Halo: Combat Evolved Demo

First person shooters have always kept more or less the same recipe when it comes to gameplay, right from the very beginning of the genre. In essence, you are offered an assortment of guns and thrown on a map that is crawling with hordes of enemies, which must be cleaned out before you can advance the storyline any further.

Halo: Combat Evolved can be regarded as a genre-defining game, especially when it comes to multiplayer modes and gameplay dynamics. A wide variety of new and exciting mechanics were introduced with this first installment of the series, including a hefty collection of vehicles and an intriguing story that keeps you wondering throughout the entire game.

As far as the story is concerned, you quickly find out that your character's name is Master Chief and that he is a very well-trained soldier, with a mission to find out the secrets of Halo, which is a ring-shaped artificial world surrounding the planet. Hordes of alien creatures are also waging war on the planet, making it even more difficult for you to explore the mysteries of Halo without getting killed in the process.

One of the greatest achievements of the game is its multiplayer mode, which managed to comprise almost everything you might ask for from a shooter, including large maps, a wide variety of vehicles and a large collection of weapons. The vehicles are by far the most revolutionary addition, since they completely change the dynamics of the fights, as well as offer you a wide array of new possible strategies to surprise your enemies with.

Graphics-wise, Halo does not disappoint at all, especially thanks to the high level of detail when it comes to the various types of aliens you stumble across throughout the game and the exquisite representation of the eerie science fiction world on which the entire action takes place. Moreover, the voice acting greatly adds to the overall feeling, as does the majestic soundtrack composed specially for the game.

Halo: Combat Evolved deserves its place in the FPS hall of fame, thanks to all the revolutionary mechanics and features it brought to the genre, most of which were revamped in countless other titles as well in the following years. The story is also worthy of remembering, especially since it paved the way for the rest of the series.