game Reviews
FULL CIRCLE When Bungie first released Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001, you have to wonder if it had any idea just what it had set in motion. Five titles, over 34 million copies sold and $1.7 billion in merchandise — Halo’s history is every bit as legendary as the war it chronicles. Now, after ten years, the developer is finally cashing in its chips and moving on to other independent projects. The franchise will continue, of course (indeed, it has gained so much momentum at this point that no force on Earth could possibly stop it), but Bungie’s involvement has ceased, and it feels like the end of an era. Still, before the curtain falls, there’s time to sing one hell of a swan song and give the faithful cash cow another sound milking. Halo: Reach is a prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved — one ends, quite literally, where the other begins. There’s a certain poetry to this, as if the series has come full circle, and it fleshes out much of the backstory surrounding previous titles. The player is Noble Six, the latest edition to a team of Spartan soldiers stationed on the human colony, Reach. When the ruthless alien Covenant begins a sudden attack on the colony, its inhabitants fight to defend themselves against impossible odds. From the very first moments of the campaign, there’s an incredible sense of scale. Whereas Master Chief was a lone wolf protagonist, Noble Six is just one soldier amidst an immense planetary invasion; as you’re rapidly deployed from one combat zone to another, there are large-scale battles being waged constantly around you. Often, a single level will see you travel for miles across vibrant terrain, defending vital targets and assaulting others as you contribute to a much greater war effort. It’s an inspired setting that keeps up the pace and avoids issues of level repetition. The narrative aims for a certain pathos that, unfortunately, doesn’t quite hit the mark. This is due largely to the portrayal of Noble Six — it’s hard to feel moved by the heroism and sacrifice of a nameless, faceless protagonist who delivers no more than half a dozen lines of dialogue throughout the entire game. His teammates have a little more personality, but this certainly isn’t a character-driven affair. I felt most affected, in fact, by Bungie’s message of thanks and farewell to its franchise and its
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r e vi e wed
Halo: Reach (Xbox 360) r e vi e wed by
Hugh Milligan r ated
9.5/10
fans at the campaign’s conclusion. Nevertheless, the campaign is a thrilling and immersive addition to Halo’s lore, and there are a few nice cameos from old characters thrown in for good measure. Let’s be honest, though — you really just want to know how the game’s multiplayer stacks up, right? Well, fans can rest assured that Reach includes the most extensive multiplayer suite of the series to date, building upon all previous game modes with several new features. The most prominent of these is the Armoury, Reach’s new advancement and customisation system. All your efforts in both single-player and matchmaking will gradually increase your rank and earn you credits, which can be spent on new armour designs, effects and voice patterns to outfit your Spartan. These have no real practical benefit, but are a nice way to personalise yourself in-game. Colour schemes and emblems are able to be customised as well, without cost. Also notable is the addition of armour abilities, which replace the disposable pick-ups from Halo 3. These include a jetpack for shortrange flight, a stationary shield, a hologram device to deceive foes, active camouflage for improved stealth and an armour-lock device which renders you momentarily invulnerable.
The abilities are bundled in “loadouts” that you select before spawning, and provide some semblance of class-based combat without restricting the weapons you can pick up and use. The jetpack in particular is great fun, and opens up a number of gameplay opportunities — in one match, I found myself drawn into a delightfully absurd aerial sniper battle with a dozen other players. Bungie’s matchmaking service is still smooth and intuitive, and now applies to Firefight mode as well (a feature unusually absent from Halo: ODST), so you can jump quite readily into whatever type of match you’re looking for. Firefight in ODST was a little gimmicky and restrictive; here it is highly customisable and comprises several game types, making it far more viable to play. The game’s Forge (a map editor originally shipped with Halo 3) has also been improved, with an increased palette to play around with and more accessible design tools. Otherwise, the online modes feel very much as they did in Halo 3. Bungie knows better than to make changes where none are warranted, and amongst a host of new maps and weapons, all of the fan favourites are still in play. It’s a shame, though, that the general maturity of players remains similarly unchanged. Use your
microphone at your own peril — ten years on, it appears that most Halo fanboys still haven’t sorted out their anger management issues. The game’s graphics engine has been improved to accommodate its sweeping environments, though there are some occasional frame rate issues in the campaign during heavily populated encounters. Martin O’Donnell once again provides an absolutely incredible orchestral score that adds depth and gravitas to the gameplay, and the enemy AI has been improved; your opponents will use cover to their advantage and attempt to flank you wherever possible, lending increased difficulty to Firefight and the campaign. It can’t be easy for Bungie to relinquish the franchise to which has devoted a decade, but such finality has clearly pushed the developer to its creative zenith. What began with Halo: Combat Evolved has continued to evolve with each new title, and Reach is the culmination of them all — it’s the most jam-packed, finelydetailed and truly epic instalment in the series, and one of the most accomplished FPS games of this generation. One can only hope that 343 Industries, the Microsoft development team now tasked as “stewards” of the franchise, can bring the same excellence to bear.
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