Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Review

[SnakeoilSage]

Well thank you Russ, you can pick up your endorsement check from Microsoft anytime. *Chuckle* Just kidding, man.

But I dislike it when people mistake "simplicity" for "innovation." Halo didn't improve anything. All it did was wipe the table clean and stick to bare bones. Maybe that makes for a nice refreshing feeling, but that doesn't make it some groundbreaking work of art that defines our generation.

Halo is basic. I know this for a fact because my 60 year old father, who has never played a video game in his life, was able to pick up Halo and enjoy it. That'll make for an interesting news blurb, but it won't rock the foundations of gaming. It just means he was the one who got to keep my XBox when the next generation consoles came out.

Halo is fun, it's a vanilla ice cream cone kind of fun: tasty but plain, sweet but safe. This remake doesn't so much add sprinkles or dip it in chocolate, it just swirls the the soft serve into a pretty little design that you're not going to stop and admire before you eat it.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Can't wait to play this game, I never played the first one because I never could afford an Xbox or PC at the time.

Actually I'm going to play it right now. Cya!

And i wanted to see Halo 3 or reach on PC with the same online as Halo 1...but i know that will never happen due to the fact Microsoft don't want to get too much money for some weird reason..

I'm pretty sure they have too much already.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Well thank you Russ, you can pick up your endorsement check from Microsoft anytime. *Chuckle* Just kidding, man.

But I dislike it when people mistake "simplicity" for "innovation." Halo didn't improve anything. All it did was wipe the table clean and stick to bare bones. Maybe that makes for a nice refreshing feeling, but that doesn't make it some groundbreaking work of art that defines our generation.

Halo is basic. I know this for a fact because my 60 year old father, who has never played a video game in his life, was able to pick up Halo and enjoy it. That'll make for an interesting news blurb, but it won't rock the foundations of gaming. It just means he was the one who got to keep my XBox when the next generation consoles came out.

Halo is fun, it's a vanilla ice cream cone kind of fun: tasty but plain, sweet but safe. This remake doesn't so much add sprinkles or dip it in chocolate, it just swirls the the soft serve into a pretty little design that you're not going to stop and admire before you eat it.

Less is more my friend, less is more.

Look at games like Dead Island for example.

 

[Eumersian]

Now, if only Bungie would do that for the Marathon series.

 

[Urh]

I could not bring myself to watch all of Russ' review video, much like I could not bring myself to play all the way through the original Halo all those years ago. 'nuff said.

 

[Titan Buttons]

I just can't understand why anyone would be excited about this game. All I keep hearing is that the graphics look great and that they didn't alter the gameplay in any way.
Then why not just buy the original game on the xbox? I checked, and you can pick up a used copy on amazon for like ?5! I heard that eventually you'll be able to download the multiplayer maps separately for Halo Reach, which makes this game even more pointless in my opinion.

Well I believe a lot of people will get it because anyone who never got Halo 1 they can buy it now and not have to deal with out-dated graphics when you can get it with modern graphics, after all it is still a full game. Also anyone that is a halo fan and is buying this game probably already have the original game still

Persoanlly I can't justify paying $60 for a graphics update and a multipler map pack I will never use, even if it is to guy a great game.

 

[Braedan]

Never had a problem getting my android to work unless it's my fault. And I'm talking about things like rooting. Not sure what the unnecessary dig was for except to start a platform war in a video game review...

OT: I would love to buy this game. If they would release on the FUCKING PC.

 

[Titan Buttons]

You defy me to name any other game which feels as fresh now as it did on release? Ignoring the obvious fact that games released very recently (like, this year) will have this quality, I'd be willing to nominate a few:

Team Fortress 2
Half life 2
Portal
Beyond Good and Evil
Zelda: Wind Waker
Mario Galaxy
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2
Gears of War
God of War
Dota

Halo also makes the list, but it's far from the only one. Also, I've never had a problem making my droid 'just work'. Perhaps you should try rebooting yourself?

None of them really re-defined or had a great an impact of there genera of games they are apart of. While portal and Half life 2 had great story telling with amazing stories but neither really re-defined the way in which a First person shooter is played.

Well maybe God of War and Mario Galaxy but I can't say anything about Beyond Good and Evil and Zelda: Wind Waker because I haven't played them.

 

[Revolutionary]

I don't know what Android you've used Russ, but mine works a dream...more affordable than an iphone too.

 

[Awexsome]

Ah good ol' CE. Definitely the most influential game of its time. Before anything.

It was one of the major catalysts that shaped gaming into the thriving industry we know and love today.

I've already got the old CE downloaded from the marketplace but seeing such a game like CE remastered might be worth it coupled with the Reach content and online co-op campaign addition. Just going through different locals and switching back and forth between the updated and retro graphics is going to make me nostalgia hard.

 

[Akisa]

You defy me to name any other game which feels as fresh now as it did on release? Ignoring the obvious fact that games released very recently (like, this year) will have this quality, I'd be willing to nominate a few:

Team Fortress 2
Half life 2
Portal
Beyond Good and Evil
Zelda: Wind Waker
Mario Galaxy
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2
Gears of War
God of War
Dota

Halo also makes the list, but it's far from the only one. Also, I've never had a problem making my droid 'just work'. Perhaps you should try rebooting yourself?

None of them really re-defined or had a great an impact of there genera of games they are apart of. While portal and Half life 2 had great story telling with amazing stories but neither really re-defined the way in which a First person shooter is played.

Well maybe God of War and Mario Galaxy but I can't say anything about Beyond Good and Evil and Zelda: Wind Waker because I haven't played them.

What about Half Life 1?

 

[Titan Buttons]

You defy me to name any other game which feels as fresh now as it did on release? Ignoring the obvious fact that games released very recently (like, this year) will have this quality, I'd be willing to nominate a few:

Team Fortress 2
Half life 2
Portal
Beyond Good and Evil
Zelda: Wind Waker
Mario Galaxy
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2
Gears of War
God of War
Dota

Halo also makes the list, but it's far from the only one. Also, I've never had a problem making my droid 'just work'. Perhaps you should try rebooting yourself?

None of them really re-defined or had a great an impact of there genera of games they are apart of. While portal and Half life 2 had great story telling with amazing stories but neither really re-defined the way in which a First person shooter is played.

Well maybe God of War and Mario Galaxy but I can't say anything about Beyond Good and Evil and Zelda: Wind Waker because I haven't played them.

What about Half Life 1?

I'm about 3/4 of the way thorugh Half Life 1 and I have to say that comparing it to say it doesn't hold up against Half Life 2. The sequal has definitly surpassed the original game and it is a game that I actually go stopped playing for a bit to play more modern day games, while with Halo 1 I always find it a fun game to play even against modern games.

Like Mr. Pitts said, it was such a well build game that giving it a graphices update makes it capable of compeating with modern games because all the things it does so well are somewhat rare.

I just don't believe a graphics update will do this for Half Life 1.

 

[Akisa]

You defy me to name any other game which feels as fresh now as it did on release? Ignoring the obvious fact that games released very recently (like, this year) will have this quality, I'd be willing to nominate a few:

Team Fortress 2
Half life 2
Portal
Beyond Good and Evil
Zelda: Wind Waker
Mario Galaxy
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2
Gears of War
God of War
Dota

Halo also makes the list, but it's far from the only one. Also, I've never had a problem making my droid 'just work'. Perhaps you should try rebooting yourself?

None of them really re-defined or had a great an impact of there genera of games they are apart of. While portal and Half life 2 had great story telling with amazing stories but neither really re-defined the way in which a First person shooter is played.

Well maybe God of War and Mario Galaxy but I can't say anything about Beyond Good and Evil and Zelda: Wind Waker because I haven't played them.

What about Half Life 1?

I'm about 3/4 of the way thorugh Half Life 1 and I have to say that comparing it to say it doesn't hold up against Half Life 2. The sequal has definitly surpassed the original game and it is a game that I actually go stopped playing for a bit to play more modern day games, while with Halo 1 I always find it a fun game to play even against modern games.

Like Mr. Pitts said, it was such a well build game that giving it a graphices update makes it capable of compeating with modern games because all the things it does so well are somewhat rare.

I just don't believe a graphics update will do this for Half Life 1.

I guess it's to each personal taste. I don't think Halo actually compares to previous shooters.

 

[Skeleon]

Is saying "C. E." really that much quicker than saying "Combat Evolved"?

Anyway, considering the one time I played Halo was the first game and I was blown away by how repetetive the gameplay and especially the environments were, it's quite ironic to see it remade. A repetition of a repetitious game.

The fact that they did not change the level design beyond putting some more plants here and there in itself is a reason for me never to get close to it. How that could be "awesome" is beyond me.

Now, before somebody accuses me of just being a Halo-hater or whatever, let me point out that I never played 2, 3 or any of the other games tied to it. I base my opinion solely on Halo 1, which sucked a lot. I'm not hating on Halo as a series, I'm hating on Halo 1.

 

[MisterDyslexo]

You can never put a price tag on nostalgia. This game is the one that transformed my like of gaming into my love for gaming, exactly at the moment you get out of the escape pod. Quite frankly, if this game can put me into a happy little nostalgia bubble that lasts for hours and hours, its done its job.

Besides, the game actually still holds up pretty well. If you exclude the level "The Library" I've played through the game a collective total of at least 60 times, and its still one of my favourite games over most of whats released in the past decade.

 

[DustyDrB]

A 4.5 stars! I hate the escapist, they're just a bunch of mainstream tools. Yahzee is the only good reviewer on this website, because he tells it like it is. I was glad I gave him money for his trip to PAX, even though tickets ran out and I didn't receive my money back.

Halo is a game for twelve year-old boys, it's the video game equivalent of Justin Bieber. It's the same shit, wrapped up with nice graphics.

Also, the graphics look like shit. Anybody who disagrees is a blind, Halo fanboy.

4.5 stars? You're officially an idiot Mr. Puss Pitts.

That's ok. We hate you, too. Buh-bye, now!

Russ is back? Or is the current onslaught of releases so overwhelming that they had to call back the Escapist's prodigal son?

He offered, actually, and given the metric ton of games we had to review this month, we gladly accepted. I think he just wanted an excuse to play Halo, personally.

Banhammering with swagger. Fun.

At least the tidal wave of November games will give way to a rather barren December (I guess the big releases are The Old Republic and....Hole in the Wall [http://www.amazon.com/Hole-Wall-microsoft-xbox-360/dp/B005GWU02K/ref=sr_1_102?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1321596715&sr=1-102]?). So maybe you'll have time for some debaucherous Christmas parties.

 

[Titan Buttons]

You defy me to name any other game which feels as fresh now as it did on release? Ignoring the obvious fact that games released very recently (like, this year) will have this quality, I'd be willing to nominate a few:

Team Fortress 2
Half life 2
Portal
Beyond Good and Evil
Zelda: Wind Waker
Mario Galaxy
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2
Gears of War
God of War
Dota

Halo also makes the list, but it's far from the only one. Also, I've never had a problem making my droid 'just work'. Perhaps you should try rebooting yourself?

None of them really re-defined or had a great an impact of there genera of games they are apart of. While portal and Half life 2 had great story telling with amazing stories but neither really re-defined the way in which a First person shooter is played.

Well maybe God of War and Mario Galaxy but I can't say anything about Beyond Good and Evil and Zelda: Wind Waker because I haven't played them.

What about Half Life 1?

I'm about 3/4 of the way thorugh Half Life 1 and I have to say that comparing it to say it doesn't hold up against Half Life 2. The sequal has definitly surpassed the original game and it is a game that I actually go stopped playing for a bit to play more modern day games, while with Halo 1 I always find it a fun game to play even against modern games.

Like Mr. Pitts said, it was such a well build game that giving it a graphices update makes it capable of compeating with modern games because all the things it does so well are somewhat rare.

I just don't believe a graphics update will do this for Half Life 1.

I guess it's to each personal taste. I don't think Halo actually compares to previous shooters.

Don't get me wrong Half-Life in my top 10 game series, along with Mario, and yes I am a bit of a halo fanboy but Half Life 1 just didn't engage me like Half Life 2 and Halo. Maybe it is a thing witht he sequals were riding around on an under ground train just isn't as fun as walking through the infected city of Ravenholm, whilset halo 2 and 3 were only average to good.

I'm not sure what you mean by previous shooters, do you mean shooters that came out at the same time?

 

[harvz]

i rather enjoyed halo 1 & 2 on the xbox, i despised halo 3, loved odst and reach, that being said...were you drunk when writing this?

yeah halo did change up the formula for shooters (not saying whether its a good thing or not), but i have a problem with a couple of the reasons you stated:
-the control scheme just working as opposed to other games was true back with the initial release but i would say that control schemes today are rather easy on almost all shooters, its very rare to need to think twice about if you pull the trigger, will the character shoot the gun or do a dance.
-the thing about the iphone being better than android is frankly unnecessary, its pretty much personal preference about which you find easiest but i can tell you that its not my galaxy s2 that's in the corner of my room with a crack in the screen from frustration.
-it frankly just makes me think of it as a cash grab for nostalgia's sake, remember duke nukem forever? there were people who were really looking forward to that thinking that it would be great...yeah...i mean they deny it now but...yeah...

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

Russ, did you just describe the Jewel in Microsoft's gaming Crown, prematurely taken from Apple....as an iPhone 5? Interesting.

 

[klasbo]

I will never forgive Microsoft for refusing to let me play this on my PC...

And i wanted to see Halo 3 or reach on PC with the same online as Halo 1...but i know that will never happen due to the fact Microsoft don't want to get too much money for some weird reason..

If Reach was available for PC I would be playing that since release.
But no, we get Crysis 2, Homefront, Brink, Modern Chorefare, Medal of Honour and Bad Company instead. Because we want lackluster and broken games on the PC.

There hasn't been a properly good PC FPS since Battlefield 2 / CoD2 (or Cod4 promod) or CS Source, but it's right goddamn there. Bungie, Microsoft, 343... Y U NO take my money?

Tf2 and quake greatest shooters ever. Don't need shitty samey grey brown eye sores that have no skill involved nor any competitive league that's actually worth the time to join.

I can't really find out where the 6v6 scene went. The money started disappearing in 2009, and with it the players. So if you can find me a team and a tournament; sure, I'll play TF2.

After Battlefield 3 fails (which it will, because DICE has absolutely no interest in the competitive community), I think CS:GO will be where things start happening again. Though to be honest, I prefer the wide-open respawn- & positioning-based gameplay of 5v5 BF2, over the SnD variations CS and CoD4 promod gives.