Tuesday, September 14, one of the most anticipating games of all time was released, Halo Reach. Over half a million players were logged online playing this game only hours after it hit the store shelves. Reach sales ‘reached’ over $200 million on just that first day.

Halo Reach takes place just before the events of the first Halo game. You are the new Noble Six in Spartan Noble Team. A position that the rest of the team would rather not be filled. The rumor is that a live action trailer that was released just before the game was the final events of the previous Noble Six. As the new Noble Six you quickly prove that you are defiantly qualified for the slot.

A lot of specific information is in my review of the Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta. It that review I go into detail about the new weapons, how the game physics has changed, a couple of the new armor abilities, and even the new mutilplayer modes. The features that has changed are a couple new armor abilities. Drop shields is one such new ability, which acts just like the bubble shield from Halo 3. Another of the new abilities is the hologram, the hologram sends out a copy of the player in a straight to the point that the player picks.

The campaign in Reach starts out with the player joining Noble team and immediately sent out investigate what at first thought are rebel attacks. By the end of the first mission the player learns the dreadful truth at Reach is being invaded by the Covenant. Now if you know anything about Halo lore, you know what’s going to happen to Reach. Most Halo fans know the big events of the Fall of Reach but this campaign delves into the smaller unknown, but still important events. After finishing the campaign stay until after the credits there a bonus at the end, like in all Halo games.

The firefight mode is a blast to play. Spending hours playing with four friends is the only way really to play firefight. Competitive multiplayer is no slouch either. Playing 16 player free for all and watching one player fall off a forge remake of lockout, chasing a hologram is what makes games like this worth playing.

The new forge world is the most genius map Bungie could have made. It’s insanely large map to be used in forge to make many different types of maps. One area in the map is a large valley and the landscape is a copy of Coagulation and Bungie went a head and did what every one would want with that and made the Blood Gulch bases. Another area is a large pillar made of earth and with the structures available, in Forge, Bungie remade Ascension. The forge world ends with a hanger-like area inside a cliff.

(I am issuing a challenge, to make a working map that includes every area of Forge World. Once done please send the map to me. I so want to play a map like that.)

I recommend this game to anyone who has played and likes the other Halo games. For someone new to the Halo franchise I would start with Halo 1, although that person could start with Halo Reach and be fine.

Written by: Stuart Pitchford Writer