Reviewed by: DNM
Developer: Bungie / Gearbox Software
Publisher: Microsoft

The reason to have an Xbox say some, the best game ever to grace a console say others, and with rave reviews in abundance there can be little to argue against this. It is certainly one of the best launch titles, and arguably still one of the best games for the platform today! Around two years on we finally have the game in our grubby PC mits, so what exactly is all the fuss about?!

Naturally, the main draw with the PC version is the multiplayer aspect, and another should have been the excellent co-operative mode evident on the console version, but sadly this is missing. Waaaaah, why is co-op so overlooked on the PC these days, some of my best gaming moments have been in co-op mode .. Serious Sam springs to mind! Anyway, I'm upset, but I can continue this review!! The multiplayer side of Halo goes some way to make up for this, though only supports up to 16 players and naturally, being Microsoft, only has support for Win32 servers. That doesn't bode well for leagues based on the game, with the vast majority of GSPs being linux based .. naturally if the demand is there then I'd imagine they'd have to bow to the masses however, but at a cost of additional hardware/software licenses.

The story is actually a pretty good one, which is a nice change for an FPS! The Covenant, a powerful fellowship of alien races, is destroying the Earth's barely established interstellar empire. In a feeble attempt to lure the aliens away from Earth, your drop ship is shot down and you are left marooned on an ancient ring-world called 'Halo'. It is clear from the offset that 'Halo' isn't a natural construction, and definitely more to it than meets the eye. It is your job (you guessed that right?) along with other survivors to wage a guerrilla war against them. Thank goodness then that you are highly trained in all combat, vehicle control and keeping your armour nice and shiny!

The first thing to notice when playing the game is the overly smooth feel to the controls, which instantly makes the game feel 'consolely'. Usually this goes hand in hand with giving me bad motion sickness, but thankfully 'Halo' isn't one of the long list of games I've had to stop playing to keep my food down! The second thing you will soon discover is the two-weapon carry limit. At first this prompted me to utter 'fgs I can usually carry nine or more weapons', but it actually makes for interesting strategy. Rather than simply having to worry about what ammo is scattered around, you also have to think about which weapons are best for which scenario. Most aliens drop weapons, and you will find normal weaponry strewn around deceased comrades. You simply pass over the weapon you want, and swap with whatever you're currently holding. This can be very fussy at times, and doesn't always work first time, a touch annoying when you're in the middle of a fire-fight and urgently need a new weapon.

Your adversaries in the game come in all shapes and sizes, including the rather comical snail-like 'Grunts' who will bunch together bravely to attack, and scurry in sheer panic when they realise you ain't here to party. You will soon discover that they aren't just there to be laughed at, as they will get great pleasure (and you'll hear them whoop with delight!) out of jumping onto gun emplacements and giving you a heavy dose of plasma death! They aren't all you have to worry about either, with the 'Jackals' and their very effective shields posing you a different problem. Energy shield wearing 'Hunters' also offer further variety to combat proceedings, and will gladly pummel you to death if you get too near.

Much has been said of the AI in the game, and I have to admit Halo's is definitely a step in the right direction. Hunters will know when they're licked and hide behind things, waiting for you to walk past and spring out at you, or to take pot shots at you. It is very easy to counteract this though by walking around the other way to flank them, where they'll be sitting facing in the direction you were last standing. With the clank of marine boots it kind of disappoints that the seemingly cunning Hunter doesn't appear to have any ears! The same can be said for the sleeping Grunts, which you can whack over the head rather than wake everyone up with gunfire. Problem is, they make a noisy squeal, along with the heavy thwack of the gun on head .. enough to wake a slumbering Grunt? No - they sleep on! I know I seem like I'm nit picking here, but when there's this good a level in AI on show, stuff like this spoil it somewhat.

Unfortunately the AI quality doesn't extend as well to your comrades, and you will find yourself shouting 'do I have to do everything?' at times!! That's not to say they are completely useless, but there seems to be too many moments where they stay behind and guard locations rather than assist you. Some control over what your marines do for you would have been nice, be it stay and guard such a location, or keep in formation. They do provide lots of comical moments however, like running up to a dead alien and shouting 'get up so I can kill you again!' or venturing out to find that one last alien you left behind.

The vehicles in the game further enhance gameplay, beginning with the 4x4 jeep-like 'Warthog' with room for a passenger and a guy on the rear mounted chain gun! Just pull up beside a marine and he'll hop in, which can provide hilarious moments where you drive like madman through a legion of aliens running some over, the chaingunner taking others out and all the while your comrades are whooping with delight! You get to control the alien vehicles too, namely the 'Ghost', a kind of airborne quad-bike and the 'Banshee' a plasma spitting monster that is perfect for taking out ground forces.

Of course the PC version has the advantage of superior hardware capabilities meaning that both sound and graphics are enhanced somewhat over the console. Graphics range from the absolutely stunning exterior areas to some of the most mundane internal locations ever! The beach parts of the game are quite stunning to the eye, with the crunch of shingle underfoot, foam of incoming waves and bright sunlight, I quite would have liked to have gone shrimping! It isn't without its drawbacks though, as even on the most powerful of rigs it is reported that framerate takes a heavy knock at times. I ran the game at 800x600 and for the most part it ran perfectly, but certain locations chugged noticeably, and it was nigh on unplayable at times in 1024x768 resolution.

And so to the multiplayer, which I have to say is extremely good fun, though there really isn't anything new to be found here. Network play is very smooth indeed, assuming you can find a server with a low enough ping, and more importantly feels right. Modes of play include your standard options like Team Slayer (that'll be Team DeathMatch!) and Capture the Flag, along with other familiar styles such as King of the Hill and Oddball. The latter is simply 'Catch the Chicken' but with a glowing skull! It's nice to have this much variety straight out-of-the-box though, so we ain't complaining!

All in all Halo has a great singleplayer campaign let down only by repetative sections of the game, and the absence of being able to give instructions to fellow marines is disappointing. You will also find that due to the near precise nature of the port in its difficulty, you will have to ramp the level up to get a better challenge - mouse and keys make the game a lot easier. Multiplayer is excellent fun too, though whether or not leagues will operate for the game remains to be seen, otherwise I can't see networked Halo being anything more than a quick dabble.