Movement in Halo is similar to other first-person shooters, allowing the player to move forwards, backwards, and strafe left and right independently of their aim. If a speeding vehicle came at them, they could dive out of the way, and they could take cover from explosives or suppressive fire. For example, the more cowardly types of enemies would panic when one of their superiors was killed.
Halo's gameplay is characterized by several features which set it apart from less acclaimed first-person shooter games. When detail settings (many barely noticeable when active) were removed or lessened, frame rates typically were raised to acceptable levels. Most of the issues, however, were caused by users who used detail settings from other games as a starting point for Halo's settings. While the plot and content remained the same, there were frame rate issues.
The Windows version does however have some problems, largely stemming from its porting.
It was also originally planned as a real-time strategy game.įollowing the takeover, Halo was released exclusively for Microsoft's Xbox game console on November 15, 2001.Īlmost two years later on Septema port (developed by Gearbox Studios) of Halo for Windows was released, followed by a release for Mac OS X on December 11, 2003. Prior to Bungie's takeover by Microsoft, the initial release of Halo was planned for the Mac OS and Windows platforms in fact, the game was first previewed at the Macworld Conference & Expo, New York, in 1999. The successor of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, does fully support Xbox Live. Thus, using the System Link option of Halo: Combat Evolved enables people to play online with and against each other. However, the game is playable via Xbox Connect packet tunnelling software, which simulates a Local Area Network (LAN) over the internet. The game does not support Microsoft's broadband gaming service Xbox Live because it was not available at the time Halo: Combat Evolved was released. Only two weapons may be carried at any given time, an element which provokes careful decisions by players during play.Īlthough Halo has a well-regarded campaign (single player) mode, it is most popular for its multiplayer function. It has a total count of only 8 weapons (not including grenades and other weapons that are only found in the campaign mode), well-regarded by critics because of the subtle balances and interplay they exhibit. The game is relatively simple to learn when compared to other first person shooters. Halo is a FPS (first person shooter), in which the player assumes the role of Master Chief, a cyborg with MJOLNIR battle armor accompanied by Cortana, an AI construct that resides in the neural implant between the suit and the Master Chief's brain. So if you can get 30 seconds of fun you can pretty much stretch that out to be an entire game." In the words of Bungie’s lead designer, Jaime Griesemer, "there was maybe 30 seconds of fun that happened over and over and over and over again. Nevertheless, Halo has its weaknesses its game play has been criticised as repetitive, an element Bungie acknowledges as a design decision.
For example, the usually harsh Edge magazine gave it a full score of ten out of ten. Many consider Halo to be one of the best, or most influential, first-person shooters of all time. The game has sold several million copies since its release on Novemalongside the Xbox console. Halo was one of the first games for the Xbox gaming system, considered by many to be that platform's "must-have" game.