Whew, what a rush of gaming excitement. Halo is the best first person shooter out there on the market today, and after a full year, it still is. It's a game that I can go back to and is even more awesome with two Xboxes linked up for 8 player mayhem. I am not sick of this game whatsoever. A first person shooter that has longevity should be on everyones gaming list. Obviously, Halo is on everyone's list who has an Xbox. It still has life after all these months and the only thing to top it is Halo 2.

Graphics

These graphics blew my mind when I first saw them in action. I couldn't believe how much detail was given to the enemies, your Marine buddies and you, the Master Chief himself. Every last touch, to the shine on armor and helmets, to the way the ground blows up because of a grenade are meticulously made. Master Chief in particular has a visor that reflects, although not real time, that look amazingly real. The Covenant are varied and provide different looks for the race. There are jackals, Elites, and Hunters. All of their character models are flawless and the animation for each is remarkable.

The scenery is no slouch either. You can actually see Halo ring around the planet if you look up showing how big this planet actually is. The terrain is well varied and you won't be looking at the same tree twice. My only gripe is that there were more outdoor environments to battle on because some of the indoor places are rather repetitive.

Sound

That chime of those monks in the beginning when you turn on Halo for the first time is creepy, but it fits perfectly well with the entire game. The sound effects are awesome to the assault rifle, to the sound of the scopes zooming in and out, to the death screams of the Covenant. Plus the music bumps in at the right time when you feel like you really want to kick some ass. It really gets the adrenaline flowing.

Gameplay

The controls are very easy to get used to. You can just pick up and play. And once you get your skills down, the Covenant will be screaming for mercy. The basic controls are the same for all FPS. Left analog controls moving forward and backward and strafing while the right analong controls the aiming. The other buttons are basically actions to perform.

The gameplay truly shines when you're playing co-op with another friend. Playing side by side with your bud is the best thing ever. If only it had 4-player co-op though. That would have been sweet. But then you can always kick ass playing against each other in deathmatch or capture the flag. Believe me, playing with 8 of your friends, playing capture the flag using the Warthog is a breeze of Oh my god. There isn't anything like it. Halo has balanced everything here in terms of gameplay. But when playing with only two people facing each other, it's just not that fun because it doesn't have any bots!! Hopefully Halo 2 will remedy that.

Overall

Halo is the best game on Xbox. Heck it's the best game of the year! And plus with Master Chief, Microsoft has it's mascot. He's big, green, and carries a gun. Who could ask for a better one? Play this game. You owe it to yourself.

--Alvin

"Yeah, this game is a year old, but it's still so damn good!"

Graphics - Great sense of immersion	9.7
Sound - Explosions, guns vehicles, Banshees screaming around above your head. Awesome.	9.8
Gameplay - Very deep gameplay. More fun to be had when 16 players get together. You haven't played Halo unless you played with system link.	9.8
Satisfaction - Satisfied until Halo 2 comes along.	10
Overall	9.9