Nintendo has Mario, Sony has Metal Gear and Microsoft has Halo. When the original Xbox was released almost 10 years ago, it was considered such an underdog in the console war that it may not be around today if not for the “Halo” franchise.
‘Halo Reach’
3 1/2 stars = Very good
Ratings explained
Developer Bungie claims that “Halo: Reach” marks the end of the series that has left its mark on gaming history.
“Halo: Reach” is a prequel that leads directly into the original game. It takes place before Master Chief awakes from his cryo-sleep, which means human forces are without their eventual cyborg savior. Instead, we are introduced to Noble Team: four capable Spartans who carry out extreme missions.
The prequel is set on the planet Reach, colonized by humans but under attack by the alien Covenant forces. The “fall of Reach” was spoken of in the first “Halo,” but until now these events were never really clear.
If the folks at Bungie wanted to end the series with a gripping epic, moving story and fantastic gameplay, they hit the mark. The graphics are the best we’ve seen, setting the bar slightly above “Halo 3: ODST.”
The gameplay is slightly different if you’re used to “Halo 3.” A player can pick a class of soldier to start each new life, a la Call of Duty. My favorite class produces a holographic image of the player that draws fire from his enemies. Classes also determine your starting weapon.
Mutiplayer gameplay offers the same great experience we’re used to with the franchise, although with some tweaks. Firefight is a mode similar to Horde mode from the “Gears of War” series. Your team of four faces waves of enemy attacks that get progressively harder the longer your team survives. It can certainly burn the late hours if you’re playing with a team of friends.
That said, uneven teams remains the major issue in multiplayer “Halo.” I would like to see a drop-in option so you aren’t penalized if someone quits.
The online ranking system are among the changes from other “Halo” games. Each player now has a skill ranking that depends on performance in the previous match; so far, I’ve seen rankings from 0 to 3,000.
The “Halo: Reach” campaign is engaging, but nobody buys a “Halo” game just for the campaign. The multiplayer, along with Firefight, will keep you putting in the hours for a long time, or at least until the next “Call of Duty.”
Max Parker blogs as The Game Guy for the Post-Gazette. Find his blog with video games news and reviews at communityvoices
Nintendo has Mario, Sony has Metal Gear and Microsoft has Halo. When the original Xbox was released almost 10 years ago, it was considered such an underdog in the console war that it may not be around today if not for the “Halo” franchise.
Developer Bungie claims that “Halo: Reach” marks the end of the series that has left its mark on gaming history.
“Halo: Reach” is a prequel that leads directly into the original game. It takes place before Master Chief awakes from his cryo-sleep, which means human forces are without their eventual cyborg savior. Instead, we are introduced to Noble Team: four capable Spartans who carry out extreme missions.
The prequel is set on the planet Reach, colonized by humans but under attack by the alien Covenant forces. The “fall of Reach” was spoken of in the first “Halo,” but until now these events were never really clear.
If the folks at Bungie wanted to end the series with a gripping epic, moving story and fantastic gameplay, they hit the mark. The graphics are the best we’ve seen, setting the bar slightly above “Halo 3: ODST.”
The gameplay is slightly different if you’re used to “Halo 3.” A player can pick a class of soldier to start each new life, a la Call of Duty. My favorite class produces a holographic image of the player that draws fire from his enemies. Classes also determine your starting weapon.
Mutiplayer gameplay offers the same great experience we’re used to with the franchise, although with some tweaks. Firefight is a mode similar to Horde mode from the “Gears of War” series. Your team of four faces waves of enemy attacks that get progressively harder the longer your team survives. It can certainly burn the late hours if you’re playing with a team of friends.
That said, uneven teams remain the major issue in multiplayer “Halo.” I would like to see a drop-in option so you aren’t penalized if someone quits.
The online ranking system is among the changes from other “Halo” games. Each player now has a skill ranking that depends on performance in the previous match; so far, I’ve seen rankings from 0 to 3,000.
The “Halo: Reach” campaign is engaging, but nobody buys a “Halo” game just for the campaign. The multiplayer, along with Firefight, will keep you putting in the hours for a long time or at least until the next “Call of Duty.”
Christmas shopping days are finally not over, or maybe not. Just when you thought it was safe to go out and buy one of the hottest consoles on the market, only to discover that all the big sale hottest video games begin today. She like many other days before Christmas, shoppers are trapped in world “must have” for Xbox 360
