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Halo: Combat Evolved PC
Halo: Combat Evolved Image
Metascore
83 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.6 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 179 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: In a desperate attempt to keep a conquering alien race called the Covenant from finding Earth, you--a cybernteically enhanced soldier representing the peak of human military evolution--and a ragtag group of Marines flee to a distant uncharted system where you unexpectedly stumble across Halo, an enormous alien artifact in orbit between a gas giant and its moon. Your objective: Uncover Halo's horrible secret, and destroy mankind's nemesis - the Covenant. [Microsoft]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 40
  3. Negative: 1 out of 40
  1. Play Magazine
    100
    Watching the game run at 1600X1200 left me speechless. Textures are incredibly rich; the lighting is to die for... On the flipside, however, in order to really enjoy Halo, you need a hardcore gaming rig to see any kind of smooth framerate. [Nov 2003, p.95]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. Computer Gaming World
    70
    The multiplayer and mechanics of combat are finely tuned, but aren't enough to lift Halo past its dated single-player, lack of graphical upgrades, and only competent performance. [Dec 2003, p.124]
  3. GameReviewer
    48
    To put it simply, the game is horribly slow. The framerate is so devastating, that at a point during the second level, playing the game becomes literally impossible...One of the biggest disappointments in my gaming career.

See all 40 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 98
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 98
  3. Negative: 24 out of 98
  1. Seriously
    10
    This review is the second part of a fairly long but helpful review, go to the Halo: Combat Evoleved (Xbox 2001) page to see the first half. There are ten fairly long, open playable campaign (story-mode) levels in Halo: Combat Evolved and even more multiplayer (versus-mode) levels. You can play with one or two players in the campaign or up to sixteen players in multiplayer, which is great fun when you’re with your friends. In the campaign there are four different difficulties and in the multiplayer there is basically and unlimited amount of gametypes thanks to the customisation options. No content my foot! Doesn’t anyone ever get sick of the constant grey and browns that you see in other First-Person Shooters? Gears of War, Medal of Honour, and naturally I’m going to mention Call of Duty are all arguably good games but why all the brown? I don’t want to see anymore brown ever again and the greys are just as bad. Thanks to the environment of the Halo Ringworld you don’t have to see brow everywhere you go. The is the blue of oceans, lakes and streams. There is the gleaming white of snow-covered valleys and falling snowflakes. There are green luscious grass covered plains. There are a number of different alien plant species. And then there is the purple of the Covenant, don’t you just love purple? The last thing that I can recall people complaining about in Halo is the lack of variety in weapons. Originally there were going to be a lot more weapons, a lot of which were added in later Halo games, but come on, this is enough. At the top of my head I can think of thirteen different weapons, not including the ones on the vehicles. That is just what they are, different. Play COD and you will find several different Assault Rifles, for example, but we all know that an Assault Rifle is an Assault Rifle, this is not needed. COD may have more weapons than Halo, but they are all the same. Halo has the bigger variety in weapons. Overall, Halo: Combat Evolved is a fun, engaging and unforgettable game with endless possibilities. Halo: Combat Evolved is the very reason that Xbox became so successful and eventually progressed into the Xbox 360. Microsoft has a lot to be thankful for after Bungie gave then this monster of a game. If you dislike it, I really don’t know what illness you have but you do have one, and if you haven’t played it before (sequels and prequels are just not the same), play it now!!!… Expand
    • 5 of 5 users said yes
  2. Keith
    6
    I agree with all the comments about this being a VERY choppy game. I dont quite understand what the problem is, but Microsoft needs to get a patch out....QUICK! Other than the horrible frame-rate its a cool game.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. StevenB.
    4
    First of all, anyone who rated this game at a 5 or 6 or higher are imbiciles who don't know what a REAL PC FPS game is like with REALISTIC framerates!! Thats right, realistic framerates would be 55-60 MINIMUM for non corrupt online play! Not 15-35, especially on an awsome 2.2G computer with plenty of memory and a Radeon 9800 Pro! The graphics aren't even good. Damnit I'm pissed! Microsoft, FIX THIS CRAP!… Expand
    • 3 of 5 users said yes

See all 98 User Reviews