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HALO: REACH (X360)
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Publisher: Microsoft.
Developer: Bungie. Released: September 2010. Genre: FPS. Posted 8th March 2025. By Shane Battams © 2025 |
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While Halo: Reach would serve as a prequel to the first game, it also marked a finale: the last entry Bungie would work on with Microsoft before entering a partnership with Activision. Subsequently, development duties would be moved to 343 Industries and Bungie would start work on Destiny. The end of an era, and the culmination of five games worth of tweaks and changes, Reach proved a fitting swansong for the developer. Boasting an exciting campaign, intricately customisable multiplayer modes and a worthy evolution of the Firefight mode; it proves a complete package that would please fans of the series to no end.
Halo: Reach takes place shortly before the events of the first game, Combat Evolved, and focuses on Noble Team. A squad of Spartan soldiers, Noble Six is the newest addition to the team as the squad fights back against the alien Covenant. With most of Earth’s colonies wiped out by the invading force, Reach stands as the last hope for humanity, but with an invasion beginning, it’s up to Noble Team to find a way to defend it. However, with the power of hindsight and the events of previous Halo games, the job will be easier said than done. Fans will appreciate the ties to subsequent stories in the series, yet this self-contained story is perfectly enjoyable without that knowledge. It’s far more ambitious than any Bungie Halo before, with far more character interaction and plentiful banter between Noble Team, though it doesn’t always land. Some clichéd squad members (including the brute with a heart of gold) struggle to make an impact with little screen time, and key moments consequently feel a touch flat. However, it still builds nicely with stakes rising as each mission grows increasingly pressured.
A versatile experience with loads of different vehicles, Halo: Reach also introduces new weapons into the mix
Halo: Reach is admittedly less ambitious on the gameplay front, but instead a pure refinement on the great foundation. Combat and shooting feel snappy, with responsive controls and impactful guns ranking alongside the best. Along with series staples, new additions include the potent DMR rifle with series headshot potential, the Grenade launcher, which can wipe out multiple foes with a well-arced shot, and the Needle rifle, a sniper variant of the classic Needler. They feel like great additions, but perhaps more notable is Armour abilities. These offer short-term gains that can be changed by equipping new mods, including the ability to sprint, plant a bubble shield and even glide with a jetpack. They add a unique edge to combat as you can time these to gain an edge, such as using the armour lock to absorb damage from a grenade. These changes aren’t likely to convert series sceptics, but fans should appreciate these tweaks fully.
Reach is also incredibly content-rich, with three key modes for all player types. The campaign is spread across ten missions, each feeling more significant than the last. The epic set-pieces you’d expect are here, including Pelican rides as you man defensive turrets, and fending off Covenant taking over a military base. The variety of locales feels far greater this time, with the initial mission seeing you travel through a more rural crop farm or a later chapter seeing you navigate through a city as panicked civilians flee. This doesn’t sacrifice the scope of the previous games, with a memorable aerial-focused mission seeing you fly to multiple skyscrapers completing objectives, and there’s even a space combat section during one chapter. It’s a fantastic campaign, and like before, it can be played with three friends in co-op through either split-screen or online. You can even mix and match, though it’s worth mentioning you can only have two players on a single console.
Reach is also incredibly content-rich, with three key modes for all player types. The campaign is spread across ten missions, each feeling more significant than the last. The epic set-pieces you’d expect are here, including Pelican rides as you man defensive turrets, and fending off Covenant taking over a military base. The variety of locales feels far greater this time, with the initial mission seeing you travel through a more rural crop farm or a later chapter seeing you navigate through a city as panicked civilians flee. This doesn’t sacrifice the scope of the previous games, with a memorable aerial-focused mission seeing you fly to multiple skyscrapers completing objectives, and there’s even a space combat section during one chapter. It’s a fantastic campaign, and like before, it can be played with three friends in co-op through either split-screen or online. You can even mix and match, though it’s worth mentioning you can only have two players on a single console.
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Speaking of co-op, Firefight would return after debuting in ODST the year prior. Seeing you fend off waves of Covenant much like Horde from Gears, a plethora of welcome tweaks only improve this mode further. Like before, you can choose either standard Firefight or add in Generators to defend for a further challenge, but new modes add further twists. Rocket Fight sees you armed with the explosive armament, Gruntpocalypse sees you contend with grenade-throwing foes and Score Attack sees you aiming for the best result on a standard Firefight. These add more fun to the proceedings, but the wealth of customisation options proves even more enticing. You can tweak a raft of options: what enemies spawn on certain waves, which weapons are available and even enable Skull modifiers to help or hinder your attempt. With four-player co-op as well, you can expect the chaos to increase tenfold.
Customisation is also key to Halo: Reach’s multiplayer. Along with traditional modes such as Slayer; new additions include Headhunter which sees you vying to deposit skulls after killing foes, Generator Defence has a team of Spartans holding back playable Covenant soldiers and Stockpile forces you to collect flags and defend them. They all prove great fun, and much like Firefight, Multiplayer boasts a glut of customisation options and modifiers in Custom Games. Forge returns as well, allowing you to modify maps while also using Forge World which serves as a canvas to create madness. It retains the innate fun of the series while adding enough tweaks to differentiate it, though sadly as of January 2022, matchmaking was shuttered and limits Competitive to custom games. However, with split-screen, system link and custom setups still available, there are plenty of options to enjoy.
Customisation is also key to Halo: Reach’s multiplayer. Along with traditional modes such as Slayer; new additions include Headhunter which sees you vying to deposit skulls after killing foes, Generator Defence has a team of Spartans holding back playable Covenant soldiers and Stockpile forces you to collect flags and defend them. They all prove great fun, and much like Firefight, Multiplayer boasts a glut of customisation options and modifiers in Custom Games. Forge returns as well, allowing you to modify maps while also using Forge World which serves as a canvas to create madness. It retains the innate fun of the series while adding enough tweaks to differentiate it, though sadly as of January 2022, matchmaking was shuttered and limits Competitive to custom games. However, with split-screen, system link and custom setups still available, there are plenty of options to enjoy.
Reach marks a strong evolution for the series, with a ton of multiplayer modes leading the charge
Halo: Reach would also boast an overhauled visual presentation that looks excellent. Extensive motion capture gives the animation a more realistic, fluid motion which is especially noticeable during cut-scenes. As a result, characters emote far better than in prior games. Weapons, enemies and vehicles boast more detail than in previous games while large environments offer intricate touches such as roaming wildlife during the first mission. Slowdown can be an issue during more intense moments, but it doesn’t affect gameplay too much. It’s a big-budget blockbuster in gaming form and proves a welcome upgrade. The sound is also strong, with Martin O’Donnell’s return making for a fantastic soundtrack that balances sombre tones, tension-builders and epic bombast well. Effects are equally potent with weighty gunfire, potent explosions and Covenant screams which range from intimidating to comical, depending on the enemy type. Voicework is earnest and competent, even if certain lines can fall into archetypes at times.
As the finale for Bungie’s time on the series, Halo: Reach is an excellent first-person shooter with plenty of gameplay modes that are filled with epic moments and are customisable to the Nth degree. The core gameplay still feels great, the campaign is memorable and both Firefight and multiplayer deliver the goods. Couple that with a fantastic presentation and welcome tweaks to the formula, and fans were naturally engrossed with this one. While ambitious storytelling sometimes falters, and sceptics of Halo’s brand of shooting will likely remain unconvinced, it was still an excellent way to spend your time. First-person shooter aficionados would do well to add this to their collection.
As the finale for Bungie’s time on the series, Halo: Reach is an excellent first-person shooter with plenty of gameplay modes that are filled with epic moments and are customisable to the Nth degree. The core gameplay still feels great, the campaign is memorable and both Firefight and multiplayer deliver the goods. Couple that with a fantastic presentation and welcome tweaks to the formula, and fans were naturally engrossed with this one. While ambitious storytelling sometimes falters, and sceptics of Halo’s brand of shooting will likely remain unconvinced, it was still an excellent way to spend your time. First-person shooter aficionados would do well to add this to their collection.
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VERDICT"As the finale to Bungie’s tenure on the series, Halo: Reach is an excellent first-person shooter which is content-rich, filled with epic moments and customisable to the Nth degree." OVERALL: 9/10 |
OTHER HALO GAMES REVIEWED
Halo: Combat Evolved (2002, Xbox)
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Halo 4 (2012, Xbox 360)
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