Rating

A

Specific Ratings

GameplayA+
GraphicsA+
Learning CurveA
Replay ValueB+
SoundA

Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Awesome graphics
  • Immersive Battles
  • Aliens and other characters say funny things
  • Each weapon has a special advantage
Cons
  • Limited weapon array

Halo: Combat Evolved (PC)

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Summary

Halo, a world full of action and fun, nice graphics and overwhelming odds when playing on Legendary difficulty.

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Description

Halo for PC, a long awaited release (2 years!), but well worth the wait.

Graphics:
Halo has some awesome graphics if you turn up all the options, such as textures. Textures in the game are truly amazing, like the ground which if it is dark and you turn on your flashlight you can see shadows that make the bumps and protrusions in the ground stand out because of your light angle. Not only does the ground have excellent texture, but the rocks, trees, water, etc also have very realistic looks.

Weapons:
Though the weapons in Halo are limited(also you can only hold 2 at a time), each on has a special ability that somewhat makes up for the lack of diversity in weapons. Also the alien guns can overheat so watch out when battling or you will lose your weapon for what can be crucial seconds.

Human Weapons:
You start out with the pistol (M6D Pistol) which has a 2x zoom ability making it a little easier to shoot from a distance. The pistol usually fires semi-auto, but when holding the left mouse button it will fire like an automatic. A little later on in the first mission you will get an assault rifle(MA5B Assault Rifle) which doesn't have a zoom function, but it makes up for that with the pure firepower composed of 600 rounds per clip. Later on in the game you will come across a sniper rifle and a rocket launcher. The sniper rifle (S2 AM Sniper Rifle) has 2, 4, and 8x zoom capability making it the best(obviously) at taking out enemies from a distance without revealing yourself. The sniper rifle uses anti-material ammunition and can penetrate through several armored or shielded opponents. The rocket launcher is a powerful but slow firing weapon best used to take out multiple enemies when being overwhelmed. Also the rocket launcher has a 2x and 8x zoom function to better aim the rockets. Then there are the fragmentation grenades (M9 HE-DP Grenades) which are pretty good for taking out enemies that cant be reached by direct gun fire because they can bounce. They are best used for disabling vehicles, except for tanks. Next is the shotgun(M90 Shotgun). The shotgun is a pump-action gun that is very effective against individual targets at close range and can be used to shoot multiple targets at medium range.Thats all of the human type weapons, now on to the alien weapons.

Alien Weapons:
The first of the alien weapons is the Plasma Rifle. The plasma rifle is, like the pistol, a semi-auto and an automatic weapon(again holding the left mouse button will make the gun fire automatic). This weapon overheats so watch out when in a big battle, you don't want to be left weaponless. The next weapon is the Plasma Pistol. The plasma pistol is a semi-automatic weapon only, but it has an overcharge function enabled by holding down the left mouse button. When used, the overcharge function overheats the gun which stops working for a few seconds to cool down. Next is the Needler. The needler shoots thin crystals that home in on targets and when they hit they explode after a second or two.
Last but not least, the plasma grenade. The plasma grenade sticks to an enemy (or friendly) unit and after three seconds explodes usually killing the target.

Gameplay:
Halo is a thrilling action-packed game that brings never ending excitement to the battlefield. You start out on a human battleship called The Pillar of Autumn (which at the time is under heavy attack by the Covenant), as a character called Master Chief. Your mission is to protect the ship's AI named Cortana and escape the ship. During the game you will encounter many enemies(even more in the higher difficulties)which at first are pretty easy to beat but get harder as you progress through the missions. For Easy and normal difficulties you can usually beat the enemies by pure firepower, but in Heroic and Legendary, strategies are needed as the enemies are smarter and more formidable, do not underestimate them. The Grunts (the little aliens) are the easiest of opponents especially one on one, thought they can be hard when in groups (which they tend to stay in). Next are the Elite. The Elite are the tall aliens with full body shields like the Master Chief's. The best way to take these ones out is by using plasma grenades or sniper rifles though any method will work. Next are some medium height aliens called Jackals. Jackals carry energy shields which protect them very well from projectile weapons, though they are vulnerable to grenades. They use the Plasma Pistols so watch out for the overcharge shots which can do some serious damage to your shields. Then there are the Hunters, big heavily armored aliens that carry a fuel rod gun(available only in multiplayer mode) that packs a serious punch. These aliens have two vulnerabilities that would be wise to take advantage of since you can run quickly out of ammo trying to kill them any other way. These vulnerabilities are the two orange spots on the back, one in the small of their back and another on their neck. With these tactics in mind go out and BLAST THE CRAP OUT OF THOSE ALIENS!!! Ahem, sorry about that, lol. Overall Halo is an enjoyable game to be experienced over and over offering several different aspects of gameplay to make use of. Enjoy the game and I hope this review helped in some way.

Barnabas Showl
Comments? Send to: masterslayer@fastmail.fm

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