halo (Classic)
Matthew Cash
Bungie's Marathon was a huge success in the FPS gamer's mind back in the 1990's with a chilling atmosphere and fantastic story. That was what put Bungie on the map. Nobody knew what they would do afterwards and, after everyone played this bad motherfucker, the results were very much positive.This is a classic in every sense of the word and nothing a butt-hurt Sony fanboy can say will change that.
While the story is a bit convoluted, nobody back in 2001 cared about any kind of plot and it becomes quickly evident that the writers had a lot to say, but didn't have the game time to spread everything out. Gamers really didn't care one way or another, mostly because that wasn't what they played the game for. However, I have a basic beginning plot. The Covenant, an alien species, gets pissy and tries to kill mankind. Yeah, that's why nobody cared, yet it had some funny lines and had a sense of humor that no other game in the series did. The only source of ANY humor was Sergeant Johnson, the man who easily has the most personality than anyone in the franchise. He was the comic relief and everyone loves him to this very day.
And the graphics weren't too shabby for 2001, either. It showcased a great level of detail and an instantly recognizable art style. The soundtrack is also kick-ass with what is the best theme to any game, ever, and no one should be able to disagree with that. While the graphical obsession didn't start here for most gamers, it sure made those presentational whores happy.But that was still was never the reason people played Halo.
People played it for the gameplay and there's no doubt about it that the gameplay is some of the most smooth and polished FPS gameplay we've ever seen. To this day, many people still play this and that truly shows long-lasting fun and perfection in the FPS realm. The campaign, for the most part, had you going from point A to point B and killing any Covenant you find on the way. While it sounds really simple, that's only because it is. With this simplicity, people found a place to go when they needed to escape real life and few other games provided the addictiveness and jumping over hill in your Warthog (or Puma) and landing on an Elite. Damn that's cool.
While it did have the single-player, people didn't stay up until 3:00 in the morning for it. That was the addicting multiplayer. Slayer, Team Slayer, Capture the Flag, etc. were standard, but the game had customization to make most matches stand out from one another. Add that with cool gameplay modes like Oddball and you have the ultimate multiplayer shooter. This game bled "cool" and people were as addicted to it as a crackhead on crack. Even today, I and many other people play this game online until the wee hours if the morning. While today, we have even more customization and ranking and perks or whatnot, people didn't have that 9 years ago and people still log on every once in a while for its charm and community. While today's Halo games are filled with fanboys, the community of the original is laid back and usually friendly, not to mention that there are very few hackers these days.
Halo wasn't nearly as critically acclaimed back then as it is now, but there's one thing I'm certain of: Halo is the best FPS game of all time. With a distinctive brand of humor, a simple single-player, customizable multiplayer, and a friendly community, Halo stands the test of time. Everyone owes it to themselves to have this game in their collection and never, ever forget it.
Bungie's Marathon was a huge success in the FPS gamer's mind back in the 1990's with a chilling atmosphere and fantastic story. That was what put Bungie on the map. Nobody knew what they would do afterwards and, after everyone played this bad motherfucker, the results were very much positive.This is a classic in every sense of the word and nothing a butt-hurt Sony fanboy can say will change that.
While the story is a bit convoluted, nobody back in 2001 cared about any kind of plot and it becomes quickly evident that the writers had a lot to say, but didn't have the game time to spread everything out. Gamers really didn't care one way or another, mostly because that wasn't what they played the game for. However, I have a basic beginning plot. The Covenant, an alien species, gets pissy and tries to kill mankind. Yeah, that's why nobody cared, yet it had some funny lines and had a sense of humor that no other game in the series did. The only source of ANY humor was Sergeant Johnson, the man who easily has the most personality than anyone in the franchise. He was the comic relief and everyone loves him to this very day.
And the graphics weren't too shabby for 2001, either. It showcased a great level of detail and an instantly recognizable art style. The soundtrack is also kick-ass with what is the best theme to any game, ever, and no one should be able to disagree with that. While the graphical obsession didn't start here for most gamers, it sure made those presentational whores happy.But that was still was never the reason people played Halo.
People played it for the gameplay and there's no doubt about it that the gameplay is some of the most smooth and polished FPS gameplay we've ever seen. To this day, many people still play this and that truly shows long-lasting fun and perfection in the FPS realm. The campaign, for the most part, had you going from point A to point B and killing any Covenant you find on the way. While it sounds really simple, that's only because it is. With this simplicity, people found a place to go when they needed to escape real life and few other games provided the addictiveness and jumping over hill in your Warthog (or Puma) and landing on an Elite. Damn that's cool.
While it did have the single-player, people didn't stay up until 3:00 in the morning for it. That was the addicting multiplayer. Slayer, Team Slayer, Capture the Flag, etc. were standard, but the game had customization to make most matches stand out from one another. Add that with cool gameplay modes like Oddball and you have the ultimate multiplayer shooter. This game bled "cool" and people were as addicted to it as a crackhead on crack. Even today, I and many other people play this game online until the wee hours if the morning. While today, we have even more customization and ranking and perks or whatnot, people didn't have that 9 years ago and people still log on every once in a while for its charm and community. While today's Halo games are filled with fanboys, the community of the original is laid back and usually friendly, not to mention that there are very few hackers these days.
Halo wasn't nearly as critically acclaimed back then as it is now, but there's one thing I'm certain of: Halo is the best FPS game of all time. With a distinctive brand of humor, a simple single-player, customizable multiplayer, and a friendly community, Halo stands the test of time. Everyone owes it to themselves to have this game in their collection and never, ever forget it.