By Ravi Sinha
Despite spending an entire early morning whiling away on Firefight at the official worldwide launch of Halo 3: ODST, I was in equal lengths appalled, distraught and just plain high on what to review it for. On one hand, the quick, vanilla action portions of the franchise were intact, albeit with a few tactical features – the dominant one was sadly “Run for your life when low on health” from the absence of regenerating health. On the other hand, it was the same Halo. Granted it had it’s plot holes and technicalities, but the real kicker was it’s core gameplay that was still the same repetitive action and ugly graphics from the previous titles. All the new additions – the new pistol and SMG, the VISR, the world hub – meant, for lack of a kinder euphemism, jack.
Not that it mattered. No one walked into a store to buy Halo expecting an in-depth action-RPG hybrid with a complex story and 100 hours of unique missions. The specific audience was there. It was large. Bugger me silly if I could define it, but I knew, despite my humongous “meh” to the final product, I wasn’t in it.
Is Halo: Reach just more of the same Halo? Upon viewing the leaked screenshots, that’s the impression I got. The Rocket Launcher is there, yes. Not to mention some snazzy new weaponry. Does that Battle Rifle have one mean ass scope or what? And has the Chief returned? Very nice. However, despite these new environments and the so-called improved graphics, the sneaking suspicion still haunts me: This will be more of the same Halo. Aside from the hype that bears all too much in common with the ODST ad blitzkieg, why is that? Because that’s what’s sold the series.
I know that once the game is released, a discussion will arise on the subtle differences between Halo Reach and other Halo games. When Halo 3: ODST came out, some of us were hung up on false views that the game was nothing but the same Halo. Mind you, this came from early fake reviews who’s facts were all over the place but it was jarring nonetheless. Equally jarring was that, in an essence, they were right. I hope in some ways Halo: Reach is indeed not the same Halo – that it sends off the franchise with not so much a bang, but a title I’ll actually be able to play without looking at the controller in my hand, and asking ashamedly, “Why?” And maybe, just maybe, good enough to make people forget this was Bungie’s last Halo title. Until then, there is much, much work to do.
To view more leaked shots of Halo: Reach, head here.
22 Responses to “Is Halo Reach Just More of the Same Halo?”
LOL@you
Halo hater much?
“Same repeatitive gameplay and ugly graphics of previous halo’s?”
Ok sir, your full of shit.
There’s a reason companies are still trying to produce a “halo-killer” to this day.
Give bungie where credit is due. Halo is a phenomenon for a reason.
The best online multiplayer action and variety of modes every accomplished. New things like regenerative health and the two weapon limit to create balance and slick new and useful weapons in every installment. A great and involving science fiction story up there with the best of them and unique and “human-like” enemy A.I still unequaled to this day.
There’s a reason halo is one of the most talked about franchises in history and their is a reason it gets all the hype and universal record breaking sales with each launch and release.
Halo is legendary, don’t try to knock it without merit and that’s exactly what your trying to do.
FPS’s are still trying to outdo or give the same immersive and addicting experience halo has achieved through these years wether it’s single player or multiplayer.
Halo series is one the most highest rated, most replayed, most sought after and talked about videogames in history.
It’s like trying to deny the significance of a new mario brothers or legend of zelda game.
You know better.
LOL@you
Halo hater much?
“Same repeatitive gameplay and ugly graphics of previous halo’s?”
Ok sir, your full of crap.
There’s a reason companies are still trying to produce a “halo-killer” to this day.
Give bungie where credit is due. Halo is a phenomenon for a reason.
The best online multiplayer action and variety of modes every accomplished. New things like regenerative health and the two weapon limit to create balance and slick new and useful weapons in every installment. A great and involving science fiction story up there with the best of them and unique and “human-like” enemy A.I still unequaled to this day.
There’s a reason halo is one of the most talked about franchises in history and their is a reason it gets all the hype and universal record breaking sales with each launch and release.
Halo is legendary, don’t try to knock it without merit and that’s exactly what your trying to do.
FPS’s are still trying to outdo or give the same immersive and addicting experience halo has achieved through these years wether it’s single player or multiplayer.
Halo series is one the most highest rated, most replayed, most sought after and talked about videogames in history.
It’s like trying to deny the significance of a new mario brothers or legend of zelda game.
You know better.
It is Halo. What are you expecting at this point based on some blurry cell phone pics? I notice you ignored in your article and pointing out the blurry picture that showed the health status of other Spartans on the HUD. We are a year away from it releasing in 2010 and we don’t know what fact at this point. The rocket launcher may have been a prop put in the game at this point in time. But nobody outside of Bungie knows and I don’t see the point of trying to analyze blurry cell phone pics. I don’t see why anybody expects Halo’s gameplay to change when it continues to be one of the most played series/games on Live. If you think they are going to drastically changed the gameplay then you are setting yourself up for failure. By the way understand if you don’t or anyone else that this is a prequel to Halo. I expect some new weapons and new gameplay additions like perks that was noticed on the blurry pic that of course is not connfirmed at this point because Bungie hasn’t said anything. See the trend? Goes back to wondering what is the point with so little information and ll you have like everyone else some blurry cell phone pics.
Thank you for writing this article. It’s exactly what I was thinking last night while all the Halo fanboys were on Bungie’s nuts, drooling over the “vast improved visuals”. Don’t get me wrong, I love Halo, but after IGN printed the article with that quote from some guy from Bungie about Reach being something really different I started to get excited. It’s still in development and we don’t even know these are legit but I hope that we aren’t gonna be fed more of the same again.
Halo is a phenomenon like WOW is a phenomenon, doesn’t mean it ever had good graphics, just as WOW doesn’t…
You don’ t have to become an idiot just because you love the game.
The BR looks badass with that scope, I wonder if it zooms more than the others. mboojigga – good call about making assumptions about blury cell phone pics. This is still a pre-beta build anyway. Am I worried Bungie will make a shabby game? Not in the least bit. This game will most likely break Halo 3′s records.
I can’t believe so many 360 fangirls are on here crying their eyes out because one person out of a planet of 6 billion had the audacity to not agree with you on every single thing and give an honest opinion on a franchise that is, as we speak, being milked to the death.
Halo Wars, Halo 3: ODST and now this? Something tells me Microsoft are feeling the heat from their competition. You guys better hope THIS game lasts for more than 4 minutes………….
At this point i don’t think anyone uses the term “halo killer” anymore; there are probably numerous games that could best it. MW2 perhaps?
But in terms of a series, it’s been spitting out a lot of the same stuff for what, like 4 games now? And it’s not like each one was released very far apart from each other…
If they really need another in such a close release date as the previous 2, it’s probably a sign that Microsoft isn’t doing too well…
You sir, are a failure. This is the first lick of info we’ve gotten about Reach and you’re already drawing conclusions. Not to mention that the info we got was from a few blurry cell phones pics that don’t tell us much at all about the game. You’re just a hater who can’t wait to find something bad to say about the game. Fanboy or not, you’re just ignorant, same with the comment above me. You say that were crying about him disagreeing with Halo, well you’re doing the same exact thing but vice versa. Dumb. Let’s wait until we have more than a few shitty pictures before we start knocking it.
To tell the truth i don’t really care about what is shown on those pics. Even though I’m sure it’s gonna be the:
Same old enemies with the same old graphics, same old resolution and the same old story.
Of Halo games i stopped at the 3rd because there’s nothing left to see or listen.
There’s nothing left to extent on the story that could “catch” the players. There’s only prequels made from books long ago released.
I HAD ENOUGH.
Ya ur totally right!!! Why would u implement the same gameplay that made people fall in love with the game? I mean why not make it a D n D type halo game? Dude ur a fucking moron, go play call of duty you ass fag. People like how it is so stfu really.
All Halo games sucks, me as a fps lover cannot find any fun in those “games”
Had a chance to play 1st one and Halo 3 & ODST or whatever, and needed to stop because it is
to frustrating for my nerves. Weapons feels like a toys, lame A.I, uninspired design etc, etc… nothing, just
nothing interest in those games.
So before any funkid start fanboy comets on my post like ” those are the words from ps3 fanboy..”
yeah I do own a PS3, and I`m not a fanboy or fangay, so the same thing I think about Resistance 2 and even Killzone.
I have not played any good fps game or multip. since 1st Unreal Tournament, Half-Life, or Quake 3 Arena.
Good article
Oh, please sh*t the f*ck of. We don’t know anything about this game, only 3 ugly screens which we have no proofs that they are real, and you have to make an useless article just to criticize and start the emulsion of your number of visitors.
Because you know that people will talk about it and post reactions, as I do now, and you’ll never reply. Your are a member of this kind of pityful “journalists” who have lost their last piece of objectivity. Please note that i’m not talking about the inside of your article, only your “work”, and so the credibility of your blog.
You’ve lost a reader ! Bye.
WOW! What great points! I’ll openly admit that I really like the Halo universe and most of the halo games; However the latest Halo3 and its successor ODST haven’t excited me that much. Halo 3 had very good Multiplayer (obviously) and I’ve spent plenty of my life playing it, which has been worth every second. But ODST… After a week of beating the campaign 3 times on co-op with a buddy and playing the hell out of Firefight I can’t see myself ever going back to it… I’ve read and LOVED the Halo books, so i’m really hoping the Reach will follow the storyline of the book, if it follows that storyline and the gameplay turns out a huge improvement then I’ll be greatly pleased!
It’s sad that hardly anyone posting comments here even understood the article :/
Well, I just hope you’re not waiting for the more of the same God of War 3 next year. Just played the demo and it’s full of the exact same gow awesomeness we had in previous games, but I guess you have a problem with games that perfected the mechanics in their genres…
I hope they improve the graphics. Let’s be honest here those look horrible.
I don’t think the images are anywhere near a final build of this game. Sony Fanyboys and Journalists alike can say all they want know but I think when this game get closer to being released they will blow us away with the graphics.
“Halo Wars, Halo 3: ODST and now this? Something tells me Microsoft are feeling the heat from their competition. You guys better hope THIS game lasts for more than 4 minutes………….”
I totally agree that bungie has been riding the halo horse WAAYYY too long. It would be great if they would cook up something new. But look at Bungie’s other games..like Oni…I mean come on, of course they’re afraid of making a new game and failing horribly, they figure Halo works, so why change. But anyways the whole point of me replying was to correct you in saying Halo Wars isn’t really a part of the point since it actually is a different kind of game and isn’t made by Bungie. But I too wish Bungie would stop while they’re ahead. Halo is a good game, and it saddens me to sit idly by watching Bungie kill it. I really wish they would search over new horizons and go for something new. As for TomTom up here, why would you implement the same gameplay that made people fall in love with the game? Well…maybe because theyve already implemented that same gameplay into 4 games, and, like it or not, a lot of people actually ARE getting sick of it, so why don’t you go play one of your many Halo games you “ass fag” and try to understand that milking a single story and mimicking a games gameplay to the tee, for 5 consecutive games, is NOT a good thing.
Bunch of sheep.
So, if you don’t like Halo gameplay, don’t buy it and play it in the future, for those millions of people and me that like and enjoy the Halo gameplay, i have you some news, we wan’t more.
lmao..I love the comment that says MW2 is a halo killer….lmfao..call of duty has had the same stuff for the past 3-4 years…..and you know why because when people pick that game up and buy it they know what there getting….halo 3 can beat any game it wants..al they have to keep doing is adding new maps..and we are all set…Halo: Reach will be as epic as Halo 1 Halo 2 and Halo 3….ODST is noy an official HALO game..it was a fun little side game..same with Halo wars…halo reach will be epic like nothing else.
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