Halo: Reach

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3060 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,497 out of 3060
  2. Mixed: 331 out of 3060
  3. Negative: 232 out of 3060
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  1. Robx
    Sep 15, 2010
    7
    The first Halo was simply revolutionary, it implemented a bunch of the features we see on most games nowadays, from the Shield (Recovering after cover) to the whole multiplayer experience. The second one added certain details we lacked on the first, and focused on the multiplayer. From the third on, it's a repeating cycle; the same game with different maps. Having played them all, it'sThe first Halo was simply revolutionary, it implemented a bunch of the features we see on most games nowadays, from the Shield (Recovering after cover) to the whole multiplayer experience. The second one added certain details we lacked on the first, and focused on the multiplayer. From the third on, it's a repeating cycle; the same game with different maps. Having played them all, it's getting old, we have already experienced all of it's features in the past, and we keep getting the same. I'd hate to agree with the 'trolls' bashing the game because of it's hype, but it seems they do have a point. Nevertheless, it's a fun and dedicated game, but come on Bungie, you have the potential to give us some more!… Expand
  2. Goldciggy
    Sep 15, 2010
    6
    OK....Well, I see some people are just haters! 0/10 come on I didnâ
  3. AlcoholicGoat
    Mar 27, 2022
    7
    An improvement from ODST. The story was a bit too self serious but it's not "jarring" in the way The King's Man was. It's self contained, and has something in mind. Forge is cool
  4. emoney
    Nov 28, 2012
    6
    Overall the game was decent armour lock is so stupid doe some of the game had good ideas but the maps werent that great and it takes years to rank up.
  5. Crofto
    Sep 25, 2010
    7
    Reach is undoubtedly Bungie's greatest effort for the Halo series, but even so it doesn't quite manage to match the astonishment of the first game, the multiplayer powerhouse of the second game, nor the overall refinement of the third game.

    Let's get one thing clear - Halo has never been a world class FPS when compared to the likes of Valve-made shooters, but as a console gaming series    Reach is undoubtedly Bungie's greatest effort for the Halo series, but even so it doesn't quite manage to match the astonishment of the first game, the multiplayer powerhouse of the second game, nor the overall refinement of the third game.

    Let's get one thing clear - Halo has never been a world class FPS when compared to the likes of Valve-made shooters, but as a console gaming series they've managed to offer plenty of solid enjoyment for millions of people. Unfortunately, Reach has arrived at saturation point; new additions to the game are not enough, and things that really grated for past multiplayer elements still exist (quitters keep qutting, and are not replaced, for example) and the lack of any real customisation and progression makes it lose-out compared to other games (you can spend experience on armour parts, but overall they add so very little to the game).

    The campaign manages to entertain, but the story, characters, and setting are a massive let-down. Uwe Boll could probably muster something better than what Bungie have done here, with not even one character offering the heart or soul equal to the likes of Cortana, Sergeant Johnson or even the Arbiter. If this were Bungie's first game then the campaign based on gameplay alone would be enough, but with Halo 3 and ODST already available and better, it's hard to fully recommend Reach.

    As an overall package the game will do enough to keep fans happy, but don't be expecting a massively impressive swan-song here.    … Expand
  6. FadeOutAgain
    Nov 14, 2010
    7
    Best Halo game ever. That doesn't really mean anything though, the formula and mechanics are far too familiar to leave an impact. If you're not sick of Halo, you'll have a blast. If you are, then you shouldn't pick it up. It's a very polished game with some weird difficulty spikes occasionally. It's much more cinematic than the rest but it justs the swan song for a series that failed toBest Halo game ever. That doesn't really mean anything though, the formula and mechanics are far too familiar to leave an impact. If you're not sick of Halo, you'll have a blast. If you are, then you shouldn't pick it up. It's a very polished game with some weird difficulty spikes occasionally. It's much more cinematic than the rest but it justs the swan song for a series that failed to evolve. All in all, not bad, just very stale.… Expand
  7. msherry9
    Feb 10, 2011
    5
    I can't tell you how excited I was for this game to finally come out. I was a massive fan of Halo 3 and thought to myself: "Finally, a new game to keep me away from COD! And a new Halo game to top it off!" And now, I can't tell you how horribly upset I am in purchasing this game. First off, the campaign isn't terrible, but it's far from good. The Noble Six Team has a variety of character,I can't tell you how excited I was for this game to finally come out. I was a massive fan of Halo 3 and thought to myself: "Finally, a new game to keep me away from COD! And a new Halo game to top it off!" And now, I can't tell you how horribly upset I am in purchasing this game. First off, the campaign isn't terrible, but it's far from good. The Noble Six Team has a variety of character, but none of them are very deep and you never really get to interact with them on a level further than "Stop shooting me, I'm on your side!" Obviously, since I knew the campaign ending, I was expecting an epic climactic battle. Instead, you get a very anti-climactic ending that leaves you staring at your screen, mouth ajar. They don't even use the classic epic Halo theme music in this campaign, which I was very disappointed in. The voice acting works, but nothing too special, and the cutscenes and cinematics are sometimes cool, but mostly boring. The achievement "Monument to Your Sins" was supposed to be ridiculously hard, and yet, I got it on the second day of owning the game. Moving on to multiplayer, this is what I bought the game for, and I must say that this is what REALLY disappointed me. The developers apparently got extremely lazy when making the maps for this one, considering several of them are remakes from Halo 2, and several others are Forge maps that you can make yourself in two hours. The other maps that are new are uninspired, boring, and bland. They have Team Snipers, and yet, there is only two maps where Team Snipers is adequete to be played on, while the other times it places you in The Cage, a Forge map where you respawn in the enemy's sniper crosshairs constantly. The spawning overall is terrible, and I have several Theater videos of either me respawning in front of an enemy or vice versa. The DMR is absolutely stupid, and the blossoming effect of the reticule takes out so much skill, resulting in a DMR match being a blindfiring spray and pray after the first 3 shots. Most of the other encounters with enemies quickly transform into a massive grenade-fest, with the enemies hiding around a corner chucking a seemingly unlimited amount of grenades around the corner at you. Armor abilities are ridiculous, especially Armor Lock, being very overpowered. My friend recommends SWAT, but that's the no-skill game mode, and I shy away from that. The character customization is cool, but the majority of the unlockables requires you to play probably in the neighborhood of a billion games, so that's no fun. The Forge is obviously very cool, and the Theater is still top notch for videos and screenshots, plus they have a new system where you can track down to see how many screenshots of other people you're in, which is cool as well. Overall, if you're a hardcore Halo fan, you can have some serious fun with this one if you don't mind lucky deaths and grenade wars. If you occasionally enjoy Halo, I'd probably stay away from this one. Sorry Bungie, but you need some catching up to do to COD if you want to be king again of the FPS's.… Expand
  8. Equation
    Sep 15, 2010
    5
    How I loved the Halo Franchise, Since the original Halo on the original Xbox... And how I was looking forward to this. But playing this feels old, compared to new fresher games this just feels old, the graphics have been improved, yes. online is still fun, yes (although alot the maps are just remakes *sigh*) the voice acting is generally poor and I never felt any emotional link with theHow I loved the Halo Franchise, Since the original Halo on the original Xbox... And how I was looking forward to this. But playing this feels old, compared to new fresher games this just feels old, the graphics have been improved, yes. online is still fun, yes (although alot the maps are just remakes *sigh*) the voice acting is generally poor and I never felt any emotional link with the characters, Times have moved on and it shows how much Halo has aged. I have still given it a 5 as I will still play it online time to time, but the single player campaign feels old and only took me about 6 1/2 hours to complete.… Expand
  9. Badsniper
    Nov 19, 2010
    6
    The hype for this game was literally immeasurable. Halo: Reach, though breaking the cannon of the game delivered a good solid campaign, and I was happy from beginning to end.

    Campaign (5): 91% The Features in this game are amazing! Theater is back, and Forge has been completely remade with the grid, and the immaculate Forge World, truly this is the customization many halo fans have been    The hype for this game was literally immeasurable. Halo: Reach, though breaking the cannon of the game delivered a good solid campaign, and I was happy from beginning to end.

    Campaign (5): 91%

    The Features in this game are amazing! Theater is back, and Forge has been completely remade with the grid, and the immaculate Forge World, truly this is the customization many halo fans have been hoping for.

    Features (2): 97%

    This is why I have chosen to give this game a 6, The multiplayer is terrible if not broken. Armor abilities were a good Idea on paper however Armor lock just slows down gameplay, and gives unfair advantage to the person using it (as long as their teammates are somewhat competent). And bloom, a mechanic I thought would benefit the series, has instead shamed it. Rarely do I win a medium range fight when I am pacing my shots, and the other person is firing fast with the DMR. this change in what I've come to know as Halo multiplayer (I played Halo 2 and 3 online) is not good, and in the end just demolishes the competitive side of the game.

    Multiplayer (4): 10%
    (4(10) + 2(97) + 5(91))/11 = 62.64%    … Expand
  10. FJBarrett
    Oct 25, 2011
    6
    Halo: Reach did not follow up well from Halo 3. They really missed the ball in regards to multiplayer matchmaking. Although they included an interesting new Arena playlist, they offered no ranked playlists... none. That is ridiculous and literally makes the game x349879 less fun.
  11. Cock-A-Saurus
    Dec 29, 2011
    6
    Huge disappointment. The campaign is way too short, nothing new added, and just boring. The multiplayer is pathetic, with "re-imagined" maps that don't compare to the original versions, and new maps that just suck. The abilities are okay, but not well thought out in either campaign or multiplayer. Also, the new weapons are greatly inferior to the original artillery. All in all, a greatHuge disappointment. The campaign is way too short, nothing new added, and just boring. The multiplayer is pathetic, with "re-imagined" maps that don't compare to the original versions, and new maps that just suck. The abilities are okay, but not well thought out in either campaign or multiplayer. Also, the new weapons are greatly inferior to the original artillery. All in all, a great disaster to a once great series.… Expand
  12. WielderofKnives
    Jan 27, 2012
    6
    Dear People of Metacritic,
    I implore of you to know what this game is. Halo reach, the last bungie made halo. A game that some consider the best of the series, while others completely dislike it. Fanboys have given this game a perfect score, those who hate halo have given it a 0. So I give a completely unbiased review. I have long been playing this game series. They are favorites of mine,    Dear People of Metacritic,
    I implore of you to know what this game is. Halo reach, the last bungie made halo. A game that some consider the best of the series, while others completely dislike it. Fanboys have given this game a perfect score, those who hate halo have given it a 0. So I give a completely unbiased review. I have long been playing this game series. They are favorites of mine, but I personally did not enjoy this entry as much as those of the past. Especially halo 2 and halo 3. A lot of the cool weapons from halo 3 had been removed, for continuity or to put an emphasis on marksmanship I don't really know. The story of the single player seemed so linear and generic, and the characters had no depth to them. When Kat one of the Spartans dies, taking a needle to the head, I didn't feel anything, because I didn't even know her as a character. I compared this to the death of Sergeant Johnson, a character that had been around since the first game, and had grown on me, along with the death of Miranda Keyes who died in a bold attempt to save Johnson. I thought that was inspiring as well. I suppose that Halo Reach is not a real part of the halo canon mostly because it doesn't have anything to do with the sage in the first three games, and it plays a lot differently than the others, though it does have a lot of similarities with the first game. The single player isn't linear, there are some good map designs, the graphics are alright, but its just not that interesting, which for a halo game is rare, it was the same feeling I had when playing ODST, I didn't have an epic rush of feeling like a hero. The multiplayer is what you expect from a halo game, it really isn't that much different other than the fact that almost every game mode starts you off with the DMR. There isn't much tactics, and it is a lot of jumping around and spamming grenades, but I don't have any complaints. I like the currency system and I hope it is brought back in Halo 4. The Firefight mode is pretty awesome, its best with three friends and on a hard difficulty, legendary perhaps, to make it more than a slaughter fest of covenant unless you like that sort of thing. And lastly, there is the Forge mode, which is the best thing about this game, you can make your own maps, and its very precise if you know how to use it. If you are a fiscal gamer you will get a lot out of this package as long as you have Xbox Live. But don't get this if you don't have Live. Its not like halo 2, where the single player was awesome enough to keep you satisfied if you didn't have Live.    … Expand
  13. AFrozenFireball
    Mar 8, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Alright, Halo: Reach. Let's start off with the campaign; now, I personally was extremely excited to see what Bungie would do with Reach's campaign as I've read the novel 'The Fall of Reach' and in my personal opinion it is easily one of the best in the series.

    There is such beautiful story-telling and the opportunities were rich and infinite, Bungie truly could have delivered an amazing and immerse single-player experience, even far surpass that of Combat Evolved's, unfortunately, it falls short.

    There are a lot of things that Bungie did wrong with Reach, for one, they chose not to follow the book, but rather tell the story of how Reach fell from a different perspective; Noble Team's, Noble Team consists of six highly experienced Spartans, each assigned with a number, i.e. Noble 1, Noble 2, etc.

    You assume the role of Noble Six, you are replacing a Spartan III that had just recently been KIA, Thor, he used to be Noble Six or the sixth member of Noble Team, after his demise, you are tasked to fill his boots.

    Noble Team is as follows:
    -Carter-A259/Noble 1, he's the leader dude.
    -Catherine-B320/Noble 2, she's the team's techie.
    -Jun-A266/Noble 3, he's the team's best shot.
    -Emile-A239/Noble 4, he's the typical and cliche filled badass of the team.
    -Jorge-052/Noble 5, he's the big guns' guy and the only Spartan II in Noble Team.

    Now, the biggest problem with Reach's single player is the plot, in the sense that it absolutely and utterly destroys about 10 years of established Halo canon, and I, for one, do NOT like broken canon, right off the bat we see this; Carter, Jun and Emile, as suggested by their service tag number starting with an 'A' were members of Alpha Company, which was the first company of Spartan III's, for those who have not read the books, Alpha Company was wiped out during Operation: PROMETHEUS, therefore, Carter, Jun and Emile should be dead, but they're not, and yet, Bungie provides no info on why these three guys are still alive. That was the first contradiction I found while playing through Reach, but there are loads, the Pillar of Autumn being docked on Reach's surface is another one, the time it took for the planet to fall, along many others. Now that's only canon collisions. Let's move on.

    The missions themselves were incredibly repetitive and boring, there was absolutely no Halo feel to them, and at no point during the campaign did I ever feel like I was actually on a planet that was under invasion of a far more advanced alien race, Reach was getting fckd up, down and all around, for Christ's sake, and yet, the missions were disappointing, we needed to see the bigger picture, we needed to see how the planet literally fell apart in a matter of days, but half of the campaign was:
    >Kill some aliens.
    >Deactivate AA battery.
    >LOLDONE.

    Not to mention there was little to no character development, hence the reason nobody gave a flying f*ck about any of Noble Team's deaths. I shouldn't have been hysterical laughter after Kat got rofl-sniped. It shouldn't have been 'YES!' when Carter crashed his pelican against the Scarab. Bungie emphasized character development so much in their ViDocs, actually stating that Reach was going to be a character-driven story, well, I can safely say that Bungie and I have two completely different definitions of a 'character-driven story', all in all, the campaign was a major disappointment, and had some exciting moments, but overall, it was executed quite poorly.

    Now let's move on to the real juice of Halo: Reach - the multiplayer. This specific portion of the game was something that was hyped to death, Bungie always mentioned how they wanted to change the way Halo multiplayer works, that statement in particular was something that worried me.

    As much as I hate to admit it, I do not like change, Halo's multiplayer didn't need change, it was just fine, it only needed some refining from Halo 3's; better netcode and hitscan weapons and we would have had a multiplayer as good as Halo 2's. Instead, Bungie decided to take a noob-friendly route, they added Armor Abilities, reticule bloom, increased aim-assist, and bigger hitboxes.

    The two latter additions made the game way too easy, and the 2 former added randomness of biblical proportions. And THAT, is no good. Let me quote something a Bungie multiplayer designer said back in 2008:
    'Any time you have a game system which players cannot understand, it might as well be random. No matter how fair the tiebreaker may be, if a single Assault Rifle bullet can slip by and decide the outcome, it might as well be random. And randomness is a poor substitute for tactics and skillful execution.'

    Reach's multiplayer mechanics and sandbox contradict the latter statement. As its multiplayer is the most random out of them all.

    In conclusion, Reach brings a disappointing Campaign and a disappointing multiplayer to any veteran Halo fans that understands the game's core mechanics.    … Expand
  14. SilentSputnik
    Feb 8, 2013
    5
    HR is underwhelming in every way. There's no reason to play it instead of Halo 3. The single player made me want to gouge my eyes out. The multiplayer wasn't impressive at all.
  15. gavin1873
    Sep 15, 2010
    5
    A quick skim over the user reveiws has led me to believe that the numbers 1 through 9 do not exist in the world of amatuer reviewing and that the internet is populated entirely by fanboys desperately trying to justify the money they sink into their preferred flavour of console. Anyhoo... Halo: Reach is, technically speaking, not a bad game; it looks nice, the baddies are definitely notA quick skim over the user reveiws has led me to believe that the numbers 1 through 9 do not exist in the world of amatuer reviewing and that the internet is populated entirely by fanboys desperately trying to justify the money they sink into their preferred flavour of console. Anyhoo... Halo: Reach is, technically speaking, not a bad game; it looks nice, the baddies are definitely not stupid and the multiplayer is good if you like that sort of thing. No, Halo: Reach's biggest problem is that it's just so mediocre and safe; having the same charm and charisma as that of a brick, the guns feel plastic and ineffective, the ending is about as suprising as the sun rising and the new uber-super-awesomesauce armor powers can be laughably ineffective and are definitely not the game-changers promised in the hype. To be honest someone could swap Reach with Halo 3 when you weren't looking and you'd be forgiven for not noticing but again many believed Halo 3 would lead them to the promised land and if something's not broken don't **** with it. So to summarise; If you liked Halo 3 then you'll like this as it's more of the same, which is fine... If you like that sort of thing.… Expand
  16. RyanB2804
    Sep 16, 2010
    6
    I buy games for a single player experience. I see multiplayer as a bonus for my cash. But Bungie seem to do things the other way round. The campaign was short and in all honesty, boring, the AI is dodgy at times, and the graphics aren't up to snuff when compared to games such as Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2 and God of War III. Graphics can really help immerse a player into a game, but thisI buy games for a single player experience. I see multiplayer as a bonus for my cash. But Bungie seem to do things the other way round. The campaign was short and in all honesty, boring, the AI is dodgy at times, and the graphics aren't up to snuff when compared to games such as Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2 and God of War III. Graphics can really help immerse a player into a game, but this game really hasn't improved the visuals much since Halo 3. But i haven't mentioned the multiplayer yet. The multiplayer (the first game i have played online since Halo 3 back in December) is ok. It offers more than Halo 3 does, but that's pretty much it. The multiplayer for this game saves me from giving this game a 3/10.The only reason this game sticks out from the crowd is because it bears the name 'Halo'. Any other game like this would be ripped apart by reviewers. It isn't a crapfest like ODST, and it does improve somewhat over Halo 3, but it isn't worthy of all this praise.… Expand
  17. Flamesuitready
    Sep 18, 2010
    7
    I was really looking forward to taking part in the battle that we'd heard about since the start of Halo, the game was on pre-order for months waiting for the day of release and I checked on every morsel of information that was released by Bungie and it just made the wait all the better, this was going to be the great Halo send off that we'd all been waiting for.

    Unfortunately, as    I was really looking forward to taking part in the battle that we'd heard about since the start of Halo, the game was on pre-order for months waiting for the day of release and I checked on every morsel of information that was released by Bungie and it just made the wait all the better, this was going to be the great Halo send off that we'd all been waiting for.

    Unfortunately, as sometimes happens with a things you really look forward to, the finished article is never going to live up to the anticipation, Halo: Reach is the perfect example of this. The game is at best a half hearted prequel of the Halo games with the setting of Reach and a couple of familiar names/faces thrown in to actually make and connection to the franchise at all, that's not counting the same gameplay copied totally from the other Halo games, no innovation at all, not even any attempt, zero.

    The campaign mode is pitifully short and even having paced myself so I could savour the game I'd been looking forward to for so long I'd finished it within a day of release, to say I was disappointed would be a massive understatement, and there is no great ending either, you are left feeling very cheated. very lazy.
    The game will undoubtedly have hoards of on-line players who will dismiss the campaign mode completely, but to rely on the on-line element of the game to pad out such a weak title really isn't good enough any more.

    Shame on you Bungie.    … Expand
  18. podriscoll27
    Sep 19, 2010
    6
    Iâ
  19. Olegskij
    Sep 23, 2010
    6
    Dull and boring, pointless story badly told in the most pompous style. But the worst thing is: this game is at least supposed to be a technological marvel but its graphics are really boring, like a 2006 shooter. Come on guys, whats all the fuzz?!?! Go play Bioshock instead with incredible design and really interesting setting and story!!!!
  20. El_Burrito
    Dec 4, 2010
    5
    More of the same. The visual quality is on par with Halo 3, the game play is on par with Halo 3, the campaign is a bit less than Halo 3, how ever if you are into the Haloverse story, then you won't care as it is a prequel to help explain some things. Multi-player is basically Halo 3 with jet packs.

    In short, Halo 3. It's not bad, but it doesn't really feel new.
  21. ICUH8N
    Sep 15, 2010
    7
    THE GOOD - Improved AI, increased difficulty, tons of bells and whistles, main screen lobby is a genius idea, psych profile and game searching options help find games to your tastes, inclusion of secondary abilities is a nice touch, fixed the melee issues and an improved firefight mode with a variety of options. THE BAD - Gameplay after all these years is feeling bland and outdated.THE GOOD - Improved AI, increased difficulty, tons of bells and whistles, main screen lobby is a genius idea, psych profile and game searching options help find games to your tastes, inclusion of secondary abilities is a nice touch, fixed the melee issues and an improved firefight mode with a variety of options. THE BAD - Gameplay after all these years is feeling bland and outdated. Graphics, though better than Halo 3's, still aren't top notch. Too many camping locations on multiplayer maps. Awful and distracting music at times. THE UGLY - An embarrassingly low number of multiplayer maps (Inexcusable for a $60 package..you'll spend hours frolicking around on the same 4 similarly designed maps), a short and unevenly paced campaign (5-10 hours, depending on skill and difficulty), continued inclusion of the "cheap" pistol/charged plasma combo and the snap-to-target on the sniper rifle that takes out the skill of sniping and establishes it as one of the most unbalanced and camper friendly weapons of all time. THE VERDICT - A decent game, certainly not worth $60. Wait for it to hit $30-$40 before purchasing.… Expand
  22. the_capoe123
    Sep 18, 2010
    5
    I have been a Halo fan from the start, but this one seems to disappoint me. The graphics are better, yes, but some things have managed to become worse. I believed that in halo 3, the A.I. were lacking a bit of that "intelligence" part. Now they seem to have lost it completely. I have first hand witnessed teammate A.I. stare at enemies and not shoot, leaving me to do everything (onI have been a Halo fan from the start, but this one seems to disappoint me. The graphics are better, yes, but some things have managed to become worse. I believed that in halo 3, the A.I. were lacking a bit of that "intelligence" part. Now they seem to have lost it completely. I have first hand witnessed teammate A.I. stare at enemies and not shoot, leaving me to do everything (on Legendary, you'll take all the help you can get). Another thing...The elites are too powerful in campaign. It shouldn't take 2 shotgun blasts and 3 punches to take it down, when it takes me down in 1 kick. Games take longer to load and the online lag is horrific.
    Now, the few good things (if you can look past its bad things). The characters are more developed and there is a good storyline. Forge world is great once you get the hang of it and firefight is back and better than ever.
    I give Halo reach a 5 out of 10.    … Expand
  23. HoneyChicken
    Sep 16, 2010
    7
    This game looks good. But, with no Master Chief, no. With him not being a part of Reach, this game is an automatic failure. The gameplay is good, but there is NO way that you can say it is even anywhere near the best game ever. The best game ever, my friend, that goes to Grand Theft Auto IV. This is Halo 3, but worse.
  24. kenstarkun
    Sep 20, 2010
    5
    Those who claim this is the "Best Multiplayer Game EVAR!111!" have obviously never touched a fantastic multiplayer shooter like Team Fortress 2 on the PC, or have simply forgotten how amazing Halo 2's multiplayer on the Xbox was.
  25. VeryCutePanda
    Sep 28, 2010
    7
    Probably the only reason why I gave a lower than expected score is because the whole gameplay experience is dull... well, it's still the same thing with no improvements and the vehicle controls are still god-awful. The plot.. it's Halo, the plot is not the driving force and it never will be but Reach manage to make me feel for most of the characters so... Kudos. Graphics is nice, music isProbably the only reason why I gave a lower than expected score is because the whole gameplay experience is dull... well, it's still the same thing with no improvements and the vehicle controls are still god-awful. The plot.. it's Halo, the plot is not the driving force and it never will be but Reach manage to make me feel for most of the characters so... Kudos. Graphics is nice, music is forgettable (as always) and there's always certain minor flaws waiting to jump on you when you're enjoying yourself too much on this game. In conclusion, it's doesn't suck since they basically mirror almost everything from the previous game-engine but sadly it carries the flaws too.… Expand
  26. dupplawt
    Apr 24, 2011
    6
    Halo Reach is a good game; armour abilities give Halo a much needed bit of innovation, and the weaponry is quite different to previous Halo titles. The campaign is enjoyable and proves a challenge on Normal difficulty. I have yet to attempt it with my mates on Legendary but expect it to be difficult. The story is good, and the characters sculpted nicely before the inevitable conclusion.Halo Reach is a good game; armour abilities give Halo a much needed bit of innovation, and the weaponry is quite different to previous Halo titles. The campaign is enjoyable and proves a challenge on Normal difficulty. I have yet to attempt it with my mates on Legendary but expect it to be difficult. The story is good, and the characters sculpted nicely before the inevitable conclusion. The multiplayer is where this game is brilliant value-for-money; many many modes from infection to classic team deathmatch, with anything from 4v4 to 9v9 games, you're sure to find something to play and there are many maps, some huge, some nice and intricate. Forge mode returns, but on a grand scale, with an enormous world on which to create a map. Firefight also returns, with Xbox LIVE support and very in depth settings to tweak how you wish. This game is literally jam packed with content and it's hard to fault it in any way or do anything but recommend buying. I enjoyed it, but it didn't strike that same special feeling as I got when I played Combat Evolved all those year ago. 3/5.… Expand
  27. Trucu
    Sep 16, 2010
    7
    I gave this game a couple days. I played the campaign (really short! I beat it on normal in under 5 hours) and played everything online has to offer and realized one main thing. Boring. If you have played Halo 3 or for that matter, any other Halo, it is the same basic game. Firefight is a a joke since you can make yourself invulnerable with unlimited ammo to get all the achievements.I gave this game a couple days. I played the campaign (really short! I beat it on normal in under 5 hours) and played everything online has to offer and realized one main thing. Boring. If you have played Halo 3 or for that matter, any other Halo, it is the same basic game. Firefight is a a joke since you can make yourself invulnerable with unlimited ammo to get all the achievements. Speaking of achievements, they don't even work all the time! How could bungie release a game with broken achievements?

    Basically, if you are interested in an in depth single player experience, you are better off figuring out why there needs to be another CoD clone of MW. If you are looking for the MP(like most of you are), I have to say it lacks. The grenades have a massive buff, the main weapons are the DMR and Needle Rifle, which leave the game with an empty feeling. The main strategy is to fire at the enemy until they turn a corner, then lob your nades if you see them on your motion tracker behind the corner. Teamwork? Yes, but the basic Halo teamwork there always has been. Such as,"Hey you have a sniper rifle!", says your teammate. *assassination* "Not anymore!" Then you are left with the decision to boot the player (which will harm your team since most games are small 4v4 matches) or let him be a 10 year old on your team. There is of course the other basic teamwork of,"Guys, lets run around or camp until we see enemies and then call out when their shields are down so we can steal each others kills." Not my kind of game.

    Hynda, the Wii has terrible games. I recently gave mine away. Who wants to play Mario and cartoon games forever? Other than the Japanese. 3 words; Fallout: New Vegas. When the Wii gets it, I'll S*** BRICKS.    … Expand
  28. Seehuusen
    Sep 17, 2010
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Multiplayer wise i am incredibly pleased, except for the poor amount of maps. it's following the halo 3 recipe, it works and some new stuff has been added. Making a long story short, i'd go for a 9/10 on that part. In single player however, the story and characters are a huge dissappointment, it feels like ODST 2, only without the spooky feeling of being alone in the dark. The gameplay is good, but the story is quite boring and the characters are not worthy of mentioning, there's a lack of backbone to the story, and it feels like youre watching a b-movie from hollywood. I can't possibly give that more than 5/10. It's very good gameplay wise, but the story and characters are far below average, and the single player experince is truly dissappointing, thefore, an average, 5/10. Overall the game scores 7/10 from me, cause i think Halo is just as much a single player game, as it is an awesome multiplayer shooter.… Expand
  29. Juan
    Sep 20, 2010
    7
    I don´t see significant improvements graphically, the single player campaign leaves much to be desired, however, is an entertaining game in its cooperative campaign
  30. MrSlippery
    Sep 20, 2010
    6
    I usually agree with the "real" critics, but not on this one. Played them all. Played this game, all parts, and nothing in the game is memorable for me. It has beautiful vistas and outdoor areas and improved resolution. My biggest disappointment was there was nothing new in the game-play. I have already played too many hours of the same game-play and the new armor abilities don't add muchI usually agree with the "real" critics, but not on this one. Played them all. Played this game, all parts, and nothing in the game is memorable for me. It has beautiful vistas and outdoor areas and improved resolution. My biggest disappointment was there was nothing new in the game-play. I have already played too many hours of the same game-play and the new armor abilities don't add much for me. My favorite part - the action after the credits. My final test of greatness; as soon as I'm done, I crank up the difficulty and start over. Couldn't be bothered.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2010
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 99 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 93 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 99
  3. Negative: 0 out of 99
  1. Video Game Talk
    Jan 18, 2011
    80
    If you loved all the other Halo games, there's little I can say to dissuade you from purchasing Bungie's last creation in the Halo series.
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  2. Absolute Games
    Jan 15, 2011
    71
    Halo: Reach is not a breakthrough, yet it's a clear showcase of Bungie's creative growth. The game is hardly a "must buy" – its single-player campaign is way too short and uneven in quality, while multiplayer has very little room for expansion besides map packs and useless character decorations. But with that said, Reach is worthy of your attention for a couple of evenings.
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  3. Games Master UK
    Dec 25, 2010
    94
    Almost achieves the impossible and fulfills the hype. Among the best shooters ever created. [Issue#231, p.82]
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