Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 677 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 517 out of 677
  2. Mixed: 112 out of 677
  3. Negative: 48 out of 677
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  1. MasterGubbers
    Jul 11, 2023
    7
    A poorly designed remaster of a classic game. Just because a remaster has better graphics than the original doesn't mean it's better. It ruins the whole point of dark levels by making them much brighter. The game still looks good for 2011, though.
  2. Yojimbo2015
    Jul 4, 2023
    10
    One of the watershed titles in the evolution of gaming gets a HD facelift and proves that it's still better than virtually every game that came since. A stone cold classic.
  3. Griddy
    Jun 17, 2023
    0
    Straight up dog water . . . . . . . . 。
  4. DorlGaming
    Jun 4, 2023
    9
    Fantastic first person shooter and great remaster. If you want some different view on fps games, that's for you.
  5. Jaidenbrkl1
    May 6, 2023
    8
    This remake of Halo CE is great for what it is. Great gameplay, a fantastic multiplayer, great graphics, and overall a great remake for a legendary game.
  6. Nevbear1206
    Apr 10, 2023
    8
    One of the most revolutionary FPS titles of its original era, Halo proves to still be a joy with its fun weapons and open areas despite some age felt with repetitive gameplay and settings.
  7. hector_bcn98
    Feb 17, 2023
    6
    Con toda la sinceridad de mi corazón, no entiendo cómo en dificultad Normal, el juego se hace tan frustrante. No tiene explicación. No poder correr, no poder apuntar, insta-kills inevitables, ausencia total de guia, los mismos 5 mapas repetidos dos veces pero con los diseños de niveles repetidos en bucle, el nefaste control de los vehículos, puntos de control automáticos que no regeneranCon toda la sinceridad de mi corazón, no entiendo cómo en dificultad Normal, el juego se hace tan frustrante. No tiene explicación. No poder correr, no poder apuntar, insta-kills inevitables, ausencia total de guia, los mismos 5 mapas repetidos dos veces pero con los diseños de niveles repetidos en bucle, el nefaste control de los vehículos, puntos de control automáticos que no regeneran la salud si la tienes al mínimo y haciendo que completar ese nivel sea una lotería.,.. O la dificultad normal de Halo es como jugar a Doom Eternal en díficil, o yo estaba equivocado todo este tiempo.… Expand
  8. LuanAmorim
    Dec 6, 2022
    8
    Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - um dos melhores e mais divertidos FPS que já joguei. Apesar da história não ser muito cativante, todo o resto envelheceu como vinho. A gameplay é muito boa; a trilha sonora também; a dublagem (em inglês porque não tem em português) não é ruim mas também não é a melhor coisa do mundo; a variedade de inimigos e armas é bem grande para um jogo antigo desse eHalo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - um dos melhores e mais divertidos FPS que já joguei. Apesar da história não ser muito cativante, todo o resto envelheceu como vinho. A gameplay é muito boa; a trilha sonora também; a dublagem (em inglês porque não tem em português) não é ruim mas também não é a melhor coisa do mundo; a variedade de inimigos e armas é bem grande para um jogo antigo desse e o protagonista apesar de na maior parte do tempo ser caladão ele tem o seu carisma. É um jogo que não tem pena do jogador, em alguns momento ele fica bem difícil e algumas vezes joga inimigos infinitos até você saber o que tem que fazer. É um jogo que eu vou guardar para sempre no meu coração!!

    Pontos positivos:
    - Gameplay boa
    - Trilha sonora muito boa
    - Boa variedade de inimigos
    - Boa variedade de armas
    - Bom protagonista
    - Boa ambientação
    - Gráficos bons e charmosos

    Pontos negativos:
    - História não cativante
    - Momentos em que a dificuldade sobe muito
    - Jogo lançar inimigos infinitos até você saber o que fazer    … Expand
  9. SayWillis
    Nov 20, 2022
    6
    Fantastically remastered. The game has not aged well though. Very frustrating levels in this one. Really shows its age. Regardless, I can see why it was great for its time. 6/10
  10. xxxis666
    Aug 28, 2022
    2
    Bad level design, repetitive gameplay, spawning enemies, impossible driving.
  11. serphim7
    Jan 16, 2022
    7
    I understand why it's such a classic. For a game that is 20 years old it holds up really well, feels totally playable and is really fun sometimes. Some of the level design isn't great (too many hallways and some confusing areas because there are no visual clues to distinguish directions) and the diversity of weapons is a little lacking. Great game overall.
  12. ChumaGG
    Jan 6, 2022
    6
    Es el Halo mas sobrevalorado que existe

    La remasterización esta bien hecha, pero al final del día el diseño de niveles sigue siendo horrible y repetitivo.

    Sáltense este juego si pueden.
  13. JJ2FAS4U
    Dec 28, 2021
    8
    Atmosphere: 9
    Enjoyment: 9
    Gameplay: 8
    Graphics: 8
    Music: 8
    Story: 8
    Total: 8.33
  14. ElCosmoXD
    Nov 25, 2021
    9
    Just wonderful, The story, music and gameplay is really good. But the mission "343 Guilty Spark" is really confusing, I played this mission many times and I still confused with this mission.
  15. Antonette_87
    Nov 15, 2021
    9
    Halo es y ha sido una de las obras mas influyentes en los videojuegos, entonces como es su primera entrega? esta a la altura de lo que siempre nos lleva diciendo?... sí, Halo CE annyversary es un mal remaster, es decir se ve mas bonito y tal pero tiene un fallo que es que la experiencia de juego es diferente al producto original, me explico, halo (xbox original) es mas oscuro en losHalo es y ha sido una de las obras mas influyentes en los videojuegos, entonces como es su primera entrega? esta a la altura de lo que siempre nos lleva diciendo?... sí, Halo CE annyversary es un mal remaster, es decir se ve mas bonito y tal pero tiene un fallo que es que la experiencia de juego es diferente al producto original, me explico, halo (xbox original) es mas oscuro en los escenarios haciendo que te metas mas en el papel, en cambio del remastered que esta todo iluminado haciendo que no sientas la misma experiencia, pero el caso que tan bueno es Halo, bien, para empezar tiene una muy buena historia, la vdd es que me sorprendio para bien, el gameplay revoluciono a la industria es ese momento aunque a nosotros nos pueda parecer un tanto generica, los graficos estan bastante bien para su epoca, los personajes son carismaticos... el fallo mas importante de Halo CE es su repetitividad en los escenarios, y se nota, no lo hace injugable pero si que vas notar esa repetitividad en los escenarios, lo intentan disimular metiendo nuevos enemigos (los flood) pero fracasan miserablemente, una pena, y eso es todo, lo malo es que el remastered no se siente como el original y es repetitivo en ocasiones, pero aparte de eso, Halo CE es un juegazo que debe ser jugado a cualquier fan del shototer… Expand
  16. Rm4n
    Nov 12, 2021
    7
    good game bad remasterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
  17. kvnd
    Sep 29, 2020
    5
    I first played this game years earlier and seeing the graphical update is pretty jaw dropping. One of this games coolest features is just jumping between the old and new visuals on the fly. As great as the graphics and sound are, unfortunately the rest of the game is pretty painful to slog through. Endless gray hallways and rooms that are constantly copied and pasted, confusing missionI first played this game years earlier and seeing the graphical update is pretty jaw dropping. One of this games coolest features is just jumping between the old and new visuals on the fly. As great as the graphics and sound are, unfortunately the rest of the game is pretty painful to slog through. Endless gray hallways and rooms that are constantly copied and pasted, confusing mission objectives, bad checkpoints, the library mission...yeah I'll stop there and just say I didn't enjoy the campaign in the slightest. I could see myself really enjoying a Halo game if it just had better missions because all the other aspects are there, but this one ain't it, chief.… Expand
  18. CloudStrife05
    Aug 19, 2021
    9
    The one that started it all brought back with updated graphics. Best part was the addition of a little feature where from a press of a button you could flip the games graphics from the original to the updated version.
  19. Darkale702
    Aug 5, 2021
    9
    Great Remaster
    It gives you a choice on the remastered textures and voice lines or the original textures and voice lines

    At times it is difficult to find the objective however the gameplay is very enjoyable and for me personly it holds up quite well in 2021
  20. hazi91
    Jul 23, 2021
    5
    All this is about Master Chief Collection version played on Series X.
    The game on Series X plays very smooth with some small stutters when it loads new section of a level.
    It makes very good first impression, mostly due to great weapons feeling. They are cool to use and you can feel their power. It just gives you fun to use them. However the longer you play, the worse your feelings    All this is about Master Chief Collection version played on Series X.
    The game on Series X plays very smooth with some small stutters when it loads new section of a level.
    It makes very good first impression, mostly due to great weapons feeling. They are cool to use and you can feel their power. It just gives you fun to use them.
    However the longer you play, the worse your feelings about this game will become.
    Enemy designs are pathetic, their AI is dumb as hell, only way developers find to increase difficulty in later levels was to spam ridiculous amount of waves (Flood) that are not even hard, but boring and time consuming or grenades spam (covenants) that instant kill you even with full health and shield.
    Game has like 4-5 locations that you backtrack a lot, going through identical copy/paste tunnels and rooms that seemingly never ends. And when you finally get out of the tunnels you can often use some vehicles which have the worst vehicle controls in the history of video games. it's basically Borderlands controls copy, which we all know is the worst ever. Here is probably even worse, because there are some flying vehicles too, and you control them the same horrible way. And they even made final part of the game (tiny spoiler) a level where you need to drive long corridors full of obstacles with a jeep. The car is very easy to flip, you have time limit and a very long way to go. If you fail, you start from beginning. The default on foot controls sucks too, however thankfully MCC lets you customise them, so they met fps standards of today. Unfortunately you can't do anything about those horrible vehicle controls.

    Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my native language. Cheers.    … Expand
  21. katieelizabeth
    Jun 19, 2021
    5
    First, I just want to say that I am new to playing these older Halo games and this is my first experienced with Halo 1. Everything I'm going to say does not have nostalgia or rose-tinted glasses affecting my experience, where I might inflate or give passes on things that are not done very well, especially when given the opportunity to fix problems in 2011, a decade after the original gameFirst, I just want to say that I am new to playing these older Halo games and this is my first experienced with Halo 1. Everything I'm going to say does not have nostalgia or rose-tinted glasses affecting my experience, where I might inflate or give passes on things that are not done very well, especially when given the opportunity to fix problems in 2011, a decade after the original game was released.

    Pros:

    - The game looks and sounds much better than the original, and is pretty good by 2011 standards
    - There's a lot of different control options, making it easy to find the way that felt most comfortable to me
    - Combat feels pretty good still, despite being an old game.

    Cons

    - Weapon balance feels a bit off. The pistol seems much more powerful than the assault rifle, and pretty much all of the covenant weapons are better than your starting assault rifle too. There are some situations where the assault rifle is ideal for the situation, but it felt pretty weak most of the time and I usually switched it out.

    - The story is not presented very well. I'm sure it was good for its time, but 99% of your time will be spent in gameplay and the surrounding story is very thin. A lot of the story is "go find this" or "go find that". I looked up story content for Halo on youtube afterwards, and I could not believe the richness and depth to Halo's story, but it's not available here. There's no character development of pretty much anyone in the cast, and the Covenant might as well be "a group of random hunchbacked aliens". There's just no personality to anything or anyone. When there was a big reveal halfway through the game, I honestly didn't feel any major emotional impact. This is a very weak aspect of Halo 1 imo. Standards for story in first-person shooters might have been really low at the time of release, but they are done much better now.

    - The audio mixing is off balance - music is very loud and voices are not loud enough. This surely affected my ability to follow the story, as I was often unable to hear Cortona through the rest of the sound.

    - Health packs are very rare, and spaced out too far in between each other, often by ridiculous amounts in some levels

    - I wish the game included waypoints, or at least a visible map of some kind. There was a lot of times where I was lost and had no idea where I was supposed to go or what I was supposed to do - about once per level. In the middle of game, there is this facility with 2 floors, and there's actually no staircase to get to the upper floors. Why would these people design a facility like that??? There was some purple containers that you could jump on to reach the top floor, but it took me 30 minutes to find them. After this, the elevator I was supposed to take to escape blew up, and at that moment, I had no idea how to progress the campaign - it seemed locked or bugged, and that's why I stopped playing. I wish the game had waypoints and was a lot clearer about how to progress the game, but it's completely silent.

    - Another really big problem with this game is the overly repetitive levels. Levels are copy/pasted constantly, and there's really no landmarks or unique areas that stand out to ground yourself in the environment. Sometimes these areas repeat 3, 6 or 9 times throughout the game, and the levels go on forever, just going into 1 copy pasted room after another. There were also times after a big fight where I just lost my sense of direction, and I would often backtrack before realizing I went in the wrong direction. I believe this occurred because everything looked the same.

    Overall, I'm not really sure I can recommend this game to people who don't have the nostalgia for it. The gameplay is average by today's standards, although competent, but the story is presented quite poorly and the level design is pretty awful. Again, I'm sure it was good for its time, but when judged in the year 2021, I can't help but recommend to learn the story on YouTube and spend your time playing another game.    … Expand
  22. CFMCritic
    May 16, 2021
    8
    Well this was not the ultimate remaster for Halo (or the remaster combat evolved deserved), it did the job but i highly recommend playing the original Xbox version if you have an xbox 360 or XBOX. The gearbox version is just OKAY because that one was filled with bugs, i heard for the classic graphics of the anniversary version they used the gearbox port, which makes this remaster lessWell this was not the ultimate remaster for Halo (or the remaster combat evolved deserved), it did the job but i highly recommend playing the original Xbox version if you have an xbox 360 or XBOX. The gearbox version is just OKAY because that one was filled with bugs, i heard for the classic graphics of the anniversary version they used the gearbox port, which makes this remaster less worthy of buying.… Expand
  23. ProwoodStuff
    May 12, 2021
    8
    This game was fantastic at launch, it's been 10 years since the anniversary launch and I must say. It held up rather well, granted there are better ways to experience Chief's first adventure now like with MCC PC. And with the servers shutting down at the time of this review, there is nearly no point playing this. It was fantastic but it's on it's way out, you best play this on the MCC.
  24. memus
    Nov 19, 2020
    6
    It's surprisingly playable, but it's a relic from an old era. Endless corridors, repetitive encounters and frustrating moment are abundant. Still I see why it was influential 20 years ago. It's not on the level of Half-Life though.

    Pros: * The concept of the ringworld is cool. * The old graphics are actually better than the new ones. They are much more consistent. * The score is    It's surprisingly playable, but it's a relic from an old era. Endless corridors, repetitive encounters and frustrating moment are abundant. Still I see why it was influential 20 years ago. It's not on the level of Half-Life though.

    Pros:
    * The concept of the ringworld is cool.
    * The old graphics are actually better than the new ones. They are much more consistent.
    * The score is great. Especially the electronic themes.
    * Guns are well-designed and fun to use.

    Cons:
    * Disorienting and repetitive corridors.
    * Endlessly spawning enemies.
    * Racing on warthog is awful. I will have nightmares about this level.    … Expand
  25. kimi1775
    Nov 9, 2020
    8
    ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎
  26. jon_king
    Nov 5, 2020
    8
    Halo era um dos meus jogos preferidos eu amava atirar nos aligeniginas estranhos não sei pq eu nunca comprei outro
  27. ElBarto1992
    Oct 7, 2020
    0
    The remasters visuals are too far detached from the source material. I found myself preferring the original graphics. The emotion and atmosphere the original provokes is lost in the remaster. The remaster uses a new warm and colorful palette. The original halo feels cold and lonely in a beautiful kind of way. The architecture was brutalist/minimalist and intimidating. I understand 343 isThe remasters visuals are too far detached from the source material. I found myself preferring the original graphics. The emotion and atmosphere the original provokes is lost in the remaster. The remaster uses a new warm and colorful palette. The original halo feels cold and lonely in a beautiful kind of way. The architecture was brutalist/minimalist and intimidating. I understand 343 is trying to blend the architecture with halo 4 and 5s forerunner architecture but changes the tone too significantly in my opinion. The game feels overexposed from a lighting standpoint, making the flashlight completely useless.… Expand
  28. RoninNinjaXL
    Sep 25, 2020
    9
    GREAT GAME WITH A BADASS SLAP CERTIFIED

    Story: 8
    Gameplay: 9
    ost: 9
    Characters: 10
  29. Dylan117
    Jan 6, 2020
    8
    My first halo game. So fun. Level design is perfect. New HD graphics adds to the original masterpiece. Although sometimes lighting can look too bright compared to the original, and the libary is not an enjoyable mission in the slightest. Couldn't put this game down. Looking forward to starting Halo 2. A con is I didn't like the way the multiplayer as handled why not remaster the originalMy first halo game. So fun. Level design is perfect. New HD graphics adds to the original masterpiece. Although sometimes lighting can look too bright compared to the original, and the libary is not an enjoyable mission in the slightest. Couldn't put this game down. Looking forward to starting Halo 2. A con is I didn't like the way the multiplayer as handled why not remaster the original instead of recycling Reach? Also I feel there are too many recycled areas in the campaign.… Expand
  30. Cjmolina007
    Jul 21, 2020
    7
    Known as the turning point of first person shooters, the first Halo will always go down as one of the best video games created. To me, I just don't see the hype. Though the story is interesting and has some creepy moments, I just found the game on the slow side that I was just hoping I was getting closer and closer to the end. It was pretty neat to switch from the original graphics to theKnown as the turning point of first person shooters, the first Halo will always go down as one of the best video games created. To me, I just don't see the hype. Though the story is interesting and has some creepy moments, I just found the game on the slow side that I was just hoping I was getting closer and closer to the end. It was pretty neat to switch from the original graphics to the updated graphics but I just don't really see myself playing this game unlike the other titles in the series.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
14
#14 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
41
#41 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 73 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 73
  3. Negative: 0 out of 73
  1. Xbox Achievements
    Feb 15, 2012
    83
    Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is almost as good in reality as it ever was in your memory. The graphical update is welcome and the multiplayer maps are decent if not amazing. There are a few rough edges and cracks around the once infallible gameplay, but nothing that would stop you enjoying Halo: CE immensely the second (or first – lucky you) time around.
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 19, 2012
    70
    Nicely done remake of one of the essential games among console FPS genre has the potential to surprise newcomers and thrill the veterans. [Christmas 2011]
  3. EGM
    Jan 3, 2012
    85
    It's an amazing piece of gaming history, to be certain, but a purchase decision still comes down to this: If you're a fan of the series who loved or missed the original, it's a no-brainer. This is one of the best pieces of fanservice our industry has ever produced, and you need to go buy it. On the other hand, if you're an FPS fanatic trying to decide between this or Rage or Deus Ex, you may want to think twice before dropping 40 bones on a shooter that doesn't quite stack up to the competition.
    Read full review
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