What Halo Reach Could Have Been

Spartan Armor

When I FIRST heard of Halo Reach I was thinking OMFG!  FINALLY we see other Spartans in the field of battle!

I imagined scenarios of Spartan-II’s fighting together, trying to save as many lives as possible before the ultimate destruction of Reach.  When first announcing Reach as the next Halo game, I never expected it to be based solely off the book The Fall of Reach.  However, what I ALSO did not expect was what was later announced:

A game based on the fragile Spartan-III’s (at least when compared to Spartan-II’s) and the collapse of humanity’s military stronghold planet.

At first I thought Ok…  Sounds cool.  Bungie has never let me down in the stories they made with their three main Halo titles. I’m sure I’m going to love the new game and the story that revolves around it, but I just can’t move past the disappointment of what I believe Reach should have been about…

Now, follow with me for a second and picture this.

Imagine the possibilities of Bungie doing a game based on the Spartan-II program and the deaths of most Spartans as Reach is getting destroyed by the overwhelming force that is the Covenant.  I mean, this IS after all why we ONLY see Master Chief throughout Halo 1-3 and we were constantly lead to believe that he was the last remaining Spartan.  Reach’s downfall IS the reason there are only a handful of Spartan-II’s remaining.

Creating a Spartan

So I ask you this?  Why can’t we actually LIVE through that and FEEL what happened on Reach to some of our most beloved heroes’ partners that went through that extremely arduous task to become a Spartan-II?  I wanted Bungie to dive into the history of the Spartan-II’s and what could have been such a dramatic story that lead to Master Chief saving the universe alone, without his comrades.  I mean sure, the book The Fall of Reach is all about that so why not just read about it instead?  Why not just pick up a copy and be glad Bungie didn’t tell through the history of the best warriors we have ever known?  I’ll tell you why:

Because playing through it in a game is a much deeper experience and seeing the character being brought to life on screen with Bungie’s brilliant way of storytelling would have been a phenomenal experience to go out on a bang with.

To me, Bungie is taking an unnecessary route by telling a tale of a group of Spartan-III’s (which might cause some plotholes if done incorrectly) instead of going with what, I believe, would have gave the BEST story possible.  I don’t know…  It just seems like this game is going the exact same route as ODST…  Bungie is basically saying the same EXACT things they did for ODST.

You’re playing as a group of soldiers who are not as godlike and powerful as the Spartan-II’s such as Master Chief.  You’re very vulnerable.  It lets you feel how susceptible to damage you are.

Yeah, sure, these things are great, but what happened to the Spartan-II’s on Reach?  97% of them died, didn’t they?  So doesn’t that already show that in the face of overwhelming odds, even the mighty Spartan-II’s can fall?

Angry Spartan at the death of their ally

Personally, I think that’s just a big cop out and a huge let down…

Seriously, everything they’re doing now could have easily been done with the Spartan-II’s.  NOTHING they’re doing now would lend itself as a perfect reason to use Spartan-III’s.  Nothing.  I wanted to see quick flashbacks of the Spartan-II’s being kidnapped for the program, I wanted to witness what they went through as children and the tragedies they faced as they became fully-fledged Spartans.  I wanted to LIVE through the Spartan-II’s story!

But now, what do we get?  A story about a group of Spartan-III’s that kept surviving after their missions even though they were expected to die, since Spartan-III’s are a cheaper, expendable, fire-and-forget solution to many tough situations.  Seems a lot like the ODST’s to me…

Reach Noble Team = ODSTs?

I don’t know…  I.  Just.  Don’t.  Know…  Don’t get me wrong, I’m very confident in Bungie’s skills to deliver an amazing experience for their last Halo title, but I just can’t help but to think what I believe this game should have been.  After all, if they TRULY wanted to do a GAME about the Spartan-III’s, they could have released an expansion like ODST, telling a sidestory of these seemingly weaker, but still badass group of Spartans.