Video game review: Halo: Reach
HALO: REACH
RATING M for Mature
In this prequel, Reach is a planet - long mythologized as one of the last human colonies to fall to the alien Covenant before the events of 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved. Since we already know that things aren't going to end well, there's a sense of futility about this campaign, although your actions here will have a profound effect on the war between humanity and the Covenant.
You are part of Noble Team, a group of elite Spartan troops whose missions largely involve evacuating humans and sabotaging Covenant installations. Most of the scenarios involve sustained, ground-based firefights against alien hordes whose aggressive artificial intelligence will torment the most experienced Halo player.
Meanwhile, some of the franchise's more exasperating elements remain. Driving a Warthog jeep still feels awkward. Unlike in, say, Gears of War, there's no reliable way to take cover. And while you go into battle with a whole new crew, they never develop distinctive personalities. The story is more straightforward than previous Halo plots, but doesn't match the sophistication of even a middling "Star Trek" episode.
It offers all the multiplayer modes that fans have come to expect, from your basic death match and capture-the-flag to more recent inventions such as "Firefight," in which you and your buddies have to stay alive against ever-increasing waves of enemies. - AP
Gunman charged in killing of NYPD cop ... Biden in NYC ... LI losing beds for psychiatric patients ... Opening day
Gunman charged in killing of NYPD cop ... Biden in NYC ... LI losing beds for psychiatric patients ... Opening day