I never got into Halo back in the day because I got halfway through and then just stopped and I could never remember anything from the game so I wondered why I quit. I got out my copy that I bought back in 2003 and decided to give the game a try again. The game started off really well and I really loved fighting The Covenant because the AI is just so damn good in the game. However the problems with the game appeared about a third of the way through the game and it suddenly started to remind me of Crysis.
So when you start up Halo I was really impress with how modern the Menu and the splash screens all felt and it has some greta music. I can't argue with any of that and even though it is a PC port, I found it to be very well done but, it does lack Windowed mode in the menu so you do have to add it into the command line. You get into the game and it has thise nice immersive intro and a little tutorial level and I just loved all that and it was really impressive for it's time on the Xbox atleast.
Halo is the first FPS I remember that does this whole multiple paths, open world feel but still be linear. Like I feel that Crytek took alot of inspiration from Halo in that it's levels are designed pretty much the same way, though they are better due to it being a 2007 game and they've had years to improve upon what Halo originally done. Also Halo is the first FPS game I remember doign the vehicle sections so well because instead of being very linear (apart from the end one) they do let you move through at your own pace and I really love the way the vehicles control, the physics are spot on. Again the problems come with this open world is the AI and the run from point a to b type quest like gameplay. The AI is fantastic for the most part and doesn't suffer from this but I did notice they are prone to just easily lose where you went when it is quite clear they saw you ran behind the rock and they wont really chase you down unless in a vehicle. What really shines about the AI though is they will flank you and they will take cover and run away which today doesn't seem like a big deal but back in the day the only FPS known for good AI was Half-Life. The more open gameplay however does get tiresome and running from point a to b really does get boring and repetitive and this is my main problem with Halo and why I started to get bored.
It is such a shame because Halo started off so well but then quickly became repetitive and just a bore to play. The action was all great due to the AI but I noticed basically all you're doing in Halo is running through patterned designed levels where they'd get the same bridge and the same corridor and just copy and paste it over and over again and it can be easy to get lost and confused at times cause it all looks the same and feels like you're going in circles. In many points of the game you just run into a room and then cross a bridge and then into that esact same room and then across that esact same bridge and imagine doing that like 20 times in a row but with just the enemies placed differently in each room........ gets repetitive and boring. So I feel like the level design while interesting with the open world feeling and moving you through your own pace, alot of the levels just come down to the patterned feel of pre generated content copied and pasted over and over.
The story is pretty typical and I think we've all imagined a ring shaped planet in our childhood so it is nice they did that idea. However it uses typical generic sci-fi races of the Humans or Marines and the Smart aliens like the Protoss and the Dumb Zerg like aliens that just flood you with missions at a time... hense the name The Flood. So it is all your typical generic sci-fi which for the time was fine because story wasn't that great in games but now it doe seem a little bit dated but I'm not gonna knock it too much on that cause I have played much worse lately like FEAR 2. You play as Master Chief and he's a pretty generic hero character who for some reason can jump really high and they play him out to be some elite soldier, but you never feel that elite. I mean they make the friendly AI so stupid and annoying to play with just so you seem more elite.... pretty cheap. I don't like Master Chief all too much cause in the cutscenes he animates like a kids show and he seems pretty stupid and oblivious.
The covenant are really great to fight in terms of AI but I think they look really childish and they make stupid voices which get on my nerves. However it is funny to see their rag doll blow up and fly across the room, which again is one of the first times I remember that ina game. However like Crysis and Far Cry the game gets ruined as soon as the Flood, Mutants and in Crysis case the Aliens come in because they just arn't fun to fight. They have really dumb AI and are just frustrating to play against. As soon as they came into Halo I stoped enjoying the combat and just felt like a Grind to finish because the level design becomes even worse. As soon as the Flood comes in it goes from patterned like levels where I'm getting lost at points to not only that but back tracking through all the levels you've already been through at one point in the game but now with the flood in them. So really Halo is a game all about patterned level design and backtracking and this is why I can only give it 3 outta 5 because while I had fun through half of it and loved the AI it just gets ruined by these aspects.
The weapons in Halo are so well designed because they all have their uses and are all really fun to use. The game is very granade happy and they give you lots of ways to play through the game until the flood comes in and like Crysis it becomes way more linear and Doom like. They have to give the flood weapons at points through the game so you can pick up weapons otherwise you'd run outta ammo. However for the most part the Weapons are all great and you can even pick up the enemies weapons to use. You can only carry two at a time though, unlike alot of shooters for it's time so you have to choose whats best for each stage.
The sound design of the game is fantastic apart from the covenant voices which get on my nerves. However the music and sound effects are all spot on and the voice acting is all really good and you can't fault the game here. Aswel as it's graphics and for a game that came out originally in 2001 and for the PC in 2003 I never felt like it looked dated and while it is abit generic, the game looks fantastic and again I can't fault it here. The multiplayer seemed really poor to me and you wont ever bother with it considering titles like TF2, BF2 and COD4 are about these days.
So yeah Halo pioneered alot of things that have inspired shooters of today and one thing I forgot to mention that it did aswel was the regenerating shield which has led how health works today. It is a really likeable game with great action and a story that is passable to get you going through the game. However the level design, the flood and how the game feels like such a grind to play halfway through really let it down for me.
