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[pringles]

Scans look great but even better is all the info. Holy shit, Bungie finally "got it". They seem to be bringing Halo back to it's roots, while at the same time stepping everything up to the next level.
Thing that made me most happy was probably reading about the ability to actually use stealth as a viable option. You could do it in some places in Halo:CE but I can't recall being able to do it in the later games. Not even in ODST, which should have been perfect for stealth gameplay.

Not sure about Skirmishers though. It could work out okay, like a middle ground between the weak grunts and the (hopefully) dangerously strong Elites. Or they could be as annoying as the drones.
Also, being able to drive civilian vehicles sounds like it could be a gimmick added in to please GTA fans. Since Reach is a military planet Warthogs should be plentiful, I don't like the idea of bad-ass Spartans riding around in tractors instead. But if it's there more as an alternative, say if your 'Hog blows up, then I'm fine with it.

Jorge is my favorite character. Just because he's a Spartan-II. I hope it shows in more ways than "he's bigger and bulkier".

Story sounds cool. Love that they're making it darker and more serious. You can't really do the Fall of Reach justice if you have grunts running around dropping jokes in high-pitched english and no one seems to have a care in the world. Once again Halo:CE was the game where they got the tone the most right in, after that it's become too much about the marines saying funny things instead of the game actually conveying a sense of being in a galactic war against a much stronger enemy.

Almost everything so far sounds like exactly what I was hoping for.
Can't wait until we get some more info and better quality screens.

 

[op_ivy]

i want confirmation on halo 1/odst nade chain reactions and warthog jumps and all will be <3

 

[Flipyap]

I didn't mind health packs in ODST's Campaign (later skulls turned the system to shit in Firefight), but I have really bad memories of ending up on bridges in Halo: CE with a single bar of health and no medkit in sight.

 

[ascii42]

People are angry about a health bar? That was my most-missed feature during Halo 2 and 3.


Health bars do not make people backtrack for health, it just lets them have another safety net during firefights.
Shields depleted should not equal death. That's what the health bar is for. It's essentially two levels of health, and it also makes other weapons have a purpose (plasma = take out shields, bullets = take out health).

That still existed in Halo 2 and 3. You could play a game with no shields, and it would still take a couple of hits with the pistol to kill someone. They just removed the visual representation of health from the game for some reason.

 

[Striker]

I didn't mind health packs in ODST's Campaign (later skulls turned the system to shit in Firefight), but I have really bad memories of ending up on bridges in Halo: CE with a single bar of health and no medkit in sight.

You could back-track in many of the levels, and I'm sure it would be the same in SP for Reach.

It isn't as bad as many here are speculating it to be.

The fall damage factor still is in question.

 

[GhaleonEB]

When should people start getting their issues of Edge?

If the 21st date refers to the UK retail, subscribers there could get it late this week, early next latest. In the US, I'll get mine shortly after it goes on sale on newsstands in the UK.

We should have some new cover art, too.

 

[A Penguin]

Shields depleted should not equal death. That's what the health bar is for. It's essentially two levels of health, and it also makes other weapons have a purpose (plasma = take out shields, bullets = take out health).

Well, yeah. That's kinda how it works in Halo 3, except the health bar is hidden and recharges like shields(albeit more slowly). Halo 3's health system is perfect, health packs are a thing of the past, let's keep it that way.

 

[Revelations]

Lore-wise SP-III, they were easier to make and had less washouts so they were expendable and more plenty.

I will be beaten.

That's it? Arn't Spartan II's still stronger and faster than Spartan III's. Not to mention alot bigger in mass? It's not just their expensive as hell armor suits that make them more powerful, right?

 

[I_D]

That still existed in Halo 2 and 3. You could play a game with no shields, and it would still take a couple of hits with the pistol to kill someone. They just removed the visual representation of health from the game for some reason.

It's still a bit different though.
One of my favorite aspects of Halo was getting in a shootout with a bunch of guys, then barely escaping with just one health bar left.
It was a "realistic" way of keeping a human element to the game, yet also made the armor viable.

It also adds a sense of urgency to the game and forces the player to change the way he/she goes about various situations. If I have full health remaining, I'll be a bit more reckless than usual, whereas having only partial health remaining forces me to be a bit more conservative.
That aspect of the game was sorely missed in the sequels, at least by me.

 

[EazyB]

You could back-track in many of the levels, and I'm sure it would be the same in SP for Reach.

It isn't as bad as many here are speculating it to be.

The fall damage factor still is in question.

Sounds fun.

I like the idea of fall damage but I hope it's greater than it was CE. MC was a total pussy in that regard.

..If I have full health remaining, I'll be a bit more reckless than usual, whereas having only partial health remaining forces me to be a bit more conservative.
That aspect of the game was sorely missed in the sequels, at least by me.

You really don't think Halo 3 played slow and conservatively enough? Slow movement + radar + health packs...

If the 21st date refers to the UK retail, subscribers there could get it late this week, early next latest.

Sounds good.

 

[Captain Blood]

That's it? Arn't Spartan II's still stronger and faster than Spartan III's. Not to mention alot bigger in mass? It's not just their expensive as hell armor suits that make them more powerful, right?

I think it has always kinda been that that the IIIs are the cheaper, mass produced version of the IIs.

 

[Flipyap]

You could back-track in many of the levels, and I'm sure it would be the same in SP for Reach.

Sure, but I'd rather not have to do that.
Especially in Halo: CE.
I have even worse memories of going through a series of empty, recycled rooms, because I didn't trigger an enemy spawn point (happened on my first play-through. Fun times).

 

[GarthVaderUK]

I prefer the health bar and recharging shield system personally, I'm really happy to see them going with that in Reach.

 

[I_D]

You really don't think Halo 3 played slow and conservatively enough? Slow movement + radar + health packs...

Halo 3 was definitely a slow-n-steady shooter.
The difference, though, is that Halo:CE had a constantly changing pace.

When you have full health, you can afford to go balls-out and run right into the fight.
When you have low health, you can't afford to do that, and you have to play the game in a totally different way.

It's one of the aspects of Halo that is overlooked, IMO, and it was one of my favorite features of the game.

 

[VaLiancY]

That's it? Arn't Spartan II's still stronger and faster than Spartan III's. Not to mention alot bigger in mass? It's not just their expensive as hell armor suits that make them more powerful, right?

I think the augmentations they got were the same, just cheaper and more successful. Spartan-IIs got more experience since they are older and the IIIs are pretty young. IIIs also had armor that lacked a strong shielding(Did they have a shield at all?) but had optic camo.

 

[urk]

The entirety of Reach will be played while backtracking. Even multiplayer. All the audio will be recorded in reverse, bullets will be sucked into your gun when you squeeze the trigger, and the game will refuse to recognize any controller input unless you are holding it upside down. And to use a healthpack, you'll need to hold a sequence of buttons previously reserved for lowering your weapon.

 

[feel]

I have really bad memories of ending up on bridges in Halo: CE with a single bar of health and no medkit in sight.

I loved having to step up my game to overcome these parts with no medkits in sight, and the extreme sense of accomplishment afterwards. Those were the times.

 

[EazyB]

The entirety of Reach will be played while backtracking. Even multiplayer. All the audio will be recorded in reverse, bullets will be sucked into your gun when you squeeze the trigger, and the game will refuse to recognize any controller input unless you are holding it upside down. And to use a healthpack, you'll need to hold a sequence of buttons previously reserved for lowering your weapon.

Appealing to casual players as usual.

Edge should be the same, though it is the first issue I'm due via Subscription.

I've heard good things about Edge as a magazine and Ghaleon says they know their Halo so I'm really looking forward to reading what they get out of their demo session. Either GI doesn't know shit about Halo's gameplay, didn't think their audience wanted to know detailed info about it, or they didn't ask Bungie many important questions. I could've gathered a better analysis if Dax was successful in breaking into Bungie HQ and was shown the demo.

 

[GazzaScotland]

When should people start getting their issues of Edge?

Street date is the 21st. So subscribers should be getting it by Friday at the latest (going on what the other Future Publishing mags are like). Edge should be the same, though is is the first issue I'm due via Subscription.

Edit: Beaten again.

 

[Stinkles]

bullets will be sucked into your gun when you squeeze the trigger, .

AR is Anti Rifle confirmed. The true bullet sponge.

 

[OMG Aero]

The entirety of Reach will be played while backtracking. Even multiplayer. All the audio will be recorded in reverse, bullets will be sucked into your gun when you squeeze the trigger, and the game will refuse to recognize any controller input unless you are holding it upside down. And to use a healthpack, you'll need to hold a sequence of buttons previously reserved for lowering your weapon.

Oh man it's like an entire game of the last level of Braid.

 

[danwarb]

Looking at that little soldier comparison, the difference with lighting and textures, and overall detail is amazing. If Reach is 720p with any kind of AA, well done.

 

[Flipyap]

I loved having to step up my game to overcome these parts with no medkits in sight, and the extreme sense of accomplishment afterwards. Those were the times.

That is true, but you see, I'm a coward, so I was usually pooping myself when the gold Elite appeared.
Yeah. Extreme sense of accomplishment and the smell of poop. Halo: Combat Evolved.

 

[Pudding Tame]

That's it? Arn't Spartan II's still stronger and faster than Spartan III's. Not to mention alot bigger in mass? It's not just their expensive as hell armor suits that make them more powerful, right?

The III's received similar augmentations as the II's, with the exception of a thyroid implant that boosted the growth of skeletal and muscle tissue.

Also given that the II's class size started at 75 and eventually whittled down to the mid-30's, while the III's class sizes stayed close to 300 (due to the lower washout rate), it could be inferred that their training might not have been as in-depth as the II's.

In addition, because the III's had to use much weaker armor than the Mjolnir, they were more extensively trained to work as a cohesive unit compared to the II's who could well in a group or solo.

 

[big ander]

Oh man it's like an entire game of the last level of Braid.

:lol

Extreme sense of accomplishment and the smell of poop. Halo: Combat Evolved.

Also :lol

I hope Reach focuses more on the individual characters like ODST did. I want to know how Jun, Carter, and Emile went from Alpha Company S3's to members of this still mysterious Noble Team. How did Kat survive Pegasi, and why didn't she already know LWG from there? How did Carter and Kat start Noble Team? Why did Jorge join Noble?
I had so many questions, and GI only made more.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Oh man it's like an entire game of the last level of Braid.

*pre-orders*

 

[tonitoni]

I really hope my favorite halo character, Foe Hammer, returns in reach.

This really was such a great scene ='(

 

[Proelite]

The dude needs to use an actual scanner instead of a digital camera.

 

[Slightly Live]

Can someone confirm something for me?

On page 56 in Game Informer, the picture that spreads across to page 57, there appears to be something intentionally blurred out above the radar.

There's an icon, which I am presuming to be an armour ability icon above the radar but there is something else above that still that appears blurred out.

Is this blurred out in the actual printed copy?

And WTF could it be?

 

[GhaleonEB]

Can someone confirm something for me?

On page 56 in Game Informer, the picture that spreads across to page 57, there appears to be something intentionally blurred out above the radar.

There's an icon, which I am presuming to be an armour ability icon above the radar but there is something else above that still that appears blurred out.

Is this blurred out in the actual printed copy?

And WTF could it be?

Yes. And speculation is it indicates something about the player they don't want us knowing yet, such as an armor load out (for example) that hasn't been announced.

 

[clashfan]

How about some Dragon Age style romance in Reach? That would be pretty cool.

 

[Striker]

Sounds fun.

I like the idea of fall damage but I hope it's greater than it was CE. MC was a total pussy in that regard.

Going back to find more weapons and/or ammo is also not fun, but you do have you have to in order to pass a certain phase in a level. They're often scattered and they are found in wreckages and spots where you will go (for instance, in Silent Cartographer; the wreckages from the wrecked Warthog and the downed Pelican).

Fall damage should be determined to the height of the fall. I would love for it to return, though.

 

[Self Induced]

Reach looks more like a Halo 3 mod than an actual successor.

 

[bishoptl]

Reach looks more like a Halo 3 mod than an actual successor.

How so?

 

[gibonez]

Not happy about health packs. Really hope your health regenerates slowly. Perhaps they can do something like BC2, health packs heal you faster, but you regenerate your health very slowly without them.

 

[EazyB]

Just got done with an AotCR legendary run. God that level is epic. The elite AI behavior is some of the damn finest in any Halo game. They're conservative when it pays to be conservative but in an instant they can overcome you just 2 v 1 with a relentlessness never seen from the brutes. That bridge with two hunters across the way and eventually a pair of red elites, two camo elites, and a bout 10 grunts was hard as fuck but fun the whole time. Didn't help that I was stuck with 1 red bar though :lol

I really hope the elite AI in CE carries over to Reach and Bungie make the skirmishers even more violent than the brutes.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Just got done with an AotCR legendary run. God that level is epic. The elite AI behavior is some of the damn finest in any Halo game. They're conservative when it pays to be conservative but in an instant they can overcome you just 2 v 1 with a relentlessness never seen from the brutes. That bridge with two hunters across the way and eventually a pair of red elites, two camo elites, and a bout 10 grunts was hard as fuck but fun the whole time. Didn't help that I was stuck with 1 red bar though :lol

I really hope the elite AI in CE carries over to Reach and Bungie make the skirmishers even more violent than the brutes.

Yeah, they could really go to town with the Elites in Reach. There's some classic shoot outs with them. There's another firefight with them on The Maw, where two silver Elites are on the far side of the cafe just baseballing grenades like crazy. One of my favorite, "okay how the hell do I take out THESE guys?!" moments in the game.

The GI article says Bungie wants to make them terrifying again, and I hope that translates to how brutal (ha) they could be to take down, even one or two at a time. The first time you see one in combat should be memorable. I keep thinking, if the jump for the Elites from Halo 1 --> Reach is anything like what the Brutes were from Halo 2 --> Halo 3, whoa boy.

 

[Slightly Live]

I have tried to summarise all the new information from the GI article and put it in the OP.

I'll be adding any additional new information from the forthcoming Reach previews in the other magazines.

Have I missed anything or have I got anything wrong and need to correct it?

Settings/Locations

• "Darker tone overall" - "Things aren't as bright. But we're not going for that desaturated modern war movie vide either"
• Huge scale combat, new push on big battles
• New perspective. removed sweeping camera shots replaced by cinematic tone, which evokes up close and personal war journalism
  Ie, airborne, shot - a ship is filming it from above, ground shots bump and jar like being held in the hands of a runner
• Grittier cinematic sensibility extends to encompass wider character and plot development
• Rugged and harsh wilderness filled with towering mountains and weather beaten forests
• Not a retelling of Fall of Reach
• "We definitely want to take a more serious approach to the franchise"
• "We wanted to delve a little deeper into our characters themselves ... That they're not perfect - they're susceptible to damage."
• "We're bringing some of those things back that encouraged a little more exploration, like wondering where that health pack is"
• Set days before invasion of Reach with an advance invasion force and continues up to full blown invasion
• Noble team investigates trouble on Reach, rebel human Insurrectionists suspected
• Reach features various natural and artificial environments, ambient life and cultures
• Reach transforms from living planet through stages of it's death throes and ultimate fall
• Secret ONI hard sites, early colonist homes, gritty industrial locations, sprawling vistas featured

Gameplay

• Health system more similar to Halo:CE than Halo 3:ODST
• Assassinations, melee executions on unaware enemies from behind
• Armour abilities, seeming replace equipment, each Spartan can only carry one at a time, governed by a recharging meter. Sprint and Active Camo confirmed.

Multiplayer

• Feature parity with Halo 3

Weapons/Vehicles

• New DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle), single shot, fits between Sniper and BR, medium to long range but still deadly at short
• New Needler Rifle, mid range headshot weapon, combining needler (following) mechanics with more accuracy and flexibility, three hits combine and explode
• Returning weapons include BR, AR, Plasma Pistol, Sword, Needler, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle
• Spike and Flame grenades removed
• New air vehicle, the Falcon (featured in trailer)
• Warthogs return
• Civilian vehicles usable
• Spirits, Covenant dropships featured in Halo:CE return

Enemies

• "We're taking a meaner approach to the Covenant overall."
• Covenant enemies now speak their own languages, in low guttural voices (Shakespearian fans am disappoint)
• New enemy, Skirmishers, cunning enemies that hunt in packs, visually related to Jackals
• Elites are back in command of Covenant forces

Engine Tech

• LOD/Imposter system
• New weather system
• Increased amount of AI on screen from Halo 3, from 20 to up 40 plus 20 vehicles
• New facial animation and modelling thanks to co-operating with company Image Metrics
• Motion capture used throughout thanks to new motion capture facilities within the studio

Lone Wolf/Main Character

• Impressive list of combat record accomplishments
• Strikes out more often than his superiors might like
• "Background shrouded in some pretty dark secrets"

Noble Team

• Spartan III's, except Jorge-052 (II)
• Keep surviving suicide missions
• When one members goes MIA, another is brought in
• Carter-259 leader, Kat-320 second in command, both original team veterans and share a bond (ie they have never been replaced in Noble Team)
• Jorge-052 is the only Spartan II on the team. the bigger, bulkier heavy weapons specialist and has survived countless battles
• Emile-239, skull helmet wearing silent type, let's his actions speak for him
• Jun-266, thoughtful, taciturn sniping soldier

 

[Oozer3993]

Yes. And speculation is it indicates something about the player they don't want us knowing yet, such as an armor load out (for example) that hasn't been announced.

I think it's something completely new. I have a hard time believing they couldn't just take a shot with an armor load out they DID tell us about.

Yeah, they could really go to town with the Elites in Reach. There's some classic shoot outs with them. There's another firefight with them on The Maw, where two silver Elites are on the far side of the cafe just baseballing grenades like crazy. One of my favorite, "okay how the hell do I take out THESE guys?!" moments in the game.

First time I played that on Legendary I spent 5 minutes out in the hallway just trying to figure out how to proceed. A great encounter.

 

[Why For?]

Ok, I'm reading the scans, and I'm jizzing.

This WILL be my GOTG if Crackdown 2 doesn't just floor me to take the mantle.

It GENUINELY sounds like this will be the evolution of Halo CE, and if so, the next 8 months or so will be AGONISING!!!

 

[Self Induced]

How so?

It looks like a fan is trying to take his own favorite things and features from each of the previous Halo games and is mashing them together instead of focusing on what makes the game fun and improving upon it. It just looks like a blinged-out version of Halo 3. You know, "bigger, better, more bad-ass." That's all fine and good, but I'm tired of Halo 3. I don't want to play Halo 3 with a new coat of paint when Reach comes out. I want to play a better game than Halo 3 was.

I mean, I can only judge what I've seen, and an early preview isn't going to show much. But from what they HAVE shown, it looks like a lot of the stuff could have been taken right out of some early Halo 3 builds - stuff like design concepts and variations. The guns, the environment, the vehicles, and even the character models of the marines and enemies look like they've been imported from Halo 3 and slightly touched-up. I understand its the same universe and all, but the game doesn't really look any better as a whole - just slightly different visually. But that's the main problem with mods - it may look different but you're still playing the same damn game. Hey guys we have a ship that does the same thing as the Pelican, but its called a Falcon! Hey check it out guys if you liked armor perms, well now there are several Spartans with completely different armor! We even gave the grunts their own armor perms, and for some reason we also changed the look of the AR! And we brought back health!

A few decisions, like making the pistol a one-shot weapon again or going back to two grenade types, I'm happy to hear about though - and its about time we finally get a needler rifle cause I've been waiting for this bad boy since Halo 2. All I'm saying is it smells like Bungie is really really ready to move on from Halo. I wonder how the new IP is coming along...

 

[Why For?]

It looks like a fan is trying to take his own favorite things and features from each of the previous Halo games and is mashing them together instead of focusing on what makes the game fun and improving upon it. It just looks like a blinged-out version of Halo 3. You know, "bigger, better, more bad-ass." That's all fine and good, but I'm tired of Halo 3. I don't want to play Halo 3 with a new coat of paint when Reach comes out. I want to play a better game than Halo 3 was.

I mean, I can only judge what I've seen, and an early preview isn't going to show much. But from what they HAVE shown, it looks like a lot of the stuff could have been taken right out of some early Halo 3 builds - stuff like design concepts and variations. The guns, the environment, the vehicles, and even the character models of the marines and enemies look like they've been imported from Halo 3 and slightly touched-up. I understand its the same universe and all, but the game doesn't really look any better, just slightly different. But that's the main problem with mods - it may look different but you're still playing the same damn game. Hey guys we have a ship that does the same thing as the Pelican, but its called a Falcon! Hey check it out guys if you liked armor perms, well now there are several Spartans with completely different armor! We even gave the grunts their own armor perms, and for some reason we also changed the look of the AR! And we brought back health!

A few decisions, like making the pistol a one-shot weapon again or going back to two grenade types, I'm happy to hear about though. All I'm saying is it smells like Bungie is really really ready to move on from Halo. I wonder how the new IP is coming along...

Sounds just like a half-glass empty look at it.

When I read posts like this, I wish you'd post something you'd like to see.

I REALLY REALLY like that this game can be played purely by stealth. It's what I fell in love with in Halo CE.

I could play Halo CE COMPLETELY at my own pace, and I think it's the main reason the game became so popular in the first place. If they're giving us the ability to do that again in Reach, then I'm al on board.

I must admit, Halo 3 SORT OF returned to that, because that abililty was completely taken away from us in 2. Although I stil loved other aspects of 2.

 

[EazyB]

It looks like a fan is trying to take his own favorite things and features from each of the previous Halo games and is mashing them together instead of focusing on what makes the game fun and improving upon it. It just looks like a blinged-out version of Halo 3. You know, "bigger, better, more bad-ass." That's all fine and good, but I'm tired of Halo 3. I don't want to play Halo 3 with a new coat of paint when Reach comes out. I want to play a better game than Halo 3 was.

I really don't know what you'd expect from another Halo game. I feel there's only so many times I can charge a PP up, shoot grunts, jackals and drive a warthog around until I want something totally brand new. But that can only be accomplished with New IP. I'll admit there wasn't much in the way of new gameplay features discussed in the article but their brief mention of armor equipement could be a real game changer. There's also the blurred out part of the image which must be some sort of player trait or new kind of equipment that could have some big gameplay affects.

That's not to mention the MP component which we know very little about. Could be as different as making it class based but the fact that they chose to reveal the campaign before the MP (where in 2 and 3 the reveals were the other way around) makes me believe the MP is either:
Too early to show. But then again the beta slowly approaching so you'd think it'd be pretty far along.
Something totally surprising and different.
Or they're so proud of how they've tweaked the traditional Halo MP compent that they still want to keep it as a surprise.

 

[dslgunstar]

Ok...this is gonna be a long post. I wont comment on the guns I agree with you about.

Halo 3's MP is skewed towards close-range fights. Some of that is due to poor design decisions, some of that to poor coding.

I agree with this, but I dont really consider it a bad thing. Halo: CE skewed too far toward long-range combat IMO, so I spent most of the time looking down the zoom of the pistol or hunting for the sniper-rifle. The wide-open maps were part of the problem (sniping from base to base in Blood Gultch was just ridiculous), but it was just too easy to put someone down with the pistol and the sniper before they got into threatening range with the PR, Shotty, RL or anything else.

But I dont think its quite as close-range as you seem to. Ive only played like 2000 games (mix of ranked TDM, Team Objective, Social Objective and Social Big Team) but in my experience its really not hard to take down someone rushing in with the AR, or any of the other spray and pray weapons, with four well-placed shots to the chest/face from the BR and/or a grenade...or weapons like the Carbine, Brute Shot, Needler, etc. Anywhere beyond medium-close range, the AR spread is so inaccurate that the bullets that do land are few and far between even when you try and burst fire, so any damage is insignificant.

Plasma Pistol

The plasma pistol became OPed in H2 with the noob combo. In H3 this was corrected, and the PP now works well on LAN in its overcharge mode. On Live its really random, but that's Live. The battery emptying itself was a good design choice. However the main fire mode is underpowered. The freezing effect from H1 should be brought back.

Underpowered

Id be pretty indifferent to this change, cause I dont think it would make a significant difference as far as weapon priorities. In Halo:CE, with the freezing effect, you'd still be hard-pressed to find someone that found the PP to be a better choice than the Pistol...or sniper...or even the shotgun. Add the freeze in Halo 3, people would still be using it almost exclusively for the overcharge and ditching it at their earliest convenience for any of a multitude of better weapons.

It might make the primary fire slightly more effective (in that it wouldnt be completely pointless) but I think that gun's inclusion in the Halo universe has always been predominantly for the overcharge mode and the primary fire was just kinda...there.

Plasma Rifle

Once again, the freezing aspect should be brought back. This weapon used to be headshot capable in H1, why did this disappear. It's now a much more spray 'n pray weapon.

Underpowered

I dont think thats a great idea, simply because the PR can be dual-wielded, so imagine the freezing effect kicking in as your shields are whittled away, all the while being showered with SMG or Mauler shots that chew into your fleshy bits to finish you off. On its own, the PR is so outclassed at every range by other weapons that adding the freezing ability wouldnt do much to make people choose it IMO, but a headshot capability would definitely held ALOT. But would headshots just crank down shields faster, or serve as an effective killing shot too?

Assault Rifle

Halo 2 was spawn with SMG, pick up second SMG, spray and pray, rinse repeat.
Halo 3 has been spawn with AR, spray and pray, melee, rinse, repeat. Six shots + melee = kill. It gives easy kills, doesn't require much skill, and is over abundant (every "standard" Halo game has you spawn with them).

I'd have it replace the SMG and pick up its role from H1.

Overpowered

This is the one I disagree most with and, I think, the fulcrum around which our debates over weapon balance as a whole has been circling. I think the AR is the perfect starting weapon - strong enough to earn you kills, but not so powerful that you forgoe picking up weapons on the map (which is what often happened with the CE pistol). The clip is too shallow to take an enemy down from any range, you have to throw in grenades and melees in order to earn kills. Likewise, you can spray and pray with it, but you'll save ammo and take opponents down quicker with quick bursts. Assuming the skill of two players are equal:

AR meets a shotgun at close range, it loses.
AR meets a BR at medium range, it loses.
AR meets carbine at medium range, it loses.
AR meets needler at medium-close to medium range, it loses.
AR meets dual-wielded anything at close range, it loses.

The list goes on and on. There are most versatile weapons (the BR and carbine), there are more specialized weapons (the shotgun, the sniper, etc), the AR is just a weapon to get you to the weapons you need, and it fulfills that. I personally keep it as a secondary weapon until I can put together a BR/Shotty combo. Starting with the new SMG on larger maps would be suicide. Starting with the BR on large maps, with AR as a secondary is also fine.

Id take the BR over the AR on every map from Valhalla to the Pit, because it feels like 9 times out of ten, enemies are in BR range when I first see them coming. Its only when enemies come around a tight corner or over a piece of terrain into close-quarters that I switch to the AR to make use of its close-quarters advantages, but if they come around that corner with a shotgun or dual-wielded weapons, then AR or not, Im at a disadvantage and better use a melee.

Battle Rifle

H3's Battle Rifle is no longer a hitscan weapon. Fine by me, that requires more skill to use. But H3's poor hit detection coupled with a tad too much spread have nerfed it. Add in the slower bursts..

Underpowered

I think the BR is balanced. The current ROF and spread keep its optimal range in the medium zone and prevent it from becoming so versatile that it renders other weapons completely pointless. If the spread is too tight, they it goes from an anti-sniper weapon to a sniper-killer, cause you can rip them out of zoom mode AND deal damage from range at a solid rate. Crank up the ROF and its too powerful at close range, cause you'll be able to deal so much damage by the time enemies with close-range weapons get into range for their weapons, that all it would take is a melee (balanced or not) to finish them off.

I'd like to hear more about the Halo 3 hit-detection problems, because this is honestly the first Ive head about them.

 

[NOKYARD]

Brute Sandbox is being removed which involves.. the spiker... brute shot.. gravity hammer and of course the spike grenade.

Could be wrong.

The Grifball community hopes you are wrong.

I just hope regenerating shields are optional in custom games so i don't have to litter my mini-games with med-kits. Come to think of it, requiring med-kits would ruin games like Infection, Conquest, HaloTrack style race games, and entire classes of mini-games. I can see adding med-kits to the Forge pallet, but not requiring them for all game variants.

 

[imtehman]

It looks like a fan is trying to take his own favorite things and features from each of the previous Halo games and is mashing them together instead of focusing on what makes the game fun and improving upon it. It just looks like a blinged-out version of Halo 3. You know, "bigger, better, more bad-ass." That's all fine and good, but I'm tired of Halo 3. I don't want to play Halo 3 with a new coat of paint when Reach comes out. I want to play a better game than Halo 3 was.

I mean, I can only judge what I've seen, and an early preview isn't going to show much. But from what they HAVE shown, it looks like a lot of the stuff could have been taken right out of some early Halo 3 builds - stuff like design concepts and variations. The guns, the environment, the vehicles, and even the character models of the marines and enemies look like they've been imported from Halo 3 and slightly touched-up. I understand its the same universe and all, but the game doesn't really look any better as a whole - just slightly different visually. But that's the main problem with mods - it may look different but you're still playing the same damn game. Hey guys we have a ship that does the same thing as the Pelican, but its called a Falcon! Hey check it out guys if you liked armor perms, well now there are several Spartans with completely different armor! We even gave the grunts their own armor perms, and for some reason we also changed the look of the AR! And we brought back health!

A few decisions, like making the pistol a one-shot weapon again or going back to two grenade types, I'm happy to hear about though - and its about time we finally get a needler rifle cause I've been waiting for this bad boy since Halo 2. All I'm saying is it smells like Bungie is really really ready to move on from Halo. I wonder how the new IP is coming along...

my sentiments exactly.

I do sometimes wish halo reach was a gear of halo, because i'm tired of the same thing with a new coat of paint.

 

[duk]

thank you Letters for my avy!!

ive been Ooonsked!

 

[Truant]

Holy shit, Reach sounds like everything I wanted from a Halo game post Halo: CE.

It only took you ten years, Bungie, but god damn.

 

[Walshicus]

Wonder if the mags mean to imply that Skirmishers are separate but related to Jackals, or whether they're just another of the three Jackal varieties.

 

[neoism]

Stolen from Bungie.net


- We play as Spartan IIIs. Jorge is the only Spartan II on the team.

- Carter 259 and Kat 320 are the only members of their original squad.

- Jorge is a heavy weapons specialist.

- "Skully" now has a name, Emile 239. He's the silent type of the game.

- The sniper is called Jun 266. He's thoughtful and taciturn.

- We can customise the appearance of the Lone Wolf by a small degree. Awesome.

- The game is apparently darker than any of the other Halo games, even more so than ODST.

- Human Insurrectionists are possibly in the game

- Bungie have once again made the Covenant more dangerous and frightening, as they were in Halo 1.

- Covenant soldiers no longer speak English, they speak in their own languages.

- A new enemy like a Jackal has been introduced, named a "Skirmisher." They are deadly and cunning enemies that attack in packs, and flank secure positions.

- Graphics have been improved drastically, as proven by in-magazine comparisons.

- Elites are back, and are more ferocious than ever.

- Larger scale combat will be in Reach. Where only 20 AI at a time could be on screen in Halo 3, now over 40 AI and 20 vehicles can be present at a time.

- Scenes are more cinematic.

- Noble Team splits up at a point in the story.

- Health Bar is back along with energy shield.

- Single shot rifle like the Halo 2 E3 demo is in the game, named the Designated Marksman Rifle (DRM)

- Sniper, AR and Magnum make a return. Gun sounds are more realistic.

- Needler Rifle is in the game, a mid-range headshot capable weapon.

- Spike Grenades and Flame Grenades are out. Only frags and plasma remain.

- Helicopter Transport is called the Falcon.

- Civillian vehicles are now drivable.

- Fully stealthy gameplay is now possible.

- Assassinations are possible with a knife by holding down the melee button.

- Sprinting is now possible through an equipment like mechanic.