I teach history students that one product can change an entire industry. Halo: Combat Evolved was that product.
Microsoft entered the console gaming market with a lot of ambition. They were aggressive in their marketing, and they secured a lot of third party support. But in order to truly sell consoles, they needed a killer app that would pull customers away from Sony’s PlayStation 2. Bungie created that game with Halo, and while they were doing it, they showed that First Person Shooters didn’t have to stay on PC.
FPS games had come to consoles before Halo, such as Halo‘s biggest competition GoldenEye and Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64. Those games proved that FPS games could work on console. But before Halo released, there was a belief among gamers and game developers alike that FPS gaming was solely for PC. PCs allowed for keyboard/mouse combos that allowed for faster frame rates. PCs had communities that had played with each other for years perfecting their skills. Console FPS games were serviceable, but they were like cover bands compared to the greatness of PC FPS games.
Halo didn’t just prove consoles could handle FPS games. Halo proved consoles could make FPS games better than PC games could for some players.
Halo: Combat Evolved Does
Master Chief is a super soldier fighting aliens in powered armor. He’s fighting an alien race called the Covenant on a giant ringworld called Halo. The game offers 10+ hours of engaging gameplay. Halo’s gameplay isn’t just blindly running down a hallway and blasting aliens. There are moments of directed level design, but there’s also exploration and open ended levels. You can usually approach a scenario in a variety of ways – stealth, rushing in guns ablaze, driving, shooting puzzles — there’s always something changing the style of gameplay you will encounter.
Controls are what really set Halo apart. Before Halo releasing, nobody had truly solved shooting using a gamepad. Aim could be managed with systems like lock on and cross hairs that targeted enemies for you. Halo’s approach was “what if we make the analog stick on the controller feel natural?” Halo accomplished this by smartly placing their reticle, having reasonable aim assist (it helps you shoot without making you feel like you are cheating), and by designing levels that allowed you to comfortably move around. The end result is a game that plays better than any other console FPS before it.
Difficulty settings in Halo are smartly implemented as well. Easy mode is actually easy. You can learn how to play without being constantly punished. Normal is a good difficulty. Heroic will require you to know what you’re doing. Legendary is extremely difficult. The game trains you for what each difficulty level will expect of you and then provides you that experience.
Combat AI on Halo is smart. The aliens don’t run straight at you. They flank. They communicate. They search for cover. Different enemies behave differently. Elite enemies are a legitimate threat. Grunts are weaker but can overwhelm you. There is a reason to approach each enemy differently.
Why Console FPS Would Never Be The Same After Halo
Before Halo, it was thought that console gamers wanted different games than PC gamers. Console gamers wanted simple experiences with no complexities. Halo showed gamers who played with controllers wanted challenge and complexity. They just wanted those challenges and complexities designed for a controller instead of a keyboard.
That was a distinction many developers didn’t understand before Halo was released.
Halo proved that console gamers wanted competitive FPS games. Halo included splitscreen multiplayer right from the start. You could hop in a room with your friends and immediately start playing. The maps were designed well. The weapons felt different from each other and were balanced. Progression after each death by getting better weapons or moving up a level was rewarding. Multiplayer didn’t feel tacked on to extend the games life. Multiplayer was built right into the game from day one.
Xbox’s online service Xbox Live offered when the Xbox launched in 2002 showed console gamers wanted online multiplayer as well. For a long time PC gamers believed you only got online multiplayer on PC. Halo proved console gamers wanted that same level of service.
Technical Accomplishments
Graphically, Halo was among the best games you could get for a console at the time. Characters are detailed. Environments are vast and allow for exploration. Weapon effects look and sound great. Character animation is fluid. The art direction of the game is strong and polished. From the moment you saw Master Chief’s armor, you knew it was iconic.
Composed by Martin O’Donnell, Halo’s soundtrack is amazing. The main theme is recognizable instantly. Combat music builds intensity when you need it to. Explorative music when traversing the map makes you feel at place. Music in Halo isn’t just memorable, it supports the game’s experience.
Halo has wonderful sound design. Every weapon sounds unique. Every grunt sounds different based on their threat level. Audio in Halo tells you exactly where everything is around you. All this is important because reactions times are key in Halo and audio is how the game talks to you.
Will Halo Play Today?
Graphics have aged, but it holds up. Character models are basic. Textures in the world aren’t as detailed. But the art still communicates what it needs to communicate to you. You never see something and think “oh this wasn’t purposefully made to look like a game from 2001”. It all just looks old.
Controls are still tight. Combat feels good. Difficulty feels right. Enemies are smart. Levels are still fun to explore. Movement is still smooth. When you play Halo today you will understand why everyone was obsessed with this game when it came out.
Story and characters are simple but serviceable. There isn’t any real character development to Chief outside of him being a badass. But you do gain a personality with Cortana, your AI companion. The main villains, the Covenant, are a believable threat that feel like they could destroy everything.
Multiplay still feels great as well. Maps hold up tremendously. Weapon balance is still fantastic. The whole process of dying and getting better feels rewarding.
Why Halo Became An Important Staple For Microsoft
Halo showed Microsoft they could compete with gaming giants Sony and Nintendo by knowing what players want. Marketing was aggressive before release but the game delivered on all of the hype. Halo wasn’t some incomplete game thrown together to release on a console’s launch. Halo was a fantastic game that deserved all of the attention it got.
Halo began a franchise that would come to be one of the defining aspects of Xbox brands. The franchise would go on to sell over 35 million copies. The franchise would sell systems. Microsoft established themselves as competitors in the gaming industry. And it all started with one game that Bungie created by understanding what console FPS players wanted.
Every FPS game after Halo took ideas from Halo. The control scheme would become a standard amongst FPS games. The way Halo balanced difficulty would influence level designers for years. Halo showed how multiplayer would work for competitive FPS games on console. Halo would show other developers how you could support a game long after it’s initial launch and how to properly build sequels.
Conclusion
Halo: Combat Evolved is a master class in understanding your platform and designing your game around that platform. Halo showed that console could not only play FPS games but they could match the experiences PC’s were providing. Controls are smooth and easy to learn. Levels are open ended but provide direction when you need it. Difficulty levels are perfectly balanced. Enemy AI is smart. Campaign gameplay is enjoyable. Multiplayer is competitive and balanced. Music is iconic. Art direction is beautiful.
Every design decision was made with delivering an incredible console FPS experience in mind. Halo understood the limitations of the hardware they were working with and designed around those limitations in innovative ways.
If you’ve never played Halo: Combat Evolved go play it. You’ll understand why Halo was such an important game. If you played Halo when it came out play it again, and you’ll see how well the base game holds up. If you’re a developer that makes FPS games, look at what Halo did. Understand your platform and design around it and you’ll achieve great things like Halo.
Joe’s a history teacher who treats the console wars like actual history. A lifelong Sega devotee from Phoenix, he writes with passion, humor, and lingering heartbreak over the Dreamcast. Expect strong opinions, bad puns, and plenty of “blast processing.”
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