That's a Reach

As I continue along with Clyde's cheese-laden, punny titles concerning Reach posts, I find myself having a much different outlook on the upcoming beta. First of all, I'm in a camp of people who like Halo 2 & 3 better than CE. Personally, I found the landmark Xbox 1 title boring. Sure, I participated in some epic CTF Blood Gulch games, but fore the most part, the game came down to the pistol and the sniper rifle. They were basically different versions of the same gun, and the game felt stagnant because of it. Yes, it was a landmark title. Yes, it changed console FPSes forever. Yes, I believe it is one of the top 5 most important games of the past decade. However, variety is the spice of life, and Halo: Combat Evolved's sequels had variety out the wazoo.

So, unlike Sweet Clyde, I thoroughly enjoyed Halo 3. It was infinitely customizable, had solid gameplay, and had exemplary matchmaking. That being said, it certainly wasn't perfect. The counter-vehicle weapons were far too easy to use, and outside of Infection and Grifball, the gametypes were largely uninspired (It's not a good thing when Team Deathmatch/Slayer is the best gametype). Like Clyde, I too would have liked see a larger variety of mid-range rifles. There's no reason there can't be a BR and a pistol.

I had rented ODST when it came out, and it was definitely at least two weeks-worth of solid entertainment. The campaign was the best since CE, Firefight was entertaining, and the pistol in that game was extremely satisfying (weaker than CE's, but much faster and just as accurate). There's really nothing like one-shotting a Grunt in the face.

So, am I excited about Reach? Honestly, I'm not sure. I've been playing Halo since 2001, and the formula's starting to get old (even Bungie is ready to move on). The assassinations look pretty cool, but I fear they're going to be frustrating. They look like they're basically the same thing as chainsawdomy in Gears of War 2. The armor stuff worries me a lot, too. There's one where you go invincible for an amount of time but are forced to stand still. Invincible. I don't care if you can move or not, being able to dictate the beginning of a period where you can't die has to be overpowered. On the flip-side, jet packs are cool as shit. They just are. Like bacon and fire, jet packs make everything better. As for bringing back health bars, I say, "BOOOO!" Halo 2 pioneered regenerating health, and it's become the standard for good reason.

I definitely like that Elites and Spartans are more differentiated this time around. I don't remember the details, but I believe Elites are faster, weaker, and can jump higher. Don't quote me on that. If that's case, sounds good to me. I'm also thrilled that there's a gametype that looks a lot like Rush from Bad Company. I love Rush. However, 6v6 might not be enough people to populate such a gametype. Also, Rush is greatly benefited by dedicated servers; it'll be interesting to see if Invasion can run smoothly. As for the Head Hunter and Stockpile gametypes, I hate to say it, but they sound like more losers to throw in with Juggernaut, Territories, and Rally.

So, to summarize, like Clyde, I'm cautiously optimistic, but for different reasons. Where he's looking for a more old-school game, I'm looking for something completely fresh and unlike I've ever played before. Oh, I also want to see Infection and Grifball more fleshed out, and I'd like to be able to host public custom games.

--Chilly P