3.5/5 ★ – cjfelty3396's review of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

It is unfair to start any review of Halo: Combat Evolved without acknowledging that most of my gaming history is held up by this giant — the game that really proved first person shooters belonged on consoles. With that out of the way, I am so glad that this game offers co-op campaign, and I was able to play with my best friend, because I would have quit the game halfway through the first leg of “Assault on the Control Room,” because dang, does this game struggle with repetitive environments that just aren’t interesting to fight through after the first time or two (out of 10+ times). To compound this struggle, EVERY time (save one) that the game got too repetitive, it made sure that you would have to fight through the same exact environment a second time for another level, this time with different enemies. When people talk about the artificial bloating of games for the sake of selling “a lot of bang for your buck,” Halo: Combat Evolved should be the very first game anyone mentions. Having got that rant out of the way, the gunplay in this game is so much fun, especially with a co-op partner! Encounters are incredibly balanced to keep both players active and engaged in the fight. Every time a Hunter showed up, or a special Elite, the callouts were real as we tried to strafe the enemy, sticking the enemy with a plasme grenade while leaving space to not kill one another with friendly fire. I love when games actually require that kind of conversation, and it was constant through the entire campaign. Finally, the story of Halo really isn’t over-praised — this is one of the most interesting sci-fi worlds in video games, and the moral dilemmas put forward are exciting to follow, as are the twists and turns of the narrative. At the end of the day, there are questions I have when I think about the story too much, especially with the presentation of a catastrophic answer to the main problem as the only option, but the popcorn effect and sense of consequence is awesome! I absolutely enjoyed the cutscenes all throughout the game, but they weren’t too numerous to draw away from the gameplay. Listen, you have to play this game if you are interested in video game history, and it really is worth your time — just know that it hasn’t aged well, and my score reflects the experience of playing this game for the first time in 2022.