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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. chronoT
    Sep 4, 2012
    8
    Halo is a hit or miss for a lot of people, but personally I like the Halo series, and I think Reach is some of the best it has to offer. Overall for a XBox game this looks good, feels good, and the multiplayer is pretty damn fun IMO. The story here is definitely not the strongest of the series, but the single player is worth taking a look at and an absolute challenge on legendary. I noHalo is a hit or miss for a lot of people, but personally I like the Halo series, and I think Reach is some of the best it has to offer. Overall for a XBox game this looks good, feels good, and the multiplayer is pretty damn fun IMO. The story here is definitely not the strongest of the series, but the single player is worth taking a look at and an absolute challenge on legendary. I no longer own a 360 nor do I plan on it, which is not that big of deal to me except I will miss Halo 4. I do think 4 looks seriously promising.… Expand
  2. AudioThirteen
    Aug 31, 2012
    9
    This is a great game, and it is masterfully done, however, it still lacks in some of the things that make a Halo game Halo. While the graphics and soundtrack are perfect, I am a little disappointed in the story. While it is a great story and all, it just doesn't beat Halo 3. If you want a great shooter game, play Halo: Reach, however if you want a great campaign, play Halo 3. Notice thatThis is a great game, and it is masterfully done, however, it still lacks in some of the things that make a Halo game Halo. While the graphics and soundtrack are perfect, I am a little disappointed in the story. While it is a great story and all, it just doesn't beat Halo 3. If you want a great shooter game, play Halo: Reach, however if you want a great campaign, play Halo 3. Notice that I'm not going to go in-depth on how the stories are different, if I did I would have ruined the game for you.… Expand
  3. Breegullbeak
    Aug 25, 2012
    9
    Was the greatest shooter online ever made. Bungie made a truly great online shooter and they were easily able to tweak playlists and add new game types as they saw fit. That is where the problems start. A week after the game came out due to popular demand S.W.A.T. was added. Multi team S.W.A.T. was beautiful chaos head shots everywhere. Then S.W.A.T. was removed from multi team and givenWas the greatest shooter online ever made. Bungie made a truly great online shooter and they were easily able to tweak playlists and add new game types as they saw fit. That is where the problems start. A week after the game came out due to popular demand S.W.A.T. was added. Multi team S.W.A.T. was beautiful chaos head shots everywhere. Then S.W.A.T. was removed from multi team and given it's own playlist. Then the player count in multi team was changed, and things were removed and changed according to what would make the the game "more fair" according to the "victims" of someone who practiced the art of armor lock or used a gun that was good.

    Things got worse and worse. When the First DLC hit it really only had one good map, and the playlists were very different. 343 took over and things got worse. Elite slayer was changed so drastically that not even fans of it voted it anymore. Good luck getting into a game of it since the games that come up are the most popular. The second DLC sucked two outside of a firefight map. The Anniversary map pack sucked as well, and it's not the games fault. Due to the fact that there is a large number of people who haven't played Halo 1 & 2, there is a large number of people who haven't played the new maps previously. The people who have however know them inside out and have strategies already made up due to previous experience. Firefight is great. It is nowhere near as difficult as ODST, but it is fun to set it up your way.

    Forge World is incredible. While the maps that Bungie made may be bad, the maps and custom games out there made by fans are the saving grace of this game, but the one thing that remains untouched is my favorite part of the game.

    The Campaign is incredible. I never gave a damn about the story in Halo, but Reach manages to have semi-interesting characters and a kick ass campaign to go along with it. I'll try and remember the fond memories of Reach at launch, but outside the campaign and custom games, there is noting I'd ever want to go back too.

    Remember Reach. 2010-2010    … Expand
  4. potatoes351
    Aug 13, 2012
    9
    Nearly a decade of work from Bungie has culminated into this, the companies final Halo game. Reach tells the widely referenced but (never told in a video game) story of The Fall of Reach. You play as Noble Six, Noble Teams newest member after the previous Six gave their life protecting the team. You soon find that the Covenant has infiltrated Reach and begins a full scale invasion.Nearly a decade of work from Bungie has culminated into this, the companies final Halo game. Reach tells the widely referenced but (never told in a video game) story of The Fall of Reach. You play as Noble Six, Noble Teams newest member after the previous Six gave their life protecting the team. You soon find that the Covenant has infiltrated Reach and begins a full scale invasion. Unprepared the UNSC defends as long as they can deploying Noble Team to all the pivotal warzones in the battle for Reach, however as we all know Reach is inevitably lost. The characters are likeable and relateable, they have character and you feel sad when they are lost. Reach completes the Halo saga (more or less *eyes Halo 3 ending*) and as a Halo fan, I am proud of Reach.… Expand
  5. cbb1018
    Aug 6, 2012
    9
    Bungie came back with its last Halo installment as a prequel to the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. And it may surprise you on how good a prequel can be. Your part of a group trying to save the planet Reach from the Covenant. This game goes through the relationships of everyone in your group and how passionate a team of soldiers really can be. It has you going from beginning to end withBungie came back with its last Halo installment as a prequel to the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. And it may surprise you on how good a prequel can be. Your part of a group trying to save the planet Reach from the Covenant. This game goes through the relationships of everyone in your group and how passionate a team of soldiers really can be. It has you going from beginning to end with non stop action. The multiplayer is great as well. It brings back everything you love about the previous Halo installments but brings much more to the table. Halo: Reach is a must have for any Halo fanatic like myself.

    Pros:
    -Great story
    -Good graphics
    -Good Multiplayer

    Cons: -This is Bungies last Halo installment    … Expand
  6. takepantsoff
    Jul 28, 2012
    10
    Probably the most fun one can have for $60 these days. With the amazingly well rounded multiplayer with forge and custom games giving you unlimited amounts of replay value. I would easily pay $120 for this game. Gorgeous graphics for its time and most games dont touch it today. The only way you can have more fun than this for $60 is if your into cheap prostitution. Which I do not endorse
  7. IdiotFalcon
    Jul 21, 2012
    9
    Despite not being the largest bang fans wanted Bungie to end the series with, Halo Reach is still the best all round Halo game so far. While some fans may complain that Reach's storyline conflicted with Halo cannon, this is something most gamers can completely ignore as Reach's story will slowly unfold and submerse you as you play through the single player, with realistic characters thatDespite not being the largest bang fans wanted Bungie to end the series with, Halo Reach is still the best all round Halo game so far. While some fans may complain that Reach's storyline conflicted with Halo cannon, this is something most gamers can completely ignore as Reach's story will slowly unfold and submerse you as you play through the single player, with realistic characters that depict the story's emotion as remember the Spartans you will be fighting with are soldiers and not happy-go-lucky hero's. Some sequences in the campaign will feel reminiscent and almost taken from past Halo games this can be glanced over as Bungie has ditched the tedious looming corridors and repetitive missions by making every experience in the campaign completely different so you may have experienced it in previous games but not once will it repeat in the campaign itself. Although there is a bit of back tracking Bungie has smoothed this over by changing the scenery and enemies when you have to return as two missions take place in the same base but they feel like completely different environments.
    Powerups and equipment are now replaced with Armour Abilities that you can use in campaign and multi-player which include invisibility now known as active camo, the ability to shoot out a hologram as a decoy, jetpack (no real need for an explanation), a new bubble shield, sprint and armour lock an ability that makes you invincible but immobile at the same time.
    For their last game Bungie has incorporated a new recoil system called bloom which instead the standard recoiling upwards when shooting the bullets fly less accurately the longer or faster you shoot
    and you will see you reticle inflate to show you the area where your bullets may be hitting.
    While bloom may be almost unnoticeable in campaign it is in multi-player with the character models moving faster, the random bullet spread can be frustrating sometimes especially in competitive play and another thing on the MP is that over the year that Reach has been out there is a bit of unbalance in the armour abilities as with players getting to use them more they find out if they are over powered and armour lock is and as you stop when you use it, stops the gameplay as well which hurts the fun of multi-player as a lot of people use armour lock. But this only really noticeable in the core Halo gametypes as Reach offers an unprecedented amount of playlists to choose from with playlists like invasion which pitches elites verses Spartans, Grifball where two teams of four beat the living daylight out of each other in a crazed effort to get a bomb to the other side of the court, and the ever frantic, hectic, fun return of multi-team which also includes new gametypes like rockethog race and with friends multi-team is easily some of the most fun you can have on any game.
    So even though the core elements of Halo multiplayer are hurt a bit, Reach's variety in fun game modes needs to be explored to get the best out of it.
    Theatre also makes a welcome return in Reach and just like in Halo 3 you can replay, pause and record footage from your gameplay
    Possibly on of the biggest overhauls in Reach is in Forge
    Forge now has its own massive map built specifically for forging and is just simply huge and offers tons of different places ideal for creating your forge built map which is made easier to do with the ability to snap controls, edit the co-ordinates phase and phase and fix the forge piece and speaking of forge pieces there is a truck load of objects to manipulate and play with from massive Colosseum walls to crazy man canons that propel you across the map.
    So whether put painstakingly long hours into perfecting your map or just want to explode your friends in the most obscene way you will end up spending countless hours in forge.
    While the core multiplayer may not be as fun as Halo 3 which still undeniably has one of the greatest multiplayer components of all time,Halo Reach has so much variety, customization and overall accomplishment that makes it possibly the best overall first-person-shooter of this generation because of how much content it provides for the player and is a definite buy for any fan of Halo, shooter and creation.    … Expand
  8. EiiteDonkey
    Jul 4, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game makes the beloved Halo franchise better. The campaign is great and its one you can play over and over again. The story is a good prequel to Halo Combat Evolved, gives good back story to cortana, the beloved AI that helps Master Chief. The Multi-player is good for competitive and lazy players, many different game types that keep you from getting bored. You will spend too much time playing this game, but it is totally worth it for the fun you get out of it. The Forge is way better than Halo 3, Smooth, Easy, Quick. You can build maps quickly or spend time and have great detailed maps. The Firefight mode is awesome, with new game types and custom game types you will want to continue on battling the covenant. Halo:Reach is a 100% BUY. But with Halo 4 around the corner, no point now.… Expand
  9. French_Antoine
    Jul 1, 2012
    9
    The best gift Bungie could have give us before they leave the Halo scene. This game is a gorgeous diamond. The controls are awesome and dangerously responsive, graphically, no major issues, and the music are just to dream about. The multiplayer is really challenging and unique, since everything goes very fast. Skill is the deal.
    The negative point I would give it is that they could have    The best gift Bungie could have give us before they leave the Halo scene. This game is a gorgeous diamond. The controls are awesome and dangerously responsive, graphically, no major issues, and the music are just to dream about. The multiplayer is really challenging and unique, since everything goes very fast. Skill is the deal.
    The negative point I would give it is that they could have offered us a better single player story. They should terribly have more respected the novel.    … Expand
  10. ADIL
    Jun 30, 2012
    8
    Halo: Reach very good game on xbox 360 and like part from Halo 3 halo 3 odst and i like any game is name halo ! my score 8/10 ... and this game the best game shooter on xbox 360 and we need see halo 4 how the game come to gamer ! by adil khojah
  11. Notdavidbowie
    Jun 21, 2012
    8
    Halo Reach holds it's place in the Halo Series. It has an absolutely fantastic storyline following that of a spartan in a team of elite spartans. The game brings lots of new ideas to Halo's Table. Various new weapons, vehicles and of course, for the first time, built in armour abilities. I enjoyed this game the full way through and it even skewed away from the fps style game and went toHalo Reach holds it's place in the Halo Series. It has an absolutely fantastic storyline following that of a spartan in a team of elite spartans. The game brings lots of new ideas to Halo's Table. Various new weapons, vehicles and of course, for the first time, built in armour abilities. I enjoyed this game the full way through and it even skewed away from the fps style game and went to the space flight combat simulator. Halo 3 offered me one of my first online gaming experiences and I never found a game I enjoyed online more. Unfortunately, the online didn't hold it for me with Halo Reach. It felt like there was too much going on, too many ways to avoid being killed. The added armour bonuses left all your other halo expertise slightly useless. In saying that, it is still a GOOD online experience by all accounts. I haven't played the game in almost a year but currently the online is holding me back from my last achievement so I will consider investing more time to that game. If you the Halo universe, want more scope on the story, see and experience the legendary fall of Reach, then this is certainly a game worth buying.… Expand
  12. Necrotaur
    Jun 13, 2012
    8
    Bit of a late review on this one, but Halo: Reach is pretty good. The single player campaign is fun and has an excellent story, and the multiplayer continues in the vein of previous Halo offerings with interesting, arcadey game types. Customizing your spartan is a pretty cool feature, but unlocking armor pieces and ranking up feels like a chore sometimes with the huge amount of creditsBit of a late review on this one, but Halo: Reach is pretty good. The single player campaign is fun and has an excellent story, and the multiplayer continues in the vein of previous Halo offerings with interesting, arcadey game types. Customizing your spartan is a pretty cool feature, but unlocking armor pieces and ranking up feels like a chore sometimes with the huge amount of credits you have to earn. Fortunately this is helped by daily and weekly challenges.… Expand
  13. SrSpock
    Jun 8, 2012
    10
    Definitivamente o melhor jogo que já joguei, não da pra falar apenas do halo Reach é preciso ver Hallo como um todo, depois de jogar na ordem: Halo 3, Reach, Halo CE e ODST, todo o enrredo do jogo vem a memoria como se fosse um filme.

    Empolgante, animador, tenso, prende o jogador ao jogo, a hitoria é espetacular, em resumo, a serie    Definitivamente o melhor jogo que já joguei, não da pra falar apenas do halo Reach é preciso ver Hallo como um todo, depois de jogar na ordem: Halo 3, Reach, Halo CE e ODST, todo o enrredo do jogo vem a memoria como se fosse um filme.

    Empolgante, animador, tenso, prende o jogador ao jogo, a hitoria é espetacular, em resumo, a serie Halo é o estado da arte.    … Expand
  14. Beauboy93
    Jun 4, 2012
    6
    Looking back of Halo Reach, I have to say it is one of my least favorite Halos. The addition of Armor Abilities and interesting weapons is all I can say that is good about this game. The story did not fit with the current Cannon, often contradicting what already happened in the books. The multiplayer was also delivered terribly with maps taken right out of areas found in the campaign.Looking back of Halo Reach, I have to say it is one of my least favorite Halos. The addition of Armor Abilities and interesting weapons is all I can say that is good about this game. The story did not fit with the current Cannon, often contradicting what already happened in the books. The multiplayer was also delivered terribly with maps taken right out of areas found in the campaign. Bungie later admitted that they regretted making that decision. Halo is built on good story and good multiplayer. Reach did not deliver on either front.… Expand
  15. Redoer
    May 27, 2012
    7
    I'm a huge fan of the series, and bought this game on release. First impressions were good; the maps they shipped the game with were well designed and varied, although there were fewer than Halo 3 had shipped with. I had many hours of enjoyment, but I feel there are many issues with the game. I'm not a fan of bloom, for one. On release, all the people whining about bloom bothered me,but II'm a huge fan of the series, and bought this game on release. First impressions were good; the maps they shipped the game with were well designed and varied, although there were fewer than Halo 3 had shipped with. I had many hours of enjoyment, but I feel there are many issues with the game. I'm not a fan of bloom, for one. On release, all the people whining about bloom bothered me,but I can sort of sympathize with them now. Bloom adds a level of randomness not present in previous games; spamming can potentially yield the same result as taking well paced shots. While the title update greatly reduced bloom, I don't feel that's the perfect solution. The semi-auto DMR was kept in check by the bloom. The BR didn't need bloom due to the burst-fire nature of the weapon; unless you kept on-target for the duration of the burst, you wouldn't cause maximum damage, unlike the DMR.
    The campaign was good in terms of story, although I did miss playing as the Master Chief and it felt a little short. However, the sabre mission added a bit of variety.    … Expand
  16. namDa65
    May 20, 2012
    9
    One of the kings of multiplayer gaming. Very skill based still and I love it. This is balanced team multiplayer gameplay at its finest (Besides CSS and DoTA :) ) . The new maps are great as well as the enhanced graphics. Yes, even though it is sub HD I like the updated look. Great game, must buy if you think you are good at multiplayer. Campaign sucks **** though.
  17. SCHMOOPITIZE
    May 15, 2012
    9
    Halo Reach, is defiantly the pinnacle of first person shooters in the past 5 years or so. The game's campaign is gripping and filled with Halo esc sci-fi lore. You will find yourself on recon,stealth, FULL SCALE WARFARE, FULL SCALE SPACE WARFARE, search and rescue and defensive missions. My two favorite missions in the game are the full scale warfare one and the space combat one. TheHalo Reach, is defiantly the pinnacle of first person shooters in the past 5 years or so. The game's campaign is gripping and filled with Halo esc sci-fi lore. You will find yourself on recon,stealth, FULL SCALE WARFARE, FULL SCALE SPACE WARFARE, search and rescue and defensive missions. My two favorite missions in the game are the full scale warfare one and the space combat one. The fourth mission tip of the spear is by far the best. Filled with explosions that don't feel like a Michael Bay film. Also, it's cool to have to infiltrate enemy bases on your own land. Also, it's this halo's "vehicle mission." My second favorite is the one just after it. Starting with a world war 2 style "storm the beach" into a UNSC base, only to take control of a space fighter and duke it out STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT 2 STYLE! (about time)
    The multi-player is more of the same...but not...Same classic modes within (CTF, slayer and such) but new ones such as Headhunter are involved where in this mode you get a skull for each kill, and the rest is self explanatory. The armor customization is REALLY GOOD. My only problem is the leveling system. I have Xbox live but i don't see anyone ranking up without it. Also, ranking is extremely easy until you get to L.t Colonel I HATE DIFFICULTY SPIKES.
    Forge is back and better then ever. With a whole level designed juts for forge. It's amazing, however because of this no one and i mean no one uses forge on any other map. I believe they should make a second forge world in a DLC.
    Fire Fight, is like forge, back with more customazation. You can customize wave after wave. However at first the editor can be confusing. Also in a future halo you should be able to set to the point how many of each enemy you want.
    Other modes are the same (theater)
    THIS PRODUCT IS AMAZING AND STILL HOLDS UP TO THE NEWEST GAMES.    … Expand
  18. blackboxman
    May 6, 2012
    8
    everybody is complaining about the graphics of this game, why? do you want to say you play a game because of the graphics?
    you play a game because it's fun not because it looks beautiful.
    the story of the game is good but could be better. people are complaining about the realism of this game, but games like mario or cod are realistic? in mario you are a plumber who wants to save a princes    everybody is complaining about the graphics of this game, why? do you want to say you play a game because of the graphics?
    you play a game because it's fun not because it looks beautiful.
    the story of the game is good but could be better.
    people are complaining about the realism of this game, but games like mario or cod are realistic?
    in mario you are a plumber who wants to save a princes every f***ing time.
    and in cod you are a super-soldier how can survive everything, and if you get hit somewhere your eyes start to bleed and if they stop bleeding and you become healthy, no medpack, nothing.
    this game is actualy more balanced than cod
    people who play longer get better weapons(cod)
    everybody haves the same equiment at start or respawn(halo)
    and halo haves not so much campers( cod haves a lot)
    i know i used cod a lot in this review but it could be every other first person shooter ( since most of them are cod-copies)    … Expand
  19. TheSquirrel
    May 5, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. From a single player perspective, this game has a very different feel from the other Halo games, primarily because if you know anything of the Halo universe, you know that Reach was lost. This gives the game and several intense moments a very sullen, dark feel. This is esspecially true of the slow thinning down of your team. In ODST, everything works out in the end for your squad, so the dark theme of that game is less impactful. If you play these games just to shoot stuff, you won't have a clue what I'm talking about. If, however you game for story, you've likely felt a sort of hopelessness in this game, which adds a very powerful base for all the other game's stories to launch from. Play Halo one afterwards and you fight meaner, harder. The graphics, sound, control, and variety are excellent. Most bizarre is the fantastic space mission that comes out of nowhere. Bungie most have bored and decided to try their hands at something new. Excellent game, excellent story, but the multiplayer has trouble distinguishing itself, despite the modifications.… Expand
  20. MalcomGTX
    May 2, 2012
    7
    The multiplayer is fantastic, IMHO the best in the Halo franchise, however the Story was a bit 'generic' feeling. Although I know the ending was coming, I felt no sympathy for any of the team; their characters did not connect with me so the 'sad' sequences did not feel as moving as they should have.

    I still feel like an ending where you escape/live might have been stronger, it just felt    The multiplayer is fantastic, IMHO the best in the Halo franchise, however the Story was a bit 'generic' feeling. Although I know the ending was coming, I felt no sympathy for any of the team; their characters did not connect with me so the 'sad' sequences did not feel as moving as they should have.

    I still feel like an ending where you escape/live might have been stronger, it just felt like too much of a downer, especially knowing it was Bungie's last Halo game. I feel like they should have gone out with a bang, not the slow crawl to death, despite the emotional impact that kind of ending was meant to give.    … Expand
  21. unknown09111
    Apr 5, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is great because of changes of graphics, gameplay and good story. It tells how Cortana have been able to get to Master Chief because of Noble 6, which is a great prequel to halo combat evolve. Also, please stop fanboy biased for PS3 and Xbox 360 exclusive games, i own a PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox, and PS2. Those exclusive games are good. I am very glad they made a very good game because Halo 3: ODST isn't much a good game for me in my opinion.… Expand
  22. aaronrs2
    Mar 28, 2012
    10
    Do you know hat does epic mean? It means HALO REACH, an infinite game, with a good campaign, (the only problem is that you don´t use master chief) and the perfect multiplayer.
    You have got as maps as your XBOX flash drive can have, because with forge you can create whatever you want. Races, battles with lasers...
    You can play also the epic firefight mode, and the classic    Do you know hat does epic mean? It means HALO REACH, an infinite game, with a good campaign, (the only problem is that you don´t use master chief) and the perfect multiplayer.
    You have got as maps as your XBOX flash drive can have, because with forge you can create whatever you want. Races, battles with lasers...
    You can play also the epic firefight mode, and the classic matchmaking, but the best thing is to play in your own maps with 15 friends!
    Graphics don't matter, you will LOVE this game.    … Expand
  23. IplayGAMESone23
    Mar 23, 2012
    7
    I thought although this covers the things Halo 3 missed that it was a bit of a disappointment. It had a really disappointing campaign with lots of really bad things. I loved the multiplayer although I really disliked the powers system. I found splattering myself on armour locks EXTREMELY frustrating. I definitely prefered 3 and I hope 4 is a lot better than this.
  24. NorBdelta
    Mar 22, 2012
    9
    Ok yes this is another Halo, is the campaign entertaining? Hell yes. Now the beginning cinematic paints a pretty bleak picture. But this is all part of the time-line in the halo universe. I certainly found the Spartan 3 squad-mates true to their roles, the armor mods very useful, the AI tough and the new enemies a nice change.

    Now you might call me a fanatic but I have read all the Halo    Ok yes this is another Halo, is the campaign entertaining? Hell yes. Now the beginning cinematic paints a pretty bleak picture. But this is all part of the time-line in the halo universe. I certainly found the Spartan 3 squad-mates true to their roles, the armor mods very useful, the AI tough and the new enemies a nice change.

    Now you might call me a fanatic but I have read all the Halo Novels and I like to experience the Halo Universe in any additional way, this game lives up to my expectations of a Halo game but does have flaws, story wise mostly and does wander away from the time-line somewhat but it is forgivable.

    I enjoyed it and that is final.    … Expand
  25. Goaterminator
    Mar 21, 2012
    8
    This game isn´t bad at all, but is too short .
  26. haloface16
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    I will start this review by saying this is probbibly one of the greatest games ever! It has very hectic singleplayer. The multiplayer has a great amount of content. Excellent voice acting. This is a must buy for people who have Xbox360s. This is the greatest halo ever.
  27. paxbanana
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    Now, I'm not a Halo buff. The only other Halo game I played was Halo: 3. Just compared to Halo:3 in campaign and multiplayer, Halo: Reach is much better, hands down. The campaign is great, and the cut-scenes add a richness to the story. I enjoyed it so much I made it a goal to actually play through the game on Legendary single-player (and I did). I can't say I've done that on many games.Now, I'm not a Halo buff. The only other Halo game I played was Halo: 3. Just compared to Halo:3 in campaign and multiplayer, Halo: Reach is much better, hands down. The campaign is great, and the cut-scenes add a richness to the story. I enjoyed it so much I made it a goal to actually play through the game on Legendary single-player (and I did). I can't say I've done that on many games. Multiplayer is incredibly fun--Slayer and Firefight--and I feel the point system, player skill system, and the dropped game penalty is much, much better than Halo: 3. And, well, armor customization is a great reward for accruing points earned just by having fun. The weapons all feel like they pack more of a punch than the weapons in Halo:3, which is a huge plus. All in all, great game.… Expand
  28. 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
  29. Josh_47ra
    Mar 6, 2012
    9
    Decent campaign, Really good multiplayer. Much better than Halo 3 and a campaign comparable to Halo 3: ODST. Great map packs, albeit a bit overpriced.
  30. Mako5
    Feb 26, 2012
    9
    Halo: Reach is a great game! The story was thrilling, engaging, unique, and amazing! I liked the fresh and almost tactical feel I got from the game. It felt much more like a military shooter. However, this game didn't feel very much as "Halo-y" as I wish it was. The new armor abilities were cool at first, then became slightly annoying. Hologram sucks, and armor lock really pisses me off.Halo: Reach is a great game! The story was thrilling, engaging, unique, and amazing! I liked the fresh and almost tactical feel I got from the game. It felt much more like a military shooter. However, this game didn't feel very much as "Halo-y" as I wish it was. The new armor abilities were cool at first, then became slightly annoying. Hologram sucks, and armor lock really pisses me off. Both can be pretty useless sometimes, and in multiplayer straight up aggravating! The armor ability of Spring made me wonder WHY Bungie never gave us the ability to sprint in the first place. If you ask me, being a Spartan in the game, being able to sprint should be mandatory. I enjoyed jetpack, and thought this new addition to game change the usual flow of combat and gave the player new ventures in how to engage enemies in both campaign and multiplayer. Halo: Reach plays good, looks good, and sounds good. Graphics are nice, though nothing to applaud over. Sound effects and music are excellent! The game plays nearly flawless and the AI underwent improvements since Halo 3 and ODST. The Covenant look awesome, and feel more powerful and intimidating. The two space-combat levels was a great addition, and are extremely fun. Halo: Reach is a large-scale, global war and it feels that way while playing. Playing as a Spartan III in Halo: Reach was addicting, and this game is still one of my favorites. The characters were a bit shallow however, and their deaths didn't have much impact on me. Overall, Halo: Reach is a great game and I recommend it!… Expand
Page:

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

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  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]
See all critic reviews »