If media hype is right, then Halo: Combat Evolved is one of the most anticipated games for 2003. After all the success that made the XBox what it is, Halo comes to 'save' the PC. (Nevermind that this category should be actually under Computergames instead of Videogames as it is right now.)
But before I get into the game let me post this little disclaimer:
"This review is intended to inform the reader and uncover the truth. Possible side effects are disagreement, aggrevation, boredom or disbelieve. The author refuses to accept responsibility for either."
Also I would like to point out that Halo: Combat Evloved is just what it claims to be ... the PC version of a successful XBox game. Unless you're a collector, you may not need to read this in case you already own the XBox version.
Big game = big rig!!!
The first surprise when opening this light-weight box was that there is only one (1) disc included. If you have opened any game lately that would be a rare sight for such a huge game. Installation is straight foreward, but requires entering a 25 digit product key and one will have to write down a 20 digit code that's generated for customer support. Despite all these codes, the disc is still required to start and play Halo.
In order to enjoy Bungie's mega game, one will have to check hardware requirements very closely. As seen in
Tron2.0,
Midnight Club 2, and
Enter the Matrix, developers driving games towards getter graphics and therefore the use of advanced technology. Probably the most popular technology that has been made a requirement lately is T&L (Transform & Lighting). That pretty much renders any GPU design older than about 2.5 years incompatible. Blame anybody you want, but fact is that most new games will refuse to work without T&L.
Halo's retail box doesn't read too scary regarding the monster system one might actually need. Supposedly a 733MHz processor with 128MB RAM and 1.2 GB HD space will do. Most demanding requirement is a 32MB graphics board with hardware T&L included. (You guessed it: NVidea GeForce, ATI Radeon, Matrox Parphelia or WildCat are the magic words. Check out
Tron2.0 and
Enter the Matrix for more detail.)
I installed this game completely on a 2.4GHz P4 (533FSB) with 1GB RAM (DDR333) and an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro (128MB, AGP8X). Disc space needed is surprisingly low with about 1.5GByte in reality, especially compared to Enter the Matrix (4.6GB) and Tron2.0 (2.6GB). The video has been set to 1280x1024 (32bit, 4xAA), and all effects were enabled. Performance was relatively sluggish, and I had to turn 4xAA off in order to make it playable. Note: This is a far cry from the minimum requirements and I would expect to disable a lot of features in order to run it with minimum!!!
Loadtimes are decent and the only noticeable flaw is the choking graphics when a new scene is loaded. This can be several times and anywhere within a level. The screen will halt for about 1 second (didn't measure) and then continue. (hard drive: 7200rpm, ATA133)
Halo requires DirectX9.0b (included) and will only run on Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP. Windows 95 and NT are out of luck!
It may be out of this world ...
... regarding it's location on distant planet Halo, but
controls are very much down to earth. Both keyboard/mouse and gamepad are supported. The first follows most standard conventions for PC games with very few exceptions like key Q for flash light and key E to pick weapons up (instead of leaning left and right). It's very easy to learn, which is mainly due to the simplified controls. (No engineering degree needed!)
Graphics: Halo's world (both indoors and outdoors) looks great. Lighting is excellent, landscape detail is very similar to Unreal 2 and of good quality. One exception are the textures for computer displays (surprisingly coarse, similar to Unreal 2). However, light and particle effects are stunning, but demand a pretty heft system. (I just made a little excursion back to Unreal II: The Awakening to verify that it still seems to have a slight edge over Halo in landscape textures. And it does!)
Sound: Voice acting is a little 'bland' and not as believable as in Tron2.0. However, music and FX are great and pretty much on par with every one of the best latest releases. Yet, some 'voice acting' seems strangely out of place as a few enemies remind me more of toons or kids than bad guys. On the positive side that also lightens up the otherwise fierce battles.
Animation: Another similarity to Unreal 2, most characters look good but not perfect. As I see it, the bar has been raised by Tron2.0 for character animation and Halo does fall a little bit short in that comparison (but can hold its own against most others).
Weapons: One of the greatest strengths of Halo is the great variety (not quantity) of weapons and gadgets to use. Not only can you find Ally weapons along your way, but Covenant arms can be picked up as well. This is where this game shines and gets a little bit away from others. However, one can only carry 2 weapons at a time and in order to pick up another, one will have to drop one of the two. That and having to look down and press E to pick up or swap weapons (except grenades) makes it hard for newbies (like me) especially in the Multiplayer arenas.
Variety: Halo is a pure breed FPS with some vehicular 'distraction' and practically no RPG elements (as seen in Tron2.0). Great execution of a familiar genre without breaking too many barriers though! The one thing that stands out are the driveable (& flyable) vehicles. None of that claims to be a driving or flight simulation but it certainly is a great addition to the game. (Usually FPS does everything by foot.)
Vehicles: So far I only got to drive the Warthog and surprise has been both ways: good and bad. The good is that you actually can do it and team mates jump on it to fill in for the gunner and passenger. Though you can technicall get in either of these positions yourself, I have yet to find somebody who is willing to drive. The bad is pretty much everything else from very simplified controls (which is also good) to the absence of any damage model and physics otherwise.
Progress: This game will allow to save at any time, but will record only the position of the last cleared checkpoint. This way, setting difficulty to the highest level (Legendary) may proove too hard for some players since you can't inch forward as you go. However, checkpoints are plenty despite their 'hidden' nature. (There is no visible hint where the next checkpoint might be.)
Negative: Only the latest checkpoint is saved. This may require to restart the whole level if you ran by accident into a checkpoint in too bad shape to survive the next attack.
Navigation: Halo offers plenty useful tools to find your way in this digital world on the planet. Hints to where the next important location (direction and distance) for your mission are easy to understand. A radar-type motion detector informs you about enemies and allies in your perimeter.
Storyline: The game is placed in 2525 and tells the tale of ally space ship Pillar of Autumn, the last one after a devastating attack by the Covenant, and it's fate on planet Halo very well. Supported by cut scenes that are rendered in real time, the story develops to an interactive movie (from a first person perspective).
Gameplay: Well, it's very much a FPS. Do I need to say more? Alright, the main objective is to stay alive and clear certain areas. That's most of the time done with (virtual) team mates. You're the last remaining super soldier to prevent the Covenant (aliens) from capturing vital data about the location of Earth. Other marines and members of the crew are helping you in your quest. Note that allies are not bullet proof (like in Unreal 2) as far as your bullets go!
Enemy AI: There are only 4 types of Enemies. While they differ in their ability to dodge your shots and tactical approaches, AI is generally good. In Normal mode, however, I had a few of them just staring at me and give me precious seconds to 'draw' first, while others shoot first and ask later. On the negative side, most enemies seem very streamlined. In fact, they don't even seem to acknowledge when one gets struck down right next to them. Once you have the sniper rifle, they become easy prey as long as you have a spot where they can't 'see' you. Also they don't follow when you decide to track a few steps back and seem to forget about your existence. Overall AI seems alright with very few exceptions on the Ally side where 'friends' ran right in front of my gun from close distance.
MultiPlayer: The PC version does not offer the cooperative mode where players can join the same team in the campain mode. However, internet play is included and consist of multiplayer arenas where the goal is simply to survive against other online gamers. (You can work in teams though.) Best option might be the ability to host your own game amongst 'friends'.
But it does dethrone everything!?
Or does it? My memory may be still corrupted from Tron2.0 and therfore biased, but Halo, in my humble opinion, takes second place to Tron2.0 mainly since the latter shows better performance, character animation, textures and an overall innovative game design.
Halo is more of the standard FPS fare, though excellent executed! It feels strangely familiar and doesn't seem too far from Unreal II or UT2003 in many features. (The major difference are the vehicles that 'only' Halo has, but UT2004 may catch up soon.) If you already own the XBox version, too little difference may not justify the $50 investment.
Do I recommend this game? Well, if your rig is powerful enough you should consider it as an instant classic in your library, mostly due to the fame that preceeds an excellent FPS. Specials for around $40 make it a little bit easier to swallow. However, if you're planning on getting Halflife2 and / or Tron2.0 or already own Unreal 2 and UT2003, Halo may not be soooo essential.
Heck, if you're ready to get Halo don't wait much longer. It's good, in fact it is as excellent as most people will tell you. It may just not be the Ueber-game that you might expect from all that hype. The XBox king is probably more of a PC prince ...
Update: (6-Oct-2003)
Just got inside the covenant space ship and here is where graphics surprisingly slowed down excessively everytime when reaching a greater hall. Unexpectedly since confined areas don't have to draw very great depth. (Note: I still have everything enables except anti-aliasing.) Apparently my system is right on the hairy edge for this game, hence anything less than a Radeon 9700 Pro and 2.4GHz P4 may render this game unplayable at least in a few situations. (I am not sure if the bottleneck is either the CPU or the GPU. It for sure should not be RAM.)
Update: (20-Nov-2003)
Halo sure turned out to be fun for a while and especially the story line is captivating. However, game play is rather repetitive as aliens and scenarios look strangely familiar despite the progression deeper into the game. Fights become more and more repetitive and the saving system makes it harder to progress sometimes. The lack of extras (i.e. hidden areas etc.) doesn't help either to keep players motivated.
Had a few excursions into the MultiPlayer arena and quickly decided that this is not my thing. (Experienced players almost instantly take every newbie out.)
