I've never been much of an FPS guy, and I've had no interaction with Xbox consoles. I always had either a Nintendo system or a PlayStation console.
And the reason why that is simply because I never was too interested in what Xbox had to offer. Just wasn't for me.
But in the last few years, I've begun to have an interest over playing the Halo series, especifically the Halo: The Master Chief Collection, to get an idea of what the games are like.
While my PC can barely run these games, I was able to get the collection on Steam, and I was able to play through the 1st game, using the old graphics. I should note that this review is only based around the Single-Player Campaign, as at the time of writing this review, I have not experienced the Multiplayer.
Halo: Combat Evolved revolves around Master Chief and Cortana's mission to stop the Convenant (an alien species) from causing havoc and investigating what this Halo is.
While the story isn't complex, it does have some twists here and there, which I won't spoil here. One thing that I did like was the dynamic between Chief and Cortana. While they don't always interact, the moments they do were nice to watch, and I hope to see more of their conversations in future titles.
For the presentation, I did play with the older graphics, but I was surprised that, for a 2001 game, this game doesn't look half-bad. Sometimes, it even looks pretty beautiful! Of course, there are definitely low-res. textures and models that haven't aged gracefully, but I think the game looks decent overall.
For the music, of course everyone knows of the main theme of the series. So much so, many guys have sung it in a school bathroom! But I was also surprised that the rest of the soundtrack holds up pretty well.
There's a part of it that is pretty atmospheric, but there's another that can be really catchy. It strikes a nice balance between being atmospheric, tense, blood-pumping, and epic!
Like, the moments where you hear the main theme got me hyped, not gonna lie.
Now, the biggest part of the game, the gameplay! It's a first-person shooter, and one of the most influential out there, alongside its older sibling, Doom. Since I was on PC, I decided to play it with mouse and keyboard, which felt pretty comfortable. I assume using a controller would also feel nice, but I am not the greatest at using a right analogue stick to aim.
This might be because I am noob when it comes to FPS's, but I was surprised that this game does not have a run button. And sometimes, I did really want to run in the game's missions.
Oh well, if this is the case for now, then I'll get used to it.
Besides that, you can crouch, switch weapons, use a flashlight, and jump. You know, the usual stuff.
I'm glad to say that Master Chief controls great!
The game also has some vehicles for you to control, and they were fine. The Warthog was a bit slippery at first, but I got used to it.
As for the level design... it's alright, but it definitely gets repetitive the further you go.
It's not all bad, because I did like revisting some locations later on in the game, but Mission 7 was one of the worst when it comes to that. It kept on going and going, and did not change its level design much, which annoyed me.
Other times, I feel like the game's world was a bit too big, and going on foot was simply too slow. Thankfully, most of the time they give you a vehicle, but the world could've been a bit more "used", if you catch my drift.
Thankfully, I don't think this is a game where you'll get lost much. It's pretty linear and objectives are easy to figure out.
Rule of thumb would be: If it feels like you are backtracking, but you're seeing new enemies spawning, then you're going the right way.
Overall, I came away from this game pleasantly surprised! While the game's level design could've been better, I had fun playing through Halo: Combat Evolved's campaign!
And the reason why that is simply because I never was too interested in what Xbox had to offer. Just wasn't for me.
But in the last few years, I've begun to have an interest over playing the Halo series, especifically the Halo: The Master Chief Collection, to get an idea of what the games are like.
While my PC can barely run these games, I was able to get the collection on Steam, and I was able to play through the 1st game, using the old graphics. I should note that this review is only based around the Single-Player Campaign, as at the time of writing this review, I have not experienced the Multiplayer.
Halo: Combat Evolved revolves around Master Chief and Cortana's mission to stop the Convenant (an alien species) from causing havoc and investigating what this Halo is.
While the story isn't complex, it does have some twists here and there, which I won't spoil here. One thing that I did like was the dynamic between Chief and Cortana. While they don't always interact, the moments they do were nice to watch, and I hope to see more of their conversations in future titles.
For the presentation, I did play with the older graphics, but I was surprised that, for a 2001 game, this game doesn't look half-bad. Sometimes, it even looks pretty beautiful! Of course, there are definitely low-res. textures and models that haven't aged gracefully, but I think the game looks decent overall.
For the music, of course everyone knows of the main theme of the series. So much so, many guys have sung it in a school bathroom! But I was also surprised that the rest of the soundtrack holds up pretty well.
There's a part of it that is pretty atmospheric, but there's another that can be really catchy. It strikes a nice balance between being atmospheric, tense, blood-pumping, and epic!
Like, the moments where you hear the main theme got me hyped, not gonna lie.
Now, the biggest part of the game, the gameplay! It's a first-person shooter, and one of the most influential out there, alongside its older sibling, Doom. Since I was on PC, I decided to play it with mouse and keyboard, which felt pretty comfortable. I assume using a controller would also feel nice, but I am not the greatest at using a right analogue stick to aim.
This might be because I am noob when it comes to FPS's, but I was surprised that this game does not have a run button. And sometimes, I did really want to run in the game's missions.
Oh well, if this is the case for now, then I'll get used to it.
Besides that, you can crouch, switch weapons, use a flashlight, and jump. You know, the usual stuff.
I'm glad to say that Master Chief controls great!
The game also has some vehicles for you to control, and they were fine. The Warthog was a bit slippery at first, but I got used to it.
As for the level design... it's alright, but it definitely gets repetitive the further you go.
It's not all bad, because I did like revisting some locations later on in the game, but Mission 7 was one of the worst when it comes to that. It kept on going and going, and did not change its level design much, which annoyed me.
Other times, I feel like the game's world was a bit too big, and going on foot was simply too slow. Thankfully, most of the time they give you a vehicle, but the world could've been a bit more "used", if you catch my drift.
Thankfully, I don't think this is a game where you'll get lost much. It's pretty linear and objectives are easy to figure out.
Rule of thumb would be: If it feels like you are backtracking, but you're seeing new enemies spawning, then you're going the right way.
Overall, I came away from this game pleasantly surprised! While the game's level design could've been better, I had fun playing through Halo: Combat Evolved's campaign!
2.5 stars for letting you switch between good graphics(old) and bad graphics(new) to see how much better the original was
the look and feel of the original halo is seriously underrated and has heavily influenced my taste in gaming, movies, shows, books, etc. no surprise to anyone that most people who played this just switched to the OG graphics lol
O level design deu uma envelhecida por causa da repetição de cenários, mas nada que tire a qualidade e a diversão do jogo.
"Acho que está apenas começando"
"Acho que está apenas começando"
Pretty fun at times, pretty monotonous at times. Felt like there was too much backtracking especially during the last few missions. Navigation sucks as a result. Heroic difficulty felt way much easier compared to Reach. I would have worshipped the game had I played it at the time of its og release cuz it's a remarkable thing to make something like this in 2001. My rating would've really been higher if not for the repeated segments in latter part of the game, I understand older game almost always reuse multiple segments via backtracking like resident evil but this felt like the game could've been really short if not for the repeated segments. Music was good I guess but the placement was very random. Also the most satisfying thing about the game is it's shotgun 🤌🏼, had so much fun blasting enemies with it and it's a shame the 2nd game's shotgun sucks in comparison.
Great game, but with some big flaws. The combat is great, and the story is good, but the levels are pretty bad. They’re so repetitive and uninspired in many cases. I knew going into it that “The Library” was bad, but it’s awful. Overall though, it’s a great start to the series.
This review contains spoilers
The story and the introduction of the flood was a twist I for sure was not expecting and very interesting. However, while I understand it was great for its time, the levels often using the same maps did bore me a little. The ending on the other hand was brilliant.
Revolutionary title that aged like mayonnaise in the sun. The game's re-use of levels alongside fragrant copy-and-paste makes this game kind weak compared to other games in the series.
Additionally, the remastered levels look like ass lmaoooooo
Additionally, the remastered levels look like ass lmaoooooo
The tab button is the best button
while the maps are somewhat okay, the game is mostly just old. these issues wouldnt have been issues 20 years ago. the game is pretty fun, but definitely a weaker one for the Halo franchise. still very fun tho
A good game and a nice intro to an iconic series. My complaints are the same as other fans throughout the years: levels are repetitive to the point where you feel like you’re going insane, the checkpoint distribution sometimes feels illogical, and using the final level’s warthog controls is more painful than getting your teeth pulled out. Still a good game, lots of excitement, tension, suspense, and horror especially with the flood.
I can now finally say that I have played Halo. After all these years, I can see now how this became an all time classic. It changed the game for shooters, and delivered a good story with one of the most iconic game characters of all time in Master Chief.
Refreshing. I had never played a Halo game before and combat evolved does not disappoint. I liked the mechanics, the guns each feel unique and the vehicle combat is very fun. I liked the visuals of this remaster but i understand why people prefer the original's better.
A great game in it's own right, it's a shame that I'm too drunk on the brilliance of Reach to recognize this for all of it's strong suits.
Remastered graphics don’t capture the atmosphere of the levels. Better to simply play in the old graphics mode once again.
-undeniably so fucking jingoistic and patriotic it’s kind of sickening in like a /neg way. I mean I wanna give the devs some excuse here, 2001 was a wildly diff time in American history and hopefully the sequels calmed down politically but also I doubt post 9/11 games do at all and by the time they do they’re so caught up in their silly goofy lore. also idk I have had to excuse right wing/libertarian art I like a lot more than I like this but still leaves a bit of a gross taste in ur mouth.
-suppose it helps that the actual plot here is a fucking bore. master chef and blue minx Cortana boring fucking characters, idc about them or what happened to them or why ur fighting aliens lol. which sucks cuz the world here is so fully formed and fleshed out but I’m not watching rlly boringly directed cutscenes to figure out how we got here nor am I reading some nerd ahh book.
-environmental storytelling here hits though, like I feel like I’m able to glean enough from how the maps are laid out to come out w a more satisfying plot line than whatever is actually happening in the foreground. like rlly cool stuff implied about the balance between nature n tech which is like more apropos in ‘23 than ‘01. idk I live in a major metropolitan city w no greenery or nature to speak of whatsoever which is so diff than my rural upbringing. there’s a real seeming living breathing ecosystem here and that’s cute and smth more games should attempt to do.
-tbh I don’t even mind that the back half of this game is just more or less the same maps from the first half slightly tweaked. I like it like thematically, Ie the effects of war and how nothing ever rlly changes, everything is cyclical. real ending of watchmen/beginning of guns of the patriots wave. btw I don’t like watchmen I’ve just read it and think silk spectre/nite owl are cute.
-played through the middle chapters on my phone w game pass while watching the sex and the city reboot w my bf….and I was wearing new brandy melville shirt….life is good
-consistently felt like Michael Cera in Superbad when he’s playing ps2 game and he keeps complaining about how unfair it is.
-the vehicle controls are actually so awful omg, why would accelerate ever be anything other than the triggers or the action button, actually so evil
-suppose it helps that the actual plot here is a fucking bore. master chef and blue minx Cortana boring fucking characters, idc about them or what happened to them or why ur fighting aliens lol. which sucks cuz the world here is so fully formed and fleshed out but I’m not watching rlly boringly directed cutscenes to figure out how we got here nor am I reading some nerd ahh book.
-environmental storytelling here hits though, like I feel like I’m able to glean enough from how the maps are laid out to come out w a more satisfying plot line than whatever is actually happening in the foreground. like rlly cool stuff implied about the balance between nature n tech which is like more apropos in ‘23 than ‘01. idk I live in a major metropolitan city w no greenery or nature to speak of whatsoever which is so diff than my rural upbringing. there’s a real seeming living breathing ecosystem here and that’s cute and smth more games should attempt to do.
-tbh I don’t even mind that the back half of this game is just more or less the same maps from the first half slightly tweaked. I like it like thematically, Ie the effects of war and how nothing ever rlly changes, everything is cyclical. real ending of watchmen/beginning of guns of the patriots wave. btw I don’t like watchmen I’ve just read it and think silk spectre/nite owl are cute.
-played through the middle chapters on my phone w game pass while watching the sex and the city reboot w my bf….and I was wearing new brandy melville shirt….life is good
-consistently felt like Michael Cera in Superbad when he’s playing ps2 game and he keeps complaining about how unfair it is.
-the vehicle controls are actually so awful omg, why would accelerate ever be anything other than the triggers or the action button, actually so evil
Played with my partner, giving me the best possible chance with this one. Playing games with her is always wonderful and Halo 1 is really special to her, whereas my memories of it basically boil down to some silliness on Blood Gulch.
This lies a bit awkwardly at the midpoint between the Unreals and Half-Lifes of the world and the then-newly solidifying modern shooter conventions, serving as one of the earliest examples of them present in one place. You've got your two equip slots, your obnoxiously self-serious military theming, your narration / guidance from an NPC through ever-present comms, your dedicated vehicle sections, etc. While that is all the case and is most interesting when thinking about Halo's place in history, what makes it truly stand out is its flirtation with the trends of the late 90s / early 00s that aren't so familiar today...namely the hilarious sandboxyness of it all. Everything is a physics object and constantly flying around the screen, with little thought given to how that can break levels (either in ways that benefit or completely fuck over the player), vehicles are so mobile and also floaty that they're constantly flipping over, being boosted into places they're not supposed to, and otherwise being extremely silly.
The best moments in Halo are when you're pushing the limits of that sandbox and being rewarded either with actual progression or with humor. The worst parts are when you're going step-by-step dryly doing whatever the voice in your head tells you to do in that moment. Strange to think that the latter is what stuck and became the default for shooters.
This lies a bit awkwardly at the midpoint between the Unreals and Half-Lifes of the world and the then-newly solidifying modern shooter conventions, serving as one of the earliest examples of them present in one place. You've got your two equip slots, your obnoxiously self-serious military theming, your narration / guidance from an NPC through ever-present comms, your dedicated vehicle sections, etc. While that is all the case and is most interesting when thinking about Halo's place in history, what makes it truly stand out is its flirtation with the trends of the late 90s / early 00s that aren't so familiar today...namely the hilarious sandboxyness of it all. Everything is a physics object and constantly flying around the screen, with little thought given to how that can break levels (either in ways that benefit or completely fuck over the player), vehicles are so mobile and also floaty that they're constantly flipping over, being boosted into places they're not supposed to, and otherwise being extremely silly.
The best moments in Halo are when you're pushing the limits of that sandbox and being rewarded either with actual progression or with humor. The worst parts are when you're going step-by-step dryly doing whatever the voice in your head tells you to do in that moment. Strange to think that the latter is what stuck and became the default for shooters.
me when a bad bitch (cortana) tells me what to do🫡
Played this time with a cute girl. She kept messing up and drove off the edge a few times, but it was pretty fun overall. Had a great time.
The overall gameplay I honestly enjoyed which was surprising for a game thats more than 20 years old. Reading the the book that goes along with this game really improved the story for me. Just the game things are much more "goofy" and not as serious. The books definitely have a much more serious tone which I find more enjoyable. Side Note: 343 Guilty Spark was easily my favorite mission in the entire game
Me and my Co-op partner managed to destroy our banshees on Two Betrayals and had to back track to the starting area to get one. After one and a half hours of watching Youtube videos and attempting to get the banshee through the door that breaks. We did and screamed, clapped, and laughed.
Halo: Combat Evolved is that level of jank to the T, as a longtime player who was there for the first title, it feels just as wholesomely scuffed as it did so many years ago. Playing it with someone who hasn't experienced Halo before was a real treat. I got to be there for their first experience with the flood, their first melee teamkill, and their first time running through the library.
The first Halo is decidedly not perfect, but it is a great introduction to the greatest first person shooter franchise of all time.
Halo: Combat Evolved is that level of jank to the T, as a longtime player who was there for the first title, it feels just as wholesomely scuffed as it did so many years ago. Playing it with someone who hasn't experienced Halo before was a real treat. I got to be there for their first experience with the flood, their first melee teamkill, and their first time running through the library.
The first Halo is decidedly not perfect, but it is a great introduction to the greatest first person shooter franchise of all time.
Rejoguei o jogo de pouco em pouco e eu descobri uma coisa que eu não tinha percebido na minha primeira gameplay. Eu amo esse jogo, do fundo do meu coração. A atmosfera pode ter sido estragada pela versão Anniversary (graças a Deus dá pra colocar os gráficos originais) e ele é datado em várias partes mas eu genuinamente não consigo descrever o carinho que eu tenho por ele.
É até um pouco difícil pra mim fazer essa review porque esse jogo é sensacional e é muito íntimo pra mim falar sobre ele. Claro, o jogo repete muito cenários, a gameplay em algumas partes não é tão boa mas eu criei um apego tão forte que eu as vezes só quero rejogar esse jogo de novo e de novo.
É esquisito como a pouco tempo atrás eu só via esse jogo como um começo sólido pra franquia e isso acabou evoluindo pra ele se tornar um dos melhores jogos que eu joguei.
Esse jogo é apenas incrível.
É até um pouco difícil pra mim fazer essa review porque esse jogo é sensacional e é muito íntimo pra mim falar sobre ele. Claro, o jogo repete muito cenários, a gameplay em algumas partes não é tão boa mas eu criei um apego tão forte que eu as vezes só quero rejogar esse jogo de novo e de novo.
É esquisito como a pouco tempo atrás eu só via esse jogo como um começo sólido pra franquia e isso acabou evoluindo pra ele se tornar um dos melhores jogos que eu joguei.
Esse jogo é apenas incrível.
Played it first time in 2019 from Halo:MCC and it became one of my favorite fps of all time and personally my favorite halo game despite its flaws.
What makes gameplay so special are AI enemies, environment, climate, perfect gunplay and this music OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
But yeah there are some elements that can make people go insane, even myself. This one mission with bridges, which never ends, some flood enemies cough, cough with rocket launchers are painful on every difficulty level.
I appreciate this game even more after replaying campaign alone on legend. Its one of those games that gets better when playing on the highest difficulty.
Split screen is nice. Multiplayer can be fun, but I think every other halo game is better in that aspect. Everyone use magnum and nothing else.
No matter what I will love this game forever.
What makes gameplay so special are AI enemies, environment, climate, perfect gunplay and this music OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
But yeah there are some elements that can make people go insane, even myself. This one mission with bridges, which never ends, some flood enemies cough, cough with rocket launchers are painful on every difficulty level.
I appreciate this game even more after replaying campaign alone on legend. Its one of those games that gets better when playing on the highest difficulty.
Split screen is nice. Multiplayer can be fun, but I think every other halo game is better in that aspect. Everyone use magnum and nothing else.
No matter what I will love this game forever.
He pasado como 5 veces por la misma combinación de pasillo y habitación y a Bungee se la pela
Halo: CE still stands strong to this day. The core gameplay is fundamentally good and simple so it's still stable compared to newer games. The story is a great experience that has a satisfying end. The game does fall weak with flood segments in my opinion. The library is an abysmal mission.
Final score: 8/10
Final score: 8/10
i did not grow up with halo outside of multiplayer at friends' houses and i think after slogging through 5 missions of combat that felt like shooting pillows at other, larger pillows that this is a pokemon situation where if you didnt grow up with it you can't get into it now
(Played via Halo: MCC)
It was okay. Can't say much negative about it, other than some of the levels being repetitive. The lore was a highlight for me. Really dislike the Flood, but that's kind of intended.
I think the final levels were a bit more entertaining than the earlier ones, but I played it a while ago so my memory isn't too clear.
Next playthrough, I'm using my Xbox ONE controller and the original graphics, and playing the game the way it was intended. :P
It was okay. Can't say much negative about it, other than some of the levels being repetitive. The lore was a highlight for me. Really dislike the Flood, but that's kind of intended.
I think the final levels were a bit more entertaining than the earlier ones, but I played it a while ago so my memory isn't too clear.
Next playthrough, I'm using my Xbox ONE controller and the original graphics, and playing the game the way it was intended. :P
This review contains spoilers
It's cool playing one of the biggest video games of all time for the first time decades after it came out. It's very clear how many elements of this game were used by others in the FPS genre. There are moments that are absolutely exhilarating - tearing through the self-destructing core on the warthog comes to mind - but other levels are an absolute SLOG. Looking at you, Library. The story was pretty straightforward but painted a nice military sci-fi universe, and while the gunplay suffered from a lack of diverse enemies it was exciting enough to make me interested in the second game.
I played the Xbox 360 but I remember feeling the game as a mixed bag. I'll return to play it with the Master Chief collection for a proper better judgement, but I had some issues with the progression of the game and remembering the level design being average.
Overall great game that holds up well. there are some annoyingly harsh spots you can find yourself in during Heroic difficulty depending on what guns and grenades you have on you at that time but action is still punchy, and story is still very entertaining.