100
Halo is quite simply the closest thing we have ever experienced to a living, breathing alternate universe. [Jan 2002, p.72]
100
The definitive reason to own an Xbox. [Feb 2003, p.95]
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.
0
After playing this game, I’ve decided I’m no longer above beating the **** out of a woman. Everybody who took part in this Gabe’s development needs to get punched in the jaw.
1
Repetitive Level Design and CorridorsThe single biggest complaint about the original Halo is its indoor level design. Because of tight development deadlines and the hardware limitations of the original Xbox, Bungie relied heavily on copy-pasting rooms.Infinite Corridors: Levels like "The Library" and "Assault on the Control Room" force you to fight through endless, identical-looking geometric hallways.Backtracking Slog: The second half of the game recycling the exact same maps from the first half—just in reverse and with different enemy placement—can make the campaign feel incredibly tedious and bloated.️ Severe Sandbox ImbalanceThe weapon balance in Halo: CE is notoriously lopsided compared to its **** Overpowered Pistol: The standard M6D Magnum is a "pocket sniper" capable of killing enemies across the map in three shots, effectively making weapons like the Assault Rifle, Plasma Rifle, and Needler completely obsolete for optimal play.Instant Death Mechanics: The introduction of the Flood faction replaces tactical firefights with chaotic spam. On higher difficulties, encountering a Flood combat form wielding a rocket launcher results in instant, unavoidable deaths from across a room.Grenade Chain Reactions: Grenades have massive blast radiuses and drop frequently, triggering cascading nuclear-style chain explosions on the floor that can instantly wipe you out long after a fight ends. Dated and Clunky MechanicsFeatures that are standard in modern shooters are completely absent, making the game feel sluggish to **** Sprint or Ability to Run: Players are forced to walk at a uniform, slow pace through massive, empty levels.Erratic Vehicle Physics: The iconic Warthog jeep relies on physics that feel highly floaty and erratic, making it frustratingly easy to flip over on minor **** Aim-Down-Sights (ADS): True aiming is restricted solely to scoped weapons like the Pistol and Sniper Rifle, forcing reliance on loose hip-fire for everything else. Busted Modern PC PortsMany players who think Halo: CE is terrible today are actually experiencing the Gearbox PC port (which heavily influenced subsequent releases, including the Master Chief Collection). This version famously broke the game's original visual aesthetic by ruining transparent textures, breaking the atmospheric fog, fracturing enemy AI behaviors, and muddying the original Xbox's advanced bump **** you are trying to get into the series, what platform or version of the game are you currently playing? I can recommend specific mods (like the Refined Mod) or optimal gameplay settings to make the experience feel significantly smoother.
9
Most decent version ever created for a Halo campaign. The graphics, the story and the playing experiencia overpasses any other previous version of the saga so far
Halo: Combat Evolved
Xbox
Released On:
Nov 15, 2001
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
97
User score
Generally Favorable
8.6
My Score
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Metascore
Universal Acclaim
97
100% Positive
68 Reviews
68 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
Surprisingly impressive. In fact, the enemy and ally A.I. is done extremely well. Even on lower difficulties, you'll find enemies give you a challenge.
100
Your objectives are simple enough that you never have to flip switches, jump over pits or hunt down missing keys, but at the same time the smart enemies, brilliant level design and strategic combat will tax your brain more than any scavenger hunt ever could.
User score
Generally Favorable
8.6
84% Positive
3034 Ratings
3034 Ratings
9% Mixed
324 Ratings
324 Ratings
7% Negative
242 Ratings
242 Ratings
Jul 26, 2026
10
Es lo mejorcito que a sacado Halo studios y leer los lloros de los bungielover me pone palote jja
Jul 22, 2026
10
The atmosphere, gameplay, music, lore, scenery and design are all beautiful in this game. Hands down the game id take with me if I could only have 1.
100
A game that will become the new benchmark for first person shooters. Quite frankly, it's one of the better ones that I have seen in a long time, at least since Half Life.
98
From the look and feel of the game to its balanced learning curve and careful pacing, every aspect of Halo has been polished to perfection.
96
Not only the perfect next-generation first person shooter, it has redefined the genre, on a console no less. Never before has a combat game been so amazing in every way.
90
Though all of the vehicles, especially the Warthog, are given odd control mechanics, playing with the vehicles adds quite a bit of enjoyment to the otherwise standard FPS game mechanics.
80
The first half is fast, exciting, beautifully designed and constantly full of surprises. The second half is festooned with gobsmacking plot twists and great cinematics but let down by repetitive paint by numbers level design.
Jun 28, 2026
10
I still can’t get over how incredible Halo: Combat Evolved is, even after all these years. It’s a flat-out masterpiece that completely changed the game for first-person shooters. Before Halo, playing an FPS on a console usually felt clunky and awkward, but Bungie absolutely nailed it. They basically invented the modern shooter blueprint by giving us the two-weapon limit, the recharging shield, and controls that actually felt natural on a controller. Dropping onto that ring for the first time and seeing those massive, wide-open landscapes gave you this insane sense of scale and tactical freedom that no other game had at the time. The enemy AI is brilliantly smart, the vehicle combat is a blast, and that legendary soundtrack still gives me goosebumps every single time. It’s the ultimate sci-fi epic, and the core gameplay loop is still just as satisfying today as it was back then. An absolute 10/10.
Apr 10, 2026
7
the gameplay's still fun, it's halo. BUT OH MY GOD WHO THOUGHT THE ENTIRE LAST QUARTER OF THE GAME WAS A GOOD IDEA
Sep 27, 2024
7
Je met 7 parce que je trouve que les niveaux sont très répétitif. Malgrés tout pour l’époque c’était une belle promesse et le lore est très sympa.
Dec 16, 2022
4
Unfortunately, this is what Microsoft company understands from the game. The interesting part is that most of the video game reviewers do not understand only the simple and non-development game genres such as FPS and Sports, let's move on to the review without further ado. First of all, is the game good, which is the exaggerated part? Unfortunately, the game is a disgrace, let alone being bad. We can use a maximum of two weapons with an incredible variety of weapons throughout the game, which makes the game incredibly boring and repetitive, not only mechanically, but also as a level design, the game makes you walk around the same places like a closed box from start to finish. Designs and mechanics Aside from the constant repetition, the game's lack of variety is another matter. Let's come to the most praised subject of the game, artificial intelligence, yes, artificial intelligence has proven that it is good at microsoft software, as never before in the game world. Enemies analyze your movements and play against you, and in the game This is the only tangible thing. Unfortunately, the game makes the only good part of it useless due to its crappy mechanics, level designs and diversity. This game is neither an Arcade FPS or a Realistic FPS, a game that failed both. Stop comparing it to Unreal gold and Quake 2. Serious sam The first encounter opponent I can't even say that if these games are masterpieces, this game is a disgrace. As for the score of the game, it's 42/100
SummaryIn a desperate attempt to keep a conquering alien race called the Covenant from finding Earth, you--a cybernteically enhanced soldier representing the peak of human military evolution--and a ragtag group of Marines flee to a distant uncharted system where you unexpectedly stumble across Halo, an enormous alien artifact in orbit between a... Read More
Rated Mfor Mature
Platforms:
- PC
- Xbox
Initial Release Date:Nov 15, 2001
Developer:
Publisher:
