Halo: Reach (PC) Review

Halo: Reach (PC)

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie (Original) / 343 Industries Platform: PC Release: 2019 Players: 1-16 (Varies by mode) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.0 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is the game running at a high field of view with a centered crosshair, which is only possible in thus port.

NOTE: This review will mostly be comparing the original version of Halo: Reach to this port, rather than evaluating Reach as a whole. For my more detailed but slightly outdated thoughts on the game, check here.

I've been a huge Halo fan for years, but my interest in console gaming, especially when it comes to Xbox, has significantly reduced since getting a gaming PC in 2016. Because of this, I was absolutely thrilled by the announcement that Halo: The Master Chief Collection would be coming to Steam, now including Halo: Reach, my favorite first-person shooter of all time and the only main game in the series to have not yet been added to the compilation. The prospect of being able to play one of my favorite games at a high resolution, framerate, and field of view with my preferred method of input on my current favorite platform was extremely exciting, and I felt more anticipation for this port than I have for most other games. My sky-high expectations were not quite met, but I am definitive satisfied with the end product.

Almost every bit of content from the original release is present, including the great campaign, every multiplayer map (DLC included), and the excellent horde mode, Firefight. The only significant omission as of the time of writing is the map-editor, Forge, which will be added in the future. Other minor features, such as the File Share browser, the campaign co-op and multi-team matchmaking playlists, and the daily challenges have also been left out, but these are by no means deal-breaking changes. The most disappointing exclusion, and one that is not guaranteed to return like Forge mode, is split-screen play. Given the sheer number of indie games available on PC that are intended to be played with friends by your side, it surprises me that PC ports of triple-A games more often than not choose to omit the ability to play in split-screen even when it is available in the console versions, and Reach is sadly the latest victim of this trend. This may not be a necessary feature, but Halo is a series that is much more closely associated with local multiplayer than most others, so I was hoping that it would return in this port.

The most obvious changes in this port are the technical improvements; as mentioned previously, you can play the game at a high resolution and framerate if your PC can handle it, and the game has run without any hitches for me. It even performed smoothly on my fairly weak laptop, which was a present surprise. Although this is a well optimized port, the lack of graphical options is baffling - the only settings that can be tweaked are the resolution and the overall graphical quality, which is ridiculously bare-bones in a day and age in which most PC ports allow to modify every aspect of thee visuals, from anti-aliasing to texture detail to shadow quality. To give the developers some slack, the lack of options may bee a result of how difficult this once Xbox 360-exclusive title was to make compatible with hardware it was never meant to run on, but it is disappointing nonetheless.

One of my favorite additions, and one that applies to all games in The Master Chief Collection, is the ability to search for multiple game types at once. I enjoy most modes in Halo, and being able to search for whichever modes I feel like without searching for only one at a time keeps the gameplay varied and reduces queue times. I was mildly annoyed by the fact that selecting any of the variants of Slayer in my search practically guaranteed that I would be placed in nothing but Slayer matches, but this is simply due to the mode's immense popularity.

For the most part, my online matches were free of noticeable lag, but there has been an issue that has appeared in far more of my matches than I would like - kill trading. Despite the majority of the game's weapons being hitscan (meaning that, rather than simulating a projectile, the bullets are programmed to immediately hit their target when the trigger is pulled), it is possible for two players to kill each other at the same time with these weapons. This has happened to me only a few times, but a much more common issue is melee trading - if two players attempt to land a melee death blow at about the same time, it's more than likely that both of them will die. This has happened to me dozens of times, and despite not seeing many reports of this phenomenon online, all my friends with whom I've played the game have experienced this as well. This isn't a game-breaking issue in my eyes, but is could definitely turn PC players who are less tolerant of technical issues like this away from the game.

Some features have been altered rather than removed, most notably the progression system. Reach has many detractors for a variety of reasons, but one aspect of the original game that was near-universally liked was the credits system. Players earned credits for playing every mode in the game that functioned as both experience points and currency. These credits were spent on new armor pieces for players' customizable Spartans, and more pieces became available to purchase as players' leveled up by earning more credits. The prices of armor pieces were unreasonably high at times, but this is still a functional system. Some major changes have been made to the progression system in this port; you can earn experience points exclusively through matchmade games, and will receive one season token upon leveling up. All the armor pieces from the original release are still present, but they are now unlocked in an entirely linear order reminiscent of the battles passes present in a variety of contemporary titles. One season token can be exchanged for a piece of armor that is unlocked in a set order. You must buy a piece to be able to buy the next, thus rendering the tokens a completely pointless middleman. Although I am grateful that Reach's excellent customization was not compromised for its MCC remaster in the same manner as Halo 3 and 4, I am disappointed by this new unlock system that removes all the player agency that was present in the Xbox 360 version.

Overall, the PC version of Halo: Reach is absolutely worth purchasing. It has its issues, but the already excellent gameplay has been enhanced by the visual upgrade with very few downsides. Whether you've played the game extensively or never touched a Halo game before, this is a port that is definitely worth checking out.

Ups
Keyboard and mouse controls feel fantastic

Support for uncapped framerates, 4K, and high field of view

Almost all gamemodes, maps, and DLC are present
Multiple multiplayer modes can be searched for at once
The gameplay has remained practically untouched

Downs
Minor features from the original release were omitted
Lack of graphical options
Completely linear armor unlock system
Server issues lead to frequent kill trades

ESRB: M Content: Blood, Mild Language, and Violence Price: $9.99 (Digital)