Million-seller

Angelic

Editor’s Note: The mouse cursor kept appearing in our screenshots, but this is solely the fault of our image capture utility. It is never visible while playing Halo.

Halo’s path towards the PC has been long and arduous. Originally slated as a Mac and PC game, it drew many comparisons to the Tribes series with its lush outdoor environments and vehicles. Things progressed this way for some time until Microsoft got it its head to create a console. Thus was born the Xbox, and an urgent need for exclusive Xbox killer apps. Bungie, Halo’s developer, was swallowed up in Microsoft’s efforts to lock up titles for its console.

Sky arches

Crash landing

Hoo boy

Halo went on to become the Xbox’s best-seller and one of the best launch titles ever. Few games, before or since, have managed not only to make such an initial impact but maintain their staying power. Halo is still selling so well that it hasn’t yet been cut down to the budget aisles.

Of course, those computer gamers – particularly PC gamers – are a little miffed that the company that’s supposed to be representing them has hijacked one of ‘their’ games for its own purposes. Fortunately, almost two years after its Xbox debut, Halo is finally coming to PC.

Initial impressions

Of course, two years of time has a way of taking its toll on a game. Halo looked incredible on the Xbox when launched, but the years and the high-res screen have a way of tarnishing that great image. The days when we were wowed by screenshots of a Warthog kicking up dirt behind itself are long gone but Halo has a certain charm that hasn’t been matched by any other game I’ve played.

Sole survivor

Waterfall

Incoming

Halo’s greatest asset was a sense of atmosphere and establishment. Though it is the first (and thus far only) game in its setting, the world feels very fleshed out and it’s easy to slip into it. The first time someone sees Star Wars, they don’t need explanations to know that the Empire is an evil, gargantuan, nigh-on-invincible military juggernaut trying to swat the pesky-but-resilient Rebel Alliance, or that an Imperial Star Destroyer is not a ship to be trifled with. Halo has the same effect; you have no idea who the Covenant are or what the back-story is, but the Covenant has character and is clearly the enemy. The incredible outdoor designs and consistent (maybe a little too consistent) interior designs reinforce this sense of familiarity.