Zero Punctuation: Halo: Reach

[B.U.C.K]

Awesome Review as allways

 

[ReaperzXIII]

I find the fact that a game must be held up by only it's single player is complete bullshit because it removes a HUGE part of the game, multiplayer was made because campaign can only be played so many times before it becomes boring so ignoring the multiplayer completely is kinda bullshit.

Some games were purposely meant to be played multiplayer (Left 4 Dead) but the single player is there if you don't have an internet connection or friends.

 

[daxterx2005]

Never been a fan of halo, so listening to you rip it apart made me laugh more than I usually do at your reviews.

Congrats, keep up the good work

 

[sln333]

"When that energy sword nipple fiend is on the prowl." One of the best lines in a review for quite some time. I'm happy he at least said some things were good, because he could have ripped the game to shreds like he did for most of the review.

 

[Taisen]

Used old engine...he does realise they created a completely new engine for Reach to do what they wanted...right? I thought he would mentioned something about that at least.

they made a reference to Oni in the campaign (Oni Sword Base was a place you could fight)

Really? You do realise ONI stands for Office of Naval Intelligence...and its been referenced through pretty much every game. (Except the first I think)

Oh and the no seatbelts thing, generally its called a combat drop, fast insertions, like what the current millitary does right now... Although the whole standing of the edges of moving craft is kind of odd, you have to remember, the spartans weigh as much as a small car in those suits.

 

[CopperBoom]

blah, shooter1235421

Did your cat get up on the keyboard before you could finish that sentence? The cat also hit post?

 

[CopperBoom]

Gay-lo Reach-around?
So immature, but surely it will be used at one point this week, I can feel it.

 

[blaquenoise]

The N-word was not necessary. Funny but not necessary.

 

[katsabas]

I am just glad that Yahtzee also liked the ending. If he didn't, I would definitely think there is something wrong with him cause it sounded like it was right up his alley.

 

[NKnight]

Repetitive gameplay? Are you kidding? Every headshot, every twitch kill is a completely new and different experience from the last. Like in the degrees you turn. And who you're killing. And stuff.

I smell sarcasm

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

Let me make that point more clear. The two films may have been different down to every detail. But I went to see it expecting more of the great story telling and epic battles I got from a new hope.

Mass Effect 1&2 both have great story and epic encounters.

The same can be said for Halo 1-Reach

Wait a second, are you actually saying you played Halo for the story? Really? Because i came in expecting a good story, but i haven't found it. It was simpler than the horrible mishmash that Halo 2 was, but it wasn't good.

No I dont play halo for the story, if I did I would be a complete fucking retard (its still better written than half of the bile most studios are churing out atm). I play it because its fun and I enjoy it.

A great example of sequel done better is Half-Life 2. New Weapons, new enemies, same enemies in new and refreshing disguise, new gameplay-elements like the gravity-gun, completely different setting and storyline, new characters, more depth, etc.

Halo is missing all that.

Spoiler: my reply

Halo 1 -> Halo 2:
New weapons:
Battle Rifle, SMG, Carbine, beam rifle, sentinal beam, fuel rod cannon, energy sword, brute shot.

New vehicles
Phantom, Gauss Hog, (drivable) Wraith, specter.

New Enemys:
Brutes, "defenders"

Same enemys in a new/referesing disguise
covenant heretic elites and grunts. (Shows their is opposition to the covenant other than humanity.)

New game play elements
Xbox live, bording vehicles, active camo ability (as the arbitor), Boss fights.

Completly different setting
Earth, Threshold Gas mining Plant, High Charity. (also the Halo ring in 2 is completly different but Im not going to mention it because you will throw a hissy fit)

New characters
Maranda Keyes
Lord Hood
3 Prophet leaders:Truth, Mercy and Regret.
Tarterus
Half Jaw
The arbitor
The Gravemind

More Depth
Expanded the Covenant's side of the story, not only through cutscenes, but through playable Covenant levels.
The flood are discovered to have a highly intelligent hivemind, making them a much bigger threat than just normal "zombie things".

Ok and that is just the difference between Halo 1 and 2. Just to make sure you understand what I have just done:
I have added something into every catergory YOU stated Halo's sequels didnt have.

 

[juffeee]

Best game ever! =)

 

[Neferius]

Interesting... I may have misjudged this Game.
And apparently so has Yahtzee ...something which he definitely made-up for through Video.
There is no greater compliment for your artwork than when a Critic is struggling to criticize it even though he actually enjoys it and/or thinks it's pretty good ...which is just tearing him up inside.

I feel your Pain mr. Croshaw ...I really do

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

I am surprised he didn't go after the AI more. other than that it sounds about right. Its half assed but a semi sexy ass so you can forgive it a bit till it shats on you.

 

[starwarsgeek]

Don't want to discuss multiplayer? Fine. Unprofessional to ignore a key component of the game, but fine...
But why not even mention Forge, Firefight, or Theater? Do those suddenly require backup?

 

[Netrigan]

He never said it was original. In fact, it plays just about every 'Last Stand' trope to a t. He said he liked it because it was a nice example of gameplay and story working to together to get a message across.

On Halo: Reach, and Halo in general, I find it a fascinating series because it's so... average. Like, Joe from Idiocracy average. The story, the gameplay, the characters, set pieces, weapons, vehicle sections, innovations... all remarkably unremarkable. Whether that's a bad thing or not I'll leave for my fellow consumers to decide, but I know for a fact that Bungie is better than this. Oni wasn't half bad.

It's tough for me to gauge the original Halo, since I had to wait for it to get ported over and Far Cry stole most of its thunder with vehicles. But at the time of its release, it did enough differently that it would have stood out from the crowd. The vehicles alone would have done that, but the nifty grenade and melee buttons gave the players a couple of non-standard combat options (both had appeared before, but not in a major hit). And the game itself was like the bastard child of Unreal and Half-Life, two games that reviewers and players loved.

The problem I see creeping in with the series is that they didn't take any real chances. Most of what's been done with the series can be described as "tweaks". Add an enemy type or two, add a weapon or two, add a new power-up or two, but make sure that most Halo levels look and play exactly like the fans expect them to. Looking toward the Gears franchise, which I like but don't love, I see them taking a few chances, expanding on what they do, but introducing elements that actually piss some fans off, who would have preferred the conflict stay exactly the way it was in the first game.

Five games in, I think the franchise is pretty close to the edge. I think every game franchise that has gone on long enough has seen massive defections from their core fanbase, with old fans ruefully wishing that someone had just let the franchise die instead of becoming the shambling monstrosity that craps out half-ass games ever couple of years. How long can the same basic gameplay keep a series going after other games have taken the core gameplay and expanded on it in ways the original can not or will not? If the devs introduce a game changing plot element, would hardcore fans accept it? With Bungie out of the picture, will the new devs be treated much more harshly since they had nothing to do with the success of the franchise?

 

[Azaraxzealot]

Really? You do realise ONI stands for Office of Naval Intelligence...and its been referenced through pretty much every game. (Except the first I think)

for the second time:
this is STILL more than likely a reference because they COULD HAVE used different initials, but yet they CONSCIOUSLY chose to use a name with that acronym

 

[Dr. Dice Lord]

Great, entertaining review as always Yahtzee. As a Halo fanboy I'm glad you actually managed to eek some enjoyment out of the game... I'm totally with you on the space mission though, that was too much fun to have such a small part in the game.

More love for space games/missions!

 

[Lancer723]

I know the open inside of the hornet is pretty dumb, but to be fair real helicopters aren't really that protective anyway. Anything that uses a rotor can't be too heavy or it won't fly, thus they aren't very heavily armored. Besides have you ever seen a Huey? I'm pretty sure the sides of those things are made out of paper mache.

 

[Taisen]

Really? You do realise ONI stands for Office of Naval Intelligence...and its been referenced through pretty much every game. (Except the first I think)

for the second time:
this is STILL more than likely a reference because they COULD HAVE used different initials, but yet they CONSCIOUSLY chose to use a name with that acronym

Well maybe part way, but they sure didnt sit down and say the Acronym had to be ONI first, then think of the words for it. If we were to become a space faring species, it is the Navy who would be the major military presense in space. So from the start it had to be Naval to make any sense at all.

The other two words could be argued from several points so that really takes them out. The only thing left in my mind is why they would include a reference to a game that has no relation (that I know of) to the Halo universe. The Marathon references make sense, as the story and universe similarities are still being argued about amongst community members to this day.

All in all, I beleive that the acronym was created with no intention to be a shout out to a previous game but instead was a coincidence in our english language.