Halo (PC Game Review)

Halo's tagline is "combat has evolved". Considering the achievements of previous first person shooters (FPSs), like the Unreal and the Quake series, that is a bold statement. Where does Halo push forward?

Having not yet completed the game, all I can say is that the title's artificial intelligence for all creatures and the ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) are indeed very strong contributions to a better FPS genre.

The main difference from Halo to, for example, Unreal, is that you are now highly dependent on your troops. If your attitude is to go in firing against whatever crosses your path, you'll simply NOT succeed. Ammo doesn't grow from the ground up and your adversaries know there is a big difference between fighting isolated troops and fighting an organized team, with tactics. So, progress should be slow. Every step you take should have been planned. And if you could have waited for your mates, but didn't, you'll pay for the error.

I am playing Halo in the "hard" level. It is hard. And on levels that resemble Quake environments, it is very hard - nearly impossibile - if you get caught alone in the fight. In fact, there is a "restart level" option that sets you back to the start of the episode... instead of to the most recent check point, should you get trapped in such situation.
Notice that you can only save in check points - that is another feature that helps building a higher tension.

The ATV is a fun "jeep" that can host a driver, a gunner and a passenger. It is wise NOT to travel alone. The way you control the ATV is quite different from the on-foot control system; that helps to break monotony and builds the team spirit.

Where Halo doesn't push forward is on graphics. I don't find Halo's graphics as good as Unreal's or Battlefield 1942's. But that really doesn't bother me. The game plays great! As in so many other games, the sniper rifle is my favorite weapon; this time it comes with a night vision mode and with details like blurring your vision outside the main focus.

I am now playing a level inside a space ship. It is the least interesting level until now. It smells like Quake too much, but less fluid. I prefer the open space levels, where you can drive the ATV or make options like following one path, or another, to some clearing where foes will certainly be waiting.

This game demands a lot from your PC. Just make sure your hardware is up to date and rest assured that you'll have loads of fun!

Recommended.

You can buy Halo here.

for european costumers, here is a selection of titles from amazon.co.uk:

title: Halo - Combat Evolved (PC)
publisher: Microsoft
price: £25.99
url: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006IQVI/arturmarques
ASIN: B00006IQVI
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

for american costumers, here is a selection of titles from amazon.com:

title: Halo Combat Evolved
publisher: Microsoft
price: $44.99
url: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009TW6R/arturmarquesc-20
ASIN: B00009TW6R
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

for real time monetary conversions, please use the XE service.