Halo: Reach will be 4 this year

Games Other Halo
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Hey community, the announcement of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on the Xbox One has gotten me thinking about the legacy of each Halo game and how uncanny it is just how fast the tables have turned. So, disclaimer: This post is just something of a personal retrospective - I want to begin a serious discussion about how the legacy of Halo: Reach will turn out, while also putting my own thoughts on this page.

Just two short years ago, Halo: Reach was still the latest multiplayer Halo game and had just received its final dose of downloadable content in the form of the Anniversary Map Pack. It was a weird transition period, because Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary didn’t actually convince everyone that 343 Industries was the best developer to inherit the Halo mantle, and Halo 4 was looming on high. But still, we played Halo: Reach just two short years ago. Halo 2 was a distant memory that it seemed we would never really relive. Halo 3 was long past its prime. With Armor Abilities in Halo 4, it seemed this new generation of Halo was here to stay.

And now, it’s uncanny, because we’re only two years later, and not only has it been a long time since Halo 4 took Halo: Reach’s throne as the main multiplayer Halo game, but a project has just been announced that is not only reviving Halo 2 and Halo 3, but also putting the original Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer on the online map. The Halo 5: Guardians beta has been revealed, and Armor Abilities are already being left behind. And so now, two short years after Halo: Reach was in its prime time, it is quickly dying. Just like Halo 2 on the Xbox 360, Halo: Reach will seemingly soon become the only major Halo game that we can no longer play.

I was just playing Halo: Reach today, and how strange it was that it currently has a similar ghost town feeling that Halo 2 and Halo 3 both had years into their life cycles. Right before we’re going to be getting brand new versions of our old classics, the game that felt new just two years ago is really feeling the weight of age. So now, older Halo games are on the rise, while Halo: Reach is being left in the dust on the Xbox 360. It is four years old this year. The weirdest thing about that is that Halo 2 was only six when it died on its original console - Halo: Reach is already more than half of that age. Two more short years and Halo: Reach will be as old as Halo 2 was when it was shut down.

How will it be remembered? I’m sure it will be remembered most popularly for its problems, such as bloom; the shoehorning Bungie did in the campaign; Armor Lock; its identity crisis during the transition between Bungie and 343 Industries; etc. I will personally remember it for being the first major Halo game that took a bold look at the Halo universe beyond the Master Chief. I will remember it for Firefight. I will remember it for Forge World. I will remember it for the unfinished Chess gametype and for Halo Ball. I will remember it for its amazing Elite designs. I will remember it for Invasion. No matter how, I will always remember it as a significant Halo game, despite its criticisms, and I will remember it as being a lot of fun in its heyday.

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Give it a couple of years. You gotta wait for the nostalgia to kick in.

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Just played some reach today. Imo it doesn’t feel old, I’m still having very much fun playing. Well on early mondays the population might be low, but on saturdays it still can hold about 20k.

Currently halo 4 isn’t even higher populated so reach really does not feel old for me. I’m curious to reach (lol reach) inheritor till mcc comes out.

One thing I most love about reach is its armory. Every single armor peace looks great.

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Borrowed my sister in law’s XB360 while she’s away & we’re catsitting. I’ve been waiting for a while to play Reach, as we’re more of a sony family & money’s always tight. I got into Halo through McFarlane’s HR figures, & had to play the game such awesome armor came from. I’ve already researched quite a bit of the Halo expanded universe & games, so I know something about it. I’ve also watched the entire playthrough (for all the Halo games) on YT, & so far Reach is my favorite story, followed by H4/SpOps. I think Reach outdid itself with the mutiplayer, ranking system & armory.

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I keep reminding everyone that Halo:Reach is actually getting more players every day than Halo 4. This game is far from dead, and it’s still a lot more fun to play than Halo 4.

Halo 4 never stole Reach’s throne; maybe for a short while, but Reach ended up stealing it back.

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> No matter how, I will always remember it as a significant Halo game, despite its criticisms, and I will remember it as being a lot of fun in its heyday.

Nicely said. I’ve been playing Halo: Reach for quite a few years now; as every month approaches, I become more worried that it is closer to being shut down. Please allow me to take the time to construct a heart-felt and personal opinion of Halo: Reach’s legacy.

It is quite sad that one of the best Halo games is being left out of the Master Chief Collection. On a more thoughtful note, why was Halo: Reach left out of the collection? Obviously Master Chief is not present in Halo: Reach but I feel that there is much more going on here. Halo: Reach has always been the odd-man-out when it comes to the Halo Series, because of these things: no Master Chief, weapon bloom, playable Elite characters, the endless cR system, etc. Reach will always be scrutinized by hardcore Halo fans for some of these reasons, but Reach will always be remembered by its creativity and balance.

Bungie took a brave step when crafting a game that creates a good back story to Master Chief, but lacks the actual character. The campaign was good not great, but was truly a work of art because of its depth and design. The campaign provided balanced, varied, and often challenging combat that most games fail to create. Firefight is one of Halo: Reach’s crowning jewels. Its depth, attention to detail, endless possibilities, and replayability make it a great aspect of the game. It allowed players to kick back, whip out the big guns, and blow the covenant away. Forge World was also a great complement to Reach, further reinforcing the sense of freedom throughout the game. Forge World is massive, varied, and allows the player to craft everything and anything they please.But most of all, Bungie’s creativity shines throughout Reach’s multiplayer. Though Halo: Reach’s multiplayer is past its prime, but continues to support more players than Halo 4, it is truly a work of art. The sheer amount of maps and gametypes present throughout Reach keeps players on their toes and builds towards many hours of multiplayer gameplay. The weapon set-up is varied and balanced; almost every gun has its counterpart, along with vehicles. The addition of invasion and the Elite designs are amazing and genius, and other additions of game types such as juggernaut, headhunter, and stockpile complement Reach quite nicely. The cR system is quite lengthy, but keeps players pushing for inheritor.

For the above reasons Halo: Reach will be remembered. Perhaps Bungie’s best game, Halo: Reach will continue to be excluded and abandoned much like Halo 3 by 343i. Halo: Reach, though, will always have a place in the hearts of those Halo fans who appreciate a challenge, ingenuity, and balance.

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Nicely said. I agree with all of your points.

But as you said, the reason Reach isn’t in the MCC is because it doesn’t relate directly to the Master Chief. It is a shame though. Reach is my favourite game after Halo 3.

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If Halo Reach is released for XB1, I’m rushing out to buy that console ASAP.

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> I keep reminding everyone that Halo:Reach is actually getting more players every day than Halo 4. This game is far from dead, and it’s still a lot more fun to play than Halo 4.
>
> Halo 4 never stole Reach’s throne; maybe for a short while, but Reach ended up stealing it back.

Halo 4 still gets the last laugh. Its inclusion on and Halo: Reach’s exclusion from Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be the final nail in the coffin. That’s a crying shame, because Halo: Reach still has amazing merit as a Halo game. If it gets ported to the Xbox One, as it should be, it would be a great addition to that Halo collection.