I’m not sure I’ve played all the way through the original Halo since the first Xbox. I had a friend who was mad for the game and that enthusiasm rubbed off on me back then.
Going back to it now (through the Master Chief Collection on Xbox Series X) makes me remember why this was such a big deal in 2001.
The levels are monstrously big, with seamless transitions between vast outdoor battlefields and tight indoor spaces. Compared to today some of the open spaces can feel a bit empty, but the addition of vehicles at the time made them feel huge and alive.
I’d never seen anything like the vehicles back then. The way you could bounce around in a warthog complete with a mate on the rear gun and a CPU marine in the passenger seat was unmatched - and then you found out you could pilot the Covenant opponents’ hovering nimble Ghosts as well. Wild. There was just nothing else like it.
The opening level Pillar of Autumn has you fighting legions of covenant enemies in close quarters as they attempt an attack on your home base ship, and leads to some real survive by the skin of your teeth moments. The Silent Cartographer’s mix of wide open areas and claustrophobic spaces complete with vehicles and heaps of allied marines who fight somewhat smartly alongside you is another highlight.
This high bar isn’t maintained the whole way through. In particular I found much of the second half of the game fairly tedious. Lots of repetitive enemy waves in repetitive indoor environments. There are cool story reveals during this time, but the playing of the game itself doesn’t hold up as well.
The final area however is incredibly cool. A final run on the Warthog across the spine of the Pillar of Autumn, against a self-destruct countdown (as so may good sci-fi endings do) keeps the tension high and the spectacle similarly exciting.
Halo remains great fun, and CE was such an enjoyable play that I reckon I might try jumping into Halo 2 soon, one I am almost certain I last played on the original Xbox version (and in an ill-fated co-op Legendary difficulty run that we never quite managed to finish)