On September 14th 2010, the final instalment produced by the long-time Halo franchise developers, Bungie, was released. Halo Reach, set as a direct prequel to the story of the last 3 games, would go on to sell millions of copies and become yet another classic Xbox game to emerge from the Halo franchise. The game has a nostalgia to it that most games rarely achieve due to the fond memories and thrilling moments it generated for the player!
One of the most unique features of the game was ‘Forge’. A giant map in which the player could create their own terrain and buildings to fight with their friends on. Maps from people across the world could be downloaded which created an enormous community of players that all shared in unique maps and game modes that created hours of fun! Additionally, the online matchmaking was the crown jewel of Halo Reach, with game modes such as ‘Infection’ and ‘SWAT’ being played for years after the game’s release. With customizable ‘Spartan’ and Covenant armour that added a great incentive to play and level up the plethora of maps and game modes made this game special.
The main story of the game took on a unique and tragic tone. Set on the planet ‘Reach’, the game places the player in the middle of the Human-Covenant war as a ‘Spartan Soldier’ in the specialist ‘Noble Team’. The campaign is effectively a losing battle from the start and despite completing each mission the player is made totally aware that the situation of the war is growing ever in favour of the alien invaders. The final mission of the game cements the hopeless feeling of the game when the last surviving members of your squad die, and you are left alone to fight the hordes of enemies with the sole objective of ‘Survive’. Those final futile moments are quite unforgettable as you realise you will never complete the objective and even you hero will ultimately succumb to the war.
Whether you were playing with strangers or friends the memories made by the game were priceless. Reach is truly unique amongst the Halo Franchise, which gives it a nostalgia like few others and cements it as one of the most widely enjoyed and loved games from the Xbox 360 era!
Halo Reach is available to purchase via Microsoft and you can watch the trailer for Halo Reach below:
