Halo Reach

[anime52k8]

While I didn't care for Halo 2 or 3, I actually hated ODST. Apathy might have left me mildly curious about Reach, but ODST has me so soured on Halo that I think I'd rather play even a mediocre game like HAWX 2 than Reach.

wow, ODST wasn't THAT bad.

I'm not really interested in Reach either but more because I'd rather clear out my backlog of games I need to finish before Black Ops comes out. 3 was really the only Halo game I actually found honestly fun (admittedly I first played Halo op PC in 2006 and didn't even pick up a copy of halo 2 until after I had finished 3.)

ODST was fun, it was just way to short and lacking content to justify paying $60 for it. (I only picked it up because I got a $20 gift card and a free toy.) Still I'd take that over HAWX 2. (Actually that's not saying much, I'd rather jam a fork in my eye than play HAWX 2)

Edited September 15, 2010 by anime52k8

[Vepariga]

ODST was pretty cool.

I just finished REACH campaign ,and i must say,very good. Make sure you wait till after the credits too,because it continues

[Wanzerfan]

Got it, played a bit.

Graphics... While the engine is definitely getting long in the tooth the improvements made to animation and environment give this one last a bit scope and grandness that make the last two games feel claustrophobic in comparison.

Gameplay... it's Halo. Either you like it or you don't. Not much here that's going to change anyone's mind either way.

Story... not deep enough into the campaign to have any say and I'm not enough of a Halo fan to know the back story but I'm guessing we're all going to die in tragic ways saving folk from the bad guys.

Multiplayer... didn't bother. I spent the last six months playing ME2 and Dragon Age. Not in the mood to be screamed at by some 13 year old over what a n00b I am.

Watch out for the eight-year-olds; they can use language that would make a sailor blush.

[eugimon]

At least Penny Arcade understands.

[treatment]

awesome!

http://kotaku.com/5639005/snoop-dogg-chuck-ll-cool-j-boom-dizzle-in-best-halo-reach-vid-ever

[mikeszekely]

wow, ODST wasn't THAT bad.

ODST was pretty cool.

Look, I'm not saying that it's impossible to enjoy ODST. Apparently a lot of people really liked it. I'm just saying that I couldn't stand it. I mean, there have been games that I've thought sucked, but I soldiered through, and there have been games I thought sucked and quit playing. But ODST was the first time I actually said "This game sucks!" out loud, turned off the Xbox in disgust, and then went to read a book.

Edited September 16, 2010 by mikeszekely

[Graham]

At least Penny Arcade understands.

Hell yeah, the last panel in that comic is my life.

Graham

[danth]

I played the matchmaking today and it was horrible. Lag advantage is way too ridiculous. In some games I can't be touched and destroy everyone, and in the other games I can't do anything but die. There is no in between. It's not even fun.

[eugimon]

I played the matchmaking today and it was horrible. Lag advantage is way too ridiculous. In some games I can't be touched and destroy everyone, and in the other games I can't do anything but die. There is no in between. It's not even fun.

that wasn't my experience today at all, groups formed up pretty quickly and play was smooth and lag free.

[bluemax151]

Halo Reach co-op campaign on Legendary is LEGEN.. wait for it... DARY! There are some lag issues but I guess it depends on the regions of the players involved. Also is it just me or is the weapons/grenade spam even worse than previous Halo titles when playing on harder difficulties?

Love the new needle rifle too.

[danth]

that wasn't my experience today at all, groups formed up pretty quickly and play was smooth and lag free.

I'm talking about lag advantage. You can have quick matchmaking and smooth graphics but still be shooting at a guy who isn't actually there. I'm the type of player who knows exactly how many body/head shots it takes to kill an enemy and counts shots in game. In Reach it takes 7 BR shots anywhere in the body to kill. I've shot enemies upwards of 13 times and haven't killed them. In the same games I've been killed by very few shots. Later, in other games, I can kill people easily with 5 shots (headshots drop an enemy in 5 shots) and nobody seems to be able to kill me. So there's definitely a huge advantage in the game for certain players, and the most likely culprit is latency (lag). It's not always enough for you to see people warping around, but it's always enough to give someone an advantage.

This exists in all online FPS's of course, but it's mitigated better in all the other games I've played.

Edited September 17, 2010 by danth

[eugimon]

I'm talking about lag advantage. You can have quick matchmaking and smooth graphics but still be shooting at a guy who isn't actually there. I'm the type of player who knows exactly how many body/head shots it takes to kill an enemy and counts shots in game. In Reach it takes 7 BR shots anywhere in the body to kill. I've shot enemies upwards of 13 times and haven't killed them. In the same games I've been killed by very few shots. Later, in other games, I can kill people easily with 5 shots (headshots drop an enemy in 5 shots) and nobody seems to be able to kill me. So there's definitely a huge advantage in the game for certain players, and the most likely culprit is latency (lag). It's not always enough for you to see people warping around, but it's always enough to give someone an advantage.

This exists in all online FPS's of course, but it's mitigated better in all the other games I've played.

unfortunately I've mostly been playing "infected" and since kills are usually 1 hit, 1 kill, I haven't noticed any of that.

[Ghost Train]

Just finished the campaign, will probably not go online with this due to other time commitments. From this very limited view of the game I'd say that it's really just Halo 3.5, perfecting on the same formula and mechanics.

I read somewhere that this game was originally meant to take place in a Sandbox open world environment like Far Cry 2, which given how much attention is payed to bringing the planet Reach to life, would have just been awesome as opposed to the traditional level based fare.

I just have 2 big complaints really - the campaign itself is a bit short. It has its intense moments, but I want more - I'm hoping for some sort of DLC content in the future, given that it's possible that 1 Noble Team member did survive the whole ordeal.

Second, I found the voice acting to be a bit unremarkable. It's true that being super-commandos they talk and act in a very spartan (no pun intented) and highly professional manner as opposed to WOOOOO! I'M TEH COLE TRAIN BABY!, but everything just felt a bit lackluster.

[bluemax151]

Second, I found the voice acting to be a bit unremarkable. It's true that being super-commandos they talk and act in a very spartan (no pun intented) and highly professional manner as opposed to WOOOOO! I'M TEH COLE TRAIN BABY!, but everything just felt a bit lackluster.

The game could certainly stand to include more brofists, cans of axe body spray and gamecubes.

The six man team was a great idea on paper but Halo is so light on dialogue/story that they never really have anytime to develop the characters let alone give them enough speaking parts. No time for any of that story crap anyway when you have to hurry and headshot covie bastards

[protostar8]

I'm talking about lag advantage. You can have quick matchmaking and smooth graphics but still be shooting at a guy who isn't actually there. I'm the type of player who knows exactly how many body/head shots it takes to kill an enemy and counts shots in game. In Reach it takes 7 BR shots anywhere in the body to kill. I've shot enemies upwards of 13 times and haven't killed them. In the same games I've been killed by very few shots. Later, in other games, I can kill people easily with 5 shots (headshots drop an enemy in 5 shots) and nobody seems to be able to kill me. So there's definitely a huge advantage in the game for certain players, and the most likely culprit is latency (lag). It's not always enough for you to see people warping around, but it's always enough to give someone an advantage.

This exists in all online FPS's of course, but it's mitigated better in all the other games I've played.

I totally agree. I had this problem last night. I confirmed my super lag last night when we played a game of SWAT and I literally was 5 feet behind someone chasing them, shooting my entire DMR (the rifle thing) into his back and head only to have him turn around kill me while I reloaded. Later in the same game, I killed a guy WHILE I reloaded. Only lag can explain things like that. And I've met some hackers in the game too.

Overall, I'm glad I'm not a Halo fan and that the game came with a $20 gift card b/c it is not worthy of $65. Heck, I don't even think it's worthy of the $45 I paid for it. It's a pretty sad excuse for a game IMO. It takes way too long to kill people most of the time. Whereas games like Call Of Duty are all about skill, Halo is all about the buddy system. In other words, if you bring a buddy with you, then you win 99% of 2 on 1 fights and if your entire team runs as a pack of 4, the other team pretty much can't do anything unless they get off a lucky nade or run as a pack themselves. I can say I much prefer Call Of Duty to this less than thrilling shooter.

Please note, I was a HUGE fan of Halo 2, I just think the series has went way downhill since then.

[Steve68]

Halo Reach co-op campaign on Legendary is LEGEN.. wait for it... DARY! There are some lag issues but I guess it depends on the regions of the players involved. Also is it just me or is the weapons/grenade spam even worse than previous Halo titles when playing on harder difficulties?

Love the new needle rifle too.

I'm not that far into the campaign but what is weapons/grenade spam?

[big F]

Well I picked my copy up at midnight, mainly because I was on my way home from work and passed the store, Halo is one of those games you either like or don't, if you do you'll buy everything Halo if you don't well.... I have never overly liked the online multiplayer thing in Halo. "Teh Leet" 12 year olds really get on my nads. The best thing was co-op multi play. My friends and me play through on Legendary, no lag as we all live nearby each other, its just a bullet fest

The feeling you get playing it is similar to watching Star Wars episode III you know where its going and at the back of your mind your thinking its all over soon.

The engine is the same old Halo engine the AI is a little improved and the visuals are nice, many times I got shot while staring at the Vistas not realizing the enemy was sneaking up on me. The jet pack is long over due, Death from above is so much fun It IMO will be one of those titles I bring out from time to time just for old time sake.

[danth]

I totally agree. I had this problem last night. I confirmed my super lag last night when we played a game of SWAT and I literally was 5 feet behind someone chasing them, shooting my entire DMR (the rifle thing) into his back and head only to have him turn around kill me while I reloaded. Later in the same game, I killed a guy WHILE I reloaded. Only lag can explain things like that. And I've met some hackers in the game too.

Overall, I'm glad I'm not a Halo fan and that the game came with a $20 gift card b/c it is not worthy of $65. Heck, I don't even think it's worthy of the $45 I paid for it. It's a pretty sad excuse for a game IMO. It takes way too long to kill people most of the time. Whereas games like Call Of Duty are all about skill, Halo is all about the buddy system. In other words, if you bring a buddy with you, then you win 99% of 2 on 1 fights and if your entire team runs as a pack of 4, the other team pretty much can't do anything unless they get off a lucky nade or run as a pack themselves. I can say I much prefer Call Of Duty to this less than thrilling shooter.

Please note, I was a HUGE fan of Halo 2, I just think the series has went way downhill since then.

I agree with what you say about the buddy system. It takes so long to kill someone that it's most likely that your target's teammate will come rescue him before you can finish him.

Another big complaint I have is that skill is less rewarded in Reach. In Halo 3, it took 4 BR headshots to kill an opponent, or 8 body shots. Now, it takes 5 headshots or 7 body shots. This makes a sloppy shooter much more likely to kill a skilled opponent. Grenade spam seems to be the best way to kill someone rather than well-placed shots -- grenades kill way more quickly than guns, almost so much that guns should be a last resort in Reach.

And another thing. Where the hell are the vehicles? I've played about 60 online games so far and haven't seen a single Warthog.

[Noyhauser]

I agree with what you say about the buddy system. It takes so long to kill someone that it's most likely that your target's teammate will come rescue him before you can finish him.

Another big complaint I have is that skill is less rewarded in Reach. In Halo 3, it took 4 BR headshots to kill an opponent, or 8 body shots. Now, it takes 5 headshots or 7 body shots. This makes a sloppy shooter much more likely to kill a skilled opponent. Grenade spam seems to be the best way to kill someone rather than well-placed shots -- grenades kill way more quickly than guns, almost so much that guns should be a last resort in Reach.

And another thing. Where the hell are the vehicles? I've played about 60 online games so far and haven't seen a single Warthog.

Eh I'm not feeling any of these criticisms or the ones posted on here. I play with three of my friends and I'd consider us pretty good gamers: I've got 18000 kills on MW2 and a brigadier account on Halo 3. I'd say that Reach takes less skill than MW2, but thats generally been true for the series and it isn't that big a gap. If you have skill you'll basically win more times than you lose. Headshots don't matter until you take down shields. Once they are down headshots are one hit kills, usually. I have felt "robbed" that I hit a guy in the head but he didn't go down... but its no more of an issue than what I've experienced in MW2. If anything Grenades (and the noobtube in particular) are far more lethal in MW2 than in Halo reach. It was a serious problem that most gamers that I know turned them off of the game (that and the Spas). I'm almost certain that grenades lethal radius is smaller in Halo. Moreover the prevalence of the DMR and the needle rifle makes grenades less effective because you'll rarely close into throwing range.

Vehicle availability isn't a problem. You see them alot in Hemorrhage, the shipbreakers level, paradiso, among others. Its really no different in rotation than what you saw in Halo3 slayer. Actually if there is a problem is that on Hemorrhage and other maps vehicles are far too powerful and their counter weapons are too rare. On Hemorrhage you'll often see a tank gunner rack up 25+ kills on BTG without breaking a sweat, sitting in the back third of their base.

[bluemax151]

I'm not that far into the campaign but what is weapons/grenade spam?

When you're playing on Legendary the enemies throw a veritably endless stream of plasma grenades. Grunts also suicide more often I believe. Maybe it's just me but I'm pretty sure the covenant forces can fire the various weapons more rapidly than you can and their projectiles move at a quicker pace too. This certainly seems to be the case with the Concussion Rifle and Fuel Rod Gun.

[BeyondTheGrave]

The multilayer is fun with a group of people you know are good or can play. But the 12year olds, lag switchers,MLG players, campers and few play types can ruin a game.

The Story is pretty good. Its not the most in depth with every little detail explained but its fun.

Legendary campaign is frustrating b/c of enemies who don't have to reload.

[eugimon]

the betrayal mechanism in multiplayer is way too sensitive. An errant grenade at the wrong time? Betrayal message followed by boot.

[BeyondTheGrave]

the betrayal mechanism in multiplayer is way too sensitive. An errant grenade at the wrong time? Betrayal message followed by boot.

Yeah it is. I killed one guy intentionally b/c a had a banshee about to explode and decided to fly it like a idiot.

The daily challenges make you want to play. But the exp system is really slow.

[Wanzerfan]

Just finished the mission "Survive" last night in splitscreen co-op on Normal. All I'll say is that...

...we finally find out how the helmet gets the hole in the visor.

I want to know, how long did you survive, and on what difficulty?

[Ghost Train]

Just finished the mission "Survive" last night in splitscreen co-op on Normal. All I'll say is that...

...we finally find out how the helmet gets the hole in the visor.

I want to know, how long did you survive, and on what difficulty?

Covenant were like, "OH SH!T IT'S TEH WANZERMAN"