- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
When the original Halo was released on November 15th, 2001, gaming had taken a step foward with a game that introduced hollywood quality productions and gameplay that would win the hearts of millions of gamers. The story was considered one of the best among sci-fi's greatest tales. The main character quickly became known as XBOX's unofficial mascot and one of gaming's best, coolest, and most bad ass characters. The genre was redefined with one of the most responsive control systems that many FPS's use today, next generation graphics that are still unbelievable to behold today, a variety of air and ground vehicles to pilot, the most advanced AI of its time and probably still today, strategic, smoothly flowing, and action packed gameplay that would immerse a player from beginning to end, music that captivated gamers and became memorable themes that sent chills down one's spine, and a multiplayer aspect that was not only addictive, but pure genious in depth, level designs, execution, 16 player support, and the ability to use vehicles changed the way we experienced this FPS. The only minor drawbacks were repetition in the level designs towards the end of the single player campaign, no stat tracking, no bots, and no XBOX Live support. If you can call those drawbacks, then we are just nitpickers. Halo: Combat Evolved really evolved the genre and the game industry. It was the closest to perfection a game could possibily get and it easily deserved the Game of the Year award. How could Bungie perfect a game that many consider the greatest game of all time? Simple. Take what made the original Halo a classic, then take that formula to another level of excellence, improve on the minor drawbacks, and surprise gamers with a load of new features. The goal is to make Halo veterans feel right at home while at the same time, making it feel like a brand new dramatic, emotional, entertaining, and memorable experience to everyone. Bungie promised that years from now, you'll pop in your copy of Halo 2 and witness and experience the game that defined the power of the XBOX...the hero, Master Chief, that saved the world...the game that took online gameplay to another level...that once again redefined the genre...that changed gaming forever...the game in which all other games of the future would be compared to...the 2004 Game of the Year...a masterpiece...a classic...a game of epic proportions...the greatest game of all time...what Bungie promised...the "perfect" game. Ahh...I'm all emotional now with tears in my eyes...listening to the orchestrated Halo theme while typing up this post...Halo 2...I love you.
[Edited on 7/31/2004 11:32:09 AM]