by The Duke

Created on: February 27, 2007   Last Updated: April 12, 2007

Halo: Combat Evolved.

There are several meanings of 'evolved' on Dictionary.com, but the ones I assume are used in the title of this game is "To develop or achieve gradually" or "To undergo gradual change". People often interpret evolution to mean that something changes for the better, and I think that is definitely the case of whoever came up with the title of this game.

Immediately, you're launched into the thick of the action. The obligatory animated introduction indicates that the plot of the game is actually only a small part of a larger story. You are Master Chief, some kind of elite soldier who is called out of suspended animation to prepare for battle against an enemy called "The Covenant" when a huge ring-like artificial world called Halo is discovered. You are informed that "The Covenant" have beaten you to Halo, and with your ship under attack and heavily damaged, the ship's captain, Keyes, orders you to abandon ship and protect the controlling artificial intelligence construct, Cortana, at all costs.

And so there you go, into the game proper. At first glance, the plot doesn't seem to be anything special, and to be honest, it's not really, is it? However, where Bungie have really excelled is that they still get you involved in the story using many different methods such as dribbling plot information to you, hinting at a larger picture etc. The first level is supposed to serve as some sort of tutorial level, but there's nothing really out of the ordinary about Halo that you need to have any sort of special teaching level. If you've played any kind of first person shooter (FPS) before, then you'll instantly be familiar with Halo's workings.

Graphics.

Halo is amazing to look at, irrespective of whether you're playing an indoor or outdoor level. The graphics engine itself provides and excellent level of detail and this has been used well by the graphics designers who have created a highly imaginative artificial alien world in which to set the game. If I have one complaint, it would be that, while there is plenty of graphical variety between each of the ten levels, there's actually very little within each of the levels. For example, due to the repetitive nature of the interior graphics, you find that it's quite easy to get disorientated simply because everything looks the same. While it isn't a criticism which can be levelled at outdoor levels, there are enough indoor levels to make it worth mentioning.

Sound.

The sound effects are above average for a game of

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