Players Reach For New Halo Game
NEIRAD enilno edition
There is a new phenomenon sweeping through the hallways. Everyone knows about it and every one’s talking about it. Halo Reach has arrived. "Halo's sweet" senior Jared Murphy said.
Halo Reach is a first person shooter that is the prequel to the popular Halo trilogy. The Bungie manufactured product is exclusive to Xbox 360. It has been three years since the release of Halo 3. The long awaited arrival of Halo Reach has everyone – or least most boys - talking. “Somewhere in my marathon sessions of post-op painkiller-induced haze, I actually became one with the game,” senior Dylan Hurd said. Not even an ACL injury can stop this player from checking out Reach.
In the days following the release, many students are already exhibiting Halo Reach fever. For those who have seen students unnecessarily “reaching”, fear not. This is a mild side effect of Reach fever. It is a sign of brotherhood for those who have joined the Noble Team.
“Halo Reach has become my new favorite method of procrastinating" senior Brian Curry said.
Unlike many videogames, Halo Reach’s multiplayer aspect is so deep that many students are endlessly pulled into the game. While the single-player campaign only takes between 5-15 hours, the multiplayer version is always changing and forever playable.
The release comes just over 10 months after the release of last multiplayer blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Over the past 10 months, students have acquired obscene amounts of playtime. Most regular students played approximately 15 days of the game while other hardcore players have accumulated more than 25 days gameplay.
Why do so many people play Halo? Not only is it fun, many people are impressed by the sheer awesomeness of some people’s Halo abilities. “While school and sports might be very common forms of competition, nothing compares to the momentous weight of your halo KDR (kill-death ratio), “ senior Alex Brown said. “That is ultimately the best statistic to brag about on any transcript or resume."
It is also a bargain. The game initially costs $60. If a person plays 25 days worth of a videogame, they are having fun for 10 cents per hour. It is a steal compared to going to the movies, which gives about two hours of enjoyment for $11.
The timing is inconvenient for some as the game is taking away from study time. While schoolwork needs to be the first priority it hard to resist the temptation to Reach instead. With the new ranking system and daily challenges, more playtimes equals more prestige. Some say that the addicting nature is toxic. This is especially true for seniors as this is the time when they need to be completing college applications and finishing up standardized testing. There is a possible correlation between the amount of video games played and the drop in CAPT scores. According to Bungie, over 5901 years’ worth of Halo Reach was played in the first week alone.
But on the other hand, some students believe Halo Reach has a positive effect. “The more Halo Reach I play, the better my finger dexterity is for schoolwork,” senior Charlie Eisner said. The relaxing effect of killing covenant troops is aiding teens to focus better on work rather than be stressed out.
The need to Reach has spread to those who do not even own the game. Senior Alex Peter is upset he no longer owns an Xbox 360. “I don't have it, its tearing me apart inside,” Peter said. He hopes to be available for the next blockbuster release, Call of Duty: Black Ops which goes on sale Nov. 9.
