Halo Reach Preview

After a somewhat disappointing Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach is to be Bungie’s last attempt at a game set in the Halo universe. Described as a “darker story of honour and sacrifice on a scale greater than anything we’ve created before.” It’s clear that this Halo title will be one of the most ambitious to date, especially with community leader Brian Jarrard boasting that it will be “Bungie’s greatest game ever” and “the defining Halo title from Bungie.” It will be sad to see Bungie leave Halo behind, but at least they are planning to go out with a bang.

Reach is a prequel, taking place just before the events of the first game in the series, 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved. Set on the colony of Reach (humanities greatest colony after Earth, which was destroyed by the Covenant in an apocalyptic attack) players will take control of the sixth and new member of Noble Team, a squad of super-soldier, Spartan-IIIs, lesser versions of the iconic Master Chief Spartan-II. This was a deliberate move away from the usual towering Master Chief as Bungie wanted to tell a more helmets-off, human story of a team of soldiers and not one of a gruff, lone gunman.

Your squad-mates Carter (leader), Kat (second), Jorge (heavy), Emile (“darker”) and Jun (sniper) fill out the cast, while you, as fresh replacement Noble Six, retain some of that abstracted anonymity that made Master Chief’s huge boots so easy to fill. You’ll be able to customise your warrior’s appearance considerably for both campaign and multiplayer; in co-op, which supports four players online and two in split-screen once more, you’ll play as a squad of Sixes rather than assuming the other roles.

Reach is also attempting a complete overhaul of its engine, as well as its story and gameplay. There are numerous visual detail and animation improvements, including motion capture for the first time, 4x as many polygons as Halo 3 and particles in the thousands rather than hundreds. More exciting still is the increased number of AIs this engine can handle -- four Spartans, the player and eight marines against thirty or so Covenant is given as an example. Weapons will also feature a redesign along with the general atmosphere of the game – becoming a darker mood compared to Haloes’ previous neon bright colours.

As for the actual gameplay changes, equipment will no long be single-use bubble shields or radar jammers, but they will now be replaced with “armour abilities” like sprint or active camouflage that can be picked up and used indefinitely, but with only 1 slot available. Health packs will be reintroduced, as will a new gun – the Needle Rifle, a cross between the Needler and Carbine that can fire the explosive pink darts over longer ranges. The Covenant Elite is once more the principle enemy, which should be a more worthy and threatening adversary that the Brute, with more cunning and power. The Elites will be joined by some new and redesigned enemies, including the heavily armoured Grunt and the Jackals more aggressive cousin – the Skirmisher.

With the game scheduled for an autumn release exclusively for the Xbox 360, owners of the Halo 3: ODST game will have access to the multiplayer beta on the 3rd of May.

For the latest on Halo Reach, stay tuned to DigiLounge!

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