Kirby Super Star Review

Kirby Super Star

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Laboratory Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System Players: 1-2 Release: 1996 Genre: 2D Platformer / Action Rating: 8.3 \ 10.0: Great

Above are Kirby and Waddle Doo playing co-op

When I became a Kirby fan, I found that Kirby Super Star was hailed as one of the best games in the series. When Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition was released, I had a chance to experience this classic, as well as Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. While I  don't quite agree with that claim, it's still a great game. The concept is original, and it's a great one: Super Star is eight minigames, some not very mini, into one! These games are Spring Breeze, a remake of Kirby's Dream Land (now with color and copy abilities!); Dyna Blade, a small series of traditional stages topped off by a boss fight;  The Great Cave Offensive, a full-blown Metroid-style treasure hunting adventure; Meta Knight's Revenge, a series of time trials through the Halberd; Gourmet Race, a series of races against King Dedede that also requires you to pick up as much food as you can; Megaton Punch, a contest against an enemy in which you must carefully time button presses in order to punch the ground with more force than your opponent (look into the crowd in the background and you may spot a cameo from a Nintendo stars including Mario and his pals and Samus Aran); Samurai Kirby, a timing-based challenge in which you must time a shuriken throw to beat your foe; The Arena, a gauntlet of increasingly difficult boss fights that has made its way into future tiles; and Milky Way Wishes, a short but fun platforming adventure. The game's 16-bit colorful and detailed visuals are among the best of the era, a pleasant touch. You'll also be treated to some of the most recognizable music pieces in history of the franchise, most notably the Gourmet Race theme, the complete version of King DeDeDe's theme, and the Marx battle theme. All of the platforming games support co-op. By pressing a button, Player one (Kirby) can transform their copy ability into the ability's corresponding enemy (Waddle Doo for Beam, Poppy Bros. Jr. for Bomb, etc.). However, this can be a frustration, as your partner may be impatient to get back in the game when they die, and in order for that to happen, you may have to sacrifice your hard-earned ability. Additionally some of the games can get boring and difficult. Even so, Kirby Super Star is a classic, and any Kirby fan is foolish not to give it a try!

Ups
Eight games in one!
Great 16-bit visuals
Amazing music
Co-op capabilities

Downs
Co-op is also flawed
Games can get boring and difficult

Also available on Wii and Wii U (via Virtual Console)

ESRB:  E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $8.00 (Wii) (Download) / $7.99 (Wii U) (Download)

Halo 4 Review

Halo 4

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: 343 Industries Platform: Xbox 360 Release: 2012 Players: 1-4 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.0 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is Master Chief battling Prometheans with an assault rifle.\

The five-year wait for Halo 4 was made less boring by the first ever Halo strategy game Halo Wars, a look at life as an ODST in Halo 3: ODST, series prequel Halo: Reach (the first Halo game I played, and still the best), and a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved (the latter of which was developed by 343 Industries,). In 2012, that wait was put to an end. Many fans were relieved, but some were skeptical because of the new developer. However, 343 Industries did a great, but not perfect job of crafting a massively-anticipated sequel.

The story leaves off exactly four years, seven months, and 10 days after Halo 3, with Master Chief in cryo-sleep onboard the UNSC vessel Forward Unto Dawn. He is awakened by his AI companion, Cortana, when she discovers a that Covenant fleet has boarded the ship. Minor spoiler alert, the first foe you encounter is an Elite. Yes, a treaty was made with the Covenant in Halo 3 after the destruction of the Ark, and a truce with the elites was formed months before that, but this is the Covenant Remnant which cares not for the Arbiter's leadership. Near the end of the mission, it seems that Cortana malfunctions. After this, you must battle the Covenant Remnant in low gravity on the outside of the ship. During this sequence, the beloved battle rifle, which has returned, floats through space for you to snatch. You are then sucked into a gravity well and stranded on the Forerunner planet, Requiem.

Upon landing, Cortana reveals that she has attained rampancy, which causes AIs that have been active for over seven years (she has been active eight) to quite literally think themselves to death. It would be like a human thinking with so much of their brain that they would forget other crucial bodily functions, such as breathing. Master Chief than makes it his mission to get Cortana back to Dr. Halsey, but the Covenant aren't the only ones in his way. Now, he must battle the Prometheans, beings constructed by the Forerunners. He must also defeat the Ur-Didact, one of the last living Forerunners. The Didact is planning to use a super-weapon called the Composer to wipe out Earth's population. He sees them as the largest threat in the galaxy because of the Human-Forerunner War from long ago. the missions that follow this make up what is among the best campaigns in the series, and its conclusion will shock you.

The graphics are gorgeous, but the game doesn't offer many truly beautiful sights as Halo: Reach did. However, the attention to detail in the objects you interact with is astounding in campaign; from the dents and scratches on the Chief's armor, to the scaly skin of the Covenant, the visual features were a treat fro my eyes, as were the  and nearly photorealistic CGI cut-scenes. However, the Wii is capable of more impressive explosion effects, and the Spartan models in multiplayer look a little plasticky because of the slightly cartoonish visual style and lack the fantastiv armor detail presented by Reach. As a huge fan of platformers, a have no problem with cartoonish aesthetics in general, but it feels out of place in a shooter where this look isn't intentional such as Borderlands.

If you're bored with campaign, you can play three other modes in Infinity. Here, you can battle online or with friends in War Games (this has nothing to do with the classic movie of the same name-- it's Matchmaking renamed); make your own maps in Forge; or engage in the fun Spartan Ops mode, a secondary campaign of sorts in which you engage in brief ops as your customized Spartan. In Spartan Ops, your Spartan is referred to by his / her primary armor color (I'm called Crimson). However, Firefight mode, which hold some of my greatest Halo memories, has been scrapped in favor of Spartan Ops. Reach solved the problems faced by the lack of co-op matchmaking, but Infinity does not allow you to play co-op matches for the campaign or Spartan Ops. Additionally, you can only gain experience playing Infinity modes, while Reach allowed you to rank up by playing the campaign. You can only unlock armor through leveling up, rather than purchasing it with cR. You can now customize your own weapon / ability loadouts to use in War Games, which is a nice touch. However, rather than putting all of the   A great new feature is the arsenal of new Forerunner weapons. My two favorite of these weapons are the binary rifle, a rifle with incredible sniping capability that can instantly incinerate nearly any opponent (a laser sight does give away your location when using the scope); and the incineration cannon, a heavy piece or artillery that fires a massive long-range projectile that explodes upon impact, dealing incinerating those nearby and and showering more high-damage sparks. If you're not careful, you can incinerate yourself with the weapon! Speaking of weapons,  the sound design in this game is incredible. The rattle of the battle rifle, the boom of the shotgun, and that awesome shoom you hear when you fire a rocket, and everything all sound intimidating. The game also introduces many Armor Abilities, including Hardlight Shield and Promethean Vision. On the downside, 343 has scrapped nearly every feature added in Reach, most noticeably game types. The new Dominion mode, which is essentially intense slayer with base-building, is very fun, but it doesn't make up for the loss of Invasion (which this has replaced), Headhunter, and a co-op playlist. You may also notice that a few features of the multiplayer are borrowed from Call of Duty, such as some of the perks and ordinance drops. All of the Covenant foes have been remodeled, and the new forms are significantly uglier. This is meant to up the fear factor, but I don't like it. I truly don't understand these changes, as nearly 70% of 343's employees previously worked for Bungie. Although the flaws are mainly due to the fact that 343 Industries doesn't fully agree with Bungie's ideas, they've done an excellent job of making a Halo game, and a new developer is nothing to be skeptical about. Fans definitely should not skip by Halo 4 for that reason.

Ups
One of the best campaigns yet
Gorgeous (but sorta cartoonish) graphics
Spartan Ops mode
Customizable loadouts
Forerunner weapons and new Armor Abilities

Downs
Not as many beautiful vistas
Nearly all content introduced in Reach is gone
Disc 2 requires a large amount memory to download
Covenant foes have been remodeled

ESRB: M (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood,  Language, and Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

Halo 2 Review

Halo 2

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Microsoft Xbox Release: 2004 Players: 1-2 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.1 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is Master Chief battling Covenant at a temple with a battle rifle

In late 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved was released alongside the Xbox to much acclaim from both gamers and critics. In 2004, along came the sequel. The game's plot resumes right after the end of Combat Evolved, with the Halo destroyed and the UNSC celebrating their victory. The game opens in the Covenant's mobile capital city, High Charity. Thel Vadam, the Elite shipmaster that led the attack on reach, has been put on trial by the Prophets of the Covenant. The Elite is stripped of his rank and branded a heretic for failing to protect the Halo. Meanwhile, the Covenant launch an attack on Earth, and it's up to Master Chief to stop them.

The campaign has a twist-- for the first and only time in the series, you get a glimpse of the other side of the war, as several missions put you in the shoes of the new Arbiter, the disgraced Thel. The Elite shipmaster was absolved of his heretic status and made the Arbiter by the Prophet of Mercy. The Arbiter is a Covenant warrior that is chosen to gain honor through death. The Arbiter's missions include killing the leader of the heretics and retrieving an artifact called the Index from a newly discovered Halo. Some of the missions face the Arbiter with battling the human and Covenant victims of the zombielike parasite, the Flood. When the Arbiter isn't fighting Flood, he's battling the Covenant, because (minor spoiler alert), the duties of the Elites become the Brutes', and the Prophet of Mercy orders a genocide of the race, sending most Elites into hiding, and the Brutes on a hunt. This entry in the series introduces many new weapons (most notably the battle rifle and the SMG), as well as the ability to dual-wield handguns (why remove that from the series, why?). The mechanic of hijacking has also been added. It feels super satisfying to kick an enemy off its Ghost or ripping a passenger out of a Warthog, and even more satisfying to cram a grenade down the cockpit of a tank and watch it explode or to tear a pilot from its Banshee.

The plot of this game is by far the most intriguing in the series. The campaign is not only the one of the most difficult, but one of the most entertaining in the series, in my experience-- except for the mission Quarantine Zone. When you're not playing the campaign, you can engage in two-to-four player competition in Split-Screen mode, or up to 16 players via system link. There's also the new Xbox Live mode, which allows players to play team matches in a variety of sub-modes against other Xbox Live users from around the globe. This mode has been credited with defining modern matchmaking. Sadly, the mode was discontinued in 2010, along with the original Xbox Live service. I will never get to experience this mode in its original form, but I have since been able to play a near-perfect emulation in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The game features visuals that hold up well today, and rank among the best of the sixth generation. The soundtrack is spectacular, and even some of the rock songs such as the Mjolnir Mix of the Halo theme and "Follow" (by the band Incubus) are enjoyable. Although the campaign is very fun, it's occasionally very frustrating, and I can't imagine how insane Legendary difficulty is (I assume one-hit-deaths abound and individual checkpoints taking hours to reach). Additionally, sorry if this somehow spoils things, the campaign's cliff-hanger ending is disappointing. Even so, there's no denying that Halo 2 is a classic sci-fi shooter that can't be missed by fans, and if you weren't able to play the game back in 2004, it's still worth playing now.

Ups
Fun campaign
Great plot with surprising twists
You get to play as the Arbiter
Great visuals (for the sixth generation, that is)
New Xbox Live mode(?)

Downs
Rock tracks not as good as orchestrated ones
Inconveniently located health meter
Frustrating campaign (yes, it's fun at the same time)
Disappointing cliff-hanger ending

ESRB: M (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood & Gore, Language, and Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

Kirby: Triple Deluxe Review

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Laboratory Platform: 3DS Release: 2014 Players: 1 (Story Mode, Dedede's Drum Dash, Dedede Tour), 1-4 (Kirby Fighters) Genre: 2D Platformer / Action Rating: 8.8 \ 10.0: Fantastic

Above is Kirby using Hypernova to knock over a tree with a wrecking ball

When Kirby's Return to Dream Land was released in late 2011, longtime fans were thrilled to see the series return to its traditional platforming roots for the first time in years. It was the second Kirby game I ever played, and has remained my favorite entry in the franchise. After a somewhat lengthy wait comes the 3DS-excelusive sequel that is this game. The opens with a beautifully rendered cut-scene that begins with Kirby sleeping in his house when, suddenly, a massive beanstalk, pardon me, "Dreamstalk", erupts from the ground. This lifts Kirby's house into Floraria, a land located high above Dream Land. Kirby wakes up and spots King Dedede's castle entangled in the Dreamstalk. He enters the castle and discovers that the insect-like Taranza, who created the Dreamstalk, has captured his the gluttonous tyrant. Kirby decides that a perilous journey through Floraria is worth rescuing his nemesis and pursues Taranza. Triple Deluxe presents many new features, most of which you will notice in the first few stages. It's hard not to notice the game's colorful and gorgeous graphics, but that's not all. There are now Warp Stars that take you from the foreground to the background, and vice versa. This leads to creative moments. Also, the game features collectible keychains that come in the form of sprites from other Kirby games. If you don't want to collect them yourself, you can purchase them for three Play Coins apiece. Additionally, Triple Deluxe presents several new copy abilities. These include Bell, which allows you to fling deadly music notes at your foes; Beetle, which grants you the power to skewer and fling enemies with a horn and fly by holding the A button when in midair; Circus, which lets you bounce around like an acrobat and juggle flaming torches; and Archer, which grants you a bow that allows you to shoot targets from afar. Plus, Wheel is back for the first time in years! In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, inhaling was taken to the next level when the ability to Super Inhale. That feature is no longer present, but inhaling is getting taken even further with the Hypernova power-up. Found in some stages, Hypernova is used to inhale and move very large objects, as well as unravel tapestries depicting memorable classic Kirby scenes. In some stages, Bandana Waddle Dee, one of the playable characters from KRTDR will stand in the background and toss you food that you can consume when you're health bar is near-empty. This game takes great advantage of the 3DS's gyroscopic capabilities, with many scenes that require tilting the system. When viewing your keychain collection, titling your 3DS move your keychains as well. For players seeking a challenge, there are several Sun Stones hidden in each stage. Although Story mode isn't a cakewalk, it's somewhat brief. If you want to take a break from Story Mode, there are several other modes to keep you occupied. There's Theater, which allows you to view any cut-scenes you've witnessed throughout story mode; Kirby Fighters, in which you can pick a Copy Ability and face off with up to three of your friends via Download Play or play a series of seven increasingly difficult battles against CPU opponents. Some of the series' best classic tunes play in this mode; Dedede's Drum Dash, a mode in which you, playing as King Dedede, press A in tune with the music to bounce of drums and collect coins; and Dedede Tour. This mode enables you to replay story mode as Dedede after you beat it. Now come the flaws. The game lacks co-op, lowering the level of fun (although co-op in the previous game did have some issues). Furthermore, Super Inhaling and fun mini games are no longer present. Kirby: Triple Deluxe, is a great platformer that no series fan should miss out on, but I recommend the game's predecessor more highly.

Ups
New copy abilities
Hypernova power-up
Collectible keychains
Takes advantage of system's gyroscopic capabilities
New modes

Downs
Story mode is somewhat brief
Lacks co-op
Super Inhaling and minigames are gone

ESRB: E Content: Cartoon Violence Price: $39.99 (Retail / Download)


Halo 3: ODST Review

Halo 3: ODST

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Xbox 360 Release: 2009 Players: 1-4 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.0 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is Rookie battling Covenant on the streets of New Mombasa with a silenced SMG
 

Awhile ago, Halo fans may have wondered what it was like to be a UNSC Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST). When Halo 3: ODST was released, they wondered no longer. The game takes place during the events of Halo 2 (that makes me wonder why the game's title isn't Halo 2: ODST). The Covenant have discovered the location of Earth and are launching an all-out assault on New Mombasa, a port city in Kenya, Africa. Since the Master Chief is somewhere on Delta Halo, a squad of six ODSTs is dropped in pods from thousands of feet in the air into to New Mombasa (that's where the "Orbital Drop" part comes in). This squad consists of Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck, Captain Veronica Dare, Rookie, Dutch, Mickey, and Romeo. Rookie, like Noble 6 in Halo: Reach is anonymous, and with the exception of grunts and shouts, Rookie never says any word aside from a rare "ow". The latter four have real names in the Halo universe, but they're not mentioned in the game. When you crash down in Mombasa, you start off as Rookie, and you've been separated from the rest of the team. Throughout the campaign, you will switch between each soldier, with each interesting object Rookie finds leading to a flashback from the perspective of the ODST who dropped it. Up until the last two missions, Rookie's segments are rather boring-- they're 25% action, 75% strolling towards through the streets of Mombasa towards your objective point. However, the sights of the streets can be breathtaking, and little touches such as car alarms blaring and ATMs malfunctioning add to the desolate tone. The game is visually impressive the majority of time, and the sight of Mombasa at night is especially beautiful. The Halo 3 engine was reused for this game and looks better than ever, but it does show it's age occasionally. The action doesn't become the traditional intense and nonstop stuff fans are used to for Rookie until the last couple missions. ODST presents a new feature: the Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance (VISR). Activated by pressing the X button, the VISR lights up dark areas as well as highlights enemies red and allies green. By pressing Back, a menu will be opened up that allows you to view the mission map, mission objectives, and listen to the game's hidden collectible audio logs. This is an awesome feature that I'm disappointed hasn't been seen since. By discovering enough of the 52 audio logs documenting Mombassa escapee Sadie Endahsa, you can unlock perks such as an armory room and Mongooses, all of which make Rookie's segments a little more interesting and enjoyable. The campaign is difficult, a feature that is present in all Halo games, but it's not particularly lengthy. Of course, it's still very fun. Gunning down hordes of Covenant with a turret as Mickey, soaring through the night sky in Buck's stolen Banshee, blasting Banshees and Phantoms with a missile pod manned by Romeo, and racing down the coastal highway of Mombasa in Rookie's Warthog are some of the highlights of my experiences with shooters. While it's not my favorite campaign, it has more incredibly fun setpieces like this than any other game in the series. While I've become use to saving the universe as the Chief, I still enjoyed the noire style of the game, especially the moody jazz soundtrack that goes with it. If you're bored with the campaign, you can play  other modes that come on the second disc in  all of Halo 3's DLC maps: Of course, there's Matchmaking; You can make your own maps in Forge mode from Halo 3; host your own matches in Custom Game mode; and you can survive waves of Covenant in the new co-op Firefight mode that is included on Disc 1. Firefight is can feel repetive when solo, but it's a blast with buddies. Halo 3: ODST isn't my favorite Halo game, but it's still an incredible title that series fans shouldn't miss.

Ups
What's it like being an ODST? Question answered!
Tons of fun campaign moments
Game comes packaged with all Halo 3 DLC maps and modes
New Firefight mode

Downs
Campaign is shorter than usual
Rookie's segments are boring
The visuals are bland on rare instances
Firefight gets repetitive solo

ESRB: M Content: (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood, Language, and Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

Halo 3 Review

Halo 3

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Xbox 360 Release: 2007 Players: 1-4 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.3 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is, from left to right, the Arbiter wielding a carbine and Master Chief wielding an assault rifle

Halo 3 isn't my favorite Halo game (that would be Halo: Reach), but it's pretty darn good, and critics certainly agree. The game is set soon after its predecessor in the year 2552. Mankind is currently losing the war against the alien alliance known as the Covenant. The game begins with Master Chief, one of the last soldiers serving in Dr. Catherine Halsey's SPARTAN-II program, crash-landing while his armor is locked in the middle of a jungle in eastern Africa. Here, is confronted by Sergeant Major Johnson and his squad of UNSC marines. Upon regaining consciousness, Master Chief notices nearby movement, and rushes toward the potential assailant to find that it's a Sangheli, a species of Covenant, better known as Elites. Master Chief holds his magnum to the alien's chin, but Johnson hurriedly informs him that that this Elite is the Arbiter, a disgraced Covenant Fleetmaster. The Arbiter was stripped of his rank by the Prophets, the Covenant's religious leaders, and  made the Arbiter, a warrior who gains honor through death. However, the humans had formed a treaty with the Elites. This is because, in the previous game, the Prophet of Truth deemed the Elites unfit for duty due to their failure to protect the Prophet of Regret, and they were replaced by the Brutes. After this, the Elites discovered their religion was a lie. The Covenant believe that they can embark on a "Great Journey" by activating Halos, massive rings built by the ancient alien race, the Forerunners, the Covenant's gods. When activated, a Halo will wipe out all sentient life in a massive radius, which the Covenant are unaware of. The  rings were built as a last resort against the zombielike parasite known as the Flood, which is infesting Earth. The Flood are not affected by the Halos, but without sentient life to feed on, they will all eventually starve. Master Chief's mission is to destroy the Flood and its monstrous source, Gravemind, and to stop the Prophet of Truth from activating a Forerunner Artifact called the Ark. The Ark is located outside of New Mombasa, a Kenyan port city. When activated, the Ark will fire all of the Halos, wiping out all life in the galaxy. This is one of the series' deepest and most compelling plots yet. This is a pretty bad jumping-on point for players such as myself that are (in my case, were) fairly new to Halo, but it doesn't matter. But be warned, if you played Halo: Reach right before this like me, you'll be wondering why that Spartan fell from the sky and why that Elite that you would have killed in Reach (and also, by the way, let the attack on Reach) is now your ally. The game's campaign is very fun, but it can be frustrating. The difficulty level never rises much, but is always sometimes frustrating, and the game is already  pretty tough on the Normal difficulty. A nice touch in campaign is the still hilarious Covenant dialogue in battle. For the first time in the series, the game supports up to four-player co-op. This time around, everyone isn't just a carbon copy of the Chief. Every player assumes a different character, and if you're joined by someone playing as the Arbiter, the dialogue between him and the chief will become more personal. If you're tired of the campaign, players with an Xbox Live Gold Membership can treat themselves to online fun with Matchmaking in a variety of modes. As fun as playing online can be, the ranking system is very irritating. You gain experience when you win and actually rank down if you lose. This is extremely unfair, as your chance of victory relies heavily on your teammates, who can leave at any time and be penalized. Overall, Halo 3 offers both a solid online and local multiplayer. You can host a versus match with up to three of your buddies in your own home, and even more by inviting Xbox Live friends or using System Link. There's Forge mode, a new feature to the series. This mode which allows you to modify existing maps by deleting and adding weapons, vehicles, objects, and more. However, you can't place unlimited objects on your map, which is probably to prevent lag. Additionally, the mode isn't taken full advantage of, as none of the maps, are completely blank canvases. Lastly, there's Theater mode, in which you are able to view clips of recent games, and save your favorites for bragging rights. Using the new File Share, you are able to upload your Forge maps, films, screenshots, and custom game modes, of which can now be now be much more thoroughly modified. If you like what you find, you can download it for yourself. Halo 3 introduces a couple more new features. You can now detach turrets from their stands. You can also rank up in matchmaking. The game features detailed and vibrant visuals which hold up well today, and an amazing soundtrack. The collection of maps in this game exceeds the quality of that in other Halo game. The game includes remakes of fan favorites such as Last Resort (Zanzibar remade), and great originals such as Valhalla and Pit Stop. Halo 3 is an incredible game, but it doesn't hold up nearly as well as Reach. That does not at all mean that Halo and shooter fans should shy from this game, not at all. If you're and Xbox 360 owner that's allowed to play M-rated games, this is a must-have title.

Ups
Compelling story
Fun campaign
Covenant dialogue still hilarious
New modes
New abilities

Downs
Very difficult campaign
Forge item list is hard to navigate

ESRB: M (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood & Gore, Mild Language, and Violence Price: $14.99 (Retail / Download)

Halo: Reach Review

Halo: Reach

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Xbox 360 Release: 2010 Players: 1-4 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First Person Shooter Rating: 9.4 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is a player wielding an assault rifle attacking an enemy piloting a Ghost

Halo: Reach is a prequel to the original Halo trilogy. You witness the fall of the planet Reach, something fans have been waiting for since the 2001 release of the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach. It's ironic that, sadly enough, this is the last Halo game developed by Bungie, yet it falls at the start of the main series' timeline. Reach is set in the year 2552, when mankind is at war with an alliance of alien races collectively known as the Covenant. The Covenant claim the destruction of humans is the will of their gods, the long-extinct Forerunners. The aliens are opposed by the  UNSC (United Nations Space Command) army, which genetically alters a small number of selected soldiers into supersoldiers called Spartans who don powerful suits of armor with a rechargeable shield. The armor enhances reaction, strength, and jump height. (Halo fans, remember that this takes place before Master Chief is one of  the last Spartans still serving in the UNSC) The campaign begins by shows the ruins of the planet Reach, the UNSC's military stronghold. The battered and dirty helmet of your customized Spartan lies on the ground. Immediately followed by this is a flashback to a UNSC camp on Reach, where Spartan Noble Six, the character whom you assume the role of, meets Noble Team, a squad is composed of five other specially selected Spartans. Your teammates are Noble One, Carter, the bold, no-nonsense leader of Noble Team; Noble Two, Catherine (better known as Kat), the team’s techie who has a robotic prosthetic arm (it was lost in a prior battle); Noble Three, Jun (pronounced "June"), the team’s sniper; Noble Four, Emile, a witty but sometimes silent soldier who has a dome-like helmet with a  skull painted on it and carries around a machete; and Noble Five, the bulky Jorge, who’s brutal in battle but has a big heart.

Noble Team’s first mission is to investigate distress signals coming from a farm. The action takes awhile to heat up, but when it does, you’ll realize that, even on Normal difficulty level, this game is no cakewalk, especially when you try to tackle it on your own. You’re sure to encounter frustrating moments. You can engage in two-to-four player co-op, which eases the trouble, unless you have the world’s worst partner (my brother), who sabotages the mission in any way possible. The battles in this game are on a larger scale then ever before. You can see the charred remnants of mountain ranges and cities, and look up at the sky to see dogfights between Banshees and Falcons. It's even possible to be crushed by Banshee debris. Something you’ll notice right away is how amazing the game looks by Xbox 360 standards, especially during cut-scenes. I’ve found that I’m one of the only people I know who enjoys cut-scenes or even the campaign. The campaign’s story, while not very deep, is compelling and has several twists. But the campaign isn’t all there is to the game. Of course, for those who have an Xbox Live Gold Membership, there’s Matchmaking-- online multiplayer. There are a massive number of game types in Matchmaking, including old favorites like Slayer, Capture the Flag, and Oddball. There's also a handful of new modes, my favorite of which is Headhunter. In this game type, every player starts off with the possession of a single flaming skull. More skulls are scattered throughout the map. To earn points, you must deposit these skulls at a zone. Upon dying, you will drop any unbanked skulls you have on you, and if you hold the maximum number of 10 skulls, your location will be revealed to enemies. There is also a new co-op playlist that allows you to play the campaign or Firefight in a matchmade game for the first time. Nowadays, games are focused on having solid online multiplayer, and not only does Reach do that, but it delivers some of the best local multiplayer options of any game I've ever played. Returning from Halo 3: ODST is Firefight, a mode in which you’re given 10 lives (bumped up from seven) to fight for your life in various sub-modes. You are now able to customize nearly every aspect of the game, from the loadouts to the traits of Spartans and Elites. You can also host a Custom Game, which allows you to play any Matchmaking mode offline with friends, or invite your Xbox Live friends. You can set your own rules and also save your presets as a new game type. This feature allows even those that hate shooters to have some fun. You can turn Reach from an FPS to a racer to first-person hide-and-seek; as the countless Halo: Reach game nights you can view on YouTube show, the possibilities are near-unlimited. Furthermore, there's Forge, a mode returning from Halo 3 which allows you to modify  maps with limited supplies and play on them with pals. Forge has been vastly improved, as you can now create structures. Lastly, there's Theater, in which you can watch and edit films of recent sessions, and pause to take screenshots of your favorite moments. Pics, films, maps, and custom game types can all be uploaded to the File Share for other Reach players to enjoy. You are still able to recommend a file to all your friends by selecting a single option, You can now obtain credits (cR) in order to purchase various items and also level up. This includes armor, which is just to look awesome; Firefight voices, if you don't enjoy Noble Six's voice in Firefight; and armor effects. There are daily challenges that give you a chance to earn cR. However, a large amount of these challenges can only be completed by playing Matchmaking, which I only sometimes. Your military rank can now be increased outside of Matchmaking, so you don't need to play Matchmaking for people to know how good you are.  There is a handful of new weapons, including the designated marksman rifle (DMR), the grenade launcher, the target locator (human weapons), the Plasma Repeater, the Plasma Launcher, and the Concussion Rifle (Covenant weapons). However, it's missing a few old favorites, such as the battle rifle, the submachine gun (human), the carbine, the beam rifle, and the Brute shot (Covenant).  You can't even dual-wield handguns (nor could you in Halo 3: ODST, released the previous year)! There are two new vehicles: the Falcon, a helicopter with two turrets (human), and the Revenant, a sleek, red vehicle equipped with a plasma mortar, boosters, and a passenger seat (Covenant). But the game is missing the Hornet (human), the Chopper, and the Prowler (Covenant). Even so, it's more important what a game does have over what it doesn't. However, the game suffers from occasional but brief frame rate drops despite the annoyingly lengthy load times, which are there to pre-load the games and prevent lag. Last of all, and this is self-explanatory if you've played a Halo game, the aforementioned visuals and orchestrated soundtrack are absolutely amazing. Halo games have always had great graphics, but the engine was drastically overhauled over the course of development. Halo 3: ODST doesn't have much on Reach in the visuals department! The vistas are gorgeous, and the character detail has been vastly improved. Examples of this are the dents and scratches on Spartan armor. The musical score is arguably composer Martin O'Donnell's best work yet, and while many of the tracks sound similar, they're all epic and intense. From gameplay, to graphics, to content diversity, there are few times when Halo: Reach ceases to amaze. If you’re an Xbox 360 owner who’s of age to play M-rated games (even though this game shouldn’t be rated M), then this game is a absolute must-have.

Ups
Great campaign
Content diversity

Don't like shooters? Not a problem!
Amazing visuals and soundtrack
New weapons and vehicles
Tons of new content

Downs
Sometimes very difficult
Daily challenges are overly focused on Matchmaking
Missing weapons and vehicles
Lengthy load times

ESRB: M for Mature (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood, Language, and Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)