Halo: Reach Forum
This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo Reach Campaign Analysis
  • Subject: Halo Reach Campaign Analysis
Subject: Halo Reach Campaign Analysis

Expressing my strong liberal views without shame. Favorite quotes below:

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"One starts to live when he can live outside himself."

- Albert Einstein

This thread isn't really a campaign review of Halo Reach obviously, but more of a prediction and intepretation of what kind of campaign it might be from the previous Halo games, and upcoming Halo 3: ODST.

When Bungie released Halo CE, it was a great hit, selling millions of copies and winning awards. The game revolutionized first person shooters with its simply brilliant story. The fact of the matter is, that the game didn't need awesome features to make it a hit, just a very good original story (very much like BioShock). CE had the best campaign out of all three games in my own opinion, and I am sure most agree.

Fans obviously had high expectations for Halo 2. Although the game was great, the campaign wasn't as brilliant as Combat Evolved's. Nonetheless, the game was great with reworked graphics, new weapons, multiplayer maps, and characters.

The same followed with Halo 3, and the campaign was about as good as Halo 2, but was disappointing because of its short length, disappointing shallowness, and unanswered questions. Halo 3 was not a hit because of its campaign, but its features. It had awesome features. Matchmaking with several playlists to choose from, custom games to create your own versions of game variants that already exist, theatre to view your playing on multiplayer and campaign, and especially forge, the ability to complete remake a multiplayer map with almost anything you want.

The question raised after all this is if Halo Reach will have a spectacular campaign like Halo CE with some depth and cinematic displays with nice gameplay, or will it load the game with features and an okay somewhat-shallow campaign. Ideally, it will have both great features and an in depth campaign, but so far I have not seen that from Bungie. I am hoping that Halo Reach will finally be that game that makes the best of everything. I have high expectations for ODST as well, but higher for Reach because it is a full game and follows an actual storyline based on the book The Fall of Reach.

So Flood, what do you guys think will become of Halo Reach? Do you have high expectations for the game to top Halo 3 or Halo CE (which will be fairly difficult to do, but it is Bungie we're talking about). Do you have low expectations, and if so, why? Do you think this game can make the best of both worlds with features and the main campaign? Please share your thoughts about this.

  • 08.24.2009 2:51 AM PDT

This kid's 14th in Europe. Don't even bother calling me bad.

I hope they spend a lot of time on this game to try and make the best campaign and Multiplayer possible.

  • 08.24.2009 9:17 AM PDT

Die? Haven't you heard? Spartans never die.

I think the biggest problem with Halo 3 was that, though they still had to tell the story, Halo 3 was built around matchmaking. And I think Halo 2 was the best of all of them, because the story was still very good, and because of all the new things that came out with it.

  • 08.24.2009 9:18 AM PDT

Back in Halo CE, campaign was basically the only thing there was, unless you had some neighborhood friends for a LAN party then the only thing you could do was play its campaign over and over. In Halo 2 and 3 Matchmaking takes some of the weight off of campaign, and it will in Reach too.

So I don't expect a campaign as good as CE's was.

  • 08.24.2009 9:42 AM PDT

Expressing my strong liberal views without shame. Favorite quotes below:

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"One starts to live when he can live outside himself."

- Albert Einstein

Posted by: K1ngSpore
Back in Halo CE, campaign was basically the only thing there was, unless you had some neighborhood friends for a LAN party then the only thing you could do was play its campaign over and over. In Halo 2 and 3 Matchmaking takes some of the weight off of campaign, and it will in Reach too.

So I don't expect a campaign as good as CE's was.


This is what I want avoided. Your scenario would make Reach just like Halo 3. I want them to put some good time in the campaign, in fact, twice as much time as any other game modes in Reach. Don't get me wrong, I want features too, but features cannot replace a good campaign. Bungie kept dropping their own expectations for the Halo campaign with each game and concentrated on other things. If this continues to Reach, it will be a big disappointment.

  • 08.24.2009 9:52 PM PDT