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Halo: Combat Evolved

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Template:Game Info Box Halo: Combat Evolved is a First Person Shooter science fiction video game, created by Bungie Studios, which was at that time a subsidiary of Microsoft Game Studios. It was released for the Xbox game console on November 15, 2001 and is backwards-compatible with the Xbox 360. It is one of the most popular video games for the Xbox, with over five million copies sold. Its sales are rivaled by its sequel, Halo 2 and later by Halo 3.

It was made available as an Xbox Original title on December 4th, 2007 for download on Xbox Live Marketplace for 1200 points [1].


Storyline

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Halo's storyline is linear; there is only one ending (in contrast to other first person shooters such as Deus Ex). It is presented to the player through an instruction manual, scripted events and conversations during the game, and a number of cut-scenes rendered using the game's graphics engine. This method of storyline delivery is common among modern video games. The Xbox version of Halo: Combat Evolved allows one player to play the campaign alone, as well as allow two players to play through the campaign in split screen. The PC version of Halo: Combat Evolved allows only one player to play through the campaign, unless the Halo Custom Edition program is being used, in which case, the campaign is disabled completely.

File:Halo.gif
Halo Art

Halo Combat Evolved Campaign levels:

Brief summary

Halo, like previous Bungie releases such as the Marathon series, has an intricate plot.

The "Halo" in the title refers to an enormous artificial space habitat similar to a Culture Orbital discovered by the warship Pillar of Autumn, which the central character, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, is aboard. With the help of his fellow marines and the ship's artificial intelligence, Cortana, the Master Chief discovers some of the secrets of Halo while fighting off members of The Covenant, archenemies of humanity who, presumably, wish to find Halo's secrets for themselves.

Backstory

The events which transpire in Halo's gameplay must be understood in the context of its backstory, created by Bungie and elaborated in several novels written after the release of the game. Noteworthy is its use of the oft-used battle between monocultural radicalism and liberalism. Also present, although less pronounced, is the likewise popular theme of blind religion (Covenant) versus free-thought secularism (UNSC).

A summary of this backstory is presented below.

Early Conflicts

Main article: United Nations Space Command

2160-2200: This is a period of brutal unrest in Human history in which Governments and Factions fight for control of Earth and its colonies.

As overpopulation and unrest mounted on Earth, a number of new political movements were formed including the left wing Koslovics led by Vladimir Koslov and the fascist Jovian Frieden (which attacked the UN Colonial Advisors on Luna) and UN-sponsored military forces begin a pattern of massive buildups which culminated in the first Interplanetary and Rain Forest Wars of the Jovian Moons Campaign. After the successful Marine attack on Mars, recruitment drives and propaganda tactics strongly bolstered UNSC forces. They defeat the Koslovics and the Frieden on Earth and crush their remnants throughout the Solar System: both factions were defeated in the face of massive, unified UN military.

The Human Colonization of the Orion Arm

Main article: United Nations Space Command

In the year 2291, the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) successfully develop humanity's first Slipspace drive, the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine. For the first time in history, the rapid colonization of other worlds is made possible. By 2390, 210 worlds have been occupied by humans, and are being actively terraformed to suit man's needs. These worlds are to become known as the Inner Colonies. By 2490, the UNSC's fledging interstellar empire has expanded to over 800 planets throughout the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. During this period, the planet Reach becomes the headquarters of the UNSC military, and is destined to become the most heavily fortified world under human control.

The Fall of the Outer Colonies

Main article: United Nations Space Command

Cole's fleet manages a victory at Harvest, but at a high cost - two thirds of his ships are destroyed. Despite significant tactical brilliance on the part of Human commanders, Covenant technology guarantees a four to one kill/loss ratio in most battles. One by one, the Outer Colonies fall below the onslaught, and by 2535, virtually all have been destroyed.

The Spartan Project

Main article: SPARTAN

By 2517, several years before contact with the Covenant was made, the UNSC military embarked on a secret project to create a group of elite soldiers that would deal with occasional unrest in the Colonies. Codenamed SPARTANs, these genetically enhanced troops were trained from the age of 6 into a life of battle, and became a great asset against the Covenant. While humans suffered defeat after defeat in space, they could almost always prevail with the help of the SPARTANs in ground engagements. The main character of Halo's gameplay, the Master Chief, is a veteran SPARTAN of the SPARTAN II project after an unfortunate failure of the first SPARTAN program. All SPARTANS were given special armor designated MJOLNIR, which can increase their strength and speed. They were the only ones who could wear it as those without upgrades would be thrown into convulsions and die.

The Battle of Reach

Main article: Battle of Reach

By 2552, many of Humanity's Inner Colonies have been destroyed by the Covenant. In a move of desperation, UNSC orders a secret plan to capture a Covenant ship using a SPARTAN task force and find the coordinates of their home planet. A group of SPARTANs, led by the Master Chief, are chosen for this mission, and board a specially outfitted ship known as the Pillar of Autumn (under the command of Captain Jacob Keyes). This plan, however, is interrupted when the Covenant launch a surprise attack on the fortress world of Reach.

During this battle, Reach is overrun and glassed, and the human fleet is obliterated. Worse still, the Master Chief thinks that all of the SPARTANs but himself are killed on the surface of the planet. The (supposedly) last remaining SPARTAN, the Master Chief, escapes with the Pillar of Autumn. In accordance with the Cole Protocol, the Autumn makes a blind Slipspace jump, and emerges in the vicinity of an unexplored and remarkable world.

Arrival at Halo

Main article: Alpha Halo

The Pillar of Autumn exits Slipspace to find a mysterious ring shaped space station orbiting a gas giant. The ring, quickly named "Halo", is obviously artificial and teeming with life. A Covenant fleet, however, is also present, and a subsequent battle heavily damages the Pillar of Autumn. Captain Keyes initiates the Cole protocol - all records of Earth's location are erased, and the Autumn is crash landed onto Halo. The ship's AI construct, Cortana, leaves the Autumn with the Master Chief in a Bumblebee escape pod which also crash lands on Halo.

Gameplay begins in earnest with the Master Chief's escape from the Autumn, and continues upon landing. The player will soon discover the origins and purpose of this world - and uncover a threat that forces even the Covenant into retreat.

As a literary sidenote, the ring, "Halo", borrows heavily from the Ringworld of Larry Niven and the Culture Orbitals of Iain M. Banks.

Main Characters

Main article: Characters
  • The Master Chief: The only SPARTAN-II known to have survived the battle of Reach at the beginning of the game. He is the character the player assumes during gameplay.
  • Cortana: The Pillar of Autumn's AI construct, removed from the ship by the Master Chief in accordance with the Cole Protocol. During most of the game, Cortana is connected directly to the Master Chief's neural interface, and acts to deliver tactical information and mission objectives.
  • Captain Jacob Keyes: The distinguished Captain of the Pillar of Autumn, renowned for his tactical brilliance in key battles prior to the fall of Reach. He was also part of the expedition to find candidates for the first SPARTAN project, of which the Master Chief was selected for, subject/candidate 117.
  • 343 Guilty Spark: The Monitor of Installation 04.
  • The Marines: The Marines of the UNSC are the best, but are struggling and fighting a losing war against the Covenant. The marines are the player's allies in the game.

In-game plot

File:180px-Masterchief-and-company.png
From left, the Master Chief, Cortana, and Captain Jacob Keyes aboard the Pillar of Autumn.

The story is presented through an instruction manual, scripted events and conversations during the game, and in-game cut scenes. The game begins as the Pillar of Autumn exits slip-space near a mysterious ring-shaped space station, called "Halo" by the Covenant.[2] A Covenant fleet attacks and heavily damages the Pillar of Autumn. Jacob Keyes initiates "The Cole Protocol",[3] a procedure designed to prevent the Covenant from learning the location of Earth. While Keyes prepares to land the ship on Halo, the Master Chief and Cortana escape via an escape pod, which crash lands on the ring.

Keyes survives the Autumn's crash landing, but is captured by the Covenant.[4] In the second and third levels of the game, the Master Chief and Cortana gather human survivors and rescue Captain Keyes, who is imprisoned on the Covenant ship Truth and Reconciliation. Once rescued, Keyes orders the Master Chief to beat the Covenant to Halo's control center and to discover its purpose.[5] The Master Chief and Cortana travel to a map room called the Silent Cartographer, which leads them to the control room.[6] There, Cortana enters the systems and, discovering something urgent, suddenly sends the Master Chief to find Captain Keyes, while she stays behind.[7] While searching for his commander, the Master Chief learns that the Covenant have accidentally released the Flood, a parasitic alien race capable of spreading itself by overwhelming and infesting other sentient lifeforms. Keyes falls victim to them while looking for a cache of weapons. The release of the Flood prompts 343 Guilty Spark to recruit the Master Chief in retrieving the Index, a device that will activate Halo and prevent the Flood from spreading beyond the facility.

File:180px-Halo master chief 343 guilty spark screenshot.jpg
The Master Chief (left) converses with 343 Guilty Spark.

After the Master Chief retrieves and begins to use the Index, Cortana re-appears and warns him against the activation. She has discovered that Halo's defense system is a weapon designed to kill all sentient life in the galaxy, thus effectively starving the Flood.[8] When confronted with this information, 343 Guilty Spark states that the installation technically only has a maximum radius of twenty-five thousand light-years, but that its pulse would trigger other similar installations as well, killing all sentient life in the galaxy.[9]

While fighting the Flood, the Covenant, and Guilty Spark's Sentinels, the Master Chief and Cortana attempt to destroy Halo before 343 Guilty Spark activates it. Cortana discovers that the best way to destroy Halo is to cause the crashed Pillar of Autumn to self-destruct.[10] However, Captain Keyes' authorization is required to destroy the ship.[11] By the time that they reach Keyes, he has been infected and turned into a Brain Flood. The Master Chief retrieves Keyes' neural implants directly from his brain, and Cortana activates the Autumn's self-destruct sequence. However, 343 Guilty Spark reappears and deactivates the countdown, discovering the record of human history in the process.[12] The Master Chief manually causes the Pillar of Autumn's fusion reactors to begin to melt down, giving him and Cortana only 15 minutes to escape.[13] The Master Chief and Cortana flee in a UNSC Longsword fighter just in time to escape the Autumn's explosion, which in turn destroys Halo. The ending reveals that 343 Guilty Spark survives the destruction of Halo. The story is continued in Halo 2. Template:Endspoiler

Halo: Original Soundtrack

The cover of the Halo: Original Soundtrack.
Cover Art

Halo Original Soundtrack, composed and produced by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori for the video game Halo: Combat Evolved, is one CD comprising 26 tracks. Some editions include a bonus DVD with game trailers for Halo 2. Most of the music from Halo: Combat Evolved is present on the CD, although some songs are remixed and some tracks are intermixed with others in medley form. It was released in 2001.

Future developments

The next episode in the Halo story, Halo 2, was released on November 9, 2004. [1] Like the previous fan-beloved Marathon, Halo 2 has a return of old characters and new technology in attempt to further a complicated plot line, the object of which is to be deciphered by the end.

A free mod for the computer game series Battlefield 1942/Vietnam called Homefront features Halo-esque and original content for online multiplayer games with up to 64 players.

Not only this mod, but many, can be found at various sites on the Internet at places like halomods.comand other sites. The customizable map option has become quite popular with the downloadable custom edition of the PC version, many maps can be found on these sites, ready to be opened and played. These maps can be made with 3D Studio MAX and the Halo Editing Kit.

Trailers

In 2000 at E3, Bungie showed off a trailer of the upcoming game to the public. This trailer featured Marines along with the Master Chief scouting out a Forerunner structure and the Covenant fighting them. This trailer was before the conversion to the Xbox as an FPS. Originally the game was to be a RTS as a computer game.

Apearance on the Xbox 360

On Tuesday the 4th of December 2007, with the fall update microsoft released a new feature: Xbox Originals. This was a service that provided classic xbox games as a 1200 point download to the consoles hard drive. All the games are indentical in every respect to the original version that came on disc. One of the launch titles was Halo: Combat Evolved, accompanied by a free dashboard theme and picture pack.

Trivia

  • Halo was originally being developed for the Mac and PC before Microsoft took interest in its development and purchased Bungie Studios (therefore owning a promising video game to use exclusively with its upcoming video game console, the Xbox).
  • On the campaign level "Two Betrayals", in the first cinematic shot, the Master Chief is wielding an MA5B Assault Rifle. After the cinematic shot ends, he is armed with a Plasma Pistol and an M90 Shotgun. This happens on other levels as well like The Maw and 343 Guilty Spark.
  • There are 8,087 lines of dialog, most of them randomly triggered during combat.[14]
  • On the Halo: Combat Evolved cover the Banshees in the background are shown in their pilotless stance, yet they are still flying. The same mistake appears near the end of Keyes, the Banshees that land with the dropship seem to be pilotless. And again, towards the end of The Maw, the banshees that shoot down Echo 419 appear to have no pilots.

References

  1. ^ http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xboxoriginals/default.htm
  2. ^ Keyes: While the Covenant had us locked up in here, I overheard the guards talking about this ring world. They call it... Halo.
  3. ^ Keyes: All right then, I'm initiating Cole Protocol article two. We're abandoning the Autumn. That means you too, Cortana.
  4. ^ Cortana: Warning: I've picked up reports that the Covenant has located and secured the Pillar of Autumn's crash site. Good news is the Captain's still alive. The bad news is that the Covenant have captured all of the surviving men. Let's hurry and find the final lifeboat so we can link up with the rest of the survivors.
  5. ^ Cortana: According to the data in their networks, the ring has some kind of deep religious significance. If I'm analyzing this correctly, they believe that Halo is some kind of weapon—one with vast, unimaginable power. / Keyes: And it's true. The Covenant kept saying that whoever controls Halo controls the fate of the universe. / Cortana: Now I see! I have intercepted a number of messages about a Covenant search team scouting for a control room. I thought they were looking for the bridge of a cruiser that I damaged during the battle above the ring, but they must be looking for Halo's control room! / Keyes: That's bad news. If Halo is a weapon, and the Covenant gain control of it, they'll use it against us and wipe out the entire human race. Chief, Cortana, I have a new mission for you. We need to beat the Covenant to Halo's control room. Marines, let's move.
  6. ^ Cortana: The Covenant believe that what they call the "Silent Cartographer" is somewhere under this island. The Cartographer is a map room that will lead us to Halo's control center.
  7. ^ Master Chief: So, what sort of weapon is it? / Cortana: What are you talking about? Master Chief: Let's stay focused. Halo: how do we use it against the Covenant? / Cortana: This ring isn't a cudgel, you barbarian. It's something else. Something much more important. The Covenant were right. This ring, it's Forerunner. Give me a second to access... yes, the Forerunners built this place, what they called a fortress world, in order to-- Wait... No, that can't be! Oh, those Covenant fools! They must have known! There must have been signs! / Master Chief: Slow down. You're losing me. / Cortana: The Covenant... found something buried in this ring; something horrible. And now they're afraid. Master Chief: Something buried? Where? / Cortana: The Captain! We've got to stop the Captain! / Master Chief: Keyes? What do we... / Cortana: The weapons cache he's looking for is not really... We can't let him get inside! / Master Chief: I don't understa-- / Cortana: There's no time! Get out of here! Find Keyes. Stop him. Before it's too late!
  8. ^ Master Chief: The Flood is spreading. If we activate Halo's defenses, we can wipe them out. / Cortana: You have no idea how this ring works, do you? Why the Forerunners built it? Halo doesn't kill Flood; it kills their food. Humans, Covenant, whatever; we're all equally edible. The only way to stop the Flood is to starve them to death, and that's exactly what Halo is designed to do—wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life. You don't believe me? Ask him!
  9. ^ Master Chief: Is it true? / 343 Guilty Spark: More or less. Technically, this installation's pulse has a maximum effective radius of twenty-five thousand light years, but once the others follow suit, this galaxy will be quite devoid of life, or any least any life with sufficient biomass to sustain the Flood... but you already knew that. I mean, how couldn't you?
  10. ^ Cortana: We can't let the monitor activate Halo! We have to stop him—we have to destroy Halo. According to my analysis of the available data, I believe the best course of action is somewhat risky. An explosion of sufficient size will help destabilize the ring and will cut through a number of primary systems. We need to trigger a detonation on a large scale, however. A starship's fusion reactors going critical would do the job. I'm going to search what's left of the Covenant battle net' and see if I can locate the Pillar of Autumn's crash site. If the ship's fusion reactors are still relatively intact, we can use them to destroy Halo.
  11. ^ Cortana: I've located the Pillar of Autumn. She put down twelve hundred kilometers upspin. Energy readings show her fusion reactors are still powered up. The systems on the Pillar of Autumn have failsafes even I can't override without authorization from the Captain. We'll need to find him, or his neural implants, to start the fusion core detonation.
  12. ^ Cortana: This won't take long ... There. That should give us enough time to make it to a lifeboat and put some distance between ourselves and Halo before the detonation. / 343 Guilty Spark: I'm afraid that's out of the question, really. / Cortana: Oh, hell! / 343 Guilty Spark: Ridiculous—that you and a warship's AI with such a wealth of knowledge ... Weren't you worried it might be captured, or destroyed? / Cortana: He's in my data arrays—a local tap. / 343 Guilty Spark: You can't imagine how exciting this is to have a record of all our lost time. Human history is it? Fascinating. / 343 Guilty Spark: Oh, how will I enjoy every moment of its categorization. To think that you would destroy this installation, as well as this record. I am shocked. Almost too shocked for words. / Cortana: He stopped the self-destruct sequence!
  13. ^ Cortana: That did it. The engine's gone critical. Based on the current rate of decay, you should have fifteen minutes to get off the ship. We don't have much time. We should move outside and signal for evac. Accessing schematics ... there's a service lift at the top of the engine room. It leads to a Class 7 service corridor that runs along the ship's dorsal structure. Hurry!
  14. ^ Halo Dialogue Statistics, from the source - HBO, November 12, 2007

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