Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.If nothing else, Halo: Reach certainly had a reputation to live up to. The fourth installment in the definitive Xbox series made over $200 million within 24 hours of its September 14 release, thanks in part to extensive public beta testing that recruited 2.7 million gamers. So how do Reach's merits stack up from a critical perspective?
While more than a couple of reviewers felt that Reach wasn't quite the series' best - reserving that honor for 2007's Halo 3 - the game remains top quality, unequivocally impressive in its accomplishments.
The single-player was generally considered to be the game's weakest aspect, with noble efforts made in filling the series' plot holes found detrimental to Reach's new cast of characters.
When it comes down to brass tacks - shooting aliens in the face - Reach shines. The clever artificial intelligence of 2002's original Halo returns once again, though there's no doubt that Reach offers most to those that seek online multiplayer fun.
In that respect it's appropriate that the series responsible for selling Microsoft's online subscription to the masses is strongest when played over the web. Hugely customizable in terms of match preferences and map configuration, it's the multiplayer feature set that will give Reach longevity.
Halo Reach (360)
Release: September 14.
Age Rating: Mature (North America) / 16 (PEGI Europe) / 18 (Germany) / MA 15+ (Australia)
Gameblog (French): 5/5 "Sets a very high standard for others to follow"
1UP: A+ " Reach is the Halo that I absolutely love"
C&VG: 9.2/10 "Never has you doing the same thing for too long"
Eurogamer: 9/10 "An encore, a victory lap, a crowd-pleasing last hurrah"
Edge: 9/10 "A fine conclusion to Bungie's stewardship of the series"
Worth Playing 8.5/10 " Reach is fun, but it doesn't provide the same kick [as Halo]"
GamesTM: 9/10 "In conveying the intense cut-and-thrust of battle, Reach is the series' pinnacle"
USA Today: "All about allowing players more than ever to personalize their Halo experience"
Games Radar: 8/10 "The campaign is 'good'. And the multiplayer is 'awesome'"
Wired: 8/10 "Brims with features that few other console games deliver"
The Onion AV Club: B- "the least personal Halo [setting] to date, and by extension, the least interesting"
Price: $59.99 / €69.99
Limited Collector's Edition: $79.99 / €79.99
Legendary Edition: $149.99 / €134.99
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments