Editorial | Halo: An 18 year legacy.

By Sam Coles:

These days people tend to think that the Halo franchise has stagnated, due to the last game Halo 5 being okay but nothing that lit the world on fire but it wasn’t inherently awful either as I enjoyed it for what it is. However it was the series that put Microsoft’s Xbox on the map and is a franchise that I love and fond memories of, where I could play with my friends as I play those long humid summer nights away. I want to look back at Halo as the franchise turns 18 years old this year, where I took a look at why it is special.

Halo was first announced at Mac World before the turn of the century and initially it was going to be a Mac exclusive, and at first it was not a first person shooter. Halo in its conceptual stage was an RTS, however a few programmers at Bungie played around with the camera by zooming into the back of a soldier, then it blossomed into a third person shooter. Then one thing lead to another and it became an FPS, but it was not destined to be an exclusive to Apple’s Mac but instead Microsoft’s answer to Nintendo and Sony with their own console.

When Halo first launched in 2001 I don’t think people were expecting much, however what we got was something we have not seen on a console before. Its level design was huge in scope, with big wide open spaces that were similar to Epic Games’ Unreal. The beautifully (at the time) rendered world of the titular ring was something to behold, as you ramp a Warthog through the rolling green hills to frost laden valleys. Not only that there are tightly designed indoor sections, but that is one of the criticism from both fans and critics as they tend to repeat and I agree.

The gameplay is what really stands out in this game nearly 20 years later; it really holds up and defined the next wave of console shooters where it excelled what Goldeneye laid out. By this point dual stick controls in console FPS were the norm, where a little unknown game on the PS1 Alien Resurrection laid down the foundation, where you move and strafe witht the left stick and control where you look with the right stick. It may sound trivial to praise this these days, but it was a very new control scheme back in the early 2000’s, where you had the stiff controls of Medal of Honor still being used.

The weapons were unique such as the UNSC weapons that were somewhat standard but had a unique look to them. Such as the assault rifle which was good for taking down Grunts, the shotgun, rocket launcher and of course the god tier pistol which was the cause of many arguments in multiplayer. The Covenant weapons are great with the Needler which can cause a chain reaction when you fire multiple shots resulting in a pink mist, to the plasma weapons which are good against shielded enemies.

The enemies are fun and unique such as the commanding presence of the Elites, the cowardly Grunts who run away when you emerge from the shadows to the imposing force of the Hunters as they destroy your shields with one hit. All have there strengths and weaknesses, where you have to utilise your arsenal to full advantage especially on Heroic difficulty and above.

How can I not include the music when I talk about Halo, I know the term epic is used beyond redundancy but Halo happily wears that title with its orchestral score. It even begins in the main menu, as you have that Nordic choir singing the main theme, which to this day still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up! Or one of my favourite tracks “Pale Rider” which compliments the action perfectly during the Assault on the Control Room level. It starts off subtle with violins building up the tension of the action, then a full orchestral sweep comes in as the action intensifies. I don’t think I can praise the soundtrack enough in Halo, it’s one of the main reasons why the series is truly iconic and is still regarded as one of the best games ever nearly 20 years later.

Halo is a series I love, yes it has had a rather rocky journey in recent years with such debacles like the Master Chief Collection, but it still has a special place in my heart. I recommend anyone to go back and play the original Halo and experience where the titular ring’s legacy started.