The Crown Prince: Halo: Combat Evolved Review

Great original games are a fun and rare. They are, at their core, successful communication events - artifacts that marry art and science in a beautiful ceremony of visual entertainment. They pose challenges, narrative voyages and awe-inspiring environments. Great original games light a fire in players, that is unique and pure in its effort to be fun and enjoyable. Halo: Combat Evolved is without a doubt, one of the greatest titles of the past decade.

In 2002, Microsoft Studios published developer Bungie's Halo: Combat Evolved, a first-person shooter for the original Xbox 360. It is, to this day, hailed as one of the video game industry's ultimate introductions into modern storytelling, as well as one of the most enjoyable games of the decade. Seeing as this is a very retrospective review, Game Chop will be reviewing the game from an unbiased standpoint. It's important to note that the Halo series is still ongoing, and currently has over six platform titles associated with it, including a remastered collection of the first four games. With all that being said, let's begin.

A cinematic shows a lone ship drifting through an undisclosed location in space. Its captain and crew are running from something, and that something is about to catch up. That's when we, the player, come in. Our introduction to the main character, a super soldier called the Master Chief, is brief and very typical of first-person shooters. Following the player's intro, the action begins. That something that this United Nations Spaced Command crew is running from is revealed to be a genocidal alien alliance called the Covenant. As they board the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, Master Chief grabs some guns and starts blasting his way to a life boat. Captain Keyes, the commanding officer, hands us Cortana, the ship's artificial intelligence, who becomes our companion and guide. After shooting some very hostile aliens, we meet up with some UNSC marines and head for a megastructure that Cortana found when we arrived in this unknown part of the Milky Way. Welcome to Halo.

This game lets players see through Master Chief's eyes as they use his advanced armor and weapons to defeat the enemy and protect his allies. The marines, led by Captain Keyes and the tough and energetic Sergeant Johnson, are loyal and entertaining comrades. Rallying the survivors of the Pillar of Autumn's crash is one of the game's first objectives for players. On the surface of the giant alien ring called Halo, we're introduced to the game's driving mechanics and get behind the wheels of a Warthog, a mechanized jeep. Driving (or riding shotgun (or manning the gun)) is a very fun part of the game that quickens the already fast-paced title. While it careens and drifts quite a lot, driving became one of our most enjoyed parts of our play-through.

As you may have guessed, we played the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition

This remastered title features a way for players to instantly (we mean that literally) see and play the original copy of the game. The contrast between the progress made in 10 years is remarkable and fascinating to experience. On Halo, the ring gives us some room to breath, and even more room to appreciate the view. The forests, extensive valleys and snaking water ways are a beautiful display throughout the game. Even with the remastered edition graphics switched off, we can tell that this now aged game was ahead of its time. Textures and lighting are crisp and responsive for the time. For younger players who are used to intricately detailed and dynamic environments, the original version may not be all that impressive. However, the importance of Halo's advancement in the "map making" and level building field cannot be understated.

The year is 2552 and the enemy of humanity, the Covenant, is comprised of a variety of alien races. The Elites are tall, strong, bipedal warriors that lead their smaller but equally dangerous races in their war against the humans of Earth. We're not sure why they hate us, but it's easy to understand that they are a massive and incredibly overwhelming threat. Other races include Grunts, Jackals and Hunters. Most notably are the Grunt, smaller and timid creatures that can outnumber you with their plasma pistols if you're not careful. While we don't exactly know why this unstoppable alien force despises humanity so much, we can guess that has something to do with this Halo. Cortana explain that the Covenant believe that the rings is a religious object that can act as a weapon. Understanding the ring becomes the Chief's primary objective and boy is it a fun ride getting there.

Combat throughout the game is easy to understand, and even easier to underestimate. Just because this super solider, dubbed a Spartan, has regenerating shields does not mean that he's invincible. Those Grunts we mentioned can whittle away at your shields and open the doors for an Elite to blast you into oblivion. Mastering combat is really about masting movement - again, pretty easy. Keeping the Chief moving will give players the edge in flanking or taking cover from plasma beams. Driving combat is another story - the Warthog jeep has a mounted cannon that either the Chief or your nearest UNSC Marine can man. Driving with a trusty (and hilariously talkative) Marine on the gun is the best way for you to control the movement, and let a video game AI target some bad guys.

Circling back to that excellent narrative we mentioned, Halo holds some pretty intense moments in its story. Understanding the ring may be one challenge, but surviving its dark secrets is another story entirely. The ancient alien device may not be what the Covenant thing it is, and even worse, the ring's alleged weaponry may not be the only threat it poses. The Chief, Cortana and Captain Keyes' crew have to explore deeper into the ring to find out. In terms of who the actual star of this game is, it is most certainly Cortana. This spunky blue hologram is barely seen, but constantly heard in Chief's helmet. She's smart, resourceful and your ever-present guide. Her dialogue and presence in the game keeps it going.

As a unique and refreshing first-person shooter, Halo: Combat Evolved delivers an amazing game. It truly is no mystery why this title has maintained its authority and enjoyability for over a decade. Players are introduced to a wonderfully straight forward and intriguing story that implies so much depth and potential. Bungie's success with this now massive series stems directly from their effort in authoring and creating a genuinely fun video game.

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