Halo: Combat Evolved

Halo: Combat Evolved arrived on PC in 2003, two years after its original release on Xbox, bringing Bungie's classic to players without a console as well. The player takes on the role of Master Chief, a genetically enhanced soldier who, after the crash of the spaceship Pillar of Autumn, fights on the mysterious ring world Halo against the invading Covenant race and later against the far more dangerous threat of the parasitic Flood. The gameplay is built on a combination of infantry shooting, vehicle combat with the Warthog or Banshee, and tactical management of the limited endurance of a regenerating shield, which at the time represented a significant innovation compared to shooters of the era based on collecting health packs. The level design alternates between enclosed interiors and more expansive outdoor areas, where the player chooses whether to go around enemies, run them over with a vehicle, or shoot them up close.

The PC version, worked on by Gearbox Software, added mouse and keyboard support, higher-resolution textures and models, and multiplayer over LAN and the internet, which made the game a rewarding starting point for modding and competitive community play around classic maps like Blood Gulch. Martin O'Donnell's music, with its distinctive chant and dense weapon sound design, gave the levels an epic, almost mythic tone that contrasted with the open battlefields allowing different tactical approaches to the same situation, and with the gradually unfolding story of the ancient Forerunner civilization.

The period reception of the PC version was more mixed compared to the enthusiastic console response – some players criticized the delayed port and minor differences from the original, while others simply appreciated finally having the legendary title available on computer with solid technical quality. Looking back, Halo: Combat Evolved is considered one of the key titles that showed a console shooter could have depth comparable to the PC classics of the time such as Half-Life, and its influence on the design conventions of sci-fi action games, from regenerating shields to sandbox combat arenas, is still evident today.

Why play: For fans of sci-fi shooters, it's a key title whose influence on genre conventions – from regenerating shields to sandbox combat arenas – is still evident today.