Review of Halo: Reach for Xbox 360

Halo: Reach for Xbox 360 closes out Bungie's involvement in one of the most beloved video game franchises of all time with a bang. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, Halo: Reach brings back the best features from each of Halo's previous games. From classic multiplayer modes, the return of firefight (now with matchmaking), old favorite multiplayer maps re-imagined, to new special abilities and variants, Halo: Reach offers something for everyone.

The Campaign

Although the fall of Reach was known of since the beginning of Halo: Combat Evolved, experiencing firsthand the invasion of Covenant forces is a story not to be missed.

One great thing that Bungie managed to employ this time around is to continuously change what players are doing. Rather than spending an hour running through tight corridors shooting aliens like one of the previous installments, players are always jumping from one tactic to the next. Throughout all nine levels of Halo: Reach there isn't the any monotony.

Unlike previous Halo campaigns you cannot just run off guns ablaze without suffering from a horrible death. Teamwork plays a vital role in Halo: Reach, and the Covenant are tougher than they were in previous installments. You'll have to stay with your teammates in order to complete the objectives in each mission.

One doesn't fully experience the Halo: Reach campaign unless they play cooperatively with three other humans. The game adequately scales enemies with additional players, and even on heroic difficulty Halo: Reach can present a fun and challenging experience for you and your friends.

All throughout the campaign of Halo: Reach you'll slowly feel a sense of impending doom. While manning a gun turret, try as you might you are unable to save the lives of allies as they are attacked by brutes, wraiths, and banshees.

While the main campaign of Halo: Reach is entertaining it isn't without its flaws. One of the biggest is with the characters. You can't easily connect with any of the characters, and by the time you just begin to they are killed off. Checkpoints are more numerous; however it isn't too uncommon that they'll occur at impromptu times that'll screw you over.

Multiplayer

Let's face it: Xbox 360 owners bought previous Halo games (and Xbox 360 systems) just for the multiplayer. Xbox LIVE and online multiplayer games are a mainstream cultural phenomenon thanks in part to the Halo franchise, and Halo: Reach is no exception.

Halo: Reach introduces several new armor abilities to help give you a tactical advantage in the many different situations you'll experience. From sprinting faster than normal or flying with a jetpack strapped to your back to having active camouflage or using a hologram to fool opponents, Halo: Reach's armor abilities add an exciting element to multiplayer.

There are three main multiplayer modes in Halo: Reach: competitive, cooperative, and area. Competitive features death match, objective, and team games while cooperative is comprised mainly by firefight. All three modes feature several playlists to choose from, each with their own different maps.

Before each game starts there are four options to choose from, three game types and a "none of the above" option that will yield several additional options. Waiting for a match to begin generally doesn't take more than half a minute.

New game modes like headhunter, invasion, and rally bring even more variety to Halo: Reach. The addition of firefight matchmaking has quickly become this gamer's favorite playlist.

Forge world is back and better than ever allowing players to tweak the physics and layouts of any map in the game. Halo: Reach's forge also provides a robust new set of tools for those who like to dabble in custom built levels.

Personal Opinions

Halo: Reach was worth the long wait and every penny of its price tag. Halo: Reach is a must own title for any Xbox 360 owner and is reason enough to purchase an Xbox LIVE Gold membership for those who don't already have one.

While the main campaign of Halo: Reach wasn't as memorable as I expected it to be, it is still above par compared to those from other franchises. Halo: Reach delivers the goods and then some with its plethora of different multiplayer options. With such a great variety of modes to choose from, Halo: Reach multiplayer will keep Xbox 360 owners from getting bored and is sure to be played for years to come.

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