Halo Combat Evolved Review: Cue monk chants
Halo: Combat Evolved, the game that started a series which dominated the first person genre for years and put the Xbox on the map. When Halo came out I was not a big fan of shooter games. I had loved Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 but that was really it. Halo changed all that, bringing a quality shooting experience to consoles that truly competed with the likes of Unreal on the PC. 10 Years later how does Halo Combat Evolved stand against modern games?
From its storytelling strengths, Halo is still one of the best tales in the shooting genre. Its setting is the far future where humanity is the victim of attack from a powerful and fanatical alliance of alien races called the covenant. The covenant are exterminating the human race and the game begins with a human ship called the Pillar of Autumn fleeing from an overwhelming Covenant attack. The ship is boarded and the legendary Master Chief is awakened and comes under attack from the boarders as the player takes control. You start in the middle of the action, and the early levels keep up a fast and action heavy pace. Besides the first level the game takes place on the titular halo ring, an ancient weapon of massive power which the Covenant wish to claim for their own. As the desperate battle by the human forces against the covenant goes on, the game maintains a strong narrative. At the half way point in the story a fantastic twist occurs introducing a new force to the game. This plot twist blew me away at the time I played the game, and remains one of my favourite plot twists in gaming. The story does an ample job of making the player feel that the Masterchief [who is close to being a moot] and an AI named Cortana have a long history together and are good friends. In fact, I think Cortana is the strongest character in the game and really helps to carry the story forward with her great script and role. You really feel for the human cause in the game and the ending wraps up the game nicely.
The music of Halo Combat Evolved is stunning. The orchestrical tracks make sequences which are already impressive and action packed are made even more exciting by the smart placement of the tracks. These heart pumping sounds are beautifully melded with the sombre monk hyms that are in more quiet parts of the game. The sound track is an incredible music set and the atmosphere it engenders in the game is rarely matched in ANY game since, and has got to be one of the main contributers to this series success. The characters are also voiced well. Masterchief says very little during the game, but his voice actor succeeds in making him an action hero. Cortana is the star of the show, but Captain Keyes, Guilty Spark and the extra roles are all voiced well, and the enemies voice work is suitably alien.
Halo had gameplay changes to the fps genre which were replicated by other games en mass after its release. A regenerating health bar replaced the med pack collection that was then dominant in games. You can only carry 2 weapons, unlike a wheel of multiple weapons that most shooter games had. Halo's changes to the health system made the combat a more accessible system for people by allowing you to hide and recover your health when under attack, which would not have been possible under a med-pack system. This made the game much more approachable, and also meant that when you died in Halo it wasn't due to the game screwing you on the placement of health packs but rather your own tactical error. Halo also included 2 types of grenades for differing tactical purposes and a melee attack. This versatility left players with plenty of combat options despite being limited to 2 weapons at a time. What also really adds to the experience of playing Halo is the enemy AI. Enemies are intelligent, taking cover and flanking you when possible. Different enemy types behave in different ways, meaning that what 2 weapons you are carrying is an important decision. The weapons are well balanced, with the Assault Rifle and Plasma Rifle good for most situations. The needler and shotgun have you covered for close range, while the sniper rifle is an obvious choice for distance. The only problem with the weapons is that some of the Covenant guns look a bit like toys, and none of the weapons feel particularly imposing or powerful as you fire them. Halo also has vehicles in it, introducing the legendary warthog among others. The vehicles were great fun for the time, though compared to later entries in the series the controls are unresponsive and leave a lot to be desired. The vehicle sections are fun, but do not run smoothly.
Halo Combat Evolved has well designed levels in a nicely paced campaign. The story is a surprisingly good one, with characters that you grow to care about and a small but strong cast. The story takes some nice twists, and the sound track is amazing throughout. The voice work is solid and the script avoids most pitfalls. Halo has not aged well in terms of its technical side, but it still holds up well against much newer games and is still a better game than a lot of modern games. The combat and gameplay is still fun, and the game set the development trends for the fps genre for years after. Halo has free moving battles, fun set pieces and intelligent AI. Its the full package, and only time has decreased its brilliance. A masterpiece from Bungie and the game that single handedly put the Xbox on the map.
Pros:
- Large open battles and environments
- Levels have variety
- Story is well written and paced
- Great plot twist
- Changed fps genre formula
- Fantastic soundtrack
- Small cast of characters which you can grow attached to
- Good level design
- Variety of enemies who have meaningful differences between them
Cons:
- Controls for vehicles are not fluid
- Game has aged, and it shows in the load times and visuals
- Detail on character models and environments is lacking
- Some of the weapons do not feel right
- No online multiplayer [ Perfect for this game, but hopefully a HD remake will rectify this in the future]
- The library level
- Captain Keyes got turned inside out
- 8/10
