To say the Halo franchise sells is like telling your friend that being stabbed is painful. For nearly a decade, Bungie’s hit shooter series has become synonymous with the Xbox name. As you may recall in 2007, a multiplayer beta for Halo 3 was released with the open world action game, Crackdown. At the time, it was considered a risk, but the end result was a success for Bungie and now we’re seeing this happen with other releases. Since the Halo 3 beta was well-received, it isn’t out of line that we get similar treatment for Halo: Reach. Now that the doors have shut on this “temporary multiplayer demo,” it’s time to see if said game is shaping up to match the quality of its predecessors.
Over the course of the beta’s run, we were treated to a handful of assorted match groups a la Playlists. Some new matches were added per Playlist, such as the new Headhunter mode wherein players kill each other for flaming skulls, which must be collected and brought to a certain location. The big match additions, however, came with the Spartans versus Elites modes, Invasion and Generator Defense (aka Network Test 1), which were added a few days after the beta’s launch. Both of these modes see Spartans defend a position while Elites attack, since our favorite Predator brethrens sword-wielding alien warriors can take a few more shots than Spartans before dying. Bungie has expressed skepticism as to whether these aforementioned matches will make their way into the final product, saying the reception will help determine their decision.
Bungie once again allowed us to get a taste of their latest offering. Needless to say, things got interesting
All the game types feel familiar for anyone who’s played their fair share of shooters, even if just this generation. While the two Invasion modes (one objective-based, the other centered on kill counts) and Generator Defense give a nice twist on how to play, it’s still tried and true. Fortunately, this means Bungie should have no qualms about releasing Reach with these versus modes since having the Elites always attack helps keep things balanced. Also, the two Invasion variants, despite having a 12 player limit, provided easily the most intense and, at points, viscerally satisfying moments of the entire beta.
Of course, it’s tough to enjoy a match if the gameplay isn’t fundamentally entertaining, and the Halo series has always managed to remain engaging. With that in-mind, it should come as no surprise that Halo: Reach isn’t far off from its predecessors. Much of the gameplay is still unchanged, though new abilities have been added in the form of Loadouts. These are classes which the player chooses at the beginning of the match and after dying, typically providing the same starting weapons but different perk-like abilities. Some of these are restricted to Spartans, such as sprinting, while the Elites get their own including a forward roll. Others found in the beta included an active camouflage (which becomes less effective the quicker you move), a shield that grants temporary invincibility in exchange for the inability to move and, my personal favorite, jetpacks. A few other, minor gameplay tweaks have also been made, such as the reincorporation of health packs, fall damage and no more dual wielding. These decisions are in-line with Bungie’s statements about trying to make Reach feel like Combat Evolved. In the long run, it still feels similar enough to Halo 2 & 3 (combine the trilogy in a blender and the end result is Reach).
Abilities such as jetpacks let you come just a bit closer to Michael Jordon
Another signature aspect to the Halo games has been the memorable weapons and vehicles, with each installment bringing some new, interesting additions. This is one area the Reach beta falls short, since we have no new vehicles and only two new weapons that aren’t alterations of previous firearms. Because there’s no more dual wielding, we have a distinct lack of smaller weapons to find, with the Needler, Magnum and Plasma Pistol being the only exceptions (Spike and Flame grenades have also been removed). Changes have been made to a few weapons, such as the Battle Rifle now being called the DMR, which fires single shot, semi-automatic rounds rather than triple bursts. One of the more peculiar weapons is the Covenant Focus Rifle, which is essentially the Beam Rifle meets the Sentinel Beam. It can zoom in twice and deals plenty of damage, but you must maintain fire on your target in order to kill them.
The only new additions (thus far) are a standard grenade launcher (which prominently ricochets to avoid feeling cheap) and the Plasma Launcher, which is a lock-on Plasma Grenade launcher that fires more stickies the longer you hold fire. It’s definitely the most fun weapon to use, but it never feels like a crutch since it’s unlikely to last even a minute before respawning. Most of the common favorites still made their way into the beta, including the Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Plasma Cannon (replacing the Plasma Rifle) and the always fun Gravity Hammer. Vehicles were only available on the Invasion modes, with the Wraith, Scorpion, Warthog, Ghost and Banshee being drivable. All still function similarly except for the Banshee, which automatically moves forward even quicker and requires pressing a button to switch between the Plasma fire and Fuel Rod shots. That is to say, this is still the Halo fans know and enjoy, but I did feel a bit underwhelmed about having less firearm options.
Yes, you pick up flaming skulls to determine your score. Completely inconspicuous.
Perhaps the biggest (and only huge) letdown of the Reach beta was the selection and quality of the maps. In all, we were given four different locations for battlefields. The first two maps made available were Swordbase and Powerhouse, with Boneyard and Overlook being subsequently released. Swordbase and Powerhouse are relatively small to midsize maps that feel best built for matches of five-on-five, tentatively. Boneyard rivals the series’ largest maps by significantly bumping up the scale and allowing more, smaller areas to be unlocked throughout Invasion matches. Finally, Overlook has a moderate to large size with a single, small bunker being the only indoor structure. The reason these included maps are so substandard is because they’re not very interesting and, with the exception of Overlook, are dull, conventional and uninspired. While they aren’t bad or even horrible like most of the maps in say, Modern Warfare 2, it’s still disappointing given how great the overall quality of past Halo maps have been.
Bungie also added some options outside of the actual combat itself to try and keep the game interesting even in the menus. One of the first indications of this is in the approach taken to customizing your online character. Helmet, shoulder and chest options remain as before except you’ll purchase them with points you’ve earned from playing. The more interesting and coveted armor pieces are unlocked the more you play and are also more financially demanding (but they’re still completely cosmetic). Your accumulated points are displayed both when browsing for parts and after finishing a match. Although you’ll spend points for upgrades, they won’t be deducted from your leaderboard score.
Alternate armor is now purchased, but they don’t affect how many shots you can take.
Other options include your player preferences; such as whether you want quiet or chatty teammates, prefer working together or going solo, etc. These choices are nice, but for some reason the beta doesn’t save them before you turn off your Xbox. The final menu touch to note is an alternate take on voting for upcoming matches. When you enter a lobby, three map and game type combinations will be displayed with the option to vote for one of the three or choose “None of the Above” for an entirely new set of variants. This is definitely a good approach to giving the players more choice, but with only four maps and a limited selection of modes, the use of it in the beta was fairly negligible.
As with the Halo 3 beta before it, Halo: Reach is shaping up to be another solid, competent installment to Bungie’s immensely popular franchise. Although there’s much to like here, it’s questionable as to whether Reach will truly match the quality of its predecessors. For my money, Combat Evolved and Halo 3 were excellent while Halo 2 bridged between good and great. If the beta is any indication, Reach will likely turn out as good as the first sequel. With superior maps, more weapons and more vehicles, Reach could wind up being a more than worthy entry to the series. However, the beta itself doesn’t feel like a true push forward as much as it does a few interesting ideas added for the sake of a franchise update.
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