Halo: Reach PC Review

With Halo: Combat Evolved, Bungie made video game history. Not only did it revolutionize first-person shooters on consoles, but it also put the original Xbox on the map, giving the console a killer app right out of the gate. The success of Halo saw Bungie work on the series for nearly a decade straight, releasing its final Halo game in 2010 before going on to create the Destiny franchise. 2010's Halo: Reach was Bungie's final Halo game, and for nine years, it's been an Xbox 360 exclusive. But now Halo: Reach has become part of The Master Chief Collection, seeing its release on PC for the very first time in the process.

Halo fans on PC have been waiting for Reach for nine years, and they should be mostly satisfied by the experience. Reach delivers one of the most emotionally-powerful Halo narratives in the entire series, serving as a prequel to the events of the original Halo and depicting the fall of the planet Reach to Covenant forces. Instead of taking on the role of Master Chief, players play as rookie Spartan Six, who joins Noble Team in an unwinnable battle against the Covenant.

Halo: Reach's campaign takes a few levels to really get going, but the second half of the story hits all the right notes. Even though anyone that's played the other Halo games will know the fates of Noble Team going into the game, it's still an effective, emotional journey and one of the more engaging Halo stories. Any strictly PC gamers that have yet to experience Reach's campaign should make it a point to do so.

Having said that, Halo: Reach on PC has some performance issues that aren't present in the Xbox 360 version of the game, mainly in the form of occasional lag and stuttering during scenes. Halo: The Master Chief Collection was once known for having lot of technical issues, so it's perhaps not all that surprising that the Reach PC port isn't quite up to the quality as fans may remember, but it's likely that these issues will be fixed in future updates.

Occasional technical issues aside, Halo: Reach has a solid campaign that's playable with friends and is quite enjoyable. However, the real meat and potatoes of the game is its multiplayer component. Playing Reach's multiplayer on PC is a revelation, with the added benefit of the mouse and keyboard setup making it feel like an almost entirely different game. Reach's multiplayer on PC runs smooth as can be, with fast-paced action, a selection of great maps, and plenty of game modes for Halo fans to try.

Playing Halo: Reach multiplayer on PC is a blast most of the time, but it still has features that may not necessarily appeal to all Halo fans. Halo purists may still not be thrilled about the armor abilities, which are still in the game despite them being controversial back when it was originally released in 2010. To remove Halo: Reach's armor abilities would be to fundamentally change the way the game plays, so it makes sense that they're still in there, but it may mean some fans won't spend nearly as much time with Reach's multiplayer as they will the multiplayer modes of other Halo games.

Unfortunately, population already seems to be a problem with the Halo: Reach multiplayer experience on PC. While standard 4v4 matches are easy enough to get into, we experienced difficulty finding games for other match types, like free-for-all. It's possible that this is due to server issues of some kind, which wouldn't be out of character for something tied to The Master Chief Collection, but it also may not be a good sign for Reach's multiplayer longevity when it comes to the PC version.

Something else that hurts the Halo: Reach multiplayer experience on PC is the lack of support for split-screen multiplayer or co-op. Split-screen has been a staple of the Halo franchise since the beginning, with only Halo 5 removing split-screen and getting quite a deal of backlash for it. Many PC game ports abandon split-screen support for one reason or another, but it's especially disappointing to see split-screen not included in a Halo game. The lack of split-screen makes it that much more difficult to play through the campaign in co-op with friends or join up with a buddy for some multiplayer matches.

The lack of split-screen also makes it more difficult for players to fully appreciate Halo: Reach's Firefight mode. Firefight, for the uninitiated, is a co-op mode similar to Gears of War's Horde, first introduced to the series in Halo 3: ODST. Firefight in Reach can be a lot of fun with the right group of friends, though they will all need their own PC and copy of the game to play.

On the bright side, it shouldn't be all that difficult for people to play the game. Halo: Reach Xbox Game Pass program, meaning that those interested in playing the game on PC can do so without actually buying it at full price. This makes Halo: Reach's lack of split-screen sting a little less, because at least the game doesn't have a significant price barrier that would keep people from playing together (assuming everyone that wants to play has access to their own PC, that is).

Halo: Reach's lack of split-screen in the PC version means it's not quite as fully-featured as the game is on Xbox 360 or Xbox One. Reach on PC also has some performance issues that weren't found in the other versions. Even so, Reach on PC generally runs quite well and the mouse and keyboard controls will make it difficult for anyone to go back and play the game on console. For some Halo fans on PC, Reach may be 10 years too late, but others will have a great time playing through the campaign, battling it out in the online multiplayer arenas, and teaming up with friends to conquer Firefight.

Halo: Reach is out now for Xbox 360, as well as PC and Xbox One through Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Game ZXC reviewed the game on PC.