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News: Tom Morello stars in Guitar Hero III
Activision has announced that Tom Morello, from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, will guest star as a boss character in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Click here to read the article.
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Halo: Combat Evolved
By now I am sure you have all heard about Halo. This is the game that single
handedly launched the Xbox into the world of console gaming. This was the game
to get when Xbox was launched and is still the top Xbox game.
The story basically revolves around an alien Race called The Covenant who is
attempting to take over a large ring-world called Halo. I wont divulge much
of the story because it is one of the best parts of the game with many twists
that will keep you playing to the end. I will say that it is one of the best
stories ever in a First person shooter.
The graphics are something to behold. There are large outdoor environments that go
on as far as the eye can see, with trees streams, rocks, mountains, caves, and hills.
All of this is done with no in game loading (well almost none, but the loads can be
mistaken for frame rate hiccups) thanks to the Xbox's hard drive. There are always
plenty of enemies and marines on the ground at all times which really shows what the
Xbox can do. The textures are quite impressive, rocks look like rocks, grass looks like
grass, and trees have tree bark. Covenant drop ships fly through the sky, marine drop
ships drop off more marines, grenades fly, and bullets whiz by, all at the same time.
Halo's graphics are second only to DOA3 as far as Xbox launch titles go. The only strike
against the graphics are some slight frame rate issues when there is a lot of action
going on, but this is only really noticeable in the final level. One final knock
against the game is that it appears in later levels that the game was rushed to completion.
The last couple levels look very, very similar to early levels in the game.
Gameplay wise Halo really doesn't offer anything new, but never before has a FPS game
been so polished. You control Master Chief with both control sticks, fire with the right
trigger, throw grenades with the left trigger, and switch weapons with the Y button. You
also have a flash light that you turn on with the white button, and switch grenades with
the black button. One interesting aspect of Halo is that you can only carry two guns at
once. This adds a level of strategy to the mix. I recommend the pistol and the assault
rifle at all times. You walk up to guns lying on the ground and you can pick them up with
the X button, this will cause Master Chief to throw down the current gun you have selected
and pick up the one on the ground. When ammo runs low you can bash enemies with your gun
using the B button, and Master Chief can jump using the A button. Another cool aspect is
that Master Chief can use alien weapons as well, so if you dust an alien you can pick up
his gun and keep on blasting. Halo also adds vehicles to the mix. You can drive the warthog
jeep, the scorpion tank, or assorted other alien vehicles like the banshee, and the ghost.
Although Halo doesn't really bring much new to the table it is forgivable because a FPS game
has never been done this well. It has a level of polish that no other FPS on the market can
touch (well until Halo 2 comes out).
As for the sound Halo has one of the most epic game soundtracks ever. Your blood gets pumping
as you run shooting aliens absorbing the triumphant score created for the game. Weapons all
sound different, explosions shake you, and aliens and marines shout many different quips at you.
Halo has fantastic sound and is one of it's finest aspects.
Multiplayer is quite expansive, and probably the most fun you will have with the game. There are
many different modes to play with and your multiplayer games are fully customizable. I am not going
to get to in-depth about MP because the single player game is reason enough for you to run out and
but this game. You can be assured that it has THE BEST console multiplayer experience out there (until XBOX live).
In closing Halo is the Xbox game to own. There is no Xbox owner who should be without this game.
From the detailed graphics, amazing sound, great multiplayer, and extreme level of polish, this
game has it all. Do yourself a favor, if you don't have this game GO BUY IT!
Report Card:
Gameplay = 10
Graphics = 9.8
Audio = 10
Replay Value = 10
Overall: 10/10
Click here for the Halo screenshots gallery!
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