by F1at1ined on Fri Dec 3 12:40:30 2010, filed in Reviews

Bungie launched their swansong Halo title earlier this year, bringing us the gorgeous Halo Reach. We don't get to be Master Chief this time, but thankfully we feel and act much more like our beloved iconic Spartan. Two months later, Treyarch launched their latest incarnate in the Call of Duty franchise. Black Ops is an excellent game that is a worthy successor to Modern Warfare 2, and it keeps to the tried and tested formula that Modern Warfare 2 trailblazed.

But which is better? Does one reign supreme over all other FPS titles? Or do they both merit support and their price tags based on content and enjoyment factor? Read on!

Halo Reach - A memorable finale



Halo Reach is Bungie’s final title in a franchise that basically made both the Xbox, and its successor the Xbox 360, what they are today. Bungie once again rolled the dice and avoided making just a newer, shinier version of Halo 3. Not only did they revamp the gameplay and weaponry, but they also chose a different saga, leave Master Chief in stasis sleep mode, and introduce us to Noble Team, a team of Spartans who heroically gave their lives defending planet Reach from a full blown Covenant invasion. This game delivers a masterful look, a wonderful storyline, vibrant gameplay, and definitely provided us all with lots of new memories on top of so many existing ones.

The Halo franchise is one that needs no introduction; but in case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s a quick recap. In 2001 Bungie introduced us to Master Chief, a one man army of havoc and destruction. “Halo Combat Evolved” told the story of powerful Halo rings, capable of destroying planets. You, of course, have to destroy them. Fast forward three years and we have Halo 2. The Flood, an alien plague-like race are introduced, and the game concludes with a colossal cliff-hanger. To finish the initial trilogy, Bungie released Halo 3 in which concludes the trilogy nicely enough, but the fate of Cortana (Master Chiefs AI and friend) and the Chief remains unknown as they drift off into outer space, possibly never to be seen again.

Following the announcement that Halo Reach would be the final Bungie installment in the Halo franchise, everyone was excited. The quality of the games have gone from strength to strength, getting bigger and better over the years, with this being no exception. I am happy to report that Reach is a masterpiece. It is not a game; it is an experience. One that we are all lucky to be part of.



It’s the year 2552, and the Human race as we know it is locked into a brutal war of attrition with the Covenant. In this futureless existence, day after day more and more worlds fall, and Reach remains a pillar of light in an otherwise bleak and destroyed horizon. Players assume the role of “Noble 6″, the newest replacement for Noble Team. Reach is an Earth-like planet, and is home to more than 700 million civilians, it is also the home of the United Nations Space Command military hub, and as such it is a planet that can’t be lost. As opposed to Halo 3, where Master Chief was basically a one man army, Halo Reach gives a broader overview of a war that is won by many, not few, or in the traditional Master Chief sense, one.

Bungie has given Halo Reach one of the best, if not the best, soundtracks and mixes I have heard in any of the Halo games. The sense of immersion offered by the graphical engine and story driven experience is only furthermore increased by the amazing work of Marty O’Donnell, the lead sound engineer at Bungie. The soundtrack is epic, and I would be comfortable saying that the theme song for Halo will be forever etched into my brain. Addtionally, Bungie's game provides not only a full co-op campaign, but also an in depth Firefight mode and vast multiplayer experience.

Bungie carries across their excellent reputation for community interaction and involvement by offering weekly and daily challenges that allow you to prove your skills and earn extra credits. These add a great level of competition and a desire to better your previous score and to be better than all your friends. The only downside to multiplayer is the lack of maps. There are thirteen maps in total, however four of those are maps from previous games. Thirteen isnt a bad number, but only nine original, new maps was a little disappointing. Thankfully, the nine new maps are given the usual Bungie excellence, and some of the new maps number among the best. The new Noble map pack brings in three new maps, which are much needed and first impressions are very favorable.



Reach isnt a hit with some of the Halo purists, who miss the Battle Rifle, and feel its intended replacement, the DMR, is just not anywhere near as dominant. The vehicles also seem to be a little vulnerable, with the exception of the Scorpion, which seems to be, well, tanklike in its toughness. Though there are changes to some of the weapons and vehicles, I think the games are now much more balanced, and you don't feel you need to have a power weapon to succeed in Reach. The addition of armor abilities change gameplay immensely, and can further diffuse the dominance of the power weapons. Wasting Laser shots on a hologram, or someone using a timely Armor Lock, just adds to the challenging gameplay. I dont think you will see Halo Reach replace Halo 3 in the hearts of perhaps its most competitive and skilled BR and sniper slayers, but it should be a very enjoyable experience for many, many players.

It’s hard to want any more from a game that is as feature packed as Halo Reach. The perfect culmination of all the essential parts within the game outstrip the very best console shooters we’ve ever seen. Couple this with a brilliant story, redefined multiplayer modes and one of the best graphical engines ever seen on a console, and you really have a fitting end to Bungie’s involvement with Halo. Thanks for all the memories, Bungie, and we are all eagerly awaiting your new project.

Black Ops - Treyarch's finest hour



A lot was riding on Treyarch’s most recent installment in the long running Call of Duty franchise. Would Black Ops bring forth new features whilst still retaining the tried and true formula it’s predecessors did? Would it replicate the Modern Warfare 2 release sales numbers? And more importantly for long time hardcore COD fans, would it be filled with other aspects prevalent in MW2, such as buggy multiplayer and glitch-filled noob-friendly gameplay caused in large part by overpowered weapons?

Before we get into that though, lets take a moment to talk about the giant elephant in the room. Amongst the gaming community existed a stigma that Treyarch made inferior Call of Duty games when compared to Infinity Ward. However, this stigma is not only incorrect and false, but also needs to be banished, never to return again (at least until it truly may be merited). Treyarch has produced a title worthy of the COD name, and deserves accolades and credit for producing a title that should please Infinity Ward fanboys and FPS fans alike.

Call of Duty Black Ops takes place during the infamous Cold War, with players taking control of special forces operative Alex Mason and CIA agent Jason Hudson. Both are members of the Special Operations Group, a clandestine and secretive unit tasked with carrying out covert missions behind enemy lines. Right off the bat, Treyarch has given players a plethora of game play opportunities and new experiences.

Black Ops is adrenaline filled and full of high octane action from the moment you press start. Unlike Word at War, the Zombies mode is now front and center and sits as its own selectable option on the main menu. Additionally, you can play the campaign (which is approximately 8-10 hours of gameplay) where you get to play a variety of roles and modes, not to mention try out a lot of different firepower.



Of course, multiplayer is also a big component. When it comes to multiplayer, you won’t find much new here if you’re already familiar with the latest iterations of the series. The gameplay does feel a bit more balanced, as they have removed some cheesy noob techniques like Drop Shotting and Quick Scoping. Additionally, the 'noob tubing' has been nerfed so that it is no longer a dominant element in matchmaking.

Despite the furor of those reluctant to see them go, the developers stuck to their guns, and it’s my belief that the game is better off because of it. You will rank up, unlock weapons and perks, and ultimately prestige up to 15 times if you are hardcore enough. In addition to the standard firepower we’ve come to expect from this series, there are a plethora of new attachments such as the Reflex Sight and Flamethrower. You will also be able to fine tune your attachments this time around, allowing you to take a Red Dot Sight for example, and modify its projected shape and color. Players will also have access to helicopters and planes in an exciting new style of play in both single player and multiplayer mode. You can now sit in the side of a Huey as it rains fire down upon the enemy players on the ground. It’s exciting to witness the devastation first hand. The destruction feels much more personal as you witness you raining lead death to your enemies.

The system used to obtain our new perks, weapons, and attachments has been reworked for Black Ops. Instead of earning weapons by hitting specific levels as you did previously, players can now buy rifles and other tools of death via an in-game currency called “COD Points”. These points are rewarded for completing a number of in-game actions, and you can also take “Contracts” to earn bonus currency.



Black Ops is also the first COD title to introduce a Theater mode, which is something Halo has had since Halo 3. It is a welcomed addition for sure, as the Theater has proven to be a great way to share those special moments, and also an invaluable teaching aid for self improvement.

All in all, Black Ops is a ton of fun and you can enjoy it not only solo but especially with friends. Be it in matchmaking, in zombies, or even teaming up to play one of the hidden easter egg gems Dead Ops (a top view down zombie four player co-op shooter that is a blast), there's plenty of fun to be had when you fire up this latest addition to the COD stable. Treyarch has taken a lot of criticism when compared with Infinity Ward, but they also deserve their fair share of praise for some of the implementations and imput they have added to the franchise.

The Verdict



So which one is better? Personally, I am sitting well and truly on the fence with this argument. Reach feels like Halo and looks like Halo, but doesn't play quite like Halo. In fact, elements of gameplay made it feel a little like old school Unreal Tournament. Black Ops, however, feels just like previous COD titles, even though the introduction of different perks and killstreak offer some freshness. It is also worth mentioning that Treyarch continue to produce some excellent maps.

I took a capsule look at both games for this article, and will let you decide which one you prefer. Personally, I think the Campaign and Firefight mode in Reach is really excellent, and though I love the MP aspect as well, only launching 9 new maps in a lineup of 13 felt a little bit like cutting some corners. I love map remakes, but I want them in addition to a strong lineup of new maps, not instead of. For Black Ops, I dont feel the campaign was quite as excellent as some previous COD titles, but the multiplayer seems to be rock solid excellent. Both games have tried to find ways to keep attention, with the challenges addition for Reach, and the wager matches and different unlockables in Black Ops.

So, which would you pick? Halo fans will usually stick with Halo. COD fans will usually stick with COD. However, if you're a FPS fan, you should find some enjoyment from both games, as they are different enough and fun enough to warrant burning a lot of time into them both. In fact, I feel by playing both, my skills in both games has benefited perhaps even more than just playing the one franchise exclusively. Also, it doesnt hurt mixing things up and changing from the gritty killstreak laden COD game to the frenetic close quarters battles and vehicle combat showdowns in Halo.

I love both franchises, and must wimp out and say they are both excellent games. I couldnt pick one title over the other, just because they are both diverse enough to thrive and succeed alongside each other. Black Ops will prove to be a worthy successor to Modern Warfare 2, and fans of that game will have no problem enjoying this new offering. Black Ops may also attract and keep plenty of new fans, with their attention to reducing some of the cheap, noobish tactics that polluted and spoilt many a Modern Warfare 2 matchmaking game.

Halo Reach similarly will appeal to new converts and hopefully keep most of its existing fanbase. Yes they changed their gameplay, but Bungie added new elements and abilities to even the battlefield. In Halo 3, you pretty much wanted to get your hands on a Battle Rifle 24/7 and then add a power weapon or two if you were able to procure one. In Reach, there is no dominant power weapon, and the abilities available ensure players have a way of counteracting power weapons from dominating a game. Reach has multiple game modes to enjoy, but so does Black Ops. Firefight mode and Forge World are available in Reach. Zombie mode and easter egg games Dead Ops and Zork are in Black Ops. Theater modes are in both. Campaigns are in both. Collectibles and unlockables exist in both games. Team play and fun factor are high in both games.

I truly feel that both games are amongst the best titles released on the XBox 360 and two of the best FPS games of all time. There should be hundreds of hours of gameplay and enjoyment in both titles for FPS fans. The only winner here are the FPS fans who get the chance to try and to enjoy both titles.

by F1at1ined on Thu Aug 19 18:11:32 2010, filed in Reviews

Rockstar is one of those studios whose name is becoming synomynous with blockbuster games, so it is no surprise when stories filtered in that they had acquired Red Dead Revolver, that there was a good chance something epic was looming on the horizon. Well, on May 18th, Red Dead Redemption launched with a veritable fanfare, promising wannabe cowboys and cowgirls a chance to play out in the old West, shoot folks, hogtie wenches, collect bounties, hunt wildlife and to be able have robust single and multiplayer gameplay. Having been able to put maybe 75 hours into the game, I can safely say mission accomplished.

You take the role of John Marston, a former gang leader of a bunch of bad outlaws. However, in a mission gone bad, you're left for dead by your gang, and you take the opportunity to retire and start a family. Family life is good, but its rudely interrupted when you are given an ultimatum to help track down your former band of renegades, in particular its leader, your former friend Bill Williamson. The game gives you that basic background, but how the story unravels and at what pace it does is entirely up to you. John is quite a charismatic guy, and has a good heart, as evidenced by his willingness to take on several good samaritan missions for the greater good. The game is a third person shooter, so people familiar with Mass Effect aiming or other popular third person shooters shouldnt have any problems adapting. It did not take me long to get used to the mechanics.

This game will definitely appeal to fans of Grand Theft Auto, despite claims that suggest otherwise. The single player will have you doing errands (go to point A, kill some bad guys, flee to point B etc) but the missions are still fun, varied, and gives you a chance to admire and enjoy the spectacular vistas and landscapes. If you dont want to do a mission, the game offers plenty of side quests, and other fun ways to pass the time. The plains provide you with plenty of random encounters, ranging from saving someone from wild cougars, to retrieving stolen horses and wagons, to helping lawmen corral a fleeing fugitive, to performing shooting challenges for money. Additionally, you can hit up a saloon, start bar fights, or play one of several mini games. If you like poker, the game has a few poker tables scattered over the map. If blackjack's your game, it has that too. Liars Dice is also a popular gambling game that can be lots of fun. For folks who prefer more athletic and brawnier pursuits, you have the opportunity to arm wrestle, pitch horseshoes, break horses, or do night watchman patrols. If you fancy yourself as a Wyatt Earp, you can accept bounty hunts, and spend time cleaning up the wilderness, ridding it of desperadoes.

You may even get challenged to prove your pistol skills in the time honored Wild West way - by duel.



You can do all that and so much more. For example, if you have no desire to kill anything, you can collect herbs. You can buy and browse a newspaper. The newspaper does a nice job of including some of the stories and missions you may have completed prior to reading the latest edition. It is fun to read about some of the success stories you have making it into print. Additionally, you can participate in races. You can even watch a movie, which is a pretty short cartoon that was added as a nice touch. To get around this huge wild land, you have multiple options. You can run on foot, ride on horseback, drive wagons or even take a train. To cover bigger distances, you have the option to take a stagecoach ride (with the option to skip to your destination) for a small fee (with the wonderful bonus of eventually becoming free if you reach certain fame and honor). The best option by far is to make a campfire out in the wilds, and choose to fast travel from it. You can travel to towns you've visited, or to any waypoint you select on a detailed map. This means you can cross one side of the map to the other in a matter of seconds (with suitable time elapsing to simulate travel time). This is a huge timesaver, as to ride from one side to the other would be a heck of a ride. I have tried it, and it is a good 5-10 minutes of solid galloping and that is not factoring in distractions, terrain, and detours that may be necessary to cross a bridge, or avoid cougars, or a chasm/canyon. The campfire also offers you a chance to save your game at that point, which is also great, as otherwise you're restricted to saving the games at houses and rooms across the map that you can purchase or rent.



If you need a break from single player, Red Dead offers a pretty fun multiplayer component. I wouldnt suggest you pick up Red Dead Redemption solely for multiplayer, as the value of the game lies with the huge sandbox single player. However, the multiplayer is far from a last minute add on. You have options to play team games such as Deathmatches (called Shootouts) or objective games that are similar to games like Capture the Flag. You also have the option to form posses of up to 8 people, and go into Free Roam. This mode basically gives you the whole playing area as your sandbox, and you and your posse can spend many hours assaulting gang hideouts, shooting each other, hunting game, collecting herbs, or shooting each other. The multiplayer has a ranking system and its pretty easy to rank up, with XP being given for a variety of tasks and challenges. You get 10XP for just killing your friends, so there's no immunity to friendly fire here. You will need to expect to be dynamited, knifed, shot, punched and set on fire by your friends. The quick respawn means you can get back in the saddle fast, and return the favor. There are lots of weapons, characters, horses and titles to unlock. You start with a donkey but can soon get a horse. Later on, you can unlock cattle and even the fabled zebra donkey at level 50.

Despite its surprisingly solid multiplayer, which Rockstar has improved by providing DLC in the way of co-op missions and more multiplayer maps, the meat of this game lies with the campaign. The voice acting is superb, and the supporting cast are really good. Red Dead Redemption captures a lot of the essence of a true Western. Rockstar hit a home run with this game in all areas. The vistas are stunning. The characters are likeable and have some fun interactions with your character (you'll encounter some real oddballs too - Seth being one you meet quite early). Rockstar even paid special attention to the music in game, ignoring the allure of perhaps adding popular rock tracks and instead adding musical score worthy of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western.

The campaign has a long storyline that is fun to experience. You will do a lot of different missions to advance the storyline, and the game strives to immerse you in as much culture and realism as you could hope to experience from a video game. The campaign is well worth playing though and completing. The campaign takes some unexpected twists and turns, and the tale of John Marston definitely has a surprising ending. Upon reflection, the choice of how they choose to tie up the story in Red Dead is really interesting and just leaves a fantastic opportunity for a sequel.

You will have a ton of fun as John Marston if you can handle the idea of doing quests (which may seem a little repetitious at times). His quest to eliminate his former gang members is a fast, enjoyable ride, and you'll be leaving a trail of dead bodies in your wake as you pursue your former compatriot. I will be honest - I got tired of GTA but never tired of Red Dead. Though the two games share many similarites, there's something about strapping on six shooters and riding horses around spectacular scenery that appeals so much more. With the plethora of options available to keep you busy, you can easily spend dozens of hours immersed in this game.

Well, time for me to go saddle up again - I hear a nefarious robber has been spotted hiding out at Hanging Rock. Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

by F1at1ined on Tue Aug 17 18:50:36 2010, filed in New Members

We recently were able to add yet another quality gamer into our ranks, as ABrokenCircuit agreed to join our cult of clowns. His infectious never say die attitude and tireless teamwork has seen him fit seamlessly into our clan. How did Circuit break in? Read on!

ABroken Circuit encountered us first over at GeezerGamers, where he signed up looking for mature gamers to help tackle the online wilderness. Luckily for us, and perhaps unluckily for him, we found him in Modern Warfare 2, and he started gaming with some of our COD Cirques.

A recent Modern Warfare Geezer league put him onto a team captained by F1at1ined and with several veteran COD folks, and friendships were born. Through the league schedule, with matches and practice sessions, Circuit integrated himself with his teammates, and these friendships and opportunities to party up and game have extended well beyond the culmination of the League. After hooking up with Cirques on a regular basis on the Modern Warfare battlefield, Circuit approached F1at1ined about the Cirques, and the rest is history.

We are excited to have Circuit on board. He brings an enthusiastic work ethic and is an unquestioned team player. He can play the role of a slayer, an objective rusher, or a stealthy assault specialist. He's willing to take down air support and always is quick to share intel. Qualities that Circuit oozes are wonderful to find in a teammate and clanmate, so we are thrilled to have him as part of our roster.

With the Cirques constantly looking to test their mettle in challenges both on the Halo and COD battlefield, it is always great to add valuable and enthusiastic new members to the fold. I am sure we'll be seeing plenty of Circuit on all kinds of battlefields in the future. With Halo: Reach just around the corner, and COD: Black Ops not that far away either, there looks like there will be plenty of games for the Cirques to team up with, and I am sure Circuit will be right alongside his new clanmates!

If it wasnt so pricey to change his gamertag, perhaps he could consider changing his gamertag to ABrokenCirquit LOL. Welcome to the Cirques, Circuit! I apologize that this intro piece was long overdue for you, but better late than never, eh?

by F1at1ined on Mon Jun 7 14:37:37 2010, filed in News

CdG's resident freelancer Poobone has been hard at work on his latest article. The purpose of this article is to fill you in on all of the details surrounding the story of Halo: Reach, the gameplay changes, how those tie into the fiction, and other things to be aware of which will prepare you for the retail release of Halo: Reach on September 14th. Poobone will be taking you on a crash course of some not-so-well-known facts about Reach and the fiction of the Halo universe that it is wrapped in. So..read on!

I have been a die-hard fan of the Halo fiction since Bungie unleashed its opus in November, 2001. Since then, I've bought every Halo game at midnight of launch day, played all the campaigns countless times, read every book (all seven including Halo: Evolutions) at least twice, and I own the graphic novel and the Art of Halo collection. Bungie has said that Halo: Reach would not follow the events of the novel "The Fall of Reach" and many people have mistook this to mean that they are ignoring the fiction contained therein. This is not the case, but simply their game follows a different story set on Reach, with a different set of characters.

WARNING: This article contains massive story spoilers for the Halo video games released thus far, the book Halo: The Fall of Reach, as well as minor spoilers for the book Halo: Ghosts of Onyx.


The story so far....

So it's a prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, and it takes place on a planet called Reach. This planet will get glassed by the Covenant, and many millions of people will die before the game ends. Simple right? Not so much. There's many details you may or may not be aware of. We will start broad and then work our way down to the nitty gritty. You play the role of "Noble 6," a replacement for a recently KIA member of Team Noble. You are not a Spartan II, like the Masterchief, but a Spartan III. Your job will be to follow orders and try to eliminate the Covenant threat on Reach along with the rest of your squad.



What's the difference between a Spartan II and a Spartan III?

Many people are unaware that the Spartan program was started before the human/Covenant war even began. Originally, the Spartan program was created to help the UNSC fight "insurgents." The first Spartan program, (of which Sgt. Avery Johnson was rumored to be a part of) was disbanded shortly after its inception and the soldiers were split up and put into different units. Later, in the year 2517, came the Spartan IIs, a class of 150 children kidnapped (with flash clones put in their place so as to anonymize their identities) around the age of 7 and taken to Reach. There, they endured extreme mental and physical training, and eventually a series of biologically augmenting surgeries that killed or crippled all but 33 of them. Later, they would be fused with the Mjolnir technology, which made up the armor that the Spartan IIs wear, which offers them enhanced battlefield awareness, speed, and rechargeable shields. In 2525, the Covenant attacked the planet Harvest in the outer colonies and the war began. 27 years later, the desperate UNSC, devised a plan that would use an up-and-coming Captain Keyes, on a ship called the Pillar of Autumn, stocked with one of the most advanced artificial intelligences created, Cortana, and a team of Spartan IIs. This operation would take the ship into Covenant territory, where the Spartans would kidnap a Prophet and use him as a ransom to force a treaty negotiation. The operation was to be launched from the planet Reach, where the Spartan program had started. However, just before The Pillar of Autumn left, a Covenant fleet arrived and the invasion of Reach began. The Spartan IIs went ground-side to defend the planet, and only Masterchief made it back onboard. As the planet was glassed, the Pillar of Autumn (in accordance with the Cole Protocol) made a blind jump into space to lead the Covenant away from Earth, and arrived at the first Halo. This is where Combat Evolved begins.

What happened to the rest of the Spartan IIs?

We'll cover that later.

Who are the "insurgents?"

The insurgents are basically human revolutionists who wanted to live on their own planets/colonies throughout the galaxy free of the governmental regulations of the UNSC. In trying to gain their freedom, their protests would often get violent, and in many cases led to terrorism. Rather than sacrifice the lives of many to quell this terrorism and violence, the Spartan program was created in order to make an elite few soldiers who would be able to handle any situation as it arose. It's important to know that this threat exists/existed for the UNSC, because at the beginning of the game (as detailed by Bungie for their Game Informer article) the Spartans of Team Noble think that the attacks are the work of insurgents, not the Covenant.




Okay, so get onto the Spartan IIIs, how are they different?

The Spartan II project was a massive undertaking, and each Spartan soldier cost millions of dollars worth of R&D for their tech and training. Whenever a Spartan was lost, it was a massive blow to the UNSC army. They needed a cheaper solution. That solution was the Spartan IIIs. They were trained faster, selected at an older age, the selection criteria for who would be kidnapped was wider than the Spartan IIs, and they were suited with cheaper technology. This is why your shields/armor in Halo: Reach are not as strong, and why the Spartan IIIs are shorter than Masterchief.

And Noble 6 is part of a team of Spartan IIIs?

Not entirely. While five of the characters, including the character you play as, are Spartan IIIs, one of the members of Team Noble, Jorge-052, is a Spartan II. He's pretty easy to spot amongst the group, as he's taller, bulkier, and is often seen carrying heavy weaponry. For the record, the other members of Team Noble are Carter (Commander of Team Noble), Kat (Lt. Commander), Emile (grenadier), Jun (sniper), Jorge (heavy weapon specialist of course), and an unidentified lone wolf Lt aka 'Noble 6' aka YOU.


Why Reach? What makes this planet so special that the game should be set there?

Reach is the military headquarters for the entire UNSC. It's where the Spartan program was started, it's the last human defensive stronghold before Earth, and, most importantly, the battle that occurs there directly lead to the events of Halo: Combat Evolved and the discovery of The Flood.

Speaking of which, The Flood won't be in this game will they?

It's impossible to know for sure but I'd be surprised, since in all of the fiction surrounding these events, there is never any mention of Flood. HOWEVER, it is possible. Of the Spartan IIs that remained on Reach when The Pillar of Autumn left and the Covenant began glassing the planet, some did survive, and they survived in a location where the Flood COULD be... under the surface of Reach inside a Forerunner structure. And of course anytime we've seen The Flood, they've come out of containment in Forerunner structures.





What? There are Forerunner structures on Reach?

Throughout the entire human/Covenant war, the main goal of the Covenant leaders was not to wipe out the humans. They were after the relics of the Forerunners, the long-extinct alien race that built the Halo rings. In several battles, Harvest and Sigma Octanus IV being just a couple, humans just happened to live on planets that housed Forerunner relics. The Covenant leaders waged war, with the primary goal of securing these relics, and finding the way to begin "The Great Journey." Of course we know the Great Journey involves the firing of the rings, and wiping out all life. The Forerunners did this in an attempt to starve The Flood 100,000 years ago. The Covenant think they did this to transcend themselves into Godhood, and it is why they seek to light the rings as well. There are Forerunner relics and structures buried under CASTLE Base on Reach, and it is these artifacts that the Covenant are seemingly after when they arrive on Reach.

Where can I learn more about the history of the human/Covenant war and the Forerunners?

I'd highly recommend you read my favorite Halo novel "Contact Harvest" by Joe Staten. It covers the first encounters in the war told from the perspective of Sgt. Avery Johnson. It also gives you great insight into the Covenant hierarchy, why they want to kill humans in the first place, how Truth, Mercy, and Regret came to be the hierarchs, the back story of their treachery, and also gives you some details on the REAL main character of the entire Halo story, Mendicant Bias, the Forerunner AI that interacts with the player through the terminals on the Ark in Halo 3.



Wow, that's a lot of information! Any other story/character info I need?

She may not be in Halo: Reach, but Dr. Catherine Halsey is the creator of the Spartan program, and the person whom Cortana's mind and personality were emulated from. Also, Buck, everyone's favorite Nathan Fillion-voiced marine from Halo 3: ODST, is almost guaranteed to at least make an appearance.



What about other details not related to story? Anything I should be aware of?

First off and most basic: your field of view has been increased. It may not be instantly apparent but you can see roughly 30% more as you are moving around throughout the game. As a result, to be comfortable, I recommend you turn up your look sensitivity at least one notch from what you had it set to in Halo 3. You will also notice a discernible difference between the size of your character and the Covenant Elites now. They will pose a formidable threat in Halo Reach. In fact, even Jackals and Grunt will seem to be much larger to you, because you are no longer the size of Masterchief.

In addition to this: you're a Spartan III, like we covered, so you can't jump as high as you could in Halo 2 or 3, and you will take fall damage. You also have a health bar in addition to your shields. Ala Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3: ODST, you will need to find health packs throughout the environment to replenish your health. Unlike these games, however, you can't simply walk over these health packs, you need to press the "use" button to grab them.

Also, because you're a Spartan III, you are shorter and run slower. You may not notice this just moving around the environment, because your point of view is closer to the ground, it feels like you are moving faster than you actually are. You are likely to notice once you get into battle with some Elites who can easily outrun you though, or when you realize that you no longer tower over some of the other Covenant forces.

Sounds like a lot of small changes? Any tips?

I don't want this to become a strategy guide but I will drop some tidbits of knowledge that are essential to your enjoyment of the game. The first thing to understand is the difference in shield technology and melee combat. Now when you melee someone, you will only knock down their shields. Meleeing an enemy with no shields will net you a kill. If you unload with an assault rifle and you punch an enemy before their sheilds pop, you will not get a kill (unless it's an assassination from behind). There is a very obvious yellow buildup and then "pop" of your opponents shields. Hold off on meleeing while in close quarters combat until you see that pop.
Next, grenades have received a bit of a buff. They do roughly the same amount of damage but the area of damage they can cover has been expanded. A grenade that wouldn't have hurt you in Halo 3 may be close enough to knock your shields down in Halo: Reach.

There are more ways to use EMP than ever in Halo: Reach. EMP can be used to stall vehicles or drop an opponent's shields. The charged plasma pistol shot still does this of course. The new grenade launcher has rounds that emit an EMP burst when detonated. Lastly, the new armor lock ability releases an EMP burst when you come out of it. This is particularly useful when dealing with sword/hammer enemies, or someone who has the drop on you and is coming in for a melee. By locking up just before an enemy strikes, you can block their punch and then unlock, releasing an EMP blast that can drop their shields leaving them vulnerable for you to finish off.

The pistol should be your best friend. It fires the same bullet as the DMR (essentially the new, single-shot Battle Rifle) meaning it does the same amount of damage: 4 shots anywhere to drop shields, followed by a single headshot for the kill. It can be zoomed in making it effective at range (though not quite as accurate at range as the DMR). In close quarters combat, you can pull the trigger fast enough to take down an opponent who is unloading on you with an AR before they kill you, and in most gametypes, you spawn with it as a Spartan. During the Reach beta, this thing was my baby.

I'll leave you with one quick prediction: Bungie has said that they are building their multiplayer maps based on environments in the campaign and placing them into the single player maps that you will go through, as a way to further fuse the multiplayer locations into the fiction. You can see evidence of this on the map Powerhouse. Near the back of the map where blue team usually spawns, there is a road. On one end of the road is a gate that is locked. The other end takes you to a destroyed bridge, and that road continues on the other side of the crevice. You will probably be moving along this road in the single player, with bridge in tact and gate wide open, and it will probably be easy to drive right by Powerhouse and never know it was there.


Bungie also said that because of this there were lots of maps they couldn't include in the beta because it would give away details on environments they would be taking the player to later in the game. If you watch the April Fool's day video Bungie released showing Chess in the Halo: Reach engine, you may notice something about the environment they are playing in: it is clearly inside a forerunner structure. There is no mistaking the architecture. That this was even designed in the engine leads me to believe that the single player will take you to some underground Forerunner structures, possibly to a Flood research center, or even a portal similar to the one on Earth that sent you to The Ark. The possibilities are limitless. September 14th is fast approaching. The countdown until we become Noble 6 is underway, and this day cannot come soon enough. I'll be there at midnight ready to get my copy, and cannot wait to join up with Carter, Kat, Jorge, Jun and Emile as soon as I can.