Halo: Reach

[Distinct muttering]

Yeah, I loved ODST. I know the hub world came in for some stick, but I really dug the noirish ambience of the whole thing. And I liked the night vision effect thing. Then on top of that, the flashbacks were like HALO in bite size, ace chunks. The retreat outside the ONI building is also up there, for me, with the best the series has offered, as was the final driving run which had so many ace moment. Much better than Reach's rather limp ending.

As for putting Halo first, well, it is still the best. I never minded the copy/paste architecture. It's alien, why would it follow human tropes? Plus the levels weren't the same. Going through AOTCR in daylight, then coming back through it in the snowy night with the flood and covenant battling it out never felt in any way similar. On top of that, you never felt like you were in a videogame world. More, you felt like some super soldier on an alien artifact. The lack of invisible walls (Reach's RETURN TO THE BATTLEFIELD or instant death is incredibly unwelcome) - just being able to walk out in to the sea on the silent cartographer just to see how far you could go, grenade blasting the hog on to places it wasn't meant to go - made the world feel incredibly solid and believable.

And as others will say, it introduced so much and nothing like it, on console at least, had ever been done before.

Thing is, Reach started so well, but I just felt the end was a little bit of a let down. I wanted to feel like I was racing to

get Cortana to Keyes. I wanted a countdown race, something to get the adrenaline going. But there was none of that. The battle just felt like a battle anywhere else in the game with no sense of build up or grandeur to it. I really wanted another hog run, basically. I would have had you making a suicide jump into space, flinging the package to a waiting open hangar on the Pillar of Autumn as you go out, Thlema and Louise style, sacrificing yourself in a spectacular fashion to get the package away. Hell, I'd have even had the Master Chief catch it. Why the hell not?

Something like that would have really sent the game and series out with a bang.

I havent reached the end yet, so maybe I should reserve my final judgement.

[squirtle]

I havent reached the end yet, so maybe I should reserve my final judgement.

Wise words.

[A Hen]

Ten years on and we're still waiting! Anyway, my own personal list would go something like this:

Halo CE ----> Reach ---------------------------------->Halo 3 ---> ODST --------------------------------------------------------------> Halo 2

Note that this all based on campaign only, I don't take mp into consideration.

Right now, that's exactly how I'd rank them, too.

[CandyBob]

Slightly OT but I'm assuming the best way to play CE is on a 60hz Xbox?

[Harsin]

You know what I would quite have liked on the last level.

Finally getting to control a Scarab.

I thought they were building up to it for a sec, but alas no.

[Kevvy Metal]

Slightly OT but I'm assuming the best way to play CE is on a 60hz Xbox?

The best way to play the game is to secure a copy of the American version and a means to play it, either a NTSC original Xbox or a modded original Xbox.

There is a weird frame skip thing that happens when playing the PAL version of Halo:CE on the original Xbox.

With the console set to 60Hz on the Dash board, the game will run too slow and skip 5 frames every second, looks really horrible.

If the console is set to 50Hz, the frame skip will be gone, but the game will still run too slow.

[Mr. Gerbik]

Slightly OT but I'm assuming the best way to play CE is on a 60hz Xbox?

Yes, and you have three options: an USA Xbox360, an USA Xbox, or a modded Xbox. For the last option you can of course download the NTSC version from somewhere. If these three options aren't feasible, then your next best option is the PAL version on a PAL Xbox. If that also isn't an option, then you should consider the PAL version on a PAL Xbox360, you can download it from the Live marketplace. This last option is less desirable than the original version on a PAL Xbox because it has some BC issues; mostly very noticeable slowdown during busy parts in latter levels. If all else fails you can go for the PC version, but that should be your very last option because Halo simply doesn't play as well on m+kb and using an app like joy2key or whatever doesn't really work because of the analogue sticks - it feels like you're playing the game on a playstation Dual Shock.

[CandyBob]

Thanks for that. I'm assuming the version on Live has the same problems?

The best way to play the game is to secure a copy of the American version and a means to play it, either a NTSC original Xbox or a modded original Xbox.

There is a weird frame skip thing that happens when playing the PAL version of Halo:CE on the original Xbox.

With the console set to 60Hz on the Dash board, the game will run too slow and skip 5 frames every second, looks really horrible.

If the console is set to 50Hz, the frame skip will be gone, but the game will still run too slow.

[Harsin]

Xbox Live activity week starting 13th September.

Xbox 360 Top LIVE Titles (based on Unique Users)

1 Modern Warfare 2

2 Halo 3

3 Halo: Reach

4 Call of Duty: WaW

5 Call of Duty 4

6 Mafia II Playable Demo

7 GTA IV

8 Red Dead Redemption

9 Gears of War 2

10 FIFA 10

11 Halo 3: ODST

12 Battlefield Bad Co. 2

13 Madden NFL 11

14 DEAD RISING 2: CASE ZERO

15 Left 4 Dead 2

16 Forza Motorsport 3

17 Monday Night Combat

18 Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 DEMO

19 Trials HD

20 FIFA Soccer 11 Demo

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

[CandyBob]

I'll look out for a modded or NTSC Xbox thanks.

Yes, and you have three options: an USA Xbox360, an USA Xbox, or a modded Xbox. For the last option you can of course download the NTSC version from somewhere. If these three options aren't feasible, then your next best option is the PAL version on a PAL Xbox. If that also isn't an option, then you should consider the PAL version on a PAL Xbox360, you can download it from the Live marketplace. This last option is less desirable than the original version on a PAL Xbox because it has some BC issues; mostly very noticeable slowdown during busy parts in latter levels. If all else fails you can go for the PC version, but that should be your very last option because Halo simply doesn't play as well on m+kb and using an app like joy2key or whatever doesn't really work because of the analogue sticks - it feels like you're playing the game on a playstation Dual Shock.

[Kevvy Metal]

Thanks for that. I'm assuming the version on Live has the same problems?

The DL version on xbox live is the PAL version, the frame skip is still present.

It also runs like a dog on the 360 with the frame rate dropping to single figures at various point. Esp. on AOTCR.

[BrerLappin]

Yes, and you have three options: an USA Xbox360, an USA Xbox, or a modded Xbox. For the last option you can of course download the NTSC version from somewhere. If these three options aren't feasible, then your next best option is the PAL version on a PAL Xbox. If that also isn't an option, then you should consider the PAL version on a PAL Xbox360, you can download it from the Live marketplace. This last option is less desirable than the original version on a PAL Xbox because it has some BC issues; mostly very noticeable slowdown during busy parts in latter levels. If all else fails you can go for the PC version, but that should be your very last option because Halo simply doesn't play as well on m+kb and using an app like joy2key or whatever doesn't really work because of the analogue sticks - it feels like you're playing the game on a playstation Dual Shock.

I agree it doesnt feel 'right' on the KB&M, but, it just looks sooooo much better on PC

The vehicles handle great on KB&m tho, so thats something

[Kevvy Metal]

I replayed it on the PC and didn't have that much of a problem using a mouse.

PC version is uncontrollable using a 360 pad, they have completely removed all auto aim from the game.

Xbox Halo has a nice 'magnetic/sticky' reticle system.

Looks amazin' on the PC and can/should be capped at 30 fps. It looks and feels really odd when you go over it. @30fps with m&k it felt much like the xbox original.

It's easier than having a another giant xbox brick under my TV, but is kinda stupid not having the console to properly play one of my favourite games.

[Mr. Gerbik]

Halo CE is the reason that my modded Xbox (with the NTSC version on the HDD) is still under my telly, and until a HD Rerelease online version comes out, it's staying there.

[Guest]

I agree, and Halo blew me away at the time, and I can still enjoy it. However I have always been of the opinion that things should be judged as they stand today. And on that basis Reach is the ultimate refinement of the series and takes top place for me.

Yeah, but even today, based on Campaign alone, Reach is still a million miles away from the sublime combat experience of the original. In fact, no other FPS has come close and we're 10 years down the line.

[Down by Law]

For me , it's

Halo CE > Reach > ODST >>>>> Halo 2 > Halo 3

I thought Halo 3's campaign was the worst of the bunch. The graphics for such an important game were very poor, the story was a total let down (finish the fight? what fight? finish a few more corridor skermishes more like) only 9 levels with 2 being total crap (i'm talking about the flood levels of course) and the finale was a gigantic let down for me. The warthog run was totally out of place, it looked like you were driving on a completely random structure made out of cardboard and was cobbled together the last minute. Why not an epic run through on the snowy mountainside, seemed a very cheap and tacky end to an excellent series of games. I also took major issue with Johnson being killed off by that squeaky floating little shit. Taking these things into consideration i have to say Halo 2 is the better game as it bought more to the table, made a great leap in graphical fidelity on an aging machine and the multiplayer was leaps and bounds above most other games of the time. I do remember having a lot of fun with the campaign especially on the bigger stages like Delta Halo and that one you cross the bridge on with the Tank. The vehicle degradation was an unexpected nice touch, also the bonus hilarity of jumping on the Covenent leaders little flying saucer thing and repeatedly punching him in the face, that was brilliant.

Still a shit story mind.

ODST felt like the 'true' sequel to Halo : CE in my eyes as it finally delivered big battles on earth which is what i wanted and expected from Halo 2. The plot wasn't total incomprehensible rubbish like 2 & 3, the characters were reasonably fleshed out and well Coastal Highway was the best vehicle related level since the ones in the first game. I also loved the hub and the tron vision and the smoooooooth jazz that played during these night sections was brilliant and along with the neon lit skylines evoked memories of classic sci-fi like blade runner. Firefight was a great addition and the engine seemed to run a lot smoother than Halo 3 did.

Reach's campaign is like ODST on steroids and delivered in spades with a brilliant selection of levels all with their own identitiy and excellent level designs, great tunes and impeccable gunplay, all wrapped up with an epic story with great cut scenes and genius vehicle sections. There are so many high points in the Reach campaign it beggers belief. Just a pity it took Bungie so long to nail the series' with the last 2 entries.

[Timmo]

For me , it's

Halo CE > Reach > ODST >>>>> Halo 2 > Halo 3

I thought Halo 3's campaign was the worst of the bunch. The graphics for such an important game were very poor, the story was a total let down (finish the fight? what fight? finish a few more corridor skermishes more like) only 9 levels with 2 being total crap (i'm talking about the flood levels of course) and the finale was a gigantic let down for me. The warthog run was totally out of place, it looked like you were driving on a completely random structure made out of cardboard and was cobbled together the last minute. Why not an epic run through on the snowy mountainside, seemed a very cheap and tacky end to an excellent series of games. I also took major issue with Johnson being killed off by that squeaky floating little shit. Taking these things into consideration i have to say Halo 2 is the better game as it bought more to the table, made a great leap in graphical fidelity on an aging machine and the multiplayer was leaps and bounds above most other games of the time. I do remember having a lot of fun with the campaign especially on the bigger stages like Delta Halo and that one you cross the bridge on with the Tank. The vehicle degradation was an unexpected nice touch, also the bonus hilarity of jumping on the Covenent leaders little flying saucer thing and repeatedly punching him in the face, that was brilliant.Still a shit story mind.

Coversely Halo 3 is still my favourite. The thing I like most about it was that it felt like a very long journey. It also introduced a lot of cool enemies and vehicles. Reach's levels all feel very disjointed and detached from one another. It is growing on me hugely though, and could well overtake Halo 3 on its strengths. Halo 3 only became my favourite after five or so playthroughs. Another thing I missed in Reach were the three-way battles prevalent in Halos 1, 2 and 3. I also, dare I say it, quite liked the change of pace in fighting the non-covenant enemies. I thought the first flood level in Halo 3 was excellent and the second - which I hated at first - I ended up liking too.

I couldn't give the slightest crap about the story so that hasn't influenced my decision.

I think the thing I liked least about Reach was that there wasn't a single surprise in it, other than a couple of unwelcome (for me) novelty sections.

[Snowman]

Playing Halo CE last week, there were two key elements of the game's combat that I'd completely forgotten about, and appear to be largely absent from the more recent Halo titles. Firstly, the awesome grenade chain reactions, which are in Reach but happen far less frequently than they ever did in the first game i.e. once in my first run through campaign. Secondly, the evidence of the carnage you had wrought during each encounter, with bullet holes, plasma scoring and most importantly, alien blood splattered all over the floor and walls. It was like a monument to your own badass-ery. These days, you just get a few dead bodies, which doesn't really deliver quite the same thrill.

You know what I would quite have liked on the last level.

Finally getting to control a Scarab.

I thought they were building up to it for a sec, but alas no.

According to the Legendary Edition commentary, Bungie had originally planned to include such a section at the end of the level 8.

[Janson]

Is there no actual ranking system for Reach? Every time I do Team Skirmish or Slayer (under competitive), I get matched with people with guests or just people quitting etc. I preferred the Halo 2 online, where you just have a number that says how good you are, and if you want to play with guests etc you just go to the social playlists.

[Michael J Glocks]

Play Arena.

[Wallace]

Is there no actual ranking system for Reach? Every time I do Team Skirmish or Slayer (under competitive), I get matched with people with guests or just people quitting etc. I preferred the Halo 2 online, where you just have a number that says how good you are, and if you want to play with guests etc you just go to the social playlists.

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=Arena_Explained

[K]

I think one thing that Halo, Reach, and ODST share is that they feel quite coherent in terms of setting. Halo 2 and 3 feel a bit multiple-personality, as both games start off with levels set on Earth, then abruptly end that and jet off across the galaxy for some sexy Forerunner fun. Halo 2 suffers the most from this, because the advertising and the hype beforehand made it look like the whole thing would be set on Earth. This hamstrung Halo 3 a little, as the developers had to resolve the Earth levels before they could get off to the space stuff.

As such, I think both games feel a bit unsatisfying. Halo 3 just doesn’t have enough Forerunner stuff – just two levels really, as the last level doesn’t count as you don’t fight the Covenant – because you spend so much time at the start fannying around on Earth, and Halo 2 doesn’t have enough Earth stuff. But both games feel a little like they’re trying to touch all possible bases, whereas a game that properly concentrated on one style of play would be much more satisfying to me. I think Bungie redressed the balance a bit with ODST, as that’s pretty much the game most people were expecting Halo 2 would be like. Or, at least, it was the game I thought Halo 2 would be.

So I’m still not quite sated with Halo this generation, because we’ve not had the Forerunner-based game. We’ve had three games on the 360, but out of (I think) twenty six levels, only two of them were big battles on Forerunner structures, and neither of those had you fighting Elites. That’s the core of Halo for me, and it’s a shame we haven’t really had anything like that since 2004.

[bcass]

Piloting a Scarab at the end would have been a far more interesting prospect than the lame MAC cannon section we ended-up with. Despite the brilliance of the campaign, there are still many flaws. One thing that really annoyed me was how weapons I had dropped nearby (which I intended to come back to) were disappearing after checkpoints. I don't mean guns I'd left miles away, I mean guns that were just a few meters away. Bodys still lay scattered around, while my carefully accumulated arsenal was being robbed. I'd rather the bodys or other superfluous post-battle items disappeared.

[redman]

i'll get laughed out of it here but my list goes:

Halo 2 >> Halo >> Halo Reach >>>> Halo 3 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ODST

and i still haven't done a legendary playthrough on Halo

[Straps]

What I don't get about Arena is whether your Trueskill is affected solely by win/lose/draw or whether your individual performance is taken into account. And it's the Trueskill that determines your division, right? And it's relative to all other players, right? I think that's what the article means.

[squirtle]

i'll get laughed out of it here but my list goes:

Halo 2 >> Halo >> Halo Reach >>>> Halo 3 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ODST

and i still haven't done a legendary playthrough on Halo

Fair enough. Is that based on the single player campaigns? Because that's what I've based mine on. I didn't factor the multiplayer into any of mine. Oh, and if it is based on the single player, what do you like so much about Halo 2. Genuinely curious.

[Vemsie]

Am glad I didn't experience disappearing weapons after check points (or at least didn't notice them) so far, as it's an absolutely vital tactic for me on Solo Legendary and it would piss me off greatly. I constantly go back to areas I mopped up, mainly for plasma guns, which I always try to have with me.

I quite liked the game in co-op, but it really comes into its own when playing it alone on Legendary (note: I never played the original). The most rewarding gun combat since Uncharted 2. The last mission is a bit of a dud though, the one before it (The Package) is much better.

[Guest]

Annoyingly I went back to play Transformers, and really found it a bit crap compared to this. Must be alright then.

HOWEVER - Transformers saves itself and you don't have to "Save and Quit". Bungie are behind the times!

[Kevvy Metal]

Halo: CE > Reach >>>>>>>>>>>>>>ODST>>>Halo 3 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Halo 2

[SM47]

I enjoy playing in The Arena, but I semi-wish for more variance in the weapon sets. I love the DMR and the Needle Rifle, but... I'd just like a bit more choice.