So, if you never liked Halo (all two of you), the fact that Reach is the best of the series offers you nothing, as it’s just as much Halo as ever. That is to say, Halo is like Halo 2 is like Halo 3, and while there are criteria by which we can say one is better than the other, the differences are pretty slim. When I tell you, then, that Reach is the best game in the series, you may ultimately find the endorsement less meaningful than it seems, as the gradient of quality within this series is fairly narrow. The Halo franchise is characterized by a similar condition with opposite results in this case, a string of fundamentally similar sequels have been produced, capitalizing on the natural strength of the core gameplay mechanic. When I reviewed StarCraft II I wrote that a level of perfection in the gameplay design allowed the original StarCraft to endure, without sequels, far longer than any game has a right to. Still, there are some things about Reach that deserve to be said, so we’re going to say them, regardless of the fact that you already bought the game on launch day. You know if you’re prepared to spend your sixty-dollars for it.

It’s 2010 now, and at this stage in the videogame universe reviewing a Halo game seems largely unnecessary.