Product Description

Bent on humankind's extermination, a powerful fellowship of alien races known as the Covenant is wiping out the Earth's fledgling interstellar empire. You and the other surviving defenders of a devastated colony-world make a desperate attempt to lure the alien fleet away from Earth. Shot down and marooned on the ancient ring-world, Halo, you begin a guerilla-war against the Covenant. Fight for humanity against an alien onslaught as you race to uncover the mysteries of Halo.
Halo takes you deep into the future, with the fate of planet Earth hanging on your shooting skills. After a massive battle, only one ship is left and its crew is stranded on an abandoned space station. You must do whatever it takes to keep the Covenant from reaching Earth.

Experience the ultimate Halo challenge with all-new online multiplayer for up to 16 players. Take on the world in any of the 15 multiplayer maps including 6 brand new maps never before seen. Unleash destruction with incredible weapons and vehicles including brand new armaments for intense online multiplayer games. Voted Game Of The Year by IGN.com, Electonic Gaming Monthly, and Xbox Magazine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #311 in Video Games
• Brand: Microsoft
• Model: 659556745165
• Released on: 2006-06-15
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Xbox
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 7.48" h x .59" w x 5.32" l, .29 pounds

Features

• Control a character during massive firefights as you eliminate as many Covenant soldiers as possible
• Engage in guerilla warfare against the enemy, using whatever is at your disposal on the station
• Use your tactics skills to command squads and eliminate the enemy
• Role-based team & multiplayer combat with over 25 characters onscreen at a time
• A wide variety of vehicles & locations designed in perfect detail

Amazon.com Review
More often than not, when a game is in development for more than three years, it does not live up to the hype. Bungie's Halo is the exception. Not only does it meet expectations, it greatly exceeds them. This sci-fi first-person shooter is a nearly perfect blend of gameplay, graphics, and sound.

The story revolves around the conflict between humans and an alien race known as the Covenant. The aliens have discovered a powerful artifact--on the ring-shaped planet called Halo--that will shift the balance of power, and it's up to the player to stop them. In addition to several first-person-shooter levels, the game offers numerous opportunities to engage in vehicular combat. Both the enemy and allied artificial intelligence are extremely impressive. Enemies will use the terrain and layout to put you in tight spots. Allies will know when to cover and aid you. For instance, if you hop into a jeep, an ally will know to jump in and man the turret on the back of it.

The graphics are exquisitely detailed, but only move at 30 frames per second rather than 60. The sound effects and voice acting are superb. The level design is among the best ever; most of the game is engaging and challenging without being frustrating. There's also high replay value thanks to the built-in single-player, cooperative, and deathmatch modes.

Much like the outstanding GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64, Halo raises the bar for console first-person shooters. All console action games will be measured against Halo for years to come. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• Outstanding game design
• High replay value
• Impressive AI

• Several maps are used multiple times
• Save functions could have been better implemented
• Graphics move at 30 frames per second, not 60

Amazon.com Product Description
This action shooter takes place on a mysterious alien world. It offers a combination of team-based first-person-shooter gameplay (reminiscent of Tribes) and third-person vehicle combat elements. Gameplay kicks off with the player heading down to the planet's surface in a troop carrier, à la Aliens. As the player and fellow marines exit, the remaining troopers form a flank in reaction to an oncoming onslaught of human and alien enemies.

It's this smart AI system that makes for a noticeably unique gameplay feel. Another very nice feature is the seamless transition into vehicular elements. As you venture through mission objectives, a variety of enemy flyers and on-ground buggies are yours for the taking. Come across a vehicle and the camera will pull back to a third-person view as you strap in and motor through crossfire. A co-op mode allows a friend to join you in the single-player missions. For chaotic fighting action, up to four players can duel in split-screen deathmatch mode or link systems for LAN play. However you choose to hero your way through Halo: Combat Evolved, the action should break in your new Xbox in explosive style.

Customer Reviews

Great Game
I played Halo in a 16-person multiplayer capture the flag competition at one of Microsoft's "Xbox Unleashed" parties. I also got to watch a decent player run through a few levels of the single player mode. The biggest issue with any first person shooter on a console is control. Honestly speaking, Halo's control is just not as good as the classic PC mouse and keyboard setup. And yet, for first person shooters on a console, Halo's control is a breakthrough. I, and many others around me, were surprised by how easy it was to adjust to Halo's control scheme. Furthermore, it is highly customizable, you can even adjust the sensitivity of at least one joy stick. I would not be surprised to see claims in the future that Halo's control is superior to the mouse keyboard combination.

Onto the graphics... Evil Empire or not, Microsoft delivered on the graphics in Halo. Halo is a sunny world with bright blue skies complete with drifting clouds. Jutting steel towers hiding vast underground complexes are set against a background of curved landscapes (another words, Halo's engine does curved surfaces and they are not afraid to show it off). All the character models look and move organically and the vehicles, though somewhat derivative of Star Wars, are very cool. I heard some complaints about frame rate from a guy on the losing team of our little competition, but I thought it played smoothly throughout.

Because of the noise at the party, I can't judge the audio, but I can tell you that the game would be worth it with no sound at all. Halo is packed with features, including, I'm told, new multiplayer game types and all the networking software needed to make hooking up your Xbox to a LAN, or directly to a cable modem, a snap. And last but not least, lets not forget that the fun factor is high, after all you even get to jump into vehicles and mow down everything in your path. Basically, I am willing to go out on a limb and say Halo looks like it will live up to, and maybe exceed, all the hype. Buy an Xbox so you can play this game.

Raising the bar? Blowing it up, maybe...
Back in the fall of 2001, I didn't want to play the XBox. I thought that Bill Gates was trying to monopolize my beloved pastime, the holy hobby of video games. So I didn't play it, that is, until my friend made me play Halo in the Spring of 2002.

My mind was instantly changed.

Halo is not just another video game, it's more of an experience that on higher difficulty levels, you don't just play, you survive. The story is well-planned and well-paced, the weapons are oh-so-cool, the digital surround sound helps to hear behind you (online challengers don't stand a chance), the music is stirring and epic, and the graphics are simply jaw-dropping. Nothing I've played in the past year has put these essential components together quite like Bungie Studios has with Halo. Single player missions are a blast, and you actually feel like you are a super-soldier fighting an alien menace on a strange artificial ring-world in the middle of who-knows-where. But playing by yourself misses the thrill of this game completely.

Anyone with broadband access can use GameSpy Arcade, download the necessary components, cheaply purchase extra equipment, and go online to show the world what you are made of. Multiplayer separates the kids from the adults more than any other console game I have EVER played. To survive, you must be strategic, yet ruthless. You must know the levels, know how to hide, know how to shoot accurately, and know how to move effectively. Once you take some time to master these skills, you feel like you've accomplished something great...

Oh, and if you have friends with copies of Halo, use the biggest room you have to link up 4 XBoxes for 16-player deathmatches (the one catch, every 'Box has to have its own TV). Trust me, nothing brings friends together like 8-on-8 Team Combat. You run to the shotgun room to take care of the weapons cache, Friend #1 runs to the Rocket Launcher for heavy artillery, Friend #2 takes up a sniper position with Active Camouflage (think Predator), Friend #3 waits at the end of the bridge with Fragmentation Grenades, Friend #4 packs a Plasma Rifle to slow down enemies and destroy their shields, Friends #5 and #6 secure medical packs for the squad, while #7 and #8 go freelance and be bait/avengers. And that's just an example of the Slayer mode, where the most kills wins. You've got King of the Hill modes, Capture the Flag, Oddball (he/team that holds the ball for the longest amount of time wins), Races and more. And it's not just mindless killing, all these modes require team strategy and underatanding of the playing field terrain. The more you know about where you are, the better off you'll be when the scores are final.

The only way this can get any better is when Halo 2 comes out in 2003. By then, XBox Live (Microsoft's online game service) will be up to full steam, and who knows what the future could hold (besides the super-cool headset microphones that let you talk to squad members)...

If you own an XBox and don't own this game, shame on you. If you don't own a 'Box, buy one for THIS GAME. You'll thank me later.

This is THE launch title to own
All I can say is WOW! Just got my Xbox from preorder this morning and spent most of the day playing Halo. There are so many great things about this game, I hardly know where to begin.

First off, even though this is a console FPS (First Person Shooter) the controls are absolute dynamite. I have heard numerous criticisms of the Xbox controller and I can honestly say that I found it to be not only extremely comfortable but also amazingly precise. This game doesn't make you wish for a keyboard and mouse which is the first console FPS I can really say that about.

Second the polish on this game is absolutely top notch. The enemy AI is the best I have ever seen, the graphics are very detailed and smooth, and the game is just all around a blast to play. The single player mode alone is great, but the real fun is the campaign with a buddy co-op mode. My friend and I played this game for four hours straight together and we couldn't stop playing it was so much fun. The difficulty level is just perfect; challenging but not at all frustrating and because the AI is so good it keeps you coming back since no two encounters are alike.

All in all I can't say enough good things about this game. If you buy and Xbox (and you should) BUY this game.