GAMES REVIEW: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Yes, Halo has come full circle for the time being with this release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary which is a reboot of the first game with extra goodies and better graphics.

Die hard Halo fans will not be disappointed with this game, the action is fluid and immediate and for the first time, with Kinect support, there is the added addition of terminals and skulls.

The original game engine created by Bungie has now incorporated with a new engine by 343 Industries which is mainly responsible for the new and improved graphics, a nice feature is if you hit the back button you can play the game in classic mode (one for the purists) there will also be support for 3D television.

The beauty of this is if you already own Halo: Reach then you can download the maps without buying the game (of course you have to pay).

Or, if you are new to Halo, then this is a great introduction as you only need to purchase one game.

Campaign

Time to kick some Covenant behind!

If you are new to Halo then you are in for a treat, after all this is the game that set the benchmark for FPS games way back in 2001 and has had a devoted following ever since.

The game is a good stepping stone to the release of Halo: 4 next year and should recruit many new fans, both young and old.

It’s the usual stuff, running around corridors blowing up things and taking on a variety of insane aliens, love it!

We get to ride in the classic warthog jeep (which is still a pain to drive if you ask me) the only problem I found was when I jumped out of the jeep my crew disappeared!

So I ended up walking most of the time.

The vehicles are a great idea (especially the tank) but they can be a real nightmare to manoeuvre.

The campaign is overall fun to play and a great hail back to the old days before the likes of Call of Duty made our lives more complex .

Online campaign

Yes you can finally take on the Covenant in a co-op campaign with your friends and experience the story that started it all!

There are six new Halo remakes of classic Halo multi-player maps available to take you into the mind-blowing world of Halo.

There are plenty of new challenges available online, with never before revealed back stories that give us a teaser of what’s to come in Halo 4.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a great game and a good introduction to new Halo recruits but even with up to date graphics it is beginning to look a bit dated when you look at the likes of Crysis 2 and the Call of Duty Series.

But, I am sure the large number of fans will disagree with me and this is a great teaser in anticipation of Halo 4, which I am sure will be right up there with the big sellers, and I personally look forward to it so I give it a 9 out of 10 because after all it is still a classic and it will do well.

Review by Dayvid Ryan

Xbox 360

First Person Shooter (FPS)

Campaign, multi-player

Microsoft Games

Release date: 15/11/2011