Halo: Combat Evolved is a Bungie developed FPS and was the key launch title for the Xbox. The game promises huge levels, smart AI, excellent combat and a great game overall. But exactly how good is this game? Is this the beginning of a great series or is it another game to be cast away to into our memories forever? Does 'Combat Evolved' really mean anything?
Halo does nothing new or revolutionary in the FPS department. The controls are similar to other console FPS and it works well. There is a wide assortment of weapons which are well designed. You can carry only two weapons a once and two types of grenades. The weapon layout may seem limited, but it's actually very realistic and adds some strategy. It's really nice to be able to pick up any weapon on the field whether it's Space Marine or Covenant force. The AI is absolutely great. The enemies act and fight very realistically. If you overpower them, the wimps will run and the warriors will become kamikazes. The variety of weapons also requires you to be able to adapt to different situations on the fly. That means that sometimes you'll have to your enemies to help you out (you'll know when). You'll fight in squads too which will take more planning as you'll have to watch your back and your comrade's (and they'll do the same). The vehicles are a very nice idea and work very well in the game. Like weapons, you use a different number of vehicles. While using vehicles the camera perspective changed to the third person so it's easier to pick up and learn each vehicle. The combat, no matter how you're fighting, is always different and tense. The game is designed well enough so that it can be very challenging and fun at all times. The single player mission with it's 10 vast levels are long enough. The co-op mode is absolutely a blast is definitely sets the standard for how all co-op games should be made. The multiplayer mode is also a lot of fun and adds tons of replay. And for the true Master Chief, there is the Legendary difficulty mode which is unbelievably difficult.
Graphically, Halo is a piece of artwork. The game looks good… Damn good. Character models and levels are all enormous. The superb amount of polygons makes everything smooth. The textures are very nice and smooth as well. The animation is very life like. The cut-scenes are nicely done and definitely take cues from big budget Hollywood movies. There is very little to complain about in the graphical department. There is some minor slowdown on rare cases and the atmosphere doesn't seem right.
The sound quality is nothing to cry about. Excellence is all around the audio. The sync is great, the sound effects are great and the voice acting is great (though the volume level of the voices are rather low). The music great, the intro track is very nice. The music comes in and goes out very smoothly depending on the situation.
The story is something of a shocker. Instead of the regular save the world bit, they've put random twists into it. Very nice surprises here and there with some epic, heroic moments really make the story enjoyable.
Final words: Believe the hype. This is one hell of a game and definitely one of the best games ever.
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