10 things you need to know about Halo: Reach

Get to know your fellow Spartans and the obstacles they'll face

Words: Games_Master UK on February 9, 2010

Bungie has finally released concrete details on what will arguably be the biggest game on 360 this year, Halo: Reach. In the latest installment in the award-winning, mega-selling series, you’re back in the armour of a Spartan and the story rewinds to the early days of the momentous human/Covenant conflict.

The big news is that you’ll be a member of a crack team of Spartans fighting for their lives when they run into the Covenant’s advance invasion party. It’ll also feature brand new weapons and enemies and will be made using an entirely new engine. Fans are already clamouring to get to grips with the beta version of the multiplayer mode.

1) Noble Team

In Halo; Reach you’ll get to see six Spartans fighting alongside one another. To emphasise the greater sense of teamwork the characters will be more fully fleshed out too.

CARTER-259

The leader of Noble commands a fierce sense of loyalty.

KAT-320

Has served for many years and has the robotic arm to prove it.

JORGE-052

Heavy weapons specialist and the team’s only Spartan II.

EMILE-239

Prefers action to words and has a skull decal on his helmet.

JUN-266

A thoughtful soldier who excels at long range attacks.

noble-006

You are Noble Six: carrying on Halo tradition, he doesn’t seem to have either a name or a face.

2) Beta be quick

Anyone who has a copy of Halo 3: ODST can see that there’s a Reach option in the menu. Once the multiplayer beta goes live, they’ll be able to sign in and start playing. This is tremendously exciting because Halo’s multiplayer is near peerless amongst shooters. We’re guessing this will happen some time around spring.

3) Secret mode

Halo creators Bungie are notoriously secretive, but they’ve hinted at a secret multiplayer mode in Halo: Reach. We’re hugely excited by this, as the last mode they created was ODST’s excellent Firefight. There’s no further info available, but we’re hoping for dedicated co-op similar to Modern Warfare 2’s Spec Ops mode.

4) Man tank

The Spartan super soldier is like a tank on legs. He has a regenerating shield, and can run and jump like an Olympian. In a nod to the original Halo, he’ll have a health bar that can be depleted if his shield is down.

Platforms:

Xbox 360

23 comments

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GoldenMe - February 9, 2010 8:35 p.m.

Cool about the new engine. And I believe the Beta will come in May. But expect the comment board to be filled with anti-fanboyish "gaylo" talk. (The pricks) And first?
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GrenadeSpamAndSausages - February 9, 2010 9:24 p.m.

no GoldenMe this site tends to be quite good at avoiding the whole 'gaylo' talk. and yes you are first well done you! However the new engine looks stunning, if it's an improvement on halo 3 then it's set to be one of the better games on the 360 this year.
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crumbdunky - February 9, 2010 9:38 p.m.

Well, I only read one Halo booj and it turns out it was this one. My mate, who is a massive fan of the novels as well as the games, was always on at me to read one so I finally did. And how I regretted it! I never read anything I liked less in my life despite liking the Halo games and now it turns out it's the story Reach will be based on I'm doubly gutted. Let's hope, for my sake, that thewy mess about a bit with the source material. Whatever, the new engine looks a big improvemment fropm what we've seen and hopefully the squad tactics will chnge up the on an offline combat a little as even I was getting to the point where I just didn't feeel there was anything more to do in Halo MP that I hadn't already done-in fact it's why I'm not resubscribing to Gold Live membership til at least the start of the beta. Bungie will want to go out with a bang, mind, and i'm interested to see whether that will be with pretty familiar gameplay and stoory motifs or with something brash, new and brave as, imo, there's a very, very conservative element among the Halo massive who fear change as much as bloody FF fans!Should be god anyway-even if I despise the book-I'll be able to shoot stuff thi time round, which will help no end.
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Fancy Rat - February 9, 2010 10:12 p.m.

I don't like the sound of this health bar. Is it worth sacrificing the advances (i.e. Call of Duty-style regen) made in health systems for a "nod" to the old games?
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Makk_Mizzy - February 9, 2010 10:32 p.m.

Im so ready for this game that I can't stop shooting my guns from my twitching trigger fingers!!!! I own halo, halo 2, and halo 3 which to me were incredibly wicked! I however did not play and buy halo wars or halo odst because they were nothing but expansion packs to hold everyone off til halo: reach but, this halo I will pay off on reserve when I get my tax return because Im fiending for it!!!!
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TheHalfanese - February 10, 2010 12:20 a.m.

You can actually find much more information than this about the game on Bungie's website. Check out the Reach project page and several of their recent articles, and you'll see that there is much more to be learned. www.bungie.net Oh, and sorry for anal attention to detail, but that's the DMR, not the Battle Rifle. Yeah, it's similar, but from the sound file they've got on the website, it would seem the DMR is semi-automatic.
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TheHalfanese - February 10, 2010 12:22 a.m.

My bad, you did mention there is a single-shot rifle; however, it IS the "Battle Rifle" of the game.
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NelosAngelos - February 10, 2010 12:27 a.m.

I really like this, not being a Halo fan and actually interested in this game kinda surprises me. I enjoyed Halo 1's story the most, the others just seemed to be going every which way possible. I also like the variety between the Spartans, such as different skills, and looks to their armor and personality. Maybe we'll see even more customization in the multiplayer modes? Plus, being part of a team and using a more tactical approach also intrigues me.
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ComradeKhani - February 10, 2010 2:19 a.m.

I got bored of Halo 3 a long time ago, so I hope Reach will turn my attention away from Bad Company 2 and Mw2. And of course Mass Effect 2.
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FETALJUICE - February 10, 2010 2:22 a.m.

I had lost interest in the Halo series ever since H3 was released with what IMO has an average multiplayer experience that wasn't as good as Halo 2's. But Halo: Reach really looks good now. Can't wait to play the beta (at a friend's house)
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Cwf2008 - February 10, 2010 3:13 a.m.

Hmm...this might be a good game, although i wouldnt call this the most anticipated game of the year. I think that was released...today reCAPTCHA: of covenant: Whoa trippy....
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lovinmyps3 - February 10, 2010 3:18 a.m.

Glad I bought ODST. The beta will probably be awesome!
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Yeager1122 - February 10, 2010 5:49 p.m.

Sounds pretty good but dont know if i will ever actually play it since i stopped playing halo long ago.
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Metroidhunter32 - February 10, 2010 11:17 p.m.

Only one Spartan II? Odd, I've read the books, and all the Spartans around that time were IIs. Spartan Is were greek and Spartan IIIs don't show up until around the time of halo 2. Interesting to see how that works out.
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dantheman1711 - February 11, 2010 9:23 a.m.

halo reach is going tobe epic
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FreekinIdiot - February 11, 2010 11:10 a.m.

Welcome to the party xbox rulez, I was wondering when you were going to add your retarded 10 cents.
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K9unittp - February 11, 2010 11:32 p.m.

I'm pretty sure cheif doesnt actually play a big role in this battle. From what i remember him, Captain Kees (no idea how to spell that), Cortana, and their ship, The Spirit of Fire, all flee the battle while Reach is being glassed; which leads to them finding, and being stranded on, the first Halo ring. although i have some faint memory of him setting charges on a covenant ship, not sure if it was orbiting reach though.
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K9unittp - February 11, 2010 11:33 p.m.

But ya he probabley will be shown, or at least referenced.
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K9unittp - February 11, 2010 11:34 p.m.

Great article; thanks guys.
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Subtank - February 12, 2010 5:33 a.m.

Just a tiny error in the article: Bungie revealed that Noble Six (printed in the article as noble_006) SPARTAN tag is 312. I suggest checking Bungie.net. Hope you could notify Games Master UK about this error and modify this article.
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