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Prepare to be Amazed

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: April 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

It says on the Halo DVD case that it's an Xbox exclusive. While this won't be true for much longer, due to the fact that developer Bungie are working on the PC version of the game, Bill Gates ought to be thanking his lucky stars right now.

Halo has had a long and varied history. Originally announced by Bungie Software two and a half years ago, Halo has transitioned through many things. Originally, it was a third-person shooter for PC with gameplay somewhat like Privateer. Now, after Microsoft's acquisition of Bungie, it's a first-person shooter for Xbox with gameplay more like Half-Life's. Even before development was completed, Halo's hype was incredible. Halo was one of the most anticipated games on any platform when it was released.

So, now, we must judge the game as it is, not as the hype says it is. Here is my conclusion: I've played nearly all of the seminal first-person shooters on any platform (DOOM, Half-Life, Goldeneye, etc.). Thus, I can say with a degree of authority that Halo leaves its competition in the dust.

Story is always a tricky thing in action games. Some designers (cough, id) simply ignore plot and focus more on guns, bombs, monsters, and more guns. Others try too hard to make an involved story and end up with the player just shaking his or her head saying "Huh?" (Remember Perfect Dark?) But some have done it well: Half-Life, Jedi Knight, etc. Halo falls squarely in the latter group.

Halo's story starts out as the kind of thing that you might expect to find in any sci-fi movie. It's five centuries into the future. Humanity has begun to explore the universe and formed a growing interstellar empire with millions upon millions of humans living offworld. The bad part: humanity has run into a group of alien species, the Covenant, that are not friendly. Add that to the fact that the Covenant has technology light-years ahead of ours and you have a problem. Gee, this sounds familiar.

But once the game's plot commences, you'll find that it isn't as derivative as the backstory seems. Halo takes place right after the destruction of Reach, the largest human colony since, well, Earth. Countless human ships and lives are lost but one cruiser escapes intact. In a desperate attempt to lure the Covenant away from Earth, they make a blind jump into hyperspace. They end up near a mysterious artificial ringworld: Halo. Unfortunately, the Covenant were watching, and they were able to track the cruiser. Captain Keyes, realizing that dozens of superior Covenant battlecruisers would immediately overwhelm his small ship, makes a strategic decision and orders everybody down to the ring.

You play as the Master Chief, a Marine that has been cybernetically and genetically enhanced over the course of his life. In the first mission, your task is to safely carry down Cortana, the ship's Artificial Intelligence, to Halo. Unfortunately, the Covenant have attached their boarding crafts to the ship. It'll be a wild ride.

The first mission is basically a cleverly disguised tutorial that also shows off some of Halo's biggest assets. The first of these is the graphics. Bungie did a superb job of harnessing the Xbox's graphical potential, filling their game with more detail than you can shake a plasma rifle at. Sometimes, these details are so natural and so realistic that you won't even realize that they're there. First of all, the lighting and shadow effects are superb, possibly the best that I've seen in a game. If you turn on your flashlight in front of a metal wall, you'll see the wall start to reflect the light. The same goes for your weapons: they actually react to the nearby light. The sound effects are also effective. Everything sounds like it would in real life, whether it's a ghostly echo of an automatic weapon firing. This is enhanced by superb voice acting, directing, and writing.

But all these would be useless if the gameplay didn't match up. Rest assured, gaming cynics, Halo will have you playing for a long time. In an interesting twist on the normal FPS tradition of making you carry every weapon you pick up, you can only carry two in Halo, adding a strategic edge. If you want sheer firepower, opt for the rocket launcher; if you want all-around effectiveness, pick up a plasma or pulse (er, assault) rifle. Or, you can do anything in between. The next twist involves the fact that you don't just have to use weapons: you'll also have access to a variety of vehicles, which will affect the way you play. You can go with the speedy and maneuverable (the jeep and hovercraft) or merely the powerful (the tank).

Gameplay mechanics are also quite impressive. Halo's gameplay is pretty open-ended for an action game. While you can conceivably just blow up everything in sight, you can also use stealth, speed, or merely try to find another way around. The impressive AI complements this: enemies that are stronger lead the assault while weaker ones run away or merely try to support the frontline ones. Enemies take cover, use formations, attack and retreat for another attack, etc. The best thing is that, despite the fact that this is a console first-person shooter, and controls actually work. For the first time, I was never left in want for a keyboard and mouse: it's that good.

In the end, Halo is the culmination of everything the genre has seen before. It takes the best elements of such games as DOOM, Half-Life, and Goldeneye and mixes them into one cohesive, superb game. If you have an Xbox, you owe it to yourself to pick Halo up. If you don't, you might as well buy one for it.

PROS: Pretty much everything. Great graphics, sound, gameplay.

CONS: Not much. Rooms get reused a lot in levels, but this isn't as big of a problem as you might think.

BOTTOM LINE: GET THIS GAME.

not a shooter fan..but enjoyed

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: November 25, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Im not much of a first person shooter fan but I bought this game cuz of the hype. After sitting down with it I have to say I really liked this game. The controls are layed out very well and the game plays very smoothly. Even the opening "training" was something quite original. As an xbox owner I would say this is the first game to get.

Scoring by statistics

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: March 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you want statistics, here you go. The statistics show superior scoring than most other games. If you are doubting the true power of HALO, the this review set you at ease. The following shows exactly how many of the people appreciate it and how many don't.

2% of the people gave HALO a rating of 1 or less star(s).
2% of the people gave HALO a rating of 2 stars.
2% of the people gave HALO a rating of 3 stars.
8% of the people gave HALO a rating of 4 stars.
84% of the people gave HALO a rating of 5 stars.

The statisctics show the VAST majority of reviewers (from this very own website) loved HALO with 5 stars. The statistics should give you an idea of how many people stand on your ground.

Out of the 2% who rated with 1 star or less, less than 10% of the of the people who read the reviews thought they were hepful.

Out of the 2% who rated with 2 stars, less than 7% of the people who read the reviews thought they were helpful.

Out of the 2% who rated with 3 stars, less than 8% of the people who read the reviews thought they were helpful.

Out of the 8% who rated with 4 stars, 20% of the people who read the reviews thought they were helpful.

Out of the 84% who rated with 5 stars, more than 90% of the people who read the reviews thought they were helpful.

Just for the record, the percentages were rounded to the nearest one.

If you have any doubts about the violence, just look at the statistics:

94% affirmed it's violence rating, however less than 2% thought it was enough to return it. 80% thought it wasn't for kids under 13 or those who cannot see the differance between reality and fiction. 6 in every 455 people thought it was "satanic" and "ultra-gory" and 1 out of those 6 out of 455 thought it would "cause another columbine". The last figure was found on this website.

I hope these statistics were helpful, happy shopping.

Best Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I just got my Xbox 3 days ago, along with the delicously sweet HALO. I set it up, and put HALO in right away. I was amazed at how incredible this game was. The Xbox controller made the game even more fun with the ease at which you can control the master chief. Not only can you engage greatly modeled Covenant warriors with guns, who happen to have great AI, but you can also take control of jeeps, tanks, an alien hovercraft, and a sort of alien fighter.The framerate can kinda take a hit in multiplayer when you get multiple veichles and explosions on the screen, but it wont bother you. At all other times though the framerate is as solid as a rock.The only gripe i have is that they should have had AI bots for multiplayer, but thats just getting finicky. The co-op mode for the campaign is also great. The great plotline and cutscenes in the campaign will keep you playing it till the end. And it does take a long time. The missions are huge 1-2 hour monsters that are great fun. I just cant say enough good things about this game. So what are you waiting for? Go pick up an Xbox with Halo!!

Consistently voted Game Of The Year for a reason...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

At first, I was skeptical. I don't do first-person shooters on consoles; that's what PCs are for. After all, you can't control your movements anywhere near as well as you can on a PC. Case in point: I hated Bond:Goldeneye for the N64. Hated. Hated the controls, hated the terribly outdated graphics...thought the levels were poor, too. So when I heard about HALO I thought it might be ok for console-only people, but not for me.

Having now played the game extensively, I can say that it far exceeds my expectations. The controls are innovative (and allowed for by the cool xbox control pad), and really let you get into the game (while not being QUITE as good as a mouse and keyboard). The multiplayer is fun, with many different ways to play with your friends. The co-op mode of playing through the game's story is cool too, though I wish more than 2 players could partake at once (I suppose they limit it to 2 because this is where the game experiences most of its slowdown).

HALO has, BY FAR, the best single-player experience of any FPS game I've ever played. BAR NONE. The story is good, the battle scenarios are cool...I'm really impressed. I want MORE!

I could go on...the vehicles are cool, the graphics are impressive, the soundtrack is good, the way you receive your next directions through audio commands is really cool...

If you own an xbox, then unless you hate this sort of game, you won't go wrong with HALO.

HALO - BEST GAME I HAVE EVER PLAYED

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was new to the Xbox and first person shoot games. So I Bought Halo with the Xbox. What a Brilliant game I just think they have got everything just spot. The graphic are just outstanding, well that also help from the speed of the console. The game is that good that you can get addicted to it is that good.
Outstanding game it is a must have for all Xbox gamers. It is a must.

Game of the Year, any platform

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 14
Date: December 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Halo is one of those rare games that makes you buy the console so that you can play it. Why is it so good?

It's essentially an engrossing first person shooter, but it is unlike any you've ever played, PC or Console. The AI is phenomenal, the enemy actually runs for cover and flanks you, etc. The graphics are gorgeous, and the whole game has a surreal feel to it.
The control is good, although a bit tricky at first. The ability to use various vehicles to explore this huge game is awesome and makes it all the more real.
The sound is awesome and moody and really contributes to the effect.

My only gripe is the short selection of weapons, although the ability to pick up and use your opponents' weapons is awesome.

Halo is essentially a combat simulator. It blends strategy with furious blasting (some stealth missions are incredible), as well as AI and Bots that actually fight with you, instead of dying uselessly.

Buy it. This is video game history.

Combat and then some!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: July 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Halo was the first game I purchased with my Xbox. Halo is very similiar to Doom, only the graphics are far superior. You're a cyborg soldier sent to destroy the alien race called the Convenant from destroying Earth. The graphics and sound effects are incredible. The interaction with the aliens is the best I've ever seen. The grunt aliens will run smack, only until you fire rounds in their direction do they run screaming for mercy. The Elites will dodge your grenades and bullets. There are alot of weapons at your disposal both human and alien. My favorite is the sniper rifle. WIth a 10X scope and night vision you can pick off the enemy from a mile away. You also can use a variety of military and alien vehicles. The warthog - a futuristic Humvee, can be difficult to drive at first. There are 4 levels can choose from easy to legendary. Halo does deserve the title as the best game of the year. This game is a must have your collection.......Happy hunting.

This is a game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: October 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you hav not seen the movies of gameplay at xbox.com, you should check it out! The graphics are awsome, the gameplay is increadable, and the action is to the liking of any video game player who has ever tuched a controller, joystick, or mouse. If you get Xbox, this is a must on your list!

Halo is an art

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: March 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Halo is possibly the most hyped Xbox game to date, and will be for a while. Usually a hyped game dies coming up, but not Halo. Halo is a revolutionary shooter that totally blew away any and all competition. Now, be warned that if you are not a fan of blood (human and/or alein), guns and the works, than this game is not for you.

In Halo, you are awekened from hypersleep onboard the Pillar of Autumn to fight a war against the Covenant, an evil alein race bent on eliminating the human race. You are a state of the art super-soldier developed simply to follow orders. Your suit is one of few, the others were destroyed by the Covenant. Even they marvel at how technicaly advanced you are. Your ship is attacked and you crash-land on an artifact, Halo, which is suspended between a planet and it's moon. When you decode a top-secret transmission, you find that Halo is an ancient weapon that could potentialy change the course of the war.

In Halo, there are customizable difficulty settings and a killer multiplayer mode. If you think the game is to hard, just jack down the difficulty setting. The multiplayer mode has a ton of levels and is an awesome party game. If you have any friends, Halo is the best game to happen to you. The concept of running your friends over with an off-road vehicle is normally reserved for mental patients, but you too can have that joy with Halo. In conclusion, Halo has something for everyone.

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