The Sandlot

Its been such a long time...

For the past couple weeks the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta has been running on Xbox Live. I've logged considerable hours in it, both alone and with friends. Every one has their own opinions on it and the changes that have thus far been made in regards to halo 3. So this is my take on a number of new elements Reach has to offer.

Control Scheme

Reach marks the first time Bungie's has outright altered the button configuration for the 360. Since Halo 1 they have added new control schemes but no changes were made from Halo 1 to Halo 2 on the button layouts. Only Halo 3 saw an alteration in that regard and that was due to the game being on a new platform with a new controller. Halo 3 and ODST had identical controls for the most part. Reach has shaken things up a bit. In the green thumb configuration, which a lot of people use, zoom has been moved to the right shoulder bump vs. the B button. X now reloads/performs actions, B button toggles grenade types and the left shoulder bump is for armor abilities. Both Halo 1 and 2 used the X button as action/reload so Reach is a return to that set up. I actually like the zoom being on the shoulder bump because I can now zoom without taking my fingers off the joysticks. It didn't take long for me to adapt to these changes and now they feel 2nd nature so much so that I make mistakes going back playing Halo 3.

Shields and Health

Reach, like ODST includes a health meter again like the one found in Halo 1 in addition to the shield bar as well as health packs scattered around the map. These were removed in Halo 2 and 3 but came back for ODST and now Reach. You now also need to fully deplete your enemies shield before doing any damage to their underlying health, which again, is different from all the other games. This small fact is actually a huge new element that a lot of people either were unaware of or neglected its importance. In all the other games you could 3/4 drain a shield and then drop a melee and finish some one off. This no longer works and fundamentally alters the melee application. I'm still undecided whether I like this new system or the old system. Then again, every single Halo iteration has seen a modification of the shield/health system. From Halo 1 to 2, health and health packs were completely eliminated and the shield recharge time was changed. Going to Halo 3 we saw the shield recharge time reduced even further. ODST brought the health meter back and now Reach continues that trend.

Grenades

I'm giving this its own section outside of general weaponry because grenades in Halo are different than they are in other games. Halo 1 had what was called the holy trinity: Shooting, melee and grenades. Each perfectly tuned and balanced to deliver maximum destruction. Halo 2 changed that. Grenades were made weaker than in Halo 1 and throwing distance was dramatically reduced. People bitched so much that Bungie issued a patch that bumped grenade damage up from the release specs, though still weaker than Halo 1 grenades. Every game has also seen an alteration in how grenades are thrown from the distance, damaged delivered and even the trajectory of the throws. In Halo 1 your Spartan could heave hail mary bombs across entire maps in some cases and a direct hit with one would deplete you shield and put you in yellow health. Halo 2 saw all this reduced. Halo 3 landed somewhere between 1 and 2 . Reach grenades are more like their Halo 1 counterparts in terms or damage dealt and somewhere between Halo 3 and ODST for the range and throwing motion. We also have lost the flame and spike grenades of Halo 3 and are back to frags and plasmas only.

Weapons

Halo 1 had a small number of weapons. It did have the (in)famous pistol. A 2x zoom-able beast capable of eliminating a target with a mere 3 head shots. Halo 2 saw the return of all Halo 1's weapons plus a host of new entries and some modifications to old ones. The pistol lost its zoom function and was no longer a dominating force. The rocket launcher gained a lock on vehicle feature and was noticeably less powerful. We saw the introduction of the Battle Rifle and dual wielding of certain guns. The sniper rifle and shotgun both saw their damage radius reduced. Other new weapons included the Beam Rifle, SMG, the aforementioned BR, the updated magnum pistol, the energy sword. With the inclusion of Brutes into Halo 3 the weapon choices were again added to with the Mauler, Spiker, Brute shot and Gravity hammer. We also got the Carbine as a BR counter for the Covenant and the Spartan Laser. And again, we saw changes in carry over weapons from the other games. Reach has gone one step further and redesigned or omitted many weapons. All the Brute weapons, save for the hammer, are gone. The plasma rifle has been retooled as has the pistol, sniper rifle and rockets. The new DMR replaces the BR and there is a new Needle Rifle and Focus Rifle which replaces the Beam Rifle. There is a new Grenade launcher as well which features a pseudo secondary firing function. For the most part I like all the new guns and am OK with the retooling of the older weapons. The biggest change perhaps is the reticle bloom when firing which affects accuracy. This is new to the Halo series though found in most other shooters. Who knows whats being held back from the beta that will be in the retail release.

Vehicles

One of the things unique to the Halo series is its vehicle line up. Halo 1 you had the Warthog, Scorpion tank, Ghost and Banshee at your disposal. The Wraith was there but could not be used by the player until Halo 2. The Mongoose and Hornet were added into Halo 3, as were the Brute Chopper. Different variations and abilities have been added and subtracted over the course of the games as well. Reach sees the return of all these, minus the Chopper and also promises to deliver at least one new air unit, the Falcon, which has been confirmed but was not in the Beta. Again, who knows what else is in store that was held back from the Beta. The vehicles included in the Beta functioned relatively the same as they did in Halo 3 with a few minor tweaks.

Armor Abilities

Halo 1 had active camo and over shield power ups and they were awesome. The over shield really made you tough and lasted a good amount of time and the active camo really did make you invisible. Halo 2 saw the effectiveness of both these drastically reduced that they were almost pointless. Halo 3 made them relevant again and also saw the introduction of equipment, one time use items placed on the maps that spiced up the game play. Bubble shields, shield drainers and recharger's, grav lifts, flares and radar jammers were added in addition to the old standby invisible and over shield power ups. All these are gone for Reach and replaced with reuseable Armor Abilities. The Beta only showcased a handful of these and the retail should contain more I should think. Sprint is one of my favorites. Active camo while sound in theory, isn't very effective. The more you move the more visible you become and it also has a radar jamming feature which alerts your enemies that a cloaked assailant is near. The jet pack is a home run, especially on vertically designed levels. The Armor lock can be useful if used properly/in conjunction with good team work. Elites have the evade ability which is also awesome. Again, these elements add a new level of strategy to the game and the ability to alter them on every respawn keeps matches constantly evolving and forces on the fly adaptation. It'll be fun to see what else they have in store for the final release.

Conclusions

Overall I have enjoyed the Beta. It is a lot different from Halo 3 which isn't a bad thing. As I've illustrated above, each Halo game has seen drastic changes from one release to the next in basically all areas of the game and Reach is no different. The new game types on display in the Beta were a lot of fun, especially Invasion which I see becoming a big hit. It reminds me a lot of the Halo 3 Beta, which was a near 180 from Halo 2. Halo 3 ended up being the best one to date and I think reach is poised to do the same. It still feels like a Halo game to me and I can't wait till the fall to see the finished product and how it differs from the Beta. That's enough nerd talk for now. Regular postings shall resume shortly.