# Halo: Reach **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 19, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284 "2010-09-19T14:03:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/1 "2010-09-19T14:03:51Z")
There are only like 700,000 people playing it at pretty much any time, day or night, so surely some Dopers are out there, right? How are you liking it? Spoiler stuff for the campaign, I suppose. Matchmaking is really \*really \*good. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/2 "2010-09-19T14:31:01Z")
Just finished playing some matchmaking. I didn’t think it could get any better than Halo 3 but this seems to be a notch above. It is growing on me and I can see me playing this for awhile. Campaign was short though. Only took me and my son about 8 hours to finsh it on Heroic. Going to run through it on Legendary next time he comes over. My one complaint is that this game is dark. Everything seems to blend into the background. Makes it really hard to see the enemies. Might just be my TV settings though. I’ll have to check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/3 "2010-09-19T14:53:45Z")
Yeah, matchmaking is really well done, especially when most developers are still catching up to Halo 2’s matchmaking mechanics. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/4 "2010-09-20T04:22:51Z")
I just finished the campaign. I was [spoiler]a bit disappointed by the end. I’ve never played a game where if you win the campaign, you die. (For that matter, if you lose the campaign, you die). I get that the mood is supposed to be dire, but jeez. And what the hell, Cortana had chosen me! Me! For what, I don’t know – apparently to courier her over to the next guy, like a pizza delivery. And Keyes didn’t even tip, asshole. In Halo 3’s prelude, Cortana spoke about how she chose Master Chief, and had chosen well because he was lucky. I guess she chose my character because he was a sap who’d stay behind and shoot stuff and die. Bitch. It also doesn’t make sense that Cortana chose MC; MC was _the last Spartan_, what other choice was available? I figured toward the end that _I_ was Master Chief and just didn’t know it yet. When the Autumn took off, I was figuring I’d end up in a Sabre somehow and catch up to the ship. Instead we get that bummer “kill until you’re overwhelmed” bit. We could have at least _met_ Master Chief, dammit, or heard his voice, or Jezus, _some_ hint about that guy, but he was too busy in the tanning salon on the Autumn or something.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/5 "2010-09-20T06:04:34Z")
I thought the game was very pretty, but formulaic. Play one Halo and you get the entire experience. Halo multiplayer got old for me when H2 was released, so I only get the game really for the campaign mode. After shelling out 60 bones for ODST, I was not gonna be disapointed again and simply rented Reach. Loved it like a one night stand. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/6 "2010-09-20T06:29:41Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I just finished the campaign. I was a bit disappointed by the end. I’ve never played a game where if you win the campaign, you die. (For that matter, if you lose the campaign, you die). I get that the mood is supposed to be dire, but jeez. Just wanted to comment on that [spoiler]I wonder if thats a planned move on the part of bungie, to make sure that there would be no more halo franchise for them. I can’t see Microsoft just letting the franchise go to the dust bin of history, when it makes them 200 mil on release, so its just a matter of who Bungie/MS sells the franchise to. So in the short term, noble six is not the Master Chief, but he isn’t a bad game character either. In a way I liked the ending, it was not vague like H3 and the fate of the Master Chief. Six went out in a blaze of glory. I think also that the game diverged a bit from the book, the master chief planting the nuke that leveled the city, so we should have at least had a cameo appearance from him, concidering he wakes up from cold sleep onboard the autumm. [/spoiler] Declan ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/7 "2010-09-20T11:48:32Z")
343 Studios is taking over the Halo franchise for Microsoft. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/8 "2010-09-20T16:05:21Z")
> [@Amp](#): > > My one complaint is that this game is dark. Everything seems to blend into the background. Makes it really hard to see the enemies. Might just be my TV settings though. I’ll have to check it out. Did you check your in-game brightness setting too? I usually like to bump the brightness way up on FPS games, even to the point that it’s washing out because otherwise I can never see shit. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/9 "2010-09-20T17:12:03Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > > [@Amp](#): > > > > My one complaint is that this game is dark. Everything seems to blend into the background. Makes it really hard to see the enemies. Might just be my TV settings though. I’ll have to check it out. > > Did you check your in-game brightness setting too? I usually like to bump the brightness way up on FPS games, even to the point that it’s washing out because otherwise I can never see shit. Seconded. I had to turn up the Reach settings to the highest brightness to see anything. Had to do the same thing for Gears of War - this is a troubling trend for people with shitty maxed-out TVs like me. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/10 "2010-09-20T17:45:11Z")
Reach is my first Halo game ever. And boy, aren’t the 8 year old boys pwning me. LOVING THE HELL out of Headhunter and Oddball. Just wish CTF was in the Rumble Pit. **Is it possible to play CTF with complete strangers?** ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/11 "2010-09-20T17:46:32Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > Seconded. I had to turn up the Reach settings to the highest brightness to see anything. Had to do the same thing for Gears of War - this is a troubling trend for people with shitty maxed-out TVs like me. I haven’t had the light problem yet. But Damn, I would love to play my copy of Dead Rising on my Old CRT TV. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/12 "2010-09-20T17:49:10Z")
And Yes, please use spoiler boxes on the Campaign. I’m lost as far as the story goes, but I just got as far as Some Scientist Doctor type, in a Hanibal Lecter type cell, complete with slide tray, and of relation to someone on Noble Team?! Oh, and I guess it would help if I knew what “Winter Contigency” meant. Prequel MY ASS. I thought I could go into Reach knowing nothing of the Cannon. I was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Miltonyz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Miltonyz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miltonyz)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/13 "2010-09-21T00:27:25Z")
I’m playing as much as I can fit in. I am really enjoying the class types it feels like it really changes the game dynamic. For background I played Halo quite a bit including using a tunneling service to play online. I played Halo 2 a ridiculous amount. By the time Halo 3 came out I tired of it very quickly, there was not enough difference from 2. It’s too early to tell but I’m thinking that Reach will keep me engaged for longer. I also love firefight mode. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/14 "2010-09-21T06:13:11Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > And Yes, please use spoiler boxes on the Campaign. I’m lost as far as the story goes, but I just got as far as > > Some Scientist Doctor type, in a Hanibal Lecter type cell, complete with slide tray, and of relation to someone on Noble Team?! > > Oh, and I guess it would help if I knew what “Winter Contigency” meant. > > Prequel MY ASS. I thought I could go into Reach knowing nothing of the Cannon. I was wrong. Thats doctor Halsey, she is the person that Cortana was modeled on Been a while since I read the book, but I think winter contingency is basically scorched earth stragedy. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/15 "2010-09-21T13:05:23Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Reach is my first Halo game ever. > > And boy, aren’t the 8 year old boys pwning me. > > LOVING THE HELL out of Headhunter and Oddball. > > Just wish CTF was in the Rumble Pit. **Is it possible to play CTF with complete strangers?** It is, but it’s better with people you know. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/16 "2010-09-21T18:20:21Z")
Thought I should mention that spoilers are showing up in tapatalk. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/17 "2010-09-21T18:33:42Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > > [@Meeko](#): > > > > **Is it possible to play CTF with complete strangers?** > > It is, but it’s better with people you know. I think only 2-3 of my friends have Reach. Not that they are ever on at the same time. How do I play CTF with strangers? Do you need Gamertags before you start? ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/18 "2010-09-21T19:22:17Z")
I think I may like Reach the best out of all the Halos…but does anyone else think that the Covenant is WAY too good at hitting you with plasma grenades? I’m only on Heroic, but they can stick them directly to my head from a mile away. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/19 "2010-09-22T11:50:44Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > > [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > > > It is, but it’s better with people you know. > > I think only 2-3 of my friends have Reach. Not that they are ever on at the same time. > > How do I play CTF with strangers? Do you need Gamertags before you start? Xbox Live. Register a Gamertag, get online, and play. If you don’t have a Gamertag, you can create a Gold one that’ll get you playing online for free (for a month). After that, they’ll ask that you pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284/20 "2010-09-23T01:32:14Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > I think I may like Reach the best out of all the Halos…but does anyone else think that the Covenant is WAY too good at hitting you with plasma grenades? I’m only on Heroic, but they can stick them directly to my head from a mile away. No shit. I finished it on Heroic but only because I was playing co-op. That was harder than Halo 3 on Legendary. I am now trying to do it solo on Legendary. At the rate I’m going the next gen consoles will be out by the time I finish. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-reach/554284.md?page=2)