Halo: Reach

"From the beginning, you know the end."

- Game tagline

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. It was announced by Joe Staten during Microsoft's Media Briefing at E3 2009; Reach was released on September 14, 2010 in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia with the exclusion of Japan whose release was a day later.

Upon the first day of release, Reach grossed over $200 million, surpassing Halo 3 ' s record of $170 million.

Characters and setting
Halo: Reach takes place from July to August 2552, during the Covenant invasion of the human colony world Reach, which also serves as the main military stronghold of the UNSC. The game follows Noble Team, a six-man special operations unit of one SPARTAN-II and five SPARTAN-III commandos. The player assumes the role of the team's latest member, SPARTAN-B312 or "Noble Six" and defends Reach from its ultimate downfall at the hands of the Covenant forces.

Over the course of the campaign, the players visit various locales on and above planet Reach, including remote civilian homesteads, high-tech ONI facilities such as Sword Base, the metropolitan city of New Alexandria, as well as a segment of space combat in a YSS-1000 "Sabre" space fighter. The player also encounters interactive indigenous creatures such as the Moa and the Gúta.

Plot
Halo: Reach takes place on the UNSC fortress world of Reach in the weeks prior to Halo: Combat Evolved. On July 24, 2552, SPARTAN-B312, the player character, arrives at a UNSC outpost on the planet as a replacement for Noble Team's previous sixth member. It is here that Noble Team gets their first mission from their commanding officer, Colonel Urban Holland. The team is called in to investigate the sudden blackout of the Visegrad Relay, one of the planet's primary communications hubs. Expecting Insurrectionists, the team lands in the remote rural area and proceeds to the relay. After interrogating a farmer and finding suspicious signs in the area, it is soon discovered that the loss of communications is the work of the Covenant, as the team is engaged by Covenant ground forces. After they have made their way into the relay station, the team are attacked by a group of Elite Zealot team, who were on a mission to steal information from the relay. After the team successfully secures the relay, Carter uses the damaged relay to contact Colonel Holland and explain the situation, leading to the declaration of the planetary emergency directive WINTER CONTINGENCY.

Two days later, on July 26th, Noble Team is called in to ONI Sword Base near the Babd Catha Ice Shelf. As explained to the team by the AI Auntie Dot, Sword Base is under attack from a Covenant corvette, but due to the sensitive nature of the facility, the use of orbital MAC rounds is prohibited. Noble Team clears the main courtyard of enemies, and is then sent on a mission to re-activate Farragut Station, a communications station they can use to get into contact with command, and Airview Base, where they need to activate an anti-air battery to clear the skies. The Spartans move into Sword Base and Noble Six assists Emile in driving off several Phantoms and Banshees. After the skies have been cleared, the UNSC sends in a pair of Longswords to push the corvette away from the base's immediate vicinity. The Covenant vessel begins to retreat, only to be shot out of the sky by an orbital strike. After the mission, Noble Team is debriefed by Dr. Catherine Halsey, who inquires as to the death of one of her scientists, who was doing research at the relay. She says he mentioned a "latchkey" discovery and that the information was essential. Learning that he was killed by Zealots, Halsey reprimands Carter for not pursuing the leader, as the scientist's research was potentially important to their religion. Fortunately, Kat had stolen the data module off of the scientist, and hands it over to Halsey.

Over two weeks later, Noble Six and Jun are sent to perform a night reconnaissance mission to reconnoiter the Covenant "dark zone" in the Viery Territory. After stealthily eliminating guards at multiple outposts, The two Spartans meet up with a group of civilian militiamen, who guide them to a hydro-plant further into the dark zone, where the team discovers a Covenant stealth pylon. After planting an explosive charge on the pylon, the team moves deeper into the dark zone, where they discover a massive Covenant invasion force. Kat then orders them back so they can prepare for the attack on the next day.

In the morning of August 12, 2552, a massive UNSC joint assault force is put together, with the objective of mounting a counterattack on the Covenant-occupied Viery Territory. As revealed by Auntie Dot in the mission briefing, the Covenant have infiltrated to the region in force, deploying ground forces and installations, including several massive Covenant Spires. Noble Team's objective is to destroy one of these spires, designated Spire One. After pushing through Covenant forces and destroying several Covenant anti-air batteries, Jorge and Noble Six deploy to the spire in a Falcon. However, the aircraft crashes after being disabled by the electromagnetic field created by the Spire's shield. After the crash, the pair proceed into the spire, where it is revealed that the Spires actually contain teleporters used to transport Covenant forces to the surface, linked to an unknown source. After proceeding to the Spire, Noble Six utilizes a gravity lift to reach the top, and disables the shield. Noble Six is flown away from the tower by a Falcon containing Carter and Jorge. The, a Heavy Frigate, uses a MAC round to demolish the spire. Just after, a Covenant Supercarrier uncloaks and fires on the Grafton, completely destroying it.

Noble Team contemplates how to destroy the Covenant supercarrier, Long Night of Solace, as the UNSC no longer possess tactical nuclear devices on Reach. Instead, Kat proposes they use a slipspace drive as a makeshift bomb to destroy the ship. It also becomes apparent that Noble Six was a pilot in the top-secret Sabre Program at some point. Carter contacts Holland and the plan is approved.

On August 14, Noble Team arrives at the Sabre Program Launch/Research Range, where Noble Six and Jorge commandeer a UNSC YSS-1000 "Sabre" starfighter. They launch into the hostile space over Reach, where they protect a UNSC space station, Anchor 9, until its defenses come back online. Next, they rendezvous with the, which sacrifices its slipspace drive for the mission. They then board the Covenant corvette, Ardent Prayer, and using its re-fueling course at the supercarrier as an excuse, get close enough to detonate the slipspace bomb and destroy the Long Night of Solace. Unfortunately, the detonator for the makeshift bomb is damaged and Jorge is forced to manually detonate it, sacrificing himself to destroy the supercarrier. Just after, the Covenant Fleet of Particular Justice arrives, making the destruction of one supercarrier seem pointless.

Noble Six is flung away from the Corvette by Jorge, falling all the way down into Reach's atmosphere, saved by an M-Spec Reentry Pack. After landing, Six continues to the city of New Alexandria, arriving there on August 23rd. Six then regroups with UNSC forces and assists in the evacuation of Traxus Tower, where many civilians have taken refuge. After, Six helps UNSC Army troops to activate anti-air missile batteries, which damage a Covenant corvette, providing the time needed for the massive civilian transports to escape the city. Kat orders Noble Six to rejoin Noble Team, Noble Six meets Carter on a rooftop in New Alexandria. Kat orders Noble Six to assist in the destruction of several Covenant communications jammers in the area, along with several other tasks, including protecting Gunnery Sgt. Edward Buck's Falcon as he is transported to the rest of his team, defending different groups of Army soldiers around the city, and assisting in more civilian evacuation. Kat then calls on Noble Six to come to her aid in the evacuation of the Office of Naval Intelligence HQ.

Once inside, Noble Team is reunited, in what Emile calls a "family reunion." Colonel Holland makes emergency contact to the team, ordering them to immediately re-deploy to Sword Base to destroy sensitive information. The communications are cut off, and Jun notes several Covenant vehicles leaving the area. Soon afterward, the Covenant begin to glass the city near the building, generating a massive shockwave Noble Team barely manages to avoid. The team takes an elevator down to the bottom level, where they run to an underground radiation bunker. Just before they get inside, Kat is killed with a single shot from a Needle Rifle to the back of her head. Three days later, the team exits the shelter, and a Pelican arrives to transport them to Sword Base.

On August 29, Noble Six is deployed with a group of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in order to take out several Covenant anti-air towers around Sword Base, opening the defenses so the rest of Noble Team can be deployed to the base via Falcons. After fighting their way into Sword Base, Noble Team discovers the coordinates they were given to be empty, a last stand full of dead troopers. The coordinates are then revised by an unknown AI, and Noble Team moves into caves below Sword Base. Noble Team rides a cart down the tunnel, and discover that it was Dr. Halsey who ordered them back to the base, despite the existence of reports that she had died. As they descend down the elevator, a massive Forerunner artifact in the ice cavern is revealed.

Halsey asks Noble Team to buy her more time in order to decrypt the artifact's data. Noble Team sets up a defensive perimeter at the entrance to Halsey's lab, deploying Wolf Spider Turrets in the area before fighting off waves of incoming Covenant. After the process is complete, Noble Team falls back to Halsey's lab, where she then shows a fragment of the AI Cortana to the team and explains that she has been assigned the custodian of the Forerunner data, and she needs to be brought to the Aszod ship breaking yards in order to be deployed onto a UNSC Halycon-class Cruiser which is being sent on a special mission. Dr. Halsey explains that Cortana has picked Noble Six to be her carrier, and entrusts her to the Spartan.

They make their way to a landing pad outside, where two Pelican dropships await. Jun is assigned by Carter to take one of the Pelicans to escort Dr. Halsey to CASTLE Base, while the rest of the team deploys on the other dropship to the ship breaking yards. On the way, the Pelican piloted by Carter is damaged, forcing Emile and Noble Six to initiate a low level altitude aerial insertion and move towards the.

The pair are blocked by a Scarab, but Carter arrives and sacrifices himself, piloting the Pelican in a kamikaze strike on the Scarab. Noble Six and Emile continue towards the Pillar of Autumn. Once there, Emile mans a Mk. 2488 Onager MAC, while Noble Six fights off masses of Covenant infantry. Captain Jacob Keyes then arrives and receives the AI from Noble Six. Before the Captain can take off, a Covenant Battlecruiser arrives, and prepares to fire on the Autumn. Meanwhile, a Covenant Phantom arrives on scene and dispatches a team of Elite Zealots to Emile's location. Emile kills one with a shotgun, before being stabbed through the abdomen by another. The Marines on Keyes's dropship offer that Noble Six board the Pelican, but Six declines, as without cover from the MAC, the Pillar of Autumn couldn't escape. After fighting through the Zealots, Noble Six takes control of the cannon and defends the Pelican as it returns to the Autumn. As the Covenant ship prepares to fire, Noble Six fires into its main weapon, disabling the Cruiser until the Pillar of Autumn can escape from the planet.

The final cutscene portrays the beginning of the opening cutscene in Halo: Combat Evolved, where the Pillar of Autumn comes out of slipspace. Keyes asks if they have evaded the Covenant, to which Cortana replies- "I think we both know the answer to that". The credits display on the right as the ship drifts off towards Installation 04.

After the credits, Noble Six is shown to still be at the ship breaking yards, preparing for a final stand against Covenant forces being deployed in the area. Six fights off several waves of Covenant forces, before succumbing to plasma fire, discarding his/her damaged helmet. Six fights desperately with several Sangheili soldiers until overwhelmed and stabbed by a Sangheili Zealot's Energy Dagger. The epilogue, set over 30 years later in the year 2589 on a re-terraformed Reach, shows Noble Six's helmet sitting in what is now a grassy field. Dr. Halsey provides a eulogy to Noble Team as the camera shows a human ship landed on the planet, showing the re-colonization of Reach.

Gameplay
Halo: Reach features many new additions to the Halo sandbox while still retaining the core gameplay. The player damage system is similar to that of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3: ODST. The HUD highlights environmental features and overlay information about them, and the motion sensor display is three-dimensional. Halo: Reach also introduces a refined equipment system known as "Armor Abilities." Pieces of equipment can now be selected upon respawning (or picked up of the ground for certain gametypes and campaign); armor abilities are reusable with a recharge time between uses. A new assassination system is also featured, in which holding down the melee button will trigger a context-sensitive, third-person assassination animation. Simply hitting the melee button allows for the old-instant-kill assassination.

The weapon selection has been streamlined from that of Halo 3, so that every weapon has a specific role. The number of different grenade types has also been reduced from that of Halo 3, and incendiary grenades and spike grenades did not return. Human weapons all hit more or less instantly after pulling the trigger, giving them a more powerful feel. There is no longer dual-wielding available in Halo: Reach, following the same path as Halo 3: ODST. Compensating for this, the weapons that were known as dual weapons in Halo 3 that are now in Halo: Reach became drastically stronger. The M6G Magnum, for example, is now almost as powerful as the M6D Pistol in Halo: CE, and has an even higher rate of fire.

Players are able to personalize their character's armor with a greater variety of customization options, and the appearance will be consistent across campaign and multiplayer, unlike in Halo 3 where it would only be seen during multiplayer matches. Like in Halo 3, the armor permutations are only to be cosmetic and will not affect gameplay. The design of multiplayer models in Halo: Reach differs than those previously used in Halo 3; players are limited to a SPARTAN multiplayer model but given the option of changing their character's gender. Players are given the option to play as an Elite multiplayer model, though only in specific gametypes such as Firefight Versus, Invasion and other Elite-specific gametypes. Both multiplayer models have different gameplay properties; the Elite multiplayer model is physically superior, has a fully recharging health and faster shield regeneration than their SPARTAN counterpart. Overall, their only disadvantage is their massive size which makes them much more noticeable targets.

While the rest of Noble Team accompany the player for most of the game, Halo: Reach does not feature any kind of tactical squad mechanic. Much like the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam in Halo 3, the rest of the squad will fight alongside the player, but will not interact with the player, other than certain scripted actions and dialogue. The levels will be more open and teleportation in co-op will be far less strict.

As seen in the E3 2010 trailer, a small section of the Halo: Reach campaign level Long Night of Solace involves space combat, a new element to the game. This space battle above Reach is the first and only space combat level played in the saga.

Campaign
The campaign in Halo: Reach consists of eleven levels, ten of which are playable.
 * 1) Noble Actual - "Welcome to Reach." (Cutscene)
 * 2) Winter Contingency - "There's a disturbance on the frontier."
 * 3) ONI: Sword Base - "Covenant are attacking a vital ONI base. Drive the bastards off."
 * 4) Nightfall - "Move in behind enemy lines and evaluate the opposition."
 * 5) Tip of The Spear - "Two massive armies clash! Time to go to war against the Covenant."
 * 6) Long Night of Solace - "Move up the beach and secure the launch facility. Take the battle to the Covenant Super Carrier."
 * 7) Exodus - "All is not lost. Evacuate civilians from an occupied city."
 * 8) New Alexandria - "Provide air support in a forest of crumbling skyscrapers."
 * 9) The Package - "Your orders are to destroy Sword Base... Or are they?"
 * 10) The Pillar of Autumn - "Deliver Halsey's data package to the Pillar of Autumn."
 * 11) Lone Wolf - "Spartans never die. They're just missing in action..."

Multiplayer
A total of seventeen multiplayer maps are available in Halo: Reach, with nine standard multiplayer maps and eight Firefight maps.

Default
 * Multiplayer
 * Boardwalk
 * Boneyard
 * Countdown
 * Forge World
 * Powerhouse
 * Reflection
 * Spire
 * Sword Base
 * Zealot

Noble Map Pack


 * Anchor 9
 * Breakpoint
 * Tempest


 * Firefight
 * Beachhead
 * Corvette
 * Courtyard
 * Glacier
 * Holdout
 * Outpost
 * Overlook
 * Waterfront

Characters

 * Auntie Dot
 * Avery Junior Johnson
 * Buckman
 * Carter-A259
 * Catherine-B320
 * Catherine Elizabeth Halsey
 * Cortana
 * Duvall
 * Edward Buck
 * Emile-A239
 * Hierarchs
 * Jacob Keyes
 * Jake Chapman
 * John-117
 * Jorge-052
 * Jun-A266
 * Pete Stacker
 * SPARTAN-B312
 * Urban Holland

Events

 * Operation: TORPEDO
 * Operation: GUARDIAN LANCE
 * Fall of Reach
 * Battle of Viery
 * Operation: UPPERCUT
 * Raid of New Alexandria
 * Evacuation of New Alexandria

Locations

 * Epsilon Eridani System
 * Fermion Remote Scanning Outpost
 * Reach
 * Moons
 * Csodaszarvas
 * Turul
 * Eposz
 * Babd Catha Ice Shelf
 * Sword Base
 * Babd Catha Forerunner complex
 * Longhorn Valley
 * Manassas
 * New Alexandria
 * Orbital Defense Generator Facility A-331
 * Sabre Program Launch/Research Range
 * Ütközet
 * Szurdok Ridge
 * Unidentified hydroelectric power plant
 * Visegrad
 * Visegrad Relay
 * Lambda Serpentis System
 * Jericho VII
 * Harmony

Organizations

 * AMG Transport Dynamics
 * Covenant Empire
 * Covenant Army
 * Covenant Navy
 * Fleet of Particular Justice
 * Jotun Heavy Industries
 * Traxus Heavy Industries
 * United Nations Space Command
 * United Nations Space Command Defense Force
 * UNSC High Command
 * Unified Ground Command
 * Special Warfare Command
 * Special Warfare Group Three
 * Noble Team
 * 3 Charlie
 * UNSC Army
 * 8th Armored Brigade
 * 34th Infantry Brigade
 * 124th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized)
 * Army Military Police
 * UNSC Marine Corps
 * Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
 * Bullfrogs
 * 11th Shock Troops Battalion
 * 12th Marine Regiment
 * 22nd Shock Troops Battalion
 * 105th Marine Expeditionary Unit (SOC)
 * 2nd Shock Troops Battalion
 * 7th Shock Troops Battalion
 * M/AAV-20
 * VMX-22
 * UNSC Navy
 * Epsilon Eridani Fleet
 * Logistical Operations Command
 * Naval Special Warfare Command
 * SPARTAN-II Program
 * Red Team
 * Team Beta
 * Office of Naval Intelligence
 * Beta-5 Division
 * Asymmetrical Action Group
 * Beta-5 Military Police
 * SPARTAN-III Program
 * Sabre program
 * Echo Team
 * Gauntlet Team

Species

 * Gúta
 * Human
 * Huragok
 * Jiralhanae
 * Kig-yar
 * Skirmisher
 * Mgalekgolo
 * Moa
 * Sangheili
 * San 'Shyuum
 * Unggoy
 * Yanme'e

Vehicles

 * Anchor 9
 * Cart
 * Civilian vehicles
 * Covenant corvette
 * Ardent Prayer
 * Covenant supercarrier
 * Long Night of Solace
 * Covenant assault carrier
 * Dropship 77-Troop Carrier
 * GA-TL1 Longsword-class Interceptor
 * M12 Force Application Vehicle
 * M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle
 * M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle
 * M12R Light Anti-Armor Vehicle
 * M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle
 * M808B Main Battle Tank
 * M831 Troop Transport
 * Orbital Insertion Pod
 * S-2 Traxus Cargo Transporter
 * HuCiv HC1500
 * Tractor Unit
 * Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage
 * Type-25 Troop Carrier
 * Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft
 * Type-27 XMF
 * Type-31 XMF
 * Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle
 * Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform
 * Type-48 Light Assault Gun Carriage
 * Type-52 Troop Carrier
 * UH-144 Falcon
 * Unidentified flatbed truck
 * UNSC Frigate
 * YSS-1000 Sabre
 * Unidentified flatbed truck
 * UNSC Frigate
 * YSS-1000 Sabre
 * YSS-1000 Sabre
 * YSS-1000 Sabre
 * YSS-1000 Sabre
 * YSS-1000 Sabre
 * YSS-1000 Sabre

Weapons

 * Combat Knife
 * H-165 FOM
 * Landmine
 * Medusa Missile
 * M1024 ASW/AC 30mm ALA Cannon
 * M247H Heavy Machine Gun
 * M319 Individual Grenade Launcher
 * M392 Designated Marksman Rifle
 * M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun
 * M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon
 * M45 Tactical Shotgun
 * M68 Asynchronous Linear-Induction Motor
 * M6G Personal Defense Weapon System
 * M79 Multiple Launch Rocket System
 * M8 Automated Defense System
 * M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade
 * MA37 Individual Combat Weapon System
 * Magnetic Accelerator Cannon
 * MG460 Automatic Grenade Launcher
 * Sniper Rifle System 99 Anti-Matériel
 * Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade
 * Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword
 * Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer
 * Type-25 Carbine
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle
 * Type-26 Anti-Infantry Stationary Gun
 * Type-31 Rifle
 * Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher
 * Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon
 * Type-38 Anti-Aircraft Cannon
 * Type-50 Directed Energy Rifle/Heavy
 * Type-51 Directed Energy Rifle/Improved
 * Type-52 Directed Energy Support Weapon
 * Type-52 Guided Munitions Launcher/Explosive
 * Type-52 Special Applications Rifle
 * Unnamed UNSC anti-aircraft turret
 * Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galileian Nonlinear Rifle
 * 15cm Mark/2488 1.1GJ MAC

Equipment

 * Active Camouflage
 * Antigravity Pack
 * Drop Shield
 * Hologram
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV
 * Mark IV(G) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V
 * Mark V(B) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor
 * Mark V(B)/UA Multi-Threat variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Commando variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/CQC variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/ODST variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/CQB variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/EOD variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/O variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/AA variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/FJ/PARA variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/HAZOP variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/MP variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/R variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI
 * ODST Ballistic Battle Armor
 * Sangheili Combat Harness
 * Special Operations Harness
 * General Harness
 * Field Marshall Harness
 * Sprinting
 * Jetpack
 * Unnamed Shielding Attachment

Development
"Where there will be a full three-year cycle, it's got all-new tech, akin to the change from Halo 2 to Halo 3, not like ODST, which is just built on top of the foundation."

- Bungie Community Manager, Brian Jarrard.

Reach has been in development since the completion of Halo 3, in the tradition of a full three year cycle and will use a completely new game engine created specifically for the game. It was confirmed in October 2009 that Martin O'Donnell, Bungie's lead composer, had begun casting voice actors for Reach.

The Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta, used to gather information and tweak gameplay features in the game, ran from May 3 through May 20, 2010. The Zero-bug release milestone in Halo: Reach's development was reached on June 24, 2010, and the game's audio, including soundtrack, voices and sound effects, was finished on July 15, 2010. As of August 5, 2010, Halo: Reach has "gone gold", meaning all development of the game has been completed and mass manufacturing of the game has begun. The game was released on September 14, 2010 as planned. Interestingly, there were 117 days between the end of the Beta and the release of the full game, referencing John 117, the Master Chief.

Design
Bungie has taken a new design direction with Halo: Reach, aiming for a more somber and gritty atmosphere. The more serious tone is also reflected in camera angles; instead of long, sweeping shots, the cinematic camera angles are actually made to look as if shot with actual cameras.

In many ways, the character designs, especially those of Sangheili and human personnel, harken back to Halo: Combat Evolved. Models for enemies and allies boast remarkable levels of new detail in form of higher-resolution textures and more polygons. Enemies and allies will have more individual features to denote ranks and provide more visual variety, such as each soldier having an individual name tag in their BDUs. Bungie made an effort to make the Covenant feel more alien and threatening; for example, the Covenant will speak in their own languages instead of English.

Engine
Bungie is using a completely redone version of the Halo engine for Halo: Reach, with no component left untouched.

The environments, while larger than in the previous games, are far more detailed. The graphical effects have been drastically improved, allowing for a new atmospheric effects system and more dynamic lighting for dramatic shadows and moving light sources in interiors. The engine was improved with "imposters" systems; this allows very cheap textures far away, and moving closer will make them improve. This was proved with the map, Forge World. Rain and fogging effects are also improved. Halo: Reach also features a new animation system, which smoothly blends movement between standing, walking and running as well as jumps, grenade throws and firing. The facial animation system has been completely revamped, including motion capture. Weapon effects are amplified to be more powerful and visceral than before, giving them a more serious tone. Human weapons will sound more powerful and emit smoke and showers of sparks. Plasma bolts now burn through material as they hit, and explosions will throw clouds of dirt and debris around.

Halo: Reach's engine is able to support up to 40 active AI characters and 20 vehicles with AI characters on screen at once, twice as many as in Halo 3. In addition, distant battles between AI characters follow automated behavior models, which convert into scripted behaviors as the player gets closer, and finally convert to full AI.

Audio
"I want it to be more visceral, to have a bigger sense of loss, a personal feeling of sacrifice"

- Martin O'Donnell, on the audio design of Halo: Reach

A more serious and realistic approach has been taken in the audio design of Halo: Reach than in the previous Halo games.

The music of Reach was referred to as being more somber and more visceral, as the plot is more character-driven than previous Halo titles and that it focuses on a planet known to have fallen. While stated before release that the Halo Theme would not appear in Reach, an orchestral re-imagining does indeed appear as the opening segment of the track Tip of the Spear, while certain motifs are also present in several other tracks.

The in-game effects such as weapon sounds have also been amplified to sound more powerful and realistic. In addition to various different audio filters for interiors and exteriors, the space environment in the level Long Night of Solace required an entirely new audio filter to make the environment feel more realistic. A significant improvement in the game's audio technology allows for more fluid transition between different layers of music; whereas the first Halo could barely manage more than two layers of music at once, Reach can run seven layers at once, coordinating which ones fade in and out based on relatively minor changes in the player's behavior.

It was announced by Bungie that the Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack would be released on September 28, 2010.

Matchmaking
Halo: Reach 's matchmaking allows players to compete with each other over the Xbox Live online service or System Link, for 16 players on the Xbox. The matchmaking system has been improved and redesigned from Halo 3; instead of having experience and rank as two separate features, Halo: Reach combines these two into a credit system where the player is scored on how well they play in each individual performance, instead of a win/loss system. As players gain credits, they achieve higher military rank, and are able to buy armor permutations to customize their SPARTAN and Elites character model. A new matchmaking system called the Arena is introduced for hardcore/competitive players where they will play in month-long seasons and be put into divisions of either Onyx, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Steel, depending on how well they play. Along with this, Bungie has announced that Campaign will also have matchmaking support as well. Players will be able to vote on which Campaign mission to play, similar to how voting works in competitive Matchmaking. On October 25th, Bungie announced in the weekly update that Campaign Matchmaking has been released, and can now be accessed in the Co-op playlists along with Firefight Matchmaking and Score Attack.

The multiplayer mode features standard multiplayer gametypes such as Slayer, Capture the Flag and King of the Hill, as well as reintroducing Race, a gametype that was once made exclusive only to Halo: Combat Evolved. Firefight mode, a cooperative gameplay mode that was made present in Halo 3: ODST, will be featured in Halo: Reach with much more customizable features, from the skulls that turn on every round to the very enemies the player will face every wave, as well as having Matchmaking support. Halo: Reach also introduces new gametypes to multiplayer such as Invasion, Stockpile, and Headhunter.

The character models in Halo: Reach differs significantly than their previous architecture in Halo 3; both character models are now composed of different hitboxes and have different gameplay properties. The Elite character models are formidably larger, and physically superior, having faster shield regeneration and the ability to regain health fully over time than their SPARTAN counterpart. SPARTANs are smaller and weaker than their Elite counterpart and would only regain health to thirds over time unless they pick up a health pack. For these balancing issues, only specific gametypes in matchmaking allow SPARTANs and Elites to face each other in team-based games.

Bungie announced an upcoming DLC pack for Halo: Reach, to be known as the Noble Map Pack, it will include three new maps. Anchor 9 set on one of the floating space stations over Reach, it is set to be the first multiplayer map to include space combat. Tempest will feature a two symmetrical bases and a huge forge pallet, and Breakpoint is a new Invasion map based on the icy caves under ONI Sword Base. The map pack will include new achievements, a total of 250 more possible Gamer score, and will be for sale on November 30th for 800 Microsoft Points.

Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta
The Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta was a phase in the development of Halo: Reach, produced by Bungie, LLC and organized by Microsoft Game Studios. The beta was made available to those who bought Halo 3: ODST and it was released from May 3 through May 20, 2010. More than 2.7 million players participated in the beta during its three-week run on LIVE. After July 21, 2010, Bungie stopped supporting stats and files from the beta. Players who participated in the beta on their current LIVE accounts receive an Halo: Reach Beta Visual Flair for use with their gamertags, which is represented with an MA37.

E3 2009 Announcement
Shortly after the Halo 3: ODST E3 2009 Trailer premiered, it was soon followed up by the first official announcement trailer for Halo: Reach.

2009 VGA Trailer
At the 2009 Spike TV Video Games Awards, the first official in-game trailer was shown. This 2:36 video was an opening cinematic that showed a glimpse of the new characters and graphics.

Once More Unto the Breach
The Once More Unto the Breach ViDoc focused on the graphical and gameplay changes to the game between Halo 3 and Halo: Reach. This 7:45 video showed the development of the series over the years.

Carnàge Carnivàle
The Carnàge Carnivàle ViDoc focused on the new multiplayer in Halo: Reach. This 8:20 video shows the many gameplay enhancements that have been added.

E3 2010 Demo
On June 14, 2010, at E3 2010, Bungie released a demo displaying a section of campaign in Reach. It introduced various new vehicles, and the new feature of space combat. A shorter gameplay trailer of the same level was also released.

Firefight 2.0
On June 16, 2010, Bungie released a collage of clips from Halo: Reach's Firefight feature.

Red vs. Blue Halo: Reach PSA: Deja View
On July 7, 2010, in honor of Bungie Day, Rooster Teeth, the creators of the popular Halo machinima Red vs. Blue, released a special PSA revealing the return of Blood Gulch, the classic Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer map. The video teases the rest of Forge World in the form of a scene where Sarge stands on a cliff admiring the view and commenting on the map's large size.

Forge World
The Forge World ViDoc was released July 23, 2010. It was focused on the new multiplayer map, Forge World, the largest map in the Halo franchise.

The Battle Begins
The Battle Begins campaign trailer was released July 29, 2010. The 1:06 trailer showcased several cinematic scenes from the campaign.

A Spartan Will Rise
The 'A Spartan Will Rise' ViDoc was released August 17, 2010. The ViDoc focused on the characters of the game, with Dr. Halsey acting as the main narrator.

Noble Map Pack Trailer
The Noble Map Pack Trailer was released October 25, 2010. The trailer released new information about the Noble Map Pack.

Birth of a Spartan
On April 26, 2010, a website was created by Microsoft as part of a viral marketing campaign to promote Halo: Reach. At first, the site merely consisted of a teaser image which showed the UNSC emblem washed out by static, with the words "Augmentation Begins April 28, 2010". On April 28, both the standard and extended versions of the Birth of a Spartan live-action trailer were released.

Remember Reach
An advertising campaign titled Remember Reach was launched on August 17, 2010. The campaign includes the website rememberreach.com, as well as several live-action shorts.

Merchandise and promotions
Halo: Reach was released in three different versions. The Standard Edition comes with the game disc and manual. The Limited Edition is cased in an ONI "black box" and includes an exclusive Sangheili armor set for use in multiplayer modes and an artifact bag containing Dr. Halsey's personal journal and other classified documents and effects that unravel long-held secrets of the Halo universe. The Legendary Edition contains everything from the Limited Edition along with extra SPARTAN armor effect for use in the game, along with an exclusive hand-painted and numbered Noble Team statue by McFarlane Toys in UNSC-themed custom packaging. Those in North America who purchase Halo: Reach on launch day will receive a new variation of the coveted MJOLNIR Recon Armor. Recon will also be available to any who have pre-ordered the game. As a bonus, the UA Multi-Threat MJOLNIR Mark V(B) Armor will be given to customers who pre-order the game at GameStop.

In addition, Bungie has announced that players who have/buy a copy of Halo PC, can use that same authentication key to obtain a special in-game Halo: Combat Evolved symbol on their nameplate. Players of Xbox's Halo 2 before the April 14th, 2010 cutoff (Shutdown of Xbox Live v1 Service) will be awarded a special in-game Halo 2 symbol on their nameplate. If your current gamertag has changed since the last time you played Halo 2, or if your current gamertag never played Halo 2, you will not be receiving this item. Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Bungie Pro, Halo: Reach Beta flairs are also displayable in a similar way.

Also, a Reach themed Xbox has been announced. The Xbox will include a 250-gigabyte hard drive, two Reach themed wireless controllers, standard wired headset, and a standard copy of Halo: Reach. The Reach Xbox 360 will also feature exclusive Elite Armor, Waypoint Avatar Gear, and Halo: Legends episode: "The Package", as well as custom Halo sound effects from the Xbox itself.

In addition the controllers and headset will be sold separately for $59.99 and $49.99 respectively. The controller will also bring a token for a downloadable animated Covenant Banshee avatar item. The theme includes ONI property tags and more, which according to Microsoft, is canon material in the Halo universe.

The game has brought the proposal for merchandise, such as action figures. McFarlane Toys had announced that they were planning to release a series of Reach 5-inch scaled figures in September 2010. Square Enix has also showcased several figures for their new Reach line of action figures.

A new comic book series, titled Halo: The Fall of Reach - Boot Camp, was released alongside Halo: Reach. Boot Camp is a graphic novel adaptation of Halo: The Fall of Reach.

Soundtrack
Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack was released on September 28th, two weeks after the release of Halo: Reach. The soundtrack features twenty new tracks heard in the game, composed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori.

Release and reception
Halo: Reach received highly critical acclaim. 1Up praised the campaign, calling it "a grand re-telling of the Battle of Thermopylae, but portrayed from a gritty, ground-level perspective across multiple missions like Band of Brothers, and all done with typical Halo flourish. IGN noted that though the past games had repetitive landscapes and complicated plots, Reach was an altogether different matter. Gamepro stated "the only thing missing from this impressive entry is a number “4” in the title, because for all intents and purposes, Reach feels like the next big thing in the Halo franchise".

Many reviewers praised the enhanced graphics and audio, calling it "top-notch". Others mentioned that the checkpoints were flawed, with some too far between, and others leaving the player at a major disadvantage.

GamersHell called Reach the "ultimate multiplayer suite", but critiqued the acting, calling it "abrasive, cliched and campy".

Microsoft listed Reach as an Xbox Live Marketplace download on August 12, 2010, at a price of 99999 Microsoft Points (~US$1250); A spokesperson confirmed the download was for media review purposes, and that there were no plans to distribute the game to the public through Games on Demand. Four days later, hackers managed to access, download, and distribute the game online; Microsoft claimed to be actively investigating the matter.

Trivia

 * Bungie has stated that Halo: Reach will be the last Halo game being released by them in the foreseeable future, as they are beginning a partnership with Activision, while 343 Industries has taken over the Halo franchise, meaning they will make a Halo 4
 * It was previously known as "Halo 4" by Microsoft Game Studios and 343 Industries marketing teams during the ONI Candidate Assessment Program V5.02A viral campaign.
 * Early on in the game's development, before coming up with the idea of a prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, Bungie considered making a follow-up to Halo 3, with John-117 as the protagonist.
 * Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck, one of the main characters in ODST, appears in Halo: Reach as a Firefight voice in game and as a cameo in the level New Alexandria.
 * On the project page for Reach, located in the "Multimedia" section, the soundtracks to a couple of Reach trailers, "Lone Wolf" and "Uphill, Both Ways" by Martin O'Donnell, are available for download for free from Bungie.net.
 * Halo: Reach has 49 achievements, which is a reference to Bungie's love of the number seven, since seven times Seven is 49.
 * All of the Campaign achievement titles, along with many of the others, are quotations from the Halo games and books.
 * The game's release date, September 14, is the same day when Earth's Orbital Defense Platforms were activated in 2552.
 * Many of the Army troopers and Marines encountered in the game are named after Bungie employees and notable community members.

Internal

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo: Reach - Announcement Trailer
 * Halo: Reach Video Games Awards Trailer
 * Reach

External

 * Bungie.net: Official Halo: Reach project page
 * Welcome To NobleTeam: Viral Campaign
 * Ending to Halo Reach