2010 was a great year in gaming.  For Americans, it showed that the video game industry can thrive even during tough economic times.  For story buffs, we were blessed with a breakout year from Bioware.  FPS loyalists saw more action from Bungie and Call of Duty.

What did we learn though?  We see the trends, hell we even play them, but what did the last 365 days actually teach us about the industry?  Click below to read what permeated the collective braintrust at Glitchoris.com.

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I can not help but think the end fight scene in Halo: Reach is a metaphor of how Bungie feels about the end of the Halo series.  Arguably one of the gaming industries most pivotal, literally game-changing franchises, Bungie just pumped out one hell of a capstone game.

Glitchoris BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

Reach is a fitting end to an extraordinary line of games.  Whether campaign or multiplayer, solo or team-based, the action and fun is non-stop.  Buy it; this game is not going away anytime soon.  Nor should it.

Hardcore Ending

In today’s society of sequels and trilogies, lots of games always leave some opening for a next installment.  Here, Bungie pulled out all the stops.  Especially the ending which will have you asking the air in front of you if Bungie really did pull this on you.  Sure, there is death.  And yes, of course you save humanity.  We knew those things were coming.  But Bungie can’t be blamed for that; it’s the nature of the beast.

However, the final fight scene is so ethereally desolate and sporadic that you don’t know how to consciously play the level.  And while I am not on Bungie’s dev team, this had to be their intention for this level.  Such attention to detail is unheard of in our industry.  Not only did they try this maneuver; they fucking pulled it off.  Sorry, I won’t spoil it for you.  Just know that you truly are missing a piece of our industry if you don’t play it.  And I mean play it.  No Youtube video, cubicle conversation, or Glitchoris.com article can recreate this neuron-firing end sequence.

Shoot To Thrill

If you haven’t read the mid-game thoughts yet, you haven’t read how much I loathe how many bullets are needed to take down a shield.  Then, after another couple hours of emptying bullets into alien skulls, I realized how much pure, sadistic fun I get out of shooting an alien in the head.  Maybe Bungie did not want to rob me of that fun.  Sure, they could increase the mob counts by say 100%, or they could increase the capacity to take concentrated metallic projectiles by 100%.  Either way, the goal is the same: have fun shooting alien baddies in the head.

Another added element in Reach is your environment.  Wait for an alien to circle around an enlarged gas tank, then ignite one to ignite the other.  Want to outflank a hunter?  With the larger playable maps, you can do this.  There is more than one direct path to get to many of the games next playable areas; this was something the previous games lacked (severely).

Upgrade Downloading…

It is simply a matter of time before the next map pack releases, the newest armor upgrades are available, and MLG hosts a massive Halo: Reach tournament.  Hours may be spent increasing your rank and/or increasing  your tolerance for seeking out those hard to get and elusive achievements.

While you may not get all the fun weapons to start, and I did spend a solid five minutes one Saturday night over Live bitching about the back-to-back times I picked up a sword only to end the mission in the next three seconds, they are out there waiting for you to pick them up and put someone down.

Just ask a friend who is playing Reach at the moment what rank they are.  They can tell you without even thinking about it.  Ask them what visor they wear; they will tell you with a smirk while telling you which one they are saving up to purchase.  Ask them what voice they attributed to their character for multiplayer.  They’ll know…they’ll know.

Final Thoughts…

With online gaming what it is today, Reach brings out the best in its gamers.  It brings out our enthusiasm to work together as a team and simultaneously bestowing us with enthusiasm for the achievements.  Buy it.  If not for the ending, for everything you will gain in the process.

First it was the pistol.  Then, it was the sniper rifle.  Then the sniper rifle again.  After that came this time, and the sniper rifle again.  So how does Halo keep the game fun when every installment levels out with the same weapon and same theme?  For Bungie, they just made the game look prettier and move faster.  Just like that one girl you hooked up with last spring break.

We Have The Technology…

“But Tebo, you can’t just say the sniper rifle is the only good weapon – you have the markman rifle and that gun that shoots a freaking laser!”  Yes I can, and I just did.  The machine gun is as effective as a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest.  The needle rifle is great if your target just happens to be J-Lo and hanging on the block.  I’d risk a near (or even far) no-scope miss rather than empty a clip into the visor and still not even drop my enemy.  The sticky grenades are still really fun; especially on multiplayer when you see a teammate bull charge into an enemy crowd.  ”Did I stick that on your back?” I follow this up with my familiar Van Wilder chime-in comment: “Whaaaaaattt?”

“But Tebo, you can even drive forklifts.  Anything civilian, just drive it!”  Yeah.  I’m on a genocidal interplanetary mission to exterminate an entire alien race, and I have the intelligence to charge in with a fucking fork lift?  No thank you Romeo.

Multislayer

The only thing more fun than blowing shit up is blowing shit up with your friends.  Story mode is fun, and I do have some reservations about its lack of evolution regarding gameplay.  However, the multiplayer aspect is as much fun as it has ever been.  Actually, I feel the progression of the multiplayer system pushed the story mode to be what it is in Reach. We have more modes to play, more difficulties within them, and a much faster engine behind our footsteps (or jetpacks!).

The versatility with which to customize your gameplay is unparalleled.  Want to be able to sprint?  No problem: grab the sprint upgrade.  Rather hide in plain sight?  Swap out for the invisibility mod.  Afraid of being penned down between three adversaries?  Just snatch the armor lock upgrade.  Also, after you get some credits and increase your rank, you may find yourself stockpiling points to save up for a new visor or other armor upgrade.  With everything Reach promises its dedicated players, you will not be disappointed after twenty hours of grenades and headshots.

Topography Is My Specialty

Remember what I just said about jetpacks?

Now you can manage moving around a map with less downtime and more shooting-people-in-the-head time.  For me, the only thing more fun than double kills on a jetpacket is sniping someone in the head while they are on a jetpack.  It reminds me of that one scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana shoots the guy instead of fighting him with a sword.

More maps, more nuances, and even more fun.  With the last installment of the Halo series, Reach has delivered in the outset.  Mid game thoughts coming soon!