I've never played through this one on my own and completely. I played the actual demo version back then in 2001 on demo stations in video game stores and a few missions here and there in co-op at a friends place, but never straight in one playthrough. I only started to get into the series from 2007 on with Halo 3.
And after finishing it, it really aged badly. The opening missions are iconic, how you start the game and go through the first ship and then getting introduced to the big open world (of that level) and it brings back instant memories of the demo station back then and the feeling of 2001 where it was something you haven't played before.
But later in the game it goes a bit downhill. In my opinion, the difficulty on normal really goes bonkers and straight up feels unfair at some points, you die so freaking fast with not always the best checkpoints and the level design of the second half of the game is straight up garbage. From the point on where you are in that flood level and you go down this area again and again and again and again in circles and everything looks the same only to go this up again later (if I remember correctly) and having to continue this backtracking galore through the ice area where you need to blow up this generators with your shield. It felt like it suck actual life out of me.
From todays perspective, phew. But the last level was good again where you had to escape with the Warthog. Not as good as I remember the one in Halo 3, but a section I hugely respect and I'm still mad about that the devs abandoned this after ODST. Still, it is the start of a legendary series with an unforgettable soundtrack , fun multiplayer, amazing co-op play and it opened the door for what first person shooters on consoles can be.
And after finishing it, it really aged badly. The opening missions are iconic, how you start the game and go through the first ship and then getting introduced to the big open world (of that level) and it brings back instant memories of the demo station back then and the feeling of 2001 where it was something you haven't played before.
But later in the game it goes a bit downhill. In my opinion, the difficulty on normal really goes bonkers and straight up feels unfair at some points, you die so freaking fast with not always the best checkpoints and the level design of the second half of the game is straight up garbage. From the point on where you are in that flood level and you go down this area again and again and again and again in circles and everything looks the same only to go this up again later (if I remember correctly) and having to continue this backtracking galore through the ice area where you need to blow up this generators with your shield. It felt like it suck actual life out of me.
From todays perspective, phew. But the last level was good again where you had to escape with the Warthog. Not as good as I remember the one in Halo 3, but a section I hugely respect and I'm still mad about that the devs abandoned this after ODST. Still, it is the start of a legendary series with an unforgettable soundtrack , fun multiplayer, amazing co-op play and it opened the door for what first person shooters on consoles can be.