I mentioned back in June that I had never played a Halo title before, but was seriously considering trying out the new edition. Well, I caved and decided to try my hand at the long appreciated and highly respected franchise.

Before I get into my impressions of the game, let me say, I am an avid Call of Duty player. I’ve played pretty regularly since COD4 with a growing group of consistent gamers, the 9pm sessions have become routine and only wane when an edition becomes over played. I’ve always been partial to modern or historic military themes and was pretty turned off by the over the top futuristic brand Halo offers. That being said, allow me to give you a Call of Duty player’s impression of Halo: Reach.

A forethought, this will not be a comparison of the two franchises, as no parallel can be made other than genre, this is simply a COD gamers perspective of Halo.

Straight off the bat I was amazed by the quality of production, not that I should have been, we’re talking about a legendary title created by seasoned developers. For some reason I had always assumed that the Halo games were sub par in their visual representation. I can’t speak for the earlier editions, but with Reach, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Lush green landscapes, limitless ocean views contrast harsh mountainside military installments coated in a metallic shine and ominous dread. I found myself taking many a laser lash while I soaked in the view. Keep in mind you aren’t playing in some generic Unreal Tournament backdrop (as I thought would be the case) you are traversing portraits. A lot of developers reward players with beautiful concept paintings upon completion of their game. Usually when I viewed these pieces I found myself wondering what had gotten lost in the translation. Not the case with Halo: Reach, you really feel as if you are being dropped into the concept art. The attention to beauty is even applied to the ugliness of the alien Covenant.

Could there be a cooler looking and acting alien faction? The various types of alien military are impressive. Your enemy is smart, cunning and ruthless. I can honestly say I have never played against better A.I. in any title. The lengths that the Covenant will go to take up a defensive position, dodge a frag or charge into battle are to no end. You can even hear field chatter as they speak to each other in a complete language unique to their species. Leaders bark orders at minions, air and ground units take up defensive and offensive positions and fire waved attacks all while you attempt to push the line. It’s truly a ton of fun. 

Whether you play solo or coop, patience and position are key to advancing the battle. You cannot run and gun your way through any level in Halo. Taking the time to outfit your character properly with equipment and the appropriate ranged weapons, then executing short bursts of fire and movement are imperative. Unlike Call of Duty, you are dealing with a system of futuristic armor and shields. One must deplete an enemies shields before you can deal any direct hit damage. Head shots are the best means to down an enemy and due to the shield system they take precedence. This creates a much more difficult aiming situation than you find in most shooters. You really have to be able to aim well and stay on target as your alien opponent leaps in large evasive strafing maneuvers to avoid taking damage. Often a well placed frag accompanied by a barrage of burst fire to the head can easily drop even the biggest of baddies. In short, this is not an easy game.

You essentially play as a Spartan called 6, you are a get the job done sort of soldier who quietly moves through objectives keeping the game on pace. Speaking of pacing, the developers have done an excellent job of giving you fun and varied things to do. Flying missions, door gunner missions, recon and rescue, right down to your traditional field battles, they’re all here. Though you backtrack a couple of times in the game, the scenes change according to the situation. For example, you may have made your way through a building once by taking an elevator, but your second time through, you’ll need to take the stairs as the building has been smashed to smithereens. If you’ve played any COD game you will be familiar with the degree of destructible environment. You won’t have to go it alone though. Your A.I. counter parts are capable enough to take out a few enemies along the way, but cannot be relied upon too much. However, they will never get in your way and will always point out enemies in site…just don’t let them drive!

So how do you get around in Halo: Reach? Vehicles with mounted weapons are supplied in plenty and all enemy alien vehicles can be commandeered as well. It’s quite a satisfying attack when you grab onto an enemy craft and forcefully gank that thing! We’re talking ATVs, trucks, jeeps, choppers and the enemy’s alien equivalent of the aforementioned. If that’s not enough, there are even spaceship combat missions.  

I wont go into much detail about the story or who your character 6 is, most of you already know the details much better than I. I have no prior knowledge of the game or story, but I can say that Reach did a great job as a stand alone title for me. I had a sense that there was this epic lineage that I had stepped into, the developers payed homage to their fan base and it was great to pick up the reigns for moment. For me the single player experience is where this game shines due to playability, the story was great, but nothing spectacular. 

Let’s move onto multiplayer briefly. This is where the divide between Halo and COD gamers comes into play. If you are the type of gamer who can easily switch between the two night and day styles of FPS comfortably, then you are probably the lucky rare exception. Having finally had the chance to experience both games in depth, I can make an educated comparison between the two franchises variable element. That element is Hit Damage. 

Call of Duty is an unforgiving game when it comes to hit damage. In Hardcore mode you can take essentially one bullet before you’re done. Regular mode allows for much more damage, but still far less then you can take in Halo. Here’s is the trade off, Call of Duty players don’t have to be anywhere near as accurate as Halo gamers. Halo players are forced to fine tune their control over aim to a point where they can land a head shot from across the map with a pistol in one trigger pull…constantly. COD players have no shield to contend with (pain killer being the exception). In Halo if you don’t have the ability to land head shots at will (mind you some Halo gamers actually do) you are forced to deplete your opponents shield before you can take them out. You still have to be aware of your own shield and any special equipment he/she might use, ie; drop shield, decoy, etc. In Call of Duty, less ability to aim is needed, yet staying alive while dealing out death is much more difficult than in Halo.

The amount of strategy and skill needed in both games is balanced perfectly. It’s preference at that point. What do you like? Parallels in MP are easier to make, yet aren’t very valid. If Battlefield Bad Company and COD are apples and oranges in terms of experience, both delicious fruit, just taste completely different. Halo and COD are Apples and Potatoes. Personally I prefer COD over Halo’s multiplayer. 

Halo: Reach is an absolute blast in MP though. From racing games to big team battles, on in to theater mode where you can watch recently played rounds and single player campaigns, the fun is limitless. You can edit your own clips and share them with friends, customize your own game type and even create your own multiplayer levels to play with friends. Almost forgot, character customization is sewn into Halo: Reach throughout single and multiplayer. Though nothing you buy with the in game currency changes your character’s stats, it does add a nice goal driven unlock system to apply aesthetic clout to your Spartan. Nothing like stepping onto the multiplayer field donning a high level helmet to strike fear into your opponent.

Let’s talk control, this is a huge budget title with some of the best in the industry behind it. You really feel that when you pilot a Spartan through a battlefield. The controls are tight and responsive, the vehicles are intuitive and fun, the weapons are polished and carry weight, there’s a decade of experience behind the layout and it shows.

Summary and Rating:

I have to say that Halo: Reach is one of those titles you don’t miss. Even if you haven’t been following the series since 2001, you will appreciate the sheer amount of quality in this FPS. There’s really nothing missing, like a home cooked meal, all the ingredients seem to be in the pot. MY RATING: 10/10