Halo: Reach Merchandise for the Halomaniac.

Another Halo game is due out in less then a few weeks and as any Halo fan should know by now that also means that tons of Halo related merchandise will be released as well. If you want the latest Halo item, your best bet is most likely Gamestop; as they have already started their Halo: Reach marketing blitz. For those of you that want to spend your hard earned money in these tough economic times on Halo stuff, this is what you can expect to see:

 

Halo: Reach Wireless Headset

 

Why bother  getting yelled at by an 11 year old with your old wired headset on Xbox Live, when you can do it wirelessly?  Your already playing Halo, so you might as well have the branded headset to match! This headset doesn’t improve upon the already released Wireless Headset for the 360, but it does let everyone know you prefer a nice silver look to your mic compared to the plain white one.

This headset will set you back $49.99 and is available at any major video game retailer.

Why I won’t be buying it: I almost did actually, but my Halo 3 headset still works great…when I remember to charge the batteries.

Halo: Reach Wireless Controller

If the Halo 3 limited edition Wireless Controllers wasn’t your thing due to the McFarlane artwork plastered all over it, then this new Halo branded controller might be for you.

The cost to pick up this bad boy: $59.99

Why I won’t be buying it: Why would I buy a controller that is essentially going to be obsolete in two months because of the new revamped controller that Microsoft is releasing? I might consider it at a lower price point, but the color scheme isn’t going to make me run out and buy it for that reason alone. Your mileage may vary.

 

Halo: Reach figures (McFarlane Toys)

Yes, McFarlane Toys still owns the license to make Halo figures and rightfully so. They’ve done a great job on replicating the Halo Universe in a collectable toy format that is properly suited to the game. Many of the Reach figures are already out at your local Gamestop store at the time of this writing, most of them are priced at $18.95.

McFarlane Toys has also released full figure scale vehicles to relive your favorite Halo battles. I’m sure that these will sell far better then McFarlane’s first attempt at making vehicles based on the Halo universe now that they have an actual use with their figure line.

Why I will try really, really (really) hard not to buy them : $18.95 is pretty high for an action figure at that size and scale and the price point for these figures seem to go higher and higher every time a new Halo game is released. I honestly stopped colleting these figures after the 3rd series of Halo 3 figures, mostly because McFarlane just kept churning out Spartan armor variants.  The full size vehicles are quite a temptation for me and it wouldn’t surprise me if I end up buying one… IF I bump into one.

 

Halo: Reach Xbox 360 Limited Edition Console.

If your looking to buy a brand new slim edition of the Xbox 360, want Halo Reach, larger hard drive, two limited edition controllers and don’t care about the limited edition version of Reach then this is a no brainer. The fact that the 360 is now sporting a built in WI-FI adaptor is also an added touch to those who don’t want to run a network cable to their living room. The console also sports its own custom Halo inspired sounds when the console is turned on, which is a nice touch.

Priced at $399.99, this is a not a bad deal for those who are looking to upgrade from their older 360’s or newcomers to the system itself. Sure, it doesn’t have a Blu-Ray player, but it does have quite an awesome selection of games that can be had for cheap.

Why I won’t be buying it: If I didn’t already have two 360’s, I actually would. The slim 360 is really slick looking and as Halo fan, I wouldn’t mind having the limited edition console. I would most likely end up selling the copy of Reach though and putting that towards the Legendary edition.

Halo: Reach Legendary Edition

The Ultimate edition of Halo: Reach for Halo fans is pretty awesome and manages to usurp the awesomeness that the Halo 3 Legendary edition was in terms of package design. The limited edition will cost you $149.99.

The Legendary edition includes:

Halo Reach Game

Game Disc in custom case modeled after a recovered ONI data module”

A custom in-game Elite armor 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.

Noble Team statue expertly crafted by the artisans at McFarlane Toys. Individually molded, hand-painted and individually numbered, this statue is a must-have for any serious “Halo” fan

UNSC-themed custom packaging.

An exclusive in-game Spartan armor effect.

Why I WILL be buying it: As an ex-Halo collecting merchandise  addict, this Legendary edition comes with everything that will satisfy my old Halo itch, the Noble Team statue is an awesome touch and will look great in my game room. It also focuses on what makes the Halo universe fun for me in the first place: The game. As a beta tester, I was pretty impressed with Reach and didn’t expect to be; especially after being so disappointed with ODST. Needless to say, I pre-ordered mine after playing a good amount of the beta.

I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the new Halo: Reach related merchandise that is coming out or is already sitting on store shelves. I’ve barely scratched the surface of some of the stuff that is out, but keep your eyes peeled on this site for more as well as the occasional unboxing videos of Halo related stuff at www.gamerlogic.net.

Peace!

Mike Mertes