This game is about what made Master Chief possible
So Halo: Reach ends with two gleaming notes:
1. It ends at the very place where Master Chief was born!
2. It depicts the sacrifice of perhaps the most important team in the halo world, the Noble team that safely retrieved Cortana.
Because without the Noble team, there would be no Cortana, and without Cortana .. no Master Chief.
This game is Bungie's masterpiece. It takes the finer irritabilities of Halo 3 and refines them into an incredible package. I was initially a little worried about the depth of this game without the awesome hero we all adore, but a few campaigns into Reach, you will start adoring the noble team. They are outnumbered, fighting almost in vain... however, their mission is of priceless importance to the future of mankind.
The visuals are tremendous. Bungie's art team did a great job here. The levels are beautifully designed, especially when you fly the falcon or shoot from the helicopter. The controls are very receptive. The team is divided strategically in missions, and you have a chance of playing with every one of them individually or together all six - in which case they just kick @##*$ ! The voice acting is terrific today ( equally good as ME) , and the dialog is tricky and fun to hear.
The cut scenes are marvelous and touching, especially the last one. After the plane leaves without Noble 6, the last mission objective is just "survive".. how .. i mean how cool is that... because in reality that is what would have happened.. no fairytale ending.. you are MIA. (Spartans never die).
Of the characters in the Noble Team, I did like Kat the most... although she is a horrible horrible driver.. never let her drive. Carter is terrific too, but you do not get too much one one time with him ( unlike Jorge). The AI is pretty intelligent too, your supporting soldiers sometimes do cool moves like they are almost living breathing soldiers beside you.
If you have never played a Halo Game, I suggest you play this one. I was always an ardent strategy/ RPG player, but Halo changed my concept of what fast paced action was .. along with superior gameplay, incredible graphics and one hell of a story.
Story: 10/10
Action: 9/10
Visuals: 10/10
Music: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
My contender for XboX 360 Game of the Year without any doubt.