Halo: Reach "better across the board"

[MunkyMagikUK]

"Bungie's shown Halo: Reach and revealed an impressive new engine that is far and away the best the series has seen.

According to an article in Game Informer magazine, scans of which have popped up on the internet, motion capture is being used for the first time. Image Metrics - the company behind the mesmerising Emily demo - is in charge of facial animation. State changes from walking to running to sprinting should also now look believable, as should pivoting on the ground.

There's a new weather system, and Bungie has made the sky into a real object that ships can descend out of and onto the planet from.

Whereas Halo 3 could handle three or four dynamic light sources on-screen at one time, Halo: Reach can handle 20 to 40. And there are double the amount of enemies on-screen in Halo: Reach, not to mention a greater visual quality both at range and up close."

Halo: Reach "better across the board" News | Xbox 360 | Eurogamer

Below is the link to the meeting Emily Video which I'm sure you'll agree is quite amazing. The video uses the technology right up until 1:30 where it switches back to the real actress.

[video=youtube;bLiX5d3rC6o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLiX5d3rC6o[/video]

If you read the article you'll see that there are new weapons in Halo: Reach as well as the reintroduction of the health bar among many other things. Looks really promising to me!

 

[InsaneNutter]

Below is the link to the meeting Emily Video which I'm sure you'll agree is quite amazing. The video uses the technology right up until 1:30 where it switches back to the real actress.

That is pretty amazing if you ask me, just something about here eyes, they look almost real... just not quite.. cant put my finger on it.

Good find

 

[P.KID]

looks fab. lets hope that this is the game that will set new benchmarks for gaming this decade!

 

[KillerWhiteMan]

From that video, I think we can be assured that the graphics for this Halo will be the best in the series. If Bungie and Microsoft can pull this technology off without any hitches, we will definitely see a new benchmark like P.KID said.

 

[P.KID]

the music track in the background of the latest reach trailer can be found here.
http://www.bungie.net/images/games/reach/audio/Lone%20Wolf.mp3

 

[MasterChief]

Thanks kiddy, saved it for my collection of Halo stuff

Its scary just how real that video looks...

 

[P.KID]

Most interesting, to me at least, is that the game won’t follow the story of Eric Rylund’s novel, Fall of Reach. As the games story progresses however, we will be shown continual levels of destruction impacting upon the planet – showing that the entire game will hopefully span a long time period.
In terms of characters, the majority of characters will all be Spartan IIIs. Within your squad, Jorge is the only Spartan II on the team and due to this he is far larger than the other members – he’s also a heavy weapons specialist. Squadmates Carter 259 and Kat 320 are the only surviving members of the original squad and the previously known “Skully” is now revealed as being Emile 239, a rather silent character. Finally, the squad contains a sniper titled Jun 266. The Lone Wolf, who will be the character that you play, will also be able to be customised. Within the storyline, Noble Team will split up at a certain point perhaps to perform separate tasks, although it would seem that they will rejoin forces soon after this.
The overall atmosphere of the game will be far darker than any of the other Halo titles, and even more so than the recently released Halo 3: ODST. The Covenant will no longer speak English, and will instead only talk in their own language – from what I can see the return in focus is on the Elites, Grunts and Jackals alongside a new enemy type entitled the “Skirmisher” that attack in panks and aim to flank you.
Bungie are aiming to make the title more cinematic, making use of a vast improvement in graphical quality and placing the player amidst larger scale combat situations that can now feature over 40 AI and 20 vehicles on screen at one time – compared to only 20 AI available in Halo 3.
There will also be a return to the old Health Bar and Energy Shield system seen within the earlier Halo titles, and characters now have the ability to sprint through a new type of equipment-esque mechanic. As well as this, Bungie are also including stealth portions within the campaign or at least add stealth mechanics to the overall gameplay. In relation to this, player’s can now assassinate enemies with a knife by holding the melee button.
We also have the first details regarding weapons too, that confirm the Sniper rifle, Assault Rifle and Magnum make a return with more realistic sounds. The single shot rifle seen within the Halo 2 E3 demo, named the Designated Marksman Rifle, will make its appearance, as well as a new Needler Rifle. Spike Grenades and Flame Grenades have also been removed, with only frag and plasma grenades remaining.
Multiplayer is, of course, set to feature once again – being the most popular and ground breaking aspects of previous titles – with all the best elements of Halo 3’s multiplayer set to return. Forge, Theatre and co-operative play are all confirmed, alongside new additions.
Finally a new Helicopter based transport vehicle has been revealed entitled the Falcon, and drivable civilian vehicles will now feature. Spirits, which were the Covenant drop ship first seen in Halo: Combat Evolved, will return alongside the more commonly seen Phantom’s – which also now have flashlights as seen within the Halo 3: ODST announcement trailer.

Source: Game Informer Magazine