Why Halo: Reach's Multiplayer System is Better Than Black Ops'

GamerNode's Mike Murphy writes: "This past week saw the latest addition to the Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops, arrive in retail stores. With the game being developed by Treyarch and not Infinity Ward, I was a tad worried about what the game would be like. Specifically my concerns lied with its multiplayer system regarding ranks, customization, leveling, and more. After a few mere hours of play with the game's new system, I found myself extremely disappointed..."

[AKissFromDaddy]

Black Ops sucks.

[The_Darkest_Red]

Thank you for the well thought out, well constructed, and thoroughly detailed argument.

On topic, I think both Halo: Reach and Black Ops are great games. Halo: Reach is the culmination of everything Bungie has learned with Halo and Black Ops is Call of Duty without all of the terrible annoyances present in Modern Warfare 2. While neither game is perfect, I am enjoying them both.

Just to keep things in perspective, I enjoy Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Killzone 2 more than either of these games, I just enjoy good online shooters.

People love to hate on popular games but I got over that awhile ago. The simple fact is, there is a reason why these games sell so much, and it's not just that "sheep will buy anything," despite what the majority of N4G might say.

[-Alpha]

Reach is great, but I find that it didn't take some steps forwards that it should have that BO actually took. Custom emblems (over the recycled static ones in Reach), an in-game, in-depth combat tracker (unlike in Reach where its on Bungie.net), Theater mode can be edited (I don't think you can do that in Reach), etc. Though, you can save more things in Halo. I fear Activision is setting up a paid service to save more clips and stuff.

Of course, when it comes to sheet MP modes, Bungie is King. There is just so much variety in Halo games and the physics in the game is insane. There is such a variety of customization and the Halo community is incredibly strong for custom maps, modes, etc.

I enjoy COD more though, I prefer the pacing. But back in the day I was addicted to Halo (for PC, Combat Evolved).

I think both games are great, but BO's currency system rocks. Too bad there is no map editor.

Bungie did a better job delivering a more smoother launch experience too, but TA released their game on 4 systems, so I'm content being patient with them ironing out the technical issues. Both games at their core offer some of the best competitive MP experiences I've ever enjoyed in a series.

[dead_eye]

@Alpha-Male22 I'll be patient with them once they've sorted the spawn system out. That one is doing my head in.

[thief]

Is Halo better than CoD?
Is cholera better than Syphillis?
Difficult questions.

[farhad2k8]

LOL @ your disagrees.

[AKissFromDaddy]

Thank you :-)

[Cenobia]

I'm not really sure why a lot of people are hating on Black Ops. I think it is a really great improvement over MW2. They removed a lot of the BS from the last installment and improved quite a bit.

Really I'd just like to see them nerf the RC car a bit, add the 2 best MW1 maps for free (I have been getting the urge to play Crossfire and Crash recently) and add a couple of zombie maps. Otherwise I was having a lot of fun with the MP.

[dead_eye]

@Cenobia No noob-tubes. I don't know how they did it but they did.

[TekoIie]

yeh it makes no sense Bad spawning was in MW2 but people will always look for something to rant about...

[dead_eye]

@pekolie the spawning is way worse in BO. I spawned took 2 steps forward and an someone spawned behind me and killed me. thats how bad it is in BO at the moment

[creatchee]

People hate on Black Ops (and COD in general) because it's a multiplatform game AKA not an exclusive. The fact that it has insane sales, great reviews, and millions of people who play the hell out of it make it fodder for those who want to claim superiority for their system of choice.

[italianbreadman]

I feel like both are weak. Give me meaningful things to do in multiplayer and you've already beaten these and other shooters. I like the dynamics of Battlefield games' multiplayer. And of course anything by Valve, but that's just because they make better games in the first place.

[kaveti6616]

There's a lot of stuff to do in Reach multiplayer. It changes every day with the Daily Challenges.

I know this site is mostly anti-Halo because it's mostly anti-360, but you guys are getting ridiculous.

Halo Reach's multiplayer is a functional experience, unlike Black Ops. It's got a host of variety in terms of weaponry, armor customization, armor abilities, etc.

People rag on Halo but how many of you guys actually play it?

Edit: Actally, Black Ops's multiplayer is also a good experience. It's just rough around the edges. It's got just as much depth and customization options as Halo Reach does, so I'm not downplaying Black Ops for that. The only problem is the MP is broken on PC, I've heard. And there are a lot of glitches. But in theory, Black Ops is probably as good a game as Reach is.

[italianbreadman]

I think I need to clarify. I don't find the customization options of an arena shooter compelling anymore. No matter how many weapons, armor types, abilities, etc., it still boils down to a deathmatch experience.

Xbox 360 is my preferred platform and I don't know much about the preferences of the N4G readership, but I think that's a lame excuse to support or criticize a game.

I think the greater goals and pacing in BF appeals to me; I'm honestly more of a single-player, narrative-motivated gamer to begin with. I also love the more cooperative aspects of a multiplayer game.

[kaveti6616]

Bad Company 2 suffers from the same problems you mention about Halo and Black Ops. Just because it has larger maps doesn't mean the gameplay is fundamentally different. It's just a larger arena. Plus, Reach has big team battle maps as well, which are pretty huge. I can't say they are as large as BC2 maps but they're plenty large.

I don't imagine that there is any other type of shooter out there than arena shooters. Objective-based games still boil down to deathmatch type games because there's always 3 or 4 guys in the objective match doing nothing for the team in terms of accomplishing the objective. They're just there to get kills.

There are plenty of the objective-based games in Reach but I agree they all boil down to deathmatch. But since I like Deathmatch I've never really had a problem with it. The only way to advance the experience is to create new ways to kill each other. More creative weapons, more scalable maps with different places to hide and climb. Reach has done that with maps like the Spire or Boneyard.

It's really not Halo's fault that you got tired of playing Deathmatch type games. Bungie caters to that audience. Just because you got tired of playing those kinds of games doesn't mean that Reach is not a good game or that it deserves any form of penalty. It's a fantastically designed experience that appeals to its community.

You've just found a different kind of game to like, but I'd argue that it's just a slightly different permutation of the Deathmatch experience.

Objective-based games are always held back because the majority of the shooter fans still have the impulse to run into battle and kill a guy rather than defending a base or capturing a flag or detonating a bomb or stealing a treasure or whatever. Killing is still an essential part of the experience, and if only 2 or 3 players at a time can actually be part of the plan to protect an objective or steal something, then the other players will drift off to kill opponents because they have nothing better to do.

[-Alpha]

Battlefield is a more team-oriented, bigger-scale game. Games like Halo and COD are Arena shooters, they offer more smaller and personal games. I enjoy both styles personally

[PR_FROM_OHIO]

Halo Reach is a much better game in every way! I dont own a 360 but i have played both Black Ops is a mess!!!

[farhad2k8]

So how can you make a judgement if you have not even touched Halo Reach? For all you know, halo reach could be a bunch of stick men shooting at each other with commando pro on!

[gillri]

about the same for me,

[StitchJones]

They are two different games. Play the game you like and stop complaining about the other.

[TekoIie]

congratulations on posting the most Pointless and ignorant comment on this article. No matter what people will have these Console/game war and tbh its fun. I join in now and then but to an extent that i dont look like a fanboy...

[Jack-Pyro]

I'm getting word now...and...yes...it's official, Pekolie has just stolen the title of most pointless ignorant comment on this article, what an upset, the crowd goes wild!!!

*crown bursts into an uproar*

[Halo_Reach]

But Black Ops sells more... i think Microsoft would rather have a worst game that sell at Cod levels.

[ryuzu]

MS have got worse games....

Still, as has been demonstrated here time and again, Sales=Quality so BO is clearly better than Reach.

r.

[TekoIie]

Im having more fun in black ops. The contracts are a great way to encourage play styles and The Challenges for PRO perks encourage teamwork so the game really has gotten better :)

[Bodster]

IMO any multiplayer system is better than Black Ops' system, im having massive problems online atm...

[Paradise Lost]

Reach is so boring.

[MsmackyM]

Both Halo and COD has sold millions for a reason.

[Dark-Cloud]

i prefer to play cod instead of halo , halo sucks , it's really boring ........... no need for skill in halo , just jump and shoot , jump and shoot , jump and shoot jump and shoot................etc i played it , finished the campaign and still hate it , i tried to like it but it's really hard to like something boring

balck ops is a good game but the lag makes it sucks , and the weapon isn't that good .. and they should have put the old maps and the old weapons to make it really good but they are too stupid to do that and too greedy ..

[OSU_Gamer]

First of all....jump and shoot > camp and shoot

Second.... I don't know if you have played Reach, but the jump + shoot strategy doesn't apply nearly as much as it did in Halo 3. Even with that said, Halo 3 took a ton of skill. Its a futuristic FPS, so why is it so ridiculous that jumping and shooting was a good strategy?

[Dark-Cloud]

i hate when people say stupid things ... it doesn't need skill and that's it , you can't change that by saying some words , when i play it i see it easy and boring , anyone who play it in the first time he will know how to play it like if he played it for more then a month !! you can't change that .... i completed the campaign in halo 3 in the hardest difficult but it was like cod games and you must hiiiiiiiiiiiiiide and walk slow to complete the level , you just die faster and that doesn't need any skill but cod multiplayer needs a little skill to play it not like halo multiplayer that's why i prefer cod and the single player in black ops is alot better then halo so halo is sucks , if halo is worst then cod then you can't compare it ps3 games so get real and buy ps3 and stop saying stupid things ... and if you will say halo sells more then ps3 exclusives then you are just a fan boy , sales doesn't mean anything , alots of kids buy halo and xbox360 like me when i was a kid , kids prefer to play something easy and halo is easy , they don't want to play something hard ... and sales now don't mean anything , selling millions doesn't mean that the game is bad or good , alots of people buy halo or any other game just to play with there friends ...

[dead_eye]

I don't have a 360 any more and Halo has to be the one game I miss the most.

[AwakenTheTaco]

dude i actually see more kids playing cod than halo because its the "cool" thing to do. and mw2 made it easy for those who play with no skill to be ok at the game. reach takes skill because its not four shots and your dead. and playing swat takes even more skill. cod does need skill but you dont need to troll on a 360 game when you clearly play ps3 and "watch" people play halo.

[Close_Second]

I loved the lobby for Halo 3 as it provided most of the search options I was looking for. COD games, with the exception of COD3, only next to nothing. How in hell can anyone release what they would like to consider a hardcore game with a lobby system meant for casual gamers.

[delicia]

I played Reach with my friend and I really liked, co op is great, and so is the multiplayer system. Even though I only have PS3, I liked Reach.

[0oAngeluso0]

Your whole party can get into a game right away. On Black Ops, if I want to play with a whole team of six, your looking at waiting at least forty minutes, then the other team get's slapped and backs out halfway through, then were left with like only two people on the other team, once the game is done, then you have to back out yourself because nobody ever joins lobby's. Repeat. I love Black Ops, it's my favorite game of the COD series, yet I cant play because of a broken lobby system.

[Maini8000]

this article is pointless ive brought every gun in the game and brought dozens of attachments and i still have 25,000 cod points lol its hardly wasting this game throws CP at you in mass amounts

[italianbreadman]

How many hours have you spent on multiplayer?

[Maini8000]

like 18 hours... i havent prestiged yet if thats what you wondering im like level 46

[dkgshiz]

The booting system was outrageous. The maps were really average.

[m23]

The lobby system and interface in Reach is awesome, probably the best I have used. It's just so simple and sleek. I have yet to try Black Ops, but if it's anything like previous COD games then I will be disappointed.

[ForROME]

Because Halo Reach is a better game altogether is why

[BloodyCHAMP]

its what it is and its what it will allways be
halo = quality
cod= the cool thing to do

[sk8rm1cha3l]

well every one heres what i have to say mdw2 < black ops < battlefield bad co 2 < reach
reasons mdw2 was the worst game in history for online play in my opinion... no one and i mean no one worked as a team even in team based games it was just like free for all black ops majorly improved on modder war fail 2 as far as destructible (sort of) environments its actually kind of suckish compared to bad co 2 .. anyways black ops had an amaazing campaign i will give them that but just like every cod game how long till people start modding and hacking?... and the spawn system is really bad in it bad company greater than both reasons team work i love bad co 2 it is my favorite game because when i used to play modder war fail i would always get soo pissed off because no one worked like a team it was nothing like (modern warfare...not the game) in battlefield you actually have a squad you work with your team or you end up dying alot and you end up loosing big environments unlike and cod games completely destructible environments realistic physics bullet fall from gravity ect dont get me wrong i hate snipers but in battlefield it actually takes SKILL to be a sniper oh and did i mention VEHICLES? oh!!! i forgot you cant drive a tank in black ops... kill streaks dont count thats not jumping in a tank / helicopter on the map good choice of weaponry in battlefield ok enough of battlefield onto reach have played reach i have always been a halo fan but halo 3 did get boring after a while reach is a wonderful game i still would rather play bad co but thats just me.. reach has awesome physics you can have alot of customization amazing campaign fun online play custom maps which can be epic constantly changing online things over all its a wonderful game anyways im done with my rant peace!