It is a brisk September morning and I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of the postman, as today, a very special package is set to drop through my door. Yes, today is the day many Halo fans have been waiting for, as Reach has finally landed, and I cannot wait to get stuck into Bungie’s swansong within the universe they have so carefully crafted. My gaming station has been set up and an abundance of drinks and snacks have been prepared. Clearly, within the confines of my bedroom, I am here for the long haul.
So is the Xbox’s flagship title worthy of the magnitude of hype surrounding its release? In a word, yes, as the gameplay is as slick, fluid, and as tight as we have come to expect from the Halo franchise. Combat seamlessly progresses from one excellent shooting gallery to another, revealing more Covenant destruction, and an increasing air of human desperation. Simply put, the campaign is exceedingly immersive, providing the best single player experience not only in a Halo game, but in any first-person shooter across the current generation of consoles.
Greatly contributing to Reach’s appeal is the fantastically varied array of weaponry. New hardware, such as the Grenade Launcher and Needle Rifle prove to be excellent additions to Noble Team’s arsenal, whilst the classic Magnum makes an extremely welcome return. However, stealing the show is the Designated Marksman Rifle (or DMR), with its 3x zoom making it the ideal headshot weapon. Never has dealing death in the Halo universe been so refined. New armour abilities also provide a great twist on the classic formula, with the Jetpack rightly receiving a lot of attention, but other abilities, such as the Hologram and Armour Lock if used correctly, can prove to be a life saver.
Similarly, taking the game online is a worthwhile pursuit, and certainly ate into many hours of my free time. The player vs. player combat is so well organised. Even Firefight from ODST has made a return, and has been revamped with a Matchmaking facility.
However, Halo: Reach’s real success over its predecessors comes in the way in which it makes an emotional connection to the gamer. Do not expect Halo to engross you within its deep plot, or it to receive any BAFTA’s for its voice acting, yet the actions and sacrifices of Noble Team to me are more tragic, and resonate on a deeper level because I know that Reach is ultimately doomed. This desire to reach out (no pun intended) to the gamer is echoed by the game’s art style, as it is made to feel more like a gritty war movie than a sci-fi title. This emphasises the humanity of the Spartans, making it easier for me to connect with our fated heroes.
This ensures that there are large portions of dramatic engagement, particularly in the death of Jorge. Being portrayed as a somewhat benevolent and idealistic Spartan, Jorge, is only too happy to sacrifice himself to save the planet he calls home. “Reach has been good to me, time has come to return the favour”, are the words that he espouses before his one-way trip aboard a Covenant cruiser. Yet the tragedy does not lie in the nature of his heroic death, but in that fact that his death is in vain, making his ultimate sacrifice an extremely poignant moment of the game.
I would happily talk at length about the exploits of Noble 6, however his story is to be experienced, not told. The ultimate success of Halo: Reach’s narrative though derives from the understanding of his courageous actions, and the impact that it had on the overall conflict with the Covenant. I found the epilogue of a game to be extremely powerful in delivering the conclusion to a fantastic, epic, and grandiose adventure.
Perhaps this is why Halo Reach has become a prevalent aspect in my life even when I am not sat controller in hand, delving into Bungie’s universe. When I’m out, I frequently fantasise about being able to use a jetpack to avoid climbing stairs, or even possessing colossal strength to impress others at the gym. And when I am in the vicinity of my Xbox, there is the huge draw of online gameplay and the customisation options surrounding your Spartan avatar that will ensure that Halo Reach is a permanent feature in your disc drive.
But there is more to Reach than assassinating unsuspecting fools who live on the other side of the world. What makes this instalment more perpetual and memorable than its predecessors are the individual stories that have shown me courage, sacrifice, and more importantly, how to destroy a large Covenant vessel with a slip-space rupture.
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