Story-wise, this is my favourite Halo game. While yes, it lacks some of the more epic set pieces present in the Master Chiefs journey, the first-row seat you get to witness the fall of Reach provided a horrifically enjoyable experience. The overall vibe is just so depressing. And I love it. Every victory is short-lived as the Covenant continuously thwarts your attempts at breaking the invasion - one step forward, ten steps back. It's actually refreshing to be on the losing side for once and get to experience that sense of despair we instilled in the enemy as Master Chief. No matter what you do, thine enemy simply has an answer to it.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2679455402

Many are quick to criticize the cast as bland, boring, uninteresting, and other adjectives describing plank-like characters. They were better than the nonchalant ODST squad you drooped in New Mombasa with, but still, nobody can surpass Sgt. Johnson and his suave. And that's fine with me. They aren't meant to be the focal point of the story. The spotlight is placed on Reach, its people, and the extermination they faced at the hands of the overwhelming Covenant forces. And while I enjoyed the lighthearted and cheesy tone of its predecessors, the grim and depressing nature of Halo Reach just clicked with me more. I especially love the intro. Its sets the tone for the game perfectly.

And at its core, it's still Halo. The gameplay is as great as ever, with extreme enemy variety, as Bungie decided to throw almost every enemy you from the previous games. You'll face different ranks of Elites, Brutes, Jackals, and a heap of Grunts, that are as generous with their grenades as ever. And this is something I always loved in Halo. The game perfectly utilizes the enemy variety, so the combat is never stale or boring. Depending on their race and rank, enemies play different roles on the battlefield. Grunts are cannon-fodder. And as such, they will always come to you. Jackals being the shyer of the lot, hide behind their shields, briefly exiting the comfort zone behind their shield, before quickly retreating behind its safety in an almost turtle-like motion. Brutes are basically apes with guns. They go berserk if you strip them of their armour, as who likes to be naked after all. And every enemy plays different, with unique compositions. Some will only use plasma weapons, while others utilize a variety of long and mid-range weaponry. And the monke boys also like to bring a big fricking hammer to the battlefield. Because why not. So when you slay them, it's like a buffet of weapons, just waiting to be picked up. And due to limited inventory space, learning to juggle weapons is an essential ability every Spartan is taught before being deemed combat-ready.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2679241288

Level design once again ranges from mostly closed quarters to occasional spacious areas, where even some vehicular combat happens from time to time. Personally, I found these sections rather lacklustre, and ever since Halo 3, there really hasn't been any good vehicle-based section. They are often in cramped areas, restricting your movement to some degree. I just want a tank and things to shoot at while having a big playground to roam around with no movement obstacles. Is that too much to ask for? But, we did get some fun flying sections, especially the one where you defend the space station. Still, I would have loved to see better ground vehicle action.

Anyway, getting back to boots-on-the-ground combat, it's still as great as ever. Even in close-quarter encounters, the level layout offers plenty of verticality, bringing a whole other angle to gunfights. And with the expanded arsenal and additional enemies, the gunplay reaches its peak in this instalment. So many things to shoot, so few bullets. Armour abilities make their first appearance, as does the infamous sprint. They don't really impact the gameplay too much, but it's something. I often stuck with either sprint, for obvious reasons, or the jetpack. Others weren't that interesting nor useful. The old guns still feel great, with new additions being ok, but not really changing the meta. It's fun to experiment with them, but they aren't that great in my opinion.

And lastly, like with all of their previous games, Bungie made sure, we would remember Reach. As I said, the overall tone is a lot more depressed and grim, and the soundtrack perfectly captures that feeling. And when you need a good action fix, one will be delivered, don't you worry. But I just love this soundtrack soo much. It's my favourite of them all, mainly due to how diverse it is, managing to effortlessly evoke different emotions and play with your heart like a damn fiddle. There are just so many damn good tracks here - Overture, The Pillar of Autumn, Long Night of Solace, New Alexandria, the Epilogue, Ashes...just all of them honestly. It's simply brilliant.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2679657873

Reach, the place where Bungie's journey ends and where their story began, timeline-wise. It's the culmination of 10 years worth of experience working on this fantastic franchise and an excellent farewell letter to the Halo universe they fostered for so long and its many fans.

If you enjoy this review, come and read more wisdom from the Gospel of Sv. Prolivije.

[h3][b][i]Spartans never die. They're just missing in action...[/i][/b][/h3] Story-wise, this is my favourite [i]Halo[/i] game. While yes, it lacks some of the more epic set pieces present in the Master Chiefs journey, the first-row seat you get to witness the fall of Reach provided a horrifically enjoyable experience. [i][b]The overall vibe is just so depressing.[/b] And I love it.[/i] Every victory is short-lived as the Covenant continuously thwarts your attempts at breaking the invasion - [b][i]one step forward, ten steps back.[/i][/b] It's actually refreshing to be on the losing side for once and get to experience that sense of despair we instilled in the enemy as Master Chief. No matter what you do, thine enemy simply has an answer to it. https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2679455402 Many are quick to criticize the cast as bland, boring, uninteresting, and other adjectives describing plank-like characters. They were better than the nonchalant ODST squad you drooped in New Mombasa with, but still, nobody can surpass Sgt. Johnson and his suave. And that's fine with me. They aren't meant to be the focal point of the story. The spotlight is placed on Reach, its people, and the extermination they faced at the hands of the overwhelming Covenant forces. And while I enjoyed the lighthearted and cheesy tone of its predecessors, the grim and depressing nature of [i]Halo Reach[/i] just clicked with me more. I especially love the intro. Its sets the tone for the game perfectly. And at its core, it's still [i]Halo[/i]. The gameplay is as great as ever, with extreme enemy variety, as [i]Bungie[/i] decided to throw almost every enemy you from the previous games. You'll face different ranks of [b][i]Elites, Brutes, Jackals,[/i][/b] and a heap of [b][i]Grunts[/i][/b], that are as generous with their grenades as ever. And this is something I always loved in [i]Halo[/i]. The game perfectly utilizes the enemy variety, so the combat is never stale or boring. Depending on their race and rank, enemies play different roles on the battlefield. [b][i]Grunts are cannon-fodder.[/i][/b] And as such, they will always come to you.[b][i] Jackals being the shyer of the lot, hide behind their shields[/i][/b], briefly exiting the comfort zone behind their shield, before quickly retreating behind its safety in an almost turtle-like motion. [b][i]Brutes are basically apes with guns.[/i][/b] They go berserk if you strip them of their armour, as who likes to be naked after all. And every enemy plays different, with unique compositions. Some will only use plasma weapons, while others utilize a variety of long and mid-range weaponry. And the monke boys also like to bring a big fricking hammer to the battlefield. Because why not. So when you slay them, it's like a buffet of weapons, just waiting to be picked up. And due to limited inventory space, learning to juggle weapons is an essential ability every Spartan is taught before being deemed combat-ready. https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2679241288 Level design once again ranges from mostly closed quarters to occasional spacious areas, where even some vehicular combat happens from time to time. Personally, I found these sections rather lacklustre, and ever since [i]Halo 3[/i], there really hasn't been any good vehicle-based section. They are often in cramped areas, restricting your movement to some degree. I just want a tank and things to shoot at while having a big playground to roam around with no movement obstacles. Is that too much to ask for? But, we did get some fun flying sections, especially the one where you defend the space station. Still, I would have loved to see better ground vehicle action. Anyway, getting back to boots-on-the-ground combat, it's still as great as ever. Even in close-quarter encounters, the level layout offers plenty of verticality, bringing a whole other angle to gunfights. And with the expanded arsenal and additional enemies, the gunplay reaches its peak in this instalment. [b][i]So many things to shoot, so few bullets.[/i][/b] Armour abilities make their first appearance, as does the infamous sprint. They don't really impact the gameplay too much, but it's something. I often stuck with either sprint, for obvious reasons, or the jetpack. Others weren't that interesting nor useful. The old guns still feel great, with new additions being ok, but not really changing the meta. It's fun to experiment with them, but they aren't that great in my opinion. And lastly, like with all of their previous games, [i]Bungie[/i] made sure, [i]we would remember Reach[/i]. As I said, the overall tone is a lot more depressed and grim, and the soundtrack perfectly captures that feeling. And when you need a good action fix, one will be delivered, don't you worry. [b]But I just love this soundtrack soo much.[/b] It's my favourite of them all, mainly due to how diverse it is, managing to effortlessly evoke different emotions and play with your heart like a damn fiddle. There are just so many damn good tracks here - [i]Overture, The Pillar of Autumn, Long Night of Solace, New Alexandria, the Epilogue, Ashes[/i]...just all of them honestly. It's simply brilliant. https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2679657873 Reach, the place where [i]Bungie's[/i] journey ends and where their story began, timeline-wise. It's the culmination of 10 years worth of experience working on this fantastic franchise and an excellent farewell letter to the [i]Halo[/i] universe they fostered for so long and its many fans. [quote]If you enjoy this review, come and read more wisdom from the [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/40407656-Gospel-of-Sv.-Prolivije/]Gospel of Sv. Prolivije[/url].