Halo: Combat Evolved

Needless to say, I picked up the Xbox and Halo a day after it was realeased in the US. I powered on the machine and threw in Halo. To my dismay, the game was alright on a controller. The learning curve was about thirty minutes to an hour for the control via the dual analog sticks, but after that, everything was smooth and precise.

The game itself is a modern console masterpiece. If you are a PC gamer, a console gamer, or both, pick up this game. The story is nice, the control is nice, the graphics are overpowering, the soundtrack kicks in at just the right times. Voice acting is also superb. Alright, so it is nice, that doesn't mean it is a masterpiece. Well, I am moving to that in a minute. AI, artificial intelligence is where the game becomes a masterpiece. AI on both sides, your marines, and the enemies (The Covenant and The Flood) are both amazing. It never feels like you are battling ET, these are full fledged strategic beings with energy weapons. They will strafe, hide behind obstacles, send out decoys, everything that you would do.

On a final note, Halo offers co-op mode. A buddy and yourself can play throughout the entire story together. To put it bluntly, this mode rocks! The game is a five star by itself. Then add a great co-op mode and the scale needs a few stars added to be able to keep up with Halo's gameplay


It's a decent game... But it's not the "best game ever."   January 14, 2002
Nu_Gundam (Lexington, KY United States)
33 out of 54 found this review helpful

I've always been a fan of Microsoft. Let the strong survive... And let the weak work for the strong through a corporate buyout. I have nothing but praise for their foray into the console gaming world, and their eventual conquest of this planet... Oh, you know it'll happen. So don't think this review is a biased against the company itself or the X Box console. I simply just don't see this game as being "Half Life 2" or "The greatest game ever made."

Halo is nice, and maybe revolutionary in some way I don't see, but it's in no way the best FPS ever made. Perhaps the best on a console, but as a normally computer-gamer, I just like having a bit "more" to my games.

The Game -

The game itself plays wonderfully. I don't have any complaints about the gameplay, though the game is short and has a lot less replay value then some would like you to believe. The levels eventually become repetitive, and like most console FPSs, just seem like you're beating one level by killing hoards of enemies, only so you can go to another level and do the same. I kinda got tired of doing that once, and have no real intention of doing it again to "experience the `awesome' AI's tactical variations."

There are some nice features added in for variety, though. The vehicles save this game from becoming boring. Each one is incredibly fun, though all are a bit hard to control at first. Once you get it down, however, you'll love running over, vaporizing, and landing on the endless amount of Covenant and The Flood troops.

In addition, the game designers have a nice sense of humor, and they'll randomly throw in things that will give you a laugh. When you see a Covenant member running down a hill, shooting into the sky shouting "Kill them all," you'll be to busy laughing after your first shot sends them in the other direction pleading for their life to actually chase after them. Also, pay close attention to the names of the various "levels" in each stage. "Cyborgs and AI Constructs First," and "Warning: Hitchhikers May be Escaped Convicts" all have subtle, but hilarious meanings.

Story -

Story has a lot to do with an FPS these days. You can't just send a guy running through Castle Wolfenstein to murder Nazis, just because they're Nazis, anymore. Halo's story was "nice," but wasn't anything I actually got into. If you compare it to something like Deus EX... Well, it can't be compared to Deus EX. The story just isn't as good as some things that have been done.

Multiplayer -

Halo's multiplayer cooperative option is great. Definitely better then playing the game alone. Granted, if you're like my friend and I, you'll probably end up "slipping" with your trigger finger, or "accidentally" not covering your friend as he or she runs into a group of enemies. If I could mention only one good thing about Halo, this would be it.

Regular multiplayer mode isn't that great with just two to four people. They have plenty of options to choose from, but all the maps are designed for massive amounts of people. It takes several minutes to find someone, and about five seconds to take them out, or die an agonizingly well rendered death. If you have sixteen friends in one game it'd be fun, but how many of your average gamers have friends... ... ... Uh, I mean sixteen friends... Honest...

Controls -

For a gaming system, the controls are nice. X Box's controller setup has borrowed from other controllers of the past, which means it has a "tried and true" design. The layout is well done, since they've eliminated the pointless tasks of trying to climb up platforms that so many FPSs have been filled with. The two trigger buttons for shooting and launching `nades, and the two joysticks for moving and sight are all you need 95% of the time.

AI -

The artificial intelligence in Halo may be better then most games, but just because a few Covenant can jump out of the way of a grenade doesn't mean it's impressive. I still found enemies walking around as if nothing happened when I picked off their "comrade" from afar. Plus, their shouts and screams are amusing at first, but really just end up becoming annoying... Though I suppose that increases the desire to take them out.

As for your own men... No complaints here. Nice to have a competent marine backing you up for once... Though they do have about as much health as you have shields, and they aren't nearly as consistent about jumping away from grenades as the enemy is.

Graphics -

Next to Dead or Alive III, Halo has the best graphics on the X Box right now. Everything looks stunning; from the weapons to the enemies. Nice touches, like the assault rifle actually displaying your current ammunition, or the plasma burns on the walls, add to the overall visual masterpiece that is Halo.

Sound -

The sound in Halo is incredible. There's nothing bad anyone can say about it, especially if you have surround sound. From enemy speeches, to explosions, to just the normal rapid firing of your weapon, I can't find anything to complain about.

In the End... -

Pros: Graphics, sound, good controls, cooperative mode, "little things."

Cons: No real replay value, AI isn't that impressive, the story is boring.

If you have an X Box, buy this. It's the best game on the console, and one of the best games on any console. However, don't buy an X Box just to play it. It's definitely not the best game of all time, and obviously not the best FPS of all time. It's good, just not great.

Wow... That was certainly long...


Outstanding, immersive, and very, very fun.   December 12, 2001
30 out of 35 found this review helpful

(...) Well, not only is Halo by far the best FPS for a console I've ever played, it's the best FPS I've EVER played, and one of the best GAMES, period. If this is what we can expect from the Xbox, well, thank God I have one, that's all I can say.

Typically, no shooter can compare with the holiest of holys, Half-Life. Half-Life has been the pinnacle of what the genere was capable of, and nothing could ever quite match it.
'Till now, anyway.

Halo rolls everything you could want in a shooter all into one package, save online play. You want immense outdoor environments? Here you go. Tons of weapons? Okay, we'll let you use the human weapons AND the alien weapons, how's that? Good AI? Try this. On the hardest difficulty level, the enemies will position sqauds on either side of any given hidey-hole you're cowering in, toss a good number of grenades to flush you out, and mow you down from two different directions when you make a run for it. Should you somehow live through that, they'll regroup, laying down cover fire, and try to split up and circle around you, leaving the tougher troops to face you head-to-head while the smaller guys gang up and shoot you in the back while the others have you engaged.

What else, you say? Well, okay. Every game like this has a gimmick. Half-Life had the fact that you could take guards and scientists with you. Red Faction had the fact that you could blow holes in walls. Halo? Ohhh. Let's count 'em.

For one thing, you have your Marines. They will fight WITH you, and they're no slouches. They react to the fight, think quickly, and will follow your lead but take the initiative if it presents itself. Flush an enemy out, and most often they're waiting to take it down. Need to snipe some enemies? They'll hold off until you're finished, and back you up if the enemies get too close.

Next, there's the enemies. Each enemy has a very different way of attacking, be it head-on, defensive, swarming, bait-and-attack tactics, whatever. The alien weapons are actually no better than the human ones, but sometimes are preferrable given certain situations.

Then we have the plot. While it's a little simple and contrived early on, there are major plot twists down the pipe. When you finally find out what Halo actually is, not to mention who really lives there, you'll be impressed by the scope of the story to say the least. It's Sci-Fi, but it's good Sci-Fi.

Lastly, and easily the best, we have vehicles. LOTS of vehicles. Get in the Marine Warthog jeep and a Marine will jump in back, manning the cannon. If he gets taken out, you can jump in the back yourself and use the gun. If a friend is playing with you, have HIM drive while you shoot, or vice versa. In one instance, I was driving a tank while my friend rode on it with a Sniper Rifle. I'd shell an area, and he'd pick off stragglers with the rifle. You can steal enemy air fighters and use them in skirmishes, or use them to back up a buddy on the ground. If you distract the enemies by flying overhead, he can get closer unnoticed until it's too late for the enemies. Knock enemies out of stationary gun turrets and climb in yourself.

Enemy placement is randomized a bit, so no two battles are ever alike. Voice acting is quite good, graphics are beautiful and have NO slowdown at all, and the sounds have a great deal of OOMPH to them.

This game raises the standard for all shooters to come. This is American game making at it's pinnacle, and if you've ever wanted the ideal action game, here it is.

NO Xbox owner should be without this game!


HALO -SETS A NEW STANDARD FOR FIRST PERSON SHOOTERS   October 26, 2001
Maurice Whitfield (Fayetteville, North Carolina)
29 out of 31 found this review helpful

You are the ultimate commando - a cybernetically enhanced soldier representing the peak of human military evolution. You are efficient, skilled, and dangerous. A sci-fi shooter that takes place on a mysterious alien ring-world, Halo will have you battling through amazing indoor and outdoor environments, in vehicles, and on foot with the largest arsenal of futuristic weapons, vehicles, and combat roles of any shooter ever. Your situation: In a desperate attempt to keep a conquering alien race called the Covenant from finding Earth, you and a ragtag group of Marines flee to a distant uncharted system where you unexpectedly stumble across Halo, an enormous alien artifact in orbit between a gas giant and its moon.
Your objective: Uncover Halo's horrible secret, and destroy mankind's nemesis - the Covenant.
Here it is, the system seller. Halo lets you infiltrate enemy bases, either with computer AI or with a friend. And not only on foot, but you can also jump in and out of military vehicles on the fly with no load times or pauses. Add to that an incredibly atmospheric and dynamic Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, and you have a must buy war fps/vehicular combat game.
Its true that a keyboard and mouse is best for games like these, but if you get used to playing with a gamepad, you will find the game more fun. At first when I played Quake 3 on ps2, it was hard, but after I got used to the controlling, it was easy. Everything seems hard at first, but give it some time and practice and you will see results. If you still cant play with a gamepad then wait till they come out with a keyboard and mouse for xbox. If you seen the movies for this game, you know that its really not only the graphics that make this game good, its the real life physics, animation, sound, story, and A.I. that makes this game so good.

* Huge Weapon Variety - Vanquish your enemies with a vast array of Human or Covenant weaponry ranging from the stealthy (semi-automatic pistols and needler guns) to the fierce (rocket launchers and flame throwers).

* Vehicle and Foot-Based Action - Tackle missions anyway you choose - be it storming an enemy base or taking the wheel or gunnery position of a variety of powerful vehicles. Vehicles range from stolen Covenant flyers to Human buggies and more.

* Indoor and Outdoor Combat - Fight seamlessly in Halo's ultra-realistic indoor and outdoor environments as you hunt the Covenant in a variety of single player missions and multiplayer battles.

* Intense Multiplayer Shoot-outs - Form a team, choose a role, and fight cooperatively with your friends, battle it out Deathmatch style via intense split screen, LAN-play or fight co-op with a friend through the single player missions.

* Incredible Mission Variety - Fight the Covenant in a variety of missions as you uncover the dark secrets of halo. Among your many objectives - attack enemy outposts, raid underground labs for advanced technology, rescue fallen comrades, steal alien vehicles and weaponry and snipe enemy forces.

* Reality Bending Special Effects - Halo features the most advanced graphic system on the most advanced gaming platform in the world. Gunfire rips off the screen, explosions light up a living room, and environments blur the line between your couch and fantasy.

* Rich Sci-Fi Experience - Halo transports gamers into a science fiction universe fresh out of a Hollywood movie. With a detailed twisting story line, complex characters and cunning enemies, Halo will fulfill every sci-fi enthusiastis


Paid off   December 31, 2002
29 out of 70 found this review helpful

I want to start off by saying I was paid off by Microsoft, they paid me millions of dollars just so that I would give Halo a positive review, because we all know how badly it needs it. If I didn't give it 5 stars, who would? Possibly one of the 700+ so far who have given it 5 stars...well Microsoft must have paid them millions too! But I resisted the temptation.

And what is with the name HALO? You would think the planet was...I don't know...a ring or something huh? And don't get me started on those clear and precise graphics, what is this supposed to be, a movie? Sheesh. I like my old PS and its distorted, pixelated graphics and limited color schemes. And the controller...how dare they make a bigger controller, they must think that they are better than the rest. Everyone knows that they all have to be basicly uniform in design whether one is more comfortable or not. And who came up with this world where you actually have to walk to where you are going, I just want to be able to run at lightning speeds, and fly and all that jazz. Who wants to play a game where you have human limitations where you can actually take damage and die?

And the aliens look too funky. I will have you know that the last time I was visiting my alien friends they didn't look anything like this. Microsoft should redesign the aliens to look more like the real thing. And those weird weapons...don't they know that all aliens have phasers? Sheesh. Microsoft should have done their research better. The human guns are lame too...machine guns and pistols and shotguns...that's lame. They should use real guns, like phasers. And there are no reloading animations, like when you are reloading the shotgun you should be able to see him insert the shells - what? He does? Oh...well you should be able to see him reload magazines by hand, shell by shell like they do in real life, only with phasers. And all guns should be 100% accurate like in real life. When I shoot my machine gun it doesn't kick or anything and every bullet is smart and knows where to go on its own, not like Halo where the bullets from a machine gun sort of spray. Who came up with that effect?

I don't like the controls either. You should only be able to look in the direction you are running. If I wanted to be able to see 360' degrees and back up and all that I would invest thousands in virtual reality games.

I wouldn't even like this game if Microsoft hadn't made me like it through promotional materials and by paying me off. They pay everyone off. I get a check in the mail every weekend from Microsoft just so that I will stay loyal. But I don't like using good software so I am going to start using real software from those companies that keep going out of business because they are all so much better...with their no support or updates and all the flaws and pricing schemes and...where was I?