Top 5 Ways Halo: Reach Could Go Wrong

Ever since this year's E3, just about everyone has been talking about Halo: Reach; how good it's going to be or how the graphics will push boundaries, etc., etc. What a lot of people probably aren’t thinking about is what could go wrong with Halo: Reach the way some things went wrong with ODST, Halo 3 and even Halo 2. So, whether you're prepared or not, here is a top 5 for a few things that could potentially embitter gamers with the Halo: Reach experience.

1.) Graphics

There’s been a lot of talk about “in-engine” capabilities and how the game will be the Xbox 360’s answer to KillZone 2 (via Gaming Bolt). Based on the VGA debut trailer the game doesn’t look bad for it to be in-engine, but just like Halo 2 and Halo 3 before it, there’s the possibility that the LOD that we see in the cinematics aren’t entirely what we’ll get in the game. And given that the 360 is pretty much at its limit (i.e., Gears of War 2 anyone?) it would be difficult to imagine that the game would maintain the level of detail shown off in the debut trailer. Although, it would be highly surprising if Bungie managed to pull off the feat of having the game look the way it did in the cinematic.

2.) Vehicles

Halo games sort of started the trend of having multi-terrain vehicular combat in console games. While vehicles were present in previous console games such as Perfect Dark and Turok, Bungie perfected the concept with multiple players being able to buddy up in the Warthog and Scorpion (among other vehicles). So how could Halo: Reach go wrong with the vehicles? Not using them enough, that’s how. While the Xbox’s primetime FPS franchise has sported some of the most memorable gaming vehicles to date, for some odd reason Bungie rarely makes effective use of them during the campaign portions of the game. Players are usually given specific vehicles at specific times during the Halo games, with the exception of a few designated stages in Halo 3 and ODST.

3.) Frontline Warfare

I think Halo is probably one of the most popular gaming franchises featuring an epic-scaled, galaxy-sized war that players never really get to participate in. Now I know a lot of people will disagree, but why is it that players spend more time talking to sassy robots and finding alien artifacts that belong in the museum of nerdom than actually making a difference on the frontline? Bungie hints at the prospect of frontline war in each game but rarely ever delivers, unless you count The Ark level from Halo 3. Large scale shootouts usually dwindle down to corridors or winding paths in search of more of those museum relics or going on a wild goose chase because a sassy-mouthed robot told you to. If Halo: Reach continues this anti-frontline-warfare trend it could really hurt the integrity of the series in the long run.

4.) Scale of Epicness

For whatever reason, in each Halo game (not counting Halo Wars) there’s always an intense battle players are thrust into during a level that quickly diffuses into moving away into some lesser mission objective (i.e., museum artifacts). Halo: Reach is the game that signifies just how badass the Spartans are and just how big the battle for Reach really was. This could easily turn sour unless Bungie ensures that players can experience the massive-scaled encounter between the UNSC and the Covenant the way it was meant to be: pure, unadulterated, epic sized action. If players are always starting missions or reaching checkpoints where the large battles are already over with (i.e., Halo 3: ODST) it could really raise the disappointment factors for the game.

5.) Hype

This one here is a no-brainer. It’s easy for a game to fall flat with too much hype and not enough quality content to back it up. Halo 3 delivered tons of content but ultimately left a lot of gamers feeling like the experience was just barely above average. Even the long-term sales for Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST reflected that they just didn’t saturate well enough among non-fans the way Halo 2 did with only half the hype. Heck, a few months after release Halo 3: ODST dropped out of the top 10 most played XBL titles (via Punch Jump). Ouch. Bungie and MS would be wise to moderate the hype unless they can guarantee that Halo: Reach will be for the Xbox 360 what Halo 2 was for the original Xbox.