Examining Halo: Reach's Most Shocking Mission
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- New Alexandria in Halo Reach is without doubt one of the campaign's and the Halo series' most unique and shocking missions,
Not only do New Alexandria's objectives change every time you play Halo Reach, making New Alexandria a different experience every time you play it, but it’s also one of the bleakest in terms of the Halo Reach's story as well.
In this video, I analyse everything from New Alexandria's level design and gameplay to its story, setting and atmosphere, to try and explain why it's such a unique experience, while also drawing comparisons to Winter Contingency, Long Night Of Solace, Exodus and other missions in Halo Reach's campaign.
If you enjoy the video, do consider subscribing, and thanks for watching!
#Halo #HaloReach #HaloXbox
Contents:
00:00 - Intro
00:22 - Previously On Halo Reach
01:39 - Bleak Beginnings
03:06 - A Very Unique Mission
04:16 - Studying Secondary Objectives
05:27 - Studying Primary Objectives
09:15 - City Of Angels
11:22 - Shocking Endings - Ігри
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Pretty sure I got the names right this time, not a Nobell Six or Horhey in earshot (hopefully) 😂
I mean...Horhey is technically not wrong haha. A regional pronunciation. If I recall, Jorge is of a Hungarian descent, as are some of the residents of Reach. Like those in Winter Contingency. So I guess it depends on how Jorge is pronounced in Hungarian?
thank you :)
You said carter is carrying Kats body but it actually Emile holding her body
Kat's death.... I really felt the sudden nature of it. Even now, years later, it still kind of hurts. As someone playing the game with no previous knowledge of The Fall of Reach when it was first released, the Covenant fleet's appearance after Jorge's sacrifice was discouraging, but Kat's death really made that "All is lost" tone settle in for me.
@@premiumheadpats4150 Well put!
Then everything really went to hell.
Carter and Emile full well knowing at that point, getting the Package to Keyes was all that mattered.
Not sure if you noticed it or not, or if someone else already pointed this out, but in the scene where Kat dies, I always thought it was a Jackal or Skirmisher that shot her since they’re the main ones we see using Needle Rifles. This however is not the case. In the few frames where the camera pans up to see the phantom, you can see a Field Marshal elite standing in the phantom alone. This is the same Field Marshal that ambushed Noble Team in Winter Contingency and ran away, and this is the ONLY Field Marshal elite we ever see in campaign. He’s also present at the end of the game after Emile dies commanding the squad of Zealots. I think this Field Marshal was assigned specifically to hunt down and kill Noble Team and as such actually tracks the squad throughout the game. He and his squads actually take out 2 of the 6 Nobles. Just a thought
His team arguably killed 6 as well
Wow bro such a small detail I never would’ve noticed had you not pointed it out, that’s really cool, it’s a shame noble team couldn’t that elite
So it is well spotted. That really does add another depth to the already hopeless war efforts and sombre feel.
@@jj70098 Not really, the Field Marshal and his team are all dead before the events of Lone Wolf.
@chris mcd I think he meant more symbolically, as killing Emile consigned Noble 6 to remain on a dying world.
People getting mad at kat’s death being meaningless, and thusly feeling “cheap” and “pointless” was the entire idea. People have every right to be mad, but there is not doubt that a heroic death wouldn’t sell the losing of a war like Reach. If cat died heroically it would’ve just been shallow and forgetful.
Of all the deaths of noble team we remember Jorge, Kat and Noble 6. Became their deaths were at their heart, rendered pointless by defeat of the Covenant.
I can still tank more than one needle rifle shot though; wax poetic about whatever crap you want to but it still is a disconnect between the story and the rules of the game
And the fact Cat dies so suddenly is meant to deliver on the point that there is no fairness in this cruel and pointless battle. It’s cruel but necessary.
Well it is cheap and pointless.
Not because of how it was executed, but the demand that we care about a character Bungie spent almost no time to develop outside of the most basic archetypical features.
We have no reason to care. We, the players, already knew Reach fell; it was an established part of the Halo cannon for more than a decade. Bungie's job with this campaign was to make us, the Player, feel that weight. And they succeeded in some areas; the game's levels are good, mood is right, atmosphere is all there.
But the characters? Let me ask you a quick question: Who the fuck are these people outside of their edge?
What do they enjoy doing? What relationships do they have? What makes these characters CHARACTERS?
Only Jorge gets the slightest semblance of something below surface level, but even then they kill him off first.
We KNOW these people are going to die from the start, Bungie just failed to make us care.
So when they show Kat getting killed, by a single shot from a Needler Rifle no less (Which is already stifling our suspension of disbelief), and there's this big deal made out of her death, we're just sitting there like "Eh". We don't know Kat. We were never given a reason to give a shit about her. Her death literally means about as much as a random UNSC Grunt's, except they dedicate a cutscene to it like it's supposed to be any different. And it's pretentious because of that.
If you wanna know why her death bothers people, that's why.
We were expected to care when we had no reason to.
Their deaths are also pretty ironic as well,
Jorge was born and loved Reach and he didn’t die on it,
Kat was the brains of Nobel team and got shot in the head,
Emile loved knives got stabbed,
Carter was the leader and went down with the ship,
and Six was considered a lone wolf and died alone.
@@apexarmada1419 huh never realised that, huh kinda sad about Jorge actually.
I really like Cats death. In war, not a lot of people die some super heroic death like the other noble team members. Ricochets, IEDs, mines, stray bullets, unexpected enemy encounters, bad roads, vehicles break down, ...
The combination of their shields being down and the phantom just being in the right place at the right time is just bad luck. People die from dumb shit in war and I think that's encapsulated pretty well here.
"Cats"??
@@patoconzapatos He means "Cat's" like the death of the character Kat, which is also supposed to be spelt with a K. I know, English is hard to understand the Nuances and insignificant mistakes if it's not your first language
Agreed dude, I wanted to play devil's advocate a little but I think ultimately your assessment is bang on the money.
Right place right time is even more emphasized with how that specific Zealot you see in the phantom is the same elite you encounter in the first mission that gets away. His squad kills Emile as well, and you ultimately take him down at the very end of Pillar of Autumn. Noble Team was literally being hunted and for the Covenant to be able to hunt down humanity's best weapons like birds of prey really hammers in how Reach was a hopeless fight that you still technically win.
I have always wondered why her shields didn't activate. Why were their shields down ? Didn't even know they could do that.
New alexandria fells like a homage to ODST, it even have you escorting Buck.
Yeah as a rare occourance. Although I liked how the mission had random objectives in between the main ones
Definitely, this mission is even fairly similar in terms of structure. Got plans to cover ODST very, very soon too.
@@BenPlaysGames very good news.
Has that touch of ODST music too when you help him.
Took me literally ten years of playing the game to get that side mission to escort buck. Crazy
Fun fact: the Elite that snipes Kat is the same Elite that escaped Noble Team in the first mission, and is the same Elite that you fight at the end of the Pillar of Autumn.
Wait really?
@@mjpraetorian4386 Yep. The Field Marshal is the game’s only recurring villain.
Imagine if they killed that Field Marshall at the start of the game instead of letting him get away, and in turn, pulling that shot off at the end of New Alexandria.
Ah the benefits of hindsight.
I thought this was the same Elite that kills 6 in Lone Wolf?
No way, just played through the whole campaign as part of the preparation for this video and didn't clock on to that at all!
I think Reach does a great job showing the darker side of the Halo universe. When we play as the Chief things are bad, but we know we can win. Reach on the other hand shows the rest of humanity's perspective on the war with the covenant, and there's no hope just sacrifice. Bungie was so good at story telling, and I wish they never left the franchise.
we can blame microsoft, Bungie was exhausted from Microsoft's development cycles, the Halo 2 crunch , Halo 3 being basically cut in half again...and Reach being rushed too.
Old Bungie wanted to quit that hell....sadly they sold to activision, so Old Bungie is gone and the new one isn't reminicent at all of the old bungie
100% agreed. having a more grounded game like reach really helps make the chief look more like a one-of-a-kind dude as opposed to everyone being able to 1 man army everything
Just looking at their older games, it's extremely apparent as to how good Bungie is at telling a story. They had like a decade of experience before they made Halo, and it shows.
@@zahylon5993 Sadly, this is too true. By the time of Reach's development, half of the original team had already moved on and the current team was basically new hires.
well said
Another interesting thing about secondary missions is, you can fail them. If you take too much time, the marines might die and there is a bit of unique dialogue between you and Kat. I remember this from one mission:
Kat: "Troopers are dead six, nothing we can do........"
I thought that was a pretty nice touch on how although it is inconsequential to you completing the level, those marines can still die and Kat would express a tinge of sadness of over it.
Didn't think to test that, really should have done - thanks for pointing it out my man.
@@BenPlaysGames Love the content, by the way, keep up the great work! I'm glad there are still people who play the Bungie games and make videos on it :)
@@Cobenis_Kar Thanks Nirmal! Got plenty more in the pipeline, including more on Halo, so keep your eyes peeled.
And when speed running, killing them yourself is far faster than waiting for the pelican to pick up the survivors. 🤣
there is sometimes small things in this game that make me suprised after years of playing
I think you missed something on Kat's death. The Covenant forces know the location of Noble team; Kat confirms they can't transmit a message without revealing their location, but Noble do so anyway. The Covenant are glassing the local area so they know that Noble team will have to take shelter to survive and, given the Covenant have almost total control of the area, you would assume the Covenant also know the location of any fallout bunkers in the area. Added to this the Covenant also know Noble team won't have any shields because of the EMP from said glassing, making them much easier pickings.
This gives the Covenant the perfect tools to stage an ambush. The Covenant know; where Noble team are, where they are likely going, the route they will likely take (given Noble's proximity to the bunker) and they know they are weakened from the emp from the glassing. Given that the killing blow is not an explosion but a single shot to the head from a precision weapon, to Noble team's engineer and arguably therefore the greatest threat to the Covenant (who had the idea to blow up the carrier in long night of solace for example?) and given three members of Noble moved through the kill zone just prior without being shot at, everything points to this being a hastily put together targeted assassination on Kat by the Covenant.
It's one of the few examples I can think of where a Halo mission ends with the Covenant so smoothly getting one over on the player's team.
Oh hey it’s Craig. It’s been a while man, how’ve you been?
While a lot of people have mentioned how you can figure out the Covenant had been hunting Noble Team with this squad through background details, I like how you broke down and analyzed the details that set this up as the perfect ambush. Though I doubt they targeted Kat specifically. Given how recently Noble team revealed their position through comm chatter, it is possible their Phantom had just gotten into position and Kat was, unfortunately, the easiest target in the killzone. There's no way they'd know she was the brains of their operation with how much of her work was behind the scenes.
But still, it's also cool that you emphasized the story-telling tool of having this be one of the few moments where the Covenant absolutely curb-stomps the player. I didn't realize that until reading this. All the other defeats at least gave the Covenant a bloody nose. Kat's death was just a total loss for the spartans with nothing gained from it.
@@Lazarultos Yeah you're right, it probably is too much of a stretch to claim it was Kat specifically the Covies were targeting. I suppose they might have gained intel on Noble as a consequence of the invasion, attack on sword base etc. but given the Covenant show no real interest in intelligence operations throughout the Halo saga it's most likely as you say.
@@iprefernottospeak as someone else said, thank you for your comment. It makes my day to see people give different interpretations to all things Halo.
It's honestly unfortunate and not fully suprising that Noble didn't consider the fact that the Zealot team may have actually been after them post-Winter Contingency. Maybe it was the fact that Halsey mentioned that Zealot squads usually go after ancient relics and so, the thought never crossed Noble's mind that they would turn their attention to them. It would have been cool if after New Alexandria, there was some dialogue between the team discussing Kat's death and how one of them (maybe Six or Emile) thought they saw the same Field Marshall from the listening post from Winter Contingency onboard the Phantom in Alexandria. This interaction can also build up Emile's bloodlust and explain some of the tactical recklessness that led to his death (I love Emile but he made some fatal errors in his final moments).
I never noticed any of this. I'm really impressed by Bungie's attention to detail in this instance. Thanks for sharing.
In regards to Kat’s death, I think the thing it shows us is how far the Covenant was willing to go to kill them. The transmission from Holland and the Covenant evacuating in a hurry meant they knew where the Spartans were and the glassing was to draw them out. This is why the Phantom with the Zealot was nearby and waiting while the other Covenant aircraft evacuated, the entire sequence was done to trap Noble team
She shouldn't have died to a single shot though. That would only be possible if she didn't have shields. Why would she run out into the open with her shields disabled?
@@katonnor they're running form a glassing beam and it disabled their shield just long enough
@@katonnor Because they didn't have a choice. The EMP from the glassing being so close to them overloaded their shields and left them vulnerable, and they knew that the Covenant would have been able to track their previous transmission so they had to evacuate that compromised position. They were trying to get to that fallout bunker to survive the glassing and to hunker down until they could be securely evacuated, the problem was a combination of the Covenant being so determined to wipe out the threat that Noble Team posed (as with any other Spartan team, but Noble was a particularly high priority) and sheer bad luck from that Phantom being in the right place at the right time.
A lot of people die from random bad luck in war all the time, and this scene does a great job of showing that even Spartans aren't immune to that reality. They're generally much better at evading it than most others and for longer, but eventually everyone's luck runs out and their card comes up, just like Kat's did here. Not everyone gets a meaningful, heroic, sacrificial death, and because snipers like that Zealot are so effective at showing us that in reality, they're a great way of getting the same message across in games, movies and other stories. They can put anyone's name on any bullet they chose and deliver it at just about any time from anywhere, and the worst part is that you'll only ever hear the shot at all if it wasn't meant for you.
@@trainbrain13 so the EMP KO's their shields long enough for the sniper to get kat but the elevators and her tablet are ok and operable yet six's shields never flared or popped, he never removed his helmet so his shields should have still been up
I expect there were probably several phantoms and snipers trying to cover the area, the one we see is just "the lucky one"
The way they've animated glassing looks absolutely sick. It's not just an ordinary super laser type, the entire screen highlights the beam *it even blinds Spartans with it's power let alone the Average soldier* and the absolutely huge explosion that radiates from it looks absolutely amazing too. *yet it feels subtle in some way
@10:09 when the ground shakes and night lights up is terrifying.
the way it affects the lighting makes the whole thing feel apocalyptic
I feel like it has some subtlety cause there's no radio voice line telling you "uh er, six big bad gonna happen go look pls." No cutscene or forced camera that makes you look at it. There's just one Covenant ship that flys past with a hum and if you decide to follow its path you get a sudden and incredibly natural dosage of the depressing atmosphere.
You might miss it entirely if you aren't looking, but if you are it hits you in the face with "This city is being vaporised" way more than the orange haze it has when the glassing beams aren't firing. And it's enhanced cause you experienced this larger-than-you event through deciding to observe the environment yourself, not cause the game told you to
i think
Not to mention when you see it used in the distance on the background part of the city by a passing cruiser… it’s INSTANT! No delay in travel time at all. Just one second nothing, the next, death beam burning into the ground.
Kats death also shows the realism of war in general. Like you said, there will never always be fanfare or a heroic end. You look to your left, and there's your squad mate. Look a second later and they're gone.
Jorges death was sad but Kats death was so shocking to me because it pretty much made me think that Spartans were just as vulnerable as regular marines and could die in a flash rather than in a Big Bang like Jorge. It also made me think that had Master chief been in Reach with Noble team, he could’ve died as well.
I looked about on the Lone Wolf map, theres many spartans lying about, chief would have probably been one of them without a doubt
@@billycraig6740 nah chief is a spartan 2 theyre way tougher and chief is the best spartan in the game or comics. No plot armor there, blue team is as good but would most likely die more than chief. It's just they have this luck as well maybe because of the forerunners who knows 😂
Linda almost died on Reach, technology and being a spartan 2 saved her while the other spartan she was with i think it was a 4 died
@@teyvattravelguide8555 jorge is also a spartan 2 hes just unlucky
Noble 6 was a hyper lethal spartan as well. Probably the closest to Chief and even he didn’t leave Reach breathing. Nobody could have stopped what happened on Reach short of a Forerunner armada or the Flood.
“I know we’re losing! I want to know if we’ve lost.” Best line in the whole game.
Also I loved Kat’s death. I, for some reason, despise dramatic deaths; just a quick, sudden, unstoppable death in the heat of battle just feels right. Maybe it doesn’t lend itself entirely to interesting story, but I don’t mind that.
I really cannot get enough of these sorts of videos. They're so good, so well written, so detailed, and so interesting. Thanks for making these.
That's super kind of you Trip mate and no worries at all - there's plenty more to come!
Yea this dude is fire
@@platinumbrick6 Thanks as always Dylan mate!
@@platinumbrick6 i agree with you mate, this guy produces some high quality content compared to the size of his channel.
That one Elite Ultra with a concussion rifle on the way out of the hospital I think is probably the most difficult single enemy to take down in the game (on legendary). There are other points in the game where you fight a far greater number of enemies with just as strong if not stronger shields, health and weaponry, but this guy is crafty. He's in a small circular arena with lots of cover that he is smart enough to make use of, but you can't use it as effectively because of the concussion rifle's splash damage. He's aggressive enough that it will be very difficult to get past him without killing him. And you fight him in backtracking scenario where you have limited ammo since you've just fought lots of brutes and jetpack elites. By the time I get to this guy I'm always out of dmr or needle rifle ammo so the noob combo isn't an option and the needle rifle jackles that cover him are more difficult to take out as well. Even the Zealots and Field Marshall at the Pillar of Autumn are easier I think.
I never played ODST and Reach on solo legendary, sounds like I need to give them both a go!
I honestly think the final Zealots on the pillar of autumn were worse, but the elite ultra is definitely a pain
Nah it isn’t, the Zealot at the end if PoA is a tough fight, most likely you’re low on ammo and can be difficult. That Elite I don’t think I ever had a problem with them.
Elite's are the reason I always liked to have a Plasma Pistol on hand (or remember where I last saw one) with a precision weapon for Heroic or Legendary, hit-em with overcharge for the shields then pop goes the split-lip to a DMR/Pistol/Carbine (I will drop the plasma for a shotgun if it's a Flood level thou).
Best part is overcharge plasma not only strips shields from Brutes but, in high ranked cases, their armor too thou Chieftain's do usually have the Invulnerable powerup in Halo 3 so be careful.
I've learned to always keep a DMR stocked in the back near the generator for exactly this bastard. Pillar of Autumn is a cake walk especially when you know where the secret weapon stash is.
When I first saw Kat die, I had to take some time from the game. It just came so far out of left field. She had so much to offer but it made perfect sense as to why Bungie did it. Her death didn’t have any rhyme or reason. It was a cheap shot to an unprepared Spartan. Kat’s death symbolizes how Reach fell, no one really saw it coming, and that’s brilliant.
You don’t even get to really process her death either.
@@beatlecristian You can tell that after Jorges death Noble were broken but after Kats death they were shattered. Brilliant piece of off the cuff story telling.
@@jotunheim5302 it’s just not fair but I suppose that’s the nature of war.
Not everyone goes out heroically.
"I know we're losing, I want to know if we've lost"
Hits hard
Amazing line!
Reach’s soundtrack is so amazing. Still halo, but with a somber tone nearly the entire time... Fits the game perfectly.
Agreed, a surprisingly brilliant soundtrack.
@@BenPlaysGames probably my favourite. Love the channel by the way
@@blakeslater2064 Thanks Blake, appreciate that mate!
On the topic of soundtracks I noticed recently that the epilogue soundtrack in reach includes a distorted version of the choir part in the CE theme, a small touch that really helps drive home the fact that you're losing and there's no way to stop it
@@prylosecorsomething3194 wow never realised that- so cool!
People actually engaged the drones ? I always just run back to the elevator cuz I hate fighting drones, no time for that lol
Yeh maybe you're not meant to fight them, did think there was a lot of them haha.
@@BenPlaysGames haha yeah, Well Kat did advise you to "get the hell out of there" over the comms 😅. But I really agree with your opinion of this level. Reach is one of the best games I've ever played. Just love everything about and what it stands for. The pillar of autumn is my fav level tbh. It just has that atmosphere and everything.
@@BenPlaysGames The first time I played through New Alexandria I tried to run out but with the kinda cramped quarters I got turned around and stuck as the drones swarmed out. Which left me having to fight them. On subsequent playthroughs I got better and better about GTFOing (it also helped once I learned that the area is one of the MP maps, which allowed me to run through the area and learn all the different pathways.)
I always did that with the Hunters in the night club, 4 Reach Hunters at the same time? Nuh-uh.
@@fix0the0spade tbh those aren't so hard. You got a rocket launcher and other stuff.
Not everyone goes out like a hero. Sometimes, you don’t get to choose.
Oh definitely. I've always had a sneaking suspicion my death will end up being like that, passing away on the toilet or something equally stupid.
@@BenPlaysGames not alot of people can say they know someone who died on the loo.
And yet everyone else, save Jun and Six, went out *heroically*.
That one segment where the covenant carrier fires its cannon in the background while you’re playing really hits me for some reason. You can easily miss it if you don’t know where to look but if you do it just feels all the more impactful.
How can you miss it when it’s THAT LOUD flying over you?! You are supposed to look at it!
I was the designer for this mission. Thank you for your video- I loved working on this level.
No worries man and that's awesome, you did some great work mate and should be very proud!
I always loved just exploring this mission and trying to find anything on the buildings as a kid. I would also just land on anything I could and see how long the falcon would survive on top of it.
Combat Evolved was that game for me, things like managing to stay in the banshee on 343 Guilty Spark were so exciting.
@@BenPlaysGames I don't remember a banshee on 343
Did you mean staying in the pelican you arrive in? Doing that in 343 and AoTCR was fun lol
Shortly before I played Reach when it first came out, I spoiled the story and deaths for myself, so none of it was shocking or emotional. However, on every replay since I do find myself taking the emotional hits whenever a Noble Team member dies. Maybe it's because my empathy is more developed, maybe it's because I appreciate the notions of sacrifice and hope more now. Carter's line about Jorge in the cutscene tends to get me, perhaps because it's the first time in any of the games that a character breaks the "Spartans never die, they're just Missing In Action" mythos.
Kat's death is the one that really inspires the sense of hopelessness, Jorge, Carter, Emile and Six, are all sacrifices for the greater good, even if Jorge especially turned out to be for nothing. We know that the radiation flare knocks out the shielding, we know that the shielding doesn't activate unless the helmet is on, so the armour is complete, and we know Kat is the last to put her helmet on so her shielding might not be operational. The most powerful thing about it is the fact she dies mid-sentence, and it's that quick, sharp cut to silence as she falls, before Noble start shooting back and the soundtrack kicks in. Like with all the Bungie era Halo games, the music makes it so much better and impactful.
Another thing I love about this mission is in the final cutscene in the elevator you get Junes "Sword base? The covenant own it now!" Which hit hard when I first played through it cause you spent a whole mission destroying the covenants attack on it earlier, not that long ago but at that point it feels like forever (for both us and the characters) and then to find out like that that it was all for naught helped drive home how bleak everything is
That line "sorry I came alone", legitimately makes me tear up
Ikr
The thing that annoys me the most with this mission is that, unless I'm playing with at least one other person (which, on xbox 360, was just me with another controller), the first jammer I'm told to destroy is always the one in the hospital.
Honestly, looking back, I really miss old Bungie and Halo. Halo and Bungie both seemed to lose something since splitting up and it's never been recaptured by anything I've played since.
Definitely, 4 and 5 just don't do it for me much at all - hoping Infinite will be the series' return to form but not got my hopes too high...
I wish you touched on the opening music and showed off the scenes where the Covenant cruisers fly overhead and glass the city. When you start the mission in the Falcon, the music is so somber and desolate. It genuinely sounds like humanity’s swan song calling out a ghostly chorus of hopelessness in the lake of fire burning away our civilization. Then as you manage to complete your objectives, earning what little victories you can, the entire world shakes as a cruiser soars overhead. It slides to a stop before a brief hum bursts out blinding light that obliterates a whole section of the city. It is in those moments when you realize: Reach is truly lost.
Ben youre a Halo treasure. Your videos should be preserved as actually meaningful and informative.
That's so kind Marli, thank you!!
hope you do ODST levels some time soon, my friend’s described it as a “greatest hits of Halo combat encounters” and i really wanna see someone expand on that
I've been very aware for some time that it's the only Bungie Halo game I haven't covered whatsoever. But not to worry, plans are afoot 😉
damn. Every time I played helicopter mission is always gave me the chills. Imagining myself as a civilian in Reach looking at a sky it feels like Armageddon or we already in hell
The best part of Reach was its military dialogue. Made you feel like you were part of a military organisation, rather than a character in a video game.
It was this mission specifically that made me actually scared of an alien invasion ever happening. The feeling of hopelessness from an extremely advanced threat far beyond humanity’s best military weapons is absolutely horrifying.
The whole campaign is a masterpiece.
"It's good to have you back."
"Sorry I came alone..."
"...Make him proud."
Just how matter-of-fact that exchange is, not given any special fanfare or dwelled on very much, it hits different. It hits hard. You can practically hear the grim resolve in their voices masking the grief, like they want to mourn their friend (and also it's fucking Jorge, aka best boi, come on, that hurts) but they know they've got a job to do. There are still people to save, battles to fight, and split-lips to kill. Every soldier has to be a statistic until there's enough downtime to remember them as people I guess. That's my takeaway anyhow, and I'm whatever the exact opposite of a soldier is, so take that with a pound of salt.
"I know we're losing, I want to know if we've lost"
One of the best lines in the game
Agreed!
Excellent video, for me New Alexandria cemented that it was no longer about defending Reach, but evacuating it with whatever small victories that could be achieved.
Noble Six himself! Cheers dude, and agreed - any hope of saving the planet is done and dusted by the point it begins.
Haha this used to be my name on my old account lol!
I loved reach purely for the as you put it "bleakness". I have played very few games that put you on the losing side, but I feel like it has the potential to give you sooo much more emotion! I got the same feeling from ODST and I miss it soo much.
I hope 343 plan to do something like these 2. I mean they were walking down the right path with that new animation they came out with base in London sooo yeah.
I've not seen the London thing you mentioned, going to check it out now!
12:31 I always love the short pause before the sad piano music starts after Kat is killed, it really emphasizes that moment of shock and makes you feel for the rest of Noble Team who just witnessed the event in person!
Music throughout this level is so well done, really adds to the mission as a whole for sure.
You should do lone wolf next, it's one of the best missions in any video game ever
Vouch
This is already on my to do list, just trying to decide whether to do it separately or as part of a video covering the last few of Reach's missions - watch this space!
@@BenPlaysGames honestly sounds good, probably add it to the other last reach missions considering there isn't too much to lone wolf
Feel like when cat dies it’s the true turning point. Like all of noble knows they ain’t making it out alive. Up to that point she is BY FAR the smartest on the team and saves your asses several times. You feel very disadvantaged after she’s gone.
(This was originally a reply but I'll post it as it is!)
At some point in a cutscene, they lost coms and said there was a massive radiation flare, 40million roentgens, (Chernobyl was 20,000 roentgens per hour, while this was 40 million in an instance) and then a atomic excitement occurred which then scrambled Carter's signal with Holland with the roentgen count at 90 million in an instance, so these radiation jumps are varied which helps explain the lethality of what is occurring on the covenant side... I'm assuming that electronics' of all sorts were affected in different levels, and I'm assuming that their shields were affected too. If they were on, the electromagnetic radiation definitely lowered their shield's true potential and also explains why signal waves were cut off while Carter was trying to communicate with Holland. It also supports the idea that not everything that was electronic was out yet (elevator still worked) since Kat and Carter were still able to communicate each other through COMs while on the elevator. So not necessarily everything was out but maybe something that is generating a massive amount of energy, aka the Energy Shields, would be affected or lose their maximum power potential due to the inversed surge. I think this is why Kat's shield was "down" and the needler round was able to go straight through - it also doesn't help Noble that the Field Marshal Zealot from the first mission, is chasing them down and waiting in a Phantom outside of the building (he is the same one in the end too!) which then paints the picture that the Spartans were stuck, basically on the verge of getting nuked, and at the same time, the Elites know they're in there so a Zealot Marshal is just waiting for them... Essentially, think of it as an EMP going off, before a nuke hitting. I'm only presenting information that I have learned through the years, I am no scientist or Halo lore expert but hope this helps!!
I will always remember the feeling of getting into the penthouse for the first time and realizing the halo 2 map is canon in campaign now, or doing the club Easter egg. And the buck cameo is just a sweet cherry on top. So much cool little stuff in this mission
Lol I never fight the drones. I just book it out of there. I do want to point out, however, that the penthouse is actually pretty interesting. Unlike the other two jammers, Kat doesn't lose contact with you, even guiding you directly to the jammer. This is why she says, "It's a trap."
I think it's also meant to be played without fighting the drones. It's enough drones that you can't b-line it but if you pick of a few it's very doable and makes it a really unique scene. Whereas if you kille them all it's a retarded amount.
I still vividly remember the death of Kat from 10 years ago when I first finished Reach. Her death was incredibly affecting because it felt so unfair. There was no build-up to it, nor was there a fight that ensued. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This video has reignited my passion for Halo. I haven't watched more than 2 minutes and already I want to start a new campaign in Reach.
Couldn't ask for more than that, have fun dude!
IIRC, the amount of secondary objectives also increase as you bring the difficulty up.
Balls, missed that completely, good shout mate!
When I first played through Reach, I was a kid and was in middle school and only cared about how my Spartan looked in cutscenes.
When I played it again as an adult in the master chief collection on steam, the story made me really just reflect on war. It felt good playing through it again but damn is Reach’s story just fucking GRIM.
I really liked having the opportunity to play through the same game with different levels of maturity, it showed how far I’ve come.
The thing that I keep finding shocking each and every time I play this mission is when the Covenant carriers glass the planet.
Very pretty to look at but very horrible to think about 😂
I always thought the way the drift into position quite cool
Happy 11th anniversary Halo: Reach, good stuff as always, Ben ;)
Happy anniversary indeed, blows my mind how old some of the games I grew up playing are now. Certainly doesn't seem like that long ago. Cheers for watching too mate!
This takes me back. Never knew the objectives were randomized. All I do remember is having to rescue a marine or tech operator trapped. Then a horde attacks once I get to her and I shit you not, that woman did some work with just a pistol. Wish I could have taken her with me after the mission because Reach may not have fallen! I kid you not, she got more headshot kills than I ever did in that mission.
RIP Kat. Great video dude, keep them up.
Cheers my man, appreciate the awesome feedback - and will do!
I love these vids so much
Thanks Jared, glad you're enjoying them mate!
That fight in the Night Club is one of my favorite engagements in the whole series.
I was younger when this game came out, and although I played through new Alexandria COUNTLESS times, I never noticed the randomization. One of the coolest things in any video game ever. There was actual purpose in replaying the story. Co-op, Daily challenges, weeklys challenges, trying to kill the invisible Golden elite on that first mission, THE FORGE, spending an obnoxious amount of time downloading map packs & playing Indiana Jones or Warden. Alllll of the customization and leveling that at the time was so far ahead of its competition. This game was a masterpiece. There had never been anything like it, and there hasn’t been anything since, halo or otherwise. A compelling and FUN campaign with an equally incredible multiplayer. Very few games hit the mark so perfectly like Reach.
This is my favourite mission in Reach, the atmosphere is just magnificent
So good, isn't it? The city is so visually striking, even after many playthroughs.
I've really enjoyed these videos on reach missions!
Thanks for watching Hayden, really appreciate it!
This channel is brutally underrated. Love how you put it all together. Definitely watching you regularly now. :)
I can definitely understand why it leaves some people cold, but for me, Kat's death really stuck with me. Not because of what happened, but because of what happens immediately preceding it. That little moment in the elevator. First time I played it (which was, like, a month ago because of MCC on PC. Never had an Xbox growing up), I was doing my best to put myself into the headspace of my own custom Noble Six. When the glassing started and the windows shattered, I was genuinely feeling quite stressed, both terrified and mesmerized by the truly awesome power of an orbital bombardment that seemed as though it was being aimed right at me. But then Kat turned to me, helmet off, and calmly asks "First glassing?"
It was honestly the first moment of genuine camaraderie I'd felt from anyone in Noble Team. At the start, it was made clear that I wasn't really wanted, and though the squad was polite and helpful, I also wasn't really _included_ in matters outside of a military context. I was backup for Jun, and I was a witness for Jorge, but this little moment with Kat was the first time anyone had reached out to me and acknowledged me, not as a soldier, but as a _person_ . To have all of it snatched away mere seconds later was genuinely jarring, even when I (as a player) was familiar enough with Halo lore to know that it was coming.
I think the other thing that really sells it is the aftermath, and how genuinely tired and depressed the rest of the team sounds, especially Carter. His voice-acting in the cutscene at the start of 'Torch and Burn' really depicts a man at his breaking point; a leader who is holding himself together for the sake of the mission and his men, but only just _barely_ . It's my favorite bit of storytelling in the entirety of the Halo series.
I’ve never had that experience with the drones. They’ve always ambushed me AFTER I destroy the jammer, and I just make a break for the elevator. Anyone else?
Fun fact: the Zealot that you see in the beginning (that Noble 6 punches) is the same Zealot that kills Kay, and is the same Zealot you can fight as an enemy in the Pillar of Autumn (he’s a fairly rare enemy)
Did not realise that, cheers for pointing it out mate!
@@BenPlaysGames nooo prob ⭐️
This has always been my favorite mission. The Falcon is such a cool and fun vehicle. I like that the objectives changed each play through like you mentioned. Having Buck in there was a nice fan-service, and seeing the different areas was awesome. It’s just sad how things went down.
Kats death is just brutal, well done and sad but brutal, everyone else on Noble team gets to go out fighting George destroys a Covenant ship, Emile kills a bunch of elites, Carter takes down a Scarab and of course Noble 6 has one of the best playable character deaths in a video game; but Kats just taken out in a second, no heroics. Doesn’t even get to finish her final words...
Love the in-deph review my guy
Cheers Shafiq mate!
New Alexandria is a great missions, one of the best.
It has great story and atmosphere.
The ending cutscene is great, the city destroyed and Kat’s death are somber but done well.
As is the rainy cloudy city with the burning buildings and the covenant glassing the city.
The music is also great.
Gameplay is fun too and unique in terms of randomness.
Perhaps a few add ions or tweaks could have made it even better, but what’s there is still good.
Also the Easter eggs are also fun.
Overall as I sad one of the best missions in the game/series and one of my favorites.
Couldn't agree more mate!
The easter eggs in the nightclub are pretty cool and I'm surprised they weren't brought up. Hitting one of two buttons changes the nightclub to not have the hunters but have dancing grunts and a DJ Brute. Pretty entertaining to do and see. Also, I enjoy the Brutes in Reach as they feel somewhere between 2 and 3's Brutes.
The quality of your content is awesome, I love this retrospective type videos, it would be great if you do a video about the arbiter like why he his such a loved character or why a halo game about the sangheili could be awesome or something like that.
Cheers Jensen! I actually played Halo 2 recently with the intention of covering it more, so definitely some Arbiter-related content in the pipeline!
I'd be interested in watching a breakdown on some of 343's level designs from 4 and 5. Where Bungie created and refined the formula, 343 was helmed with continuing and evolving a system that critics claim they don't really understand.
Id love to see a video like that on some halo 4 missions. Despite the hate Halo 4 will always be my fav Halo story
Already started playing the game through with a video or two in mind 😉
@@BenPlaysGames
I remember playing this mission how hopeless it felt and how sudden Kat's death felt... Great vid:)
A brutal scene indeed - and thanks for the continued support Kolbjørn!
Reach is my favorite tonal halo game, gritty and realistic, the cinematography and animations are that of a movie, simply amazing
>>>. . .>Remember Reach
+1
Yaaaay another halo upload :D
Yeeeh boi.
I left a comment about you not breathing, I apologize, I was drunk. The video is really well done. And editing out the parts where you take a breath streamlines the video very well. I played and loved Halo since 2001 and it's the first video I've watched from your channel and it's really well done. Cheers!
Halo reach was truly a masterpiece, my favourite halo game by far
To be fair, you're more encouraged to run out of the Penthouse than linger and fight. It's more easier to bail than fight, and sometimes you can get away without using a single shot.
Definitely a weaker part of the level though, aye. Although my personal gripe is always the damn Hospital. The entrance is a mess, at least for me. Going in or out is a nightmare to do.
Also, Kat not having shields always bothered me. I don't mind what they were going for, but the fact her shields weren't there felt like a glaring fault. Might've missed something, but it still irks me a little.
Edit: Apparently the radiation shut them off. My question then is why didn't their shields recharge in the time spent in the elevator? And on that note, how comes the other bits of electrical stuff happened to still work?
I wouldn't change how they killed off Kat at all, but it feels a bit too much of a gaping plot-hole.
It's not well emphasized in the cutscene, but I've heard it explained that the reason she didn't have shields at that point was because of the glassing. Since it happened just a couple blocks away, the spike in radiation overloaded the shield mechanism like an EMP blast from a nuke. Although, that argument does start getting extremely granular because it opens up other questions like: how does the elevator still work? Or their comms? Etc.
I do think it's a solid explanation, or at least one I'm willing to accept, even if it does beg extremely detail-oriented conversation. But that's Halo for you.
From what I've read in alot of comments elsewhere, the reason Kat has no shields is because of the radiation from the glassing stripping all their shields. I agree though in that it bothers me also, since if that was the case, I don't know why Bungie didn't add the shield flare effect to the spartans when the glassing starts. Maybe they had some issues with it messing up the AI scripting or whatever. I still do like how sudden her death is though since I feel it fits thematically.
From what I've been told (this could be completely wrong) but when Spartans take off their helmets the shields shut off and they have to turn it back on when they put their helmets back but it still sounds dumb to me considering everyone else but her had their shields on when running so who knows
Maybe I should have just done a runner haha. I actually love the start of the hospital, always found fighting your way downstairs past the grunts and jackals to the engineer super entertaining.
@@BenPlaysGames Honestly, the engineer feels infuriating half the time, and I also have an unhealthy habit of getting lost way too easily.
That isn't the issue though, personally. It's when you get to the bottom. If you didn't kill the engineer before then, you gotta do it then. And when you come back to that same section, the Ultra Elite and Skirmishers will give you a rough time, with somewhat minimal cover too.
They were smart about designing it, sure, but god does that specific bit annoy the hell out of me, especially on Heroic.
Love these videos
Cheers my man!
Still remember the end cutscene of this mission... brutal. Thanks for the great content!
Proper brutal! And no worries pchurch mate, always appreciate you taking the time to check them out dude.
The music of Halo, and especially Reach will always live rent free in my head.
If there's one thing Halo has pretty much always done well, it's the soundtracks. Was very happy to find out Infinite's was pretty cracking too, was not expecting it to be as good as it is at all.
When did I pay for UA-cam Premium?
Love your videos, such great content to watch.
Cheers for the kind words Juan mate!
Imo the main problem with Kat's death wasn't story or the suddenness; it was the needle rifle. Wouldn't they all have shields online? 1 shot shouldn't even leave a scratch. Had they made the simple change to use a beam rifle it would've made narrative and lore sense.
At some point in a cutscene, they lost coms and said there was a massive radiation flare, 40million roentgens, (Chernobyl was 20,000 roentgens per hour, while this was 40 million in an instance) and then a atomic excitement occurred which then scrambled Carter's signal with Holland with the roentgen count at 90 million in an instance, so these radiation jumps are varied which helps explain the lethality of what is occurring on the covenant side... I'm assuming that electronics' of all sorts were affected in different levels, and I'm assuming that their shields were affected too. If they were on, the electromagnetic radiation definitely lowered their shield's true potential and also explains why signal waves were cut off while Carter was trying to communicate with Holland. I think this is why Kat's shield was down and the needler round was able to go straight through - it also doesn't help Noble that the Field Marshal Zealot from the first mission, is chasing them down and waiting in a Phantom outside of the building (he is the same one in the end too!) which then paints the picture that the Spartans were stuck, basically on the verge of getting nuked, and at the same time, the Elites know they're in there so a Zealot Marshal is just waiting for them... Essentially, think of it as an EMP going off, before a nuke hitting. I'm only presenting information that I have learned through the years, I am no scientist or Halo lore expert but hope this helps!!
I’m so happy that this channel popped up on my recommendations
What I find the most mindblowing about this game is what a fellow community member once wrote in a comment section. All Noble Team Members died in a way that reflects their position in the Team: Jorge the Heavy Weapons-Guy died in a big explosion, Cat the Mind of the Team by a Headshot, Carter the Leader "went down with the ship" as a Captain/Leader should, Emile the CQB-Specialist literally died with a sword through his gut while having his own blade in the face of an enemy, Noble-6 the Lone Wolf died alone and June the Scout/Sniper never got caught.
Who still owns the xbox 360 to this day
Mine died a death some time ago 😢
in the lore i believe it is stated that the electronic pulse that radiates from a glassing beam temporarily deactivates a spartans shield unit. if so, makes sense. Maybe having one of noble team quip about their shields being down might have helped.
The radiation is what I thought had probably caused it too mate, but definitely agree that adding in a line explaining that would have added clarity.
I’m really glad you did a video on this level I found it’s super underrated
Keep it up man! Love the Reach stuff
Cheers as always dude, appreciate the support!
The music that plays while escorting Buck's Falcon was awesome! It was on ODST also
I think Exodus and New Alexandria are two of the best missions. The atmosphere, hopelessness of both missions just hits me differently. They both give me ODST vibes. Also, got to say, I really love the fact covenant cruisers drop in from orbit and start glassing, it’s just so awesome
I love Exodus too - may even have done a video on it already 😉 You'll have to excuse the poor pronunciation of certain names in the voiceover though, had a bit of melty when recording!
@@BenPlaysGames don’t be daft man, was a fantastic video and loved it. I agree with pretty much everything you said
@@Hammer_Of_Olympia Thanks mate, appreciate that!
It's still one of my favorite all time Halo missions a decade later, for so many reasons. Great and varied game play, horrifying visuals, bleak and devastating music that also somehow motivates you, and some of the most fun flying vehicle segments in a Halo game.
i watched 3 of your videos so far and expected to see at least a half million subs on your account. Quality of videos are amazing, keep it up! i just subbed
Cheers Andre mate, really appreciate the support!
You should do a video about reach’s music. I think it is criminally underrated. Particular the music with EACH death. Noble six combined with epilogue is absolutely fantastic, but the music accompanying Kay’s death is masterfully composed and put in. They make the initial almost tactical beat go silent for a moment, she gets shot in the head, and you have a brief moment of silence to gasp, and then the piano bit comes in quietly, it’s tragic and heart breaking.
I love your videos, theyre entertaining and your english is very clear and eloquent. It helps me improve my listening
That's do awesome dude - you're English seems great to me too!
Man, how do you not have more subscribers by now with all the quality videos you put out?
Thanks Dave! To be fair, I only had 1,800 mid this year, so definitely growing, which is amazing to witness.
One of the best videos I’ve seen in awhile
That's real kind mate, much appreciated!
“The soundtrack in the hospital has a bit of both…”
Queue the overhwhelming sounds of ‘PEW PEW PEW PEW!’ (And a tiny bit of base and percussion in the background) hahahahaha
Me and my brother used to role play an inspirational speech to troops in Noble 6’s intro. Also I never realised how fruitless Jorge’s death was; I always thought the destruction of the super carrier was worth it. I forget how daunting even a few battle cruisers are.
Plus the fact that on the bridge of the cruiser you hijack, there is a hologram of reach with inbound ship makers, and it’s a lot of them! So it hints that the fleet is already on the way.
I fuckin love that people are still making videos of halo reach talking about the campaign. Definitely one of my favorite campaigns.
Just got done playin the campaign AGAIN and watched this video and it made me wanna go replay it AGAIN