I’ve never been a big Halo supporter. Throughout the years, though, I felt like my arguments against the franchise had grown thinner and thinner simply due to lack of interest and real, hard analysis, even though I have played every entry, with the exception of ODST (Halo Wars being my favorite). So, with Reach, I decided to first try my best to adore the final Bungie-developed Halo title, and failing that, determine what exactly my reasons for disliking the franchise are. What grew from this plan?
Halo: Reach scribblings. GO!
so-so shooting that thinks it’s high-quality shooting:
poor perspective and scale, with guns that dominate the field of view
speaking of zoom, the game is missing important controls like sprint and a consistent hold-to-zoom function. the controller not customizable enough
unsatifying weaponry, with poor sound and “feel”
even on normal difficulty… maybe even easy, killing enemies is the fps equivalent of grinding. shield system makes combat flow like a pile of rocks. killing enemies requires too many shots.
poor indication of damage inflicted on enemies. the visceral feeling of combat is not present. adrenaline, maybe, but not the visceral feeling of the kill.
enemies do not respond visibly to fire, something that has been successfully implemented in other fps since at least 1997 (Goldeneye 007). the sparks/glow of enemy shields is distracting and incredibly disengaging due to its nonauthentic look. looks bad and wrong and ridiculous and unbelieveable.
on numerous occasions, the game fails to clearly outline/define the player’s next objective or point to his next destination. lack of direction in a game that feels so obviously linear puts the game at odds with itself and conveys confused design.
however, the game does an excellent job of setting up high-action scenarios that allow for memorable war moments. as stated before, it’s not without excitement.
transitions with air transport and other moments of revoked control and forced spectatorship give players a sense of scale regarding the planetary predicament and narrative, as well as respite from the action. one of the few parts of the game that feels real, because the normal play is so ridiculous and unbelieveable.
Covenant character design is laughable at best, and always has been. it’s terrible and inappropriate for a game that tries so desperately (yet fails) to present a serious narrative. might as well replace the enemies with different colored balloons to shoot at
combat AI is damn good. evasive. pursue player via varying routes. genuinely don’t want to be hit. require work and solid tactics to defeat on higher difficulty levels.
too many driving segments. could fix the controls there, too. in co-op however, it’s likely to be fun, regardless.
it’s just a style all its own: the Halo game. like the new-age arena shooter, a la Quake. not my style.
While I didn’t mind playing Reach, it’s certainly not an experience I’d ever be happy to pay for.
Reach is like a drama-queen game: good at causing a scene, but says very little worth listening to.
I just can’t justify rating a game based on the quality of my play companions instead of the quality of the game itself.
