Halo: Reach ends the greatest FPS series with a bang.
Gameplay: Halo is packed with fun, frantic, fast paced action. It is very 'cartoony' compared to CoD, which can lead to some very humorous battles. Players jump high and can take a plentiful of bullets. This adds a challenge. Aiming for the head is vital to winning, and keeping a steady rhythm to your shots will guarantee victory. There are vehicles, Spartan Lasers and the rest from it's predecessors. Some new additions are the assassinations, a quick clip showing you finishing the enemy with style. Armor abilities vary in uses, from bubble shields, to jet packs, to a hologram to lure enemies. This makes sure it's still the Halo you love, without feeling like it's the same re-used formula. There is a lot more to say, but I cannot squeeze it all into this paragraph. 9/10
Story: I'm sure the majority of fans know how the story will end, but it still feel great to live the lives of these soldiers. Jorge is a great guy, probably my favorite, he has a soft side. Emile is tough, and never shows any sympathy. Kat and Carter I never had feelings for. The campaign is great, with epic moments. (No Flood levels!) It's not the greatest story, but has depth, sadness and is, while not that memorable, is fantastic. 8/10
Graphics: Everything from Spartans, Elites and even to the small grunts is detailed fine. Maps are fine, with a reasonable amount of detail. You can see the shadows of people, and water splashes around your feet. Explosions are sweet too. 9/10
Soundtrack: Fantastic, a very memorable score. It has its sad piano moments, the action packed guitar riffs and the very awe-inspiring orchestra. During cut scenes, the music will bring out the emotion portrayed by some characters. I don't think it can pass Halo 3, but it is still a 10/10.
Extras: Halo is always straddled with extras. Reach is no surprise. After the campaign and a bit of multiplayer, there is still more to do. Firefight returns to Reach and is as fun as ever. You take on hordes of the Covenant, while supplied by ammo drops. There is theater, where you can take some crazy screenshots of games, and record video's of awesome kills for bragging rights. Forge is back, but Bungie have improved it in so many great ways. You can merge bridges into towers, create a minefield, make the ultimate sniper nest and use your imagination to conceive landscapes that you can play on with your friends online. Bungie knows that there is always room for improvement. 10/10
Customization: Remember in Halo 3 how you could change your helmet, body AND shoulders? Well, Reach takes it further, where you can edit your Spartan from head to toe. You can choose helmets, but add UA, and lights onto them. You can customize your body, shoulders, wrist guards, knee guards, visor color, your death effect (confetti blasting at your demise etc) and more! Also, you can twist game modes, by changing speed, health, weapons, gravity, vehicles and more. You can totally alter the game to your liking, even being able to change Firefight. (Yes, you can be invincible preying on innocent, blind grunts.) 9.5/10
Conclusion: Yes, Bungie is waving goodbye to us, but this present is a worthy last entry to the series. This game is fantastic, and will be remembered for a long time. 9.5/10