Summary
The world of video games was very different in 2001, before the release of the very firstHalogame. It is hard to imagine a time whenMaster Chief wasn’t an instantly recognizable gaming mascot,and the Xbox wasn’t one of the leading consoles on the market. The franchise has gone on to release a string of sequels and spin-offs since this original game, and players have repeatedly fallen in love with the franchise by playing both the single-player campaigns and in online competitive matches. However, Halo has been a lot more successful than most gamers realize.
Halois an incredibly influential franchise, and many video game fans from the time can pinpoint the release of this game as the day the industry changed forever. Many newer franchises have modeled themselves on some of the innovations made in this first game, andHalocontinues to be an influential presence in gaming today.
6Establishing Xbox As A Viable Console
Games Influenced: Gears of War, Fable, Sea of Thieves
There was a time in gaming when most console fans would only argue that either Sony or Nintendo had the best console on the market. That is why Microsoft had its work cut out trying to break into the gaming market when it announced it was releasing the Xbox in 2001. For the console to succeed, it needed to provide some hardware that could rival the already-released PS2 and previously announced GameCube. Also, it had to provide games that made peoplewant to buy a brand-new console.
Microsoft made a great decision by includingHalo: Combat Evolvedas the console’s first exclusive title.The game was so popularand revolutionary that it got gamers talking about the new Xbox as a viable console. Since then, Microsoft has continued to be a huge player in the game’s console market, but this success would not have happenedif not for the release ofHalo.
5Making Console Shooters Mainstream
Games Influenced: Battlefield, Wolfenstein, Borderlands, Fallout
First-person shooters have been a stapleof the gaming industry since the early 1973’sMaze Wars. Unfortunately for console gamers, these games were usually only available on arcade machines or the PC before the year 2001. It seemed that console gaming devices were not precise enough to accurately allow players to aim their weapons in the way the developers intended. That is, until Halo was released.
The first Xbox utilized a dual analog stick control system in its games that has become standard in today’s world. This precise movement made it possible for players to have the utmost control over their video games. This also meant that first-person shooters were now a viable genre for console gamers. This innovation has led to huge FPS franchises being released in the years since. The Call of Duty franchisehas sold over 400 million copies,and it is all thanks to Halo.
4Online Multiplayer Is Now Mainstream
Game Influenced: All Co-Op FPS Games
Before the firstHalogame and the Xbox, the only way for gamers to play video games with their friends was by using the same console. Multiplayer video games wouldhave to include a split-screen mode,a two-player option that would shrink the screen, so two people could play a game side by side. While the firstHalodid have a split-screen mode, Microsoft and Bungie used this game to test out one revolutionary feature: online multiplayer.
Xbox Live allowed players ofHalo: Combat Evolvedto connect their consoles to the internet and play with people from all over the world. Thus, online multiplayer was born. It may come as standard for many games on the market now, but Halo was the first gameto allow players to join friends onlineto fight each other in a deathmatch, or complete a campaign.
3Esports
Game Influenced: Online Competitive Shooters
As players could now join each other online to play games likeHalo, it only made sense that some people would want to test their gaming skills through this method. Unfortunately, there weren’t many placesthat held online gaming tournamentsin people’s local area. A few gaming tournaments existed, but they weren’t mainstream enough for casual gamers to join in. The term ‘Esports’ was definitely not in the public vocabulary yet. That was until the firstHalo: Combat EvolvedChampionship in 2001.
This tournament brought together players of the most popular game at the time in an exciting tournament to make Esports a professional hobby for many. Nowadays,millions of players watch these tournaments,and some of the most popular gaming franchises such asPokémonandFortnitehold regular events.
2AI Innovations
Games Influenced: Borderlands, Wolfenstein, Call of Duty, Battlefield, Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto
A big part of the gaming experience is being constantly surprised. Enemies that behave the same all the time will bore a player in any game, not just in an FPS, and that massively affects a game’s replay value. The main feature in a game’s program that controls an enemy’s behavior is the AI, and technology had not come far in that field in 2001. Most enemies in a first-person shooter would follow a set path, which made it easy for players to find out how to beat them and progress.
Halo: Combat Evolveddid not want to repeat this same mistake, which is why the developers tried to focus as much attention on the AI as possible. This made the world ofHalofeel lived in, as well as making enemy encounters unpredictable and hard to repeat. This is a note that many other game developers have taken on board since.
1Varied Weaponry & Playstyles
Games Influenced: Modern First- and Third-Person Shooters
The main focus of most first-person shooters before 2001 was progression. Most games would equip the player with a weapon, and the test was to see how far they could get with that one gun and a few ammo drops. That was fun for a time untilHalochanged the nature of FPS games in 2001. The developers atBungie included a myriad of weaponsthat all behaved differently. As such, players could experiment with these guns to find out which ones they enjoyed using the most. It also helped to increase the replay value of the game and made it more challenging.
Including a vast sandbox of weapons was a genius decision, one that the series is still reaping the rewards of today. Also, many other gaming franchises have taken this same approach. It is rare that new games are released without a wide selection of weapons or play styles available.
