Halo: Reach News Blowout

12 Jan 2010 at 12:26:26 by Tim McDonald

Plenty of Halo: Reach news has appeared online following a gigantic Game Informer preview.

Scans of the relevant Game Informer pages appeared online pretty much as soon as the magazine was released, and there's plenty of news floating around from them.

In Halo: Reach, players take control of a new member of Noble Team, a squad of Spartan IIIs and a single Spartan II. The player character is Noble 6, who - according to creative director Marcus Lehto - has a background "shrouded in some pretty dark secrets." Character customisation fans will likely be pleased, though, as players will apparently have a degree of control over his appearance.

Reach is set to be a darker game, "when the terror of the Covenant was still fresh," with enemy troops perpetually speaking their own language, Grunts looking less comedic, and Elites as scarily dangerous as they were in the first Halo. That's not the only throwback to the first game, though, with its health and shield system returning.

New enemies include Skirmishers, which are Jackal-alikes that fight in packs and attempt to flank, while weapons include the new single-shot Designated Marksman Rifle as well as the return of sniper rifles, assault rifles, magnum pistols, and more. Grenades, however, have been pared down, with only frag and plasma grenades returning. Equipment has been replaced with recharging armour abilities that can be swapped out, ranging from a short-term cloak to sprinting.

So, yes, it appears as though the game will have some optional stealth elements. No, don't panic - there's that word "optional" in there. There are context-sensitive knife assassinations, and the article talks of one night-time assault that allows players to either sneak their way through, or rush in guns blazing.

In tech terms, expect weather effects, motion-captured animation, various engine improvements, and the ability to support far bigger battles than before. While Halo 3 allowed a maximum of around 20 AIs at any given time, Reach enables 40 AIs and 20 vehicles. Expect some huge set-piece battles.

Reach sounds like the sort of thing the Halo series could do with right now: a reboot to take it back to its mysterious roots. We'll find out whether or not it succeeds later this year.

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