Halo: Combat Evolved

Before Halo: Combat Evolved was released, first-person shooters were usually recommended on the PC. Although, the game itself was not the first to create first-person shooters on consoles to be very playable and have much reactivity compared to playing it on the PC, it popularized it and did many more things with it. Still to this day, people are still playing Halo: Combat Evolved religiously due to it's immense presentation. Some newer Halo fans always want to know why is it Bungie is so obsessed of trying to make all the newer Halo games to be comparable with the first game? We shall reveal that answer if you can read along through my review of this masterpiece.

You play as this powerful soldier called Master Chief. You're pretty much humanity's weapon of mass destruction and you have a computer AI sidekick named Cortana who's there to give you information or help you out. It's story starts out right in a conflict where the Covenant (a tough alien alliance) has invaded the Pillar of Autumn and the humans failed to protect; leading them to land on a ring-shaped earth called Halo. This ring is actually can be used as a weapon to pretty much destroy anything in existence and there was an attempt where the protagonist was originally planning to do it. To simplify the whole idea of the story, you're trying to learn what Covenant is defending and stopping them to end the war. Also you're trying to stop the flooding from reproducing and growing in mass population As you play through the game, you will learn more about the Halo universe and gets even more interesting by piece by piece.


Master Chief and a couple of marines in combat.

The graphics were stunningly well when it was first released in 2001. The weapons, terrain, character models, textures, etc looked very impressive and it even made a couple of PC games on maxed settings looked bad a couple of times. Still to this date, the game's still look great even though it's completely nothing in comparison towards its new games. It seems like Bungie kind of made future Halo games to look a bit more cartoony compared to the first game. The sounds are just as good. All weapons and grenades sound appropriate and they don't sound too overpowered or underpowered. The Assault Rifle's gun firing sound is very memorable with the Sniper Rifle. The music from Marty O' Donnell is some of the finest video game music you will ever hear your life. It's absolutely no joke and it really captures the level and atmosphere professionally well.


The Assault Rifle is famously known as Master Chief's preferred weapon.

Bring it on, Hunter!

Halo: Combat Evolved will feature many intense gunplay.

What separates Halo: Combat Evolved from other shooters is well obviously, the combat system. You can only carry two weapons, you have a very new health system where you basically have a regenerating shield or armor and once it's down, you're forced to take cover to regain back it's strength. If you're taking damage, the shield will not regenerate. You also have health and the shield is basically your armor to protect your health. This changes the mentality of the player very immensely like "How long must I be in offense mode and switch to defense? When shall I use my grenades for defense? I must do something to keep my shield strong so I can fight" which is all connected to the shield that the Master Chief has. It's very balanced too, Master Chief can't just run up to 5 Elites and be able to take them all down with ease. Since the game only features 2 weapons that you can carry, strategy is pretty crucial in this game. For example, if you decide to play Truth and Reconciliation without using the Sniper Rifle at once, you're methods and playing style will change drastically. Luckily, all weapons are effective in certain situations so there's no such thing that you're looking for just this one gun to make through the game. Even on Legendary (the hardest difficulty), they still all have their uses. Halo: Combat Evolved features a motion sensor to make sure there's enemies near you or allied soldiers. You can also melee with your weapon and it's very satisfying to do so and it can also be used a strategic play since it can stun your enemies. The game's very action-oriented with the likes of Doom, Serious Sam, or Soldier of Fortune. So if you're into those type of shooters, there's a chance you will like Halo. At times, there are power-ups like an Overshield or Active Camo. The Master Chief can also throw grenades separately while carrying a weapon and they're nothing original or new, but they're done very well. Also causing a chain reaction can be very satisfying at times. Halo: Combat Evolved is the first first-person shooter on a console that allows vehicular combat and compared to other first-person shooters that featured this option like Tribes, Halo: Combat Evolved is easily more funner and smoother to play or use. If there's one more thing that Halo: Combat Evolved needs to be recognized is the AI. They're very smart for its time and you can play the same level multiple and there's always something different that the AI will offer-which makes the game offering new challenge and lots of replay value. It's campaign can last about 12-16 hours.

The multiplayer side is also very fun and it's comparable with Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Timesplitters. It's pretty similar to those three games, but more slow-paced, but the action is very fast-paced and hectic. Also a lot of team work is involved to succeed a match.

It's very hard to argue that Halo cannot be up there with the list of top first-person shooter games like Half-Life, Doom, and Goldeneye. Halo presents and executes very well just like those three games. Halo creates a road of many first-person shooters trying to imitate the game just like those three games. If Halo: Combat Evolved wouldn't exist on Microsoft's Xbox, there wouldn't be a Xbox 360. Console first-person shooter gaming would probably not be as popular like it is today. Halo: Combat Evolved is a work of art and it's easily something you do not want to miss. 10/10


Choose your vehicle!

I've lost count how many hours I put into this game.

DarkSwarm85 wrote:

I've lost count how many hours I put into this game.

Me to... Loved playin Blood Gulch and The spaceship level all the time with my friends... The good old days where you went over to your friend to play games. I miss them... Goldeneye party

this made fps in home consoles fun

One of the greatest and most classic games of all time.

I could not believe the greatness of this game when i played it. The greatest FPS campaign OF ALL TIME. It's kinda funny though, Bungie were graphic behemoths at this time lol, Reach will be and look amazing too

I still play the game today just got done playing it now.

Lol, I loved Halo 1. PC and Xbox versions rocked.

i still play the game.

Heck,i played it yesterday

the best halo game for me..

Admittedly I never got into it
I've got it but it doesn't interest me that much.... please don't kill me xD
I love halo 3.

And Reach is gonna be the shit!!! :D:D:D:D

demondragondude wrote:

Admittedly I never got into it
I've got it but it doesn't interest me that much.... please don't kill me xD
I love halo 3.

And Reach is gonna be the shit!!! :D:D:D:D

*prepares his gun* any last words DDD? lol joking

demondragondude wrote:

Admittedly I never got into it
I've got it but it doesn't interest me that much.... please don't kill me xD
I love halo 3.

And Reach is gonna be the shit!!! :D:D:D:D

BLASPHEMER !!!!!!!!!!!!!

AndrejTheReviewer wrote:

demondragondude wrote:

Admittedly I never got into it
I've got it but it doesn't interest me that much.... please don't kill me xD
I love halo 3.

And Reach is gonna be the shit!!! :D:D:D:D

*prepares his gun* any last words DDD? lol joking

lol

I'll just say that Halo is the reason I bought an Xbox, and was enough to open my eyes to the awesome hardcore library that the Xbox brand has become known for.

I still dont get why people think halo is cartoony....

i use to think halo 1 was the best halo, but reach has taken that spot easy