More than that, human and Covenant weapons now have a very different feel from one another. The combat feels shockingly fresh and current, as if this is a brand-new release. That’s really the biggest gameplay drawback though. No big deal for Halo vets, but newcomers who are trying this series on for the first time might be thrown by the absence of what, by today’s standards, is a pretty rudimentary feature. Occasionally you’ll get a red on-screen indicator pointing you toward one goal or another, but you’re most often expected to find your way.
There is a woeful absence of helpful checkpoints to guide you through the game’s varied and semi-open environments. Unfortunately, the entire experience doesn’t hold up as well as the core “run-shoot-hide-repeat” mechanics do. It’s an atypical FPS while there are plenty of moments that involve standard-fare corridor shooting, there are plenty more than give you a mostly open environment to explore, and an army of enemies to stand in your way. The game is at its best when it’s doing exactly what the Halo series has always done best: Pitting Master Chief against gauntlets of Covenant (and, later, Flood) forces in a series of carefully designed combat arenas. What’s surprising in playing Combat Evolved now is just how well it has aged in spite of those warts. The game in its original form remains, warts and all. You’ll still visit the same locales and shoot at the same enemies that you did 10 years ago. The campaign portion of Anniversary is unchanged from an A to B progression perspective. Let’s put aside the competition for now and just focus on the game.
The $40 price tag helps, but it’s tough to recommend a decade-old game to anyone other than die-hard fans when there are so many new quality games to choose from.
Unfortunately, this remastered Halo faces some pretty stiff competition on its November 15 release date. If Anniversary had been able to skip the birthday release date, it would be a big deal. This isn’t to say that the classic FPS fares poorly in its HD translation to the contrary, 343 did some fabulous work on the technical side. Make no mistake either–this is definitely a game for the fans. To celebrate the anniversary, the current franchise lead developer 343 Industries has prepared a special treat for the fans: A high-definition remastering of the classic Xbox title, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. Exactly 10 years ago today, Bungie dropped Halo: Combat Evolved, effectively changing the face of video gaming in ways that no one at the time could have possibly predicted.
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