14 DAY TRIAL // Halo: Reach is coming during the fall of this year and, while fans will certainly be interested in seeing what the new squad-based single player adds to the Halo mythology, the multiplayer modes are what competitive gamers will be picking the title up for and developer Bungie has offered initial information on all the modes to be included.
Headhunter is a combination between first person shooter and a collecting game. As the player takes enemies out, they drop out collectable skulls, which must then be carried to a specific point on the map to score. The more skulls are carried, the bigger the score but other players can see how much one gamer is carrying and kill them to pick them up plus one. Bungie even says that more than ten carried skulls will result in a flashing icon marking them.
Stockpile is built around neutral flags, which pop up in random fashion on the map and need to be returned by two teams to their capture points. Bungie told 1UP that the mode “is sort of like Territories meets with Capture the Flag.” The scoring only takes place once every 60 seconds, so expect a mad rush in the final seconds to take flags from a home base and lower the enemies score.
Generator Defence is a mode Bungie dubs as being experimental, taking place on the Overlook map. Three Elites will come in and try to destroy three generators on the map, defended by an equal number of Spartans. There are two five-minute rounds and both teams go in both as the Spartans and Elites.
We already know some information related to Invasion, which pits two teams against one another on an ever expanding battlefield, with vehicles and new weapons being introduced gradually and influencing the flow of combat. The beta stage for Halo: Reach is set to launch on May 3 and those who find a new copy of Halo 3: ODST can get in using the included code.