Halo: Combat Evolved

Posted Nov 23, 2001 by Wes Phillips

Updated Sep 7, 2007 at 01:27 PM

System: Xbox

Publisher: Microsoft

Reviewer’s rating: A+

Game type: First-person shooter

Kind of like: “Half-Life,” “GoldenEye 007”

Best feature: The multiplayer feature will have you taunting friends for days and days.

Worst feature: The load times can be a little long.

The bottom line: There are two video game staples for college-age males: “GoldenEye 007” and “Madden (insert year).” James Bond is about to take a back seat. This game is a clean dorm’s worst nightmare.

The single-player mode reminds us of the movie “Aliens.” A bunch of Marines kicking some alien butt with major weaponry.

But “Halo” has so many multiplayer scenarios it will make your head spin, including “Deathmatch,” “King of the Hill” and “Capture the Flag.”

Both analog sticks are used for movement and the shoulder buttons are reserved for lobbing grenades and firing your main weapon. The button layout is fairly easy to master.

With one Xbox, four players can duke it out. For a major melee, you can connect four Xbox consoles and four televisions to fit a total of 16 players in the same arena.

The graphics are amazing and the sound is great. If you have an Xbox, this is the game to own. Some critics have hailed this game as “The Best FPS Ever.” It’s hard to argue.