Title: Halo: Combat Evolved
Developer: Bungie
Platform: Xbox/PC
Released: 2001 (Xbox), 2003 (PC)
Played from: 2001- 2004, occasionally since
Overview
---------------------------------------------
This is probably one of the most well-known games that I will ever post about on here. And frankly if you have never heard of Halo, you are either 8 or are not a gamer.
That said, Halo is an amazing game... arguably the best FPS at the time of its release, and many would argue one of the best games overall. But, it is easy to forget just how revolutionary Halo was, so this review will focus on that.
First off, in 2001 the FPS genre was much different than it was today. There was Doom, Half-Life, Unreal... and that is about all worth mentioning. All of these games had extensive single player campaigns with a very sparse story. Gameplay consisted of a few short firefights, loads of puzzles, and a boss here and there. Halo breaks away from this to offer a game with nonstop action, a highly involved story that begins at the climax of a 25-year war, almost no key hunts, and no real "boss" fights. Halo was also the first to include a recharging shield (about half of your total health would automatically regenerate, which would not penalize players for making a large number of very minor mistakes.)
Also, in contrast to traditional FPS weapons, which would start you out with a weak weapon and gradually grant more powerful weapons until you had 10 or so, you can carry a maximum of two guns and 4 of both types of grenade. These weapons were meticulously balanced: No single weapon could ever become useless, and only the pistol was powerful enough to be useful in almost every situation.
Single Player
--------------------------------
Halo was released about a year before Xbox Live, so the campaign mode was the main focus. The story is engaging. The levels flow seamlessly between foot and vehicle fights. The enemies are realistic and fun to fight (Grunts and Jackals will panic and hide while Elites and Hunters will stand their ground with fanatic devotion, and the Flood will charge in a blind rage even after losing an arm.) There are literally dozens of easter eggs to go back and find, many of which require a significant amount of skill and creativity to even get to. And when you finish all 10 levels (which will take most people about 12-15 hours on the appropriate difficulty), there are four difficulty modes to go back and test your skills on.
Multiplayer
----------------------------------------
As stated above, the original Halo was not Live compatible. Still, it supported a full multiplayer mode, and up to 16 players could compete when you hook up 4 Xboxes over LAN. Most of the levels were good, although only a few of them ever became popular, and Blood Gulch was the most popular by far, despite the fact that the Blue team inexplicably has a tactical advantage during CTF games. Still, the meticulous balancing that was present for the campaign still applies to the multiplayer, which mostly reduces the need to make a mad dash for the rocket launcher in order to avoid coming in last during a match.
When Gearbox ported Halo to the PC, they rightly guessed that the main draw would be the multiplayer. So, while they left the single player untouched except for some minor graphical tweaks, they added five new multiplayer maps (all of which support vehicles) as well as the flamethrower, fuel rod cannon, rocket warthog, and banshee. The new maps were well received, but most hardcore fans agree that the addition of new weapons and vehicles upset the balance of the game.
As of this writing, however, there are still active games on the PC version of Halo, and the Custom Edition (that warrants a separate entry by itself) still sees maps produced on a regular basis.
Final Thoughts
------------------------------------------
Halo is an 11 year old game at this point, and strangers to the game will notice its age. It was produced on a rushed schedule and with a low budget. The result is a poorly written script (compared to the later games in the series, which used professional writers) and the last three levels of the game involve the player retracing his steps through levels he has already been through (Two Betrayals is Assault on the Control Room backwards, literally.) However, the game is just as fun today as it was 11 years ago, and the Anniversary edition is available for those who want to experience it for the first time with current-gen graphics.
Developer: Bungie
Platform: Xbox/PC
Released: 2001 (Xbox), 2003 (PC)
Played from: 2001- 2004, occasionally since
Overview
---------------------------------------------
This is probably one of the most well-known games that I will ever post about on here. And frankly if you have never heard of Halo, you are either 8 or are not a gamer.
That said, Halo is an amazing game... arguably the best FPS at the time of its release, and many would argue one of the best games overall. But, it is easy to forget just how revolutionary Halo was, so this review will focus on that.
First off, in 2001 the FPS genre was much different than it was today. There was Doom, Half-Life, Unreal... and that is about all worth mentioning. All of these games had extensive single player campaigns with a very sparse story. Gameplay consisted of a few short firefights, loads of puzzles, and a boss here and there. Halo breaks away from this to offer a game with nonstop action, a highly involved story that begins at the climax of a 25-year war, almost no key hunts, and no real "boss" fights. Halo was also the first to include a recharging shield (about half of your total health would automatically regenerate, which would not penalize players for making a large number of very minor mistakes.)
Also, in contrast to traditional FPS weapons, which would start you out with a weak weapon and gradually grant more powerful weapons until you had 10 or so, you can carry a maximum of two guns and 4 of both types of grenade. These weapons were meticulously balanced: No single weapon could ever become useless, and only the pistol was powerful enough to be useful in almost every situation.
Single Player
--------------------------------
Halo was released about a year before Xbox Live, so the campaign mode was the main focus. The story is engaging. The levels flow seamlessly between foot and vehicle fights. The enemies are realistic and fun to fight (Grunts and Jackals will panic and hide while Elites and Hunters will stand their ground with fanatic devotion, and the Flood will charge in a blind rage even after losing an arm.) There are literally dozens of easter eggs to go back and find, many of which require a significant amount of skill and creativity to even get to. And when you finish all 10 levels (which will take most people about 12-15 hours on the appropriate difficulty), there are four difficulty modes to go back and test your skills on.
Multiplayer
----------------------------------------
As stated above, the original Halo was not Live compatible. Still, it supported a full multiplayer mode, and up to 16 players could compete when you hook up 4 Xboxes over LAN. Most of the levels were good, although only a few of them ever became popular, and Blood Gulch was the most popular by far, despite the fact that the Blue team inexplicably has a tactical advantage during CTF games. Still, the meticulous balancing that was present for the campaign still applies to the multiplayer, which mostly reduces the need to make a mad dash for the rocket launcher in order to avoid coming in last during a match.
When Gearbox ported Halo to the PC, they rightly guessed that the main draw would be the multiplayer. So, while they left the single player untouched except for some minor graphical tweaks, they added five new multiplayer maps (all of which support vehicles) as well as the flamethrower, fuel rod cannon, rocket warthog, and banshee. The new maps were well received, but most hardcore fans agree that the addition of new weapons and vehicles upset the balance of the game.
As of this writing, however, there are still active games on the PC version of Halo, and the Custom Edition (that warrants a separate entry by itself) still sees maps produced on a regular basis.
Final Thoughts
------------------------------------------
Halo is an 11 year old game at this point, and strangers to the game will notice its age. It was produced on a rushed schedule and with a low budget. The result is a poorly written script (compared to the later games in the series, which used professional writers) and the last three levels of the game involve the player retracing his steps through levels he has already been through (Two Betrayals is Assault on the Control Room backwards, literally.) However, the game is just as fun today as it was 11 years ago, and the Anniversary edition is available for those who want to experience it for the first time with current-gen graphics.
No comments:
Post a Comment