HALO

Halo has really come a long way since its early days in development as an RTS game. The first time anyone gave any real thought towards the game was when Halo CE was released as a launch title for the Microsoft Xbox. I still remember how excited I was the first time me and my friends had our own LAN party. For the most part, people considered this a great multiplayer game, but greatly lacked the ability of online play. If you were one of the people that thought this, you were wrong! Halo CE had the ability of online play through a program called Xbox Connect (XBC). Although not many people knew about this feature, and the abundance of lag sometimes ruined the experience, it did however change the way the game was played. Because of XBC, the competitive spirit of Halo players around the nation slowly began to rise. The introduction of Major League Gaming (MLG) is what really set things off. I remember in those early days, one would have to sometimes bring their own television just to compete. As Halo became more popular in the competitive scene, so did MLG.



The release of Halo 2, was in my opinion, the landmark moment for the series. The ability of online play was introduced via xbox live. I had always assumed i was a great halo player, but my mindset immediately changed when my team had our first scrim against StK. Halo on xbox live is what really set apart the gamers, from the not so skilled 10 year olds, with the vocabulary of a retarted sailor. Though my team suffered an embarrassing loss to StK, it just meant i had to try harder. Halo 2 completely changed with the introduction of the BxR and the DoubleShot. These were basically glitches in the game which gave someone who had mastered these techniques, a huge advantage over their opponent. Halo 2 is what changed the top halo gamers into nothing short of celebrities.



Ah Halo 3! It seems like I've waited ages for you to arrive, and now that you're here, I'm not too pleased. Don't get me wrong, it's still a GREAT game, but it falls short of my expectations. As of right now, I don't see Halo 3 as a great competitive game such as its predecessors, but what it lacks in that department, it makes up for in other ways. This game takes the cake if you're looking to have instant fun with your friends on split screen, or on xbox live. The ability to edit maps (forge mode) has brought a whole new aspect to the game and really compliments the creative minds that are out there playing the game. Forge mode works very well with the ability to share custom gametypes via bungie.net. I recommend the game to anyone whether you're a fan of the past games or not. Halo 3 is a fairly easy game to just pick up and play, and i promise you will have fun.



So out of the Halo trilogy, which one is my favorite?
The answer is simple..
Halo 2, hands down.
I'm sure many people will disagree with me on this, some people saying Halo 2 takes no skill compared to Halo CE, and others saying Halo 3 has more stuff and better graphics. Well if you really think about it, Halo 2 is what brought most people into the game. I find myself even now taking Halo 3 out of my xbox and replacing it with Halo 2. My opinion is subject to change since Halo 3 is still in its early days. Who knows what the future holds for this game?