Bungie is closing in on the finishing line for their input on the Halo series. What they started years ago on the original Xbox is about to wrap up with a prequel which although they weren't stating, they did seem rather unwilling to dismiss the notion that Reach might somehow wrap up the events of Halo 3 (Master Chief just drifting in space alone).

We were given a preview behind closed doors of a level about halfway through the game where you are making your way towards a counter attack. The level starts with you and three Spartans moving to a facility that is being attacked in an attempt to secure a sabre rocket. Along the way the other Spartans used their unique ability that were show cased in the beta, including a nifty display of armour lock, which destroyed a vehicle, splitting it in half as it crashed into the user. We were told that the single player campaign wouldn't be use exactly the same powers as in the multiplayer, but that they would give you a good idea of what to expect and how to use them.

Once the facility was secured, the player and another Spartan jumped into the sabre rocket and blasted off into space. While en route to the Anchor 9 space station you were then tasked with defending the station from an oncoming attack from the Covenant. The space ship seemed to handle a lot like a Banshee with a host of weapons at its disposal. While in space the sound was muted ala Firefly and Battlestar Galactica and after flying around and destroying enemy ships for a few minutes, our live demo of the game was ended and we were able to ask a few questions.

Although they weren't saying anything specific, when asked about the multiplayer and the possibility of more classes, and maps based in space, all that was said was there are a lot of maps we haven't seen and that there would be a 'lot of surprises' that they weren't able to disclose at this point in time. Although this is slated to be Bungie's last Halo game, Microsoft still does own the rights to the Halo franchise, and even though there has been no word, Reach may not be the final chapter for Master Chief and his Spartan counter parts.

Halo: Reach is slated to hit store shelves September 14, 2010. If the demo is any indication, this final saga for Bungie will be every bit as thrilling and entertaining as previous games and will leave fans of the series crying for more.