So for the first game I'll be talking about, Halo Reach comes out in about... 26 hours ish (about 9:56pm right now). This game has been a controversy in my head for the last month now. Three weeks ago I absolutely loathed the idea of playing this game, for the sole reason that I had been converted from a Halo gamer to a Call of Duty gamer. Now last Friday, I pre-ordered it. My views are a little bit on the fence but for different reasons.
So for those who aren't really into video games, "Halo: Reach" is a XBOX 360 game coming out this Monday. It is a FPS, or first person shooter, which means its always action packed with gamers taking advantage of its online multiplayer gameplay. Nobody really buys the game expecting the campaign to last them more than a month or so before getting bored with it. This campaign however is suspected to stomp over any previous Halo game made, actually being a prequel to the first Halo campaign. You start as the last spartan to join the elite "Noble" team. Master Chief hasn't came to be yet, so you are now "Noble Six." You are sent to Earth for a harmless mission that plummets you into the glorious spartan crusade that is to defend Earth from a never-ending covenant invasion. Hope this doesn't create too much epicness for you kids!
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| Jetpacks are just amazing aren't they? |
For me personally, and probably for most of you gamers out there, its all about the multiplayer gameplay!!! I seriously, for every Halo that has come out, have spent an upwards of.... months of just sticking spartan enemies with grenades, or getting triple kills with a rocket launcher by nailing a Warthog head on. Classic moments, and one thing I'm sincerely hyped up about is the NEW GAME ENGINE! It has been said to have sharper graphics that just made previous Halos just plain old embarrassing. Another addition, Armor Upgrades. This allows people to temporarily have equipment like jetpacks, camouflage, and a holographic facsimile of your character. This allows the previous great gameplay with people from around the world, adding on great benefits like flying around the map and hiding snipers in corners. This gives me a thrill of both some aspects Call of Duty had, and gives me the ability to live longer instead of dying by one bullet :) The campaign multiplayer mode is now more extended, now called Firefight. This has been compared to Gears of Wars "Horde" mode. I like that feature in the G.O.W. games, but third person shooter is just not me. In Halo however, that stands out to me and is just another plus to the tally.
Now for the negatives... first of all as of right now I am still a Call of Duty fanatic. This has been almost two years and its still an ongoing war between these games. I've been on both sides, and understand both arguments. Call of Duty is more realistic right? You should die with one or two shots if you are being shot in real life correct? Well unfortunately for the rest of the 12 year old - 30 year old population that doesn't like dying and prefers video games that allow them to live, Halo is their game. Heck I still have Halo 2 and 3 and play them with buddies because we get frustrated from dying in Modern Warfare 2. Another thing is that with the beta, the grenades were the worst thing in the game, they were little mini atom bombs. If you saw one fly past you, basically that tells you to put your head between your legs and kiss your butt goodbye. Nobody on my team could live if a frag even came close. And the famous dual wielding of guns that were introduced in Halo 2, say Adios to that.
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| This is not a helmet, I've tried. It doesn't fit.. |
So is this game worth buying new, preowned, rented, or not at all? The answer is if you actually want to play this game, its worth buying new. There are multiple reasons to this choice. 1) if you buy it new, you get the guarantee that there's no scratches and you get to play it forever, no strings attached. 2) buying it preowned is bad because first you wont find a pre-used for at least two weeks because of the hugeness of this game, and two because the first problem is always a scratched disc. 3) rented will allow you to play it for a week or so, allowing you to maybe finish the campaign and touch the multiplayer. Not worth the rental. It would be like a tease. I know from experience, I rented Halo 3 from blockbuster 3 times before realizing that if I bought it, I'd save $35, and more after playing it a month. 4) If you own an XBOX 360 and aren't even thinking of buying this game then not only are just an idiot for not buying one of the greatest game series of all time, but also realize that all your xbox friends will be playing this and leave you to rot in the dust.
So those are my pros and cons, and since it comes out in about 24 hrs and 30 min now, I hope its all and more for anyone who purchases it. GOOD LUCK HALO: REACH, ill buy you after school!
