Overall: 8.7

This game is a really great game. It offered me over a year of entertainment, and could've offered me much more. Campaign-wise, the game does a very good job of telling the story of what happened on the planet Reach. I warn you, though. It's not a very happy story. I'm not going to spoil anything, but yeah, it's pretty sad. Multiplayer-wise, the game has 4 types of gameplay. Regular multiplayer, where you get to kill all of your friends like you used to in all the Halo games. They added a few new aspects to multiplayer, though. First off, there's a new game-type, Invasion, which puts Spartans against elites in a fast-paced objective game where you have to unlock two doors, and then capture a core. (Whether Spartans or elites do it depends on the map.) Second, they offered us this new feature, armor abilities. These include abilities such as Jet Pack, it's a jet pack, Evade, you quickly roll on the ground; this is good for escaping tight situations, Armor Lock, you quickly punch the ground and become invincible for a short time, and can also kill fast-moving vehicles if they run into you, Invisibility, do I need to explain invisibility? Sprint, you run, shield, you create a bubble shield that not only protects you, it heals you, and also your comrades. And finally, you can create a clone of yourself to confuse your enemy. There was a name for that, but unfortunately, I can't think of it right now. Another type of multiplayer is Firefight. You and at most 3 more people are put up against constant waves of Covenant forces. The game has many types of set-up. You can control what enemies come out, their transportation, your health, your guns, basically every aspect. You can even become an elite and fight for the Covenant. Third, is custom multiplayer. It's multiplayer that you as the player may set up. You can control what ordinance the players get, basically everything, except the map, which brings me to the final type of multiplayer. Forge. Forge is one of the greatest things about this game. There's tens of thousands of maps that players create, and they create some very professional maps. Some better than the creators of the game. Overall, though, this game has a ton to offer, and can offer years of entertainment. I give this game an 8.9 overall. And I think that's pretty fair.

Graphics: 7

This game's graphics are very good compared to past Halo games. Overall in the Xbox universe, they're not the best. The textures are very good, but the game itself doesn't really look very realistic. But then again, it's a game set 500 years into the future. It's got some pretty mind-blowing levels, and maps. They put a lot of detail into the little things. I feel this is the right time to bring this up, you can customize your spartan's armor for a cool look. But that's not even the cool part. Whatever your spartan looks like, in the Campaign, you play as Noble six. Or you. The spartan you play as is your spartan in the campaign. I like that little touch that they added. They added tons of new armor pieces and visor colors, it's really difficult to choose. But this game's graphics are very good compared to other games. The game has some glitches, though. Sometimes when you die, your character stays erect, or even continues to run. But that's rare. Sometimes an unknown force will launch you outside of the map, and sometimes, there's lag. Nobody can help that, though. Overall, the graphics of this game are average, but they're definitely not the worst of all. The graphics of this game get a 7. How's that sound?

Sound: 8

This game's sound is very good. That's the one thing about Call of Duty that never matched up with Halo. Their sound. I'm not picking sides in the whole Call of Duty vs. Halo conflict, either, so don't private message me insulting me because I'm a Halo fan. Haha. I'm just messing around. But the game's sound effects are very precise, and good. They're all synchronized to your actions, or others' actions. They even hinder your hearing when grenades of certain distance explode. The gun's sounds are very good too, and realistic. Unlike Halo 3's assault rifle, which sounded like a type-writer. But this game's music is what has impresed me most. Halo's music has always been pretty legendary. You can go up to most teenagers today, and they'll all know what Halo's main theme sounds like, am I right? This game had its own theme song that was very good, again, using a full orchestra. They also did a great job of setting the mood, for the sad moments, the action-packed moments, and the suspenseful moments. It also sounds very good, so that's a plus. Overall, Halo: Reach's sound quality gets an 8. That's pretty high for Xbox 360 standards.

Addictiveness: 9

This game is extremely addicting. It has 4 types of gameplay, so you have tons of things to try. Not only that, each type is fully customizable except for Matchmaking (Online multiplayer) Forge alone can offer years of entertainment. If you like to create stuff, Forge is your game. There's infinite possibilities as to what you can build. So you'll never get too bored. Online multiplayer will take a long time too. I've been playing for over two years, and I'm not nearly the maximum rank that I can be. It's that long. Plus, there's custom games, where you can create any type of game from Capture the Flag to old-fashioned Halo Slayer. You can control nearly all aspects of the game, including how fast you run, how high you jump, your player gravity, and even where you respawn. It's that cool. You can even view your past experiences through screenshots or even videos of that funny kill you got, or that cool position your friend got killed in. So you'll have endless entertainment with this game. This game's addictiveness gets a 9. That's very good.

Story: 7

This game's story is very sad. Little to nothing good happens in this game, so if you're overly emotional, stay away from this game's campaign. But this game's storyline is very informative. It tells of the events that happened just before the start of Halo: Combat Evolved, which is cool. You get to see things that may be familiar to you from the other Halo games. It's neat to see. Also, since this was Bungie's final Halo game, they loaded this game with neat little easter eggs. They even have a tribute room dedicated to the last ten years of gaming with them. It's quite a memorable thing to see. (No I will not tell you where it is, how to get to it, or what gametype it's in. And yes, I've been to it. It's not easy to get to.) So yeah, this game's story is very fluent, and makes you truly feel like you're trying to save this planet from being destroyed by the infamous Covenant that we love oh-so-much. So for having a great storyline, with some neat little plot twists, this game's storyline gets a 7, which is average.

Depth: 9

This game offers a lot, from getting achievements to building maps in Forge. The campaign alone could offer you months of entertainment from trying to complete difficult feats to completing the daily and weekly challenges that they've provided for you. These challenges range from all game-types except Forge and theater, by the way. The challenges gain you credits, which go toward, first off, leveling up, and second, you can buy all sorts of various armor parts for your Spartan. Getting all of them will take tons. The weekly challenges are always worth more than all the daily challenges. That means they're more difficult to complete. That also means they're worth more credits. As I explained earlier, Forge can offer years of entertainment, combined with custom games, and other sweet things you can do. This game's depth gets a 9. This is a very big game.

Difficulty: 9

This game's difficulty ranges from easy as pie, to being as difficult as they get. The thing about this game is the Multiplayer. There are some people out there who are tons better than you. Some people will make you look like a beginner again. Don't underestimate anyone. As for the Campaign, it has four difficulties. Easy, Normal, Heroic, and Legendary. Each difficulty being harder than the next. The thing about the campaign is, the enemies are much more intelligent. If you play on Legendary, they'll know exactly how to kill you. You cannot make mistakes. You will die. Don't underestimate them, either. As for the other difficulties, for multiplayer, it ranges from beginner to pro, and for Campaign, it ranges from easy to break-the-disk difficult. So overall, this game's difficulty gets a 9. They really do a good job of making a range of difficulties in these modern games, don't they?

Wrap things up...

If you haven't played this game, I highly recommend it. If you haven't played the other Halo games, no worries, this takes place before them. So you won't be lost at all. It's a very good game, and has so much to offer. It's hard to resist. The music is legendary, the enemies are unique, and you'll just never be bored playing this. It's so fun. It's really difficult, and yet very easy. The control scheme is simple, and customizable, so you can play however you want. I really enjoyed playing this game. It's not my favorite Halo game out there, but it's up there. (My favorite is Halo 2, by the way. I love that game! ) So yeah. Go play this game. Do it now. Haha. If you do play it, just remember the tips I told you, and also, try to have fun. Although it wouldn't be too hard. There's something for every first person shooter lover out there. So good luck, and again, have fun!

The Planned Accident : Oh wow, I saw this coming lol

I have to say that this game is pretty fun to play online. I always played it with friends and my brothers. I have to agree that the story is pretty darn sad, I didn't like the ending myself. I tried 3 times to see if I could get a different one but it always turned out the same way. The music I always enjoyed hearing from the Halo games unlike Call of Duty. I don't even notice Call of Duties sound track because it sounds so bland and generic. My favor armor to use was the one that made you invisible for a short time, I always had a fun time killing my opponents with that energy sword. Overall this game is very addicting to me as well. I would love to play it with you ( even if Halo 4 is already out at the time ).

* Oh and great review James, very detailed and well put together  .

I am personally not a BIG fan of the Halo series. In fact, I don't like it. At all. But I'll give this game credit, it can give the fans something to have fun with. The story is okay, and the gameplay is alright.

I love the Halo series. The games are so fun to play, and the online community is great. I usually like to shoot my cousin in the back on story mode if he piss me off. I miss playing this game. Great review to on a excellent game.

Yes this was and excellent game.   I played it for countless hours.  I would sometimes not even sleep I was so into it lol.  Wonderful review.  The games quality is like no others.  I believe that this coming Halo 4 will revolutionized Halo Gaming as Reach did before it.

Very VERY well done review, keep this style up! Anyways, I didn't really like Reach, mainly because at that point I thought that they were milking the Halo name at that point