Halo: Reach Details Revealed

All this month, Game Informer’s going to tease scraps of information on Halo: Reach, but if you can’t wait, All Games Beta scanned up a bunch of the pages. The whole thing’s saddled with excruciatingly minute details that would satisfy the most rabid Halo fans — and if you’re one of those people, go out and buy the magazine. Otherwise, head past the jump and we’ll break down the important bits with a handful of handy bullet points.

The most pertinent details:

• Players control a Spartan named Noble 6, part of the Noble Team. The big first for the Halo series will be an entire team of Spartans fighting the alien Covenant at the same time.
• This is a prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, and so Bungie wants the Covenant to feel dangerous again, like they did in the first game. They no longer speak in English, there’s a new enemy type called Skirmishers, who attack in packs, and the Elites are back as foes.
• Health packs are back, combined with regenerating health as in the original game.
• More stuff happening at once: Bungie says it can now cram 40 enemies and 20 vehicles in an area at once.
• New weapons: The Designated Marksman Rifle sits somewhere between sniper and battle rifle and the Needle Rifle acts like a Needler but with more accuracy and flexibility.
• Sniper rifle, assault rifle and magnum pistol return, as do frag and sticky grenades. Spike and flame grenades are out.

It seems as though Halo: Reach is trying to go back to basics with its next game, while using new technology to expand what the game can do. Maybe that’s what the series needs to get its old glory back. The Xbox 360 exclusive is due out some time this year. [via All Games Beta]