Halo: Combat Evolved - game of the year, game of the century

Halo is a sci-fi shooter that takes place on a mysterious alien ring-world. Packed with combat, Halo will have you battling on foot, in vehicles, inside and outdoors with Alien and Human weaponry. Your objective: to uncover Halo's horrible secrets and destroy mankind's sworn enemy, the Covenant.

• Huge weapon variety: Vanquish your enemies with a vast array of Human or Covenant weaponry ranging from the stealthy (semi-automatic pistols, Alien Needler guns) to the fierce (rocket launchers and assault rifles).
• Vehicle and foot-based action: Tackle missions any way you choose, be it storming an enemy base or taking the wheel or gunnery position of a variety of powerful vehicles. Vehicles range from stolen Covenant flyers and hovercraft to Human buggies, tanks and more.
• Indoor and outdoor combat: Fight seamlessly in Halo's ultra-realistic indoor and outdoor environments as you hunt the Covenant in dozens of single player missions and multiplayer battles.
• Intense multiplayer shootouts: Form a team, choose a role, and fight cooperatively with your friends, battle it out Deathmatch style via intense split screen combat or fight co-op with a friend through the single player missions.
• Incredible mission variety: Fight the Covenant in dozens of missions as you uncover the dark secrets of Halo. Attack enemy outposts, raid underground labs for advanced technology, rescue fallen comrades, steal alien vehicles and weaponry, and snipe enemy forces.
• Reality-bending special effects: Halo features the most advanced graphic system on the most advanced gaming platform in the world. Gunfire rips off the screen, explosions light up a living room, and environments blur the line between your couch and fantasy.
• Rich sci-fi experience: Halo transports gamers into a science fiction universe fresh out of a Hollywood movie. With a detailed twisting storyline, complex characters and cunning enemies, Halo fulfills every sci-fi enthusiast's dream.

Introduction

Halo is the best first person shooter ever made. it is not the first, it is not the most influential, it is simply the best. The combination of great control, amazing story, excellent enemy AI and slick level design adds up to a truly impressive game indeed. Is it the best launch game ever for a system? The single player game is a masterpiece, and the multi-player keeps you and fifteen of your closest friends warm for years to come.

Basics

The basic controls of Halo are simple and intuitive, but expert application of these controls takes time to master.

Controls

On Foot

right Analog Stick: Look/Aim Weapon
Left Analog Stick: Move
Right Trigger: Shoot Weapon
Left Trigger: Throw Grenade
A: Jump
X: Reload Weapon/ Get on Vehicle
B: Melee Attack
Y: Change Weapons (You can hold two at a time)
White Button: Turn on Lamp
Black Button: Cycles through Grenade types

In Vehicle

Right Analog Stick: Point Camera
Left Analog Stick: Accelerate in the direction the camera is pointing
Right Trigger: Shoot Weapon (If at gun turret)

Weapon Management

In Halo, you are only allowed to carry two weapons at a time: one in your pack, and one in your hands. This means you are going to have to be pretty savvy at knowing which weapon works best in which situation.

• In close combat situations, make sure you have a good run-stopper. The Shotgun is excellent for these encounters. The Rocket Laucher, however, is not, as it blows up in your face.
• Always be sure to have a quick-firing weapon. The enemies in Halo come fast and furious, and it is good to have a weapon that can keep up. An Assault Rifle is always a safe bet.
• Use your grenades wisely. do not waste a Plasma Grenade on a single Grunt, for instance. Instead, attempt to toss them into groups of unsuspecting enemies, or boxed in groups of foes. The less options you give the enemy, the better.
• If your weapons are full and you cannot pick up more ammo, but there is a large pile of it on the ground, remember the spot where you saw it and return there after you have forged ahead.
• Whenever possible, use the vehicle-mounted weapons to take down enemies. These weapons have infinite ammo and does not deplete your sacred hand-held supply.
• If a weapon is out of ammo, do not hang on to it. Any other weapon is better than an empty one.
• Always reload behind cover. Reloading in the midst of a firefight is a good way to lose shields and life.
• Tailor your weapon choices to the enemies you have be facing. If you are up against the charging Flood, it is a good idea to keep a Shotgun handy.

Combat Techniques

• Most of the Covenant encounters in the game are fought using some kind of cover. Dodge out and shoot, then return to a position of safety. There is plenty of cover in the levels of Halo. Wall supports, rocks, trees, columns all provide you an opportunity to fall back, reload, and not get hit.
• Focus on the small, nagging enemies first. Once the weak are out of the way, go after the strong. The less weapons pointed at you, the better.
• Fall back. Always fall back. When shooting at charging enemies, keep back-pedalling until they all drop. Or, turn and run, seeking a position of safety to regroup.
• do not throw a Plasma Grenade at a charging enemy. It sticks to him, and he keeps charging.
• There are a bunch of areas in Halo when you can run by enemies, but it is not wise in most cases. The AI is so good that usually the aliens catchup with you, and then you have double the trouble.
• When driving a vehicle, pick up as many buddies to ride with you as possible. They help out tremendously in clearing out the enemy.
• Use whatever you are driving as a battering ram. Running over most enemies kills them automatically, saving you the trouble of having to mow them down.
• If you lose all of your shields, seek shelter. The shields replenish as long as you are not hit. By being cautious and patient and using your shields, you can make it pretty far in a mission with only one health blip.
• If you can make it to the end of a fight without picking up a nearby health, do so. The longer you can hold out before fully healing, the farther you go.

Weapons & Vehicles

Pistol

Clip: 12/ Holds: 120

The pistol may be small, but it packs a powerful wallop, especially against the large Hunters found later in the game. The main problem with it is that the fire rate is not rapid enough to mow down charging attackers and it does not hold enough ammo for grand scale combat situations. It does, however, have a scope, which magnifies your target 2X. If you can zoom in on an enemy's head, the gun is powerful enough to drop him in one shot.

Assault Rifle

Clip: 60/ Holds: 600

The bread and butter weapon in Halo is the assault rifle. It chatters in your hands, it rips through rounds quickly. It mows down anything in your path. In the early levels in the game, it is the most effective and most commonly found weapon. The clip holds a ton of rounds, and it reloads quickly. The only problem with it is that against some of the more powerful or persistent enemies in the game, it may not have enough power. But it is a good gun to always keep in your pack.

Plasma Gun

Battery-Powered

The Plasma Gun is an alien weapon primarily carried by Grunts and Jackals (and later by low-level Flood). It delivers either short energy bullets or one large energy blast. An energy blast will completely deplete an enemy's shields, allowing you to move in for the kill. To do it, press and hold the trigger until a green ball of energy collects at the end of the weapon. Then let go. The Plasma Gun works great against the Jackals' shields, but is not powerful enough to take on anything too big.

Plasma Rifle

Battery-Powered

The preferred weapon of the Covenant Elite, the Plasma Rifle delivers a fast-paced barrage of energy bullets. it is great at eating through Covenant shields and taking down distant Elite. do not hold the button down too long, though, or the gun will overheat in your hands. This is a great alternative to the Assault Rifle.

Needler

Clip: 20/Holds: 80

While it looks cool, the Needler is the weakest weapon in the game. Like the Reaper in Perfect Dark, its ammo is too scattered and weak to be of much use. The only real advantage to this gun is that it will track its target. The pink ammunition burrows into soft flesh and explodes, doing decent damage. it is recommended you stay away from this one. it is no good against Jackals, and hard to use against crafty Elite.

Sniper Rifle

Clip: 4/Holds: 64

The Sniper Rifle is a powerful weapon, indeed. It allows you to strike at enemies from afar, out of the range of their weapons. To activate the sniper scope, push down the right analog stick, once for 2X and twice for 10X. Activate Night Vision by pressing the White Button. When using the Sniper Rifle, aim for the enemy's head. Certain foes, like Elite and Jackals, can be dropped with a single head shot. do not use the gun against the Flood--it is completely worthless. And never use it up close. The Sniper Rifle is a distance weapon, and is usually placed in areas where it will be used most effectively.

Shotgun

Clip: 12/Holds: 60

As in most videogames, the Shotgun is also the best weapon in Halo. The perfect close-range weapon, the Shotgun has serious stopping power, plus its ammo spreads to drop multiple enemies at once. Great against Combat Flood, the Shotgun is also an effective close-range tool against the pesky Elite. Two shots will eliminate their shields. One more will drop them. The only disadvantage to the Shotgun is the fact that it takes a while to reload. If cornered, reloading can be dangerous. Always seek safe ground before reloading.

Rocket Launcher

Clip: 2/Holds: 8

The Rocket Launcher is big and powerful. Powerful enough to take down enemy tanks. Powerful enough to drop hefty Hunters. Powerful enough to kill you if fired in close quarters. Use the Rocket Launcher to tenderize the enemy, or to get distant, powerful enemies out of the way before moving in to clean up.

Vehicles

Warthog

The Warthog is an all-wheel drive mobile assault vehicle, capable of holding you and three other Marines. Built to go anywhere, this is a rugged ride. Climb rocks, squeeze into narrow spaces and roll in the wide open. If you have someone in the gunner seat, they focus on the closest enemy and blast away with infinite ammo. The Warthog is a powerful vehicle. If you want to clear out a group of enemies, rev up to high speeds and drive into them. The Warthog is relatively impervious to damage. If it flips, get out and flip it back over (X). But be careful: if you flip your ride with other Marines inside, they could all lose their lives.

To drive it, you point the blue arrow (the camera) in the direction you want to go with the right analog stick, and accelerate with the left stick. This takes some getting used to at first, but always remember that you move toward the blue arrow, and things work themselves out.

Ghost

The Ghost is a small alien hovercraft that helps you traverse large distances quickly. It is mounted with energy pulse guns, much like the ones the Covenant carry by hand. In addition to moving forward and backward, the Ghost can strafe side-to-side. However, it is not recommended you use this as an assault vehicle, as its weapons are not strong enough.

Scorpion

There is much joy to be found when driving the Scorpion, a huge mobile tank with room for four extra marines. Pick up as many as possible to gather what amounts to a moving fortress. In addition to the firepower provided by the Marines, the Scorpion packs a double-fisted punch. The left trigger fires a bad-ass cannon, and the right trigger shoots a steady machine gun. The tank is also quite handy for running over even the biggest enemies. it is a little less maneuverable than the other rides in the game, but more than makes up for that with power.

Banshee

The Banshee is like a flying Scorpion of sorts. Since it moves in three dimensions, it is a little tougher to control, but again, wherever the arrow is pointing is where the Banshee moves. This alien craft also has two weapons: a powerful energy cannon on the left trigger and a pulse gun on the right trigger.