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HALO Evolves
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I reviewed Halo: Combat Evolved for the Xbox, so naturally it has fallen to me to review the PC release of Halo. I still play halo for the Xbox occasionally, and I still think it is one of the top five, if not the best game to come out for the Xbox.
First off, I want to say that it has made the transition to PC very well. My only gripe with the original was that it was way too short, and as this is the same game, it is still way too short on the PC. The big addition is online multiplayer. I had a chance to try this out at E3 and after dying a lot, I did manage to do well enough to earn a t-shirt.
I am much better now that I am at home and have the controls mapped just the way I like them. I did notice as I played Halo on the PC that I think that playing with the mouse makes it considerably easier to aim than it was with the game controller. The only way to compensate for this is to up the difficulty level.
I had a problem with my graphics card as soon as I installed the game, even though I had the latest patch installed. Whenever more than two or three additional creatures were on the screen, my frame rate would drop off considerably. Eventually an updated patch came out solving the problem for the most part.
Multiplayer adds six new maps and a couple new weapons and modes to Halo. This includes my favorite one, direct assault, which pits two teams against each other with one on the offense and one on the defense. The custom editor lets players create their own version of the game including type, the vehicle mix among other options. One of the new things is the ability to fly the Covenant Banshee.
The new maps offer a range of options including a beach assault and a bridge level. The levels are quite interesting with hidden routes to seemingly inaccessible spots. The 16-player limit is good considering the small size of the many of the maps.
Overall, I found the multiplayer options, a great addition to Halo. If your already playing the Xbox version, I don't think the PC version has enough extra value for me to recommend the expense, but if you have not had the opportunity to play before, it is well worth the purchase.
Chris Richards is a Gin Product Tester. He played his first game in 1985, Rogue, and it has been downhill ever since. Chris can be contacted at : zaloth@yahoo.com.
Chris Richards, Microsoft Game Studios , Bungie, PC