Quote: Just got the magazine. Here is my summarized version:


-There are not 300 people working on Reach. It's more around 70-130, because they're also working on their new IP

-Elite councilor head perms are back, as well as a number of
other permutations for their armor. They've been redesigned from the skeleton up

-Every weapon has a specific role. "There were so many different weapons and grenades that it wasn't clear to the average player why they woud pick this over that for a particular encounter."--Sage Merill

-Human weapons hit more or less instantly after pulling the trigger (no more frame lag or frozen BRs)

-The sniper rifle's shot interval will be reduced to make it less powerful (sorry MLG)

-Grunts wont be squealing jokes and making pratfalls.

-The Halo theme will not be returning, but Marty says motifs may reappear in some way or another.

-Halo: Reach isn't Halo 4. Bungie doesn't even consider it a continuation to the other Halos. They see it as a stand alone game, and they're approaching it as such

-The Needle Rifle is a cross between the Carbine and the Needler, and 3 shots will make an explosion. It is capable of Headshots

-There's a new variation to the grunt, nicknamed the "Keg Grunt" for the large barrel tank on its back.

-The skybox is 3D and will feature dynamic lighting effects with the clouds and weather

-Elites look like badass in a cup to go

-The rest of Noble Team, save for your player Noble 6, will fill similar rolls to the computer controlled Arbiter or ODSTs. Joseph Tung, who worked on Halo 3's multiplayer, played a demo and he didn't have to acknowledge his teammates in order to progress

-Squad battle mechanics are absent

-Reach's health system is similar to that of Combat Evolved and ODST. THe shield will not recharge as quickly as Halo 3's


"Nothing in the game is finished...A lot of the guys on the floor would not be happy we're showing off the game at this point" -- Tung

-The current build is low resolution and a little flat, but already has more detail than halo 3.

-70% of the game is complete and the campaign is nearly fully playable. So although there's a lot of place holders and it's not fully finished, most of it is done.

-The older engine was 'gutted' and no component of it was left untouched.

-If you see a far off battle, their actions are automated. As you approach them, they become scripted. When you're right there in the action, they gain full AI and interact with you.

-The AI can choose to perform their actions. If you stumble upon Elites forming up on a door, they can decide whether to pursue you, or continue with the door. If they do the former and kill you, they will return to the door

-The Spartans don't do everything with their helmets on (meaning we'll get to see all of their faces)

-Your appearance will be persistent across multiplayer, singeplayer, and co-op, even though alternative armor types won't grant special abilities (No perks!)

-You will get to personalize your character with a wider variety of different armor

-Equipment is now persistent instead of a one-time use. Sprint lasts a few seconds. After a brief cool down time, you can use it again.

-Sage Merrill (remember the beard) says "You would come across some item that was shiny, so maybe you'd pick [it]up and maybe you wouldn't, and you'd get an icon, some abstract thing in your hub. Because it was for a one-off use, you'd end up saving it, thinking 'i'm going to keep that till the encounter when i really really need it', and then: 'Oh, The mission's over'."

So Armor Abilities were redesigned to work into the general combat cycle, so you'll use them as much as grenades.

-Camo and Sprint are confirmed, with the power drainer and gravity lift expected to fit in somehow

-The Skirmishers were so difficult to fight that Tung couldn't even kill one of them (noob at your own game lol)

-The DMR has a 3x scope and overlaps many of the BR's strengths. However, Bungie isn't sure whether they want to get rid of the BR.

-The Radar now locates targets in 3D space using Elite-style lines

-Your normal visor highlights environmental features and overlays info about them. The ODST nightvision is also back

-on the pause screen there are 'Grades' and 'Credits', but Bungie isn't prepared to discuss them yet. This probably has to do with customization

-The Assault Rifle has been completely remodeled. It sounds much more powerful, and smoke and bouncing sparks are seen whilst firing it.

-No more pink needler fire

-The plasma pistol delivers punchy bursts of energy, hitting home with a fizzing impact. It also delivers a scorching blast that burns whatever it hits. No more bright balls of color flying through the air

-Explosions have been redone. They're dirty, lingering, and...explosive

-It appears Jorge's weapon is an LMG flamethrower hybrid. He has rounds coming from a barrel that resembles a fire canister, but it has yet to be confirmed. For now he's a 'heavy weapons specialist' which means 'All of the Above'.

-Emile is holding what resembles a grenade launcher in some concept art

-Reach's third mission takes place at night, allowing you to take full advantage of the active camo ability and the assassination moves

-The Turret rains showers of sparks that bounce off of terrain in real time

-Enemies and Allies feature higher resolution renders and more polgyons

-The green monocle from Combat Evolved is on many of the Marines once again!

-In case it hasn't been made clear, Bungie is referencing Combat Evolved A LOT for Reach

-All of the new enemies, weapons, and vehicles that are on Reach that didn't make it into the other games could be assumed that they didn't make it off of Reach. This is the prime of the Covenant, and they brought everything they had to Reach for the invasion.

-Animations are smoothly blended. Movement, walking and running, as well as jumps, 'nade throwing, and firing are all revamped

-Bungie is using motion capture, but they'll also be animating the captures to make it more 'artisitc'

-"I beat those themes to death" Marty says when he was talking about the Halo themes. He sas he wants to give Reach its own theme, its own feel and its own music, but there may be foreshadowing for later halo themes worked in eventually.

-Reach will feature various new vehicles, though we only see the civilian flatbed truck, which is good at ramming. Many of the previous Halos' steeds will appear, including the Mongoose and the Warthog.

-Voice over actors and actresses will return to have their faces motion captured while saying the lines.

-The current build has a lot of computer generated audio in place

-Assassinations replace the old instant one-hit kill with an animated, thirdperson one. It will also feature in multiplayer. Sage says there's a good chance the old assassinations wont be in anymore, but they'll be using the internal Beta to decide for sure.

-The teleporter system for co-op when you split too far away from your buddies is much less strict. You might be fighting in the air while your buddy is on the ground, and you can see each other fighting. Levels are more freeroam and less linear, and pretty much any area that you see you can go to, and you will be rewarded for exploring there

-There's now support for 40 enemies or 20 vehicles active at a time

-Reach is not based on the book Fall of Reach, but will complement it. (you should know that by now)

-Elites resemble those seen in Halo Wars

-Reach will feature plenty of rain, and covered areas wont be wet

-During cutscenes, there will be a camera following behind the characters, as though you were there watching from behind. This will add to the immersion

-There will be some big surprises in campaign, similar to MW2 and Uncharted 2
http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=40697364

No more Halo theme