Halo: Combat Evolved

The Good
The game is beautiful .... the texturing is top notch, the animations fluid, and the vehicle physics are amazingly cool. that said ... it was when I sat down with a friend to play 2 player Co-Op ....joy of joy!! Being a PC FPS gamer ... I was wary of the control scheme, but although not 'better' then the standard WASD setup, I had absolutely no problems with the controller.

Immersion factor is outstanding ... as the game lets you experience the events without the overemphasis on cut-scenes that many games take today.

The Bad
Some levels schemes seem a tad repetitive looks wise. I think some people confuse the fact that you actually revisit locations with using the same textures again, but .... never mind.

Some slow down occasionally ... but usually for good reason, and it never caused a real problem in the game.

The Bottom Line
The game is not very long, but it's a FPS .... so 10-15 hours is fine. Play on a harder difficulty level and you immediately feel the difference. Legendary is out right impossible, and I give many kudos to gamers that can make it through on that level. On the easier levels ... power gamers can easily do a sunset to sunrise marathon...

That said ... I've played through this game multiple times now and have even tinkered with the multiply.

Now, Halo's multiplayer aspect can't come close to PC gaming, but it is fun. Although, the best fun I've had in MP is playing with Rockets and Grenades and their ability to make various vehicles defy the laws of gravity.

When the Dreamcast launched, Soul Calibur was good enough to warrant the purchase of the console ... even if I never bought another game. I hold Halo in the same regard.

Highly recommended!