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Halo - Combat Evolved: Evolving The Industry of Video Games
Date of Review: Jun 3, 2003
The Bottom Line: Read Review
Official Name: Halo
Developer: Bungie Studios
Release Date: November 2001
Genre: Action
Rating: Mature: Blood and Gore - Violence
Also Available On: PC
Live Enabled: No
Intro
You ve heard of it right? Well, if your late, so am I: I always choose an extremely late time to write about an old game. Seeing as how this game is one of the most timeless pieces of art, I care not. On every box of Halo nowadays have a big gold stamp saying: Game of the Year. The Official Xbox Magazine, IGN.com, AIAS, and Electronic Gaming Monthly named it Game of the Year, and with good reason. This is not only the finest action first-person shooter to date, but this game is probably the most successful and boosting launch title for any console, Ev-Ar. As you know, Blockbuster is never gonna have that damn game, so I decided to buy it used at Game Xchange for 35$. Shamefully, the disc had less scratches than my Splinter Cell disk, so this was a wise purchase. Not only is it the finest purchase I ve made since my GC, but one of the most uplifting. Halo reigns supreme in my Xbox at last, and here is my view on The Game of the Year.
The year is 2552, and surprisingly, Earth is still there. Man couldn t control his hormones and gone and made it overpopulated, so colonization is a requirement to millions. The key to mankind s survival is a colonized planet called Reach, which serves as a refuge for civilians and a manufacturer to military campaigns. Not too long ago, contact with a colony called Harvest was lost. When the military was sent to investigate, they were met with hostility, hate, and total annihilation. When a single, battered ship returned, they gave the bad news; A sophisticated and intelligent alien race called The Covenant has declared war on them. Humans have determined that The Covenant s hostility is religious; an effort devoted to their gods. The UNSC (United Nations Space Command) has fought a losing battle to The Covenant for 32 years now. The scientific activity on Reach, however, has recently developed a special cyborg-warrior, a project called SPARTAN-II. SPARTAN-II warriors (the few that exist) need further development, and are entrusted to a vessel called the Pillar of Autumn.
Pillar of Autumn is, surprise-surprise, attacked viciously by The Covenant, and is forced to evacuate. The survivors of the attack crash land on a space structure that resembles a great, circular doorway, hence the name: Halo. You are Master Chief. A specialized human bred to battle and kill, and are entrusted with the greatest of responsibilities: escort and protect Cortana, a state-of-the-art AI database which contains just about every vital piece of information regarding the human race. Needless to say, if you were to fail, The Covenant would wipe out the human race in a heart beat. Time to stop beating around the bush; protect Cortana, work with your fellow Marines and fend for yourself in uncharted territory. I bought Halo around 12 at noon, and have been playing until 11:15 straight to give you this review. Halo sets the standard on what first-person shooters should be.
Graphical Capabilities-
Since this was the Xbox s launch title, it was easy to see what bright future the Xbox would have in the graphics section. This is, simply enough, one of the most visually stunning game s I ve come across. The indoor environments are finely detailed and beautifully displayed, but the real magic lies in the beautiful outdoors. Starting at the bottom, this is one of the few games that had me looking down for many a minute. The grass, for Pete s sake, is something to duly note! You can tell how much Bungie went into detail, because the grass is so detailed. The sky is just as beautiful. Looking over the horizon on a hill, you can see a great sea beyond. Look up to the sky and you will se the colossal structure, Halo. It looks like a giant doorway, and is one of the most innovative landmarks I ve seen in a game.
The visuals and mechanics in this game are more than superb. Throwing a grenade on the ground next to an enemy sends them flying like a turd hitting a fan: sweeeet. One of the neatest features in the game s visual department are the vehicles. Driving an automobile with a rifle-toting passenger to your right, and a gunman with a turret in front of him behind you makes for not only a visual treat, but a deadly weapon. One of the most notable aspects in visuals is the violence. Blood, guts, gore, spit, and ass are gonna fly, and thus is the well-deserved M rating. Try to keep the fire on your enemies and you ll see more blue crud rather than friendly blood through our visor. Overall, this is one of the most visually stunning games I ve played.
Graphical Capabilities: 10/10
Sound Capabilities-
I m not proud to say that I haven t paid attention to the game s sound as I have graphics and gameplay. What I can tell you, is that the game s sound effects are nothing short of mind-blowing. The guns blasting and grunts screaming as you chase them down is music to my ears, and the vocal performances in the game aren t bad either. Most first-person shooters focus mainly on graphics than they do sound, but Bungie made sure that was on the bus this time. The voices in the game are really realistic, and not annoying, as they are in most games (Shenmue II? Honestly folks...) Best of all, I got to hear Master Chief speak, as I don t get to do in most games; the main character never speaks. The music in the game sets the mood right, and that s all I can say.
Sound Capabilities: 9/10
Gameplay-
This is what makes a game, simple enough, and the gameplay in Halo is what named it Game of the Year. I personally dislike the first-person genre, as they all suck, with the exception of a few. The only ones I ve enjoyed so far have been Goldeneye and Halo (Perfect Dark sucked people...When will you understand that?) Halo sets the standard for action and first-person shooter games, and it is a tough act to follow. Until Halo 2 finally comes out, the gameplay of Halo will keep me intrigued for months to come.
As said, the game is first-person perspective. You collect different weapons as you progress through the game, and they can range from Marine issued firearms, to salvaged, foreign, Covenant-made weapons. Moving around is a piece of cake. The left thumbstick is used for moving front, back, left right, and the right thumbstick is used for looking in all those directions. Once you get the hang of the basic controls, the main thing is knowing how to stay alive. The Covenant has their share of formidable enemies, sophisticated weapons, and ingenious tactics, as anyone can tell you. The AI in Halo is brutally wicked. Don t be surprised if you see small and inferior enemies running to a larger ally for protection. Don t be surprised to see that you will find yourself chasing enemies around large obstacles. Don t be surprised to find that Halo is one of the most highly sophisticated AI game discs out there.
Throughout most of the game, you won t be alone. Many Marines accompany you in many ways. They too, are severely intelligent. Keep in mind that, unlike most games, the enemies don t get more and more stupid as you lower the difficulty level. Your Marine allies aid you in many ways, whether it be with equipment, or with battle support: heck, I ve found that when I m low on ammo, I just kill one of them for their gun (Rest assured that I feel bad about it...What do you think I am; a vicious traitor? Don t answer that...) Be sure to look for salvage from fallen allies or blasted enemies, because you certainly will need them throughout combat.
On foot, Master Chief is as deadly, brutal, and vicious as a guerilla of Janet Renos, so it s suffice to say that on a kick-ass vehicle, Master Chief will leave more than armadillos as road kill. The most common vehicle in the game is the M 12 LRV, or Warthog, a mobile 2 seat four-wheeler with a manned turret on the back. Drive around with an armed gunman in the passenger s seat, and a manned turret behind you, so on a Warthog, you re pretty lethal...seriously folks. Other awesome vehicles include the M808B Scorpion MBT, which is a heavy-duty butt whooping tank, and The Covenant s vehicles, the Ghost and the Banshee.
Aside from awesome vehicles, you have a wide variety of weapons like the M6D Pistol, the MA5B Assault Rifle, the M 19 SSM Rocket Launcher, and M90 Shotgun (a personal favorite of mine.) Use these weapons, vehicles, and smart tactics to fight for survival. Although the graphics and sound but enhance the experience in Halo, the gameplay is what gives it my 5 star rating, as well as several Game of the Year stamps. Halo is the newest addition to my Xbox library, and let s hope Halo 2 will bring us the same exciting and intriguing gameplay I can find here.
How Should I Play This Game?
This is a first person shooter, so it s suffice to say that you don t need a guide in the least. It s the intense action, hard core violence, and amazing combat that makes Halo what it is, rather than confusing and over-challenging mazes that guides help with. One problem with Halo can be the lack of bots in multiplayer. You can hook up with 3 friends and duke it out, but if there s only 2 of you, the Campaign Mode is what you re looking for. My roommate Natalie and I tried it with multiplayer, and it was pretty fun. While bots might be missing, the multiplayer in Halo is great. I could never recommend a first person shooter to be experienced by an on-looking audience, and Halo is no exception.
Pros
Oh, the things I could Think. First off graphics, duly followed by sound and music, intense action, gameplay, wickedly intelligent artificial intelligence (not artificial stupidity like in that RoboCop game...*shudders), rewarding replay value, and the fact that it is one of the best game purchases you could make.
Cons
The fact that it is not Live enabled (probably due to its age), and the fact that there are no bots in multiplayer. All I can name here.
Final Recommendation
I can recommend this game to anybody....anybody! Aside from the excessive amount of blood, the game isn t really that violent, so I can recommend it to anyone who can handle it. If you have an Xbox, you have to have to have to have Halo, period. Not only is it a very rewarding game with obvious replay value, but it is one of the most visually meaningful games out there. Just like Goldeneye, the action in Halo is 100% timeless, so don t expect to get worn out on Halo for a couple of months.
The reasons for recommending this game are simple: graphics, sound, gameplay, action, AI, design, environments, weaponry, vehicles, and good story. These are all the right reasons to own a game, so what are you waiting for? *Returns to non-infomercial-style-character...Halo is probably the best software purchase I ve made since Ocarina of Time, which is saying quite a lot. Get the Game of the Year for yourself and see where is it Halo 2 will pick up. Halo: Combat Evolved...this is why they have a console called Xbox.
