Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Review (9/10)

When I first saw the critics' verdicts on Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, I could not quite believe the number of 8s and 9s that were being given considering that the 2001 classic original pretty much scored 10s across the board- what could have changed? As it happens, nothing...but strangely enough, that's the main problem. You see, whenever I pulled out my copy of Combat Evolved in the past, I unknowingly wore nostalgia-tinted sunglasses that made the experience seem fluid and damn near perfect, when in reality this decade-old title has some notable problems in the case of comparing it to modern day first-person-shooters. Before I outline Anniversary's shortcomings, though, let's look at the positives: above all else, there's an undeniable sense of true freedom on the Halo ring uncommon in the likes of linear blockbuster shooters like Modern Warfare 3 and Medal of Honor, making this feel much more like a series of condensed sandbox maps rather than a predictable sequence of setpieces. On top of that, Halo's engine remains just as strong today, still showcasing how Bungie managed to revolutionise the console FPS in 2001 and standing firm against the Frostbite and COD engines in its fluidity and handling in intense battles. However, do you remember how the framerate of the game was choppy at best in the midst of the major conflicts of the Human-Covenant War, even causing the console to crash at its worst? Well, perhaps due to 343 Industries working more on maintaining two visual engines at the same time (you can switch between Classic and HD graphics, and believe me, the latter style is beautiful!), this issue still persists the title throughout, and it can really jar the experience when you're fighting alongside a human army and everything slows down for a few moments. In addition, do you remember how hard the original was? Boy, does Anniversary pose a challenge for those of us used to the Master Chief and the UNSC's sheer dominance of the Covenant in Halo 3, ODST and Reach, and sadly a lot of the time this is simply because Bungie were accustomed to throwing us into consecutive shooting galleries again and again, placing enemy after enemy in unfair positions and leaving little in the way of health packs (yep, after your shield depletes you're reliant on your health bar) to rejuvenate. These flaws are the biggest setbacks for Anniversary, and if you're a relative newcomer having started with Reach then you're likely to notice the flaws more than most fans will. To be honest, though, for the most part I'm nit picking: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is still one of the video gaming greats, boasting a reasonably lengthy campaign and a host of memorable multiplayer maps, and above all taking the sci-fi movie legends of lore (there are tons of riffs on Star Wars, Aliens and more) and turning them into a genre-defining epic that will be remembered for decades to come. Now, if we can just get Halo 2 Anniversary out before the Nextbox...
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