Halo: Combat Evolved

Publisher: Microsoft

Platform: XB

Category: Shooter

Rating Info

Release Date: 14/03/2002

Member Rating:

Number of Players: 1-4

Halo: Combat Evolved Description

If any game could convince a Microsoft-dissenter to want an Xbox, Halo is it. In the industry, it's called a killer-app, a piece of software that is so good that people will buy the hardware just to use it. Halo is the best first-person shooter to arrive in a long time. Why is Halo so amazing? Read on and find out. Halo's got gameplay to spare. It's like a cross between Half-Life and Quake 3. Halo charges you with the deadly mission of trying to destroy the Covenant, mankind's greatest enemy. Players can use an assortment of alien and human technology to blast through the levels. Intelligent computer controlled officers are also on hand to help dish out the punishment. They actually respond to situations that you create. For example, if you park your jeep near them, they will automatically leap in. Another exciting aspect of Halo is the graphics. New standards for visual lusciousness are being set here. The bump-mapping of textures makes them look scarily realistic. If you're not careful, it's very easy to let your guard down and come under fire while paying too much attention to the scenery. The lighting and particle effects are testament to the graphical horsepower of the Xbox. One of Halo's strongest points is it's multi-player game, it's easy to get into, but difficult to master: a true learning curve. Up to four players can take part in the action using just one console and TV screen. But multi-player doesn't end there. It is painless to connect four consoles together and enjoy some brutal deathmatch action. Xbox looks like it can bring the exclusive LAN into the living room. The controller works so well for movement and firing. Dual analogue controls for movement and looking around are probably the best way you can control an FPS on a console. It effectively means that you can move and look independently , then advanced techniques such as circle-strafing come into play. Halo is something old and something new, something borrowed, but nothing to make you feel blue. All elements combine to produce a hugely impressive first-generation title. Excellent.

Screenshots

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Write a review of Halo: Combat Evolved

Reviewed by: gin	Date: 02/08/2006	Rating:
amazing!!!!

Reviewed by: Kate	Date: 21/08/2006	Rating:
incredibly good game, absolutely love the weapons, atmoshphere, sound...buy this game now!!!!

Reviewed by: worryior	Date: 21/09/2004	Rating:
i'll give it 4.5 as its halo2 that will get the 5 only one thing to say and thats either buy halo halo2 or both the muti player is fantasic and im still playing it after having it for 2 years and the co-op is great fun

Reviewed by: Dazzaraz	Date: 09/07/2006	Rating:
It's a good game but it's over-rated. For the first half of the game it is amazing; good atmosphere, great sound and the appearance of The Flood gives a sense of an overwhelming alien force that is unstoppable. However once The Flood make their appearance the rest of the game's quality just drops, it becomes the same thing over and over again; the same aliens, the same bland purple environments, the same weapons. It's at that point that it stops becoming fun and becomes more of a chore, the indoor maps are dull and easy to get lost in, everything just looks the same...the impressive graphics of the outdoor environments just disappear. There are still a lot of great touches to the game and most of it is well done, but a lot of the features have been done several times before on several PC first-person shooters, which doesn't really make it as original or awe-inspiring as a lot of people seem to claim it is.

Features

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.

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