Not sure if this is the right place to post this, so apologies in advance if not, but here goes:
I haven’t used these forums in a long time, simply because the last time I did, I had issues either editing posts that I’d already made in order to update them or effectively replying to those of other users.
Given recent events though, I thought I’d come back here and give an update on my progress through the Halo campaigns, but first, a little context:
Gamer Without Sight (GWS) might be a term that confuses you. You might be thinking “well… you’re blind aren’t you?” Technically, you’re correct. However, I use GWS as a term as “legal blindness”, often just shortened to being “blind”, can and often does include usable and/or residual vision, which I do not and have never had. As for how I play videogames, it’s mostly down to audio cues, sighted assistance and just dedicating time to a game, though of course these elements can change on a game by game basis.
My first Halo, opinions on the game aside, was actually Halo 5, after a sparring partner in Killer Instinct said that if I bought the game, they’d run it with me. After having a great time with that, they said that if I bought MCC, they’d run that with me as well. Though they didn’t necessarily do that (maybe playing through a couple of levels), I also found a great community of other individuals who were also willing to assist. After playing through Halo 5, CE:A, 2:A, ODST, 3 and 4, I finally came to Reach.
Reach is an acclaimed and highly regarded game of course and one that I knew a couple of things about going in, though not too much that it would actually directly spoil the experience. I also thought I’d record a playthrough of the game as well, given that I hadn’t actually done that for the previous entries and especially as it was the final first-run experience of the main-line campaigns. I may go back and record playthroughs of the other games at some point in the future, possibly in chronological order this time, starting with CE:A, if there’s interest.
Were it not for the co-op features of the Halo franchise and the accessibility of the Xbox One platform, in addition to the willingness of the individuals who assisted me through the many hours, many deaths and many interesting moments, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this.
If you have any questions about my experiences with any of the campaigns (which were all played via MCC save for 5 and Reach) in terms of accessibility or just in general as a gamer without sight, feel free to ask here.
Below is the full Reach playthrough in a playlist format if you’re interested in watching it, it might help answer some of the questions you have as well. I couldn’t work out how to create a standard hyperlink unfortunately:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ7h2jewv9CGDEcN2Kn-DC8r5NgVIE1aX
I am pleased to be a part of the Halo community and the response to my completion of all the campaigns for the first time has been overwhelmingly positive. I’m really looking forward to playing through Reach again and Infinite when it releases, it’s great to see Halo ill going strong as a franchise.