I'm in a weird spot here, because I'm not sure I can accurately describe what makes this one of my favorite games. The controls are good (and were relevatory in 2001), but hardly perfect. The level design is immaculate at first, but quickly shows what happens when you try and stretch a 5 hour game out to 10 and don't have the manpower to do it. The soundtrack is terrific, but Marty O'Donnell has outdone himself both before and since. For an early 2000s shooter, it tells a decently well-written story decently well, but Half-Life it is not.
So what makes Halo...Halo? I wish I could say differently, but it's the feel. It just feels adventurous and cavalier, like even the game itself doesn't know what's over the next horizon or through the next canyon. The ring itself has this strange ambience to it, like you're really discovering something entirely new. I know that's how it felt to play in early 2002. In all honesty, I should like the other games more than this one, the flaws in CE are pretty glaring, but it's not just nostalgia that makes me say this. This game has held up in the way it feels and moves and sounds, and those were always the most important things for a game to be good at.
So what makes Halo...Halo? I wish I could say differently, but it's the feel. It just feels adventurous and cavalier, like even the game itself doesn't know what's over the next horizon or through the next canyon. The ring itself has this strange ambience to it, like you're really discovering something entirely new. I know that's how it felt to play in early 2002. In all honesty, I should like the other games more than this one, the flaws in CE are pretty glaring, but it's not just nostalgia that makes me say this. This game has held up in the way it feels and moves and sounds, and those were always the most important things for a game to be good at.