Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Review

It's hard to believe it's been ten years. Ten years since the original Xbox launched, along with the very first Halo. Halo: Combat Evolved single-handedly turned the FPS genre into a worldwide phenomenon of gaming. It introduced FPS games to the consoles, you might say. It had the greatest multiplayer, had a lot of LAN parties and all-nighters, and became a pop culture phenomenon.

It's controls translated very well into the consoles, had a really good story, and just took over the game industry by storm. After 10 long years, we return to the game that started it all and put Microsoft's Xbox on the map. The question is, did the game stand the test of time very well? That answer would be yes to an extent.

Halo: Combat Evolved returns to our lives, remastered in full 1080p widescreen HD.

The graphics have been rebuilt from the ground up, fine-tuned, and polished to a mirror shine. Master Chief looks wonderful in the brand new graphics engine. Yes, Halo: CE uses the Halo Reach graphics engine. But here's the real kicker: the game plays and feels the same way it did ten years ago! Well almost. Occasionally, you may encounter a hiccup in the game's frame rate.

It does get a bit chunky here and there, but it's really not noticeable. Additionally, you can switch between graphics from ten years ago and those of today with the press of the back button on your Xbox 360 controller.

Even the old graphics have been remastered in 1080p HD! I can't believe the amount of work 343 Industries has done to polish up the original Halo! The story of Master Chief, Cortana, and Sgt. Johnson's fight with the covenant is still the same. Eliites are still very smart, fast, and brutal, grunts are still cowardly, brutal, and slow, and the Jackles are still the same, too.

Wait till you meet up with the flood, that's when things get really out of hand! However, new features have been added to the game, including terminals and skulls. The terminals will explain the events leading to Halo 4, and the skulls are there for a bonus, like the grunt birthday party. Headshots to grunts leave confetti and screams of happy children.

Weapons have been slightly modified, too. It's much easier to use the sniper rifle this time around. The crosshairs actually seem bigger than they did years ago. Grenades seem slightly changed, too. I remember getting killed by a grenade that I was literally halfway across the map.

Now that seems gone, and when I throw grenades, they don't seem to have that mighty explosion that they had years ago. Remember split-screen co-op? Now you can take the co-op on Xbox LIVE! Yes, this is a much-needed add right here!

I am so glad I don't have to share a screen anymore! But regardless of these little modifications, it is still the same Halo we all love and adore. Oh, by the way, I double-dog dare you to start the game on Legendary!

However, the game's controls come with a slight learning curve.

With the black-and-white buttons gone and replaced by the LB and RB buttons, your grenades and melee buttons have been swapped. But no need to fear! You can switch to Halo 3's Recon Control scheme so your melee button returns to the B button and you don't have to figure out why your B button does not work.

You see, when I first played the game, I expected everything to remain exactly as it was ten years ago. But the controls had changed, and I was really frustrated that 343 Industries would do this.

So, please, before you actually play this game, I highly recommend that you change the controls to Recon settings, so that your right bumper does most of the work when it comes to reloading and opening things like doors and bridges, too.

Additionally, a new setting has been added for Kinect users. You tell your Kinect to reload, and it will reload. Tell your Kinect to scan, and it will scan. However, I find this a bit of a waste, though. When I play a game, I do not want motion controls to do it for me; I would rather play with a controller. 

Now, for the big part: multiplayer. It's no longer Halo: CE's multiplayer. Instead, it's the multiplayer of Halo REACH with maps from Halo: CE and Halo 2. In a sick and twisted sense, this is really awesome, but at the same time, a major letdown.

I would rather play Halo: CE multiplayer on Xbox Live than Halo Reach.

If I wanted to play Reach multiplayer, I would have just plugged in Halo Reach! It is a major letdown in my eyes! This is a key essential that made Halo: CE what it is. Without the original multiplayer from the original game, I feel somewhat lost.

Yes, it's awesome to have REACH multiplayer with the old Halo maps. Don't get me wrong, it's wicked! However, if I'm going to play Halo: CE, I want the game's original multiplayer mode. Lord forbid a Halo 2 remake comes about, and multiplayer is messed with. All chaos will break loose!

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary features achievements for all achievement hunters! Some of them are very easy to get while others are just a pain in the; you know what! It's only $39.99, so just buy it! It's so worth it! It's a great single-player experience with a pretty good multiplayer too.

However, though the multiplayer would have been absolutely perfect in my eyes if they had left it alone, instead of giving us Reach multiplayer. But despite all of that, the game holds up remarkably well over time, and if you've never played Halo: Combat Evolved, you really need to drop the $39.99 price tag and go play it!