On top of all the gameplay tweaks and additions, the enhanced graphics make a massive difference. All the latest whiz-bang bump-mapping and specular lighting techniques are in place, at resolutions that offer 1, times more pixels than the original game.
It's like having a new pair of glasses after years of looking through broken Coke bottles. If there's any remaining worries about Halo on PC, it's that the slightly slower pace of the game may frustrate hardcore shooter fans, and the notable lack of a co-op campaign mode so superb on the Xbox could significantly weaken the package. However, having spent some time playing the game in an all-but-complete state, there's little doubt in our minds that Halo is absolutely still worth playing on PC.
With Bungie's groundbreaking creation finally playable online, including new maps, weapons and vehicles, Halo PC could be every bit the classic we've been hoping for. Set on a strange ring-world, you play the part of a human recon soldier who wages a one-man war against an alien race. It may sound like your usual run-of-the-mill plot but, believe us, Halo promises to be something very special indeed. The main reason for our enthusiasm is the inclusion of a graphics and physics engine of the kind we have literally never seen before.
Every vehicle in the game of which there are loads - including flying and driving moves in such a realistic way, you can't even tell that they're computer-generated models. We watched a running demo and it was like watching a film.
There's still plenty of work to do, but rest assured - Halo is one game we will be keeping a very close eye on. There were three two-hour long queues at E3 this year: one for the shitter; one snaking around the Microsoft stand to snatch a peak at Microsoft's X-Box console; and the other camped around the Bungie booth, with people waiting patiently to see the third-person game Halo in action.
The difference between the latter two queues was that while the line for X-Box was filled with Satan-worshipping marketing types, those encamped around the Bungie stand were predominantly games developers, curious as to what all the fuss is about - the people in the know, basically. Being awarded VIP status and herded around the back, we were able to jump the line and sneak in through a secret entrance to take all the best seats.
The presentation, although brief, certainly had impact. First we were treated to a few minutes of real-time action, which although revealed nothing of the game's structure or Al, certainly forced the odd jaw to drop with the graphics alone. The alie ring world on which Halo is based stretched far into the horizon.
Firing each of the game's dozen weapons caused casings to roll downhill and when our wise-cracking host climbed into a vehicle, we could even see gravel particles shoot from the skidding wheels as the jeep took off and its occupant bounced in his seat.
Little details perhaps, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Halo was the best-looking game at E3 by quite a margin, so good in fact that it looked too good to be true. Next up was the meat and veg of the presentation - a multiplayer ten minute rolling demo, recorded in real-time in the Halo offices prior to E3. Without going too over the top, it was almost like watching a film. And the promise is that within a year it will be an experience we will all be able to savour, with sleek aliens and their anti-gravity vehicles taking on a human force - all with realistic AI - across a dynamic and seamless world, featuring as realistic a physics model as you're ever likely to find.
In terms of its graphical style. Halo manages to hit the right balance in that rather than pitch the humans as good and the aliens as evil, there is almost the same tension as between the colonial marines in the Alien films and the same morality as the honourable hunter of the Predator films. As a multiplayer game Halo could seriously take the crown. As a single-player game we will have to wait a few months to see what Bungie can add. In the meantime, it is clear that graphically Halo is light years ahead of anything else.
Originally released as a launch title for the Xbox, it was the one title that made it worth owning an Xbox. Now a bit older and with gamers a bit wiser, Halo has finally arrived for the PC ' but can it stack up with the big boys of the PC world? Halo: Combat Evolved ' sounds like a cocky title, doesn't it? Gunplay in Halo is fast, fun, and methodical thanks to both the incredible AI and smart gameplay features.
The AI is intelligent and unpredictable on both sides of the gun. Allies are actually useful in Halo , which is particularly nice since the enemies are quite smart, to the point where each fight feels unique. You never know what tactics enemies will use, whether they'll be evasive, aggressive, or just run and take cover. The AI coupled with the health system guarantees you'll be ducking in and out of combat constantly, and meticulously planning your moves. Throw in some vehicles into the mix, and you have a fantastic FPS on your hands.
Halo as a whole is wonderful title, but there are some obvious problems, particularly with level design. You'll think it's either genius or just very rehashed. The outdoor levels are fantastic, but the indoor levels are forgettable at best.
Granted, it's not confusing and doesn't take away from the action, but it doesn't match the other ingenious aspects of the game. Sure, the speed is ideal for consoles, but Master Chief could afford to quicken the pace a little, especially with the precise mouse and keyboard setup of the PC. Aside from the mouse and keyboard controls, the single player game in Halo is essentially unchanged.
Cooperative play has been removed, but in its place is the online multiplayer mode, which is just as fun as it ever was on the Xbox. Halo has the potential to look beautiful, but you'll need a stacked rig to see it's complete graphical prowess.
If you're running on a mid-end machine, the Xbox version will look noticeably better since the textures aren't as sharp and the effects are really dumbed down. On a powerful rig, however, the PC version of Halo outdoes the Xbox's visuals, though the differences are subtle. Simply put, it looks stunning at x with full effects on. Immersive is the one word that sums up Halo's audio.
From the ambient music to the great voice acting and sound effects, you'll feel like you're the Master Chief from beginning to end. Really, there's not much to complain about here. It may not be the pinnacle of the genre on the PC, but it can certainly hold it's own. Unfortunately, there aren't enough differences between the Xbox and PC version to make it worth owning both, but if you missed Halo the first time around, there's no better time than the present to make up for your past mistakes.
The year is , and humanity struggles to survive. A terrifying race, calling themselves the Covenant, has swept out of the stars and threatens to purge humanity from the galaxy.
Armed with fantastic technology, and an almost religious fervor to destroy humanity, they are the worst threat that human beings have ever encountered. With faster ships and more devastating weapons, the Covenant seem an unbeatable opponent, until the Spartan-II soldiers present Earth with the opportunity to retaliate in kind.
The humans, led by the United Nations Space Command, muster their forces to repulse the alien threat and prepare for a special mission to capture a Covenant vessel.
The mission will field the Spartan-II soldiers, amazing cyborg soldiers that stand eight feet tall and have been trained since childhood to be the greatest weapons that humanity has ever fielded. Launching from the planet Reach, Earth's effective backdoor and the greatest shipyard in all of Human space, this mission was to turn the tide of the battle against the Covenant and save the entire human race.
That was, until the Covenant arrived in a mass of ships, destroying Reach and nearly everything in it. You are the Master Chief, the last of your kind. Cyborg, warrior, and the last, best hope for humanity -- you were the only Spartan-II to escape the destruction of Reach.
In a stunning and mysterious move, the entire Covenant fleet pursues the Pillar of Autumn as it escapes. The Pillar of Autumn is commanded by Captain Jacob Keyes and armed with some of the best technology in the human fleet. Onboard is an Artificial Intelligence, indispensable to any capital ship in the UNSC navy, and in this case an amazing battlefield tool, able to handle massive amounts of data.
Arriving in an unknown star system, you find a strange artifact orbiting a small planet. The object, called Halo, is a massive ring structure, lined with a breathable atmosphere and alien ecosystem. Attacked by the pursuing Covenant forces, the Pillar of Autumn is disabled, forcing you to escape to Halo. Perhaps this alien artifact contains some answers to the mystery of the Covenant and a way to defeat them. Armed only with your wits, backed by the survivors of the Pillar of Autumn, and assisted by the Pillar of Autumn's AI, Cortana, you are the greatest weapon that humanity has to offer, and the only human that the Covenant truly fears.
As a cyborg, you're incredibly strong, possess impeccable reflexes, and are trained in a wide variety of weapons with which to defeat the enemy. You're armed with the Mjolnir armor, a powered armor suit that protects you from all manners of weaponry, enhances your strength and reflexes, and has an energy shield system reverse engineered from the technology used by the Covenant.
With it, you are nearly invincible. Still, the Covenant are not to be taken lightly. Their Grunts are small, numerous creatures that, while weak individually, can pose a threat in great numbers. Elites stand nearly eight feet tall, and use an energy shield system to protect them from attacks while they command the battle.
Jackals are shield troopers, using a strong shield to protect themselves and their allies from your attacks. Rounding out their number are Hunters, massive war machines that mount a gigantic hand explosive fuel rod gun and have a massive shield of impenetrable material. Together, these forces seek to destroy you and every other human that still breathes. Halo has a deep, driving storyline and many innovative elements that make it a contender for one of the best games that the FPS genre has ever seen.
Immersed in a rich, sci-fi backstory, Halo provides plenty of material for single player and multiplayer fans alike. Halo is, at its heart, a strongly story driven First Person Shooter. Normally, FPS games aren't really suited for a console like the Xbox, but the design of the Xbox controller, and the way Bungie Halo 's developer laid out the controls, makes Halo an excellent console title.
The analog sticks control your movement and aiming. Shoulder buttons let you fire and toss grenades, and their analog quality in controlling the rate of fire on a full auto weapon makes them perfect for the task. You can jump, crouch, and even perform attacks with any of the game's weaponry. Unlike other FPS titles, you can only carry two weapons at any given time, although you're free to scavenge the battlefield for any weapons you can find.
This is slightly more realistic than the normal "carry everything" style of gameplay, and requires you to rely on quick wits rather than an endless supply of weapons and ammunition.
The controls can be set up in a variety of ways, including the sensitivity of the analog sticks you use to move and aim. Being able to switch between a normal control set and a legacy southpaw, which completely alters the way you're shooting and moving, is something I consider important. Given the wide diversity of play styles, a good selection of control schemes is important for any multiplayer or single-player game.
One of my other peeves in a game like this is the power-up syndrome, where you'll find little power-ups over the course of the game that give you temporary invulnerability or quicker ammo. No such thing in Halo , as these items only come in three flavors: Health to replenish your health stats, Overcharge to boost your shielding, and Active Camouflage, which turns you invisible. Plus, all of these items are explained in game, as the health units are actually medkits, and the other two items are shield enhancements that the Elites use, making them perfect for your energy shield, given that it was reverse engineered from Covenant technology.
One of the first things you'll notice is just how deadly this game is. Gone are the days of a poor man's blaster, weak and ineffectual against your opponents. Halo gives you real guns that can actually defeat your enemies. That means they'll need to use tactics against you. And use tactics they will. As you notch up the difficulty settings, from Easy to Normal, Heroic, and finally Legendary, you won't notice your enemies becoming incredibly damage resistant.
The difficulty settings generally increase the number of opponents, give them a little bit more armor, tougher energy shields, and significantly increase their tactical abilities. You'll see the enemies make better use of their weaponry, talk to one another, flank you, and eventually kick your ass. It's intriguing to see a game make such use of tactics, as I've never seen a FPS approach this level of thought.
The enemies can talk to one another, make battle plans, and while they are a little predictable, they'll actually outthink you if you give them the chance. The first weapon you'll get is the Pistol and, for my money, it's one of the best weapons in the game. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, but all of them are effective against the enemy. Use a rocket launcher if you're attacking a fortified structure, a gun emplacement, or a vehicle. The Shotgun is a good close up weapon and, unlike other games, maintains the lethality of a real shotgun out to good distances.
You shouldn't need to ask what the Sniper Rifle does and the Assault Rifle has a great high rate of fire attack against unshielded opponents. The Pistol has a zoom feature and is one of the largest caliber shots the Marines have, making it perfect for one-shot kills with a headshot.
Although they're all good weapons, most of these aren't good at dropping the energy shields packed by an Elite or a Jackal. They can finish off an unshielded opponent like no one's business, but against shields, you'll see lots of ricochets. Marines also get Fragmentation grenades, which are timed high explosives that can be bounced around corners for a nice surprise. Covenant weapons are another matter.
The Plasma Pistol fires a steady stream of plasma shots and the trigger can be held down to generate an overcharge. An overcharge shot, aside from being more powerful, can drop enemy shields in one hit, making it extremely useful for taking on Elites and Jackals. The graphics are a little outdated, after all this is a game released in , yet you won't suffer any lags and scenery and little details are on the whole satisfactory.
At least it won't distract you whilst on your various missions. One of the great features of Halo 1: Combat Evolved is the number of vehicles and weapons at your disposal like the Warthog or Banshee. The artificial intelligence in Halo: Combat Evolved is well developed and the three levels of difficulty should keep you well occupied. Another great feature in Halo: Combat Evolved is the multiplayer, with classic death match, capture the flag and king of the hill games great fun among friends.
As a first-person shooter, Halo: Combat Evolved has a gameplay fundamentally similar to that of its peers, focusing on combat in a 3D environment, and taking place almost entirely from a character's eye view. The player can move around and look up, down, left or right. The game features vehicles, ranging from armored jeeps and tanks to alien hovercraft and aircraft, many of which can be controlled by the player.
The game switches to the third-person perspective during vehicle use for pilots and mounted gun operators passengers maintain a first-person view.
Trending from CNET. Download Now. Key Details of Halo: Combat Evolved. Bent on humankind's extermination, a powerful fellowship of alien races known as the Covenant is wiping out the Earth's fledgling interstellar empire. You and the other surviving defenders of a devastated colony-world make a desperate attempt to lure the alien fleet away from Earth.
Shot down and marooned on the ancient ring-world Halo, you begin a guerrilla war against the Covenant. Fight for humanity against an alien onslaught as you race to uncover the mysteries of Halo. Full Specifications. What's new in version. Release November 9, Date Added October 22, Operating Systems. Additional Requirements DirectX 9 drivers. Total Downloads 6,, Downloads Last Week Report Software. Related Software See More.
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