Pros: Unsurpassed graphics, artificial intelligence, multiplayer, fun, sound, vehicles, and control
Cons: Very few weapons
The Bottom Line: The best first-person shooter ever made. It utilizes the horsepower of the Xbox to take gigantic strides of innovation resulting in something you've never seen before.
babyeddy7's Full Review: Halo: Combat Evolved for Xbox
Halo's Hype
In 1999, Bungie Studios announced that they would release Halo as a PC title. Even the earliest demo of Halo at the computer-expo was groundbreaking in both graphics and gameplay which gave Halo its soaring expectations. Many PC gamers had Halo on their list of most anticipated titles.
Now, Bungie Studios has launched Halo for the Xbox and has had incalculable success; almost everyone who has purchased an Xbox has purchased Halo. For some, Halo is the only reason they forked over $371 for the Xbox and Halo with sales tax included. Ironically, with an amount of this magnitude, it is money well spent.
Everyone who has played Halo whether in a store or after purchase has fallen in love with it. Those who have not are dedicated/negligent fans/owners of other consoles. In all gaming related periodicals that I have read, Halo has not received a score lower than 9.5 out of 10. In fact, one of the most read gaming magazines, Electronic Gaming Monthly, gave Halo a perfect 10/10 which only few others in history have received. Bungie Studios has shaken the gaming world with Halo's riveting storyline, smooth gameplay, gorgeous graphics, and never-ending fun which make every other first-person shooter seem ludicrous. Fortunately, Halo has managed to vault the bar which it has set for itself.
Storyline
For years, the human race has been unsuccessfully battling the Covenant (aliens) and managed to survive. The humans' starship fleet has been destroyed by the Covenant and the only remaining ship (Truth and Reconciliation) makes a desperate attempt to lead the Covenant away from Earth. You are the Master-Chief, the only remaining super-human developed during the Spartan II Project and considered to be mankind's last hope. You have been cryogenically frozen aboard the ship in preparation for a final battle with the Covenant. When you wake up, the Truth and Reconciliation is ambushed by Covenant ships and you are forced to get into a life boat/ship. All of the lifeboats crash land on a strange, ring-shaped world named Halo. Your mission is to gather as many of your fellow survivors you can and leave Halo. However, there is an evil secret regarding the creation of the planet that will not be revealed here.
Gameplay
The developers at Bungie Studios have smoothed out the wrinkles in the gameplay of first-person shooters. The flaws which other FPS games (namely Goldeneye) have is smooth operation. For example, if you want to throw a grenade in Halo, it is a different button than the gun-firing button. In Goldeneye, you must switch your weapon to the grenade before pressing the fire button and then switch back to the gun. This may sound minor, but it keeps fire-fights continuing smoothly and allows you to combine techniques such as shooting and throwing grenades simultaneously. Also, this makes the controls less noticeable and makes you feel like you are actually in a real battle. You will also be able to melee attack or punch your enemies without having to switch to the fists as a weapon. Again, this adds to the experience. In Halo, you will be able to rush in, punch to knock the enemy off balance, then finish with several plasma blasts. It is more smooth and immersive. Switching to the "fist" mode in the middle of a fight is ridiculous and ruins the experience. Gladly, Halo has corrected these irritating flaws.
The artificial intelligence that the game designers have given to both your friends (Marines) and foes (Covenant) is one of the most notable factors of the gameplay. For example, if you throw a grenade at enemies, they immediately dive for cover and the little aliens run away screaming hilarious phrases like "Not again!" or "We're all gonna DIE!" Enemies equipped with shields will guard themselves against your fire and force you to flank them to take them out. If you kill a large alien (Elite), the smaller aliens (Grunts), will run for cover. The Marines look and sound like professionals. They can be a real help throughout the game because they help you defeat overwhelming enemy forces. The phrases they say are cliche Delta force slogans and are quite convincing. Artificial intelligence is probably the most important factor of any game. It makes the game more convincing and throws you into the world that the designers created. The artificial intelligence is way beyond that of any FPS game. For instance, Medal of Honor and Return to Castle Wolfenstein have poor AI. Both were above average games that could have benefited from more complex AI (killing those Nazis did not make me feel like I was really in a war, they seemed to run into my path and just wait for me to shoot them). Halo's artificial intelligence is what makes it much more than just a game, it's real.
Load times between different areas are instant less than a quarter of a second. This adds to the experience because it keeps you in the action instead of pausing for a longer time.
Another notable element of Halo's gameplay is the variety of both human and alien vehicles. Human vehicles include the Warthog (futuristic jeep with mounted minigun) and the Scorpion (huge tank with deadly cannon and room for 5). The alien vehicles include the Ghost (swift anti-gravity speedster with rapid plasma fire), the Banshee (aircraft equipped with powerful fuel rod bombs and rapid plasma fire), and the turret (stationary plasma firing pod). Vehicles are vital in some levels for more efficient transportation. Vehicles and turrets play an important role in strategy in multiplay and cooperation mode. One player can drive the vehicle while the other player can sit in the back of the vehicle and fire its powerful weapon to soften or eliminate enemies. Again, a new feature means more fun.
Graphics
Halo undeniably features the best graphics of any FPS game or any game for that matter. Do not even try to compare its graphics with anything else that is not on the Xbox. Graphically, Dead or Alive 3 is the only game on Earth equally impressive as Halo. Halo takes you to the real thing with well-modeled aliens and humans. Every environment you encounter looks convincing such as snowy mountains and cliffs, rainy swamps, gorgeous beaches, temperate forests, icy ponds, arid deserts, misty rivers, and indoor structures. For example, on the second level, when you are outside, look at the grass. You can see the level of detail put into it; you can see every blade of grass and dirt and rocks. Explosions are done beautifully. If you look at the sun, there is lens-flare off your helmet. There are endless amazing and shocking scenes that you will encounter throughout the game. In a room full of Marines shooting at aliens, and all of these operations taking place in just one scene, the game never hiccups and just stays smooth.
Control
The Xbox controller feels like it was designed to play Halo. The control is very easy to adjust to; it takes a few minutes to be able to play like an expert. After that, you will not even notice them and you won't even need to look down at the controller to navigate.
Overall
Halo is certainly one of the greatest FPS games of all time. It is a landmark that surpasses its beloved predecessors like Half-Life and Goldeneye, and marks the beginning of higher expectations for all games. The original has raised the expectations of the quality of games greatly. Hopefully, Halo 2 will be able to out-do its prequel.
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