A console FPS that has stood the test of time.
Half Life, Doom, Quake, Unreal Tournament - All of those established shooter franchises were on the PC, and it was unknown how a console FPS would be able to even compare. How would is survive without mouse input for the first person view? How would the save system work on a console? How would they fit in a full inventory system to a joypad controller? Well, when bungie release Halo, these questions were answered. Through innovation.
You see, Half Life, Quake and Doom were very traditional. Stuck in their ways. A health system that is only replenished by health packs or stations, and a singleplayer mode that is in love with the quick save key. When you
picked up a weapon, it was yours, and you could save it for when you needed it most. Veichle sections were rare, if not non-existant, and grenades were always a seperate weapon.
Halo did away with the traditions, and in fact, popularised, if not created, its own. For example, the rebounding shield meter had never been tried this way before. Hiding and retreating to gain health was done in the form of health packs, and if you were low on health, that was it. Make do. However, the Halo health system used a sheild that would recharge if left long enough without damage. This meant that even when low on health, you had a chance on every single battle, wheras with the old system, low healsh meant certain doom.
This accessibility was what boosted Halo to the level of recognition it had. New features not only streamlined the way a shooter plays, but brought new tactics to it. In Halo you can only carry two weapons at a time, with grenades assigned to a single trigger, a not normally done feature, as most games allowed players to keep weapons for as long as they needed, and grenades were a weapon in themselves, but this brought a new style of challenge too the game. Each gun had a Melee attack, which did substantial damage, adding even more depth to the "new" style of Halo. The rebounding health improvements ant such didn't make the game "easier" so much as it made it "fairer."
All these gameplay features would, however, mean nothing if the actual game was not up to snuff. The story of Halo is an amazing story, compared to the oft boring and convoluted stories of some video games.
After your ship is forced to make a blind jump away from a slaughter from a bunch of really angry aliens, you arrive at a ringworld, with a fight on your hands. Not a fight to beat the enemy so much, but more just to survive.
Its a simple premise, but there is a lot of depth to the story. Books tell the backstory of Master Cheif and other SPARTAN-IIs, and the expanded universe ties all the events together. But the game itself leaves the talk of that out, and presents a plot that has a simple set up (aliens want to kill you, don't die) but is filled with interesting twists an turns along the way.
The characters are strong, and you do end up caring for them, even if there are only five main characters, and one of them is a near mute, one is an AI, and one is C3PO in a blob. Oh and there is one extra who is constantly on the radio on you, but you never se her face.
As you play through the campaign, the story gives you a reason to continue, and superb AI makes each encounter enjoyable. Enemies will flank, or run away when out numbered. They don't make that many stupid mistakes, and Elites even retreat to recharge their shields. It all adds up to a great experience, where each fight is a thrill and every shot is satisfying.
And how many opportunities you will have to shoot. The guns in this game are great, perfectly balanced. As you can only hold two at a time, which guns you choose to keep and pick up and when are a vital part in your tactics. Safe weapons like the Assault Rifle and Plasma Rifle will keep you covered for almost all situations, but having a needler for close range, a sniper for long, or a rocket launcher for heavy duty will tip the odds significantly in your favour. At no point does it feel like there is a BFG in the game, and no weapon is underpowered. The pistol could in some situations be more valuble than the Rocket Launcher.
As well as weapons, Halo added some great veichle sections into the mix. The veichles were also balanced, and controlled immensly well. The unorthadox at the time system of controlling the movement of the vehicles with the two sticks just works, and feels natural after less than five minutes. The range of veichels run from a tank, to a flying alien craft, and a trusty jeep.
at the screen.All of these elements combine in the campaign to give rise to some of the best set peices ever seen in video games. in the middle levels, step by step, the game turns on its head suddenly, giving rise to plot twists and some amazing events, like a dark room with many small enemies around. I won't spoil it, as there are still some who haven't experienced halo, but suffice to say, the end level is one of the most impressive in video gaming. Its not that hard, but it is fun and inspiring. The music, the action, everything gels together for something so awesome you want to yell "YES" The plot even manages to find a sense of closure, unlike other games in the series. The ending will leave you satisfied, yet there is the right amount of questions unanswered, rather than way too many.
The multiplayer in Halo is wonderful. The balance of the weapons comes into play again, and tactics can mean that someone with a plasma pistol can pick apart gaps in a guy with a rocket launchers defence. The maps are crafted extremely well, and favourites such as Blood Gulch and Sidewinder are seen as some of the best maps in the series history. There is a broad, but typical selection of game modes, such as Slayer (Deathmatch), Capture the Flag and King of the Hill. There is no online play in Halo, but the game popularised console LAN nights.Get enough TV's together and the right group of friends, and a great night.
It was a complete package rarely seen in gaming, the single player with acessibily and replayability mixed with challenge, and it could even be played through co-op with a friend. The multiplayer had hours of fun inside it, if you had the resources to arrange a LAN party. Its not perfect, but it started as much trends for shooters that GTA started for open world games. Years later, and it is still more fun to play than so many imitators on the current generation of consoles. It is, without doubt, one of the best shooters ever made.
