Halo: Reach

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"From the beginning. You know the end."

— Tagline seen in the Reach announcement trailer.

Halo: Reach is an upcoming first-person shooter video game set in the Halo universe and direct prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, developed by Bungie, LLC. It was announced by Joe Staten during Microsoft's Media Briefing at E3 2009 in Los Angeles, California; Reach is set for release on September 14, 2010 in North America and Europe, with the Japanese release a day later.

Development

"Where there will be a full three-year cycle, it's got all-new tech, akin to the change from Halo 2 to Halo 3, not like ODST, which is just built on top of the foundation."

— Bungie Community Manager, Brian Jarrard.

Reach has been in development since the completion of Halo 3, in the tradition of a full three year cycle, and will use a completely new game engine created specifically for the game. It was confirmed in October 2009 that Martin O'Donnell, Bungie's lead composer, had begun casting voice actors for Reach. Reach's environment architecture, cinematic script, and most in-game encounters have been either completely finished or polished; in addition, many properties of Reach have been placed in the game and are currently playable. The Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta, used to gather information and tweak gameplay features in the game, ran from May 3 through May 20, 2010. As of June 2010, the soundtrack of Halo: Reach is nearly finished, and the Zero-bug release milestone in the game's development was on June 24, 2010.

Setting

Halo: Reach takes place in late 2552, during the Covenant invasion of the Human colony world Reach, which also serves as the main military center of the UNSC. The game follows Noble Team, a six-man special operations unit of SPARTAN-II and SPARTAN-III commandos. The player assumes the role of the team's newest member, SPARTAN-B312 or "Noble Six" and will be defending Reach from its ultimate downfall at the hands of the Covenant. Over the course of the campaign, the players will visit various locales on and above planet Reach, including civilian pioneer installations in the countryside and high-tech UNSC bases, as well as a segment of space combat in a Sabre fighter.

Gameplay

Halo: Reach will feature many new additions to the Halo sandbox while still retaining the core gameplay. The health system will be similar to that of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3: ODST, and the player's energy shields will recharge slower than in Halo 3. The HUD will highlight environmental features and overlay information about them, and the Motion Sensor display will be three-dimensional. Halo: Reach also introduces a refined Equipment system known as "Armor Abilities." Pieces of equipment will now be selected upon respawning; armor abilities will be reusable with a cool-down time between uses. A new assassination system will also be featured, in which holding down the melee button will trigger a context-sensitive, third-person assassination animation. Simply pressing the melee button allows for the old-instant-kill assassination.

The weapon selection has been streamlined from that of Halo 3, so that every weapon has a specific role. The number of different grenade types has also been reduced from that of Halo 3, and incendiary grenades and spike grenades will not be returning. Human weapons all hit more or less instantly after pulling the trigger, giving them a more powerful feel. There will no longer be dual-wielding available in Halo: Reach, following the same path as Halo 3: ODST.

Players will be able to personalize their character's armor, and the appearance will be consistent across campaign and multiplayer. Halo: Reach also includes the ability to select your character's gender, with male and female each having a separate character model. Like in Halo 3, the armor permutations will only be aesthetic and will not affect gameplay. While the rest of Noble Team will accompany the player for most of the game, Halo: Reach will not feature any kind of tactical squad mechanic.Template:Fact Much like the Arbiter in Halo 3, the rest of the squad will fight alongside the player, but will not require any assistance. The levels will be more open and teleportation in co-op will be far less strict.

As seen in the E3 2010 trailer, a small section of the Halo: Reach campaign level Long Night of Solace, dogfights in space are an added element to the game. The space battle above Reach will be the first and only space level played in the saga.

Engine

Bungie is using a completely redone version of the Halo engine for Halo: Reach, with no component left untouched.

The environments, while larger than in the previous games, will be far more detailed. The graphical effects have been drastically improved, allowing for a new atmospheric effects system and more dynamic lighting for dramatic shadows and moving light sources in interiors. Rain and fogging effects will also be improved. Halo: Reach also features a new animation system, which smoothly blends movement between standing, walking and running as well as jumps, grenade throws and firing. The facial animation system has been completely revamped, including motion capture. Weapon effects will be amplified to be more powerful and visceral than before, giving the effects a more serious tone. Human weapons will sound more powerful and emit smoke and showers of sparks. Plasma bolts will now burn through material as they hit, and explosions will throw clouds of dirt and debris around.

Halo: Reach's engine will be able to support up to 40 active AI characters and 20 vehicles on screen at once, twice as many as in Halo 3. In addition, distant battles between AI characters will follow automated behavior models, which convert into scripted behaviors as the player gets closer, and finally convert to full AI.

Design

Bungie has taken a new design direction with Halo: Reach, aiming for a more somber and gritty atmosphere. In many ways, the character designs, especially those of Sangheili and Human personnel, harken back to Halo: Combat Evolved. Models for enemies and allies boast remarkable levels of new detail in form of higher-resolution textures and more polygons. Enemies and allies will have more individual features to denote ranks and provide more visual variety. The Covenant will speak in their own languages, and feel more alien and threatening in general.

As of now, it has been stated that the Halo Theme will not be available in the game, but there may be some foreshadowing of Halo themes.

Multiplayer

The Multiplayer mode in Halo: Reach will feature many familiar game types from the previous games, as well as completely new ones such as Invasion and Headhunter. The co-operative Firefight mode will also be returning from Halo 3: ODST, with much more customization options than before. Many brand new multiplayer features such as "The Arena" matchmaking system are also introduced.

Maps

The exact number of the multiplayer maps in Halo: Reach is still unknown, but the following maps have been shown:

• Beachhead
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• Unnamed Blood Gulch remake
• Unnamed Covenant themed map

Appearances

Characters Carter-A259 (First appearance) Catherine-B320 (First appearance) Edward Buck Emile-A239 (First appearance) Jorge-052 (First appearance) Jun-A266 (First appearance) SPARTAN-B312 (First appearance) Urban Holland (First appearance) Events Operation: TORPEDO (Mentioned only) Operation: GUARDIAN LANCE (Mentioned only) Fall of Reach Operation: UPPERCUT (First appearance) Locations Epsilon Eridani System Fermion Remote Scanning Outpost (Mentioned only) Reach Moons Csodaszarvas (First appearance) Turul (First appearance) Unnamed Sabre launch facility (First appearance) Manassas (First appearance) New Alexandria (First appearance) Sword Base (First appearance) Lambda Serpentis System (Mentioned only) Jericho VII (Mentioned only) Organizations Covenant Empire Covenant Army Covenant Navy Fleet of Particular Justice United Nations Space Command UNSC Army Army Military Police (First appearance) UNSC Marine Corps Orbital Drop Shock Troopers VMX-22 (First appearance) UNSC Navy Epsilon Eridani Defense Fleet Logistical Operations Command (Mentioned only) Naval Special Warfare Command SPARTAN-II Program SPARTAN-III program Noble Team (First appearance) Office of Naval Intelligence Beta-5 Division Sabre program (First appearance) UNSC component commands Naval Command Unified Ground Command Species Human Huragok Jiralhanae Kig-yar Skirmisher (First appearance) Mgalekgolo Sangheili Unggoy Yanme'e

Vehicles Anchor 9 (First appearance) Assault Carrier C709 Longsword-class Interceptor CCS-class Battlecruiser Civilian vehicles Covenant Corvette Dropship 77-Troop Carrier Halcyon-class Cruiser Marathon-class Cruiser M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle M808B Main Battle Tank M831 Troop Transport Missile Warthog Orbital Insertion Pod Sabre (First appearance) Seraph-class Starfighter Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage Type-25 Troop Carrier Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Type-52 Troop Carrier UH-144 Falcon (First appearance) UNSC Frigate UNSC Aegis Fate (Mentioned only) UNSC Commonwealth UNSC Savannah (First appearance) Weapons AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun Combat Knife Concussion Rifle (First appearance) M6G Personal Defense Weapon System M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun M41 SSR MAV/AW M45 Tactical Shotgun (First appearance) M319 Individual Grenade Launcher (First appearance) M392 Designated Marksman Rifle (First appearance) MA37 Individual Combat Weapon System (First appearance) Sniper Rifle System 99 Anti-Matériel (First appearance) Target Locator (First appearance) Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer Type-25 Carbine Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle Type-31 Rifle (First appearance) Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon Type-42 Directed Energy Support Weapon Type-51 Directed Energy Rifle/Improved (First appearance) Type-52 Special Applications Rifle (First appearance) Type-52 Guided Munitions Launcher/Explosive (First appearance) Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galileian Nonlinear Rifle Equipment Active Camouflage Antigravity Pack Drop Shield (First appearance) Hologram Armor Ability (First appearance) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V Mark V(B) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (First appearance) Mark V(B)/UA Multi-Threat variant (First appearance) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/CQC variant (First appearance) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/EOD variant MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/FJ/PARA variant (First appearance) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/HAZOP variant (First appearance) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/MP variant (First appearance) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/R variant MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI ODST Ballistic Battle Armor Sangheili Combat Harness Special Operations Harness (First appearance) Sprinting (First appearance) Unidentified Human Jetpack (First appearance) Unnamed Shielding Attachment (First appearance)

Marketing Promotions

Trailers

E3 2009 Announcement

Main article: Halo: Reach - Announcement Trailer

Shortly after the Halo 3: ODST E3 2009 Trailer premiered, it was soon followed up by the first official announcement trailer for Halo: Reach.

2009 VGA Trailer

Main article: Halo: Reach Video Games Awards Trailer

At the 2009 Spike TV Video Games Awards, the first official in-game trailer was shown. This 2:36 video was an opening cinematic that showed a glimpse of the new characters and graphics.

Once More Unto the Breach

Main article: Halo: Reach ViDoc: Once More Unto the Breach

The Once More Unto the Breach ViDoc focused on the graphical and gameplay changes to the game between Halo 3 and Halo: Reach. This 7:45 video showed the development of the series over the years.

Carnàge Carnivàle

Main article: Halo: Reach ViDoc: Carnàge Carnivàle

The Carnàge Carnivàle ViDoc focused on the new multiplayer in Halo: Reach. This 8:20 video shows the many gameplay enhancements that have been added.

E3 2010 Demo

Main articles: Halo: Reach E3 Campaign Demo, Halo: Reach E3 2010 Trailer

On June 14, 2010, at E3 2010, Bungie released a demo displaying a section of campaign in Reach. It introduced various new vehicles, and the new feature of space combat. A shorter gameplay trailer of the same level was also released.

Firefight 2.0

Main article: Halo: Reach Welcome to Firefight 2.0 Trailer

On June 16, 2010, Bungie released a collage of clips from Halo: Reach's Firefight feature.

Viral Campaign

Birth of a Spartan

Main article: Birth of a Spartan

On April 26, 2010, a website was created by Microsoft as part of a viral marketing campaign to promote Halo: Reach. At first, the site merely consisted of a teaser image which showed the UNSC emblem washed out by static, with the words "Augmentation Begins April 28, 2010". On April 28, both the standard and extended versions of the Birth of a Spartan live-action trailer were released.

Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta

Main article: Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta

The Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta was a phase in the development of Halo: Reach, produced by Bungie, LLC and organized by Microsoft Game Studios. The beta was made available to those who bought Halo 3: ODST and it was released from May 3 through May 20, 2010.

Red vs. Blue Halo: Reach Deja View

Main article: Red vs. Blue Halo: Reach PSA: Deja View

On July 7, 2010, in honor of Bungie Day, Rooster Teeth, the creators of the popular Halo machinima Red vs. Blue, released a special PSA revealing the return of Blood Gulch, the classic Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer map.

Merchandise and Promotions

Template:Halo: Reach Versions Halo: Reach is set to be released in three different versions. The Standard Edition comes with the game disc and manual. The Limited Edition is cased in an ONI "black box" and includes an exclusive Sangheili armor set for use in multiplayer modes and an artifact bag containing Dr. Halsey's personal journal and other classified documents and effects that unravel long-held secrets of the Halo universe. The Legendary Edition contains everything from the Limited Edition along with extra SPARTAN armor effect for use in the game, along with an exclusive hand-painted and numbered Noble Team statue by McFarlane Toys in UNSC-themed custom packaging. Those in North America who purchase Halo: Reach on launch day will receive a new variation of the coveted MJOLNIR Recon Armor. Those who live outside North America must pre-order the game in order to get the armor variant. As a bonus, the UA Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark V(B) Armor will be given to customers who pre-order the game as well (Only available if Pre-Ordered at Gamestop).

The game has brought the proposal for merchandise, such as action figures. McFarlane Toys had announced that they were planning to release a series of Reach 5-inch scaled figures in September 2010.

A new comic book series, titled Halo: The Fall of Reach - Boot Camp, will be released alongside Halo: Reach. Boot Camp is a graphic novel adaptation of Halo: The Fall of Reach.

Trivia

• Bungie has stated that Halo: Reach will be the last Halo game being released by them in the foreseeable future, as they are beginning a partnership with Activision.
• It was previously known as "Halo 4" by Microsoft Game Studios and 343 Industries marketing teams during the ONI Candidate Assessment Program V5.02A viral campaign.
• Early on in the game's development, before coming up with the idea of a prequel for the Halo trilogy, Bungie considered making a follow-up to Halo 3, with John-117 as the protagonist.
• In a couple of interviews with Worthplaying and G4, Brian Jarrard and Joseph Staten respectively hinted that Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck, one of the main characters in ODST, may return in Reach. In another recent E3 interview with G4, Brian Jarrard confirmed that one of main characters from Halo 3: ODST will be making a cameo appearance in Halo: Reach, further hinting at Buck's possible appearance in the game.Template:Fact
• On the project page for Reach, located in the "Multimedia" section, the soundtrack to a couple of Reach trailers called "Lone Wolf" and "Uphill, Both Ways" by Martin O'Donnell, are available for free for download from Bungie.net.
• Halo: Reach will have 49 achievements, another 7 reference $(7x7=49)$.

Gallery

Concept Art Concept 01.jpg A Sangheili attacks two UNSC infantrymen. Concept 02.jpg Emile-A239, Jorge-052 and Carter-A259. Concept 03.jpg Spartans, UNSC Soldiers, and civilians. Concept 04.jpg Landscape on Reach. Concept 05.jpg A bridge leading over a canyon.

Screenshots Halo Reach - Alpha Build Menu.jpg The Alpha-Build Menu of Halo: Reach. A screenshot from a campaign level, showing the game's HUD and Noble Team in combat. Noble Team in a battle with the Covenant. Halo- Reach - Noble Team.jpg Noble Team in combat, minus Emile-A239 and Jun-A266. A Spirit dropship above mountainous landscape. Noble Six with a sniper rifle, with one of Reach's moons in the background. Noble Six assassinating a Sangheili. A space battle around Anchor 9. The Sabre in gameplay. A city on Reach. Reach, seen from orbit. Reach being glassed by the Covenant. A match of Firefight in progress. Noble Six in a civilian vehicle. Action 04.jpg A soldier and Noble Six secure a room. A Phantom in Halo: Reach.

See also

• Halo: The Fall of Reach
• Halo: First Strike
• Halo: Reach - Announcement Trailer
• Halo: Reach Video Games Awards Trailer
• Reach

External

• Bungie.net: Official Halo: Reach project page
• Welcome To NobleTeam: Viral Campaign