The Halo series and I have a long, rich relationship. I won't say I don't like to brag, because I do, but I was playing Halo multiplayer when we were still stringing together original Xbox's with ethernet cables. Yes, much like trading Pokemon over a link cable, this was the gaming equivalent of talking to your friend over a tin can with a string attached to it. I played the original campaign more times than I can count. I still remember where to go during certain parts of the boringly repetitive missions when there are no enemies to kill and you might find yourself wandering aimlessly, I still know how to headshot with a pistol and yes, I still know exactly where to camp with the sniper rifle on "Blood Gulch." The last level of the campaign is still one of my favorite video game finales of all time. The introduction of the Flood halfway through? Truly a game changer. My two best friends, Ryan and Tim, and I used to play this until the wee hours of the morning, mauling each other over with the Warthog jeep.
Halo 2 I don't remember much of. The campaign was a huge cliffhanger, I didn't mind playing as the Arbiter nearly as much as everybody else seemed to, and I quit playing multiplayer after the millionth time some eleven year-old kid questioned my sexual orientation. Halo 3 I do remember a bit of, if not only because of the screenshots and film clips feature that they wisely added. Again, homoerotic epithets forced me out of this game for a while, too, until some new gaming friends of mine drew me back in. So while I'm not an MLG Halo pro (yet), my history with the game is as long and emotionally charged as anyone's. I have to say though, were it not for my newfound enthusiasm for gaming provided to me by my aforementioned gaming buddies, I may have not picked up Reach. I'm glad that I did.
I can say without a doubt that Halo: Reach is the greatest game in the franchise thus far, and I feel confident in this assertion even having not paid sixty dollars for the campaign expansion known as ODST. First of all, the buzz surrounding this game was fantastic. I hadn't attended a midnight gaming release for a while, but let me say that my enthusiasm for midnight releases has finally shifted from movies to video games. My friends and I ate Taco Bell, I got a little bit of a buzz going in the line and we debauched ourselves with junk food while plowing through the campaign on Legendary in a little under six hours.
First of all, the story is fantastic. I'll be the first to admit that the dialogue and plot in the Halo series can be atrocious most of the time. It's like a damn Saturday cartoon. The aliens that you're fighting are cartoonish, the "relationship" between Cortana and the Chief can be laughable and there is no characterization to speak of whatsoever. The "tabula rasa" concept of making a generic, unmemorable character so that the gamer can "imprint" themselves on him or her has been completely played out and is often used as an excuse to cover up lazy writing. The whole "one man army" taking on an empire has kind of been overplayed, as well. And while Reach comes from the same universe, there are many things that set it apart, leading to a mature, rich and at times I daresay even subtle story.
There are things in this game that you've never seen in the Halo universe before. Now, were I to compare the plot subtleties of the Halo games with some in-universe references, and I will because I'm feeling metaphorical, I would liken the early games' plot subtlety to an Covenant Elite ramming an energy sword through a soldier's chest. This game, however, is more akin to five DMR shots to the head. It may look simple to the outsider, but there's more skill and finesse than you think.
In Reach, you come to realize that the Spartan program is a little more bit complex and tragic than simply creating an army of super-soldiers to fight the Covenant. The Spartans were actually created to put down insurrections - of other human factions. Much like the Jedi, the Spartan candidates were stolen away from their families at an early age to begin the indoctrination process. Unlike the humane Jedi training, however, Spartans were subjected to rigorous and painful training and genetic tests and modifications that lead to a number of them dying. Noble Team of Reach isn't simply a squadron of Master Chiefs - they're all well-defined characters with backstories, strengths and flaws.
One scene in particular has captured my interest. Early on in the game you run into the director of the Spartan program, Dr. Catherine Halsey. The relationship between this character and Noble Team showcases some spectacular writing. Tough guy/Rambo team member Jorge sees her as a mother figure - the only time you see a soft side to him in the entire game. She treats him with a sort of motherly affection, though this is debatable. The other Spartans she looks at not as humans, but simply tools of war. They're painfully aware of this, and they don't like it - the line where Carter counterattacks her by threatening a court martial is full of tension. While these aren't exactly the deepest characters in the history of gaming, they're far more complex and interesting than Master Chief. All of their deaths (that shouldn't be a spoiler if you're a Halo fan) are touching and packed full of emotion. The entire campaign has a tragic tinge to it, as you already know that the planet you are trying to defend will inevitably fall. But that's enough of the story for now.
The multiplayer is, again, near perfect. The possibilities for customization, from playlists and gametypes to maps and armor seems limitless. There are weekly and daily challenges and of course the ever-useful theater to take screenshots and record clips of kills no one would ever believe you pulled off unless they saw your films. I wish there were more maps and less teabagging, but everything is still worth hours of fun. Armor abilities are a new, great addition as well. There's nothing like completely destroying a kid who doesn't know how to use armor lock, or jet packing around a level sniping people like you're Boba Fett. All in all, Halo exceeded expectations.
Grade: A-
2 comments:
Yes this is a game we never had.
Matt, I blame you for getting me hooked on Halo. But you can blame me for talking you into taco grande or our rendition of respect plus Jacob. But it was quite a long time ago now that you and Tim showed me a world of warthogs and master chiefs. Since then I've logged 6,780 games and killed 72,999 foes and played in several tournaments where a young asian boy indubitably beats up on the entire field. But unlike you Reach has let me down. Halo:CE was a new world, it was the first ethernet games and my first experience online with xbconnect, I still see hang em high in my dreams. Halo 2 took things to a whole new level, dual wielding, new weapons, and xbox live. Halo 3 not to disappoint took things to the xbox 360 and made the world "pretty" as well as kick ass with new video features and what have you. But for the first time in the halo saga I actually find myself enjoying the campaign more than the multiplayer, it has all of these great things: plot, character development, dramatic irony. Yet at some point there will be no replay value, because the multiplayer lacks reinvention and I suddenly see myself waiting for assassins creed 3, MoH, and black ops.- Your old friend.
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