After ten years at the wheel of this monster Xbox flagship, developers Bungie have finally decided to step down from the franchise that they made world famous by bringing players full circle; setting their swan-song as a prequel taking place just before the events of the original trilogy, this gritty last hurrah is as fitting an end for both the fans and this wildly talented studio as you could possibly dare to hope.
Annoyingly, though - and somewhat ironically, considering it’s the last - this latest Halo is also among their best work to date.
Gem
Following the events of an alien assault upon the human stronghold Reach - a gem in the military crown and birth-place of the Spartan super-soldier programme that happened to create this series’ iconic Master Chief - the title’s single-player campaign focuses upon the exploits of Noble team as they fight a hopeless battle against distinctly overwhelming odds. But don’t turn off just yet; although that side of th
e game would almost always stand up as the weak link in the chain previously, this attempt actually leads to a far more exciting and poignant experience than we’ve ever seen in Halo before, deftly managing to avoid so many of the mistakes present in previous instalments to boot. There are no dud levels here, no convoluted twists to get your head around, and no tortuously long-winded plot to digest; we’re instead left with a brilliant variety of heart-pumping and exciting missions, weapons and enemies on offer, great set-pieces and atmosphere and a tale you may even come to care about, full of characters who are a little bit more than your standard 2D FPS fare.Taking its cue from predecessor ODST, Reach puts a real emphasis on the people behind a conflict rather than the sprawling, predictable - and at times nonsensical - odysseys we’ve become used to with a narrative that balances traditional tragedy, heroism and sacrifice in an incredibly touching (if heavy-handed) way, aided no end by a score more akin to that of a Hollywood blockbuster and a clutch of exhilarating action set-pieces. Matched only by Bungie’s mastery of pacing, this latest Halo can boast fantastic level design besides along with an almost indescribable sense of ‘fun’ that undoubtedly derives from fantastically balanced controls, satisfying kill-mechanics (there’s nothing more rewarding than capping a grunt in the forehead) and one hell of a great selection of guns, vehicles and other accessories eagerly awaiting an itchy trigger-finger from around every corner, meaning that you’re rarely left anything less than 100% absorbed. Nowhere is this more evident then in the Last Night of Solace stage, where players must fight through a war-torn beach in full enemy control (complete with Covenant drop-pods smashing down around you, no less, disgorging yet more foes) before storm
ing one particularly besieged facility, strapping into a star-fighter and finally engaging in fierce space dog-fights far above the surface, all topped off by the small matter of hopping onto a Covenant craft rather low on gravity and moon-walking through corridors crawling with a somewhat PO’d enemy. It’s simply stunning.Pandemonium
Predictably, however, this only makes things doubly frustrating when an issue eventually rears it’s ugly head; due to the rest of the game being so polished, it’s a bit like being jerked awake while half-asleep. In this case, the biggest road-block would have to be an allied AI that, at times, borders on the laughable.
In short, your selection of beefed-up team-mates range from near impotent in combat to downright stupid, and they are hideously equipped to deal with even the simplest of affairs, such as driving a jeep. The result? Complete and utter pandemonium. It’s hardly surprising that Reach is struggling so badly if it’s ‘finest’ troops are so woefully inadequate when it comes to the simple task of taking the wheel, most usually hurling it into the nearest object, rolling you over the slightest gradient or even struggling to mount the smallest hill (I’ve actually spent about two minutes watching Noble team’s supposed tech ‘expert’ attempting and failing to drive up a gentle incline, for example. This happened a lot). From a studio that should really be capable of better, it’s a massive disappointment.
Not that you’ll ever be fighting with too many AI guns of your side, that is; sadly, the broad scale of this title’s plot never quite translates into gameplay, with Reach doing
it’s very best to steer you deftly away from the biggest conflicts and rarely dumping you in anything larger than a mid-sized skirmish. There’s not even a real build-up to the finale of a story that - despite dishing fan-service in heaps - fizzles out abruptly, being saved only by a phenomenal epilogue sequence to perfectly encapsulate what’s so good about this game in the first place.Superb
Fortunately though, this is all offset by a superb co-op mode allowing up to three other players to join in on the action, and although split-screeners may encounter the odd problem in the way of texture pop in, absolutely everyone can be guaranteed an experience that is twice as fun regardless because of great scaling difficulty, plenty of challenge and a whole new opportunity for tactics (or showing off, if you’re in that sort of mood). This is quite obviously the way Reach was meant to be played.
Of course, it was rather inevitable that the multiplayer component of this Halo would deliver, so there’s no point in pretending that the online arenas don’t hold the true gold of the title; for many the series was enough alone to sign up for Xbox LIVE, after all, and Reach certainly doesn’t dissatisfy. Team based, solo or paired fights are deeply addictive, surprisingly flexible and completely enthralling. Weapons that may have felt a little dull in single-player are beautifully balanced here for maximum carnage. Brand new armour abilities (ranging from the traditional sprint and drop-shields to invisibility-cloaks or jet-packs) add a whole new dimension to gameplay
and strategy, opening up all manner of epic encounters where you can now play in exactly the fashion you want. A multi-tiered level-up system will allow you to climb ranks and unlock new items for your fully customisable character (also available as your playable avatar in the campaign), and ever-changing ‘challenges’ provide even more distraction.What’s more, you’re not exactly limited in your choice of match either; while there’s obviously the standard death matches, king of the hill rounds and capture the flag modes, these are dramatically bolstered by the addition of addictive match-types such as ‘Head-hunter’ (where the player must gain as and deposit as many kills as they can before being stopped and robbed of their points), a competitive Arena mode with varying divisions based on skill, the Battlefield-inspired Invasion that engages players in huge, objective based missions and a massively improved Firefight system - the wave based horde feature from ODST - where participants must hold out for as long as they can against increasingly difficult bands of computer controlled enemies, who in turn are becoming more deadly not only due to numbers but because of ‘skulls’ as well, changing gameplay in significant fashion with each progressive round.
In truth, the only real ‘failing’ of this multiplayer component at all would have to be the cookie-cutter nature of the maps available, largely as they display an uncomfortable habit of repeating themselves; in spite of being superbly balanced for play, they do have th
e recurring smack of a Lego-brick construction-set made from the same pieces in a hurry, and could even have been put together in the unbelievably creative Forge mode by a player. Nevertheless, this same Forge demonstrates something vital about Reach as you are handed the ability to craft nigh on any level or match that you can think of within it’s spacious confines, more than making up for a lack of original content because you can easily create your own with enough patience (even if you can only then send them to friends). What this aptly proves is that, in spite of any problem you might happen to come across in this game, there’s almost always something else ready and waiting to make up for it down the line.The Bottom Line
While it certainly has its issues here and there, Halo Reach is a great title that more than delivers on stunning positives too. There’s a lot to like despite any shortcomings, and regardless of whether you’ve tuned in for some excellent online action or intend to rattle through a brilliant campaign, have no doubt that there’s enough to keep you hooked for a very long time yet. Standing tall as what is probably Bungie’s most astonishing work and showing itself to be one of the 360’s most impressive titles, Reach undoubtedly shines bright in a year already chock-full of quality.
88%
(Great)
