Feature: Halo: Reach impressions
We’ve been lucky enough to have played the beta of Halo: Reach since Friday. Due to the bank holiday, this review went out the day after the beta was released, so no doubt you’ve already played it before reading. This review is being aimed at those of you who weren’t lucky enough to get a place on the much anticipated beta. And if you’re a Halo fan who hasn’t managed to play the beta, you’re missing out!
Well, that might not be strictly true. If you weren’t a fan of the previous Halo games online, then judging by the time I’ve had with the beta, you may change your mind. I too wasn’t a huge fan of previous Halo games and their online play. It’s the series that made jumping around common place in online games, as well as kids’ fascination with embarrassing their vanquished foes. Being tea bagged by a 12 year old on Halo isn’t my idea of fun! And at the time of writing, this sort of immature behaviour is missing from the play. Granted it’s a beta and there isn’t anywhere near the number of players that the retail version will see, so I’m not holding my breath that the more mature behaviour will continue.
I’ll also admit that the first few hours of play were hugely frustrating for me. Constantly being killed and actually managing very few kills myself, only achieving a massive kill to death deficit in the favour of deaths.
But on a closer look at the match making options, you’ll find the default game option is to find players who have the best connection, meaning you can regularly come up against some of the better players and repeatedly be on the end of a hammering. But the option can be changed to find players who are at a similar skill level to yourself. And after changing the option, I began to compete against players at the same sort of skill level as myself, with the enjoyment levels rising and the frustration levels decreasing.
It’s also nice to play a game that is purely decided on a players skill and not by how long they have been playing, acquiring better guns and equipment as they go along, making things just that bit tougher for you at the beginning. Halo online isn’t like that and Reach continues in the same vein. Why change what is ultimately a winning formula and become something along the lines of Call of Duty? Bungie haven’t done that. A ranking system is in place, but this is purely for bragging rights and to make sure you compete against opponents with similar skill levels, as mentioned above. Gaming should be about enjoyment at the end of the day and that’s just what Bungie have achieved so far with Reach.
Most of the matches begin the same way, depending on which game you play and whether that game mode has any restrictions. Each player is given the same equipment, with the only option of using a different weapon available if you find one of the better pieces scattered around the maps.
There is one choice players have at the start of a game, which is the only option they have to differentiate themselves from everyone else. There are four classes which you can choose from, with each class having an ability different to the other. The Scout has the ability to sprint, the Guard can shield themselves, the Stalker can become invisible and the Airborne class has the ability to fly. All for a short period of time, but then each ability does recharge.
Each class of course has their advantages depending on the game mode and map being played, although I’m unsure as to whether the full benefits are on display in the beta, with just the two maps (at the time of writing) available to play.
Both maps are totally different, with Power House being a more open area located outdoors and Sword Base inside, consisting of several levels and in a more confined area. Think close quarters combat with this one. I haven’t yet decided which I prefer, because both play very differently depending on what game mode you’re playing and the class you decide to play with. No two games ever seem to play the same and that’s good. It keeps you engaged and entertained.
Probably the biggest issue that can affect an online game is lag and if you’ve ever played online on Modern Warfare 2, then you’ll know that lag can affect games if you’re playing against opponents from the continent, never mind against those based in the US. Thankfully, I have yet to come up against any lag, or at least there hasn’t been anything noticeable during play, which is pleasing as most of the games I’ve played before the Monday launch were made up of mainly US based players. So no visible lag in the beta so far, can only bode well for the games full release.
The game also visually looks how you’d expect a Halo game to look. It’s been developed well with no visible screen tearing, something that seems to plague a lot of FPS. There so far also appears to be no glitching, although I am unsure as to whether that will remain the case.
Bungie will want Halo: Reach to be the pinnacle of the Halo series. It is after all their swansong with Microsoft and the Halo world. And so far it appears that Bungie have once more found a winning formula when it comes to online gaming, with Reach potentially being the most fun Halo title online to date.
