VGRC

If somebody were to name the most influential game of this decade, it would easily be Halo. Ever since its release during the launch of the Xbox, every single sci-fi first-person shooter that has come out since has aspired to be the "Halo-killer;" Games such as Killzone and Brute Force, which weren't especially bad games, but just failed to live up to Halo's massive reputation. Not only that, but the popularity of Halo is also the main reason the Xbox actually managed to sell some consoles and turn Microsoft into a force to be reckoned with in the gaming world.

Flash forward a few hundred years into the future. Man has accomplished faster-than-light space travel, and in order to satisfy its fast-growing population, has started to colonize other planets. Well, all is going fine until the Covenant, a collective of alien species who has declared humanity an affront to their gods, start finding and destroying human colonies with the sole intent to wipe out the human race. Enter the SPARTAN II project: A military project to create elite super-soldiers. Originally created to quell rebel uprisings, the SPARTAN II's have been reassigned to defending humanity against the Covenant, who have been destroying entire colonies, glassing planets, and blowing through everything man has been throwing at them. After dozens of years of fighting the Covenant, the SPARTAN II's are recalled to humanity's last major military base, planet Reach, to prepare for their latest assignment: Board and hijack a Covenant ship and find the location of the Covenant home world. However, before they can do so, Reach is attacked and almost everyone stationed there is annihilated. In a last-ditch effort to lead the Covenant away from Earth, the lone surviving ship, The Pillar of Autumn, makes a blind jump into slipspace, unknowing of where they will end up.

You take the role of the Master Chief, the last known survivor of the SPARTAN II's. You are awakened from your slumber on the Pillar of Autumn after it comes out of slipspace by a mysterious ring-shaped world. Together with Cortana, a super-smart AI that resides in your helmet, Captain Keyes, the captain of the Pillar of Autumn, and a ragtag band of marines, you land on this world, dubbed "Halo," and uncover the secrets of the world while fighting a guerilla battle for survival against the Covenant fleet that has followed you to Halo.

Halo, simply put, is fun. I don't know what it is that does it for me, but it's fun. Like most other shooters, Halo is divided into a series of levels, each with it's own specific goal, whether it be rescue a bunch of stranded marines, or find a hidden map room deep within Halo. To accomplish these goals, you will wander across huge levels, guns blazing. Yes, it is your standard run-and-gun gameplay, however, there are some fun twists that keep it from getting boring. There are four levels of difficulty (Easy, Normal, Hard and Legendary) and though you can just run in shooting on Easy and Normal, expect to spend a lot of time working out the perfect strategy to beat Legendary, which relies on accuracy, making use of cover and taking your time. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that Legendary mode is almost a completely different game.

One thing that sets Halo apart from most (but definitely not all) other shooters is the use of vehicles. At your disposal are tanks and Warthogs, (Jeeps with turrets in the back) as well as some interesting Covenant vehicles. On the weapons side of things, there isn't too much variation. Rather than offering you dozens upon dozens of different guns (like Perfect Dark) Halo has some basic guns: Pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers and grenades. You can also pick up various alien guns, which don't fire bullets, but rather plasma and exploding energy 'darts.' One would almost wish for more, since there are so few guns to choose from, but the result is a pure and simple assortment of weapons; no being torn between 7 different types of machine guns like you would in other FPS games.

The level design is amazing, or at least it starts off so. Early levels in the game are expansive and imaginative. My favorite one, Halo, starts off with you crash landing on the world's surface in an escape pod. With Cortana's help, you run through sprawling canyons and hills to seek out and rescue stranded marines, who are already being assaulted by Covenant forces. After picking up a Warthog, you and a couple AI teammates are given the task of finding more marines in this gigantic area of wilderness and the occasional alien structure. It gives you a real sense of scale, especially once you eliminate the last Covenant patrol and you are airlifted off the edge of the canyon, which ends in a cliff that overlooks the land below. However, later on in the game, the quality of the level design drops off as you have to walk through a long series of virtually identical rooms and hallways that feels as though it takes forever. Luckily, the quality of the levels picks back up before the end, but it makes complete replays a real drag when you have to go through "The Library" all over again.

Halo's main strength, however, lies in its absurdly-fun multiplayer modes. First off, there is co-op, which lets you and a friend play through campaign together. After that, there is a slew of various multiplayer gametypes and maps on which you can have 4 player split-screen madness, or up to 16 players through the Xbox's System Link function. I don't know what it is, but 16 player Capture the Flag matches just feel... better, with Halo. Maybe it's the design of the maps, or the vehicles. It has everything you need for fun battles, but it also has the soul. My only complaints lie in two places: There is no online modes (which is understandable, since Xbox Live wasn't completely put together by the time the Xbox launched, sadly) and there are no bots you can play with to substitute for the lack of online play. So unless you have a bunch of friends, and room in your house (or friends) for 4 Xbox's and 4 TV's, then you really won't get to enjoy the pure fun that is Halo's multiplayer.

Graphics-wise, the game looks good... for a first-gen Xbox game. The textures actually look believable, and there is none of that annoying fog or blur that plagued FPS games on the older consoles. Sound-wise, the game is an aural masterpiece. The soundtrack ranges from the beats of war drums to haunting choruses to creepy electronic beats and pure ambiance. Every moment in the game can be perfectly represented by whatever was playing in the background at the time. Voice acting is also equally good. Not only is every character voiced correctly, but the dialogue is what helps add to the soul of the game. From various one-liners by your marine comrades to the screams of your enemies running away in fear, part of Halo's soul comes from it's quality voice acting. And that is something I can rarely say about any game.

The various game's characters only add to the "soul" as well. They are not only believable, but you can't help but grow attached to them. Sgt. Johnson, for example, brings up fond memories of Drill Instructor Hartman who is tough as nails and always displays his in-your-face attitude. Captain Keyes is the stern captain who reminds you of Star Trek's James Kirk. Every one of your marine teammates show emotions by what they say, and can be lighthearted when the situation calls for it. The AI of both your comrades and the Covenant are extremely advanced as well. They will attempt to flank your position, take cover, dodge from grenades, and alert their friends to any trouble as well. Also, when you kill their higher-ranks in battles, the lower ranks will actually become demoralized and attempt to run away screaming. It all just makes the game feel more "alive" than other FPS games out there.

Halo is a must-own game for any Xbox owner. Though it is far from perfect, its absurdly fun multiplayer and its simple to learn style more than makes up for its downsides.

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