LTTP - Halo: Reach
- Thread starter Squire
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RebornYeti
Member
I enjoyed Reach's Campaign the few times I have played it, but it doesn't have the replayability that the other Halo campaigns have, in my opinion. I think Halo 3 has the most replayable Campaign in the series. I like to replay the Campaign at least once or twice a year.
Phonomezer
Banned
Besides Reach, I've only played Halo 3 and about an hour of ODST. Sure you'd get more out of it by having played Halo 2 previously, but there was enough story for the noob to go by.
I should really start Halo CE Anniversary at some point.
NobleGundam
Banned
Playing Normal is perfectly fine! After playing Reach try out Halo: Anniversary like others have said, even playing CE after a long investment of Reach is satisfying imo.
Progress into Harder difficulties and of course have buddies along with your cooperative experience makes replayability even more fun and memorable.
Hopefully you'll love the franchise and do get Halo 4 in November 6!
Progress into Harder difficulties and of course have buddies along with your cooperative experience makes replayability even more fun and memorable.
Hopefully you'll love the franchise and do get Halo 4 in November 6!
I'd have to agree really. I can't even count the amount of times I've replayed Halo 3. It works fantastic in solo and better in co-op (even only 2 player to be comparable to previous games) than other games in the series.
Thanks! Finished chapter 4 of Reach about an hour ago. I gotta say the members of Noble Team are pretty cool! George, Kat, and Jun are all very likable.
honestly, if you are enjoying the reach campaign enough, go through the entire series.
reach --> halo CE anniversary --> halo 2 --> halo 3
dst --> halo 3
each game has its strengths and is worth playing. CE for the history, epic flood vs covenant battles, and silent cartographer. 2 for epic story telling. odst for atmosphere and pinnacle golden tripod gameplay. 3 for full scale dual scarab battles and unexpected allies.
reach --> halo CE anniversary --> halo 2 --> halo 3
dst --> halo 3each game has its strengths and is worth playing. CE for the history, epic flood vs covenant battles, and silent cartographer. 2 for epic story telling. odst for atmosphere and pinnacle golden tripod gameplay. 3 for full scale dual scarab battles and unexpected allies.
Demoncarnotaur
Member
Halo 3 for sure had the most replayable campaign, the game may not be great looking and may play it safe..but it plays goood. It really handles large, outdoor combat situations well.. So many ways to approach em.
Halo 2, IMO, has the best plot by far. The Covenant politics are a blast to witness. Although ODST has a great story also despite it being a small scale side story.
Halo 2, IMO, has the best plot by far. The Covenant politics are a blast to witness. Although ODST has a great story also despite it being a small scale side story.
GrimBrother One
Member
It's always good when someone makes it easy on you in choosing which opinions to tune out in the future. <3
Monocle
Member
The campaign is mostly good, with some truly excellent levels toward the end. Matchmaking frustrates me to no end, but that's only because I'm an awful player and I can't seem to force myself into the right headspace to practice.
Lately I've been enjoying my Legendary sweep, charging through the last few missions with some tricks I yoinked from High Speed Halo.
Lately I've been enjoying my Legendary sweep, charging through the last few missions with some tricks I yoinked from High Speed Halo.
i adored 2's campaign - but you have to admit that it certainly lacked the openness and scale of the other games... any traditional warthog or tank stage was like a narrow path shooting gallery compared to the other games in the series.
of course i dont mean to disregard how fantastic its indoor level design was, but again, thats only part of halo's charm.
Monocle
Member
I could never get into Sacred Icon, or any of Halo 2's Flood-heavy levels, really. Absolutely loved the rest, though. Endlessly replayable on Heroic (so the Jackal snipers don't ruin your day).
Randolph Freelander
Member
The minutiae of the games is not what I refer to, but the overall arc. The infighting is fine on its own, but the fact that the Covenant's intent never wavered, nor was it revealed to be anything more complex, sinister, or nuanced, it was really just "the great journey" the entire time, was just so completely inane. I mean, seriously? This whole thing is about some dumb religious cult that may or may not even know they're going to end galactic civilization? There's no direct or indirect ulterior motive at all? Blech.
Again, it is my hope that 4 can somehow give 1-3 more relevance, because on their own, they really don't go anywhere. Which is sad, because CE deserves better.
Actual tips for Campaign:
I'll write more if I think of more.
Oh yeah, grenades are nukes:
Place them well.
- Crush any feeling of being compelled to engage in CQC, this is not something you should do often as it can be a leading factor in getting you killed(may not be as big a case in normal, but it is something to consider).
- Pay attention to your health, it can be easy to get caught up in the moment but you have to dial back and be self-aware of your current status.
- The game has excellent audio/visual cues, it's important to pay attention to what you hear and see the enemy AI doing. This will help you avoid pesky things like plasma grenades and suicide grunts.
- Don't forget the radar either.
- With the above said, don't get so caught up staring at your HUD you abandon your reticule.
- Speaking of the reticule:
That right there is bloom. It is the expanding reticule that mucks up your shots if you fire too fast. It only affects the DMR and Needle Rifle, though NR is affected much less so. It is designed so that you can spam up close faster but you have to pace your shots from a distance.
- As for the bloom in the AR it is merely to show that your spread increases as you hold the trigger and for the Sniper Rifle it is purely visual.
- These guys give extra shields to the rest of the enemies, kill them first.
- Headshots are the fastest way to go when it comes to killing every enemy. For some this may require breaking off the armor(Brutes) or popping shields(Elites).
- If you haven't noticed by now, Grunts and Jackals may occasionally run away or cower in fear after you've taken out the big guys(Brutes and Elites), so it's up to you to decide what you wish to prioritize first. Just something to keep in mind and possibly consider adapting to for each situation.
- Occasionally there are hidden weapon caches around corners, if you happen to run out of ammo and there's nothing good on the ground, look around, you'll probably find something.
I'll write more if I think of more.
Oh yeah, grenades are nukes:
Actual tips for Campaign:
I'll write more if I think of more.
Oh yeah, grenades are nukes:Place them well.
Wow, thanks! Your last two tips I've definitely noticed already. CQC: I think the problem is less prevelany on Normal, but I've tried it after softening up Elites and I think my survival/death rate with that is a 60/40 split, so I should still probably just stop that altogether.
Also, hi Ply. I remember you from my Maxim Hot 100 2012 thread 
Snacks the sober sea lion
Member
I guess if you're really into Halo's fiction you would be bothered by Bungie dropping the ball so badly, but calling Reach the worst? Halo 1 literally copy/ pasted hallways over and over again, Halo 2 is pretty inconsistent and clearly unpolished (framerate drops, crappy textures, the ending), Halo 3, I have to say something about.
I think Halo 3 is really not that damn great. I don't like Halo's vehicles that much. The reason Halo's vehicles are successful is because they control so well and add variety, right? Halo 3 says "screw that," and throws nearly entire levels that are just pure vehicle section. Driving a Warthog in circles while the AI shoots at everything and you just hope you don't get hit. Forget about Ghosts, you'll be shot right out of it, and good luck killing Wraiths. If you try to grab a Chopper don't even think about coming within 50 feet of your enemies, because they'll easily overwhelm you. Also it can't strafe, so try not to get rammed by kamikaze Brutes in their own Choppers. And when do you get any actual cool vehicles, that let you really tear things up? You get a Scorpion and a Gauss Warthog once each, both in the same level and in the same section, and I think that's it.
Aside from that, do I even need to do elaborate what is so horrible about the levels Cortana and Halo? Last two levels of the trilogy and they're both crap.
The regular fights are pretty much as good as ever, but Halo 3 just DOESN'T LET YOU have those fights. You have to get into vehicles and drive past hordes of Covenant and do all this stupid shit with Wraiths and Choppers.
I think Halo 3 is really not that damn great. I don't like Halo's vehicles that much. The reason Halo's vehicles are successful is because they control so well and add variety, right? Halo 3 says "screw that," and throws nearly entire levels that are just pure vehicle section. Driving a Warthog in circles while the AI shoots at everything and you just hope you don't get hit. Forget about Ghosts, you'll be shot right out of it, and good luck killing Wraiths. If you try to grab a Chopper don't even think about coming within 50 feet of your enemies, because they'll easily overwhelm you. Also it can't strafe, so try not to get rammed by kamikaze Brutes in their own Choppers. And when do you get any actual cool vehicles, that let you really tear things up? You get a Scorpion and a Gauss Warthog once each, both in the same level and in the same section, and I think that's it.
Aside from that, do I even need to do elaborate what is so horrible about the levels Cortana and Halo? Last two levels of the trilogy and they're both crap.
The regular fights are pretty much as good as ever, but Halo 3 just DOESN'T LET YOU have those fights. You have to get into vehicles and drive past hordes of Covenant and do all this stupid shit with Wraiths and Choppers.
I will argue this to the death!
But really, Halo 3 has the most dynamic vehicle sections.
We could start with Tsavo Highway where the only vehicles are the Chopper, the Warthog, and the Wraith. It's a good combination to get the player introduced to vehicular combat and for the more advanced player to experiment with the sandbox. When using the Chopper you have the choice of cannoning the Covenant from afar or going for the much riskier splatter. You can also boost at the correct time on rocks to send you soaring. There you can either bail out or stay in the vehicle for another pass around. The Warthog in these encounters is obviously much more fun with co-op partners, but it works with the AI as well. A beginner can learn paths and AI line of sight, and advanced players can go for the splatters or get in the passenger with a power weapon. Wraiths are only available at the end of the mission, but they provide for an interesting mortar section at the end.
The Ark is where the vehicles really start to shine. When you get your first vehicles in the level it will either be a Mongoose or a Prowler if you managed to kill just the occupants of the vehicle. Then the next immediate encounter, you have the chance to hijack either a Ghost or a Chopper. And right after that there is an abandoned Warthog. You now have almost the entire light ground vehicle armament at your disposal. My personal favorite is to get Sniper/Rockets on the back of a Mongoose and let the AI drive me around. The best part is that if I die, 9/10 I'm not angry about the death being cheap. There is an entire optional encounter that is ridiculously fun to take as a Mongoose passenger.
Right after that you get some Scorpions dropped off for you. The AI even tells you that "tank beats everything" and it is a hell of a lot of fun to blast through with the tank. After you clear the building and exit the other side you enter one of the most dynamic sections in any Halo campaign. You have the choice of every ground vehicle, including the newly introduced Gauss Warthog. At the end of the push, you have to fight a Scarab. And guess what, you still have the choice of every vehicle.
The Covenant also lets you tackle vehicular encounters with incredible variety. How will you face the dual Scarab encounter? In a hijacked Covenant vehicle? In a tank? Gauss hog? Regular hog? Mongoose? Hornet? Some are definitely more effective, but all are viable.
Here's the best part about all of it though. There's only two situations in Halo 3 where you are forced in a vehicle, and they aren't any of them that I mentioned above. It's the flying section on The Covenant and the last mission of the game. See The Pedestrian. It's definitely a good watch.
To quote a specific part of your post to clear something up: "And when do you get any actual cool vehicles, that let you really tear things up? You get a Scorpion and a Gauss Warthog once each, both in the same level and in the same section, and I think that's it."
You seem to expect vehicles to be a god machine. That's not the case by any means, and if you are looking at them like that, then you are quite simply doing it wrong.
JimiNutz
Banned
Reach has a great SP campaign (only second to Halo 3).
I'm replaying Anniversary at the moment and while it is great, I def think the level design is really lazy at times. Lots of copy/pasted hallways/rooms and it's easy for a new player to get lost as it's hard to differentiate one room from another.
I'm replaying Anniversary at the moment and while it is great, I def think the level design is really lazy at times. Lots of copy/pasted hallways/rooms and it's easy for a new player to get lost as it's hard to differentiate one room from another.
NullPointer
Member
Was going to say the same. The key to Halo for me is to really learn the intricacies of each weapon, and noting the difference between energy weapons that tear shields apart and projectile weapons that work best against unshielded targets, precision weapons that allow for head shots, getting used to plasma pistol overcharge shots to disable enemy shields and vehicles, and incorporating the whole tripod of guns, grenades and melee into your battle toolkit. Although you could say that armor abilities are another, equally powerful tool in your kit as well.
The reason I'd recommend Anniversary is that it showcases that combat loop in the purest way possible with the fewest variables to work with at any given time. But it also tosses you into some of the best shooter scenarios out there, and all with Reach levels of visuals and remastered audio work. It also helps that Halo CE's very beginning is Reach's ending.
Its good stuff. Reach and Anniversary would be the two games I'd recommend to people who are interested in Halo, and there's plenty more out there if you want it.
This is a really great post. Thanks so much for your insight!
Callo Merlose
Banned
Explain.
Shake Appeal
Member
Reach probably has the most polished and best balanced Halo campaign. The highs aren't as high as elsewhere (Halo 3 has the series' highpoint in The Ark/The Covenant, and ODST does more interesting things than any other Halo game), but there's nothing really wrong with it. The 'divisiveness' really only applies to multiplayer and some aspects of the fiction.
Certain events don't make sense when you factor in the novel which came out before Halo 1.
Glad to hear you are liking it OP. I like a lot of different shooters but as far as raw gameplay goes Halo is still the most fun for me.
As for tips:
Since you are playing on Normal you can probably get through by just pointing any weapon at any enemy and just plowing away. Combat is deeper than that though.
-Unshielded enemies are killed instantly with a headshot but only certain weapons have this capability. The weapons in question are the DMR, Pistol, Needle Rifle, and Sniper Rifle. If you have any weapon other than these ones you should be aiming for center mass.
-Taking in to account the first point you should try to have one of those weapons on you at all times (Sniper being the exception, though it is always welcome).
-Headshots do not matter when the enemy still has shields unless the shot breaks the shield and some damage carries over. Typically what this means is don't aim for the head on shielded enemies unless you have the sniper rifle.
-Plasma weapons are very good at removing enemy shields
-If you get in a situation where you face a tough checkpoint and die continuously try to change up your strategy. Halo is very sandbox in it's nature so there are very few sections where you have to do something a certain way. Try different weapons, or Armor Abilities.
Yeah, this I'm really figuring out. In the middle of mission five where you need to defend the area until Jorge shows up I had NO CLUE how to survive that. I died a few times, then I thought to steal a banshee, I shot the place up and Jorge and the chopper were there instantly!
I didn't notice in the moment, but thinking back on it, I'm like, "That was me being crafty. Wow." Wonderful when a game really makes you problem-solve and get creative.
Canis lupus
Member
I'm not a fan of Halo nor masterchief at all, but I loved Reach, I loved the story of Noble Team and their fate... I even liked the commercials.
Blue Ninja
Member
Well, it pretty much took the first Halo novel, peed on it and then set it on fire. Then when 343 had to step up they added the "it's all a conspiracy"-twist to reconcile the two again. It is canon, but it's also a complete clusterf***.
Stuff like (endgame spoilers):
- The Covenant suddenly attacking a month earlier
- Halsey meeting Spartan-III's when she clearly had no idea they existed in fiction set afterwards
- Halsey even being where she is in the game isn't exactly feasible
- The Cortana fragments
- The Pillar of Autumn being on the surface of Reach, while it should be halfway to Halo at the time
- The Pillar of Autumn even being on the surface of Reach at all
- Halsey meeting Spartan-III's when she clearly had no idea they existed in fiction set afterwards
- Halsey even being where she is in the game isn't exactly feasible
- The Cortana fragments
- The Pillar of Autumn being on the surface of Reach, while it should be halfway to Halo at the time
- The Pillar of Autumn even being on the surface of Reach at all
It's minor stuff, and doesn't matter for people who don't care about the canon, but some people are/were pissed at Bungie for it. Reach is a good game, with a good campaign, but I tend to look at it seperate from the other games.
Definitely play Anniversary when you're done with this, though. Still the best Halo underneath the new coat of paint.
My man! The only right answer.
A lot of interesting opinions in this thread. I've played Halo CE, 2 and 3, mostly split-screen co-op and found them fun. Never became a huge fan so when Halo Reach was released I didn't buy it straight away.
This weekend though I finally played through Reach with some friends and it was fantastic. In my opionion the co-op campaign experience where miles ahead of the previous games. If Halo 4 continues this improvement, it could be very fun indeed
Small question, is Halo 3 the only game that supports 4 player split screen co-op campain? Reach did not support it, but I'm pretty sure Halo 3 did...
This weekend though I finally played through Reach with some friends and it was fantastic. In my opionion the co-op campaign experience where miles ahead of the previous games. If Halo 4 continues this improvement, it could be very fun indeed
Small question, is Halo 3 the only game that supports 4 player split screen co-op campain? Reach did not support it, but I'm pretty sure Halo 3 did...
j0hnny_385
Member
My favorite Halo to day, period. I enjoyed this game soooooo much. Even got this, which was pretty fucked up. My proudest cheevo ever:
Too bad only a few of my friends played MP. But that'll change in Halo 4. Can't wait.
Too bad only a few of my friends played MP. But that'll change in Halo 4. Can't wait.
Wish I could say the same, those terrible people are getting BOII. ;_;
Did they ever explain why they decided to screw with the story? I watched some cutscenes again because of this thread, man I need some Halo 4 like right now.
TUROK
Member
Their explanation was that they'll mess with the established canon if it benefits the gameplay, or something like that. I dunno, it was a pretty flimsy explanation.
I don't understand the hate Reach SP gets.
Halo 2 was far worse; small levels, jackal snipers and campaign that just stops.
It's not that H2 is really bad, it's just that it plays a lot more like a run of the mill shooter than all the other halo games.
I realize that Bloom and the movement sort of ruined Reach for hardcore MP players, but this really wasn't an issue in campaign.
I can heartily recommend both Reach, Anniversary and (especially in coop) Halo 3.
Edit: OP, as mentioned, use a overcharged plasma pistol shot to strip shields, then headshot. This works in all the halo games.
Halo 2 was far worse; small levels, jackal snipers and campaign that just stops.
It's not that H2 is really bad, it's just that it plays a lot more like a run of the mill shooter than all the other halo games.
I realize that Bloom and the movement sort of ruined Reach for hardcore MP players, but this really wasn't an issue in campaign.
I can heartily recommend both Reach, Anniversary and (especially in coop) Halo 3.
Edit: OP, as mentioned, use a overcharged plasma pistol shot to strip shields, then headshot. This works in all the halo games.
I suppose the actual explaination is that the games alone are the only source of absolute cannon.
I love Reach's campaign. I love how it constantly cycles between victory and bigger defeat - it's exactly the tone that was needed for the story.
My favorite Halo to day, period. I enjoyed this game soooooo much. Even got this, which was pretty fucked up. My proudest cheevo ever:
Too bad only a few of my friends played MP. But that'll change in Halo 4. Can't wait.
I see you never played Halo 2 on Legendary alone... Fucking jackal snipers.
Blue Ninja
Member
TacticalFox88
Banned
I thought the campaign was completely and utterly awful. I honestly had more fun playing the modern COD campaigns, bar BO which I put on the same level as it.
MP is where its at.
MP is where its at.
j0hnny_385
Member
While Reach is a freakin' awesome game and maybe the more consistent experience of all the Halo games I still think that Halo 3 and CE are the better games overall.
Hopefully Halo 4 will combine the mystery and the feeling of wonder of CE with the epic encounters and the masterful level designs of Halo 3.
Hopefully Halo 4 will combine the mystery and the feeling of wonder of CE with the epic encounters and the masterful level designs of Halo 3.
bobs...onGaf
Member
GAF, I've never been into shooters. I've found the first-person perspective awkward and I know I'll never last in MP.
But I'm tired of feeling that way. It's seems like every year there's an FPS that looks awesome that I really want to get into, but I'm scared I just won't be able to and who wants to waste $60?
This year that game is Halo 4 - and I wanna play it so badly, I'm changing my ways.
I'm playing my free download of Reach from when I bought my 360 and... I'm really liking it!
So, is there anything I need to know GAF? Any sudden spikes in difficulty? This gsme was divisive, right? Could my time be better spent elsewhere?
Any tips in general?
Go play Halo 3 instead - or go play Halo 1 Anniversary.
Or finish the Reach Campaign then dont touch the multiplayer.
I say this as a Halo fan, Reach mulitplayer is pretty unlikeable.