Halo: Reach is a "sad goodbye" - Bungie

By Johnny Minkley Published 18 June, 2010

Studio bids farewell with "labour of love".

Bungie's final Halo game is a "labour of love" that will "push the envelope as much as possible" without "ruining the core for fans".

That's according to exec producer Joseph Tung, speaking during a behind-closed-doors E3 presentation where Bungie played through the single-player campaign mission The Long Night of Solace, which featured heavily in Microsoft's press conference.

It was the big surprise in the E3 reveal of Halo: Reach, and Bungie used the session to confirm that space dogfighting will be fully playable in four-player co-op - appearing only in a single mission.

"It takes place about midway through the campaign," explained Tung. "At this point in the campaign the Covenant are invading Reach in full force. The situation's getting pretty dire, but the second in command of Noble team has figured out a way to bring the battle to the Covenant."

The mission begins planetside with some classic Halo scrapping against Covenant forces, ably showing off the game's substantially improved visuals. But the shock of the new comes upon boarding the cockpit of a Saber craft, which blasts skywards in a moody cinematic sequence and leaves orbit as control is handed to the player.

The mission was designed by Sage Merrill, Bungie's sandbox designer, whose previous work on Crimson Skies has clearly had an influence.

"We looked at lots of other flight games that were out there," said Tung. "We didn't want to make a flight simulator for Reach, we wanted to make a very accessible, easy-to-use and fun-to-play space mission. Sage did an amazing job in nailing the Saber in that regard."

The Saber boasts regular lasers and targeting missiles, with meters for shield, hull integrity and thruster heat on the HUD. Tense combat ensues in the shadow of the looming presence of Reach, and as a visual spectacle the set-piece is undeniably spectacular.

"The Saber is limited to Campaign," said community writer Eric Osborne. "The whole mission isn't Saber; and there's something after that we're not revealing." Tung added: "You can play four-player co-op and everyone will have their own Saber in campaign."

Reach is Bungie's final game in the series it created, and Tung admitted it is a "sad goodbye" for the studio. "The team is extremely proud of the game. There's always stuff that falls by the wayside, but I think we got everything in that's critical to the game and more."

The studio also confirmed that Reach will not offer Kinect support, Tung explaining: "I wouldn't say it's not suited, but for us Kinect came online when we were already a year and a half into production and it was impossible to think about integrating it at that point."

Once development wraps, Bungie is committed to supporting the game post-launch and, while refusing to be drawn on details, Tung said: "We expect to put the same support into Reach that we did with past games.

"Reach is absolutely a full-fledged project at Bungie. The number of features you're going to see overall is greater than any other project we've shipped."

Halo: Reach comes to Xbox 360 on 14th September.

Picture of Johnny.

About Johnny Minkley

Johnny Minkley is a veteran games writer and broadcaster, former editor of Eurogamer TV, VP of gaming charity SpecialEffect, and hopeless social media addict.

Read more articles from Johnny by visiting the Johnny Minkley archive page.

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Comments (59) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 2 years ago

    Shame they aren't raising the bar; I would have been more amazed if they were.

    Also, good to hear they aren't bothering with waggle controls.
    Edited by Eraysor at 18/06/10 @ 09:23

  • altitude2k #2 2 years ago

    Sabre limited to campaign?!

    NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

  • CaptainQuint #3 2 years ago

    *wipes tear*

    Roll on Sept 14

  • leemorgan978 #4 2 years ago

    Yay it's finally going to end.

  • chrisjm #5 2 years ago

    final???

    nooooo

  • CaptainQuint #6 2 years ago

    @leemorgan

    Unlucky, Microsoft and 343 Industries are secretly ploughing away on Halo 4.

    Suck that shit up.
    Edited by CaptainQuint at 18/06/10 @ 09:46

  • Centrifugal #7 2 years ago

    Was anyone else annoyed that Eurogamer wrote "Saber" instead of "Sabre"? This isn't an American site!

  • ybfelix #8 2 years ago

    Bungie is an American studio.

  • KillerMonkey #9 2 years ago

    Saber is such an ugly word. Sabre FTW.

  • MaFlippinHeadHurts #10 2 years ago

    It's been a long time since I've looked forward to a game so much, I really can't wait for this

  • retr0gamer #11 2 years ago

    Is this a Hideo Kojima 'this is the last metal gear' goodbye or do they mean it?

  • jag10 #12 2 years ago

    @retr0gamer:

    Metal Gear Solid 4 FTW!

  • Skooch #13 2 years ago

    So many ignores, so little time.

    Really enjoyed the beta and can't wait for the full game. The beta was good but it just made me think about how cool the campaign could be and now I just can't wait.

    Gears 3, Reach and Crackdown 2 all in one year!!! Woohoo

    EDIT: Oops, getting a little ahead of myself there! Gears being next year and all.
    Edited by Skooch at 18/06/10 @ 10:43

  • sfp_noodle #14 2 years ago

    Actually, Gears of War 3 isn't out until April 2011 O.o

  • Stuz359 #15 2 years ago

    Sabre multiplayer to be DLC. You know it and I know it.

  • richardiox #16 2 years ago

    @Zandergrin "there hasnt been a great Halo game since combat evolved"

    I love the linked Gamertag feature on this site. People make outrageous comments like yours, I click on their (your) gamertag and see you havent played Halo 3 or ODST.

    If you think Halo: CE was a great game I dont know how you could rag on H3 or ODST as they use the same Halo: CE template but are improved in almost every way.

    Classic case of people thinking they hate something, out of some werid principal, without having played it. Have you played Halo 3 campaign?!

  • mcmonkeyplc #17 2 years ago

    This is probably Bungie's last halo game but 343 studios was created to take over from Bungie yonks ago.

  • DoctorFraud #18 2 years ago

    Halo Reach will own every single game released in 2010 and probably most of the games released in 2011.

    It will own in sales, quality, style, variety, gameplay, and it even has an up-to-date graphics engine now. It beats all other shooters around the face with the bloody arms it has ripped off their feeble corpes.

    Halo owns you, every one of you. Never forget that.

  • Darren #19 2 years ago

    I'm glad the Halo series is ending.

    The first game was a classic and absolutely amazing for its time, I'd definitely put it in my Top 20 Games of All-Time. The sequels have been gradually getting worse though with the over-familiarity of the setting making each new game less and less exciting than the one before it. The only reason Halo gets such acclaim is for its multiplayer and that may be well deserved but I have no interest in it, it's way too repetitive for my tastes, so my perception of the games falls entirely on how good its story-driven campaign is.

    I'm certainly more interested in Reach than I was ODST, which was a dreadful disappointment from the few hours I played it, but I want to see Bungie move onto new things instead of being stuck in a creative rut and having to churn out uninspired sequels ad nauseum. I always thought they left Microsoft to do new things but since then all they've done is two Halo games! :?

  • metalmike25 #20 2 years ago

    Please tell me someone didn't just say that a computer game 'owns' us. firstly i'm not exactly sure what that means and secondly i feel embarrassed for whoever says it.

    anyway, really hoping the spaceship fighting is good in reach as i love this kind of thing

  • crimsoneer #21 2 years ago

    Hold on, if this is the last Halo game, do we not figure out what happened to MC and Cortana after the events of Halo 3? Or was that revealed somewhere I never saw?

  • peterfll #22 2 years ago

    Well I really liked the first two, I regard the first as a classic. I also thought Halo 2 was very strong and I got a lot of replay out of it. Enjoyed 3 too perhaps not as much. Still trying with ODST. But looking forward to Reach.

  • Armoured_Gideon #23 2 years ago

    If this segment of the game is well received, I can quite easily see a spin off space shooter game or games from 343 being considered. There's a rich backstory to call on in the novels and other spin off media, so why not?

    I'm calling it, anyways.

  • Armoured_Gideon #24 2 years ago

    @crimsoneer

    Halo Reach has always been explicitly shown to be a prequel to the 'core' Halo trilogy, so whilst it's possible there will be a Master Chief cameo, it won't resolve the Trilogy plotline.

  • RedSparrows #25 2 years ago

    'but nothing comapres to THAT grass in CE'

    Oh for fuck's sake, nostalgia says 'HAIIIII'.

    Good to see the usual mooning over CE from people who never play Halo.

  • RedSparrows #26 2 years ago

    'I'm certainly more interested in Reach than I was ODST, which was a dreadful disappointment from the few hours I played it, but I want to see Bungie move onto new things instead of being stuck in a creative rut and having to churn out uninspired sequels ad nauseum'

    ....

  • theonlyix #27 2 years ago

    Reach beta was best mp ive played, and i was not all that hooked on H3 mp.
    Im sure bungie will end their Halo reign with a blast!

  • The-Bodybuilder #28 2 years ago

    >"Halo owns you, every one of you. Never forget that."

    Was I the only person playing the halo theme "never forget" after reading this (lame!) post?
    If not, I bet you are now. :D

  • coolbritannia #29 2 years ago

    Game of the decade. Also, can't wait for Halo 4, just to piss off the numptys in here slating it.

    ODST was a great game, the stripped down shooting mechanics of being a human as opposed to a Spartan made for some great tense battles. And Firefight owns you. Yes, I said it.

  • muscleblade #30 2 years ago

    @crimsoneer

    Come on. 1. Its a prequel 2. Its not the last Halo game. Its Bungies last Halo game. BIG difference.

  • Collymilad #31 2 years ago

    So everyones pissed about the fact they nerfed the pistol on Halo 2 then?

    1 was great, 2 was ok, but 3 and ODST were both well above average games. To say there hasn't been a good Halo game since 1 is fing stupid.

  • muscleblade #32 2 years ago

    "I'm glad the Halo series is ending."

    I would have thouth you of all would know better. Its not ending. A new Halo game is already in development even though it hasnt been revealed yet. Microsoft owns the Halo IP not Bungie. Bungie wouldnt be allowed to make a new Halo game even if they wanted now that they have a publisity deal with Activison. Its Bungies last Halo game not The last Halo game ffs.

    How come so many posters know so little?

  • DoctorFraud #33 2 years ago

    "All I'm saying is that Halo hasn't really changed since combat evolved"

    FAIL.

    Dual wielding, equpiment->armor abilities, vehicle jacking, Forge, Firefight, constantly evolving multiplayer modes, ODST hub world.

    An uninformed outsider says things like 'Halo has not changed'. If you know about the games you know how rediculous your statement is.

  • CaptainQuint #34 2 years ago

    Let's see how many negs this statement gets:

    The Halo series is the greatest fps series ever made.

    Maybe when Half Life 3 materialises this will change; but not until then.

  • HisDudness #35 2 years ago

    Wonder which genre they go with for their next project. Myth is still one of my fondest gaming memories, the multiplayer in that game was great, and there really is nothing like its tactical strategy on consoles as far as I know. No base building, just troop choice and maneuvering. Would be great if they revisited that genre, rather than another FPS, which is becoming an extremely saturated genre.

  • metallicorphan #36 2 years ago

    maybe MS and 343 Industries can get to work on Halo:CE and Halo 2 remakes for the 360,in the same way God of War 1 and 2 came out for the PS3

    okay i may be dreaming,but that would be very cool

  • The-Bodybuilder #37 2 years ago

    "but for me 5, 6, 7 sequels"

    Halo. 2 Sequels, and 1 prequel (ODST was more of an expansion).
    So that's 4 sequels/prequels in the series so far, less than you're numbers. So what you whinging about?

  • Paulie_P #38 2 years ago

    I'm not a Halo fan, its just not for me but I have played 1, part of 2 and completed 3. Although I don't like them personally, I don't think they're terrible games, they're just not to my taste and I don't see how people can say 3 is any worse than the 1st one.

    Note: Apart from Halo 1, my Halo 3 experience was single player - i played online to try it out and got pissed off at the idiots who played the game bouncing up and down like rabbits the whole way through the game (not really the games fault - goldeneye on the n64 had crouching assholes).

  • DoctorFraud #39 2 years ago

    @zandergrin

    Practice what you preach. You are not exchaning ideas and thoughts, you are flat-out refusing to acknowledge the advancements in gameplay, features, setting and story-telling in Halo when they are very clear to see if you had actually played the games.

  • muscleblade #40 2 years ago

    @zandergrin

    Im not angry. Just amazed at the lack of knowledge ;-).

    edit: and the new comment you made for me wasnt without its faults even if it might seem nicer. Thanks anyway.
    Edited by muscleblade at 18/06/10 @ 12:59

  • muscleblade #41 2 years ago

    @mickey2010

    Its just a rumor.

  • CaptainQuint #42 2 years ago

    I only believe that might happen purely because they got Frankie at the helm.

  • PoundHound #43 2 years ago

    I can't believe I'm saying this after being disappointed by 3 and frankly appalled by ODST - I think I'm looking forward to Reach more than any other game this year. It's clear they have made significant improvements in the graphics dept, and it just looks more fun to play than the last couple of outings. Fingers crossed.

  • WizenWolfBain #44 2 years ago

    Bungie did more with the Halo games than most developers could ever imagine. They brought competitive gaming to the Xbox, and made Xbox Live (the original) the "place to be" for social and competitive online gaming. They have intergrated great ranking systems which aren't just a copy and paste of other games. And their original "Matchmaking" system is now and industry standard, whereas before developers tended to stick with boring "optimatch". Then they made the save films/gametypes/fileshare feature, which is overlooked by virtually everyone these days, but was a marvel at the time. Pretty much every game on Xbox today has to pay it's dues to Halo in some way shape or form.

    Lets face it, the Halo 2 campaign wasn't the best. But apart from that, i see no reason why anyone who has actually given these games the time of day would dislike it, or not give it the appreciation it deserves. It appears as though some people fell out of love with Halo towards the end, probably because Halo expanded from a quaint, personal experience in to Co-op and vs multiplayer for millions of gamers. But the life cycle and community are a part of what makes Halo so great.

    I think some people just can't handle change. They wanted Combat Evolved, so Bungie pretty much ditched the Halo 2 feel and went back to the CE feel for the last games, and now someone is complaining that these games are TOO MUCH like Combat Evolved? What do you want? Blood?

  • DoctorFraud #45 2 years ago

    @zandergrin

    And I quote:

    "All I'm saying is that Halo hasn't really changed since combat evolved."

    You tell me what should change then.

    The story has evolved, controls have evolved, gameplay mechanics have evolved, game modes have been added, visuals have improved, enemies and enemy AI have evolved, even outside the game Halo has grown with constantly improving stat tracking on Bungies website.

    Very few (and I'm talking low single digits) FPS series have improved, evolved and influenced other FPS games as much as Halo.

    Having a different opinion is fine, but only if that opinion is informed and relevant.

  • Tinrib72 #46 2 years ago

    No outer space shooty for multiplayer? Guff. Co-op will have to do then.

  • Climhazzard #47 2 years ago

    Not ruining it for the core gamers?? Sorry but on the multiplayer side Bungie you've totally ruined it.

  • coolbritannia #48 2 years ago

    It's a testament to how great the Halo games are that they inspire this level of vitriol from the haters.

  • StriderRex #49 2 years ago

    'The studio also confirmed that Reach will not offer Kinect support'

    That for me was the sweetest part, I remember at the last E3 bungie said they would love to integrate 'natal' controls into Reach and my heart sunk, I didnt want bungie compromising there game for the latest fad, so im very happy to see they chose not too, still slightly worried bout hardcore games in the future, I like being able to sit back, controller in hand and play a good game, if I want to do exercise I go to the gym!
    Which I do funnily enough :)

  • Dylbot #50 2 years ago

    The beta was gash, so I pretty much expect the full game to be too. Sorry Bungie, the FPS genre overtook you a long time ago. Maybe if you didn't keep remaking Halo 2 you might not have to retire the series.

  • RedSparrows #51 2 years ago

    Zander - apologies if I was belligerent, no need for it.

    I just love me Halo, each and every one :''')

    ^^

  • man.the.king #52 2 years ago

    If this is indeed the last game in the series, surely a better choice of words would be "going out with a Bang"?
    Edited by man.the.king at 18/06/10 @ 22:51

  • icematt12 #53 2 years ago

    Other studios will still be making Halo games right? Halo Wars and ODST are the only ones I have completed, and I'm interested as to what happens to the crew of the Spirit of Fire. Tough spot for them though, big shoes to fill. I hate endings where characters just end up drifting in space.
    Edited by icematt12 at 18/06/10 @ 23:50

  • Lunatic4ever #54 2 years ago

    now i really regret being banned :/

  • BillyBrush #55 2 years ago

    Halo does so many things best in class imo,

    Especially the Ai...and resulting mix of combat which is endlessly replayable...the enemies...you get a sense of their personality/mentality. The grunts, they're not suicidal, brainless things like a ticker in gears....they have a keen sense of self preservation, join together to attack you when in a group, flee when the big brute that made them confident goes down, theyr'e a bit smarter, and (prob not in reach) a bit funny. The brutes, aggressive, not too bright, but they will come at you with brute force and little regard for...anything, including the other races battling with them. The covenant...proper warrior types, smart, tough. The crazy thing is, this does come across, and only someone who really isn't paying attention could fail to notice. Many FPS games simply do not manage this, none to the extent of Halo...even Half Life2 which is prob the best paced (and my fave purely for SP) FPS is a duck shoot in comparison, and you cannot replay it like Halo. This is where i think the people who don't like it can't understand it..if you just play through a campaign once looking for big set peices and graphics you miss the heart of the game, which is simply found in the combat, rather than the storyline pacing which is the case for other FPS games.

    And anyone who'se played a lot of halo3's MP will probably start to appreciate the solidity of everything in the game, from those underappreciated graphics right down to the physics being tweaked to perfection to allow very cool things to happen in your games, without forcing it...the sniper shot bouncing off a wall, the grenade blast that redirects a rocket...it's still popular now for a reason, those top 10 you tube vids IGN do each week....whilst they may be nerdy to watch, frankly only 1 game could create something that could run like that, have that many cool things happen. In most a kill is a kill.

    The visual feedback in MP is great also, and why it's still so popular...am i red? yep, so i shoot blue. So simple, and this imo is important, there's a dash of nintendo in there...compared to the 'is that a bush or a person?' 'blam' of COD and Battlefield. You can just jump into a game of Halo arfer however long, and away you go. Accessibility is important, and this is one thing most FPS games in terms of their MP are awful with.

    It's brilliant imo. Every game has people who like it, and people who don't...fair enough. Halo is however also simgle platform, and that platform is microsoft, so it's going to get double portions of shit talk. I think if it was multiplat it would be more/as popular as COD. Anyway the next bungie game will be multiplat, at which point everyone will start raving about it if it's as good. So...if you don't like it wait until then...then you will...in the meantime lots of people are looking forward to Reach for very good reason.



  • smelly #56 2 years ago

    Can anyone direct me towards a place where i can buy fashionable clothes?

  • coolbritannia #57 2 years ago

    Matalan is I believe all the rage

  • TexMurphy01 #58 2 years ago

    Win! Fail! Owned! Haha, whatever will you internet people think of next before the nurse sedates you?

  • higganos #59 2 years ago

    I have played the 1st halo on a mate's xbox and it was good. Didn't play 2 due to not owning an xbox and my mate never bought it. Bought halo 3 and just did not like it at all. It's just not for me for some reason.

    I just don't get it.

    Lord help us if this new one doesn't get at least a 10, as reading some comments on this site is frankly awesome for a game yet to be released. The arguments between Zandergrin and several opponents are excellent.

    Excellently stupid.