Dude AR is basically Halo's trademark weapon just as warthog is for vehicle. I thought it was a shame they took it out and replaced it with SMG's in halo2. Assault rifles are only powerful at shorter ranges, it's basically useless anywhere else so if you think about it it's a fairly balanced weapon, and is really only used to take out shields. Most people melee to finish other people off or switch weapons for the finishing headshot. It's not as likely when you charge someone head on with the AR and he's charging back with an AR that one person kills the other with the actual bullets.
I think the rumor may have been about ODST, if you think about it. I think that Reach is going to be the same type of gameplay that we are used to with the exception of a few new and different weapons and a few new things thrown in there. Why would Bungie mess with what is working and making them a **** load of money? Maybe a better discussion would be, do you think there will be equipment in reach. The plasma rifle rapes at close range or if you combine it with a pistol. The carbine can beat the BR so why would you need to boost it. Covenant weapons can match up to human weapons, every single weapons has it's ups and downs.
In a sense, the Battle Rifle represents everything I despise about Halo 3, that cocksure attitude of "Major" League Gaming players, the bragging, the insults: it's pathetic. They dropped the Assault rifle from Halo 2, so weapons being missing from later games is obviously not unprecedented. A good game pays respect to it's prequels, but not being able to change around the basics once in a while makes you a slave to your past. They shouldn't "get rid" of the Br. They should find it a replacement. There is a HUGE change in setting, and after the humans ran into the covenant there was a technology explosion. What i'm getting at is, the weapons in Reach obviously shouldn't be as "advanced" as those in Halo 3. I'm not talking muskets here, but a completely redesigned weapons cache for Reach (with a few classics) would be kick-ass. To make it.. better? (And even more money?)
BR's are way too common, yes the Covenant weapons are better in a few very specific situations, but they are few and far between. How often are a Plasma Rifle and a Magnum close to each other? My ideal weapon changes: BR: Add recoil, reduce accuracy when not scoped (maybe increased spread), uncommon. Carbine: Same as above. PR: Decrease bullet travel time, does 10% more damage to health (shield damage stays the same), slight blinding effect, more common, slows down victim. PP: Slight blinding effect. Spiker: Decrease bullet travel time, increase accuracy, more common (though the spiker will probably not be in Reach). SMG: Decrease recoil effect, add silenced version. Shotgun: Change to Halo CE's version. Magnum: Halo 2 version. AR: Decrease damage, increase fire rate and accuracy, no longer starting weapon. Needler: Slightly blinds user. Sniper: More recoil. Beam Rifle: Slightly slower overheat. Changes: No regenerating health, each time your shields are down they get slightly weaker. More geared towards mid-ranged combat. No ranks, but keep stats. Squad based campaign. Better AI, seriously Halo CE's AI was better. No Auto Aim when it comes to beatdowns. Additions: A new assault rifle, a slightly weaker version of the current one (new starting weapon). Brute plasma rifle. A human grenade launcher (replaces brute shot). More covenant races + their native weapons. Before you jump down my throat. You must realise that Reach is an entirely different game. So what's the point of staying with Halo 3's gameplay? The saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is what is ruining games nowadays (See: CoD, L4D and RTS genre as a whole). These changes are intended to make it more "hardcore" so to speak. Feel free to argue with me. EDIT: The BR was in development during Halo CE, it will likely not be in Reach.
Actually, no, this isn't correct. I was thinking this at first as well but according to the Battle Rifle page on the Halo Wiki, "The BR55 is first seen in Halo 2. However, it has been in service since 2525." Just so that is laid to rest. Now no one should ***** or complain. It'll be in the game. Quite your bitching. Nothing will change what Bungie is gonna do.
No, it's still semi auto, still accurate when scoped and has the same power. Spoiler The middle spartan is holding what looks to be an AR with an extended barrel and a small scope.