22nd May 2005, 7:29 PM
I'm sure we've all heard the buzz surrounding Halo [and it's sequel]: "10/10", "the best FPS ever", "the best GAME ever" and so on. But does Halo truly live up to all this hype?
Graphics:
The very first thing you notice about Halo is the graphics. Though the game is now several years old, the graphics are still suprisingly good even standing beside some of the newer PC games. Up close the textures are very high-res and detailed, though the begin to get blurred at even a short distance. The poly count for the characters and enemies is fairly high and mainy of the lighting effects [especially light filtering through the branches of trees] looks great. Metalic surfaces have an extra coat of glossy finish, which is made clearer when using your flashlight. All things considered, it looks great. The one downside to the graphics is that the art style is just too drab, it has little life too it and many areas are repeated for too many times.
Story:
The storyling is somewhat standard sci-fi fare. It involves a race of aliens known as the Covenant who are bent on destroying the Earth empire. It's up to you as Master Chief, intergalatic tough-guy, to make sure that doesn't happen. Unfortunately, you're strandedd on a ring-world called Halo, but no to worry, the Convenant are also there too, so there's plenty of alien-killing to be done. Things do begin to get a bit more complex in the later half of the game, but don't expect anything along the lines of 2001. It's a pretty much straight-forward and simple storyline, but it does what it needs to and it's not a downside.
Controls:
The left analog stick controls movement and the right controls your aim. The best set-up you can hope for without a keyboard and mouse. It works well though, and is simple enough to use.
Sound:
The machine guns of the future sound a lot like you might expect them too and explosions sound the same no matter what year you're in. It also has some decent voice work, which can do wonders for any game. Also, the music [from what I can remember] works well for the game, but didn't seem TOO memorable. That having been said, the game does sound pretty good.
Gameplay:
Unfortunately, the game struggles in this sector. You'd think a game where you play as the coolest warrior in the universe fighting hordes of alien scum could never get boring even in a million years, but you'd be wrong. By the time you've fought the same three types of aliens, in the same grey corridor for the hundredth time it becomes a chore to pick up the controller again. About half the game is boring, while the other half is actually rather fun. If you can overcome the monotony that plagues the boring half, or can find someone to co-op with you, you should be able to beat the game in about 10-15 hours. It's worth it to finally see the end, but getting their isn't easy and not for the right reasons. The multiplayer deathmatch, I've been told, is incredibly fun and makes up for some of the moring boring parts of the singleplayer, but I haven't played much of it myself.
Conclusion:
Despite it's amazing graphics and tight controls, Halo suffers from drab art style and gameplay that repeats itself too many times. It's a fun game, and one of the better console FPSs, but there are better games out there. If you're a scifi junkie and don't have a computer, you'll likely want to give it a go. If you're not a big fan of FPSs and find repetition to be a major turn off, you may want to consider a different game.
7.5/10
Graphics:
The very first thing you notice about Halo is the graphics. Though the game is now several years old, the graphics are still suprisingly good even standing beside some of the newer PC games. Up close the textures are very high-res and detailed, though the begin to get blurred at even a short distance. The poly count for the characters and enemies is fairly high and mainy of the lighting effects [especially light filtering through the branches of trees] looks great. Metalic surfaces have an extra coat of glossy finish, which is made clearer when using your flashlight. All things considered, it looks great. The one downside to the graphics is that the art style is just too drab, it has little life too it and many areas are repeated for too many times.
Story:
The storyling is somewhat standard sci-fi fare. It involves a race of aliens known as the Covenant who are bent on destroying the Earth empire. It's up to you as Master Chief, intergalatic tough-guy, to make sure that doesn't happen. Unfortunately, you're strandedd on a ring-world called Halo, but no to worry, the Convenant are also there too, so there's plenty of alien-killing to be done. Things do begin to get a bit more complex in the later half of the game, but don't expect anything along the lines of 2001. It's a pretty much straight-forward and simple storyline, but it does what it needs to and it's not a downside.
Controls:
The left analog stick controls movement and the right controls your aim. The best set-up you can hope for without a keyboard and mouse. It works well though, and is simple enough to use.
Sound:
The machine guns of the future sound a lot like you might expect them too and explosions sound the same no matter what year you're in. It also has some decent voice work, which can do wonders for any game. Also, the music [from what I can remember] works well for the game, but didn't seem TOO memorable. That having been said, the game does sound pretty good.
Gameplay:
Unfortunately, the game struggles in this sector. You'd think a game where you play as the coolest warrior in the universe fighting hordes of alien scum could never get boring even in a million years, but you'd be wrong. By the time you've fought the same three types of aliens, in the same grey corridor for the hundredth time it becomes a chore to pick up the controller again. About half the game is boring, while the other half is actually rather fun. If you can overcome the monotony that plagues the boring half, or can find someone to co-op with you, you should be able to beat the game in about 10-15 hours. It's worth it to finally see the end, but getting their isn't easy and not for the right reasons. The multiplayer deathmatch, I've been told, is incredibly fun and makes up for some of the moring boring parts of the singleplayer, but I haven't played much of it myself.
Conclusion:
Despite it's amazing graphics and tight controls, Halo suffers from drab art style and gameplay that repeats itself too many times. It's a fun game, and one of the better console FPSs, but there are better games out there. If you're a scifi junkie and don't have a computer, you'll likely want to give it a go. If you're not a big fan of FPSs and find repetition to be a major turn off, you may want to consider a different game.
7.5/10
Sometimes you get the scorpion.