I am going to admit something that will probably result in serious blowback in the form of death threats and strongly worded emails from angry gamer nerds everywhere- I have never been a fan of the Halo series.  Yes, I realize that is blasphemy to most of you Halo fans out there (especially those of you who helped Reach gross over $200 million opening day) and you probably just punched your limited edition Master Chief action figure in disgust.  Look, dear reader, I am fully aware that the original Halo was a total game changer in 2001 but the rest of the series brought nothing new to the table (especially ODST.  Yikes.).  Needless to say, I have never understood all the hype and rabid fervor surrounding this franchise.  Until now.  Now, I get it.

When I heard that Bungie and Microsofts collaborative swansong would be a series prequel it’s fair to say I was less than excited (George Lucas, anyone?).  Now, it is a very rare occurance, but I was wrong.  Developer Bungie obviously saved their best effort for last, as Halo: Reach is far and away the best entry in the series.  The campaign is a complete killer.  Either going solo or linking up with a couple buddies for some co-op, expect tight gameplay, a well written involved storyline, great set pieces and some ‘Holy Shit’ moments.  You should also be prepared for some ‘I want to throw my controller through my TV screen’ moments, as every minor skirmish quickly becomes a full scale war with hordes of Covenant ground and air forces rushing the battlefield from seemingly every angle.  Not to mention the vastly improved AI, it is very easy to be flanked and overwhelmed if you aren’t on your toes.

The greatest improvements have been made in the gameplay variety department.  Repetitive gameplay has plagued Halo campaigns for the past few entries, but jumping from a ground war to an outer space aerial dog fight, right into a strategic jet pack battle never lets the play become stagnant.  Enviroments have greater variences, as well.  Whether you are infiltrating an enemy space craft on a near-suicidal sabotage mission or assassinating a sleeping Grunt during a night stealth op the campaign stays fresh.  The achievements are also very well spaced and do a great job giving the campaign, as well as multiplayer, high replay value.

Of course, there are a few that will require endless XP grinding, but they are the exception to the rule.  In fact, the only real gripe I have with the game is the checkpoint system.  They are incredibly random and you never know when they are approaching.  Sometimes you won’t get one for 10 minutes and sometimes you’ll get three in 25 seconds.  You may also be unlucky enough to trigger a checkpoint while in the middle of a battlefield with no cover, no shields and minimal ammo.  Good luck with that, buddy.  It tends to make playing solo on any difficulty above normal extremely frustrating.

As always, multiplayer is Halo‘s bread and butter.  Bungie has cornered the market on extremely tight controls and well laid out maps for their co-op and competitive multiplayer.  With at least half a million players online at any given time, it’s never hard to find a quick match.  The completely retooled Fire Fight mode is a breath of fresh air and the hundreds of setting options that let you personalize in every way imaginable really keeps you coming back. A new addition to the fray is the very addictive Invasion mode.  It is a mix of Gears of War 2‘s King of the Hill and Singularity’s Extermination, a team based capture the flag/attack and defend mode done to perfection. Returning favorites Slayer, SWAT and the rest stay true to form, and a completely rethought version of Forge also bears noting.

Simply put, Bungie absolutely killed it.  I am now a Halo fan.  With an enthralling campaign, addicting multiplayer and the fact that every single person you know is playing it right this second, Reach will have a strong following for years to come.  In fact, put this article down and get to your nearest Xbox.  Double time it, Spartan.

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