Halo Reach: Video Game Review

People have been waiting for Halo Reach for a long time since Bungie announced that it will be released September 14, 2010. Now that its out for XBOX 360, I figured it would be a good idea to write a review on it since I bought the game the day it came out. I've always been an avid halo fan and halo player and I hope to write more reviews about this video game in other hubs.

Perhaps some of those hubs will include strategy guides and Halo Reach tutorials.

The graphics in Halo Reach definitely show significant improvement. The guns have more detail to them in look and the maps have been tweaked in a few ways. There are a few new guns and there are power ups like sprint that you can choose through a weapon class, very similar to the way you choose a class in Call of Duty.  Additionally, you will find that there are some new levels that do prove to be very fun.  Overall, I would say that I am very impressed with the graphics and video of this game, especially the video that you watch as you progress through the Halo Reach Campaign.

Halo Reach Maps

Some of the Halo Reach maps are very similar to the layout of the maps from Halo 3, however they all have been tweaked in one way or another. The graphics have definitely improved and gamers will find that the maps have much more detail to them. On a few occasions, I was able to find the weapons like the sniper during the first few games simply because it spawns in the same area that it did in Halo 3.  However there are quite a few maps that were completely different from any of the maps from Halo 3.

Playing Halo Reach on XBOX Live is a lot of fun and there are plenty of different game types to choose from in Matchmaking.  Additionally, there is also a firefight game type that allows you to play against copious amounts of enemies. 

There are new vehicles on XBOX Live, new maps, and new guns that have changed in a variety of different ways.  One of the biggest changes that I noticed was the fact that you can use power ups with your weapon class.  For example, sprinting is a power up, armor lock is a power up as well as other options such as the sneak power up.  As you continue to increase your matchmaking rank, you will know that you gain credits for your achievements and therefore you can use those credits to buy new gear for your Halo avatar.  The variety of customization is amazing, and its definitely something that makes the game even more addicting.

Halo Reach does have some new vehicles as well as some of the classic vehicles like the worthog, ghost, banshee, and mongoose.

Some of the New Vehicles On Halo Reach

• The Falcon - A lethal ground vehicle with heavy artillery and the speed that is close to the speed of a ghost.  Very deadly, a covenant vehicle that is quick, great for splattering and armor the front that resembles the armor of a covenant tank.
• The Double Propeller Helicopter - I have seen this used during online multiplayer on XBOX Live.  I believe I was playing big team battle and a players username was located within the helicopter.  However, so far I have not actually driven the double propeller helicopter
  

The videos and missions in the Halo Reach campaign mode are amazing and intense. I have played the campaign mode extensively and have been impressed with the graphics and the story mode. There are a considerable amount of driving missions in campaign mode also, and that gives every gamer a chance to experience the new vehicles while fighting against new enemies.  The plot of the game is very intriguing and I highly encourage people to try out the campaign mode if you decide to buy the game.  I also highly encourage people to consider buying the game, because its especially fun during online play.

One of my biggest frustrations with Halo Reach is the fact that you can get banned from Halo Reach matchmaking on XBOX Live for leaving early.  I admit, I am one of those people that may leave a Halo match a little early, however I do not do it compulsively.  I generally stay in the game until the end of the match but it is extremely easy to get banned from matchmaking. 

I have been temporarily banned from matchmaking for accidentally running a teammate over in matchmaking.  Even if you apologize to your teammate, if he decides to kick you out of the game it means that you left the game early and that means that you face penalties that will prevent you from playing matchmaking for a short amount of time.  If you leave 2 matchmaking games in a 3 day period, you may be presented a warning or maybe you already were penalized.  If you ask me, this penalty is excessive - I can see that perhaps Bungie is trying to improve the overall gamer experience by discouraging early quitters.  But this is far too excessive, especially if this penalty can be applied to gamers that accidentally splatter or betrayed on someone on XBOX Live.