I have played very few games where the AI is so smart & difficult to tackle. They rush at you, they find cover, they dodge your grenades, they shoot at you tactfully and don't allow you breathing space. So many times I found myself fleeing a fight because it got too intense. You can never take anything casually as even the smallest of AI can kill you on slight lapse.
The story based on planet Reach is engrossing to say the least. The cut scenes are great, the squad bonding is amazing and sacrifices are a part of the main story line and they emotionally rivet you until you get fully invested in the mission. The gunfights are epic, the weapons are beautiful and shooting mechanisms and the effects are so crisp it makes you want to fire that one more shot. The missions where you are tasked with fighting aerial duels are difficult and stunning. The game doesn't hold your hand. You are to fend off your own and find your own to the objective however that maybe. The fight with Covenant is at its peak and you are at the center of it along with your squad.
My only complain for the game is the driving controls for vehicles on land were shit. I don't know why, but it was so choppy and erratic I sometimes traversed the distance by foot. Or else I let squad mates drive as I took the gun turret on back. That's the only reason for a point deducted on the scoreline.
There is no other FPS that involves you so deep into the story line and engaging combat that requires you to think hard before you commit to some move. One mistake and you could be undoing the entire part of the mission again. The AI design is brilliant and active. The powers of hologram, armor, cloaking are very useful and you will be using them according to your game play style. The jet packs were also fun. There is no boss fight in Halo Reach, but the going gets tough in the final missions as you are faced with the daunting tasks of clearing multiple enemies of multiple design. You can feel the rush and intensity of battle as your squad, other soldiers and covenants battle it out in one epic tale. The music only enhances the feel of the game.
I played this game very late in December, 2019. But playing this even now, I feel the graphics are top notch. I would play this game again in a heartbeat.