Halo: Combat Evolved

Halo: Combat Evolved (also known as Halo: CE) is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios as a launch title for the Xbox on November 15, 2001. It is the first installment in the Halo franchise. Multiple sequels and spin-off titles were released after the release of this game. It was followed by a sequel titled Halo 2.

Plot
Master Chief, an enhanced super soldier, must fight off the Covenant and solve the mystery of the artificial ringworld known as "Halo" and stop an even greater threat to the universe, the Flood, a parasitic race that devour and control its prey. Master Chief must also prevent the activation of Halo, which will destroy all life in the galaxy and in the process fight off 343 Guilty Spark who hopes to activate Halo to stop the Flood from spreading over the universe.

Why It's Evolved Combat

 * 1) Awesome controls. It's the first first-person shooter in the 6th generation to use a second analog stick for precise aiming, which is now the standard for nearly all modern shooter gameplay using controllers.
 * 2) The world of Halo is really interesting, especially the fact that "Halo" may look like a planet when in reality, it is a weapon of mass destruction.
 * 3) The level design is really good, with the levels set on Halo and "The Silent Cartographer" being a notable standout.
 * 4) Good story about a cybernetic enhanced space marine trying to stop an alien parasite.
 * 5) Great voice acting, especially with Steve Downes as Master Chief and Jen Taylor as Cortana.
 * 6) Amazing soundtrack, composed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori.
 * 7) It has some of the best local multi-player modes in gaming, with a multitude of game types such as Capture the Flag, Slayer (a deathmatch mode), Juggernaut, Oddball, and Race modes, and up to four player split screen and 16 players by system link.
 * 8) *Many of the maps are really good also, with Blood Gulch being the most popular Halo map.
 * 9) There is a lot of factions to battle, such as the alien race known as The Covenant, the zombie-like Flood, and 343 Guilty Sparks' Sentinels.
 * 10) The enemies are really great in variety, including but not limited to:
 * 11) *Grunts: They are small but deadly cannon fodder type enemies, as they can gang up on you if you don't take them all down. They can also run away cowardly if their leader is killed.
 * 12) *Elites: They are more powerful types of enemies in The Covenant, due to their shield and weapons but can be put down fast with a plasma pistol and a human weapon.
 * 13) *Jackals: They aren't hard hitters, but they have a powerful energy shield that blocks gunfire.
 * 14) *Hunters: They are easily the most powerful enemies to fight, as they have powerful armor and are armed with a fuel rod cannon that can destroy anything in its path.
 * 15) The Flood, while may look like space zombies at first, get more terrifying, due to their creepy backstory and the fact that they can utilize both human and alien weapons.
 * 16) Unlike a traditional health and armor like other FPS games, you instead have a shield generator to prevent you from being harmed. Each hit from an enemy lowers the shield but when not in combat or in hiding, the shield regenerates. Should the shield fully deplete, you will be vulnerable to damage and must pick up a health pack to restore your health as it doesn't regenerate.
 * 17) A multitude of weapons, both human and alien. Human weapons and some alien weapons need to be reloaded but don't overheat, while other alien weapons overheat and use a battery which when depleted becomes useless. The alien weapons are more abundant than the human weapons due to the Covenant having these weapons themselves.
 * 18) There are two types of grenades, both fragment and plasma. Fragment grenades are very useful for corners and plasma grenades can stick to enemies.
 * 19) When it got ported to PC, it was pretty good for the most part, as it not only contained new multiplayer levels and weapons, but also spawned a standalone game known as Halo: Custom Edition.
 * 20) It also spawned a remake of the game known as Anniversary, which upscaled the game to modern graphics and remade the music and weapon sounds.
 * 21) It had great graphics for its time and incorporated graphical details that weren't common at this point in gaming like reflective shading.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The PC version, while good for modding, suffers from some downgrades, such as broken bumpmaps, missing visual effects (such as transparent shaders), some more bugs, bad FOV, and more.
 * 2) The very infamous "The Library" level, which is widely considered to be one of the worst Halo levels ever. This is because all you do is follow 343 Guilty Spark around while he opens doors and you fight off the Flood, which is really boring in comparison to the rest of the game.

Reception
Halo: Combat Evolved received "universal acclaim", according to Metacritic and is considered one of the most important video games on the Xbox and sold over a million units in its first week.