Halo: Combat Evolved

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.

Halo: Original Soundtrack
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. 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.


 * Halo E3 2000 Trailer

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.
 * 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.

Internal

 * Action Figures
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Walkthroughs
 * Halo Glitches and Tricks
 * Halo: Combat Evolved (PC) patches

External

 * Official site
 * Halo 1 Easter Eggs
 * Official Xbox.com site
 * MobyGames' entry on Halo
 * Halo.Bungie.Org Halo fansite and resource center
 * Subnova.com Halo information & FAQs
 * Halo for Mac OS X
 * Halo Planet
 * Halomaps.org One of many Custom Edition resources
 * 
 * Site with halo: combat evolved mods