Might as well chime in with a bit of first hand knowledge about Reach. Suffice to say, it's f**king awesome. It's essentially the best of Halo 3 and Halo 1 combined, with a ton of new elements to improve them both. The gameplay has it's kinks, but nothing that won't be worked out by the time the full game rolls around. The melee is no longer a go-to attack; it must be used sparingly, as damage no longer transfers. It's a dangerous proposition, because if they have shields, then you'll end up looking like a fool while they capitalize on your momentary inability to follow-up. The battles are much more versatile now, what with armor-locker's getting people's attention and the cloaked guys coming up behind, the jet packs raining death from above. The new weapons are great additions, and they all have a very balanced feel. In Halo 3, the only weapons I'd ever see were the Battle Rifle, or if you didn't start with that, the Battle Rifle and Assault Rifle. The most common weapons are still the Assault Rifle and Pistol, but only because those are the most common starting weapons. I always see a variety, and rarely run into the same weapon twice in a short period of time.
