Originally released in 2010, Halo: Reach is the beloved prequel to the main Halo series. Building on the franchise's signature gameplay style and feel, Reach brings new features, enemies, and a more somber tone to the series, though its story doesn't quite live up to that of previous games.

🎮Reach can be played with both keyboard/mouse and controller, but was designed for the latter.🎮

Reach features Halo's traditional FPS gameplay, which is to say, it's very enjoyable and satisfying to play. The franchise's gameplay has always been somewhat old-fashioned, with its floaty gravity, (mostly) hip-fired weapons, and lack of a sprint function. Reach retains the core gameplay feel, while making subtle changes to modernise it, and, in my opinion, is the best blend of classic Halo feel and modern features in the series.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2187984697
Reach brings forth new features such as armour abilties including sprint, drop shield, jetpack, and more, as well a variety of new weapons and vehicles. Some features of its predecessors, however, have been dropped; namely dual-wielding and extra grenade types. This does not impact the experience overly; they're nice to have, but I don't really miss them.

Reach also adopts and improves Halo 3: ODST's Firefight game mode; a PvE/PvPvE activity in which players with limited lives face off against waves of enemies. This is great addition the game, alongside the traditional team and free-for-all PvP modes that make up a good portion of the series' appeal. Unfortunately, I do not have the space available in this review to go into detail about the PvP features in addition to PvE content, but they are generally regarded as decent, though not quite as well executed as those of some previous entries, namely Halo 2 & 3.

The player's arsenal includes two types of grenades, a melee ability, and whatever weapons they can find. Ammunition restocks can be few and far between, so expect to have to scavenge enemy equipment and grenades regularly, especially on higher difficulties and in longer levels.

Gunplay is pretty basic, but very smooth and intuitive. Weapons are beefy, aiming is snappy and precise, and the range of equipment available keeps things interesting.

Enemy A.I. is not super advanced, but neither is it especially dumb. Their behaviour can be tweaked via various difficulty options to include dodging incoming danger more effectively, throwing excessive quantities of grenades, and generally being harder to kill. All enemies are fun to fight, and there's plenty of variety from the enemy faction.

Various armed and unarmed vehicles are available for players to drive, including machine gun-equipped armoured cars, heavy tanks, airbourne craft, and much more of both human and alien origin. Precise is not a word one would use to describe the driving in any Halo title, but it is great fun.

A first for the series, Reach allows players to customize the appearance of their character not only in multiplayer, but in all modes including campaign. Modifications include a variety of interchangable cosmetic armour pieces, voice types (for multiplayer) and special particle effects.

Unfortunately, with the re-release of Reach as part of the Master Chief Collection (MCC), the system for unlocking these cosmetics has changed, causing a not inconsiderable amount of backlash from fans. The reason being, you could once earn this stuff by simply playing Reach however you wanted, but it is now integrated into the MCC's battle pass system, which does not reward players for custom PvP or Firefight matches, and does not allow one to pick and choose what to unlock first. The system is not monetized.

Reach is a linear game that treats players to a variety of different settings, including remote settlements, bustling cities, and alien spacecraft, in both day and night scenarios. The variety of goals and enemies across the different locations, plus several vehicle sections, keeps things interesting throughout the game.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2187994095
Directly preceding the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, the first of the series, Reach follows the story of Noble Team; a team of Spartan super soldiers fighting to prevent the Covenant, a hostile alien faction, from destroying the human colony world of Reach. We play as Noble Six, a male or female Spartan new to the team.

The story of Reach, both the game and the world, is one of pain, struggle and inevitable defeat. This is portayed well through the events of the story, and the somber atmosphere. The characters, while not bad, are not the strongest nor the most likeable, which does make it hard to form attachments to them in the same way one might to those of previous entries. The protagonist, in particular, has little personality to speak of.

Despite this, Reach fits its identity well; a side-story in the Halo universe that provides welcome worldbuilding and insight into the events directly preceding the original game.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
HDD
Windows 10

For a game released in 2010, Reach holds up very well. The foliage and characters' faces look a little dated, but overall the game still looks very nice, with great lighting and nice details. The art style also does a great job of emphasizing the more somber nature of the story, and the screenshots speak for themselves.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2187983646
Using the specs listed above, I got a consistent 60fps using the “enchanced graphics” setting. The game ran smooth the whole time.

The Halo franchise has always featured fantastic soundtracks, and while I don't think Reach's is the best of the series, it's still very good. Many tracks feature the traditional Halo action vibe, but much of the upbeat, hopeful sound is replaced with darker, somber tones that really compliment the story and set the atmosphere. Sound effects are crisp and satisfying, and voice acting is solid.
I played the entirety of Reach in co-op with a friend, and we didn't encounter any real issues, with the exception of sometimes not being able to hear nearby grenades until they exploded.

Reach is a fantastic game, and a worthy entry in the Halo franchise. Its story and characters don't quite live up to previous entries, but the gameplay experience is excellent and the graphics hold up very well.

Considering it's so cheap and that, despite what Steam says, it doesn't require purchase of the Master Chief Collection to play (it's included), Reach is a no-brainer for fans of the franchise or genre.

This review comes courtesy of the R³ curator.

[h1][i]There will be no victory, this time.[/i][/h1] [h2][i]-[u]Overview[/u]-[/i][/h2] Originally released in 2010, [i]Halo: Reach[/i] is the beloved prequel to the main [i]Halo[/i] series. Building on the franchise's signature gameplay style and feel, [i]Reach[/i] brings new features, enemies, and a more somber tone to the series, though its story doesn't quite live up to that of previous games. [quote]🎮[i]Reach can be played with both keyboard/mouse and controller, but was designed for the latter.[/i]🎮[/quote] [h2][i]-[u]Gameplay[/u]-[/i][/h2] [h3]Basics:[/h3] [i]Reach[/i] features [i]Halo's[/i] traditional FPS gameplay, which is to say, it's very enjoyable and satisfying to play. The franchise's gameplay has always been somewhat old-fashioned, with its floaty gravity, (mostly) hip-fired weapons, and lack of a sprint function. [i]Reach[/i] retains the core gameplay feel, while making subtle changes to modernise it, and, in my opinion, is the best blend of classic [i]Halo[/i] feel and modern features in the series. https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2187984697 [i]Reach[/i] brings forth new features such as armour abilties including sprint, drop shield, jetpack, and more, as well a variety of new weapons and vehicles. Some features of its predecessors, however, have been dropped; namely dual-wielding and extra grenade types. This does not impact the experience overly; they're nice to have, but I don't really miss them. [i]Reach[/i] also adopts and improves [i]Halo 3: ODST's Firefight[/i] game mode; a PvE/PvPvE activity in which players with limited lives face off against waves of enemies. This is great addition the game, alongside the traditional team and free-for-all PvP modes that make up a good portion of the series' appeal. Unfortunately, I do not have the space available in this review to go into detail about the PvP features in addition to PvE content, but they are generally regarded as decent, though not quite as well executed as those of some previous entries, namely [i]Halo 2 & 3[/i]. [h3]Combat:[/h3] The player's arsenal includes two types of grenades, a melee ability, and whatever weapons they can find. Ammunition restocks can be few and far between, so expect to have to scavenge enemy equipment and grenades regularly, especially on higher difficulties and in longer levels. Gunplay is pretty basic, but very smooth and intuitive. Weapons are beefy, aiming is snappy and precise, and the range of equipment available keeps things interesting. Enemy A.I. is not super advanced, but neither is it especially dumb. Their behaviour can be tweaked via various difficulty options to include dodging incoming danger more effectively, throwing excessive quantities of grenades, and generally being harder to kill. All enemies are fun to fight, and there's plenty of variety from the enemy faction. Various armed and unarmed vehicles are available for players to drive, including machine gun-equipped armoured cars, heavy tanks, airbourne craft, and much more of both human and alien origin. Precise is not a word one would use to describe the driving in any [i]Halo[/i] title, but it is great fun. [h3]Customization:[/h3] A first for the series, [i]Reach[/i] allows players to customize the appearance of their character not only in multiplayer, but in all modes including campaign. Modifications include a variety of interchangable cosmetic armour pieces, voice types (for multiplayer) and special particle effects. Unfortunately, with the re-release of [i]Reach[/i] as part of the [i]Master Chief Collection (MCC)[/i], the system for unlocking these cosmetics has changed, causing a not inconsiderable amount of backlash from fans. The reason being, you could once earn this stuff by simply playing [i]Reach[/i] however you wanted, but it is now integrated into the [i]MCC's[/i] battle pass system, which does not reward players for custom PvP or [i]Firefight[/i] matches, and does not allow one to pick and choose what to unlock first. The system is [b]not[/b] monetized. [h3]Level Design:[/h3] [i]Reach[/i] is a linear game that treats players to a variety of different settings, including remote settlements, bustling cities, and alien spacecraft, in both day and night scenarios. The variety of goals and enemies across the different locations, plus several vehicle sections, keeps things interesting throughout the game. https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2187994095 [h2][i]-[u]Story[/u]-[/i][/h2] Directly preceding the events of [i]Halo: Combat Evolved[/i], the first of the series, [i]Reach[/i] follows the story of [i]Noble Team[/i]; a team of [i]Spartan[/i] super soldiers fighting to prevent the [i]Covenant[/i], a hostile alien faction, from destroying the human colony world of [i]Reach[/i]. We play as [i]Noble Six[/i], a male or female [i]Spartan[/i] new to the team. The story of [i]Reach[/i], both the game and the world, is one of pain, struggle and inevitable defeat. This is portayed well through the events of the story, and the somber atmosphere. The characters, while not bad, are not the strongest nor the most likeable, which does make it hard to form attachments to them in the same way one might to those of previous entries. The protagonist, in particular, has little personality to speak of. Despite this, [i]Reach[/i] fits its identity well; a side-story in the [i]Halo[/i] universe that provides welcome worldbuilding and insight into the events directly preceding the original game. [h2][i]-[u]Technical[/u]-[/i][/h2] [quote][b]This game was played with the following PC specs:[/b] Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz 16GB DDR3 RAM GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB 1680x1050 resolution HDD Windows 10[/quote] [h3]Visuals:[/h3] For a game released in 2010, [i]Reach[/i] holds up very well. The foliage and characters' faces look a little dated, but overall the game still looks very nice, with great lighting and nice details. The art style also does a great job of emphasizing the more somber nature of the story, and the screenshots speak for themselves. https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2187983646 [h3]Performance:[/h3] Using the specs listed above, I got a consistent 60fps using the “enchanced graphics” setting. The game ran smooth the whole time. [h3]Audio:[/h3] The [i]Halo[/i] franchise has always featured fantastic soundtracks, and while I don't think [i]Reach's[/i] is the best of the series, it's still very good. Many tracks feature the traditional [i]Halo[/i] action vibe, but much of the upbeat, hopeful sound is replaced with darker, somber tones that really compliment the story and set the atmosphere. Sound effects are crisp and satisfying, and voice acting is solid. [h3]Issues:[/h3] I played the entirety of [i]Reach[/i] in co-op with a friend, and we didn't encounter any real issues, with the exception of sometimes not being able to hear nearby grenades until they exploded. [h2][i]-[u]Summary[/u]-[/i][/h2] [i]Reach[/i] is a fantastic game, and a worthy entry in the [i]Halo[/i] franchise. Its story and characters don't quite live up to previous entries, but the gameplay experience is excellent and the graphics hold up very well. [b]Considering it's so cheap and that, despite what Steam says, it [b]doesn't[/b] require purchase of the [i]Master Chief Collection[/i] to play (it's included), [i]Reach[/i] is a no-brainer for fans of the franchise or genre.[/b] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40044632/][quote]This review comes courtesy of the [b]R³[/b] curator.