Halo Reach Legendary Edition
The Halo Reach Review by Travis Tango
Fall of 2010 is the release date of the latest Halo Game, Halo: Reach, and is sure to be a monster ‘buy’ for the 2010 Christmas rush. Driving demand for the game, as it did with the previous, Halo 3, is the collectible, multiple versions of the game. While the core game is the same, the other version come with collectible figures, books of game art, concept and production notes and diagrams. The standard edition, is the plain Jane version, features simply the game, the Limited edition, enables bonus features in game, such as bonus Elite Armor, and the Legendary edition, with features yet another armor bonus, and a pretty hefty statue for your desk or shelf.
One thing to keep in mind however, when considering purchasing this game, is that it is not a continuation of the Halo series; made popular last year with the final chapter of the “Master Chief” storyline, in Halo 3, instead this story takes place in the mid 22nd century, set before the previous games. This time period, for those unfamiliar with the Halo universe, is the birth of the war between humanity and the alien race known as “The covenant”. The war, for humanity, is not going well, as the human colonies on other planets have been all but destroyed, and humanity finds itself on one of it’s last colonies before falling back to Earth. The game derives its name from the name of the planet on which the battles take place, planet “Reach”. As a member of an elite military unit, your character is delivered, as a last minute replacement for a fallen team member, to a squad named “Noble”. This squad is unique as it is made up of entirely specially designed humans, through genetic manipulation and enhancements, called ‘Spartans’ after the legendary warriors from Earth’s history.
While this game comes fairly closely on the heels of the last game, Halo 3, the differences between this package, and the previous ones, aside from the timeline, is truly in the technical achievements made by “Bungie”, the game’s developer. By essentially going back “to the code”, the developers ripped apart every part of the Halo engine, re-tooled and refined almost the entire thing, creating, in essence, a new, meaner, leaner fighting engine, allowing a dramatic increase in level of detail and flexibility for the player to take for granted. Obviously, with the redesigning of a proven game engine, the Gaming community has been watching closely, and devouring any and all news about the development and refinement of the games back end, with anticipation not seen in the gaming world in years.
Probably, the most anticipated features in Halo Reach, is the new armor features, and abilities. How will they interact with the game world, and especially, the Multiplayer arena, many believe that the MMO aspect will be the true test factor of the success or failure of the game.
The true test of the success or failure of the game however, will, as always, come in the checkout line. Which version of the game will be the most popular, as the difference in price for the basic edition, to the Legendary edition can be double that of the standard edition. The question is, do you really ‘need’ the books and extras, that will no doubt be available for download soon anyway. the best way to check which is best for you, is the compare the version head to head via an online comparison shopping site, such as Amazon, which also has a price discount guarantee for those who order their copy through them.
In the end, taking advantage of the offer specials may be the best course to make sure you get the edition you want, as many stores may sell of out of the more expensive editions in the firs few days. And you can save yourself some money at the same time.
For more information about the game, or to comment on this Halo Reach Review, follow the link provided.
About the Author
Not only does Travis enjoy working with technology in the form of digital photography, he is also an avid gamer and fascinated by the technical advancements being made in the areas of motion capture – graphic design engines, and gaming technology. Halo Reach demonstrates another leap forward in all of these fields.
Halo: Reach – Legendary Edition Unboxing
