead time to get the lead out in some of the other playlists.

And of course, just like our previous Xbox LIVE outings; these are merely the day one sets. We can and will change things up to keep the experience fresh. If there are a few obvious omissions that you expected to be on hand immediately, you’ll likely find them online at a later date. Launch demands we keep things nice and tight until we confirm that the initial population explosion won’t sink the whole ship in one shot.

And while we’re on the subject of previous Halo titles and playlist updates, I should clear up a few misconceptions that I’m seeing circulating in the community regarding Halo 3.

Contrary to my own ill-spoken words, Jeremiah informs me that our Double EXP playlists for Halo 3 aren’t going to be culled straight away (though they won’t be a permanent fixture in the Halo: Reach aftermath). We are, however, planning on cutting some fat, leaving only the succulent bits of the Halo 3 online experience behind for those opting to stick around and suck every last bit of the marrow as the majority migrates to the new hotness.

Presently, that means Squad Battle and Basic Training are no more and that you should steel yourselves for more cuts in the weeks and months ahead. Don’t worry though; we’ll make sure we always support game types and maps required for earning your Halo 3 ‘chievos. We expect plenty of people to keep on keepin’ on and we’ll do our best to make sure the online experience remains nice and solid.

Back on the Halo: Reach front, Sketch has a few words to offer on the security tip.

"Dearest Fans – After years of waiting, Reach is finally nearly upon us. Some of you may even already be playing, courtesy of an eager retail store that couldn’t wait until next Tuesday. But for the vast majority of you, we still have a few official days left and you’re patiently waiting, finger on the trigger.

Here at Bungie, we’re patiently waiting as well, but our finger is on a different trigger. Our team is standing at the ready behind the sights of our fully operational Banhammer Battlestation. We take the Reach online experience VERY seriously. Bungie has invested years of hard work creating a game that we want our fans to enjoy for years to come and we have zero tolerance for people who try and ruin that experience for others. The Xbox LIVE team also takes these matters very seriously and they too are aggressively taking action as needed. Modifying your console or the game itself is a violation of the terms of use for LIVE and Reach and will result in potentially severe penalties.

We are already aware of a number of nefarious deeds by a very small percentage of early adopters and we have already been taking action. We expect that a few more will turn up once the population explodes on September 14th. We will be ready, watching, waiting, firing at will on people who deserve it. We have all sorts of new fancy tools at our disposal now and as we start to come up to full speed we’ll be engaging all of them. Voice bans, host bans, console bans, gamertag bans, credit bans and the automatic habitual quitter penalty are but a few of our sharply honed weapons hungering for blood.

Please note that you may not always see immediate results. Sometimes it takes a little while, other times we elect to wait and gather data as to be 100% certain we’re not overreacting to false positive data. And still other times we may decide to escalate it to the security team at Xbox LIVE for an even greater ass-kicking. Rest assured though that Bungie is watching and we know who you are and what you’re doing.

To all of our fans who have been such big supporters of Bungie

(Tyson also dropped by and wanted us to inform everyone that the Credit wipe we told you about last week has been initiated and that if you've gotten a hold of a legitimate, legally obtained copy of Halo: Reach, please feel free to fire it up and play.)


 If I obtain anymore sneak peeks to Halo Reach for you fiery gamers in the few days until Halo Reach Launches I Will post it, but don't worry I won't ruin any of  the campaign story or anything else that is so delicate in Halo Reach fan's fantasies.  Instead, I will share the excitement with you and continue to feed yout the number one news surrounding Halo Reach and awesome preorder deals, tips, and sneak peeks. So, if you haven't succumbed to the awesome preorder deals then do so, because if you pick it up mid-night release you'll be whimpering in the cold while the prepared fans pitch a tent [ God Hope not that type of tent...] with their portable heaters and hand warmers. It sucks to wait in line, so either preorder yours from a retail store [Gamestop, Best Buy, Walmart, Toys R Us, Or Target] and pick it up at the crack of midnight on September 14 or simply have it shipped to your house on the Release Date And wait for it like a kid waits for Christmas Presents Under A Christmas Tree On Christmas Eve Night.Besides, you get either an awesome $20.00 dollar gift card to your online Retailers marketplace [amazon, Buy.com, Dell.com,  or Microsoft.com]
Or You get exclusive multi-threat or Recon Armor At Gamestop, Or you get an awesome $20.00 Dollar Gift Card To Walmart, Toys R Us, Or Best Buy When you pick your preordered copy of Halo Reach Up at the store 12:00 O'clock On September 14,2010. You see, the benefits from preordering your copy form a online retailer or local retail store kills the advantages of sacrificing your gas, money, and time to be one of the people bundled up in a line on September 14. So choose the best preorder Deal below and order.



    Bungie’s latest entry in the Halo universe, Halo: Reach, is closing in on its release date (September 14th). If you’re an Xbox 360 owner and you haven’t pre-ordered the game yet (really?), here is your chance. We’ve taken a look at the best Halo: Reach pre-order deals for both US and UK, and we’re here to give you a heads up.The Most Popular of the 2 million ordered Halo Reach Copies Are Amazon; for the fast free shipping and $20.00 Amazon gift card, Buy.com; for the lowest price on the web, and Wal-Mart For it's low prices and efficiency. Here Are The Top Halo Reach Preorder Deals On The Web.

Halo: Reach Last Minute Pre-order Deals (US and UK)

Halo: Reach US pre-order deals

1. Amazon is offering a $20 Video Games Credit for those who pre-order the Standard, Limited or Legendary editions of Halo: Reach. You’ll also receive access to an in-game exclusive Spartan Recon helmet.

2.  Gamestop: If you pre-order Halo: Reach from Gamestop (Standard or Legendary Edition) you will receive an exclusive in-game UA Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark V(B) Armor, designed to provide Spartans with “the most impact across all combat secenarios“. You’ll also get a token to download the in-game Spartan Recon helmet with the Visor/Blast shield and a chance to win a life-sized Halo: Reach Spartan Soldier.

3. Best Buy: offers those who pre-order Halo: Reach (Standard, Limited or Legendary) a free $20 gift card. If you are a member of the Reward Zone Gamers Club you’ll also receive 500 Bonus Points. The same offers applies also to those who pre-order The Xbox 360 250GB Limited Edition Halo: Reach Bundle.

Halo Reach Available For Pre-order At Best Buy

4. Buy.com offers slightly reduced prices (Standard Edition – $56.99, Limited Edition – $74.99, Legendary Edition – $139.99, Xbox 360 Halo: Reach Bundle – $399.99) and Free Shipping for those who pre-order Halo: Reach. The standard version comes with the Recon helmet with the Visor/Blast Shield.

Lowest Prices And Fast Shipping on Halo Reach

http://affiliate.buy.com/fs-bin/click?id=SfkWGjeg0YE&subid=&offerid=207701.1&type=10&tmpid=6932&u1=DanielJohnFarley&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.buy.com%2Fretail%2Fusersearchresults.asp%3Fquerytype%3Dhome%2526qu%3Dhalo%2Breach%2526qxt%3Dhome%2526display%3Dcol5


 . 5. Dell.com offers Halo: Reach Standard Edition at $49.99 and the Halo: Reach Limited Edition Xbox 360 Bundle with a 1-Year Xbox Live Subscription for just $399.99 (you save $50). Unfortunately the Halo: Reach Limited and Legendary editions are sold-out at Dell.


6. Wallmart: If you pre-order the Standard, Limited or Legendary editions of Halo: Reach at WallMart you will receive a $20 Wallmart eGift Card. The offer also includes the downloadable Spartan Recon helmet.

Halo Reach Available Here

7. Toys R Us offers free shipping and the Spartan Recon Helmet with the Visor/Blast Shield if you pre-order the Standard, Limited or Legendary Editions of the game.

8. Microsoft Store- Preorder Halo Reach from the Microsoft Store And Receive Halo Reach On Release Day, September 14! Yes, this is the fastest shipping on the web  for Halo reach,  so get yours before anybody else.

Halo Reach Launches In Just Two Days!!

Halo: Reach UK pre-order deals

1. You can pre-order Halo: Reach at Amazon.co.uk at reduced prices (Standard – £36.99, Limited – £49.70 and Legendary – £169.99) and you’ll also receive the downloadable Spartan Recon Helmet.
2. Zavvi offers Halo: Reach at the following prices: Standard Ed – £35.95, Limited Ed – £49.70 and Legendary Ed – £98.95 (Sold Out for now). Halo: reach Standard Edition comes with the Bonus Spartan Recon Helmet while the Limited Edition brings the multiplayer only Bonus Elite Armour Set. Zavvi offers free UK delivery on all orders.
3. Game has slashed the prices for Halo: Reach Standard Edition (£39.99) and the Limited one (£54.99). All pre-orders will come with the downloadable Spartan Recon Helmet and the UA Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark V(B) Armor.
4. HMV.com offers free delivery and 800 Microsoft Xbox Live Points if you pre-order Halo: Reach Standard Edition (£37.99) or the Limited Edition (£54.99). Those free Microsoft points will sure come handy when Bungie will start releasing Halo: Reach DLCs.
If we happen to stumble on another pre-order deal worth mentioning we will update this article.
After you’ve placed your order you might want to check the Extended version of the Halo: Reach – Deliver Hope Trailer, a leaked Halo: Reach Campaign Gameplay Video, the Noble Team in Action or the A Spartan Will Rise Trailer.

Firefight

IGN Xbox 360 had a chance to go all out in Halo: Reach’s improved firefight mode and they bring us some new details about the enhancements along with the first ever game-play videos. For the uninformed ‘Firefight’ pits anywhere between 1 -4 Spartans in Combat against computer controlled Covenant enemies. These enemies arrive via drop-ships and are rolled out in waves. In Halo 3:ODST players could expect 5 rounds featuring increasing difficulties plus bonus ‘reinforcement’ drop-ships between rounds.



One of the biggest improvements being introduced in Reach is the ability for Firefight matchmaking. Similar to how the multiplayer system works. Players will be able to connect to Xbox Live and find partners to assist in their covenant slaying. It is unknown at this time if this feature will be available in the single player co-op campaign but it would be nice.

Bungie is also allowing players to control the individual parameters of a Firefight match. No longer are players subject to five or six rounds that can take upwards of half an hour per round. Now the host can chose a time limit, limit the skulls that have been activated and the number of rounds until the end of the game. Players can also expect to create their own custom sets of equipments – called load-outs – for their entire party to enjoy. Bungie has also coded in a default time limit – 10 minutes.



Individual expression also plays a huge role in the next installment of the Halo franchise. Players who took part in the beta already know that they will be able to create a custom Spartan that will appear in multiplayer and campaign. This Spartan will also carry over to the firefight mode both offline and online. It was not mentioned by Bungie whether or not the map editing ability of Forge will be available. As soon as more details turn up we will be sure to bring them to you.


So Firefight is the most anticipated element of halo reach.Is all this hype just speculation or is firefight as awesome as it sounds. Trust me, this is the coolest element of Halo Reach and takes the cake in the master of gametypes. Firefight features Spartans Vs Elites on forge world and is great for multiplayer play or especially when you just receive the game and want to get used to the controls. Firefight combines Forge world with campaign , in a way, and unleashes the most premier game-play you;ll get, except for on Xbox live.