Halo Reach

[chopemon]

My ebay copy just turned up and I've just played through the first mission.

Picture proof as per the rules from my twitter.

NO SPOILARZ IN THIS POST - don't worry!

It makes a great first impression as the first mission is excellently scripted and the combat feels much more like Halo CE than the later games. The combat areas are nice and open and enemies move and spread out throughout them.

Having the constant chatter of the team makes a nice change from the more solo adventures of the Chief and it feels like a war. As the story starts unfolding you get a real sense of war taking over the planet and being a squad in part of it.

I don't want to say too much because I know people will want to experience the game fresh but so far I'd say this may be the best Halo game Bungie has done

[Malc]

It makes a great first impression as the first mission is excellently scripted and the combat feels much more like Halo CE than the later games. The combat areas are nice and open and enemies move and spread out throughout them.

I have managed to avoid the hype for Reach right up to release, and have thought only Halo 3 came close to being what Combat Evolved was all them years ago. If Reach is very similar to CE, then consider myself very intrigued for this.

[Uli]

to make sense of first play impressions i suggest everyone post additional information like this...

my favourite Halo game:
my Halo ranking:

i mean it!

i remember posts from the ODST and Halo 3 first play threads going like "i always hated Halo but this is really good..."

[moonwhistle]

to make sense of first play impressions i suggest everyone post additional information like this...

my favourite Halo game:
my Halo ranking:

i mean it!

i remember posts from the ODST and Halo 3 first play threads going like "i always hated Halo but this is really good..."

Well I'd rate the series like this:

Halo 1 >>>>>>> ODST > Halo 3 > Halo 2.

I don't feel any of the sequels came close to the magic of Halo CE. They all felt a bit bloated and watered down by comparison and while very competent lacked the magic from the 1st game. I'm kind of fed up with the sequels now although odst was a pleasant suprise. Here's hoping Reach will be something special although I think those space ship sections look like a huge step in the wrong direction.

[Uli]

well, sometimes i think nothing will ever come close to the magic of Halo CE. and i even doubt Reach can capture the feeling of the game that started it all, for it's probably all too different in terms of setting (no Halo ring, no Silent Cartographer, no forerunner architecture, no flood) and gameplay (no being on your own or lone-wolf feeling).

it's interesting that Halo 2 is comparatively ranked so low by so many fans. in my opinion Halo 2 is the game that comes closest to the feeling of the original with lots of outstanding level designs like Delta Halo. guess this must have something to do with playing as the Arbiter.

i'd rank the single player campaigns in line with their chronology:

Halo 10
Halo 2 9,5
Halo 3 9,0
ODST 8,5

[Charlie]

I'm another who rates Halo 2 as one of the better in the series, I'd rank them:

Halo, Halo 2, Halo ODST, Halo 3

As for being the Arbiter, I thought him brilliant. Give me a humble, proud, wicked-looking alien to play over a jumped-up marine with a ridiculous voice and his head up his own bottom anyday. Master Chief's a joke of a character as far as I'm concerned and resembles the generic Hollywood hero - perfect in every sense. But perfection's boring. I can't relate to perfection. It doesn't exist.

[averybluemonkey]

Well I'd rate the series like this:

Halo 1 >>>>>>> ODST > Halo 3 > Halo 2.

I'd rate them in the same order.

But personally I absolutely loathed Halo 2. The brutes were such letdown compared to the elites, no tactics besides fill them with bullets. And as for the multiplayer the auto-aim was far too strong and the dual wielding meant you were screwed half the time just because the other guy was spitting out twice as many rounds. The fact that health was gone and the shield completely regenerated didn't help much either.

I loved the Halo 1 vibe of the Reach beta though, it felt like they finally recaptured that magic.

[MarioMark]

Got this today from my local indie and so far I'm loving it! It's the Halo we all know and love. I won't say too much yet but you feel right at home with your co-op team and they really do help out. The combat seems to be a lot more beefed-up thanks to the sound additions and the music really gets you into the Halo mood, it's great.

The graphics and effect seem sharper than Halo 3 and I've noticed the odd little slow down but it doesn't really ruin the experience.

If the first 3 stages are anything to go by then it's gonna be great!.

->Open Spoiler<-

Now; when do we get to fly something!?

[chopemon]

Boom, finished it!

It took me about

->Open Spoiler<-

8

hours on normal and I cannot wait to go back into it on Legendary with some friends.

The level design is thoroughly excellent through out and it is certainly the most accomplished title in the series in terms of combat, AI and the way the guns feel.

My only complaint at the moment is that sometimes the levels feel a bit oddly linked in terms of story. You start a level and you're not really sure how you got there to begin with. The story is otherwise great though, fans are in for a treat!

[prinnysquad]

Game Informer has apparently given this 95&#37;. Not that I'm a score whore, but how would you rate it Mr Smith?

Personally I thought Halo 3 was terrific, and had many exhilarating and epic set pieces, that I recall vividly and warmly.

[EvilBoris]

ODST was a bit like that, I watched some video about the story recently and was like WTF is that what happened!

[chopemon]

I haven't tried Firefight, Forge or multiplayer yet (other than the beta) so going purely off story, I'll say 99%. I am really happy with it!

[prinnysquad]

Why have I paid no attention to this game so far? I don't even know what it's all about.

[marcus]

Nor me. I assumed this was multiplayer only so havent paid any notice of it, as theres a SP mode bolted on I think Ill pick it up.

[prinnysquad]

So, 8 hours SP campaign, full of goodness?

Spatial, hurry up and buy then sell!