Halo: Reach: The Verdict

Top 10 Kills
Excellent Survival Tips

Post by: Kingpin

Halo: Reach, a prequel to the original Halo, is finally out for multiplayer beta testing. All you need is a designated copy of Halo 3: ODST, an Xbox Live Gold account, and, of course, an Xbox 360 console. As someone who has played multiplayer on the original Halo Trilogy, I just have to say...it's awesome. Let me give you a quick overview--you can find more detailed gameplay information on http://www.bungie.net/.  

Halo Reach has brought back the feel of the original Halo, but has added many new features that take gameplay to new heights. The levels do not seem as otherworldly as in Halo, since the game takes place on the Earth-like Reach, but the gameplay, including health bars, shields, and the lack of dual wielding, is very reminiscent of the original.

Armor: There are four armor types in the beta version, each with its own special abilities:

• Scout:  Your Spartan temporarily tuck away your weapon for a burst of speed

• Guard: Your Spartan stops and punches the ground, increasing the power of his shields. While in this pose, he is invulnerable, and if he holds the pose long enough, he will unleash an EMP when he leaves the pose or when he is meleed.

• Stalker: This is temporary semi-invisibility, or, as Halo players know it, active camo. Whenever you turn invisible, your motion tracker, as well as that of those around you, becomes filled with false enemy contacts.

• Airborne: This armor has a jetpack that can help boost your jumps for short periods of time.

*Note: In Elites vs. Spartans Slayer, Elites have a duck and roll maneuver.

Weapons: In Halo: Reach, there is no dual wielding, so many weapons have been cut out in the  beta version.

• M6G Magnum: It seems like Bungie has finally gotten the magnum right. It has its scope again, and its stopping power is equal to that of the DMR. To dispatch an opponent with full shields, it takes four shots plus a headshot. It has an 8 round clip and an above average rate of fire.

• DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle): The DMR replaces the human Battle Rifle from Halo 2 and 3. Instead of 3 shot bursts, the DMR is a single shot semi-automatic rifle with 12 round clips. It has the same stopping power as the pistol, but is far more accurate. It has a rate of fire similar to the Battle Rifles from Halos 2 and 3.

• MA-5 Assault Rifle: The MA-5 Assault Rifle is similar to the MA-5B Assault Rifle from Halo in accuracy, power, and rate of fire. It has fully automatic fire, and the longer you hold the trigger down, the less accurate the gun is. It has a 32 round clip.

• Shotgun: I love what they've done with the shotgun in Halo: Reach. In Halo, it had a slightly longer range with moderate to high power. In Halo 2 and 3, Bungie decreased the range significantly and increased the stopping power. Now, the shotgun has a perfect balance of power and range. It holds 6 shells at a time.

• SRS99 Sniper Rifle: The sniper rifle has the same power, kick, and rate of fire as in Halo 3. One head shot kills, two body shots kill. There are 4 rounds per clip.

• Rocket Launcher: The rocket launcher is pretty much the same it was in Halo and Halo 3...no guided projectiles, high explosive, 2 rounds to a magazine. The rockets do move slightly slower than they did in the previous games.

• Plasma Pistol: The plasma pistol can kill now. It is back to the way it was in the original Halo. It has both semi-automatic and charged shot firing capabilities. The charged shot takes down a shield and, well, you know what to do then.

• Needle Rifle: The Needle Rifle is replacing the Carbine from Halo 2 and 3. It fires the same type of rounds as the needler. If you put enough rounds into an unshielded opponent, they will explode as if you had unloaded a needler into them. However, the Needle Rifle has similar stopping power to the humans' DMR (i.e., a head shot on an unshielded opponent kills instantly. It's not like in Halo 3 when people would be walking around with a needle through their head perfectly fine.)

• Needler: The Needler is just as dangerous and effective in Reach as it was in Halo 3. Do not underestimate its power going against it, do not overestimate its effectiveness while engaging multiple targets.

• Plasma Repeater Rifle: The plasma rifle has a higher rate of fire than it did in previous games, and has moderate stopping power. It is good at taking down shields, then finishing with a melee.

• Energy Sword: The Energy Sword hasn't changed much from Halo 3. It has limited ammunition, a lunge attack, and a melee attack.

• Gravity Hammer: The Gravity Hammer has not changed from Halo 3, either. For those who don't know, when you swing the hammer a direct hit is an instant kill, and anyone close enough to the kinetic pulse takes damage.

• Focus (Beam) Rifle: The Focus Rifle has undergone some huge changes. No longer is it the Covenant answer to the human sniper rifle. It is now a cross between Halo 2 and 3's beam rifle and the sentinal beam. It can fire a continuous beam, but has the same zoom capabilities as the sniper rifle. It takes about 3 seconds of continuous fire to take down a fully shielded opponent.

• Plasma Launcher: Launches multiple guided, high explosive plasma projectiles. Very deadly, but you have to get your hands on it first, and it always seems like somebody has it...

• Metee: Unleash your inner brute and bash them with your weapon. It takes one melee to take down a shield. Also, once the shield is down, it only takes one melee to kill, even in SWAT game types.

I'd like to say one last thing--kudos to Bungie for introducing the beta version of Reach and allowing players to give feedback. The purpose of the beta release is, of course, to get consumer input on the game play so by the time the real game is released it has been perfected.