Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition Review
Developer 343 Industries
Publisher Microsoft Studio’s
Platform Xbox360
Release Date 15th Nov 2011
It’s hard to imagine a world without Halo yet up until the 15th of November 2001 that’s exactly the world we lived in. It’s also hard to imagine that 10 years have passed since the very first Halo game appeared onto the Xbox, and if there was ever a title worthy of a HD makeover, Halo is that game.
Like many others I still class Halo Combat Evolved as the finest Halo game ever made, at the time it was ground breaking taking the FPS and giving it a cinematic story with characters you cared about who had back stories of their own worth exploring. What stands as a testament to Halo’s quality is that this faithful second by second remake (which still plays exactly as the original did) is still one of the finest games you will play today.
In case you are new to Halo (pfft yes that 1 or 2 out there) Halo is focussed around the battle between the humans and an alien race called the Covenant. They are an extremely advanced powerful race that is not only set to stop the human colonisation of space, but to wipe it out completely.
You take the role of John 117 aka Master Chief, abducted as a boy and placed into the Spartan II project under the guidance of Dr. Catherine Halsey. The Spartan II project was designed to develop genetically advanced super soldiers. Master Chief is one of the few remaining Spartans after the majority where lost on the planet REACH.
As a massive Covenant fleet wipes out humanities last stronghold the spacecraft “The Pillar of Autumn” makes a daring escape. Aboard the ship is what’s thought to be the last remaining Spartan (you) and a critical AI construct. The game opens as the ship comes out of slipspace to find a Covenant trap lying in wait. As the ship comes under attack the game begins….
What follows is an epic struggle against all odds as you initially escape the dying craft to a nearby planet, then regroup and launch a daring rescue mission. Blasting the varied intelligent enemies, making use of all the different human and alien weapons and of course driving the warthogs which i still can’t control properly.
Sometimes I forget just how far we have come in the last ten years in the industry. So a fun reminder can be found whilst playing Halo in its new remastered look. You have the option of jumping back in time by pressing the select button at any stage in the game. One moment you are playing this crisp clean up to date shooter a second later you are playing the exact original in all its chunky polygon filled glory, giving you a stark reminder about just how far we have actually come.
It also proves that this is an exact replica of the original in terms of gameplay which for some reason still feels a lot more natural than any of the new Halo titles. The guns feel heavier the movement is more convincing and the enemies die quicker but perhaps this is just me imagining in the vain hopes of being correct on my stance that Halo Combat Evolved is the best in the series.
Throughout The Anniversary edition you will come across terminals, what used to just give a text background now features brand new CGI animations giving you extra insight into the Halo universe and giving vital clues to Halo 4’s story and even a special clue such as its intended release date.
More enhancements in the anniversary edition include the addition of 3D and Kinect support. Of course both were only pipe dreams at the time so they are very much modern additions. The Kinect controls include navigating the menu’s but also feature in game allowing you to select enemies to target and objects to study through voice commands and you can even throw grenades through movements picked up by the sensor.
The Halo way point acts as a Halo encyclopaedia letting you explore the Halo universe from the fictional and user generated content to never before seen video’s and so much more. It offers a one stop shop for all the latest Halo news, games, intel, forums and merchandise.
Of course Halo wouldn’t be complete without its online multiplayer. Halo was a lot of people’s first foray into the online shooter world so it was important that the remake does it justice, and it does. Taking not only the best from Halo Combat Evolved but also the best maps from Halo 2 as well, giving you 6 reimagined maps along with new gameplay modes and split screen and online co-op.
Online is not for the faint of heart it fast, its sometimes ridiculous and its hard. Thanks god i got to test it against other reviewers who are just as bad as i am because when the public come along im getting my ass handed to me. The maps are perfect recreations and you will find after a few games that you start to remember the hiding spots, and where to get the jump on people for a frag hunt.
Overall : Halo set the bench mark in the series and being honest it’s been downhill ever since. Talking about Combat Evolved as the best Halo game ever made often made me sound like a cranky old nostalgic retro gamer pining for his youth but this remake proves that it is true.
The gameplay has aged gracefully, it is still smooth and accurate. The graphical overhaul was needed and unlike many other HD remakes recently that still look last generation that are just cashing in on the name, Halo does look bang up to date.
The Greatest Halo game ever made just got better.
Score 9/10
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