Thanks Bungie.
When you play the campaign, you play as Noble Six, a SPARTAN III and the latest member for the Noble team replacing a previous member that was killed. You can choose the gender of your character, which something new for the campaign. However, you'll never see what the character looks like, just like the Masterchief. All Noble Six members have different personalities and are all unique and you get to know them better as you progress through the game. The story of the campaign was pretty much mission-focused and more straight to the point feel, and it didn't have that vibe than the previous games.
Bungie improved a lot of things such as the graphics. There are less jaggy lines in the characters and weapons and the atmosphere of the planet looks just as amazing since Bungie wanted to bring back the large explorable and distinguishable ambience from the first Halo. A lot of the particle effects and lighting seems to have been improved. The physics of the game still feels pretty much the same and some of the physical movements and actions from the NPC's all look similar to each other. There were some downsides however. Sometimes the framerate would drop in certain cutscenes and places, which can be annoying at times.
Gameplay has probably improved a lot. The most recognizable is the enemy A.I. Elites are definitely smarter. This is evident through their use of tactics and maneuvers. Elites can now find ways to go around, flank you from both sides, actually take cover when their shield is depleted and their ability to throw grenades is now even more dangerous. Allies are also smarter unlike the previous game where they would get stuck in a corner. Just like all the other Halo games, it's still a solid shooter. Although it is a linear game, the game does allow you some freedom such as not having a certain time limit to complete an objective.
Multiplayer is also an improvement. Custom loadouts is a great addition as well as new gametypes. The maps in multiplayer are doesn't have a lot of hidden corners, so that means less camping. Forge is now more user friendly and with the availability of forge world, you can create your own maps and design from scratch.
So to sum it all up, Halo: Reach delivers. It is definitely up there with all the top games of this year. Although there are some framerate issues in some parts, but the game itself as a really great atmosphere just like the very first Halo.
PROS
- Improvements on graphics
- Improvements on gameplay
- Stronger Multiplayer
- New weapons & loadouts
CONS
- Frame rate issues
- Campaign story not as strong as previous games