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Reviewed by UK Guest, 11th Sep 2004. |
| Review Summary: Masterchief needs you! |
Overall Score: 5/5
 
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Review: Well... HALO, where do I start... 10 levels, close to 20 hours of game play for the moderately skilled games player (ands that's on normal, legendary will chew you up and spit out the fat!), one Master Chief and two guns. Sounds like your standard FPS...far from it, this isn't your average point and shoot foray. HALO encourages the player to use their environment for cover to battle against an intelligent foe.
The AI in HALO presents enemies that react realistically to your presence, shouting to alert nearby troops then tossing sticky plasma balls at you before diving for cover behind a nearby boulder. The enemies you face don't run blindly unto their death they use cover and fight, when in numbers they try to flank on your position, when alone they run away for backup.
The level design presents some large scale lush landscapes contrasted with the eerie sci-fi symmetrical architecture of the alien interiors that extend deep into HALO itself. These environments are brought to life with lush beaches, towering leafy trees, grassy hills all rendered beautifully up close and from afar, which is a testament to the power of the X-BOX GPU especially for first generation software.
Some people may have a problem with the repetitive architecture presented throughout many of the HALO's levels, especially prominent with 'the library'. Although this could also be seen as a master stroke in the level design as the repetition aids the player's path and knowledge of ones environment. This is essential for combat during the interior environments, given you a familiarity with new areas, which in turn means it's possible to use and refine your tactics for assault.
The B movie plot materialises as a surprisingly griping narrative that when fused wit the great level design for the most part keeps things moving swiftly on. HALO manages to deliver on all fronts and raps up with a satisfying ending.
One of the greatest testaments to HALO's quality is the replay value on offer. This is mainly due to the difficulty levels available (easy, normal, hard, and legendary) catering for all levels of gamer. Completing the game on normal is challenging enough, hard is where many will fall but legendary turns even the first levels into an epic struggle for victory. |
Ratings
| Value For Money: |
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5 |
| Review Score: |
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5 |
| Recommended? | |
Yes |
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PC & Video Games