Customer Reviews

Halo Reach - Limited Edition

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Halo: Reach - Circa 2010


GOOD:
- Tried and true (Halo) FPS experience that many other games have copied over the years.
- Great Co-op Gameplay allows up to four players to go through the entire game from start to end.
- Great graphics which look way better than that of Halo 3 and ODST; also there are a lots of new animations for the characters as well as tons of new unique enemy voice work to boot.
- Vehicle and turret shooting are the same as ever (for a Halo game); which is good; but the nice addition here is the new helicopter type of vehicle and even a small section of the game where you can control a space fighter.
- Armor Abilities really help out and give you a new edge in combat. Also you have a night vision mode which works and looks like the one from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
- Intense multiplayer versus action either by yourself on a team; the mode has plenty of different options to choose from. This is a pretty good upgraded version of the famed Halo 3 multiplayer that now has new maps, modes, abilities, and graphics for you to enjoy.
- Fire Fight mode allows up to four players to fight waves of enemies on unique maps (based on those in the campaign) using team work and skill.


BAD:
- Some slight lag and slight blurring at the more intensive moments in the game (with lots of things happening all at once).
- Can't play Forge maps in Fire Fight mode.


IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- A Sci-Fi First Person Shooter with quick pacing and intense fire fights. Note: that unlike Call of Duty: Modern Warfare this is a sci-fi First Person Shooter and as such your guns must first break an enemy's energy shield before you can really hurt them also everyone is wearing battle armor so you'll still need lots of shots to kill an opponent. The thing to do here is make your shots count more so you will need to do overall less of them to an opponent; example use energy type guns to break an enemy's energy shield and always try to do head shots to your enemy for extra damage. Coming at an enemy guns blazing and either not using the right guns and/or not aiming well will only get you killed pretty quickly.
- Gameplay wise this plays pretty much like Halo 3 but with the life bar from Halo 3: ODST. The missions themselves are pretty fun and take the best bits from Halo 3 and ODST into new experiences.
- The campaign levels can be played by either yourself or with up to four other players cooperatively at one time on any stage.
- The Story is an overall a combat story going from mission to mission with nothing really tying into the overall Halo lore until the last chapter.
- Intense multiplayer action online through Xbox Live with matches as small as one on one and as big as 16 players (and even offline without using Xbox Live using either spilt screen, or system link). Halo Reach is set up similar to that of Halo 3 but with some new modes and all new maps. But much like Halo 3 in the sense that you're given a rank when you play multiplayer (this rank can go up or down at any time) this rank is representative of your skill and your matched with others of your skill type, that way new unskilled players and hardcore veterans will not often play against one another, unless they make a special match themselves that ignores rank.
- An all new Fire Fight mode (Fire Fight was originally in Halo 3: ODST), Fire Fight which plays similar to Hoard Mode in Gears of War 2 is a mode where either by yourself or with up to four other players cooperatively can play a stage about the size of a multiplayer stage and you fight against enemies that are found in the games story campaign levels in waves. You get points and an overall score on your performance for these stages.
- There is no Master Chief in the game as well (the famed character from Halo's 1 through 3). Instead you play an assortment of different SPARTANS who were on the planet Reach when it was attacked. As far as the overall Halo story goes, your team is made up of SPARTAN IIIs (with one SPARTAN II). SPARTAN IIIs are cheaper to produce and have a bit less overall combat ability then the famed SPARTAN IIs (Master Chief is a SPARTAN II). Luckily for your team they have been given all sorts of prototype armor and weapons normally left only for the SPARTAN II's to have (note not even the Master Chief had a chance to get this stuff yet).
- NO FLOOD, it should be noted this Halo title has no FLOOD aliens within it (if you've played Halo's 1 through 3 you'll know what I am talking about).
- Forge World works like a much upgraded version of Halo 3's Forge mode is a mode that lets you make and edit your own map and build your very own maps from the ground up but adding/placing walls, ramps, towers, ect you can add or take away any and all of the objects, weapons, vehicles, spawning points and flag zones. This is all done in real time in one huge worlds (and not separate maps like in Halo 3) and you can even invite your friends into this mode while you're making the map(s) or just goofing off.
- Theater Mode works just like in Halo 3 it is a video editor that lets you record and play back any and all matches from Campaign, Multiplayer, and Fire Fight, and even Forge World from the point of view of any player that was there in either first person or third person (you can even swap to a in a orbit-cam where the camera circles around the player) all of this in real time. You can also pause the video/action at anytime and still look around as a camera as well as well as fast forward and rewind the events as they unfold. BUT don't forget you must save your videos before you turn off the game or you will lose the ability to save those matches. Also note that while viewing these "videos" you can take a picture or record a snippet of footage at any time and save it to your Xbox 360 and have your friends check them out later on your profile.


GAME IT'S MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
- Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)


ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- There is three small cameos from characters from previous halo games, honestly the cameos are very small and are not earth shattering to the games over all story.
- Don't put down that controller once you beat the game as there is a surprise post credits.
- People who pre-ordered this game either at Amazon.com or Gamestop got a preorder code for some extra armor parts for their characters.
- The Limited edition comes with a download code for more extra armor parts for your character as well as a Halo Reach patch and a mini book with some back story on the game from the point of view of one of the stories characters.
- The Legendary edition comes with everything found in the limited edition plus even more download codes for more extra armor parts for your character (like giving you a avatar a flaming helmet much like the Bungie staff had in Halo 3's multiplayer) as well as a small figure set of the games main characters design by Todd Mcfarlane of Spawn fame.

The Halo Reach Limited Edition, will have Halo fans around the world going crazy. If you are a hard core Halo fan like my self, then the Limited Edition is for you!

The overall game play I found was pretty well done. I found that it felt like i was playing a completely different game, even though it contained the Halo creatures and characters.

The thing that really finished it off for me was the Journal. It is contained within an ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence) Black Box, Archive Module. As if it was directly from the Halo Universe. The design is very well done. As for the journal itself....Lets just say that you might need a towel... The journal is perfectly detailed and crafted, containing extra little goodies inside, ranging from surveillance photos, news kiosk tear off sheets, Spartan profiles and much more.

If you willing to spend a few extra bucks on the Legendary Edition then go for it. The only thing different between the two is that you get everything in the Limited but an additional NOBLE TEAM statue. But the Limited Edition for me was more then enough.

So if your thinking of buying the Halo REACH Limited Edition, I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone.
Happy Shopping!

This game is a lot of fun with potentially many many hours of time spent playing it. The graphics are good aside from little things in the background you aren't likely to pay attention to and character faces (they are good, but I feel they could have been better. It's mostly a personal preference. Game play is also pretty much perfect aside from some annoying patterns that the AI might fall into. One of these patterns comes in higher difficulties from certain enemies running back and forth to avoid fire (makes things difficult, so I'll forgive that for the most part), and the other pattern was some AI getting stuck on objects (it only happened once for me, but it was at a critical moment and made things very aggravating).
The main story is great. The game gives you a feeling of comeradery with the other spartans, and it immerses you enough to get a good experience out of the game... unless you die a lot.
Overall this is a great game, and things can only get more interesting when you play this with friends.

As for the other things this package comes with, they are very nice. The handwritten journal has a very authentic feel to it. It has, little drawings in some places, coffee rings, leaves of different papers and photos in between pages, some pages torn out, etc. It's all a very appealing edition to the game,and I imagine to the story as well.

I adore this game. I play it all the time and i play WAY more than call of duty. This game is a great way to i guess calm down if you are not happy or if call of duty is being annoying.(very often) i am a big gamer and by my opinion of 2010 this is #1 beating call of duty by a long shot. Honestly i think the xbox would be just like the ps3 without its exclusive games such as this one. This game is a NEEDED game for xbox live.

All I have to say is that I would literally pay double (I know that's ridiculous, but the last Halo no PC was Halo 2 so I meen ya) the current price for Halo Reach or Halo 3 just for them to be on PC. Basically please put them on PC. They need to be. BADLY.

Bungie's last and latest entry in the Halo franchise brings us a distillation of the series' best elements.

(Spoilers will be clearly marked)

*****

>>The Overview:

Halo: Reach is a triumph. It's a shining example of everything that can go right in a game, and it's one of the most brazen gifts a developer has ever given to its fanbase. Playing Reach, digging through all its rich corners and absorbing the sheer amount of work and artistry that went into this game, you start to feel a tingle of realization in the back of your mind: This is what Bungie has been working toward all these years, ever since the first unfinished gameplay reels of Halo 1 surfaced behind closed doors back in 1999.

Reach takes nearly every successful element from every previous Halo game and improves on it. The Elites, finally, return as your main adversaries, and they are fiercer and more cunning than ever. Here, we get a chance to tackle every kind of Covenant in battle, from the gentle Engineers all the way up to Brute Chieftains, who have been stripped of their shields and massive armor to show their still-lowly status at this point in the Halo chronology. Likewise, the Flood are nowhere to be seen, meaning the gunplay remains tight throughout--there's no predictable lull as you crawl through dark corridors and get bum-rushed by space parasites. Thankfully, Reach spares us from the "Library" levels of earlier titles.

Instead, we're treated to a solemn tale of a planet under siege, and the startling scenes of Reach's fall evoke similar visuals from last year's Halo 3: ODST. Indoor environments are varied, and outdoor locales hearken back to the parched grounds of Halo 3's and ODST's New Mombasa. Bungie even gives us a modern redux of Halo 1's "Truth and Reconciliation" level, with nighttime outdoor sniping made all the better by armor powers.

And armor powers are what make Reach shine. Initially controversial in the Reach beta, armor powers are the game's crown jewel, mixing up the Halo formula with an ingredient we never knew we so desperately wanted. Sprinting from cover to cover is not only a joy, but now a necessity on the harder difficulties of Reach, and tricking both AI enemies and human adversaries with the hologram will never get old. There are seven armor powers in all, including the infamous jetpack and active camo, as well as an update of Halo 3's bubble shield.


>>Multiplayer:

Multiplayer is better than ever, and the addition of armor powers lends a whole new flavor to the frag-filled proceedings. Do you take to the skies in the jetpack and expose yourself to easy gunfire, or do you remain on ground defense with the invincibility-granting armor lock? Ah, choices, choices--and Reach, more than any other game in the series, gives you an entire Covenant battleship's worth of them.

The matchmaking system has been vastly improved, and the new map-and-game voting system blows away Halo 3's archaic vetoing method. Each multiplayer session gives you a choice of three (sometimes two) map-and-gametype pairs to choose from, so in a Team Slayer match, for example, you can choose from Slayer DMRs on Reflection, Slayer Pro on Asylum, Elite Slayer on Sword Base, or even "None of the Above," which will spawn a new round of voting. It gives players a better chance to jump in to their favorite map or gametype, instead of being stuck in Halo 3's occasional repetitive map/gametype purgatory for hours on end.

Bungie has also proven that they can listen and respond to complaints quickly: Barely three weeks passed from the game's launch before Bungie released a big multiplayer update that improved the experience in spades. New modes and playlists were added, and a significant number of bugs were removed, turning Reach into even more of a hurricane-level force to be reckoned with. This is some of the best multiplayer you can get on the Xbox, period.


>>Firefight:

Firefight, too, has finally realized its potential as a massive time sink. Players can expect to lose hours just tweaking the settings, which are seemingly bottomless. Set player loadouts, shield strength, weapon strength, the type of enemies that spawn, player speed, and so on--even gravity can be customized, so your dream of floating lazily over Hunters while pelting them with infinite Magnum fire can finally be realized.

A massive bonus is that Firefight now joins the matchmaking ranks, so players can grab some random teammates and pound alien scum together. Matchmaking firefight games, for better or worse, are limited to only five enemy waves, so games end after only five or so minutes, but at least those at a loss for Halo-playing friends can get a taste of arcadey co-op mayhem. Firefight also gives the option, in certain game modes, for two of the four players to take the role of Elites and harass the Spartans, but online you can mostly expect folks to stick to the Rocketfight variant, which is exactly as it sounds: unlimited lives, unlimited rockets, and a bunch of Covenant waiting to bite the dust.

It would be nice of Bungie to expand the playlists here. The intriguing Generator Defense gametype from the Reach beta, which pitted three Spartans against three Elites, is virtually nowhere to be seen. It's now a pared-down Firefight variant, but with Rocketfight being the most popular gametype, Generator Defense has all but melted into the shadows.

Niggling multiplayer issues like these are the strongest reminders of Halo's wasted potential. Again, we get Forge, the ridiculously powerful level creator and editor--but custom maps are limited to play between just you and your friends. Theater mode makes a welcome return--but only one person at a time can watch. Halo has always given us such great tools and toys, but sadly those tools are always limited in their execution, if not their scope. If I want to show a group of friends an awesome replay of an entire match and give them a personal play-by-play, I can't. I can only upload the film to my fileshare and recommend it to them. If someone creates a revolutionary gametype (like the Infection and Rocket Race of earlier Halo games), I have to wait months for Bungie to catch up and put it in their playlists.

Bungie has always prided itself on its community, and its community features are certainly on the cutting edge of console gaming--but I can't help feeling there's a better way to reap the creativity of all those fans out there. Maybe a playlist dedicated to the top ten most popular game/map variants of the week? It would be a start.

But enough about multiplayer. What about the campaign?


>>The Campaign:

Gameplay-wise, the campaign is a rollicking, rumbling ride. Being able to fight all the species of Covenant at once--including the new, lightning-quick Skirmishers--is a rush, forcing you to switch and adapt tactics on the fly. Environments are stunning, and despite what those spoiled by the likes of Gears of War will tell you, the graphics in Reach are wonderful. Visuals are a marked step up from Halo 3, but the improved vistas come at a cost: slowdown can happen more than once while you charge headlong into the larger battles of the game. (Though thankfully it's absent from multiplayer.)

The enemies are slick and cruel, and playing the game on Heroic--or Legendary, if you dare--makes you feel the enormity of Reach's struggle as you're forced to your tactical and reflexive wits' end. This game can be hard, but never is it unfair.

The voice acting is spot-on, the characters varied and clever. Noble team is a charismatic group, and stepping into the shoes of Noble 6 to join them is pure joy. Your own mysterious Spartan can be female or male, and it's a treat--and a good reflection on Bungie--to see Noble 6's voice and contextual cues change accordingly.

Reach's narrative, however, is its weakest aspect. The presentation is flawless and cinematic, and the cutscenes bookending each level offer a welcome reprieve from the intensity of the gunfights. But the story's sequence of events, and the tale's ultimate resolution, leave much to be desired.

Not only does the story conflict with the events of the first Halo book, The Fall of Reach, but the things that happen in-game seem to not only contradict basic tenets of the Halo universe, but also common sense.


***HERE BEGIN SPOILERS***

Killing off all of Noble team was a poor choice--particularly because they didn't all die. Jun, the team's sniper, presumably survived. If Bungie was going for a one-two punch of tragedy with Reach falling and Noble dying, they failed because they didn't even manage to kill all of them.

Then there's the issue of the deaths being painfully contrived. Apparently, autopiloting systems are designed to fail at the most crucial moments, Spartans have shielding except when they're supposed to get sniped, and Pelicans don't come installed with an eject button. Each and every death in the game was downright ridiculous. Spartan-IIIs aren't as powerful as Spartan-IIs like old Master Chief, but that doesn't mean they're made of toilet paper--or maybe they are, as evidenced by the avoidable ways Noble 6's teammates kick the bucket.

Reach's epilogue simply adds insult to injury. After a truly spot-on ending credits sequence, we're treated to a playable endgame mission that at first seems both frightening and mystifying, but which quickly devolves into an unavoidable--and anticlimactic--cutscene where Noble 6 gets rudely offed by a pack of Elites. This is then followed by an unnecessary, melodramatic, and wholly overwrought voiceover that's supposed to tie the whole Halo package together. The only halo I saw by that point were my eyes rolling.

While the other Halo games touched on a semblance of narrative nuance, and offered eye-opening twists (discovering the true power of the Halo rings in Halo 1; taking control of the Arbiter in Halo 2; reaching the Ark in Halo 3, etc.), Reach is a paint-by-the-numbers military story, replete with clichéd and unnecessary deaths. Bungie couldn't even evoke the melancholy close of Halo 3, which wrapped up the trilogy while preserving the possibility for more sequels.

I understand Bungie wanted to close the book on their chapter of Halo, but by the end of Reach it feels more like a door slamming on your rear end.

***SPOILERS END***


>>The Sound:

The rest of Reach more than makes up for the weak story, however, and tying the whole package together is the sound presentation, which is arguably the best in its class. Guns fire with more punch; every bullet sounds as if it's ripping through the environment. Even the new (and deviously enjoyable) assassination animations come to life with visceral sounds of your knife being plunged into your enemy's skull. Explosions are positively earth-shattering.

The music continues Halo's tradition of high-caliber choir and orchestra, punctuated by moments of rock and drums. Marty O'Donnell and his team have struck aural gold once again, and the Reach soundtrack explores fresh new territory while sneaking in some throwbacks to the previous games. It frames the narrative and lends weight to every step of the game, and it's one of the best soundtracks, game or otherwise, this year.


>>The Package:

Topping it all off are the three versions of Reach: Standard, Limited, and Legendary. Each is $60, $80, or $150, and offers a nice reward for every level of Halo fan.

Since I received the Limited Edition (the "middle" one), I'll give a breakdown of what's inside.

For $80, you get a surprisingly hefty (and sturdy) plastic case and plastic slipcover that, together, give the impression that you've recovered a top-secret ONI data module. The case even has a tiny handle at the top, which is helpful for pulling out the contents. Once you've opened it, you'll first see your copy of Reach, housed in a black DVD case similar to the Standard Edition--only it's a different color, and without the "Recon Armor" promo plastered on the front art. Having clean cover art is a nice touch, and so is having your own DVD case to keep separate from the rest of the package. This is a major improvement from the cat-scratch packaging of Halo 3's Limited Edition, which so poorly housed your discs that they ended up looking like they'd been handled by angry felines when you first opened it.

Pulling away the section housing the actual game, you find a package wrapped in black bubble wrap and stickered with all sorts of official-looking seals from the Office of Naval Intelligence. Opening this up reveals Dr. Halsey's journal, which is like a love gift from Bungie to fans.

The journal is substantial--it looks like an expensive journal you could buy at Borders, with a magnetic cover and cloth-string binding. The thing is thick, too--I've been reading it for several sittings and still have half of it left to go. The notes and drawings within will keep any fan of the Halo mythos spinning in excitement, and opening the Moleskine-like back pocket of the journal reveals an explosion of goodies: an ID tag, a Spartan patch, and what seems like two dozen slips of paper and pictures and random other things. Going through all these tidbits will keep you busy for a while, and it really gives the impression that you've stumbled upon the famous doctor's personal notes--even down to the fake coffee stains on some of the pages. Fans of the Halo books will recognize a lot, and find even more mysteries to be solved.

It's too bad there isn't a nice making-of DVD included with this set, like with the Halo 3 Limited Edition. Basically, you get a massive plastic case, the game, and a really well-done journal, but that's it. I suppose I should mention the extra downloadables, which include the Recon helmet of the Standard Edition, plus an exclusive in-game Elite armor variant and a toy Falcon helicopter for your Xbox Live Avatar. If you're a true Halo fan who regularly dives into the "extended universe" of the books, and you want some nice extras but aren't willing to burn the hole in your wallet for the Legendary Edition, I'd recommend the Limited Edition. And if you like unwrapping and discovering things and finding little tidbits, I'd recommend this as well. Opening up my copy of Reach was like Christmas morning.

But if you don't care about story and just want to shoot stuff? Get the Standard Edition.


>>Closing Comments:

So, while Reach's narrative is unfortunately the weakest of the whole series, the rest of the package is undoubtedly the absolute best. The campaign is worth it for the awe-inspiring set pieces and the red-hot battles, and Noble team is a good crew, even if you don't see them enough. Multiplayer has reached an epic plateau of fun, and Reach is one of the tightest, fairest, and most balanced competitive experiences out there.

Even with my complaints, Halo is still one of the most sublimely polished games on the market. And really, it seems to be the only one of its kind: Often, FPS games are either focused on real-world combat, or a much darker sci-fi route. Halo is one of the few shooters unafraid to use every color on the palette, and it's better for it. The franchise revels in the beauty of science fiction, with a lilting musical score and stunning alien vistas. Bungie has brought something unique to gaming with the Halo franchise, and it's sad to see them go. Who knows what surprises they might--or might not--introduce to the industry with their next project. For now, though, Reach stands as a monument to all they've given to us over the years.

Reach won't convert you if you're a Halo hater, but it might capture someone who's been on the fence. Armor powers, Spartan customization, and an improved matchmaking system are all welcome additions, and the campaign is loads of crazy fun. It might not reach the dizzying heights of the other Halo games, but neither does it drop to the dark, dank lows. Reach, more than any other Halo game, is consistent. It is consistently fair, consistently fun, and consistently great. It's a culmination of a decade's worth of work, and a fitting close, at least in terms of gameplay and features, to all that has made the series what it is.

This is a great Halo game, built on a decade of Bungie's experience of making the series since Halo Combat Evolved and things have come full circle back to Reach. Characters, story, visuals, audio, everything is pratically perfect, i just couldnt put it down almost. Amazon was awesome too about the release date delivery, it came the day it came out which was awesome too. And the Limited Edition was awesome as well, having so much extras for just 20 extra dollars. Definatly a must have for shooter fans and definatly for Halo fans.

I have been a fan of Halo for over a year now.

The packaging and items in the Legendary Edition are AWESOME. Very high quality. Much much better than I expected. The Journal and the pass are SUPER cool. The statue is much bigger than I expected. VERY NICE.

I was impressed that everything was so high quality, even the packaging. Just a testament to how quality this overall package is.

The Limited Edition is included in the big Legendary box, and people who get just that will be massively impressed.

As for the actual game.... I'm impressed. I was skeptical after playing the beta, for many reasons. But I have to confess, the game has it's act together. Here's hoping that the next Halo will actually be as smooth as Call of Duty insofar as the weapons and collision detection go. But that is nitpicking.

There are few other games that truly deserve a 10, Reach is DEFINITELY ONE OF THEM. I don't believe that a better game will arrive for MANY years. Perfection is still a long way off, but until that day..... YOU WILL BE PLAYING REACH. Call of Duty for the time being has cleaner and smoother shooting, but a meatier game you will not find. Reach is THAT good.

10 stars, near perfection. NOT a fanboy.

My ultimate recommendation.

This is the best game for infection, but MW3 has infection online to so if I were you I would get MW3 first :D

Overall I was pleased with my copy of the limited edition of Reach. There were a few notic eable scratches on the disc but, that is expected when buying a used game or CD. The main reason I bought the limited edition was the journal that comes with it. Special editions of games that come with alot of extras, such as this one, really appeal to me. At first I was skeptical about buying a used one because I didn't think it would come with everything and just the journal. I was pleased to see that everything was there except for the patch that comes in the back compartment of the journal. Not a big deal and im sure I could find one if I really needed to.

All in all, a good deal for 20 dollars on something that was close to 100 two years ago.