Halo: Combat Evolved

 Xbox
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3080 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,658 out of 3080
  2. Mixed: 180 out of 3080
  3. Negative: 242 out of 3080
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  1. StephenS.
    Dec 30, 2001
    7
    Most things about this game are good...the sound, graphics, AI, etc, but its multiplayer just lacks what a first person shooter really needs. I remember when Nintendo 64 was new, and Goldeneye had just come out. At that time, that probably the best first person shooter. Then for the PC, Counterstrike came out. Counterstrike is probably still the best first person shooter. What I'm Most things about this game are good...the sound, graphics, AI, etc, but its multiplayer just lacks what a first person shooter really needs. I remember when Nintendo 64 was new, and Goldeneye had just come out. At that time, that probably the best first person shooter. Then for the PC, Counterstrike came out. Counterstrike is probably still the best first person shooter. What I'm really trying to say is that although the single player is good, the multiplayer really pulls this game down pretty far.… Expand
  2. Wongit
    Oct 3, 2004
    7
    I seriously, SERIOUSLY think this game is the most overhyped game in the history of videogames. What the hell? I mean its good, but its not super duper orgasm good. Single player is just mediocre, ive played FPS similar such as Red Faction. Trust me this game is not that spectacular. Sure its fun, but it seriously is over hyped.
  3. JerradN.
    Feb 19, 2004
    7
    A very fun game, don't get me wrong, but it is very overrated. 16-player matches, in depth Single-player mode, but that's about it. :/
  4. ColinM.
    Feb 13, 2009
    7
    First of all, I have to say that I am NOT a Sony fanboy. Now that that's out of the way, I can honestly review this game. First of all, the graphics are really nice for its time. It rivals ICO and MGS2. The AI is really smart, but the enemies are just retarded. They look like something out of Ratchet and Clank or Mario. The story is okay, could have been better. Soundtrack is epic First of all, I have to say that I am NOT a Sony fanboy. Now that that's out of the way, I can honestly review this game. First of all, the graphics are really nice for its time. It rivals ICO and MGS2. The AI is really smart, but the enemies are just retarded. They look like something out of Ratchet and Clank or Mario. The story is okay, could have been better. Soundtrack is epic though. Now the vehicles... The Warthog for example, looks like its going to be really cool, until you drive it... The controls are freaking crappy. I crashed so many times trying to get to drive with out skidding all over the place. It just blew up, taking me down with it. The bosses are good. Overall, though, I liked the game. But its not nearly as good as it was hyped to be.… Expand
  5. KevinH.
    Feb 21, 2005
    7
    The game is fun at first but after a while it just gets repetative. I would rather play a game that keeps my intrest longer. I agree with how the controls are wonderful, the graphics are great, and I don't even mind shooting the same enemy that is a different color. It just gets, boring. Still a good game to buy but don't set your hopes too high.
  6. JonM.
    Jun 25, 2005
    7
    A good game, beautiful settings, but after two or three times through, it gets boring, thus the 7.
  7. NaughtyDog
    Jun 12, 2011
    7
    Usually I don't like "space people", but that was before Halo: Combat Evolved came out! This is one of the best shooters I've played, seriously. And I really don't like FPS, but this game is fun fun fun fun fun. Halo: Combat Evolved is the best Halo game ever. Yes it is. The singleplayer is maybe "dull" if you know what I mean, but I give this game 7 cause of the multiplayer. TheUsually I don't like "space people", but that was before Halo: Combat Evolved came out! This is one of the best shooters I've played, seriously. And I really don't like FPS, but this game is fun fun fun fun fun. Halo: Combat Evolved is the best Halo game ever. Yes it is. The singleplayer is maybe "dull" if you know what I mean, but I give this game 7 cause of the multiplayer. The characters are stupid sometimes but that's nothing.… Expand
  8. steven14329
    Jun 12, 2011
    7
    When I first played Halo, I thought, cheesy space shooter with a generic badass main character and a **** story.... good gameplay, and playing with my friends was cool for a console game. I liked it enough. Nothing really special.... Now it's the most overrated game series of all time. Who knew?
  9. ezreal
    Nov 28, 2012
    7
    First of all, this game surprised me, a lot of things are very well done. The enemies are intelligent, some of the levels are really well designed and for somer parts, this game is just perfect. However, Walking threw the same corridors and buildings five times in a row is annoying and not fun. About 3 hours campaign should have been removed (recycling) or never made in the first place,First of all, this game surprised me, a lot of things are very well done. The enemies are intelligent, some of the levels are really well designed and for somer parts, this game is just perfect. However, Walking threw the same corridors and buildings five times in a row is annoying and not fun. About 3 hours campaign should have been removed (recycling) or never made in the first place, the other 6 hours are epic and amazing. The sequels are much better than this game and there is not that much story in this game. This game introduced us to a rich universe and offers some amazing and breathtaking Content, but this game itself is not a masterpiece at all. Too much recycling and streching made this game a lot worse than it could have been with a shorter campaign,which is pretty sad.… Expand
  10. Sammydidds123
    Jun 28, 2013
    7
    As a halo fan back in the day, I can tell you that this game is AMAZING! It's an all time classic, with an interesting story, fascinating mythoes, great combat, and stellar co-op. The graphics aren't great, but what do you expect from a game made over 10 years ago? Anyone who talks s**t about this game might have played it recently, thinking "Why are the graphics so crap? Uggh, this isAs a halo fan back in the day, I can tell you that this game is AMAZING! It's an all time classic, with an interesting story, fascinating mythoes, great combat, and stellar co-op. The graphics aren't great, but what do you expect from a game made over 10 years ago? Anyone who talks s**t about this game might have played it recently, thinking "Why are the graphics so crap? Uggh, this is just terrible." They wouldn't know a great game if it was stuck Infront of their face. So yeah, you can probably tell, I love this game, and it's one of my favorites.… Expand
  11. Rewaider
    May 11, 2014
    7
    Well, what do I need to say? This is ridiculously overrated! 9.7?! Are you kidding?! This will never be a classic! It's just one-in-a-thousand of first person shooters with a cheesy and not original story!
  12. dacritic82
    Aug 20, 2015
    7
    This review is for the version of Halo CE included in the Master Chief Collection for XONE, and I'm keeping in mind that it was originally released 15 years ago.

    Let's begin by saying that, though I wouldn't say the game is ripping off other IPs (either movies or video games), it's clear to me where did the Bungie folks get their inspiration from. Now the actual review. - Graphics    This review is for the version of Halo CE included in the Master Chief Collection for XONE, and I'm keeping in mind that it was originally released 15 years ago.

    Let's begin by saying that, though I wouldn't say the game is ripping off other IPs (either movies or video games), it's clear to me where did the Bungie folks get their inspiration from. Now the actual review.

    - Graphics and music: I loved the music, but the graphics are just okay. It's really cool to be able to switch between the original graphics and the remastered ones. There are some lighting problems and some areas are too dark, also ponds of green water where you can't see **** and you don't know where to go.

    - Story: It's nothing to lose your lose your sleep over, really. The Master Chief is utterly boring and uninspiring. Fortunately we have Cortana, his virtual companion, who can access stuff and guides you throughout the campaign. She's a lot more interesting and her voice acting is terrific.

    - Gameplay: the story is divided into 10 missions, taking you around 1 hour to complete each. These long missions are more like Chapters than actual missions (you have multiple objectives in each of them, which are revealed to you sequentially). I prefer short missions, where you can actually accomplish something during a small game session, other than just running from Checkpoint A to Checkpoint B.

    - Combat Mechanics: maybe this is the weakest aspect of the game, and here is why: there's no aiming mechanism, so you must get close to your targets in order to shoot them down. This is okay for the first half of the game, since you can kill them fairly easy without endangering yourself. But, the second part gets tricky. Enemies explode, throw grenades, or carry a rocket launcher, so a lot of them will instantly kill you or land a critical hit on you; while requiring many shots to go down. I also noticed that a lot of mob groups keep spawning on and on. So, oftentimes there's no point in stopping to kill them, your best option is just running for it.

    - Level Design: I didn't really like it. I felt like I was playing the same generic 3 or 4 maps over and over.

    - Enemies: there isn't a great variety of them. And no boss... yes, NO BOSS FIGHT! Huge letdown.

    - Weaponry: there are like 6 different types of weapons and you'll frequently feel underpowered (unless you have a shotgun with you). Ammo for the more powerful weapons is scarce, forcing you to switch, which is something positive.

    - Vehicles and turrets: this is also a great addition. I really enjoyed making my way through crowds after hijacking an alien vehicle or climbing into a turret (specially when ammo was running low) to obliterate incoming waves of foes.    … Expand
  13. Mitchzap65
    Apr 13, 2016
    7
    This game did not age that well, it is still a good game, but it does seem (at least in multiplayer standards) that gun balance was not really something that was paid attention too, it can be really fun and addicting, but as long as the other guy isn't camping the flag with a rocket launcher.
  14. therandomuser
    Sep 18, 2016
    7
    this game is a great game. the story is great, the multiplayer amazing but the problem is the campaign not the cutscenes or story but the gameplay. it feels like a chore to play i didnt have any fun health packs were too scarse on the mission the guns take out vechicles too easily if im in a tank, i want it to feel like a tank. but for a game this old the animations are great better than most
  15. TatsMcGee
    Sep 8, 2018
    7
    I have a confession to make, this was the first time I have never sat down and played through the campaign of Halo before. The sad truth is, I never had the chance. I grew up with Nintendo’s and PlayStations so when I purchased an Xbox this year, its the first Xbox I have ever owned. So naturally, one of the first things I wanted to play was Halo so I bought the Master Chief collection. II have a confession to make, this was the first time I have never sat down and played through the campaign of Halo before. The sad truth is, I never had the chance. I grew up with Nintendo’s and PlayStations so when I purchased an Xbox this year, its the first Xbox I have ever owned. So naturally, one of the first things I wanted to play was Halo so I bought the Master Chief collection. I plan on playing the Halo 2, 3 and 4 in the next several months.

    So looking at this game in 2017, it’s still a solid game with great shooting mechanics. I can say with absolute positivity that this game has aged well. Obviously, with the Master Chief Collection, it’s gotten some work was done to it aesthetically but it looks fine. The shooting felt very tight, I didn’t like the default control scheme but the game allowed me to change that and once I made the switch. It felt good.

    My big complaint about this game is the level design though. It felt like I would go through an area, reach the destination and then have to backtrack and redo everything I just did. In some areas, it felt like I did that multiple times. There were some levels where I just completely got lost because everything looked the same. My hope is the developers learned this and fixed this in future iterations.

    Halo is an iconic series and I feel like all gamers should play Halo and I feel more like a true gamer now that I’ve experienced Halo. Its still aged well and I do recommend picking up the collection.    … Expand
  16. razMN
    Apr 5, 2022
    7
    There's reviews from all the way back to 2002, and my review is from a "2022 POV". Halo has a good story actually, the external parts are well made and the graphics are among the best of its time, for sure.

    However, the main problems is that this game is a constant corridor, there's simply multiple parts that look exactly the same (I know, probably a limitation of that time), plus the    There's reviews from all the way back to 2002, and my review is from a "2022 POV". Halo has a good story actually, the external parts are well made and the graphics are among the best of its time, for sure.

    However, the main problems is that this game is a constant corridor, there's simply multiple parts that look exactly the same (I know, probably a limitation of that time), plus the fact that every enemy is a bullet sponge (even on normal difficulty).

    I realize it's an important game for the industry's history, but it's kinda sufferable to playthrough nowadays because of those two factros.    … Expand
  17. PedroRC19
    Oct 3, 2018
    7
    Um bom jogo nada além disso, não é um jogo atemporal igual Zelda Ocarina of Time mas é um bom jogo, não acho que 97 seja a nota merecida e também não acho que seja um dos melhores jogos da Historia, talvez pra época tenha sido inovador mas hj em dia é um bom jogo além do seu tempo.
  18. mikemormai
    Apr 26, 2019
    7
    Halo é um game muito bom , mais faltou alguma coisa nele, o game tem uma historia legal, graficos legais pra epoca, vale muito apena pra um dono de xbox
  19. Topo77
    Sep 14, 2019
    7
    Its a Master piece, one of the best games of all times, and one of the most important FPS in videogames history
  20. anykey_
    Jul 22, 2022
    7
    Halo Combat Evolved is an unfinished masterpiece. That is, she is tightened, she is trying too hard to be an arena. My favorite level is everyone's least favorite level with the flood. Everything was as it should be, dark, stuffy, scary. In the end, the game generally offers you to have fun yourself. Up to the level with the typewriter - Bibika. 7 out of 10. You also break your fingersHalo Combat Evolved is an unfinished masterpiece. That is, she is tightened, she is trying too hard to be an arena. My favorite level is everyone's least favorite level with the flood. Everything was as it should be, dark, stuffy, scary. In the end, the game generally offers you to have fun yourself. Up to the level with the typewriter - Bibika. 7 out of 10. You also break your fingers because of the control of the bible in the old way. In general, in the following heilos, there is also a problem with transport.… Expand
  21. SeuBelarmino
    Jun 1, 2020
    7
    Halo: Combat Evolved brought me good experience in terms of shooting bunch of enemies and kicking their asses most part of the time by you and you

    But without mention the badass moments of Master Chief, the game is pretty repetitive and linear, it lacks a lot about guns, enemies variety, and level design The plot is pretty straight forward, i kinda like the sci-fi cliché with aliens (my    Halo: Combat Evolved brought me good experience in terms of shooting bunch of enemies and kicking their asses most part of the time by you and you

    But without mention the badass moments of Master Chief, the game is pretty repetitive and linear, it lacks a lot about guns, enemies variety, and level design

    The plot is pretty straight forward, i kinda like the sci-fi cliché with aliens (my opinion)

    Gonna give it a shot at the other games, so i can compare better

    Still, it's a good game. Not that hype, but it's good and can make you have some fun    … Expand
  22. ewenr
    Jun 30, 2020
    7
    Played this game nearly 20 years after release so unsurprisingly it doesn't hold a candle to current generation games. However, it held up better than I expected and was certainly fun, if a little sparse.
  23. JohnnArmstrong
    Feb 14, 2022
    7
    I didn't play this game at the time. I played it just a few months ago at MCC and although it's entertaining and I understand its importance, the game has a lot of repetitive moments and the ending where you escape from the Halo facing Guilty Spark is a pain.
  24. L3Fari0us
    Nov 19, 2021
    7
    This review is from someone who has only recently experienced Halo: CE and is meant to help those who are thinking about playing too.

    Few are the people who don't know what Halo is. Even if you've never played any games, there's a big chance that you've heard of Halo before. That's how impactful the game was when it first came out. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of it back then and I    This review is from someone who has only recently experienced Halo: CE and is meant to help those who are thinking about playing too.

    Few are the people who don't know what Halo is. Even if you've never played any games, there's a big chance that you've heard of Halo before. That's how impactful the game was when it first came out. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of it back then and I never played games growing up, so I didn't care for any of it.

    Playing Halo in 2021, in order to fully enjoy what it brought to the table you have to experience other games from that era, without it, you'll never truly understand why it's praised. Either way:

    The gameplay still feels tremendously solid and it's always fun. The story wasn't. By today's standards, the campaign is pretty much just a backdrop for the action which you don't really pay attention to. Its most impactful moments felt flat to me; it didn't help I was spoiled on one of those. The mission design was also extremely boring, there are some missions which is the same copy and paste room over and over and over, always fighting the same enemy faction. There is also one mission which asks the player to traverse the environment that they already played through during the previous mission. The lack of waypoints during those, coupled with the same bland looking rooms made it so I pulled a YouTube guide more than once to figure out where to go. The score is phenomenal when it actually plays, which is not very often. The lack of score for a lot of the moments are praised by a lot of fans but to me it made the environments feel even more bland when all I could hear were my footsteps in a massive cargo bay while I tried to look for a button to press in order to progress, for example.

    Overall, while I have nothing but the utmost respect for Bungie for creating such a massive and innovating game, back when it first came out, it, sadly, in my eyes, just doesn't stand up to the test of time, besides the gameplay and soundtrack.    … Expand
  25. Mr_Nobody34
    Jan 14, 2022
    7
    Ratings for the time period it came out
    Story : 8
    Gameplay : 8
    Graphics : 9
    Fun factor : 8
    Environment interaction : 2
    Sound effects : 6
    Overall Immersion : 8
  26. RefinedInsights
    Aug 16, 2023
    7
    One of the most overrated games of all time; not sure how this game became so popular; the campaign is boring, I gues multiplayer is fun, but that's about it.
  27. AdrienV.
    Jan 10, 2008
    6
    It was a rainy day. I bought it played it. Nothing great. Very simple, nothing very stand-out. When I bought half life 1 I stopped caring about graphics as much and i realised that there was not much to this game. Fun for an hour, then just drop it and buy something else.
  28. ProfessorFrink
    Jun 14, 2004
    6
    Before all of you die-hard fans start plotting my death, this isn't a horrible game. Obviously, there are worse out there. But this is not a perfect game, either. The levels remind me of Doom with better graphics. In some buildings, you find room upon room of beds, machinery, emptiness, etc. that you have no idea what they do. They all look the same. After you've played through Before all of you die-hard fans start plotting my death, this isn't a horrible game. Obviously, there are worse out there. But this is not a perfect game, either. The levels remind me of Doom with better graphics. In some buildings, you find room upon room of beds, machinery, emptiness, etc. that you have no idea what they do. They all look the same. After you've played through about half of it you get bored of how this is green or that kind of building is always purple of that creature is always yellow and it just doesn't have the appeal anymore. But the biggest problem of the game would have to be in it's multiplayer. It's one of the cheapest I've ever played in this aspect. You could just hide in one room and pick off people as they come in with a shotgun. Also, sniping is totally unfair, as it is really powerful, health is really too low, and what's up with the melee attack?(hitting people) I charged up my plasma pistol and shot someone in the head with it but hardly made a dent, then they hit me with the SAME weapon and killed me in 1 or 2 hits! The vehicles especially are too cheap, namely, the tank. The huge arenas are also unnecessary as there are usually only 2 to 4 people playing. (unless online). Also, if you think about it, Halo isn't really that new. We've all seen the plasma this, and the laser that, and the ones in Halo aren't exactly totally different. The grenades are all glitched. It's too easy to throw a grenade from like a hundred feet away and kill someone immedietaly. This is not a game that could be improved that much more, so I'm not expecting Halo 2 to be the "Best Game Of The Year" … Expand
  29. Jfray
    Oct 19, 2005
    6
    I don't know why this game is so highly rated...just another shooter game.
  30. NoahT.
    Oct 7, 2007
    6
    Halo 2 and Halo 3 are masterpieces of the first-person shooter genre and deserve the incredibly high scores they received, but Master Chief's first adventure is vastly overrated. Yes, the graphics are incredible, voice acting is top-notch and there quite a few innovative gameplay concepts thrown around. But what really kills this game is level design. You often visit a singular zone Halo 2 and Halo 3 are masterpieces of the first-person shooter genre and deserve the incredibly high scores they received, but Master Chief's first adventure is vastly overrated. Yes, the graphics are incredible, voice acting is top-notch and there quite a few innovative gameplay concepts thrown around. But what really kills this game is level design. You often visit a singular zone many, many times throughout your adventure, and the repetitive level design and enemies, not to mention the repetitive level design and enemies (oh yeah, did I tell you about the the repetitive level design and enemies?) are cause for frustration and disappointment. Skip this one and get the two sequels instead. They are far superior.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Xbox Game of 2001
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2001
1
#1 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
97

Universal acclaim - based on 68 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 68
  3. Negative: 0 out of 68
  1. Xbox Nation Magazine
    100
    Halo is quite simply the closest thing we have ever experienced to a living, breathing alternate universe. [Jan 2002, p.72]
  2. GMR Magazine
    100
    The definitive reason to own an Xbox. [Feb 2003, p.95]
  3. Gamestyle
    100
    When you finally set down the controller the first time, and eventually hunger or exhaustion do force all of us to take a break, Halo has pulled you completely into its world and started one of the best sci-fi gaming adventures of all time.
    Read full review
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