I have always thought of the Halo series as overrated, but this game has changed that; guilty as charged, I love it.
I have always said things to myself like, "Why is Halo so critically acclaimed and popular? It's not that amazing! What is so great about it?! Why is so well-known when there are TONS of games better? GOD....", because it is so freaking overrated. However, after playing Halo: Reach, my opinion on Halo has changed. It is what the previous Halo games could have been, should have been, and would have been if it had been worked on a bit longer. It is Halo the way it was meant to be played.
The graphics are top-notch, but that's not really a surprise. I mean, it's an Xbox 360 game, you would have to have made the game in a matter of hours total to mess up the visuals, right? It has better graphics than Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and most of the Call of Duty games (except MW2). However, Killzone 2 has better visuals, but it's on a PS3, so it doesn't matter. Quit ranting, Sony fanboys!
The gameplay is just amazing for a first-person shooter. The 360 gets tons (and when I say tons, I mean TONS) of exclusive first-person shooter games, and most of them are mediocre to terrible, since the majority of them are budget titles that were made by underground companies. The really good ones are able to be purchased on PS3 as well, such as MW2 and COD 4. But, Reach is so good, it may be worth getting a 360 (at least, a used one, especially if you're kind of poor) just to play it. Well, back to the point. The campaign may be the most impressive campaign in a FPS I have played in a long time. It is intense, realistic, and action-packed. More so than all the previous Halo games combined.
The best part of the game is the multiplayer. It brings back all the multiplayer options from previous Halo games, plus an all new Firefight mode. The Infection mode is probably my favorite. It also has several new modes, features, and more. I don't want to give them away; you'll have to check the game out for yourself in order to hear more. Sorry, Halo lovers!
BOTTOM LINE: This is easily one of my shorter reviews, but that's just because there isn't really much to say about Reach, except that it is not only the only Halo game that lives up to its praise, but it is also one of the best games of the year, in any genre, so far. Anybody who owns an Xbox 360 should pick this game up as soon as possible, even if they don't like Halo. It's that great.