As gamers, we love competition, action, and a titanic struggle to the death. What better tussle is there than watching two games go head-to-head in mortal combat? In the tradition of the Mario and Sonic days of yore comes VG Deathmatch, GGTL’s recurring clash of the digital titans.

This week, we’re looking at two titles featuring everyone’s favourite character archetype: the space marine! First introduced in science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein’s novel Starship Troopers, and popularised in gaming by titles like Doom, StarCraft, and Halo: Combat Evolved, the space marine has been a staple in the modern gaming character pantheon, along with the samurai, zombie, and princess in disguise since the era of the Atari.

In the role of challenger is Crytek’s Crysis 2, featuring open-ended level design, multiple styles of play, and a brand new graphics engine for rendering space marines at their shiniest. Will it be enough to take down the reigning champion of space marine games, Halo: Reach, with its epic storyline, enormous set pieces, and industry-standard design?

1: Main Character

Crysis 2 puts players in the role of Alcatraz, a US Marine dispatched to assist an ailing New York City in the throes of a catastrophic alien virus. Unfortunately, Alcatraz is soon attacked and badly injured, but is saved at the last minute by Prophet, a character from the first Crysis. Prophet bestows his Nanosuit to Alcatraz, giving him solace from his injuries, as well as a multitude of Justice League-esque powers. The setup is compelling, but Alcatraz (aside from having a name reminiscent of an exotic dancer) is one of the most glum-and-blah protagonists I’ve played in a while. Perhaps Crytek was hoping to generate some Gordon Freeman appeal, as Alcatraz goes through the entire game without uttering so much as one syllable. Unlike Freeman, though, Alcatraz spends the entire game taking orders. He has a suit that can kick the crap out of a small country, but he happily takes orders from some geeky pseudo-Otacon for a good chunk of time? I don't buy it.


Halo: Reach casts a similarly silent lead character, but Noble Six is far from a generic “you are the player” cypher. A trained Spartan III, Noble Six stays steadfast and supportive throughout, offering words when necessary, but mostly letting his (or her) actions speak in lieu of them. He's not the diety-esque pillar of strength that was Master Chief, nor the non-entity that The Rookie was in Halo 3: ODST, Noble Six acts as a true team player through the events of Reach; supporting, leading, following, and giving his all for the success of the mission.

Winner: Halo: Reach
The differences are subtle, but Noble Six’s dedication to his team and peerless leadership in the field gives him a decisive edge in this comparison. With few words but strong characterization, Noble Six was a protagonist I grew to appreciate, as I did the entire Noble Team in the game. As for Alcatraz, I was weary of his constant order-taking far before the experience was over. No contest.

2: Setting

Crysis 2 takes place in a bombed-out, post-disaster New York City, and surely The Big Apple has never been as detailed as it was in this game. Sun pours through clouds of dust and thick smoke, ordinary shops and streets are left barely, but hauntingly, recognizable, and buildings eventually collapse and crumble from the turmoil. If only this was the worst that happened. CryEngine 3 lends itself well to the small environmental touches, giving the game a populated, lived-in feel, and much of the area is readily explorable. There are occasional invisible walls, but for the most part, the atmosphere and splendour of the environment make post-virus New York City the most beautiful place you will never, ever want to visit.


Halo: Reach’s titular planet has an excellent variety of game environments, and they’re all gorgeous and interesting. The scale in particular harkens back to the first game players would look at the horizon and watch the Forerunner ring wind up, up, up until it came right back around to the other side. Reach’s settings are painted in broad strokes, and though they look good from afar, they aren’t necessarily the prettiest when seen up close. Still, they are nonetheless effective in establishing a mood and “feel” for each location, which can hardly be a bad thing.

Winner: Crysis 2
Crysis 2’s portrayal of New York gone to crap is, hands-down, one of the prettiest and best-realised game spaces I’ve seen on the Xbox 360. The crumbling buildings, burned-out reminders of lives interrupted, and winning ambient noise-design create an atmosphere that is at times almost overwhelming. There is one early section of the game in particular that leads through an abandoned subway tunnel that particularly stayed with me after playing - I was all but crawling up the walls with fear of what might be down there due to the frightening, memorable aesthetics. Reach doesn’t necessarily drop the ball with its locations, but Crysis 2 is simply that much better.

3: Weapons

Crysis 2 occupies an odd middle ground in weapon design: most of the weaponry seems to have been informed by Modern Warfare 2, despite the overtly sci-fi flavour of its story and setting. Even some of the exotic guns (such as the Mike, a gun that shoots microwaves to cook enemies from the inside out) feel far more like they’re shooting bullets than death rays. Perhaps this is the point, but I firmly believe that there is a middle ground between Ratchet and Clank and SOCOM 4 when it comes to weapon design. Heck, look at the Resistance series! Crysis 2’s guns do have a nice weight to them, though I am saddened by their lack of flair.


Halo: Reach has perhaps the most satisfying arsenal of the entire Halo universe of games. To create such broad weapon diversity, Bungie brought back many of the series’ staple guns (the Assault Rifle, Plasma Pistol, etc.), jetted many that didn’t work (goodbye, Covenant Carbine!), and expanded the roster with a collection of excellent new weapons (the BAR, Needle Rifle, etc.) to complete the set. There are even a few “fixed” weapons, such as the new and now-useful Needler. Each weapon has a different feel and handling technique, giving single and multiplayer matches a nice, healthy dose of variety.

Winner: Halo: Reach
When I first heard about the Mike, I thought this category would be a no-brainer. Now that I know how disappointingly similar it is to regular old real-world guns, I’m falling back on the old favourite: the Magnum from Reach. Restored to its overpowered, sniper pistol glory, the Magnum is perhaps one of the best guns of the modern FPS. Both games have a fun arsenal of weapons to choose from, and both include excellent shotguns. In the end, though, only one can have the Magnum

4: Enemies

Crysis 2 pits players against the Ceph (…alopods. I see what you did there, Crytek), a race of bipedal beings that look like a cross between Michael Bay’s Transformers and that squid-looking robot from the first Matrix movie. The first time they’re introduced, they create a strong impression, resisting bullets and leaping from ledge to ledge all nimbly-bimbly. As the game goes on, though, the Ceph start to wear out their welcome, and become a bit of a nuisance. Even the advanced versions don’t change their tactics too much, only becoming sponges for even more bullets from uncreative guns. The Strider-esque Pings are a cool idea, but even these huge, tripedal walkers come off as more of a nuisance than an intriguing threat.


Halo: Reach features the Covenant in a way that hasn’t been seen in almost ten years: as strange, fearsome beings that will sooner tear you a new one than shout anything in English. I remember coming *this* close to wetting myself in Halo when I heard an unseen, guttural cry and saw myself get torn in half by an unexpected Beam Sword. The different races that make up the Covenant give the enemies some variety, and mandate a changing of tactics in order to avoid being overwhelmed.

Winner: Halo: Reach
Both the Ceph and Covenant play the same basic role in their respective games, but the Covenant contribute too strong a presence to Reach to lose this fight. With the Covenant, I’ve learned to fear the sound of a Hunter’s cannon, rethink approaching a nest of Jackals vs. a group of Elites, and laugh at slaughtering Grunts like it was going out of style. With the Ceph, I merely sigh when I see a Heavy, because I know a long and relatively tedious battle will ensue.

5: The Suit

Crysis 2’s Nanosuit is a veritable Swiss Army knife of applications. It can gain extra armour for more damage, implement a cloak for sneaking, point out different strategic opportunities on the battlefield, and even render a huge, car-crushing kick to inhuman enemies. All of this comes at a price, however, as the suit can only exert so much energy at one time before needing to recharge. It's unfortunately delicate as well, managing only a few hits before announcing the user’s health as “Critical.” Even more problematic, the Sprint function consumes energy that is also used by the Cloak and Armour functions, which created several annoying situations during my playthrough when I was unable to flee from certain death because my Armour unexpectedly failed. Still, the cloaking ability turns Crysis 2 into the stealth game I’ve always wanted, letting players toy with enemies Batman: Arkham Asylum-style.


Halo: Reach’s MJOLNIR Mark V armour is the peak of combat technology in the Halo universe, and Bungie added a few new tricks to it for Reach. Among these are Armour Abilities, app-style add-ons to the MJOLNIR upgrade that add features like springing, hologram projections, and jetpacks. The MJOLNIR also has an onboard shield generator which absorbs a great deal of punishment before failing, and recharges relatively quickly. Armour Abilities can only be implemented one-at-a-time, though, so good luck trying to choose between Armour Lock and Sprint.

Winner: Halo: Reach
While the Nanosuit gains points for its ability to do multiple things at once, the MJOLNIR Mark V gets this round because, frankly, the Nanosuit would get its ass handed to it in a fight between the two.

And the Winner Is…

Halo: Reach
In a fight between two excellent sci-fi shooters, the champion continues to reign supreme over space marines everywhere, netting four rounds to Crysis 2’s one. Crysis 2 put up a solid fight in the Suit and Weapons categories, but couldn’t quite snag the title from Reach, though its impressive scenery and atmosphere were more than enough to win it at least one round. If you haven’t played either of these games, you’re missing out on some quality, open-ended FPS action, and I encourage everyone who is even minimally interested to check out both titles. Happy shooting, and I’ll catch you again next time on vg.deathmatch.

Labels: 2011, Andrew Testerman, Columns, Crysis 2, Halo Reach, vg.deathmatch

This is a second review of Halo Reach, by Andrew Whipple III. Our original review can be found here.

Halo: Reach marks Bungie’s last title in the Halo era. All is not over: whilst Bungie may be moving to make games for Activision, the Halo series will be retained by Microsoft and handed to new devs, 343 Studios. Whatever comes of that, Bungie’s last foray into their own creation is a refinement of the highest calibre and poses 343 Studios with quite a challenge to surpass. Reach is, simply, everything you’ve come to expect from a Halo game.

But that might not be a good thing.


Depending on which side of the conflict you’re on, you either enjoy Halo or you cringe at the very mention of another game set in the popular universe. Halo is a fast and frenetic affair that has won over millions of gamers and, more importantly, its mechanics helped shape a console-centric industry into what we see today. The Halo series is an important asset to gaming, and as the swan song for Bungie, Reach offers the most out of any of the previous games.

Everyone knows the ending to this story. Often hinted at, referred to in other games and even brought-to-light in a book surrounding the incident, Reach is doomed to fall victim to the Covenant onslaught. If that doesn’t make any sense, this is a prequel to all the events in the Halo universe. The planet Reach is a militarised world, upon which rests a significant amount of human technology, which plays an integral role at beating back the planet's alien invaders. You play a decisive role in the war as part of an elite squad of Spartan soldiers called Noble Team. As Noble Six, you and your team are tasked with taking down various objectives in an attempt to thwart Covenant advances. Of course, it will all be in vain, but certain cameos and events link directly with the Halo games which can make it all worth something upon the game’s completion.

It was only recently that we were first able to play through the games with more than two of our friends, a feature which was first heralded in by Halo 3, returned in ODST, and is also present in Reach. It’s definitely the best way to go through the campaign, but you can elect to play solo if it’s more to your liking. Just as in Halo 3 or ODST, you can also manipulate the scoring and the different skills available to make the game more challenging. Unfortunately, the campaign this time around isn’t as good as you might expect, and suffers from a myriad of issues that can only be described as frustrating.


The game’s campaign is built around a cooperative experience, which is all well and good, but - like Lost Planet 2 - you really need those other players to make the game feel the way it’s supposed to. You see, the enemies occupying Reach are in their thousands - they're everywhere. There are so many that I found myself running past conflicts just to progress to the next checkpoint. It doesn’t help that the game doesn’t scale depending on how many people are in your game either; if you’re at one section with four people and have to fight several Hunters and twenty Elites, that number won’t go down if you’re playing solo. It might not seem like a big issue, but even playing on the recommended setting of Heroic for Halo veterans (like myself) was a labour.

All the enemies are much tougher now: Jackal shields can take a huge amount of punishment, Elite shields sometimes take a full clip to take down, and even some Grunts take more than one shot to the head to kill. At one point I shot a Hunter over twenty times in their exposed weakness with the DMR (the new Battle Rifle), struck him twice with Plasma grenades, and fired two rockets, only to see the bastard still standing. It gets especially frustrating when Grunts, Brutes and the Golden Elites all come at you with Fuel-Rod Cannons, which are hands-down the most annoying weapon to deal with in the campaign. It isn't nearly a large enough deal to ruin the game if you’re playing with friends, though, because you’ll just respawn if killed. For instance, there was a point in the latter half of the game when I encountered a Brute with ridiculously strong shields and, of course, a Fuel-Rod Cannon. I hit the guy with my own cannon five different times but he still didn’t go down. I had to wait for the game to send AI in to have even a remote chance against him. If I had companions in the game with me we would just throw ourselves up against the thing until it died. It’s things like that which detract from the overall experience.

The biggest problem, though - even after the AI and scaling issues - is the story. You already know how the story ends, leaving Bungie with many creative possibilities when it came to conveying the story. They had a chance to enthrall you with some very emotional roles or maybe involve you in something you’d remember long after the credits rolled. Unfortunately they failed in that area pretty badly. Voice acting falls flat on several occasions and, more importantly, you just don’t care about the people you’re fighting with. There isn't enough development when it comes to your crew to establish working relationships, and when something does come up, it doesn’t feel like anything. Even the final event (which I won’t spoil here) ended abruptly because of a wonderfully placed Fuel-Rod Cannon shot.


I have to say that, visually, this game is astounding. From the game’s onset you can see how meticulous Bungie is when it comes to detail. The sun reflects off your pistol’s surface; Spartans and Covenant alike are superbly animated; the explosions and set-pieces are wonderfully put together. The much anticipated space battle is actually one of the best parts of the game and, as it turns out, one of the best-looking sections too. It’s all extremely striking and if you’ve ever played other Halo games there’s no comparison: Reach easily takes the prize for the best aesthetic. Hell, anything was better than the muddy, messy faces in ODST.

Any gamer with sensibility will be constantly firing up the multiplayer long after they’ve finished the story. Thankfully, Reach’s multiplayer is the best the series has seen. Bungie has overhauled and augmented just about everything you can think of when it comes to online play. The interface is extremely intuitive, allowing you to drop into friends’ games or even queue up to join in the next checkpoint of the campaign. You also earn credits based on how well you perform (well, actually, you earn credits for practically everything you do). Once you’ve accumulated enough you can enter the new armoury section, which allows you to purchase a variety of armour pieces to customize your Spartan. It’s pretty addictive and an excellent idea.

Firefight, Halo’s take on Horde mode, returns in Reach and has been beefed up from its rough implementation in ODST. Now you can enter matchmaking mode instead of being required to play with people you know. As an added bonus, you can also edit just about anything about the mode or even play preset modes like Gruntpocalypse. It’s pretty cool to jump in and play with your friends, but when it comes to matchmaking it’s an entirely different beast. Instead of having a set amount of lives, Firefight gives you unlimited lives and ends after one set, effectively breaking its entire purpose. It doesn’t matter if XxSniperLordxX gets destroyed fifteen times in the game, you’re always going to win. Sound amazing? It sure isn’t.


Team Slayer, and Halo’s more competitive modes, remain the definitive reason why this game is worth its asking price. There’s nothing more satisfying than utilising Reach’s new armour abilities while performing incredible feats of strength. For instance, the new Armour Lock move allows you to become invulnerable, but also immobile, for a short period of time. However, if you time it right you can reflect missiles, destroy accelerating vehicles, or knock back that annoying sword dude. There are other abilities too such as the excellent Sprint and even a Jetpack to ride around with. You’ll actually find these abilities in the campaign but it’s pretty clear that they were all built with the multiplayer in mind.

New multiplayer options also mean new modes, so Invasion - the best of the bunch - is very welcome. Invasion is an assault/defend mission where you either take the side of the Spartans or Elites. Each has unique weapons and abilities to choose from and more options open up as the game unfolds. Unfortunately there are only two maps for Invasion, and with some of them being so huge it sometimes feels empty amidst the chaos.

One of my personal favorite things about Reach is the return of certain Halo 2 maps. Ascension (Pinnacle) and Ivory Tower (Reflection) were two of my most liked maps and both never saw a release in Halo 3. Even the ever-changing Blood Gulch (Hemorrhage) map makes its re-emergence here, but this time it’s in its original Halo: Combat Evolved form, which couldn’t be more awesome. Easily one of the most addictive features, Theater mode, is back allowing you to upload and share your insane shenanigans with your buddies once again. You can also experiment in Bungie’s refined Forge World map, which is enormous; and you can make all sorts of bizarre creations, maps, modes or whatever you feel the game is missing. If customisation is your thing than you’ll be pleased to know Reach allows it in huge quantities.

Bungie plays it safe with Reach, but for what it’s worth it really is the definitive Halo package. The multiplayer is fun, the gunplay has weight to it and features like the new armour abilities and Theater mode will easily keep your attention. It’s too bad that the lacklustre campaign, stagnant gameplay and small multiplayer annoyances affect the total package. It’s fine to take an “if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it” approach to something like Halo, but a player can only take so much before they require something more enticing.

7/10 [?]

Labels: 343 Studios, Andrew Whipple III, Bungie, Halo Reach, Microsoft, Review

2001 - the year console shooters changed forever thanks to a little game called Halo: Combat Evolved.
2004 - the year online gaming on consoles exploded with Halo 2's stunning multiplayer.
2007 - the year Bungie redefined the word epic, and delivered the complete Halo package with Halo 3.
2009 - the year Bungie created one of the most addicting co-op experiences ever in Halo 3: ODST.

Now, it's 2010. Halo: Reach is the end of an era; a send-off for one of the most respected FPS developers in the industry as Bungie end their association with the Halo franchise and go off to work on something new for Activision. It's fitting, then, that that Halo: Reach is the Halo fan's dream game - an epic campaign, tonnes of multiplayer content and the same fun gameplay.

Now, whilst the multiplayer is what will keep people playing, the campaign is what Bungie have been pushing. The incredible amount of money spent by Microsoft on marketing this game with some truly stunning live action shorts has all been focused on one tagline: Remember Reach. Just the thought of fighting a battle that is destined to be lost against the Covenant in all their glory is probably enough to get a die hard Halo fan wet around the trousers, but what surprised me is how well the story was told. Last year's ODST was an interesting diversion which suffered because the one dude that everyone associates Halo with wasn't there: Master Chief. Heck, Cortana wasn't there either and it wasn't even set on a Halo. Whilst all those things ring true in Reach (although a few cameos are excellent fan service), the story is strong enough to keep even the casual fan engaged.

You take control of Noble 6 (who, for the first time, is your own customizable character rather than the set appearance of Master Chief or an ODST), the new member of the elite Spartan squad known as Noble team, as they are drafted in to help protect the human planet of Reach. Now, everyone knows how the story ends - the adverts told us as much - but the way in which you get to the end is full of some really cool plot points as well as some likeable characters and great fan service. Bungie have created a fantastic universe full of rich lore, and all their experience of telling stories within said universe comes to the fore in Reach. The Spartans are likeable, you get to know them far more than you got to know Master Chief over the course of the games (although admittedly none of them are nearly as badass), and like I said, the cameos from characters in prior games are handled well without being thrust into your face as if to say 'HEY! REMEMBER THIS GUY?!' The campaign's tone is spot on and is in great contrast to previous games in the series which were all about Master Chief kicking arse and saving the universe. Reach is solemn and depressing: just when Noble team think they've achieved a great victory, something happens that makes them think all hope is gone.

Whilst the story is very well done, I did have a few problems with the pacing of the campaign. Reach starts very slowly, and it took me a good two or three missions before I was really back into my stride and the missions became more interesting. The first few missions held your hand as you moved through fighting off dropship after dropship of Covenant with no real variety. From then on, though, the campaign really picked up and, whilst I don't think it quite reaches the epic scale of Halo 3, it gets pretty damn close. There are intense gun fights, large scale battles, vehicle segments, a space sequence, an anti-gravity fight scene and plenty else. Reach's core gameplay is spiced up a bit with new weapons and vehicles as you'd expect, but the stand out new gameplay mechanic is the armour abilities, including jetpacks, sprint, shields and more. These are available in all modes and really add a new level of strategy to the game.

However, the campaign does feel unbalanced, the first few missions drag on, the next five or so are brilliant and then it crawls towards the ending with a tedious final mission. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a very strong campaign and it took me over eight hours to complete on Heroic difficulty which is a pretty lengthy shooter, when you think that Modern Warfare 2 took me less than 6 hours on Veteran, and some people even less than that. Of course, with the usual four-player co-op (which finally supports matchmaking!) as well as the scoring and skull powerups, there's plenty of incentive to go through the campaign multiple times.

As well as the campaign, there is plenty else to sink your teeth into. The excellent Firefight mode from ODST returns and is just as addictive as ever. In my opinion it's definitely the best spin on the standard survival mode in any shooter, beating Left 4 Dead 2's Survival mode and Gears of War 2's Horde. The maps are well designed and all the armour abilities, weapons and even some vehicles cross over from the campaign as well. The big change in this mode from ODST is that you can now play as the Covenant. Whilst we eagerly await Beast Mode in Gears of War 3, Bungie has provided its own spin on this cool idea by allowing players to step into the shoes (do aliens wear shoes?) of the Covenant. Firefight is also expanded by the same awesome customisation options that you find in the multiplayer, allowing you to tweak the behaviour of your enemies and that sort of thing. Thankfully, Firefight now supports matchmaking as well, so if your friends aren't around you can jump in with some strangers. Sure, they might be pricks, but at least you can play some co-op, right? Overall, Firefight is far more interesting and feature rich than ODST's version of it.

Multiplayer has always been a massive part of Halo, and Reach delivers competitive online goodness in spades. There are tonnes of game types, plenty of maps and the ranking system has been given a much needed overhaul, putting it more in-line with Call of Duty. Of the new modes, Invasion is definitely the stand out. Unlike many of the game types, one team actually plays as Elites in Invasion, and they come with their own set of special moves. The Elites' objective is to assault a giant industrial complex, fight their way to the rear, steal a data core and take it to a waiting Phantom for removal from the area. The Spartans have a time limit in which to stop the Elites from advancing to each stage of the map. The Elites basically have to complete objectives to push the Spartans back and eventually capture the data core. Each time the Elites advance, more weapons and vehicles become available and the classes upgrade. It's really, really good.

The multiplayer can be taken even further with the Forge mode, which allows you to edit maps or create entirely new ones using Forge World, a huge open environment in which the only limit to your map-making creativity is your imagination. Like Halo 3, players are also able to create their own game types to play with friends, which can then be uploaded to their File Share space for others to download.

File Sharing also extends to the familiar Theater mode, which records all your recent exploits in all modes of Reach and allows you to edit clips and photos to show to your friends. These can also be uploaded to Bungie's website to show off to an even wider community.

Visually, this is by far the best Halo game yet. The game looks sharp and detailed, especially the character models, and some of the vistas are stunning. The epic scale of the war is also felt through some fantastic action sequences. This visual splendour has a downside though, in that the framerate can dip quite noticeably during cut scenes and also during gameplay. On the plus side, the cut scenes are real-time, meaning that your custom Noble 6 will look just as you want him to in all modes of the game. After the dated looking Halo 3 and the embarrassingly ugly ODST, it's good to see Reach update its graphics to stay competitive with the behemoths of Gears of War and Call of Duty.

As always, Martin O'Donnell's music score is brilliant. There are some familiar tracks which will send a shiver down your spine, but the new tracks do a great job of setting the tone. The voice acting is also impressive - in fact, it's arguably the best in the series.

Like I said at the start, Halo: Reach is the dream game for any Halo fan. It has everything you probably loved from prior games in the series, but it doesn't ever tread outside its comfort zone which in the end keeps it away from the legendary status that other games in the series have achieved. This is a great send-off for Bungie as developers of the Halo franchise, but when Microsoft takes over the series it might need to put its creative hat on; for all its brilliance, the Spartans are looking rusty.

9/10 [?]

Labels: 360, Bungie, Halo, Halo Reach, Microsoft, Review, Tom Acres, Xbox 360

Oh Halo, the hours and hours I've lost to your stupidly addicting online multiplayer. Halo: Combat Evolved on the PC had incredible multiplayer; Halo 2 was amazing on the Xbox; Halo 3 topped it; Halo Wars was surprisingly good; and I sunk many an hour into ODST's excellent Firefight mode. However, along came a game called Modern Warfare 2, quickly followed by Left 4 Dead 2 and an obsession with FIFA 10 that led to me rather neglecting my Halo games. Then, on May 3rd, Bungie dropped the multiplayer beta for Halo: Reach, and I was sucked right back in again for the 16 days it lasted.

Now, there are some pretty significant changes in terms of the way Halo works now. There's a class system for a start and they all have their own starting weapons and unique abilities such as a jetpack, invisibility, a dash move, a shield and some other neat and useful ones. The way these affect the gameplay is noticeable in all the game modes that were available (Slayer, Team Slayer, Free-For-All, Crazy Kings, Oddball, Capture the Flag, SWAT) but are most useful in the new game modes created for Reach.


First of all you've got Headhunter; a fast and frantic mode in which everyone in the game carries a flaming skull which they drop when they die. The other players have to collect the fallen skulls and take them to a capture point to score points. The points are constantly changing, and what makes it even more challenging is that the number of skulls you're carrying shows up above your Spartan, making you a more likely target for the opposition if they see you have a nice collection of skulls. I had 6 skulls at once one time. I died quite quickly.

Stockpile was the next available new mode, which tasks you with picking up neutral flags from all over the map and taking them back to your team's base. It's basically capture the flag on steroids, and it's a hell of a lot of fun. You can't use your class abilities whilst your carrying the flag, creating a challenging game mode, but making it a shame that you can't jetpack your way across the map, holding a flag aloft.


The final two modes are kickass to say the least; Generator Defence and Invasion. These are both setup as Spartan vs. Elites (you can't be an Elite at any time like in Halo 3; only for these modes) and each team has different weapons and abilities available to them. Elites can run faster at normal speed but Spartans can sprint; Elites can become invisible but Spartans have jetpacks; Elites can do rolypolys and dash but Spartans can power up a shield. It's perfecly balanced and both modes are great fun.

In Generator Defence, the Spartans are defending and the Elites are trying to destroy the generators. The Elites have to destroy all three generators within the allocated time, but the Spartans should be okay as long as they can save at least one generator.


Invasion is the real big daddy of the Reach multiplayer experience (unless Bungie announce something even better). The Elites' objective is to assault a giant industrial complex, fight their way to the rear, steal a data core and take it to a waiting Phantom for removal from the area. The Spartans have a time limit in which to stop the Elites from advancing to each stage of the map. The Elites basically have to complete objectives to push the Spartans back and eventually capture the data core. Each time the Elites advance, more weapons and vehicles become available and the classes upgrade. It's really, really good.

The base gameplay is very similar to Halo 3 but the abilities really push it up a few notches. What helps are the new weapons too; there are some really awesome new guns in Reach and there'll be plenty more in the full game. Some of my favourites from the beta were a Needler/sniper variant for the Elites, a grenade launcher for the Spartans and, best of all, a plasma grenade launcher for the Elites. Using that against a Warthog is ridiculously satisfying. Games seem more tactical than before too, thanks to the new modes and abilities. It feels like a nice mix between Call of Duty and Battlefield, which is no bad thing at all. Having said that, it doesn’t feel as viscerally brutal as rival shooters such as Modern Warfare 2. Instead, Halo Reach multiplayer plays like a peculiarly violent sport, perhaps a little like if Sky Sports decided to give tazers to all the players before Arsenal took on Chelsea.


Reach's matchmaking and menu systems are also upgraded to the extent that they're actually worth mentioning. It's incredibly easy to hook up with friends, with no need to enter the Xbox 360 dashboard: just nudge your analogue stick to the right and you get a list of all your friends online, represented by their custom-made Spartan. You can see what they're playing and invite them into a match as easily as pressing a button.

Speaking of custom Spartans, the feature has been expanded a little for Reach too. The new armour pieces are purely cosmetic, but there's more satisfaction in how you earn them compared to Halo 3. Master the new weapons and game modes and you’ll amass in-game points that can be traded for new bits of armour. Colours and emblems are also available. However, you cannot customise your Elite, but as you can only play as them in 2 modes (and you might not even play as them in these modes anyway) it wouldn't be a worthwhile feature if you were able to.


Graphically, the Reach beta was more impressive than Halo 3, but not quite by the massive margin that Bungie had led us to believe. Fair enough, it's a beta with a while until release, and it's multiplayer, so the single player will probably look better, but I was still a tad disappointed. Whilst the Spartan models looked really good, everything else was a bit bland and underpar. However, the sense of scale is something that I haven't seen online outside the Battlefield series and that was something especially impressive in the Invasion game mode.

By the time the beta was over, I was very impressed. The additions are really fantastic and, at the end of the day, it's still Halo and therefore still very fun. Of course, this is just a portion of the online multiplayer, and Bungie have shown hardly any of the campaign or the co-op. With four months for Bungie to polish and perfect, I'm confident that this could be the greatest Halo game yet.

Tom

Labels: 360, Beta, Beta Impressions, Bungie, Halo Reach, Microsoft, Tom Acres, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE

Microsoft just held a snazzy, press-only Xbox 360 event in San Francisco and there were plenty of exciting announcements that anyone with an Xbox 360 should be looking forward to. I'm here to bring you all the massive announcements from the show, straight after the jump.

Halo: Reach beta starts May 3rd

The next installment in the insanely popular Halo series may not be due for release until the holiday season, but Bungie have fulfilled a promise by granting all current Halo 3: ODST owners access to the multiplayer beta of Halo: Reach when it starts on May 3rd. It's already being billed by Bungie as 'the definitive Halo title', and gamers will be able to see what all the fuss is about come May.


Alan Wakes up on May 21st

Sorry for the god-awful pun, but I'm sure you can forgive me after I give you the news that the long-awaited Alan Wake from Remedy is due for release in Europe on May 21st. It's also been confirmed for a May 18th release in the US, and has been given a surprising 'T for Teen' rating over there. Nice to see a horror game relying on genuine scares rather than cheap blood and gore.


Dead Rising 2 hits September 3rd with exclusive Xbox DLC

Dead Rising was a rather awesome game so colour me excited for the sequel. Capcom confirmed at X10 that Dead Rising 2 is due out on September 3rd for us Europeans. Xbox 360 players get an extra special treat in the form of an exclusive piece of DLC prior to the game's launch which links together the story from the original game and the sequel


Find Lost Planet 2 on May 18th

Capcom's other big sequel for 2010 will be in stores very soon, as the Japanese company has confirmed a worldwide May 18th release for Lost Planet 2. They also announced that Xbox 360 owners would get exclusive playable characters in the form of Albert Wesker from Resident Evil 5 and Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago from Gears of War. Expect more huge bosses, incredible graphics and 4 player co-op goodness.


Become king in Fable III this Christmas

The third entry in one of my favourite game series' will hit stores in time for Christmas, according to Lionhead chief Peter Molyneux. Fable III was arguably the star of X10 in terms of gameplay and features. The game is all about power as you attempt to gain followers, overthrow the king and then take the throne for yourself. Prepare for plenty of tough moral choices, a new touch mechanic and possible Natal support - Molyneux didn't rule it out. Colour me excited.


Splinter Cell Conviction emerges from the shadows on April 16th

The much-delayed Splinter Cell Conviction has finally been given a solid release date, and we UK gamers will be able to get our hands on Sam Fisher's latest adventure on April 16th. I've been very excited about this since its E3 2009 showcase at the Microsoft press conference, so I'll be looking out for this when it hits stores.


Perfect Dark comes to Xbox LIVE Arcade in March

Rare's much loved N64 classic shooter, Perfect Dark, will be coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade this March as part of the Xbox LIVE House Party. The game features brand new graphics with 1080p support, and runs at a blazing 60fps. Most excitingly, it also features Xbox LIVE for both co-op and competitive play.


Never send a man to do a toy's job in Toy Soldiers on March 3rd

This ambitious RTS/Tower-Defense/Third Person Shooter hybrid, in which you command armies of little toy soldiers, will be hitting Xbox LIVE Arcade on March 3rd to kick off the Xbox LIVE House Party. It's like a cute version of Call of Duty and Company of Heroes rolled into one.


Go back to the arcades this March with Xbox LIVE Game Room

Microsoft also announced a March release date for Xbox LIVE Game Room. This new downloadable application will allow gamers to build their own virtual arcade and set it up with hundreds of classic arcade games from the likes of Konami and Atari. Games can be bought to own, or hired out for a single play. The feature - which is slightly akin to PlayStation Home - will support Xbox 360 Achievements, Xbox 360 Avatars and LIVE Leaderboards.

Keep an eye on Gamer's Guide to Life.com for all the latest from Microsoft's X10 event.

Tom

Labels: 360, Alan Wake, Dead Rising 2, Fable 3, Game Room, Halo Reach, Lost Planet 2, News, Perfect Dark, Splinter Cell, Tom Acres, Toy Soldiers, X10, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE

Attention all Halo fans. Bungie have used Microsoft's X10 press event in San Francisco on Thursday to announce that the multiplayer beta for the highly anticipated Halo: Reach will be made available on May 3rd.

Gamers that picked up Halo 3: ODST last September will be able to access the beta by simply using their ODST disc and selecting the beta from the main menu, much in the same way that the Halo 3 beta was accessed in Crackdown. Bungie community manager said that the beta would show 'just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we have planned for Halo: Reach's multiplayer capabilities'.

Bungie also confirmed that Reach would definitely not be using Project Natal, nor would they ever be interested in creating a Halo game using the much talked about 3D technology made so popular recently by Avatar.

The box art for Halo: Reach was also revealed and can be seen here.

For all the big news from X10, keep your eyes on Gamer's Guide to Life.com.

Tom

Labels: 360, Beta, Halo Reach, News, Tom Acres