Halo has become a classic among FPS's. With uniquely balanced, yet simple gameplay, this is the game that made the xbox popular.
Gameplay: 9/10
Halo stands out in multiple ways. First of all, the enemies you will encounter are all very different, each one requiring different tactics to defeat. Theres the grunts, weak little things which go down quite easily, but they ususally appear in numbers so they can still be a pain. Then theres the much stronger elites which take a lot more pain due to having shields similar to yours and thier strength can handle much more than the grunts as well. Theres also the Hunters, which usually appear in twos and always have this heavy armor about them. This makes them nearly impossible to defeat unless you have a rocket launcher or are able to attack them from behind. Theres more enemies that you come accorss later, but those are the main ones you encounter in the first half of the game.
Secondly, the weapon system is balanced. Most games dont have a varied choice in weaponry. There could be tons of choices but most of those weapons will have a far too similar model or there are many enhanced versions of every gun making weapon selection far too easy. In Halo you can only carry two weapons at a time, not excluding pistols. And almost every gun has certain attributes which make them ideal for certain situations. For example, while the assault rifle is very weak, it can be ideal for taking out a group of grunts coming over a hillside, once they are out of the way you may switch to your surpirsingly powerful pistol to take out the elites, now that they have gotten a chance to get closer to you.
There are two main sets of weapons in this game, human and convenant. Now the human guns tend to be more powerful, but they all require ammo which may not necessarily be easy to come upon. Some convenant weapons are charged by batteries which run out after a period of time, but they are so common its no chore to find another gun with enough ammo to last you through the rest of the level. Also, some covenant guns have features the human guns do not have. The Needler for example, the only convenant weapon requiring cartridges, homes in on targets and explodes. The plasma rifle will cause whomever it hits to histate for a second, so to hit them repeatedly will slow them down, a helpful feature. Theres also the plasma gun which can charge up a single powerful blast to knock an opponent nearly off its feet.
The level designs are also fairly good. Many times there will be some wicked fun vehicles to drive. However, many times you will also get lost, and very frustrated.
The plot of the game is also very good and adds to the atmosphere of the game. You may find yourself sweating hours over this one very hard level only so you can finally know what happens later in the game. The main jist of it all is that Mankind is at war with an alien race known as the covenant. One ship, The Pillar of Autumn, is fleeing from one of the Covenant's ship. The Captain, Captain Keys, orders everyone to abandonn ship and to land on a gian ring-shaped structure orbiting the nearest gas giant. Also aboard is Master Chief, a spartan soldier and the last of his kind. At one point there where many like him but at the last major battle all the others were killed. Master Chief has his own HUD in his helmet and a recharageable shield. He can also jump higher, run faster, and fight harder than the average marine. Its his mission to take the onboard ship computer, Cortana, and keep her safe from Covenant hands. Cortana is essentially an actual character in this game, and she will constantly give you, Master Chief, the advice you need to complete the mission. The mission? Discover what Halo is. The covenant was not happy you landed there and is doing anything they can to find out how to use it before you can. Get off Halo alive. No explanation needed. Cripple this Covenant army as much as possible. And above all else keep Cortana away from the Covenant, if they get her than they will know the coordinates to Earth.
Graphics: 9/10
The game looks good. There was clearly much effort put into every detail of the game, from the way the grass looks to the way the blood spurts from fallen covenant as you attack them. Looks Good. Enough Said.
Sound: 9/10
The game sounds great too. The score is something to be appreciated. The sound effects are crisp and do not get drowned out by any background music. The voice acting is very well done. While most would think that voice acting dosent havev much to do with the game itself I for one disagree. Had the voice acting not been so good, the overall experience would suffer tremendously. In a game such as this every detail counts.
Multiplayer: 8/10
This is a hard area to critique. The multiplayer is solid, yet theres no online play and finding four other xboxs, 16 controllers, and four tvs to play a 16 player game can be rather difficult. However, I used to attend a few of these Halo parties and they were by far the greatest multiplayer experience i have ever had, including online gaimng and computer lans. Instead of using a weak keyboard like in a comp lan, you have the controller in your hand as well as a television screen to play on. Theres nothing like playing team capture the flag as you and your teammates attack an incoming groundhog and still being able to hear your friends in the next room screaming in frustration at their own "noobiness". That is something you cant find online. Theres plenty of games to play with and an option to create your own game types as well. However often you cant select your own weapons choices specifically, theres only options such as Human, Covenant, or map selecion.
The co-op missions make the main game a lot more entertaining, yet they do not compare to the 16 match team battles.
Overall this is a great game. One of the best FPS's in years and by far the best xbox title. If you got an xbox buy it now. If you dont want to have to plan one of those 16 player lans (especially since i doubt anyone would bother anymore with the halo 2 available. Sad i know. )then try this game on the computer. It has an online feature as well as more maps and weapons. Now have some fun.
Create an Account
Member Login
