Halo: Combat Evolved

The story revolves around the conflict between humans and an alien race known as the Covenant. The aliens have discovered a powerful artifact--on the ring-shaped planet called Halo--that will shift the balance of power, and it's up to the player to stop them. In addition to several first-person-shooter levels, the game offers numerous opportunities to engage in vehicular combat. Both the enemy and allied artificial intelligence are extremely impressive. Enemies will use the terrain and layout to put you in tight spots. Allies will know when to cover and aid you. For instance, if you hop into a jeep, an ally will know to jump in and man the turret on the back of it.

The graphics are exquisitely detailed, but only move at 30 frames per second rather than 60. The sound effects and voice acting are superb. The level design is among the best ever; most of the game is engaging and challenging without being frustrating. There's also high replay value thanks to the built-in single-player, cooperative, and deathmatch modes.

Much like the outstanding GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64, Halo raises the bar for console first-person shooters. All console action games will be measured against Halo for years to come. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• Outstanding game design
• High replay value
• Impressive AI

• Several maps are used multiple times
• Save functions could have been better implemented
• Graphics move at 30 frames per second, not 60

It's this smart AI system that makes for a noticeably unique gameplay feel. Another very nice feature is the seamless transition into vehicular elements. As you venture through mission objectives, a variety of enemy flyers and on-ground buggies are yours for the taking. Come across a vehicle and the camera will pull back to a third-person view as you strap in and motor through crossfire. A co-op mode allows a friend to join you in the single-player missions. For chaotic fighting action, up to four players can duel in split-screen deathmatch mode or link systems for LAN play. However you choose to hero your way through Halo: Combat Evolved, the action should break in your new Xbox in explosive style.

In respect to audio, Halo outshines the competition. The sound effects are spectacular and the soundtrack is killer. In-game voice acting has never been so good. You can hear your allied marines chatter about the enemy, when they have been hit, where the enemy may be, etc etc. In addition, you can hear the frantic cries of the running enemy when you and your shotgun sneak up on them. Playing this game in Dolby Digital will give the gamer an unsurpassed gaming experience.

In actual gameplay, this is where Halo redefines first person shooters. No other console game has gone where Halo goes. Halo is comprised of 10 well-designed, surprisingly large levels, mixing indoor and outdoor environments, to give the gamer an experience which will not soon be forgotten. And this is no normal shooter either. You can play campaign mode single player or with a friend. This is the first game to have a great "co-op" mode. If you can't beat a level, call a friend and work together. Playing the 'single-player' mode with a friend makes the game a far more enjoyable experience.

The developers of Halo knew what they were doing when they included vehicles in the game. Throughout the game, you will use a variety of vehicles to help you defeat the enemy. Some are slow but powerful tanks, while others are quick hovercraft. Several of the vehicles allow more than 1 player to get in, thus letting 1 person drive while the other blast the enemy away.

However, where Halo really shines is in its multiplayer. With 4 players, 2v2 deathmatches are just a blast. However, with a Cable or DSL connection you will be able to play Halo online! You can play with up to sixteen players in pure madness. Of all the time I spend playing Halo, 90% of it is online. It is just incredible. It takes everything positive about console gaming and pulls the online gaming from traditional PC games to make Halo one of the most enjoyable games ever made.

Should you buy Halo? Absolutely! And don't worry about getting bored anytime soon. With friends and online play, you will be playing this one for months.


Great Game   November 8, 2001
eg 123 (ny, ny USA)
60 out of 70 found this review helpful

I played Halo in a 16-person multiplayer capture the flag competition at one of Microsoft's "Xbox Unleashed" parties. I also got to watch a decent player run through a few levels of the single player mode. The biggest issue with any first person shooter on a console is control. Honestly speaking, Halo's control is just not as good as the classic PC mouse and keyboard setup. And yet, for first person shooters on a console, Halo's control is a breakthrough. I, and many others around me, were surprised by how easy it was to adjust to Halo's control scheme. Furthermore, it is highly customizable, you can even adjust the sensitivity of at least one joy stick. I would not be surprised to see claims in the future that Halo's control is superior to the mouse keyboard combination.

Onto the graphics... Evil Empire or not, Microsoft delivered on the graphics in Halo. Halo is a sunny world with bright blue skies complete with drifting clouds. Jutting steel towers hiding vast underground complexes are set against a background of curved landscapes (another words, Halo's engine does curved surfaces and they are not afraid to show it off). All the character models look and move organically and the vehicles, though somewhat derivative of Star Wars, are very cool. I heard some complaints about frame rate from a guy on the losing team of our little competition, but I thought it played smoothly throughout.

Because of the noise at the party, I can't judge the audio, but I can tell you that the game would be worth it with no sound at all. Halo is packed with features, including, I'm told, new multiplayer game types and all the networking software needed to make hooking up your Xbox to a LAN, or directly to a cable modem, a snap. And last but not least, lets not forget that the fun factor is high, after all you even get to jump into vehicles and mow down everything in your path. Basically, I am willing to go out on a limb and say Halo looks like it will live up to, and maybe exceed, all the hype. Buy an Xbox so you can play this game.


Not a HALO review   November 15, 2001
E. Hoffman (NY USA)
47 out of 76 found this review helpful

This isn't a review of HALO, but a request that others stop submitting "reviews" of HALO if they do not own the game or have never played it. There are least 5 reviews here that I have read to the effect of "this game looks great" or "this game doesn't look that good" by people who have never even played the game. Additionally, people who have only played the game at trade shows such as E3 really aren't that qualified to write a review either. Playing a game like this for an hour is not enough time to give you the plot. While people's opinions on the graphical and texture detail may be valid from only an hour of play time, I found that many of these reviews were misleading and ask that people who don't personally own the game stop reviewing it, as it makes it harder for people like me, who are trying to decide whether or not to buy an Xbox, to judge how good the game actually is.


Raising the bar? Blowing it up, maybe...   October 9, 2002
VideoGameStr8Story (Tallahassee, FL USA)
42 out of 48 found this review helpful

Back in the fall of 2001, I didn't want to play the XBox. I thought that Bill Gates was trying to monopolize my beloved pastime, the holy hobby of video games. So I didn't play it, that is, until my friend made me play Halo in the Spring of 2002.

My mind was instantly changed.

Halo is not just another video game, it's more of an experience that on higher difficulty levels, you don't just play, you survive. The story is well-planned and well-paced, the weapons are oh-so-cool, the digital surround sound helps to hear behind you (online challengers don't stand a chance), the music is stirring and epic, and the graphics are simply jaw-dropping. Nothing I've played in the past year has put these essential components together quite like Bungie Studios has with Halo. Single player missions are a blast, and you actually feel like you are a super-soldier fighting an alien menace on a strange artificial ring-world in the middle of who-knows-where. But playing by yourself misses the thrill of this game completely.

Anyone with broadband access can use GameSpy Arcade, download the necessary components, cheaply purchase extra equipment, and go online to show the world what you are made of. Multiplayer separates the kids from the adults more than any other console game I have EVER played. To survive, you must be strategic, yet ruthless. You must know the levels, know how to hide, know how to shoot accurately, and know how to move effectively. Once you take some time to master these skills, you feel like you've accomplished something great...

Oh, and if you have friends with copies of Halo, use the biggest room you have to link up 4 XBoxes for 16-player deathmatches (the one catch, every 'Box has to have its own TV). Trust me, nothing brings friends together like 8-on-8 Team Combat. You run to the shotgun room to take care of the weapons cache, Friend #1 runs to the Rocket Launcher for heavy artillery, Friend #2 takes up a sniper position with Active Camouflage (think Predator), Friend #3 waits at the end of the bridge with Fragmentation Grenades, Friend #4 packs a Plasma Rifle to slow down enemies and destroy their shields, Friends #5 and #6 secure medical packs for the squad, while #7 and #8 go freelance and be bait/avengers. And that's just an example of the Slayer mode, where the most kills wins. You've got King of the Hill modes, Capture the Flag, Oddball (he/team that holds the ball for the longest amount of time wins), Races and more. And it's not just mindless killing, all these modes require team strategy and underatanding of the playing field terrain. The more you know about where you are, the better off you'll be when the scores are final.

The only way this can get any better is when Halo 2 comes out in 2003. By then, XBox Live (Microsoft's online game service) will be up to full steam, and who knows what the future could hold (besides the super-cool headset microphones that let you talk to squad members)...

If you own an XBox and don't own this game, shame on you. If you don't own a 'Box, buy one for THIS GAME. You'll thank me later.


Best. Game. Ever.   July 28, 2003
Cassio A. Camara (Miami, FL United States)
42 out of 52 found this review helpful

Hey, all of the reviewers who gave this title 5 stars can't be wrong or misguided. HALO is simply the best game ever created, on any platform (PC, PS1/2, Nintendo, what have you).

The graphics are lush and gorgeous, with an attention to detail that I have not seen since. Fire a slew of bullets at an enemy and spent rounds not only fly off your gun, but also stay on the ground. Blast marks, errant bullets, and blood stains all stay on the environment map, which can leave maps looking like real battlefields after a particularly intense game. Draw distances are also phenomenal, allowing players to pick off enemies from across the map with confidence (an no small amount fo skill).

The sound is terrific as well, as bullets, grunts, and other ambient noise all add to the atmosphere. Playing this game with surround sound is simply awesome.

The single player campaign is also great, and offers players of every skill a good challenge. Legendary is exactly what it sounds like, and beating the game on that level is quite a feat. A great advantage of HALO's campaign mode is the ability to team up with a friend and take out the Covenant as a team. The A.I. is also excellent. The enemies are challenging without 'cheating' (essentially becoming inhuman and never missing), which is what commonly happens on other games at the upper levels.

Another of HALO's strenghts is the fact that it is a *tactical* shooter, meaning that the player must use good strategy to survive. Being able to only carry two weapons at a time really drives home this point, and means that players will have to make sacrifices in order to carry an effective all-around combination of weapons. Vehicles are also great, and although learning to drive them can be a little frustrating at first most people catch on fairly quickly and are able to go around running their opponents over in short order.

HALO's controls are also excellent--easy to learn, with lots of customizable options making them accessible to players of all levels. This is hearsay for a hardcore PC shooter fan like myself, but I prefer HALO's controls to the mouse/keyboard setup on the PC (yikes!).

Finally, where HALO really shines is in multiplayer. With several different game types to choose from, customizable options affecting scoring, respawn time, weapon/vehicles available, etc... you and your friends will be coming back for more. No matter how good HALO is as a single player game (and it is very good), it is elevated to Best Game Ever through multiplayer. There's nothing quite like getting together 7 other friends and blasting each other apart. No X-Box live support, but it is possible to play online (with some patience).

The praise could just go on and on... If you have to get one game for XBox it has to be HALO. Accept no substitutes.