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"Fans of the FPS genre are a finicky bunch. With
fierce competition, the PC has always been leaps and bounds above consoles for
this type of game... until now."
The humbling
First Person Shooters have always been the primary staple of my gaming
diet for over 15 years. It started off with Wolfenstein and Doom,
and then progressed to games such as Quake and Unreal. I've played
virtually every FPS on the PC, and there have been dozens of good ones but a
fair share of bad ones as well. For those gamers who stick to the likes of
console FPS such as Golden Eye and Perfect Dark, I always laughed
at them and thought them to be second-rate players.
I'm a creature of habit first of all. I've had the same keyboard configuration
for a decade. I use A-S-D-F for my player movements, and the trusty mouse
to look around and shoot. Anything other than this setup would be grounds for
immediate dismissal. When I picked up the XBOX, Halo was the first
title I grabbed up. The hype consumed me, and after my peers on the site
proclaimed its greatness, I gobbled it up and handed the clerk three Jeffersons.
Starship Troopers?
Storylines within FPS have always been weak and fairly shallow. Halo
raises the bar and throws you smack-dab in a storyline that crosses Star
Wars: A New Hope and Starship Troopers. You play the role as Master
Chief a semi-cyborg commando, who's mission is to stop the Covenant
alien horde from acquiring a destructive weapon.
The brains behind the game come from an obscure developer. Bungie is a
company that has, in the past, produced some quality games. There most
successful game was Myth, which was a wildly addictive online melee real
time strategy game. This was one of the first games to introduce this sort
of game to the online community, and since then they attempted to recreate the
success with two more sequels. There attempt failed, but Myth III was a
fairly respectable game.
Puppet Mastering
Picking up Halo from the start does take a while to enter its
peak. Starting off slowly, without weapons; your only objective is to escape the
attack on your ship from the alien mob. I appreciate the development of the
storyline as much as I do the gameplay itself. Control is the most important
aspect of any FPS, and PC gamers should take note.
Most reviews (including Guile176's) state that becoming accustomed with
the controls take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. For me, it took a full hour to an
hour and a half for the controls to become second nature. Those used to the PC
controls of a game like this, will experience the same transition time. For
those who have played other console FPS like Goldeneye will pick this up
in no time.
Your two analog controllers are used to the fullest. The left stick will move
your character, while the right stick will function as your view (a la
mouse-look). The left trigger lofts grenades, and your right trigger fires
your weapon. Picking up weapons require you to stand over it, and press
"X" to drop your current gun and pick up the one on the ground. You
are able to carry two weapons at a time, and you can use "Y" to swap
between the two. While many gamers like a barrage of guns at their disposal, I
love the strategic aspects of carrying the right weapon for the right situation.
Your little white button uses your lights which has a battery that will
drain.
Again, these basic controls will take some time getting used to, but after a
while they become second nature.
Once knee deep in the action, prepare for a sensory overload. If you pay too
much attention to the lush environment, you are Covenant fodder. The Covenant
A.I. is not only comical, but also highly advanced. The enemy will flank you,
take you with strength-by-numbers and if outmatched they will take off like a
schoolyard sissy. To assist you in your venture, you are equipped with a
rechargeable shield. This shield can withstand much damage, but once it is
depleted the damage starts eating away at your health. Find a safe place for
your shield to recharge before advancing any further.
Luckily, you’re not totally alone in the battle against the Covenant. Other
commandos will be roaming around, or tag along with you during your missions.
For the most part, their A.I. is fairly respectable, and are susceptible
to friendly fire, so watch where your shootin' Tex. Along the way, you will also
encounter interactive weapons and transportation. Unmanned cannons can be used
to your advantage, blowing away a horde of enemies with one swoop. Vehicles
range from agile jeeps to burly tanks. The first time jumping into a vehicle,
you may become highly frustrated. Controlling these transports, are similar to
controlling your character. The left stick moves you around while your right
stick points in the direction to go. The most important factor to consider, is
the right analog controller in which you have to properly use it to take
advantage of the vehicle.
More is not always better
Where Halo excels, is where other FPS have failed. Others have failed
simply by trying too hard. There are no silly end bosses, and there are
no set objective patterns. The game basically plays out like an interactive
movie, that again combines many aspects of a Star Wars and Starship
Troopers. Your objectives change as the game dynamically evolves. You are
facing one challenge, yet you are redirected to a completely opposite goal.
Halo also goes a step further from FPS when it comes to difficulty. The
game is perfectly balanced to make it not a walk in the park, but still
challenging enough to grit your teeth. The levels are immense, and dynamic. Even
when you become almost frustrated, you find a gap or area that was
unexplored and gives you breathing room. This sets the stage for an intense
gaming experience, that few games have built. The balance between exploration,
missions and action really give the player a sense of freedom and involvement.
In addition to a great gaming experience, the real-time saving is one that
consoles have overlooked for years. As you progress in a level or mission; you
reach checkpoints. Not only does this save your game automatically at
these checkpoints, it also helps you to acknowledge that you are on the right
path and not going in circles. Many times, I would be wondering around
pointlessly and breath a sigh of relief knowing I just hit a checkpoint; thus
telling me I'm on the right path.
The load times only appear about ten times throughout the game, but each one is
fairly lengthy. It shouldn't bother you, however, since you come across them
rarely.
Behold the power of cheese
To say I was impressed with the amount of detail visually in Halo would
be an understatement. Coming from the PC FPS platform, Halo doesn't quite
meet up to the visuals that Ghost Recon or Quake III emit. The
character detail is well done, and foliage is standard fare. However, where the
game excels is the bigness factor. The environments are huge and complex.
I really was stunned the first time I landed on the alien planet. While I wasn't
moved by any of the interior (ships or caverns) graphics, the outside
environments are stunning! Huge structures filled the horizon, which seemed to
never end. Alien weapon fire and flying vehicles left a soft trail, and lighting
effects were brilliant.
For the most part, the graphics are some of the best to be seen on any console
and the complexity of the detail is unmatched. You quickly become absorbed in
the surroundings, and the ambience changes from light and colorful, to dark and
haunting. This truly adds up to give the appearance of a movie. So, grab your
controller and some popcorn and hang on tight.
Even more impressive than the graphics was the superb use of audio. Blessed with
a nice Dolby Digital surround sound system, Halo really pushed my
system to the limits. The ambient music was enjoyable and again made it
feel like more of a movie than a game. Surrounded by the sound effects not only
took the game to a new level of realism, but it also helped in the strategy of
the game itself. Since Halo incorporates the use of surround sound, you
can hear voices, gunfire and activity coming from all around you. i.e.
Charging forward toward your Warthog you hear gunfire and screaming to
your left. You turn and face the noise, and it is right in front of you.
Amazing.
On a side note, the guys at Bungie show their colors by adding some
hilarious dialogue throughout the game. The Covenant peons are too funny at
times, and hearing them whine and run away is well worth the price of admission.
The dialogues of your allies are equally as comical. Shooting one of your
buddies, will cause a ruckus of confusion and a slur of slams to you. It's good
to see that developers can incorporate amazing storyline, graphics and gameplay
along with a touch of humor to keep the game real.
66 Says:
The hype is real readers. This is a must-have for any XBOX owner.
I am one of the many disgruntle GameCube owners, who haven't abandoned
the system, but yearn for better games. The purchase of an XBOX is well
justified by just owning this game. I know that is a bold statement, but
I would be just as content to have an XB just to play Halo. Sure,
I have a few other games, but this sucker has swallowed up most of my gaming
time.
For you die-hard PC FPS players, I encourage you to get off of your high horse
and give this game a shot. I'm right there with you on the PC stance, and I
wouldn't believe it myself unless I saw it first hand. If you are sitting on the
fence on whether or not to purchase an XBOX let this be proof that your
decision is well made if you buy Halo with your system.
Overall, I can't get enough of the game. I have yet to play the game online, but
expect to use Microsoft’s upcoming network to play the game online and
at a high-speed. I'll be sure to be in line to play this online. I do realize
that there is an "underground" network of online Halo players,
but for now I am content in playing the single player mode (which lasts about
20 hours from start to finish).
If you don't own an XBOX, get one and grab Halo. If you do
have an XBOX and don't have Halo... what the frell are you waiting
for?
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