Halo: Combat Evolved Review (bam!)
a classic old game that i hadnt played before. a good benchmark for its influence is that it features a tutorial that explains what hud markers are since it was a brand new feature at the time!
enemies run the gauntlet from reasonably clever alien soldiers to brainless swarmers, and the game decides to start focusing on the brainless swarmers towards the end game, even getting to the point where theyre infinitely spawning in certain areas, and it drags down the game. early and mid game, you'll find yourself feasting on large ammo caches and health kits, pushing into the unknown fully stocked, slowly bleeding your resources through the various encounters until you're in famine, and then stumbling upon another restock right when you need it. it's a very smooth and enjoyable pace. when the aforementioned infinite swarmers show up, this feast and famine loop is broken a little, and things start to drag.
some levels are awesome and memorable set pieces. some levels completely suck at direction or are way too open. flying the banshees feels awesome, but every other vehicle feels like dog ass on m+kb. personal take i guess. also there are lots of cool weapons, but nothing feels as good as the shotgun, rocket launcher, or rifle.
anyway this is a solid shooter with some bad levels and bizzare decisions. the art direction on the "remastered" graphics is completely awful and you shouldnt switch off of it. the vibes are off.