Halo: Combat Evolved

A bit late to the Halo Party, but what can I say, I never grew up with the xbox and only played MP on PC during it's hayday.

While Goldeneye put console based first person shooters on the map, Halo was the game to solidify the console shooter formula and influence first person shooters for the next decades to come.

I will say now, Halo is probably one of the most satisfying shooters I've ever played from just a gameplay standpoint. All weapons feel right and pack the right punch, every kill is so satisfying from start to finish. And I'm keen to see how the combat evolves (no pun intended) throughout the franchise.

I love the world of Halo, the otherworldly biomes of the ring, the aliens and lore presented. I can see why this franchise had so much appeal.

Every level is sort of open ended in the sense where a large area is loaded and its up to you to figure out how you want to progress through. Do you wanna drive through with a warthog or ghost? Do you wanna stay on the ground and snipe out your oppenents? The levels are very replayable.

Having said that, the first half of the game is absolutely amazing, every single level is so good and fun to get through. However the quality takes a nosedive in the 2nd half once the flood enemies are introduced. Levels suddenly become copy-pasted hallways and every level in the 2nd half is basically a reused level from the first half but this time with infinitely spawning enemies that become really frustrating.

I still enjoyed my time with the first game and hope to become a fan of franchise once I'm done with it. For now, I can see why Halo Combat Evolved was so beloved when it first came out, especially for it's multiplayer. There's a bit of outdated game design here but the overall game is still a really good time.

I am very much aware that I am playing a game that revolutionised multiplayer game play and FPS, wayyy out of its era in 2022 bur better late than never.

In terms of positives, the music is of course iconic with some cool percussion here and there to give a commando vibe as you play. Some mechanics I can imagine were quite fun for the time, like using turrets, warthogs, hosts and banshees. There is also a good variety of weapons and some alien weapons that are simplified and relevant to the enemies -- plasma pistol can knock down a shield, energy rifle can blast through elite shields.

In terms of negatives, the levels do get quite repetitive after a time -- very much visit new area, fight a new collection of the same sort of enemies. Playing in heroic mode did make it seem more like a puzzle, which was cool. Only time it did feel unique was towards the middle when the flood is introduced (*spoilers*: maybe I just like fighting zombies).

The story is alright, nothing super exceptional and a little generic but it did lend to some cool environments. Masterchief is just a champ that everyone relies on to get the mission done. You get introduced to the concept of what is Halo, who are the covenant and how is halo useful to them. There is a twist in there which I can kind of appreciate, and the ending had a sense of humour.

In the end I am glad I did play this game so that I can at least somewhat experience a game that revolutionised and had a huge influence on a lot of people. I'm caught up and definitely want to keep going.

Difficulty: Heroic
Skulls: None

A must play for any fan of the FPS genre. All these years later and this game is still an absolute blast to play.

With a friend this is the most fun I've had in a while .

Flood was stinky 🤢🤕 Overall good Game 🤌

This game has aged. It’s fun but at times, somewhat frustrating.