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Halo: Reach

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"From the beginning, you know the end."
— Game tagline[1]

Halo: Reach is a first-person shooter video game set in the Halo universe and direct prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, depicting the Fall of Reach. It was developed by Bungie, LLC. and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 console.[2][3] It was announced by Joe Staten during Microsoft's Media Briefing at E3 2009; Reach was released on September 14, 2010 in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia with the exclusion of Japan whose release was a day later.[4]

Synopsis

File:Concept 03.jpg
Concept art showing Noble Team interacting with civilians and UNSC Army troopers.

Characters and 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 one SPARTAN-II and five SPARTAN-III commandos. The player assumes the role of the team's latest member, SPARTAN-B312 or "Noble Six" and will be defending Reach from its ultimate downfall at the hands of the Covenant forces.[5][6]

Over the course of the campaign, the players will visit various locales on and above planet Reach, including remote civilian homesteads, high-tech ONI facilities such as Sword Base, the metropolitan city of New Alexandria, as well as a segment of space combat in a Sabre fighter.[7] The player will also encounter interactive indigenous creatures such as the Moa and the Gueta.

Plot

Halo: Reach takes place on the UNSC fortress world of Reach weeks prior to Halo: Combat Evolved. Noble Team; a group of SPARTAN supersoldiers, is called in to investigate the sudden loss of transmission from a communication relay. Expecting Insurrectionists, the team is baffled to discover that it is the work of the Covenant, and an invasion force becomes apparent. As Covenant begin their assault on the planet, the UNSC begin their heroic yet hopeless attempt to halt the brutal alien invaders.

Gameplay

A gameplay preview of Noble Six and Noble Team questioning a civilian.

Halo: Reach features many new additions to the Halo sandbox while still retaining the core gameplay. The player damage system is similar to that of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3: ODST. The HUD highlights environmental features and overlay information about them, and the motion sensor display is three-dimensional. Halo: Reach also introduces a refined equipment system known as "Armor Abilities." Pieces of equipment can now be selected upon respawning (or picked up of the ground for certain gametypes and campaign); armor abilities will be reusable with a recharge time between uses. A new assassination system is also be featured, in which holding down the melee button will trigger a context-sensitive, third-person assassination animation. Simply hitting 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 did not return. Human weapons all hit more or less instantly after pulling the trigger, giving them a more powerful feel. There is no longer dual-wielding available in Halo: Reach, following the same path as Halo 3: ODST. Compensating for this, the weapons that were known as dual weapons in Halo 3 that are now in Halo: Reach became drastically stronger. The M6G Magnum, for example, is now almost as powerful as the M6D Pistol in Halo: CE, and has an even higher rate of fire.

Players are able to personalize their character's armor with a greater variety of customization options, and the appearance will be consistent across campaign and multiplayer, unlike in Halo 3 where it would only be seen during multiplayer matches. Like in Halo 3, the armor permutations are only to be cosmetic and will not affect gameplay. The design of multiplayer models in Halo: Reach differs than those previously used in Halo 3; players are limited to a SPARTAN multiplayer model but given the option of changing their character's gender. Players are given the option to play as an Elite multiplayer model, though only in specific gametypes such as Firefight Versus, Invasion and other Elite-specific gametypes. Both multiplayer models have different gameplay properties; the Elite multiplayer model is physically superior, has a fully recharging health and faster shield regeneration than their SPARTAN counterpart. Overall, their only disadvantage is their massive size which makes them much more noticeable targets.

While the rest of Noble Team accompany the player for most of the game, Halo: Reach will not feature any kind of tactical squad mechanic. Much like the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam in Halo 3, the rest of the squad will fight alongside the player, but will not interact with the player, other than certain scripted actions and dialogue. The levels will be more open and teleportation in co-op will be far less strict.[8][9]

As seen in the E3 2010 trailer, a small section of the Halo: Reach campaign level Long Night of Solace involves space combat, a new element to the game. This space battle above Reach is the first and only space combat level played in the saga.[10][11]

Campaign

The campaign in Halo: Reach consists of eleven levels, ten of which are playable.

  1. Noble Actual
  2. Winter Contingency
  3. ONI: Sword Base
  4. Nightfall
  5. Tip of The Spear
  6. Long Night of Solace
  7. Exodus
  8. New Alexandria
  9. The Package
  10. The Pillar of Autumn
  11. Lone Wolf

Multiplayer

A total of seventeen multiplayer maps is available in Halo: Reach, with nine standard multiplayer maps and eight Firefight maps.

Features

Characters


Events

Locations

Organizations

Species

Vehicles

Weapons

Equipment

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.[32][33]

The Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta, used to gather information and tweak gameplay features in the game, ran from May 3 through May 20, 2010. The Zero-bug release milestone in Halo: Reach's development was reached on June 24, 2010,[34] and the game's audio, including soundtrack, voices and sound effects, was finished on July 15, 2010.[35] As of August 5, 2010, Halo: Reach has "gone gold", meaning all development of the game has been completed and mass manufacturing of the game has begun.[36] The game was released on September 14, 2010 as planned.

Design

Bungie has taken a new design direction with Halo: Reach, aiming for a more somber and gritty atmosphere. The more serious tone is also reflected in camera angles; instead of long, sweeping shots, the cinematic camera angles are actually made to look as if shot with actual cameras.

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, such as each soldier having an individual name tag in their BDUs.[37] Bungie made an effort to make the Covenant feel more alien and threatening; for example, the Covenant will speak in their own languages instead of English.

Engine

Bungie is using a completely redone version of the Halo engine for Halo: Reach, with no component left untouched.[38][8][9]

The environments, while larger than in the previous games, are 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. The engine was improved with "imposters" systems; this allows very cheap textures far away, and moving closer will make them improve.[38] This was proved with the map, Forge World. Rain and fogging effects are also 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 are amplified to be more powerful and visceral than before, giving them a more serious tone. Human weapons will sound more powerful and emit smoke and showers of sparks. Plasma bolts now burn through material as they hit, and explosions will throw clouds of dirt and debris around.

Halo: Reach's engine is able to support up to 40 active AI characters and 20 vehicles with AI characters on screen at once, twice as many as in Halo 3. In addition, distant battles between AI characters follow automated behavior models, which convert into scripted behaviors as the player gets closer, and finally convert to full AI.[8][9]

Audio

"I want it to be more visceral, to have a bigger sense of loss, a personal feeling of sacrifice"
— Martin O'Donnell, on the audio design of Halo: Reach[39]

A more serious and realistic approach has been taken in the audio design of Halo: Reach than in the previous Halo games.

The music of Reach was referred to as being more somber and more visceral, as the plot is more character-driven than previous Halo titles and that it focuses on a planet known to have fallen.[40] As of now, it has been stated that the Halo Theme will not be heard in the game, but there is some foreshadowing of Halo themes.[8][9]

The in-game effects such as weapon sounds have also been amplified to sound more powerful and realistic. In addition to various different audio filters for interiors and exteriors, the space environment in the level Long Night of Solace required an entirely new audio filter to make the environment feel more realistic.[41] A significant improvement in the game's audio technology allows for more fluid transition between different layers of music; whereas the first Halo could barely manage more than two layers of music at once, Reach can run seven layers at once, coordinating which ones fade in and out based on relatively minor changes in the player's behavior.[39]

It was announced by Bungie that the Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack would be released on September 28, 2010.

Matchmaking

Halo: Reach's matchmaking allows players to compete with each other over the Xbox Live online service or System Link, for 16 players on the Xbox. The matchmaking system has been improved and redesigned from Halo 3; instead of having experience and rank as two separate features, Halo: Reach combines these two into a credit system where the player is scored on how well they play in each individual performance, instead of a win/loss system. As players gain credits, they achieve higher military rank, and are able to buy armor permutations to customize their SPARTAN and Elites character model. A new matchmaking system called the Arena is introduced for hardcore/competitive players where they will play in month-long seasons and be put into divisions of either Onyx, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Steel, depending on how well they play. Along with this, Bungie has announced that Campaign will also have matchmaking support as well, though there are not many details on how this will work.[42]

The multiplayer mode features standard multiplayer gametypes such as Slayer, Capture the Flag and King of the Hill, as well as reintroducing Race, a gametype that was once made exclusive only to Halo: Combat Evolved. Firefight mode, a cooperative gameplay mode that was made present in Halo 3: ODST, will be featured in Halo: Reach with much more customizable features, from the skulls that turn on every round to the very enemies the player will face every wave, as well as having Matchmaking support. Halo: Reach also introduces new gametypes to multiplayer such as Invasion, Stockpile, and Headhunter.

The character models in Halo: Reach differs significantly than their previous architecture in Halo 3; both character models are now composed of different hitboxes and have different gameplay properties. The Elite character models are formidably larger, and physically superior, having faster shield regeneration and the ability to regain health fully over time than their SPARTAN counterpart. SPARTANs are smaller and weaker than their Elite counterpart and would only regain health to thirds over time unless they pick up a health pack. For these balancing issues, only specific gametypes in matchmaking allow SPARTANs and Elites to face each other in team-based games.

Marketing promotions

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. More than 2.7 million players participated in the beta during its three-week run on LIVE. After July 21, 2010, Bungie stopped supporting stats and files from the beta.

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.

Red vs. Blue Halo: Reach PSA: 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. The video teases the rest of Forge World in the form of a scene where Sarge stands on a cliff admiring the view and commenting on the map's large size.

Forge World

Main article: Halo: Reach ViDoc: Forge World

The Forge World ViDoc was released July 23, 2010. It was focused on the new multiplayer map, Forge World, the largest map in the Halo franchise.

The Battle Begins

Main article: Halo: Reach "The Battle Begins" Campaign Trailer

The Battle Begins campaign trailer was released July 29, 2010.[43] The 1:06 trailer showcased several cinematic scenes from the campaign.

A Spartan Will Rise

Main article: Halo: Reach ViDoc: A Spartan Will Rise

The 'A Spartan Will Rise' ViDoc was released August 17, 2010. The ViDoc focused on the characters of the game, with Dr. Halsey acting as the main narrator.

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".[44] On April 28, both the standard and extended versions of the Birth of a Spartan live-action trailer were released.

Remember Reach

Main articles: Remember Reach, Remember Reach Webfilm, Patrol, New Life, Spaceport, Deliver Hope

An advertising campaign titled Remember Reach was launched on August 17, 2010. The campaign includes the website rememberreach.com, as well as several live-action shorts.[45]

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. Recon will also be available to any who have pre-ordered the game.[46] As a bonus, the UA Multi-Threat MJOLNIR Mark V(B) Armor will be given to customers who pre-order the game at GameStop.

In addition, Bungie has announced that players who have/buy a copy of Halo PC, can use that same authentication key to obtain a special in-game item or "Visual Flair", which has yet to be shown.[47] Players of Xbox's Halo 2 before the April 14th, 2010 cutoff (Shutdown of Xbox Live v1 Service) will be awarded a special in-game item, or "Visual Flair", which has yet to be shown. If your current gamertag has changed since the last time you played Halo 2, or if your current gamertag never played Halo 2, you will not be receiving this item.[48] Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Bungie Pro, Halo: Reach Beta flairs are also displayable in a similar way.

Also, a Reach themed Xbox has been announced.[49] The Xbox will include a 250-gigabyte hard drive, two Reach themed wireless controllers, headset, and a standard copy of Halo: Reach. The Reach Xbox 360 will also feature exclusive Elite Armor, Waypoint Avatar Gear, and Halo: Legends episode: "The Package",[50] as well as custom Halo sound effects from the Xbox itself.

In addition the controllers and headset will be sold separately for $59.99 and $49.99 respectively. The controller will also bring a token for a downloadable animated Covenant Banshee avatar item. The theme includes ONI property tags and more, which according to Microsoft, is canon material in the Halo universe.[51]

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.[52] Square Enix has also showcased several figures for their new Reach line of action figures.

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

Soundtrack

Main article: Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack

Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack is set to be released on September 28th, two weeks after the release of Halo: Reach. The soundtrack features twenty new tracks heard in the game, composed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori.[53]

Reviews and Reception

Template:HR Review Halo: Reach garnered mostly positive reviews. 1Up praised the campaign, calling it "a grand re-telling of the Battle of Thermopylae, but portrayed from a gritty, ground-level perspective across multiple missions like Band of Brothers, and all done with typical Halo flourish.[54] IGN noted that though the past games had repetitive landscapes and complicated plots, Reach was an altogether different matter.[55] Gamepro stated "the only thing missing from this impressive entry is a number “4” in the title, because for all intents and purposes, Reach feels like the next big thing in the Halo franchise".[56]

Many reviewers praised the enhanced graphics and audio, calling it "top-notch". Others mentioned that the checkpoints were flawed, with some too far between, and others leaving the player at a major disadvantage.

GamersHell called Reach the "ultimate multiplayer suite", but critiqued the acting, calling it "abrasive, cliched and campy".[57]

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, while 343 Industries has taken over the Halo franchise.
  • 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.[58]
  • 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.[59]
  • Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck, one of the main characters in ODST, appears in Halo: Reach as a Firefight voice in game and as a cameo in the level New Alexandria.
  • On the project page for Reach, located in the "Multimedia" section, the soundtracks to a couple of Reach trailers, "Lone Wolf" and "Uphill, Both Ways" by Martin O'Donnell, are available for download for free from Bungie.net.
  • Halo: Reach has 49 achievements, which is a reference to Bungie's love of the number seven .[60]
  • All of the Campaign achievement titles, along with many of the others, are quotations from the Halo games and books.
  • The game's release date, September 14, is the same day when Earth's Orbital Defense Platforms were activated in 2552.[61]

Gallery

Concept art

  • Concept 01.jpg

    A Sangheili attacks two UNSC infantrymen.

  • Concept 04.jpg

    Landscape of Reach.

  • Concept 05.jpg

    A bridge leading over a canyon.

  • Doomed.jpg

    A battle between Sangheili and SPARTANs.

  • KIuWJ.jpg

    Noble Team in combat.

Screenshots

  • Halo Reach - Alpha Build Menu.jpg

    The Alpha-Build menu of Halo: Reach.

  • Noble Team in a battle with the Covenant.

    Noble Team in a battle with the Covenant.

  • Reach, seen from orbit.

    Reach, seen from orbit.

  • Reach being glassed by the Covenant.

    Reach being glassed by the Covenant.

  • Action 04.jpg

    A soldier and Noble Six secure a room.

Sources

  1. ^ Halo: Reach Announcement Trailer
  2. ^ Bungie.net: Halo: Reach Project Page
  3. ^ Worthplaying.com - "Halo 3: ODST" Developer Interview
  4. ^ Bungie.net: Halo: Reach Launches 09.14.2010!
  5. ^ TeamXbox: X10 First Look: Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)
  6. ^ Bungie.net: Halo: Reach Project Page
  7. ^ Halo: Reach E3 2010 Trailer
  8. ^ a b c d EDGE Magazine, February 2010
  9. ^ a b c d GameInformer: February 2010
  10. ^ YouTube: E3 2010 Extended Reach Campaign Mission HD
  11. ^ a b Halo: Reach E3 Campaign Demo
  12. ^ a b IGN - The Armory video
  13. ^ a b c d Bungie.net — Initial Armor Inventory
  14. ^ Halo: Reach "A Spartan Will Rise" ViDoc
  15. ^ Hawty McBloggy - Nathan Fillion's Halo Dreams Will Never Come True
  16. ^ Halo: Reach level "Exodus"
  17. ^ YouTube.com — Halo Reach Firefight 2.0 Gameplay Footage
  18. ^ a b Halo: Reach ViDoc: Once More Unto the Breach
  19. ^ YouTube: Halo: Reach - 5 Minute Firefight
  20. ^ a b Youtube: Machinima: Halo Reach- Invasion, Fireteams, Game Editions Overview: Bungie Explains Episode 8
  21. ^ a b c Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 06.11.10
  22. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 6.18.10
  23. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 7.02.10
  24. ^ Halo: Reach Intel - Enemies
  25. ^ a b Halo: Reach, level Boneyard
  26. ^ File:Blood Gulch 02.png
  27. ^ Halo: Reach Video Games Awards Trailer (0:20)
  28. ^ Halo Waypoint video Fun With Forklifts
  29. ^ IGN: Halo: Reach Screenshot
  30. ^ Halo: Reach, level Overlook, Overlook radio conversation
  31. ^ IGN.com: E3 2010: Firefight in Halo: Reach – Bigger & Better
  32. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 10/16/2009
  33. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 10/23/2009
  34. ^ Noble Actual: Final stretch
  35. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update: 07.16.10
  36. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 08.06.10
  37. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update: 07.02.10
  38. ^ a b ComputerAndVideoGames: Interview: Halo Reach
  39. ^ GameVideos: Halo Reach VGA Interview
  40. ^ GameTrailers TV — Episode 102
  41. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 8/20/20
  42. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 07.30.10
  43. ^ WelcomeToNobleTeam.com: Homepage
  44. ^ www.rememberreach.com
  45. ^ Bungie.net: Halo: Reach Launches 09.14.2010!
  46. ^ Game Informer: Bungie Giving Halo: Combat Evolved PC Players A Parting Shout Out
  47. ^ Bungie.net: This is the End
  48. ^ Bungie.net: Halo: Reach Unboxed
  49. ^ You Tube:Unboxing Reach
  50. ^ Wired.com: New Halo: Reach Xbox to Sport 360 Design, Custom Sound - The imagery and text on the console isn't just gibberish. It will all have meaning for Halo die-hards.
  51. ^ McFarlane Toys: MCFARLANE TOYS TO PRODUCE 'HALO: REACH' ACTION FIGURES
  52. ^ SumthingDigital: Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack
  53. ^ 1Up: Halo: Reach Review
  54. ^ IGN: Halo: Reach Review
  55. ^ Gamepro: Halo: Reach review
  56. ^ GamersHell: Halo: Reach
  57. ^ ONI Candidate Assessment Program V5.02A: Site Page Info
  58. ^ MTV Multiplayer: Bungie Considered "Halo 4," Starring Master Chief, Instead Of "Reach" Prequel
  59. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 07.09.10
  60. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 104

Links

Internal

External

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