Any console released nowadays requires that one game that sets it apart from the pack, a 'killer app' if you will. Traditionally these games are either platformers (read Super Mario 64) or fighting games (read Soul Calibur or Tekken Tag Tournament). To a degree Halo breaks with tradition (being a first person shooter) and presents us with a masterful science fiction tale that engrosses the player in a struggle for survival against the odds. Whilst being accused by some sections of the gaming community for being nothing more than a poor man's first person shooter (read frightened PS2 owners and Bill Gates haters), Halo nonetheless impresses with astounding visuals and superlative controls. Microsoft hit pay dirt when they decided to acquire Bungie as Halo is perhaps one of the greatest games ever brought to the console market. What's even more surprising is that it's a launch game and serves to demonstrate the X-Box's credentials, as a newcomer, on the console scene and the promise of things to come.

Gameplay:
First a concession to all the naysayers, yes, Halo is a first person shooter (FPS). That aside, Halo is undeniably the best example of the FPS genre as any other game available today. This is saying a lot considering FPS in general doesn't usually translate well to the console arena. However, Halo not only makes the translation but also makes it superbly. Halo starts off with the Terran warship Pillar of Autumn (PoA) coming out of lightspeed around the gas giant Threshold. It is fleeing the destruction of Reach (a Terran intergalactic shipyard) brought about by the technologically advanced Covenant, a collective of about several species bound to together by religious dogma and hell bent of the annihilation of humanity. Under the Cole protocol, any fleeing ship must not jump to FTL (faster than light) speed along Earth bound vectors. After making a blind jump the PoA finds itself staring down upon a massive ring system and awaiting Covenant forces that somehow got there before them. After the introduction you take on the role of Master Chief, last of the Spartan-II cybernetic soldiers designed to combat the Covenant. Covenant boarding parties make short work of the PoA and soon you and the AI construct Cortana are escaping to the surface of the 'Halo'. Not to give to much of the excellent story away, but over the course of 10 levels you and Cortana soon learn the sinister secret Halo holds not just for humanity, but for all sentient life.

Special note must be made of the controls first off. One of the primary criticisms of FPS on a console is that a controller cannot completely recreate the intuitive feel of a mouse and keyboard. Under normal circumstances this statement is true. However, like Starlancer on the Dremacast before it, Halo works surprisingly well with the controller. Initially I found it tricky to move and aim at the same time (I had to get used to two analogue sticks) but after the first mission the schema becomes second nature and by the end of the third you'll wonder why all FPS can't handle like Halo. You progress through well-detailed levels that take you outdoors, into mausoleum like alien caverns or running through the corridors of a Covenant dropship. When you first see the outdoor environs you can't help but say 'wow'. The levels are quite huge and on foot would take quite awhile to traverse. Thankfully escaping Marines managed to bring some dropships down with them and assorted military hardware, in particular the Warthog and Scorpion Battle Tank. Initially both types of vehicles are difficult to control, as the physics are extremely loose. But once you trick out the control system driving around looking for a scrap becomes great fun, particularly the Warthog with a gunner on the mounted LAAG gun and a passenger riding 'shotgun'.

You're only allowed to carry two weapons at a time and whilst this sounds limiting it's not as it forces you to think tactically about what weapons suit a particular situation. You're not limited to Terran weapons and vehicles either. Provided they're dead, you can procure Covenant weapons and armaments and use them against your foe (with surprising effectiveness). Armaments range from Shade gun turrets and airbike like Ghosts to helicopter like Banshees. The Banshees in particular are extremely fun to use and from the air you can really appreciate the vastness of the outdoor areas in Halo. One of the main criticisms of Halo is the repetitiveness of the indoor alien environments. To an extent this is true, as most areas look alike. However, the action that occurs within these areas is extremely exciting as the enemy AI is very intelligent and no two battles are the same. If you're planning on a Rambo style of play, plan to die very quickly. Just when it seems Halo is getting monotonous, it throws in some new element to make the action vital, just wait until you encounter the Flood. This is a gamer's game.

Graphics:
Halo's drawing card. The graphics are phenomenal not to mention ambitious. The environments are beyond belief (if repetitive in some areas), the characters well detailed and the set pieces well executed. When you play through Halo, the 10-15 hours it takes to complete it on normal difficulty setting, it feels like you're there in the thick of things. I won't go over ground covered more rigourously in the many reviews of Halo out there other than to say that Halo is unlike anything you've seen before. Perhaps the only sour note about Halo's graphics is the occasional slowdown. Halo runs at a steady 30fps but will sometimes drop below that when there's lots of enemies onscreen. This is forgivable given the scope of the game and the fact that it doesn't hinder the action. Extremely well done.

Sound:
Again, very well done. All the weapon sounds are convincing and you can tell an alien grunt is dying when he's crying for mercy as you bludgeon him to death (an extreme example, but you get more point). For the most part there is no music in Halo except when something new or exciting is about to happen. The game breaks out in an excellent orchestral score that gets the heart racing. It heightens the tension of the game and will having you humming the tune well after you've finished the game. Perhaps the only problem is that the gunfire and explosions sometimes drowns out the hints and tips Cortana gives to you. I had trouble sometimes hearing what she was saying over the din of battle. I'd pay money to listen to the musical score live!

Longevity:
Probably Halo's weakest point. You'll play the main game to death and the action is over too soon. In normal mode it took me about 15 hours to finish Halo. While the ride was exciting I was begging for more after the end credits had rolled. Thankfully Halo is very challenging on the Legendary setting and you get a slightly different ending if you manage to finish it. Thankfully the co-op mode greatly extends Halo's half life as playing with a friend is as close to gaming nirvana as one can get (provided he/she knows what they're doing), not to mention the plethora of multiplayer modes and the option to link up systems over a LAN connection. Once Halo has you, it's hard to put away.

Round Up:
This is gaming at it's best. No matter what your genre preferences, you need to try out Halo. Almost the perfect package. A brilliant balance between graphics and gameplay that must be seen, and experienced, to be believed. If anyone had any doubts about the X-Box's credentials as a console, Halo dispels them with a sumptuous gaming feast. Well deserving of a ten score.

Pros:

• Excellent game. An experience that every gamer should try.
  
• A new bar has been set for graphics.
  
• One of the most ambitious games I've played, it finally dethrones MGS.
  
• #NAME?
  

  Cons:
  

  • The main game is over too soon.
    
  • Slowdown.
    
  • The controls take awhile to get used to.
    
  • Some repetitive environments.