Halo has been hyped up for a long time. Since its release, it has been the game of the year by many magazines, websites, and reviewers in general. Halo has been declared the single best corridor shooter of all time. Not since 007 Goldeneye have we seen such a sensation. Halo definitely lives up to the hype that was laid before it.

As a cybernetic soldier (a.k.a super cyborg) you must go around the ring world of Halo and destroy the Covenant forces that block your path and, at the same time, save your fallen comrades. Your ship has been shot down, your allies scattered across Halo, and you missed the last episode of (insert name here) Wars. What do you do when your last hope... is you?

Upon entering the title screen, I was greeted by the most eerie, church-like music I could have heard in a title sequence. Perfect for a game called Halo. I was also greeted by a scanning picture of the ring world, Halo. I went into the beginning menu and immediately made a file. When I started to play, (I decided to see what Legendary was like at first... oops) I was slaughtered quickly. From there, I decided to play on easy in order to get the game controls down pat. Once achieved, I went on to play at the heroic level. A grand game with an excellent variety of difficulty.

The graphics in Halo are incredible, especially for a genre that has, normally put graphics on the back burner. The Covenant are so detailed that you can see distinct markings on them. The GIs are so detailed that you can see the color of their eyes if you look close enough. There are awesome water effects. The scenery is so amazing that you can just sit there for an hour looking at it. Very impressive, even if I do say so myself.

From the Covenant grunts running and screaming for help to the GIs cheering you on, the sound in Halo is just as amazing as the graphics. Well placed screams from the cowardly grunts can make this game very comical as well as entertaining. The weapons can be heard a ways away from where they are used and the vehicles actually sound normal... impressive.

Halo is surprisingly fun. I’ve never been too into the corridor shooter games, but this game rocks the Gazebo! You heard me. I’ve never played a shooter this deep or this good. Grenades, guns, flashlights, and melee attacks are all different functions. This means that you press a different button to hit someone than you do to shoot someone. Fairly nice of a change. I have noticed that some of the veterans of the corridor shooter genre have had trouble getting use to the change, but that’s why those grand people at Bungie have given us the option of changing the controls to other types. WooHoo! ... sorry...

Bungie has taken an average genre that usually has less than average control systems and has created an incredible system of controls that only the X BOX and computer can do. With several different functions and easy movement, Halo has some of the best controls in comparison to any game. A good amount of freedom in the controls adds to the great feel of the controls. If you can name a corridor shooter with better controls, I’d like to hear it... well, not really.

The graphics in Halo surpass all the other shooters and, for once in a long while, we have a game that can entertain people who aren’t even interested in the genre. Controls are god-like in their simplicity, and the sound really adds a lot to the magic.

+ Grunts flee in terror when you show too much skill.

+ Multiplayer mode is very fun to play, especially when you annihilate your friends

- This only came to X BOX because Microsoft bought Bungie

- When you fall off a cliff, it shows an animation after you fall a certain distance instead of showing the entire fall.

? Why are your own soldiers harder on you than the covenant?

? What would possess you to listen to a robotic orb?

Overall (not an average): 9/10
Overall, this is one of the best games ever made