2011 Most Anticipated Games #3: Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary

Ten years. That's how long it will have been since Halo: Combat Evolved provided the first must-have Xbox shooter in November. Without Halo, science-fiction in video gaming might not have developed so gracefully and powerfully over the last decade, and quality franchises like Dead Space and Mass Effect might never have been dreamt up. Yes, the game had its shares of minor gripes (most fans still shiver when they hear the words 'the Library level' uttered), but they were never enough to ruin an experience that played out with a structure not far removed from a feature film, plot twists and surprises galore. The story of Master Chief and his AI companion Cortana's journey across the first Halo ringworld, their discovery of the swarming Flood and their defining race in a lone Warthog vehicle to destroy the ring will never be forgotten by any owner of a Microsoft games console, and as a result reliving it in stunning high-definition is perhaps the most exciting prospect of 2011. We're promised Combat Evolved directly as we remember it ("Warts and all", but with more objective markers in the aforementioned Library segment as it was originally too difficult to navigate for many), offline and online co-op in the remastered campaign, multiplayer maps taken from across the trilogy- with the bonus additions of the Reach online modes-, and so much more, all for the cheaper price of just £30-35. Obviously PlayStation owners are less likely to have this on their Most Anticipated lists, but everyone else better get ready, because a storm is brewing for the return of the Chief next year in Halo 4, and this might just be the game that sets it off... Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is out November 18th.