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Member of Bungie.net for nearly three years, still continuing!
Enjoy what you have and live on.
My gamertag is Elder Bias
OP, I agree. That is why I don't think that Halo: Reach was a good game, more like mediocre at best. Why, I decided to post my own thoughts about Halo: Reach.
I'll give both pros and cons for you and everybody. Before I start, I would remind to everybody, most of players who brought Reach and liked it because its their own opinion and liking however, should recommended to play Halo CE, 2 and 3 and look at comparison of those games to Reach.
Now on pros and cons:
PROS:
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*Improvement on the Graphics system, despite using heavily modified Halo 3 engine (A.K.A) Reach engine. It has huge improvements such as facial mapping, fluid movement, improved detailed decals/meshes for each texture maps (characters, etc), facial movement such as brows, mouths, even seeing wrinkles as they show the emotions. Also, there is improved environment meshes and animations (physics) as well, such as well detailed explosions, allowing sparks to bounce off the solid objects. I can say that there is probably overall improved visualization in the Reach game.
*Improvement on Forge, theaters and some multiplayer aspects. Forge, was much improved from Halo 3's Forge mode due to new innovations such as rotation snapping, using improved mapping, new objects to use for various maps, a large forgeworld that is designed to usable for very large forged maps or small, very fun maps. Also, there is noticeable increase in budget and objects limit which it allowed Forgers to make creative map as they wished. Theater is improved as well, it allows us to take screenshots during cut-scene (correct me if I'm wrong) and also allow us to take screenshots slightly more effective for fun, crazy screenshots. Multiplayer aspect is slightly improved as well, it has slightly better net code, improved usage of preferences for match making and shorter period of time for waiting to get a match.
*Small new innovations that were welcomed in the Halo such as Armor Abilites like Sprint, etc. However there is very large flaws in it, as I will explain in the cons. Also, game mechanics are more interesting due to seeing large numbers of A.Is in the singe player and allowed us to play in actual battlefield in some sort of way.
*Armor customization and making your own custom games. It seems to be improved as well, it allows us to customize our armor in much deeper depth such as specific parts of armor: attachments, chest, etc. Custom games is possibly improved as well, it allows us to play with friends and make our own rules, etc.
CONS:
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*Storyline wasn't truly best, and I don't think that Bungie ever have put their heart in it, as seeing that they are probably busy with their own new game as it started as it got independence from Microsoft. Characters and its death roles are best, at stale. I didn't feel so much emotional to see those characters died. Also, their attitudes is odd for a SPARTAN, as if they're depressed and slightly cocky against Covenant forces. I didn't feel that Carter was truly leader like John-117, more like watered down lieutenant. Now, on kat, well. She had a average personality but terrible driver as well, and kinda glad to see that she died. Emilie was best, at cocky and probably a moron due to not checking its motion radar after killing a Zealot at PoA scene. Jun and Jorge was a special character for me, actually. Jorge died to save the Reach, in some sense as he thought it would save but it made his death more like waste of resources. As seeing that a SPARTAN-II is more valuable investment to UNSC than a SPARTAN-III that is made to be killed in the combat cheaply. Jun, I'm curious what happened to him so I'm hoping to see what happened. Also, I have a slight problem with storyline's stance with canon such as supercarrier being at reach without detected, PoA being on ground despite Keyes said its not rated for atmosphere, bad timeline and SPARTAN-IIIs on Reach, I suppose it is small errors so far I have encountered but I would like to see it to be fixed for our sakes.
*Game Mechanics with AA. I think that AA didn't do so well with flowing with game mechanics, because it was more or less not balanced, and also it is responsible for slowing the kill times down. Sprint is fine with me also Evade too. However, Armor Lock, Camo and Jetpack needs to be re balanced to be better. Several problems with those AL, Camo and JetPack as I will explain:
-Armor Lock: It has 360 degree views which it gives players advantage to know whats going in view of 360 degree. Also it had major problems in using Armor Lock is: It causes plasma grenade shedding, frosting effect and be complete invincible to anything, straining kill times to be even longer and extending your life by six seconds is waste of time. if you get killed, its your fault. Armor Lock aren't supposed to protect him from them to admitting their fault.
-Only a problem with camo is that radar jamming, making camo virtually useless.
-Jet Pack destroys map control in the any maps, making any motivation/fighting over a special weapons useless. Also, jet pack's recharge is too fast and it is based on fuel, its not supposed to recharge. Once you use all it up, you can't jet pack any more.
Bloom with DMR does not compute very well because it rewards spammers due to luckiness and randomness instead of rewarding well paced shooters. I'm not suggesting that bloom to be removed but it needs to be fixed to balance it again. Also, damage output from DMR is too great against Vehicles, making competition for vehicles to have map control virtually useless and prevents players to go across half of map due to DMR's bloom and damage outputs. Literally, it destroys map control as well.
*Ranking/Trueskill system is broken because that ranking is entirely based on gathering credits (investing your time instead of getting rewards for winning or high kills) and unfairly exploiting the game because of that description of investing your time to gather credits. Any people will commit AFKING in any game to get credits. Trueskill does not place you with good players that have similar stats as you do, instead it puts you in random players, various stats. Although it can be countered by using preferences.
So far, I have implemented my views on the Reach and I am saying is that Reach is not good Halo game, but mediocre and playable (although barely playable).
Sure, you can call me a troll or something because you don't agree or don't like my opinion. I am just implementing my opinion that does not make it fact. I am pointing its flaws in the Reach out and can be fixed to have amazing potential.
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Halo: Reach wasn't quite popular, based on player counts. (yes, player counted does determine how it is popular.) and Halo 3 had more players online everyday from 2007 to 2009, beating Cod4 and WaW and being equal to MW2. Halo: Reach had only like, 1/8th of players count and it is ranked third in the entire xbox live.
And, Halo: Reach was a failed experiment with new gimmicks, even Bungie and 343i knows it. You guys may use argument that Bungie and 343i said that they thought it was perfect and best FPS game ever which it is obvious lie...
Anybody took any business classes or economics classes would know this obvious statement. It is called business move where a business lies about its produce by saying: "Oh yeah, this is best product or whatever." That is what it designed to keep its popularity up or keep people to buying it. It's all of making profit in the business world.
TL:DR- It's not difficult to read the paragraphs. Anybody with fifth grade education level or above are absolutely capable to read more than two paragraphs. So, please read my posts.
[Edited on 08.07.2011 5:56 AM PDT]