User:StalkerGrunt117/Halo: Reach Review



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Halo: Reach is a first-person shooter video game set in the Halo universe and direct prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, depicting the Fall of Reach. It was developed by Bungie, LLC. and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 console.

Campaign
While I will not go into detail about the storyline, as it is explained in it's article page, Reach follows the story of Noble Team, a group of Spartan-IIs that participate in numerous missions across Reach during the Covenant invasion.

The story is very well executed, fitting very well with the book (Not perfect, but nothing really is...) and actually manages to portray scenes of drama as you see the planet being slowly conquered, and seeing your team fall apart Spartan by Spartan. The most dramatic for me were the death of Jorge and Emile, and of the playable character, Noble Six, that was killed saving the Master Chief, guaranteeing the events that followed in past games. Some suspicion also rose about the enemies of the game, wich i will get into details later. A certain Elite Marshall managed to get pass Noble Team at the Relay, then another one killed Kat and another one tried to stop Six from using the Onager. Were those actually one Elite that followed Noble Team? Throughout the whole game i was under the impression that i was followed by something. Also, at the very end, in Lone Wolf, the last Elite to come into the picture wields his sword with his left hand. What other Elite can do that?

Beyond the story, the campaign was also brilliantly designed. There are 10 missions in the game (and another one that is just the first cutscene). Each of them have different combat scenarios and and will put the player/s into various fights with various assets:

Here,s a short summary:
 * Winter Contingency; The first level of the game. It opens up as a detective style chase for whatever has messed around with the relay station. The level takes place in the open, similar to the first level of Halo 3, with a small tutorial. The level is very wide open, and half of it can be played to each one's desire: the game puts you at the wheel of a civilian truck which you get to drive around cross-country, choosing your route: You can either go uphill to some remote kivas or downhill to other structures. This circle reminded me of the second level of combat evolved. After you do that, the game has you defending some troopers from Covenant forces. Another things I really enjoy, parts where you have to defend an area. Parts like these familiarize players with the environment and also allows them multiple options in tackling enemies. The level then includes a scripted cinematic viewed from first person (although I am not a big fan of scripted events, the ones in Reach are rare and only serve as first person cutscenes), then you reach another area you have to defend, again with multiple options. Then as the level progresses, you get into some tight fights with elite and other covenant nemies, then it's over.


 * Oni: Sword Base; The second level of the game. It starts out with a courtyard fight then opens up into a huge area where you have to drive a Warthog around (or a Wraith, or a Troop hog, or a ghost) to activate an AA battery and a Comm array. The level reminds me of The Silent Cartographer as it allows the player to choose where he wants to get first. After that you get back to sword base which you know from multiplayer, get to the roof, help Emile then watch an epic cutscene.


 * Nightfall; Another level reminiscent of Combat Evolved, the Truth and Reconciliation. The levels is set at nighttime, with the player armed with a sniper with a ton of bullets. The great thing is that you have the options to choose if you want to go all rambo and shoot everything or do the level silently picking up active camo, or even better, distracting the enemies with holograms. The level has a number of areas to defend, and a map you may know from multiplayer, powerhouse. The level also features creatures native to Reach, such as the Guta.


 * Tip of the Spear; this level puts heavy emphasis on vehicle combat, but not only the vehicle you have, but also vehicles you can hijack. The mission is pretty wide open, with multiple routes trough each areas, the best one being the last part where you have to reach the spire, battling on the ground, flanking enemies, stealing banshees...whatever you want. The level also features one of those scripted scenes, yet the player can actually take part in the action, wich makes it very good. The player also has the option of going to one of the 2 mounted machineguns, each one changing the enemy's spawn locations further on.


 * Long night of Solace; arguably the best and hardest mission of the game, it is just incredible. The player starts off by assaulting a beach to get to a launch facility (similar to the Silent Cartographer again). The awesome thing on the beach is that you can linger around as much as you want because enemies are dropped off in infinite numbers as do your allies. Once you get to the launch facility, you get into a Sabre fighter, into SPACE...a huge open level that has you fighting tons of enemies in Banshees, Seraphs and Gunboats. Once that is over you get to another area where you get to fight off a giant Covenant Corvette's escorts, destroy its engines, then board it. You fight inside it, in zero G atmosphere. Fighting inside the ship is very reminiscent of yet another CE level, Trutch and Reconciliation (and Keyes). After you do that you go to the ship's command deck, eliminate all opponents, then go back to help Jorge, wich at the end meets a terrible fate, sacrificing himself for the good of the planet.


 * Exodus;
 * New Alexandria;
 * The package;
 * Pillar of autumn;
 * Lone wolf;

AI

 * 1) Elites


 * They are very agile, they run and strafe continuously while firing their weapons in short controlled bursts and lead their shots with great accuracy.
 * They like to throw grenades with great accuracy and in large numbers.
 * They take cover when their shields are low to let them recharge, then they get back to fighting.
 * They sometimes chase the player down and shoot him or melee, using a large variety of kicks, using their fists or even kicking with their legs, sometimes even at enemies which are behind them.
 * They berserk when their health gets low or when they suddenly remain shield-less, and chase the player while firing their guns uncontrollably.
 * They retreat when outnumbered or when they see the player wielding a powerful gun.
 * They dodge incoming projectiles (rockets, concussion rifle round, plasma rifle nades, needle rifle shots, needler bullets) and jump out of the way of grenades and vehicles. When they cannot do so they curl into a ball in the hope of reducing damage.
 * They can use Armor Abilities like Armor Lock to disable vehicles and protect themselves from explosives and other projectiles.
 * They can counter Armor Abilities (They group around a player that uses Armor Lock and shoot him when he gets up; They can detect a player that uses Holograms and Cloacking if he activates those in front of them; they shoot and rush into dropshields; they fire insistently at players that use jetpacks and use grenades to stick them; etc)
 * They use vehicles (Ghosts, Revenants, Banshees and Wraiths) and have different programming for each one, knowing how to pilot them and knowing their weaknesses and advantages (boosting, splattering, defensive maneuvers, etc)
 * They can hijack/skyjack vehicles if they come to close to them.
 * They use the environment, taking cover under static objects (trees, rocks, buildings) and dynamic objects (movable crates, cars, barrels)
 * They can push debris out of the way (small boxes, even vehicle parts)
 * They use mounted guns (turrets and plasma turrets) and even human equipment (they steal warthog turrets and use them against foes)
 * They will often jump over obstacles to reach enemies faster.
 * They use flanking maneuvers on enemies that hide by either chasing them down from multiple positions, surprising them and using hit and run techniques, spraying the enemy then retreating, or they can send in lower rank allies to flush them out.
 * They try to get height advantages and vantage points by climbing on top of different objects.
 * They can jump over most small-medium sizes objects (barricades, railings, even cars) to follow enemies.
 * They use teamwork to take down opponents, higher ranking ones leading lower ranks and other species into fights. These remain under authority, fighting much more efficiently (unless the leader dies, when lower ranking Elites tend to go rogue)
 * They can send or be sent to look for enemies that hide.
 * They use tactics like flushing the enemies out of cover.
 * They signal if they find enemies to warn other allies or to call in for reinforcements.
 * They can group up on enemies, firing at them from different vantage points with a lot more force.
 * They change their play stile depending on the weapons they have (those with heavy weapons maintain some distance from the player where they can fire safely; those with semi-auto guns tend to rush players up close, running and strafing in conjunction with meleeing, and they tend to stand relatively still at longer ranges to be more accurate; Those with sniper weaponry maintain the biggest distance from the players where they fire aggressively, and up close they do whatever it takes to try and get back to their appropriate range; those with melee weapons try to get close enough to use them, and if they feel that the player has a more powerful weapon or if they are outnumbered they retreat. To compensate for the lack of range, they try to throw grenades with incredible accuracy.
 * They change their gameplay drastically depending on their ranks. Upper ranks are more brave, they rarely seek cover knowing they have powerful armor and shielding and they do very elaborate moves to make themselves harder to hit, while the lower ones seek cover more often because of their lower shielding, yet they do less elaborate moves. Higher ranks also have greater aim and they fire the guns faster with more precision and lead their shots better, while the lower ones fire in shorter burst. Higher ranks also tend not to inflict friendly fire that much even if they have heavier weapons. Special classes use different techniques, SpecOps elites approach their enemies silently and when at the right range they start to fire or to melee. Rangers are agile both in horizontal movements and in vertical jumps, leaping from cover to surprise their adversaries or leaping back to hide.


 * 1) Brutes


 * They are semi agile, they run and strafe a lot while firing their weapons in short controlled bursts and lead their shots with great accuracy.
 * They like to throw grenades with moderate precision, and sometimes onto enemies that hide, surprising them.
 * They take cover when their health is low (or when their shields are low for Chieftains) then they get back to fighting.
 * They chase their enemies down when they spot them hiding and like to surprise them with fast attacks, peppering them with shots and retreating continuously.
 * They berserk when their health is low and charge the player directly in a straight line, firing their guns fully automatic.
 * They retreat when outnumbered or when they spot the player wielding a powerful weapon.
 * They dodge incoming projectiles (rockets, concussion rounds, plasma launcher bullets and needle ammo) and jump out of the path of incoming grenades and vehicles. When they cannot do so they curl into a ball in the hope of reducing damage.
 * They can protect themselves from needle ammunition, explosives and vehicles by using Armor Lock
 * They can counter Armor Abilities (They group around a player that uses Armor Lock and shoot him when he gets up; They can detect a player that uses Holograms and Cloacking if he activates those in front of them; they shoot and rush into dropshields; they fire insistently at players that use jetpacks and use grenades to stick them; etc)
 * They use vehicles (Wraiths, Banshees and Ghosts) having different programming for each one, knowing how to drive each one and knowing their weaknesses and advantages (boosting, splattering, defensive maneuvers, etc)
 * They can also hijack/skyjack vehicles.
 * They use the environment, hiding under static objetcs (trees, rocks) and dynamic objects (movable crates, barricades, etc)
 * They use mounted guns.
 * They use tactics like flushing the enemies out of cover.
 * They can jump over obstacles to reach their targets faster.
 * They use flanking maneuvers on enemies that hide by either chasing them down from multiple positions, surprising them and using hit and run techniques, spraying the enemy then retreating, or they can send in lower rank allies to flush them out.
 * They try to get height advantages and vantage points by climbing on top of different objects.
 * They can jump over most small-medium sized objects to follow enemies.
 * Higher ranks lead lower ranks into battle (and these remain organized and tactical unless the leader dies when they go rogue)
 * They can group together to overwhelm enemies and to fire at enemies from multiple positions with more strength.
 * They change their play styles depending on the weapons they use (those with semi auto guns tend to move more, often engaging the enemy at close ranges where they use a combination of weapon fire, melees and sheer strength to take down their opponent; those with sniper guns often try to keep their distance from the enemies, staying back and aiming more; those with heavy weapons use a combination of both, but will mostly try to keep their distance so as not to take damage themselves from their own weapons; those with melee weapons will usually charge after the player, but as opposed to berserking, they move from side to side while they attack. They will also use large numbers of grenades when their target is too far away or in the air.
 * They change their play styles depending on ranks, weaker ranks having less precision, aggression and tactics than the higher ranks, but will seek cover more because of their weaker health, while he higher ranks will seek cover less, relying on their shield strength to absorb damage, and retreating to recharge them later.


 * 1) Grunts

They can jump over most medium sized objects (like barricades, boxes) when they follow an enemy.
 * They are somewhat agile, they like to move when under fire, when at close range or to fire at enemies from different positions, all while firing their weapons in short controlled bursts and leading their shots.
 * They often hide when injured, then they return to the battle.
 * They sometimes chase down the player like their higher ranking commanders, surprising their enemies and peppering them with shots, then retreating.
 * They often flee in terror after their leader has been killed, them become calm and join the fight again, or go kamikaze and charge the player with 2 plasma grenades in their hands.
 * They will retreat when outnumbered or when they see the player holding a powerful gun.
 * They will dodge incoming projectiles, explosives and jump out of the way of grenades and vehicles. When they cannot do so, they curl into a ball in the hope of reducing damage.
 * To compensate for the fact that they cannot board vehicles, they have the ability to stop them with overcharged shots from the plasma pistols.
 * They can counter Armor Abilities (They group around a player that uses Armor Lock and shoot him when he gets up; They can detect a player that uses Holograms and Cloacking if he activates those in front of them; they shoot and rush into drop shields; they fire insistently at players that use jetpacks and use grenades to stick them; etc)
 * They use vehicles like ghosts and shade turrets and they have different programming for each, they know how to use them and they know their weaknesses and advantages.
 * They use the environment, hiding under static objects (trees, rocks) and dynamic objects (movable crates, barrels, barricades)
 * They use mounted guns.
 * They use tactics like flushing the enemies out of cover.
 * They usually jump over objects to reach their targets faster.
 * They try to get height advantages and good vantage points by climbing on top of objects.
 * They use teamwork, grouping together to take down enemies.
 * They are lead by a superior and as long as he is alive, they will be more brave, they will panic less often and they will generally fight better (if the leader dies then they go rogue)
 * They sometimes use flanking maneuvers, enveloping enemies from multiple positions, surprising them and peppering them with shots while they proceed further then retreat continously.
 * They change their tactics depending on their ranks (higher ranks are usually braver, more precise and tougher than lower ranking ones)


 * 1) Jackals


 * They defend themselves using their big shields and fire their weapons in short controlled bursts, leading their shots.
 * They often move from one place to another to get better angles on the enemies and if fired at, they instantly use their shields for cover.
 * They also move to search for cover when injured, then return to the battle.
 * They can chase after enemies and surprise them when they are hiding.
 * They run away when their shields are depleted and hide to regenerate them.
 * They group together when in the open and slowly move towards the enemy or away from him to attract fire and to fire themselves.
 * When approached at close range they try to run away and to get some distance as they have no melee attacks. Some higher ranks will try to hold their ground, firing their weapons with more powerful.
 * They will almost never lose the enemy from sight when at close-medium range and always try to keep they exposed back away from them to avoid assassinations.
 * They use tactics like flushing the enemies out of cover.
 * They jump out of the path of explosives and vehicles
 * They will stun vehicles to compensate for their lack of boarding.
 * They can counter Armor Abilities (They group around a player that uses Armor Lock and shoot him when he gets up; They can detect a player that uses Holograms and Cloacking if he activates those in front of them; they shoot and rush into drop shields; they fire insistently at players that use jetpacks and use grenades to stick them; etc)
 * They use the environment, hiding under static objects (trees, rocks) and dynamic objects (movable boxes, barrels, etc)
 * They use teamwork to flank enemies from multiple positions.
 * Their play style changes depending on the weapon they have (normal ones tend to move more and fire less precisely while snipers move less but fire with much more aggression and precision).
 * They change their play stiles depending on ranks, lower ranks being less accurate and less mobile than the higher ranks.


 * 1) Skirmishers


 * They are extremely fast and mobile, they run and strafe a lot while firing their weapons in short controlled bursts, leading their shots with precision.
 * They often seek cover to protect themselves when they are injured, then they get back to the fight.
 * They dodge incoming projectiles, explosives and vehicles.
 * They will often retreat when outnumbered or when they seen enemies with powerful guns.
 * They can counter Armor Abilities (They group around a player that uses Armor Lock and shoot him when he gets up; They can detect a player that uses Holograms and Cloacking if he activates those in front of them; they shoot and rush into drop shields; they fire insistently at players that use jetpacks and use grenades to stick them; etc)
 * They flank enemies often, surprising them with swift attacks, peppering the with shots then retreating continuously
 * They use the environment, hiding under static and dynamic objects.
 * They often try to get vantage points and height advantages by climbing on top of objects.
 * They usually jump over objects or directly onto targets to get there faster.
 * They can jump over most objects when they follow enemies.
 * They use tactics like flushing the enemies out of cover.
 * They change their play stiles depending on the weapons they have (the ones with semi auto weapons like to engage the enemies directly while the ones with snipers keep their distance and move less often)
 * They change their gameplay depending on their ranks (higher ranks are braver, move more often, use more tactics and are more precise than lower ranking ones)


 * 1) Hunters


 * They like to confront the enemies directly, often moving slowly towards their foes, letting their armor soak up bullets and firing at them, leading their fuel rod shots with great precision.
 * They charge players when at close range, using a wide variety of melee moves.
 * They also like to charge when at low health or when their brothers are dead.
 * They like to cover their necks with their shields when receiving damage and they also try not to let enemies fire or melee their exposed backs by always keeping an eye on them.
 * They dodge projectiles, explosives and vehicles. When they cannot do so, they curl into a ball in the hope of reducing damage. Sometimes they even try to knock out vehicles that pass to close to them.
 * They can counter Armor Abilities (They group around a player that uses Armor Lock and shoot him when he gets up; They can detect a player that uses Holograms and Cloacking if he activates those in front of them; they shoot and rush into drop shields; they fire insistently at players that use jetpacks and use grenades to stick them; etc)
 * They use teamwork, often flanking and surprising enemies.
 * They spot enemies warning other allies or calling in for reinforcements.


 * 1) Drones


 * They fly very fast and strafe, firing their weapons in short controlled bursts, leading their shots.
 * They seek cover when their health is low.
 * They can dodge incoming projectiles, explosives and vehicles.
 * They can counter Armor Abilities (They group around a player that uses Armor Lock and shoot him when he gets up; They can detect a player that uses Holograms and Cloacking if he activates those in front of them; they shoot and rush into drop shields; they fire insistently at players that use jetpacks and use grenades to stick them; etc)
 * They use the environment, hiding under static and dynamic objects.
 * They use flanking maneuvers.
 * They group together to overpower enemies.


 * 1) Marines/Army Troopers (to be continued)