RATING: 8.5
Style: 1 or 2-Player Shooter (16-Player Online)
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: 343 Industries, Saber Interactive, Certain Affinity
Release: November 15, 2011
Ten years ago, Halo single-handedly managed to make gamers sit up and pay attention to the fledgling Xbox. Redefining the potential scope and ambition of a console FPS, Bungie’s original game established a benchmark for control, pacing, universe-building, and multiplayer options that would be emulated for years. The revamped anniversary edition of the game does an excellent job of honoring that legacy, even if the project as a whole feels like it’s seeking an identity in the middle ground between new and old. While longtime fans will remember Combat Evolved as the birth of the series, newer players should note that Anniversary picks up the story right where Reach left off. Master Chief awakes from cryo-sleep as a Covenant armada descends on the ship from which he escaped Reach. The armored hero and his shipmates crash land on a mysterious ring world and begin to unravel its secrets. While the story remains nearly untouched, keen-eyed players will note the addition of some new story content through several scattered terminals. Each triggers a cinematic that expands on the Halo fiction in new ways, offering untold details about the Flood, the Forerunners, and other story points.
Halo’s campaign levels and combat are exactly as you remember them, and that’s good and bad. Battles are furious and intense, with one combat zone after another feeling distinct and challenging. I love the scope of the fights, with dozens of enemies, plenty of space, and choices about where to make your stand. The signature weapons of the series are all in place, from the joy of sticky plasma grenades to the overwhelming power and precision of the pistol. An urgency and excitement pervades the action, and it’s easy to get caught up in the flow of the fights and careen from one encounter to the next. Speaking as a player who has made his way through these levels many times before, the charm hasn't worn off. Those looking for a new challenge will find that gameplay-altering skulls have been added to the game. Track these hidden collectibles down, and you can change up the action in interesting ways, like doubling enemy health or disabling auto-aim. I’m also pleased with the two-player cooperative play over Xbox Live; co-op has always been my favorite way to experience this game, and I love having local and online options.
Unfortunately, because the gameplay has been left unaltered, players are also stuck with some of Halo’s less fondly remembered features. Disastrous checkpoint placement can regularly derail the fun. You’ll backtrack through almost every level in the game at some point. Shields recharge slowly, and the health system regularly leaves you badly damaged right before a big fight. The lack of objective markers will often have you searching through empty corridors long enough to push your patience to the limit. We were more accepting of these flaws a decade ago, but time and advancing design make the frustrations more noticeable.
I love the improvements that have been made to the game’s visuals – from surface textures and lighting to distant environmental vistas and character art. Your memory can play tricks on you, convincing you that it doesn't look all that different. That’s why the ability to tap the Back button and switch to the original visuals on the fly is so much fun. I regularly found myself pausing to flip back and forth between the two styles, and marveling at how far games have come in a decade. For those with the necessary display, the game can also be played in 3D, but it doesn't add anything to the experience.
Anyone pick this up? As a true Halo fan of coarse I did and I love it.