A PC gem, people will remember Halo: Combat Evolved for a long time.
So whats the point of getting the PC version? well if you have a xbox or a 360 then there is no point really, but if you dont have either of those then this game is a must. First, it is one of the best innovative and revolutionary FPS next to Half-life. It is cheap and most PC's can handle it, my piece of excrement PC can run it smoothly and it never crashes.
Anyways here is a traditional 5 step breakdown of Halo.
Gameplay- 9
Normal mouse and keyboard FPS action, anyone can pick it up right away. Only thing is the default controls are not that great, but the controls are fully customizable and you can use game pads and xbox controllers (not sure about the last one). The thing that stands out is the action, you have health, but you also have shields, so you can have one health bar and still take a few hits, because your shields recharge but your health stays the same. Your armor allows you to jump far, has a flashlight and thermal when using a scope, holds an AI program and is darn cool looking. The enemies and weapons make an FPS right? right, I knew you would agree. Halo does not have any ground breaking weapons, but is there any ground to break in the field of firearms? yes, but we're not there yet. The human weapons are your basic ones, but the Covenant (religious fanatical aliens and the main enemy) have some crazy weapons. There is a plasma pistol which can be charged up, a plasma rifle the basic Covenant gun (both the plasma weapons can't be reloaded but most Covenant carry them so you can get a new one almost anytime), the needler a magazine fed-homing-explosive round-automatic gun (my favorite gun ever) and plasma grenades which like blue fireballs and stick to enemies. There are more online and in Halo 2 etc. but those are the Covenant ones you can use, also you can only carry 2 weapons and 4 of each type of grenade (frag and plasma). Your opponents are smart and tough, they take cover, attack in numbers and come in many different sizes and shapes. Throughout the game there are automatic save points and nice level transitions, they are shown by removing the HUD, black bars come on top and bottom and the level name is in the bottom right corner. Online is a different story, being added in from the xbox original, it isn't fully implemented. But if you can find a server with less than 10 people and a low ping, then it is quite enjoyable. Dont expect that much from online though, treat it as a bonus. Also there is no co-op mode, bummer. Overall, Halo is just darn fun to play.
Graphics- 8
Not much to say, game looks great and everything and there is very little lag/hold-up. The frame rate can get some weird jumps on elevators and checkpoints but it doesn't ruin anything. The art style and character/enemy models look fantastic. Unfortunately online is kinda muddy and a bit washed out, but that is most likely my computer, your case my be different (and most likely better).
Sound- 10
A highlight of the game, superb voice acting, weapons sound amazing and the soundtrack is just awesome. Cant complain about the music/sound really.
Value- 9
Campaign is lengthy and there isn't a lot of replay value, but trust me, you will want to play the campaign again. Also playingbeating it on Legendary (hardest difficulty) is very fun and challenging. Online is a mixed bag, but it is still pretty good.
Tilt- 9
Halo is a classic FPS, polished and filled with detail... yup, tilt-o-factor reads a nine. (By the way, the difficulty is picked and there is no "variable" option like GS reviews sometimes have, also "just right" is not the same as "normal"... GS really has to give us more difficulty levels to choose from, where is "impossible" and "don't fall asleep" come on GS).