Back to College and REACH!

I'm finally back in college...just great. But I suppose things aren't too bad. My college has recently completed its new building, so I've got a new place to explore. At first I thought it would be an effort to find my way around, but the layout is rather simple! Different areas (West, northeast etc.) are clearly signposted and make it easier to find your way around. It's even easier for me since I only need to get to the East and West areas for lessons. The whole look and feel of the college is fresh and slightly reminds me of those high schools/colleges you see on American TV shows. Whether that's a good or bad thing, I'm not sure, but either way I like the new college.

I'm especially like the new college year because of my timetable. Last year, I was faced with long days that usually had one or two lessons early, a one or two hour break and a lesson last. It was very long because during that time, I usually had nothing to do. Not even homework, since I finished it too soon. I couldn't go home either, since by the time I got back home, I'd have to leave for college again! But this year is totally different. I have one early start on a Monday, then the entire Tuesday off! The rest of the week consists of late starts, early leaving, and minimal breaks! I'm actually in one of those breaks now, writing this up at college. The timetable is a lot more forgiving this year, so that may help with the harder work I have to face.

On the note of games, Halo: Reach is out next week!! It comes out on the 14th September, a Tuesday, which I now have off! Seeing as this is the last Halo game by Bungie, I felt that I wanted the whole package, so I forked out the cash for the Legendary edition. The price? £100. I know, very steep, especially for a college student, but this is something I have wanted for so long! The contents of the Legendary Edition are:

• Exclusive Noble Team statue from McFarlane Toys. Individually moulded, hand-painted and numbered
• UNSC-themed custom packaging
• An exclusive in-game Spartan armour effect- a flaming helmet

• Game disc and manual in custom case modelled after a recovered ONI data module
• A custom in-game Elite armour set for use in Reach's multiplayer modes
• Artifact Bag containing a brand-new piece of the extended Halo universe - the personal notes and documents of the creator of the SPARTAN program: Dr. Catherine Halsey.
• Dr. Halsey's ONI Security Badge
• Embroidered Spartan II Patch

There is a lot of gear there that's simply awesome for any Halo fan! But I must say the price is steep, and should only be bought if you are a big fan of Halo. There is also the limited edition for £60 which includes everything in the second set of bullet points. Then of course there is just the game for £40. Make your choice.

I have to say the main thing I'm excited about in Reach is not the competitive multiplayer, but the Campaign. It looks to be a lot darker than the rest of the Halo series, and more explosive! There's also the very cool feature of making the main character you play as, Noble-6, look exactly like your online Spartan. So all the awesome gear you buy in-game with your credits can shine not only online, but in the Campaign (including in the cut-scenes). This same character model is used in every aspect of the game, from Campaign, to Firefight, to Forge and Online! It really makes you feel that YOU are Noble-6. A small feature, yes. But an effective one.

The Firefight is also a really fun mode I look forward to. Basically, waves of enemies are thrown at you and you have to fight through them, all while 'Skulls' are activated, making the game play harder (e.g. less ammo, stronger enemy shields). This was a popular mode introduced in Halo 3: ODST, but it has returned for Reach. The main appeal of the mode to me this time around is the customisation implemented into the mode. You can change which enemies appear, their weapons and behaviour, which skulls activated, what skulls actually do, time limits, number of waves....I could go on for hours. The depth of customisation is immense and will keep Firefight fresh for years!

I could talk about Reach for days, but I'll spare you. If you have an Xbox 360, buy Halo: Reach!! Ok, that's me done for this post.

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Buy Halo: Reach.