Halo Reach: An Overview

It has been quite a long time since 2009's E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo), and likely even longer if you are a hardcore gamer who has had their sights set on Halo: Reach. Announced at the annual show over a year ago, the latest game ion the Halo Franchise finally made its arrival into gamers hands when it retail on September 14, 2010. Like the other Halo titles that came before it, Halo: Reach offers 1^st person action, however, with some differences.

Taking place just before Halo: Combat Evolved, players will find themselves fighting as an elite soldier, Noble 6, for the UNSC (United Nations Space Command). The year is 2552, and a battle with the Covenant is in full effect, and Reach - a human colony and UNSC military base is in the midst of the war. As far as core gameplay goes, much like titles in the past, players will travel through the various levels of gameplay for progression of the story and advancement in the game with non-stop shooting action. Searching out and locating a variety of feature specific weapons will provide an array of powerful hits to enemies in different combat scenarios, and of course players can always seek out and replenish health when the going gets tough.

Outside of the norm, Reach offers gamers some enhanced and new features as well. Gone is multi-weapon wielding, yet new for reach are cool persistent armor abilities. These abilities allow Noble 6's armor to behave in a certain way depending on the particular ability in use. A handful of abilities include hologram, jetpack, active camo, sprint, and armor lock, and only one ability is possible at any given time.

Other game features in Reach include an update version of Unreal 3's level editor called Forge. Gamers are also allowed to perform armor and weapon customizations prior to spawning, and a credit system allows for character upgrades. Gender selection is also possible, and players will be happy to know that so is the ability to use invested character customizations and upgrades across most of the game modes.

Gamers that have completed Reach will appreciate many extra layers of gameplay that arrive in the form of differing multiplayer modes. Groups of friends will enjoy Slayer, King of the Hill, Headhunter, Stockpile, Generator Defense, and Invasion, where objectives include maintain flags at checkpoints, collecting skulls for drop-off points, timed kills, and invasion and defense of territories.

With a redesigned engine, new artwork and assets, and overall improved gameplay, Halo: reach is certain to be a winner amongst franchise fans, and for those that enjoy a great shooter.

Halo is available for the Xbox 360 console and has an ESRB rating of M for Mature. Single-player, co-op, and multiplayer modes are included in gameplay.

Sources/Resources:

Wikipedia: Halo: Reach
XBox.com: Halo: Reach