Seeing is Believing

.:Halo:.


_.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.The Essentials._.-._.-._.-._.-._-

System: XBOX
Players:1-4
Genre: First Person Shooter (FPS)
ESRB Rating: “M” for Mature


_.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.The Details._.-._.-._.-._.-._-._.

- Only on XBOX
- Cooperative play with multiplayer mode
- Won game of the year (By DICE)


_.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.The Review._.-._.-._.-._.-._-._

Every so often there come a video game that changes the way you view games. Now to each gamer their own as to what they believe which game(s) got to them for whatever reason it may be. Personally, I was always fond of such games as Final Fantasy VIII, Mario 64, Metal Gear Solid, Zelda, and many more for the pure fact that they were innovative, unique, and had memorable characters. Now, noticed how I did not mention any First Person Shooters (FPS)? Well it’s not that I am a total stranger to the genre; heck I’ve gone as far back as to playing Wolfenstien on one of my first computers. But I suppose it’s because majority of FPS games I’ve played on my consoles (don’t have the PC requirements for most of them) all seemed the same or all offered the same (excluding Perfect Dark, brilliant multiplayer mode). However, that all changed once I purchased my XBOX and copy of Halo. What took years to complete (considering it began on the PS2 and PC) has really paid off when you actually sit down and enjoy the game.

If you haven’t heard of Halo yet (which is near impossible) then I’ll sum up the game’s plot without revealing any spoilers. It’s the year 2552 and a powerful alien race has decided to take over mankind. So with the human race in danger you’ve been unfrozen from a capsule of some sort to lead you and your troops to stop these aliens in their tracks. However, while planning your method of attack, your fleet is shot down leaving you stranded on an odd planet called Halo. So while still staying true to your original objective by destroying those who attempt to harm the human race, you are also asked to explore the world that is Halo.

The sound in Halo really sets the mood. You’ll hear your soldiers’ battle cries as they yell out taunts or beg you to save their lives. Grunts (alien species who are capable of speaking English) will yell out warnings concerning your presence to all the other enemies, making you a visible target. The other alien species that aren’t capable of speaking English will still talk, but in a different language of course, but it’s still amusing to see how they communicate. Other noticeable sound effects are the environments themselves. Indoor levels have computers running, with alien guards snoozing, with those who are awake mumbling while casting a soft thud as they walk on the floor. Outdoor levels have you walk on the crisp grass while hearing the soft roar of the waterfalls as tree’s swift in the air. Basically the smallest details that you wouldn’t normally expect a game to have, is here.

Visually, the game is for the majority of the time, pretty solid. Although the frame rate drops in certain areas, it is locked at 30fps. So while it may not be locked at 60fps, you’ll be able to forgive and forget since the visuals in the game carries impressive bump mapping, lighting effects, and an incredible distance without pop up. The environments are pretty unique and really do capture that essence of realism. Outside levels showcase different weather effects such as sunny skies, misty rainstorms, to blizzard like snowstorms. The indoor levels while containing repetitive designs and patterns, they too appear to look extremely sharp with the stainless steel interior bases. Plus if you look hard enough in the indoor bases, you can actually tell which race of aliens are inside of it… still not like it matters since you have to destroy them all anyway.

Speaking of the game’s characters, you’ll notice that while there aren’t a wide variety of enemies to hunt down, their strategically planning and tactics make up for it. Some enemies are more intelligent then others. So for example, if you sneak up slowly behind a grunt (one of the weaker enemies) you can easily put them out with a sudden melee attack, however if you are spotted, the grunts will group together to take you on but once they noticed you shooting their teammates, they will quickly scatter around, leaving you no choice but to peg them one by one. Yet the hunters (one of the stronger enemies) are the exact opposite. Their hearing and sight are much more advanced than any other enemy you’ll face, making them much more difficult to attack considering they also carry a full body suit of armor with an attached weapon on it. So as you can tell, there is not just one way to approach the enemies and destroy them, strategy is an essence.

Thankfully though, you wont be alone during your missions. At certain areas, you’ll be given a small handful of soldiers to follow your “orders.” Now the reason I placed orders in quotations is because you don’t necessarily tell them what to do; yet they do it automatically. So for those expecting a Tom Clancy planning phase, I am sorry to disappoint you, but such a thing does not exist in Halo. Still, that’s not really a bad thing since the AI for the soldiers is surprisingly good. Not once have I ever lost a soldier due to them not being able to track me as I advanced through the levels. Heck, sometimes my own soldiers would spot out an enemy before I could and snipe them. But what I love the most about the soldiers is that they aren’t zombies with guns; if one defeats an enemy that put up a tough fight, you’ll see him step over him and threaten him while still firing off his gun, very nice touch. Still, my only gripe is that they are far too weak! I can understand that the lack of armor may lead to their weakness, but if I do a melee attack on their arm, why should they just drop dead? Well, can’t have it all I guess.

The control scheme in Halo is complex at first, but as with all games, the more you play, the faster you adjust to it. The left joystick moves your character while the right one allows you to turn / aim / zoom in with the scope. The left trigger throws grenades as the right one fires / charges your weapon. The buttons do the following: “X” picks up / swaps / reloads weapons, “Y” switches weapons, “A” allows you to jump, while “B” performs your melee attacks. The black and white buttons are used to switch your flashlight on and off plus switch which grenade you use.

Sounds complex, but it pays to master the control. Aiming on to an enemy is easily done for a headshot can only be done thanks to the precise targeting system. Knowing how far to lob a grenade takes actual skill since the game’s control scheme is touch sensitive. Controlling a vehicle (tank, jeep, hovercraft, aircraft) will require you to know how to control the camera with delicate movements, considering where your looking at is where you’ll be going. There are tons more precise control situations to master in this game, but by those three examples, you’ll understand how precise, accurate, and important the control is in Halo.

So now we all know that Halo is an incredible game, but how’s the replay value you ask? Well it’s great, don’t get me wrong, but it also has a huge weakness in it… that I’ll get to later. Still the game has two main modes for you to take part in, the story mode where you and a friend battle through numerous missions that (obviously) follow the game’s plot. Then, there is the multiplayer mode, which does have a lot of match types to choose from, but they are all too alike. Some of them [multiplayer mode] will have the same rules or requirements as a free for all would, but in a tag mode instead. What’s worse though is the fact that this game does not allow you to place bots in the multiplayer games. Which at times makes the multiplayer game so boring I rather go warthog (the jeep) hunting in a destruction derby knock off game than hunt down 2 or 3 of my friends.

Still, does that make Halo a bad game? Not at all. Obviously, a majority of the time will be spent on the story more and being that it is so perfectly planned out by not just the plot, but the design and pace, it makes up for the lacking multiplayer mode. No game is perfectly made, and Halo’s weakness (in my opinion) is multiplayer, so I won’t hold much against it, being it is still a must own game.


_.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.The Verdict._.-._.-._.-._.-._-._

Graphics:(9.5/10)
+ Beautiful environments with noticeable details put into them
- Frame rate drops to low at times

Control:(10/10)
+ Smooth and responsive
- Takes some time to memorize all the controls

Sound:(8/10)
+ Sets it so the game feels like an interactive movie
- Hearing enemies yell “woot!” gets old

Replay Value:(7/10)
+ Great story mode with lots of alternative routes
- No bots? Watsupwitdat!?


-----------------------
9 out of ten
-----------------------


_.-._.-._.-._.-._.-.The Alternatives.-._.-._.-._.-._-._

1.) Soldier of Fortune - ”Let's face it, Half-Life is canned and this is the closest we will get to playing such a thing. Thank god some companies still have faith in the DC - ****

2.) Max Payne - The sheer freedom given in this game by deciding how to eliminate your enemies, to the interaction with the environments really makes Max Payne stand out from the other 3rd person shooting games - *****


_.-._.-._.-._.-._.-.Second Opinion.-._.-._.-._.-._-._

Well, I would just like to say that Dan is full of it. Halo is not very revolutionary, and in no way should be compared to great games such as Mario or Metal Gear Solid. It is more of just showing what FPS’s can now do with the better technology available today. But, Halo is still a very good game. The plot is isn’t anything extraordinary, but I don’t really look for that in FPS’s. I agree that the music does set the mood, and never really gets on your nerves, while the alien sounds make the game more realistic. Visuals are just like what you would expect from an XBOX, but I do agree that they can get repetitive (might be offensive to some- http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2001-11-28&res=l ). The enemy AI is impressive; while the soldier AI is… well, let’s just say you aren’t always sorry when they die. I’ll also have to agree with Dan on the controls. Halo’s replay value isn’t very high. The first time through, I didn’t really want to play through the whole thing again. Also, while you can play multi-player by getting 4 XBOXes together so that you can duel it out with 15 of your friends, I doubt most people can do this, so it sorely needed bots. Halo is perhaps the second best game on the XBOX now (its beat out by Morrowind), but I still think its not worthy of its “Game of the Year” status, though it is still a must-own title.

Graphics:(9.5/10)
Control:(9/10)
Sound:(8/10)
Replay Value:(5/10)

-----------------------
8 out of ten
-----------------------