Halo: Combat Evolved (PC)
Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp. Part number: 46618
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
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Gamespot editors' review
Halo: Combat Evolved (PC) price range: $19.82 - $24.99
- Reviewed by: Greg Kasavin
- Reviewed on: 09/29/2003
- Updated on:10/18/2003
- Released on: 09/30/2003
When Microsoft released its Xbox game console in late 2001, easily the best launch title for the system was Halo. Originally announced way back in 1999 and slated for release on the PC and Macintosh, this first-person shooter became an Xbox exclusive after Microsoft bought the developer, Bungie. Halo for the Xbox has gone on to sell more than 3 million copies worldwide--which isn't proof of the game's superior quality, but certainly is evidence of it. Yet, the game was never officially canceled for its originally intended platforms, and at long last, it's available for the PC. For the most part, this new version of Halo is a straight port of the 2-year-old Xbox game. You'd think a high-end PC could handle such a game easily, but this port, which was done by Gearbox Software, is surprisingly taxing even on very fast PCs with tons of RAM and the latest video cards. Halo for the PC also loses the original version's much-vaunted cooperative play mode. But in spite of all that, and in spite of the very high standards for first-person shooters on the PC, Halo is still an incredible action game. It's a true classic--a game that hasn't lost any of its impact and intensity over time.
The PC version of Halo is mostly identical to the original Xbox version, but it's still a truly impressive game.
Halo consists of an intense, story-driven single-player campaign and a multiplayer mode. The campaign is a good 12 hours long at the normal difficulty setting, and the dynamic nature of the battles, along with the multiple, well-balanced difficulty settings, gives it good replay value. The multiplayer component only supports up to 16 players and includes a bare-bones integrated server finder. The game tends to play smoothly online if you can find a server with a low enough ping, and it features an assortment of different modes, which are variations on the standard modes of play found in your typical multiplayer shooter: They include slayer (meaning, deathmatch), team slayer, capture the flag, king of the hill, and some others, though slayer and CTF are by far the most popular choices judging from the servers that are up and running.
Halo is famous for integrating powerful, fun-to-drive vehicles with the on-foot action, and this is what distinguishes its multiplayer component from that of other shooters, though some other PC shooters have also integrated vehicles more or less successfully since the original release of Halo. The PC version exclusively features a couple of multiplayer-only weapons not found in the Xbox version--the flamethrower and the fuel rod gun, sort of a plasma grenade launcher--though they're not as interesting as the game's core weapons. There are also six new multiplayer maps that were made for the PC version of the game. All in all, Halo's multiplayer component can make for some good, chaotic fun and seems to have a lot of potential for when the fan community gets hold of the editing tools that Gearbox has promised.
For the time being, it's Halo's single-player component that's the main attraction. If you've played it on the Xbox, then you already know why--and you may still wish to pick up the PC version of the game just to go through this outstanding campaign with higher-resolution graphics, virtually non-existent loading times, and more-responsive controls than what can be found on the Xbox. The standard first-person shooter controls work flawlessly with this game, so you'll be able to pick it up and start playing in no time if you've played any other shooter lately.
The Master Chief is very strong and can effectively take on groups of enemies alone, but he can't afford to be reckless.
Longtime fans of Bungie's games know that one of the company's greatest talents is to tell a great story in its games. Halo is no exception, and it easily features one of the best stories to date in a first-person shooter, though that's not necessarily saying much. In any case, this is some great science fiction. The game picks up as the Pillar of Autumn, a human warship, is under heavy attack by the alien race called the Covenant. As a last resort, the ship's captain issues the order to awaken an experimental soldier from his cryogenic sleep. Referred to only by rank, the Master Chief is a skilled solider equipped with a very durable environment suit. He's tasked with protecting the ship's AI, Cortana, and escapes with some human marines toward a mysterious ring-shaped planetoid called Halo. Halo has its own atmosphere and ecosystem, but clearly it's no natural construction. There, the Master Chief (along with the surviving human marines) will continue the brutal fight against the Covenant and, with Cortana's help, will uncover the secrets of Halo and hopefully find a means to escape.
As the Master Chief, you're highly skilled with all types of ranged weapons, which you can even use as deadly bludgeons when up close and personal with the enemy. You're also able to commandeer human and alien vehicles and hurl grenades accurately at a great distance. You have a motion tracker that detects any enemies in the vicinity, as well as recharging energy shields that allow you to survive against direct impact from energy or ballistic weapons. And your armor prevents you from being killed outright by such attacks should your shields be depleted.
User reviews
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The most fun game ever made.
Pros: This is the most fun game I've ever played. Playing on each level of difficulty prepares you for the games best quality, online gameplay. I'm 40 so it really is an eyeopener to the 13 and 14 yr olds when they find out that they're being defeated by an adu
Cons: Of course the best online gameplay requires broadband or you will be disappointed.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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DAMN! What a game!
by JoeGayle on January 29, 2008
Pros: Great team play, good story line
Cons: UHhhh what cons . . .
Summary: The first of the triogy of Halo is by far, the most exciting and fun anyone will ever have on a PC. The storyline is good and lends to the ...
Summary: The first of the triogy of Halo is by far, the most exciting and fun anyone will ever have on a PC. The storyline is good and lends to the second and third. Can't wait to get the second, and paitently waiting for the third for the PC.
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This Game Owns... Period!
by samusgravity on August 13, 2007
Pros: Everything is great about this game!
Cons: Really... Nothing.
Summary: Halo for the PC is the best game EVER! The graphics rule, Online is a bundle of fun, and destroying the ring called Halo has never been better!!! Buy this ...
Summary: Halo for the PC is the best game EVER! The graphics rule, Online is a bundle of fun, and destroying the ring called Halo has never been better!!! Buy this game, because you can't go wrong with it!
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ONE OF THE BEST GAMES I EVER PLAYED
by Daniel220394 on July 31, 2007
Pros: GRAFICS...AI...WEAPONS...VEHIC LES...MULTIPLAYER AND CAMPAIGN AND THE CUSTOM EDITION
Cons: FLOOD...AND THE LIBRARY
Summary: I RUN MY GAME VERY NICE IN MY ATHLON 2500+ 768RAM, 64MB RADEON VIDEO. I LOVE THE MULTIPLAYER BECAUSE OVER 2000 PEOPLE ARE IN THERE. THE LIBRARY IS CRAP, IS ...
Summary: I RUN MY GAME VERY NICE IN MY ATHLON 2500+ 768RAM, 64MB RADEON VIDEO. I LOVE THE MULTIPLAYER BECAUSE OVER 2000 PEOPLE ARE IN THERE. THE LIBRARY IS CRAP, IS VERY COOL BUT VERY HARD.I HATE THE FLOOD
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one of the bes/ alltime games ever made!!!
by anmath2 on March 25, 2007
Pros: multiplayer is very fun. New weapons are awesome and with the banshee in the multiplayer, game is more fun
Cons: sometimes game laggs but which game doesnt. also the mouse is little hard getting used to so in multiplayer, if your new to this, you will die easily. but once you get used to it, most fun youll ever!
Summary: A must buy game for anyone!
Summary: A must buy game for anyone!
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AWESOME FPS Game
by bmmayhew on January 4, 2007
Pros: Great Story and graphics
Cons: frame rate on multiplayer
Summary: This game is absolutely awesome. From the storyline to the gameplay to the graphics, this game is living up to and exceeding the hype.
Summary: This game is absolutely awesome. From the storyline to the gameplay to the graphics, this game is living up to and exceeding the hype.
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Great Game, a lot of fun
by HstarR on January 1, 2007
Pros: Good action, plot, beautiful graphics and scenery
Cons: a little language, a little lag
Summary: This game is a lot fun. The story mode gets better as the game goes along, and it's easy to get caught up in the game. The game is ...
Summary: This game is a lot fun. The story mode gets better as the game goes along, and it's easy to get caught up in the game. The game is almost never frustrating either. As long as you're careful, you shouldn't run out of ammo, and the levels are well designed. Sniping is a lot of fun in single player.
I have a 1.6 ghz processor, 64 mb graphics card, and 512 mb of ram. The game runs on my computer without much of a problem, but sometimes the fighting slows and there is lag if all the effects are on.
The part that I like about it though is that it works with gamepads. I was able to use an XBOX 360 Controller with it easily. It was easy to setup the controls however I wanted to.
One thing I don't like is the language, but if that's a concern for you too, don't let it stop you from getting the game, because there isn't that much swearing in the campaign mode. I wish I could say the same for the online play. There is violence in the games, but it's against aliens, and not people.
This is a good game. If you're looking for a great first person shooter that works with gamepads on the pc and is a lot of fun, Halo is a good buy. -
Excellent game but....
by Ed-duh-win on September 10, 2006
Pros: The best FPS, weapons, the game itself.
Cons: Heavy on system resources, horrible quality graphics with incompatible GPU
Summary: Got this game last year and loved it ever since. This game is a must have if you love shooters...honestly you ust have to play it. Its one of ...
Summary: Got this game last year and loved it ever since. This game is a must have if you love shooters...honestly you ust have to play it. Its one of the most popular shooter games so you'll find quite a number of people playing.
But unfortunately my GPU was a pretty crappy one (Intel 845G) and I played through this whole game WITHOUT blood, bullet holes or shadows. It was a pretty horrible experience - and the game is somewhat heavy on the system. It's best to have a good compueter with a GPU compatible with Halo before playing this game. -
Its HALO, now go buy HALO 2 (and an XBOX)
Pros: Its HALO, on PC. Wish HALO2 for PC would come out.
Cons: WHAT ARE THEY SMOKING, CONS IN HALO????????????????????
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BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY
Pros: TJIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER
Cons: NONE
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
- Part number: 46618
Product Basic Spec
- Platform PC
- ESRB rating Mature - Violence,Blood and Gore
- Genre Action
- Elements First-Person Shooter
- Context Sci-Fi
- Number of players 1-16 Players
- Connectivity Online, Local Area Network
- Difficulty Variable
- Stability Stable
- DirectX version v9.0
- Operating system Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
- Online modes Team Oriented,Competitive
- Sound Dolby Digital 5.1
Minimum
- CDROM 8x
- DVDROM 0
- Disk 1300 MB
- Other 56Kbps modem, LAN for online network play
- RAM 128 MB
- VRAM 32 MB
Game
- Developer Gearbox Software
- ESRB Mature
- ESRB descriptors Violence,Blood and Gore
- Max number of players 16
- Min number of players 1
- Release date 2003-09-30
Manufacturer info
- Microsoft Corp.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Microsoft Corp. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.microsoft.com/
- Address:
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052 - Phone: 425/882-8080
- Fax: (425) 706-7329
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