Halo Reach
Although Halo Reach is the most recently released game in the Halo series it is actually a prequal to halo: Combat Evolved and it tells of the events that took place on the planet Reach during the Covenant attack that led to the destruction of the planet and all UNSC forces on it. The story focuses on Noble Team, a team of Spartan III's with one Spartan II member. You play this first person shooter as Noble 6, the newest member of Noble Team and a bit of an outcast. Noble six is known as a "hyper lethal vector" and the most dangerous Spartan alive next to Spartan 117. But he usually works alone as an ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence) asassin and there is some resistance to him joining Noble Team and replacing a fallen member.
When you join Noble Team you are immediately whisked off on a mission to investigate the deactivation of a communications relay. Originally though to be the work of rebels Noble Team quickly determins that it is in fact the work of a Covenant advance party on Reach to investigate the presence of Forerunner technology.
After returning to and defending an ONI installation known as "Sword Base" Noble team meets with ONI scientist and creator of the Spartan program Dr. Catherine Halsey. The one Spartan II member, Jorge-O52 refers to her as "mom." Halsey tells Noble team that the Covenant are searching for Forerunner Tech that she has been experiement on for years. Since the full blown invasion of Reach has yet to begin Noble six and Jun-A266 are sent to assess the strenght of the Covenant forces and once the only Covenant ship, a super carrier is revealed. Noble six and Jorge-052 use a small fighter craft and a pelican carrying a huge bomb made from a faster than light drive to assault the Covenant super carrier. Hoever during the battle the remmote detonator is destroyed and Jorge-052 throws Noble 6 from the ship into low orbit, remaing behind to detonate the bomb manually. Jorge-052 dies believing he is saving Reach but only moments after the Super Carrier is destroyed an entire Covenant armada of ships arrives and begins a full scale assault on Reach.
Noble 6 slams into the planet, barely surviving the impact. When he recovers enough to move he joins the local UNSC marines in their efforts to evacuate Reach's civilian population saving tens of thousands of lives. Once he reforms with the rest of Noble Team he informs them of Jorge's death. The remainining members of Noble Team are then tasked with the destruction of the ONI "Sword Base" as the secrets held within are deemed too sensitive to fall into Covenant hands. Moments after recieving their orders Kat-B320 is killed in a random encounter with a Covenant sniper.
The rest of Noble Team heads to finish the mission but it turns out to be a trick. Dr. Halsey has Co-opted Noble Team for a critical mission. She has cracked the code of the Forerunner technology deep below the surface of Reach and she tasks Noble team with the mission of delivering the powerful Artifical Intelligence, named Cortana, that contains all the information to the last UNSC ship on the surface of Reach, the Pillar of Autumn. It is at this point that the story blends right into the beginning moments of Halo: Combat Evolved.
Jun-A266 is sent with Dr. Halsey to ensure she does not fall into enemy hands. The team leader is killed delivering Noble 6 and the only other remaining member of Noble Team, Emile-A239 to the outskirts of the shipyard where the Pillar of Autumn awaits. When a pelican carrying Captain Keyes to take posession of Cortana and bring the last two Spartans on board a Covenant frigate arrives blocking the Pillar of Autumn's departure. Emilie initially volunteers to remain behind and use a MAC cannon to destroy the frigate and cover the Pillar of Autumn's escape. However when a large ground force of Covenant arrive Emile is overwhelmed and killed by several high level Elite's. Noble 6 gives Captain Keyes the container holding the AI Cortana and then remains behind to operate the Mac Cannon. He eventually destroys the frigate and the Pillar of Autumn escapes Reach. Noble 6 is left behind.
The last level of the game is unsurvivable. As overwhelming Covenant forces continue the utter destruction of Reach Noble Six just seeks to survive as wave after wave of Covenant forces assault and pursue him. Eventually he is overwhelmed and killed. If you complete the game on the hardest level you hear the voice of Dr. Halsey reading a memorial to Noble Six as the scorched surface of Reach where his helmet lies in the dirt slowly tranforms back into a life sustaining, vegetation covered planet.