Halo Review (Xbox) By Miranda Stites Published: 01/03/07 PrintEmail
All hail to Bungie for the development of the best first-person shooter of its time. Halo: Combat Evolved may just be the determining factor for purchasing an Xbox console. It is well worth the money spent for all of the hours of fun that this game and its successors will provide for the avid player. The multiplayer gaming options ensure never-ending fun; making this a perfect game to buy, not rent. Some of the options include Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Slayer, Oddball, and Race; these multiplayer games can be manipulated in a fashion so that one can fabricate their own matches as they please leaving the player with too many options to count. That alone provides the buyer with the assurance one needs that this game is well worth the money.
The story mode for Halo is referred to as the campaign which takes place in the year 2552; far into the future. Space travel for this time period is far more advanced; it includes faster-than-light speed on space vessels for both the human and alien races of this time period. This is necessary since earth is not the only planet, or solar system for that matter, inhabited by humans. There is a unified government in effect called the United Nations Space Command and it also contains its own armed forces. The planet Reach is located very close to earth and this is the key spot for military operations.
At some point in recent history the United Nations Space Command came into contact with a group that they refer to as the covenant. The covenant is presumably the cause of lost contact with the colony referred to as Harvest. The covenant also destroyed a fleet sent to investigate Harvest leaving only one ship to report to command central on Reach. The covenant is comprised of different alien races embarking on a fanatical holy war against humankind for some sort of real or imagined slight against their gods.
Your character is aboard the ship called the Pillar of Autumn which is trying to lead the covenant away from earth after a massive attack against Reach that devastated most of the forces. This ship contains many military personnel and one very important cyborg that goes by the name Master Chief. Master Chief is the last of his kind, the rest were destroyed in the attack against Reach. Humanity’s hope was that these super-charged cyborg’s would change the course of this war in our favor, now the hope is that Master Chief can do it by himself.
There are many characters that make an appearance during the story mode. On the human side you have the captain, called Jacob Keyes. He is the brains behind the operation while master chief is the brawn; so to speak. Then there is Cortana, artificial intelligence for the ship, who can give directional advice on strategic locations; among other things equally important. On the covenant side there are four distinct species that can be definitively distinguished. The lowest level is referred to as the Grunts, they are relatively easy to defeat. Then there are the Jackals which carry with them very effective shields, but are otherwise fairly weak as well. The Elites, as their name implies, are not nearly as easy to destroy. Be wise when fighting this enemy or your liable to be defeated yourself. Finally you have the Hunters to contend with which are by far the largest of the enemies in the covenant. They do not present an easy feat, in fact when you face these characters its best to have more than one man in toe to help you stay alive.
Lucky us, we get to play the game as Master Chief the super-charged cyborg soldier counted on to save humanity (If that’s not pressure I don’t know what is). Good thing he was endowed with certain advantages that better equip him to take on this kind of responsibility. His body armor is forged with alloy and coating that deflects energy weapons fire; it can also change in density. The suit is also equipped with artificial intelligence which will alloy Master Chief to access alien computer systems. Among all of these enhancement he also has better vision, coordination, and reflexes than the average human. No wonder they considered the loss of their cyborg’s a devastating blow to the war front.
Melee fighting is possible in Halo, but not that fun. Each weapon you choose will allow you to perform a different melee maneuver designed to inflict pain on your enemy. This can be effective in close quarter situations that make it difficult to shoot your opponents, but for the most part its not all that practical. If you rely on melee attacks your liable to find yourself dead. That’s okay though because this is a first-person-shooter. This game is specifically designed for the players that like to use guns as their primary weapon and there are a variety to choose from at any given level. The human guns include the M6D pistol, the MA5B assault rifle, the M90 shotgun (my favorite), the S2AM sniper rifle, the M19 SSM rocket launcher, and the M41 LAAG (located on the warthog).
If your not all that found of the human’s guns then you can equip yourself with a covenant gun after you or one of your allies make a kill. There are four different covenant guns to choose from, the plasma rifle, the plasma pistol, the needler, and the stationary gun called a shade. The plasma rifle is my favorite when used in an automatic fire fashion, but it has a tendency to overheat when used this way. Other weapon options, both human and covenant, include grenades. The covenant’s plasma grenade is far superior to the human’s M9 HE-DP grenade though, in that it will stick to an enemy instead of bouncing off of them.
There are four choices of vehicles to choose from, two human and two covenant; again the covenant vehicles are the better choice. The Ghost and the Banshee belong to our enemies, but may be used against them when found abandoned. The Banshee is capable of full flight and is just as easy to control as the Ghost. The human’s vehicles include the Warthog which is very difficult to maneuver and the Scorpion that is very slow, but packs a punch. Each of these vehicles have their own situations when they are preferred over any others, but usually the Ghost was my first choice.
The graphics for each level are inspirational. The imagination and dedication required to render these images must have been tiresome to say the least. However I’m sure if you asked them they would tell you, as I am telling you know, it was well worth the time and effort spent. There is an array of environments pleasing to the eye encompassing familiar environments such as beach and snow areas as well as foreign environments such as alien battleships. There are alien creatures you hope will never make an appearance in your dreams and especially never make an appearance in real life. There is technology, for enthusiasts of that sort of thing, that one might wish for in their lifetime. All of this makes you feel like you have stepped out of your boring little life, if only just for a moment, into something spectacular. That is what makes this game so wonderful.
The sound effects also deserve a praise, it feels like your in the middle of a real life battle field fighting to the death complete with cacophonous explosions and small rounds fire. You can hear the engines of the vehicles which each have distinct sounds. There is background music that signifies when an enemy is on your heels or when your are hot on their hills. The alien dialogue can be cute at times and other times disturbing. Other soldiers on your team will speak to each other letting you know what is happening around you and what mission is next on your list. This all adds to the authenticity of the environment.
The covenant is not the only enemy that you will encounter on your journey so expect the unexpected. The story takes a different turn later in the game giving a spookier feel; this was my favorite part of the game. The story line is quite impressive and just as imaginative as the graphics. The in game videos can be a bit long, but the story will capture your attention leaving you feeling as if they weren’t long enough.
The controls are easy and you can change the difficulty according to your level of experience. After a couple of levels you’ll feel like a pro. The controls on this game were easier for me to master than many other games of this genre. The split screen in the multiplayer mode is not that bad, I prefer it to other multiplayer games. The split screen makes it possible for you and a friend to attack separate areas then meet in the middle or if one of you is going in the correct direction and the other is not you will be teleported in certain areas so that you are both embarking on the correct course.
Halo is an action-packed game that will never become boring. The story mode can be played through more than once and still provide satisfaction, but the core of this games staying power is in the multiplayer games that I mentioned in the first paragraph. Invite a group of friends over and go head-to-head as Slayers or see who is best at Capture the Flag. The entertainment value that this game offers is endless. You won’t be let down if first-person shooters are your kind of game.
All hail to Bungie for the development of the best first-person shooter of its time. Halo: Combat Evolved may just be the determining factor for purchasing an Xbox console. It is well worth the money spent for all of the hours of fun that this game and its successors will provide for the avid player. The multiplayer gaming options ensure never-ending fun; making this a perfect game to buy, not rent. Some of the options include Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Slayer, Oddball, and Race; these multiplayer games can be manipulated in a fashion so that one can fabricate their own matches as they please leaving the player with too many options to count. That alone provides the buyer with the assurance one needs that this game is well worth the money.
