There are few games that are completely polarizing yet rise up to legendary status like Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo has been a topic of many heated debates as far as first person shooters are concerned. Some people love Halo, others can't stand it. Personally, Halo was the first game I got for my Microsoft Xbox and I've been hooked ever since.

  Now before all you Halo haters start chiming in, Halo: Combat Evolved although a tremendous first person shooter isn't exactly "evolved". In many ways, its what you would expect from the genre. Halo starts off with a genetically engineered super soldier known only as Master Chief being woken from a cryogenic sleep when the star ship he is being transported on falls under attack by a nasty breed of aliens called the Covenant. As you can gather, it doesn't take long for the bullets to start flying.

  There really isn't any huge surprises in Halo's game mechanics. You're essentially a one man army, who is outfitted with a nifty set of armor that is equipped with power shields, can use any weapon he finds whether it is human or alien, and drive any vehicle in the galaxy. Not exactly ground breaking, these are all elements we've seen before, but Halo has refined each individual element to perfection. With tight controls, the intense action flows fluently. Players will be able to start getting headshots on those nasty aliens with only one level of practice, or get into a tank and chase ET back to the mother ship without a hitch. There are a large variety of weaponry for the player to tinker around with as I mention before. With a mix of alien and human weapons you'll quickly learn if shooting good old fashioned lead from an assault rifle or a blast of plasma from an alien side arm is the right tool for the job against the enemy you're currently going head to head against. By no means will players be getting bored with experimenting with each weapon in Halo. The AI system in Halo isn't exactly perfect, but for its time was ahead of the game. Master Chief is often surrounded by fellow Marines that help engage in some seriously epic firefights and are great to have around, but don't be surprised if some of those Marines wander into your line of fire from time to time. Do your best to not get to trigger happy against your brothers in arms however, if you kill to many of them expect a little pay back...they are Marines after all.

  Halo isn't a mindless run and gun experience that doesn't have any merit however, albeit there certainly is a lot of running and gunning. Halo is a very story driven first person shooter, and its plot is high quality. I won't go into too much detail, so each player may uncover the story for his or her own self, but Master Chief's mission to stop the Covenant from activating the super weapon Halo will keep you wanting to advance deeper and deeper into the game. Mixed with some great voice work and a legendary soundtrack, Halo's story is one Xbox fans won't be forgetting any time soon.

  For an early Xbox game, Halo's graphics are surprisingly good holding up to later releases near the end of the system's lifespan. Character design was unique, level designs were often large and had great amounts of detail right down to the blades of grass, and cut scenes were truly cinematic. A bit of a side note with the graphics, if you plan on playing the game on your Xbox 360 instead of an original Xbox, the graphics will be much clearer on the 360...not that they needed any help on the original system.

  Unless you've been living under a rock since Halo's release, there is no denying its popularity with the Xbox fan base. The franchise has continued to grow and flourish over the years, and there is countless hours to enjoy playing as the Master Chief. Halo: Combat Evolved is a game I frequently return to, and for all those Halo haters out there you have no idea what your missing out on. Halo: Combat evolved deserves a spot in any Xbox collection.

Written by: RB

Over and Out

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