It's easy to forget just how ground-breaking Halo: Combat Evolved was. A decade is a
lifetime in videogame years, and since the game's release, gamers have played
countless first-person shooters that been inspired by—or completely rip-offs
of—Microsoft's original masterpiece.
Thankfully, 343 Industries (Microsoft's new Halo development studio) is here to remind us. Halo:
Combat Evolved Anniversary rebuilds the original from the ground up,
bringing forth high-definition graphics, more refined character models and
online multiplayer modes (including Firefight and co-op campaign). If these
advancements sound like sacrilege to you, you could always press the back
button on your Xbox 360 controller to return the game's graphics to its retro,
polygonal glory. This feature does more than just show off 343's technical
prowess—it allows players to go back in time on a whim and experience classic moments as they see fit.
The question most likely on your mind is: How does Combat Evolved hold up? It would be dishonest to say that the level design isn't dated and that the storyline is as engaging as games that have debuted since its release (namely Bioshock), but these factors—oddly enough—only add to the fun. I recently reviewed Goldeneye 007: Reloaded, and one of my complaints was that the game felt stuck in a retro/modern limbo. Anniversary, on the other hand, wears its datedness on its sleeve. As you play you think: Oh yeah, this is how it felt to first drive the Warthog, and Wow, I remember when this recharge meter blew my mind. It's like running through a virtual museum of innovative gaming concepts.
Playing through the campaign, I was surprised by how much I remembered. So many of the game's moments—even the mundane, such as trekking through a random corridor—give off a classic, comforting vibe. I spent a great deal of time pressing the back button and basking in nostalgia, remembering where I was and what I was doing back when the experience was a fresh, new adventure.
To up the campaign's replay value, 343 added hidden terminals and hidden skulls. Terminals, when discovered, unlock intriguing cutscenes filled with fascinating backstories and world-building information. Whether you're an achievement hunter, or a huge fan of the Halo mythos, finding these terminals is definitely worth your time. The skulls, similar to their function in Halo 2 and 3, act as gameplay modifiers. For instance, the Bandanna skull grants players infinite ammo and the Fog skull renders the motion tracker useless. While not essential, these skulls have the ability to spice up the campaign for those who have run through it countless times in the past decade.
Besides sheer novelty, the main reason many gamers are likely to pick up Anniversary is the multiplayer additions. Combat Evolved purists, however, are sure to be disappointed. While Anniversary's campaign runs on the original Saber3d engine, the multiplayer is 100% pure Halo: Reach. This may come as a crushing blow, but don't write off the multiplayer just yet. All your favorite maps are here (including Hang 'Em High and Prisoner), plus Halo 2 maps and variants of old favorites. Once you get over the fact that you'll probably never get a proper Combat Evolved competitive experience, you'll have a lot of fun with the more-than-adequate replacement 343 conjured up.
Overall, 343 did an incredible job of preserving the Combat Evolved experience while ushering it in to a new decade. From start to finish, Anniversary feels like a labor of love, with careful thought and dedication poured into every pulse-pounding moment. And the best part is, Anniversary will only set you back $40. For a solid, quality trip down memory lane, that's not just a bargain—it's a steal.
The Kinect features were not available during the time of this review.
