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Halo: Combat Evolved

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:07:23 +0100

By Jacob Malewitz

Halo is first person shooter game with the story of a film and the artwork of a graphic novel. Some say it's overrated; it's one of the most replayable games I've ever come across, especially when you're playing with friends.

So why not buy the original Halo? Halo: Combat Evolved is a game with an incredible story and which allows you to stare at the incredibly detailed sun rays until you go blind (that joke was for Halo veterans). Best of all, you can buy brand new X-Box systems cheap. Even better, you can get the original Halo: Combat Evolved for pennies on the dollar of its original $50 price tag.

What Is Halo?
So what is Halo? I am addressing this to the newcomer, that guy who just played computer FPS games or strategy games like Civilization. It's a an FPS (first person shooter) which has legions of fans across the world; it's the signature title for the original X-Box system, and some say the best game put out on the original X-Box. The original spawned a comic series published by Marvel, novels published by speculative fiction publisher Tor, and even some talk of a movie.

But what is Halo? Halo 1, 2, and 3 are first person shooters, but they go third person shooter. You are Master Chief, a hybrid future soldier fighting to keep humanity alive. In your face is the covenant, an advanced alien race set out to end humanity. It's somewhat odd our last hope is an android, but it actually happened in "Terminator 2" and is about as fun.

Who Do You Fight?
The Master Chief fights the Covenant, a race full of all sorts of odd characters, from Elites to Grunts, Hunters to Jackals. Each opponent faces you in a different way: a grunt, a small, scared character, usually runs from you unless there are plenty of them. But the Elites and Hunters on the other hand, bigger opponents, are smarter and willing to charge right into you with gun or blade.

Gameplay:
This is where Halo rises above many first person shooter console games. In the original, Halo: Combat Evolved, you're just playing as Master Chief, unlike the Halo 2 where you can play alien characters. You face the Covenant for much of the game, then on later levels you will be fighting the Flood, another dark alien race who look quite like zombies, and act like it too. But the gameplay works so well here. The opponents are actually smart! They can trick you... charge you... form against you... or even snipe you from a distance. It's like an advanced war game built with high end graphics.

Story:
I will say it again: this is where Halo rises above many FPS games. "Doom," for instance, had a decent story, but not as a good as the entire Halo franchise. You are humanity's last hope, a soldier with the odds against him. Simple as that.

Graphics:
It's perhaps the best game for the original X-Box in terms of graphics. It doesn't get much better unless you play "Halo 2." I mentioned the sun rays. You can actually stare into the sun rays, seeing a halo of light. That is one fine example of the remarkable talent put into creating realistic environments.

Replay, Replay, Replay:
If you want a fun team game, something you can get together with friends and just blast some stuff, Halo: Combat Evolved is a good choice. Playing with only one other person can get old. Or having one very experienced player against a novice also gets old. But if you play long enough, get good enough, it's almost a guarantee the vs or team games will be fun. And did I say anything about difficulty? Try out "legend," the hardest difficulty. Then, after you die... try again.

The next games to buy? Buy first person shooter games for the PC. Buy the Playstation - Quit X-Box. Halo is over. Kill Zone and Crysis are available on the PlayStation, along with other shooters and dungeons and dragons games. You cannot just play shooters. You might play some strategy - some gun games with puzzles.

I have a blog called ArtofTheChessBoard which has the game of Chess. All games can be chessed. If you want to check that out, check out ArtoftheChessboard.Wordpress.com.

Article Source: Halo: Combat Evolved

Free Online Combat Games - Get Your Adrenaline Going

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:49:12 +0100

By Trey Parker

There is something about combat games that gets people's adrenaline flowing. Maybe it's the sounds of explosions, the fast paced action, or even the high level of competition in them. One thing is certain; online combat games keep us on edge unlike any other types of games can. You are always waiting, always expecting someone to turn the corner and surprise you or sneak up behind you and attack you from behind. You've probably played games online like this in the past and you probably paid for them. While I don't disagree at all with buying games, especially ones that you will enjoy, there are a lot of wonderful free online combat games out there.

In my experience with the free online combat games, the graphics and communications aspects seem to be fairly on par with their retail counterparts. You can still have a competitive chat session with the other players you are playing with and the visuals from the explosions still get your heart beating. Most free games include a friend list just like the retail versions that allows you to add people and choose to team up with them or join their games when they are online.

A lot of the free online combat games, however, do not come with voice options so if this is a feature you are looking for you may have a hard time finding it. Another thing that is nearly impossible to find on the free games is one with an offline story mode. If this is something that you must have then you probably won't be satisfied with the free options available.

If you're wanting to play an online combat game, and don't particularly mind the absence of an offline story mode or voice chat then there is an abundance of free games waiting for you to download them. Find one today and let the adrenaline start flowing.

Trey Parker is an avid online video game enthusiast and author. He manages an online gaming blog that offers his readers insight on the best free online games and game sites.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trey_Parker
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Combat Based Flight Simulation Games

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:56:02 +0100

By John Douglas Wilson

When writing about simulation games it is important to mention flight simulation games as these are the most popular of all simulation games. The first software for these games was written more than 30 years ago by Bruce Artwick and named the SUBLOGIC simulation. These early games have now being replaced by ultra modern games such as flight pro sim and the Microsoft flight simulator which offer all kinds of realistic flying experiences thanks to advanced software and hardware.

The latest flight simulation games offer the user unique experiences such as being able to modify and even name their own aircraft. If you're into combat flight simulation games then these now offer experiences such as being capable of choosing your own weaponry as well as the ability to choose military aircraft from different era's. If you want to know what it was like to fly a Glider in World War Two at night into Normandy then this can be simulated. If you want to know what it's like to fly an F17, a Sukhois or a MIG then these are all available to fly in different scenarios as well. Because the software is becoming so life like it offers gamers, home entertainment seekers and even real pilots an unforgettable experience.

In the area of war combat games, Ace Combat, WarCraft and Red Barron stand out as being highly respected. Nintendo created Pilotwings 64 and Pilotwings and they are regarded as been two of the better games available. However Sony is now in the game with plans to launch some new games soon. With competition for flight games so intense and prices coming down all the time plus software and hardware developments getting better and better, the end user is spoiled for choice when it comes to these games.

How about getting into the cockpit of an F-16? You've probably dreamed about this and chances are fairly good I'd say that it's just not going to happen unless you're prepared to go through years of training with the defence force.

But there is a way - with the best flight simulators for 2011 you can be in the cockpit souring along at 2000 kph in just ten minutes of your download. Or course, I wouldn't suggest doing this until you learn the basics of the software first and I suggest just like the real thing it's best to master something lightweight first like a Cessna - which is also within the flight simulator game for you to choose from. Good Flying

Visit LatestFlightSimulator2011

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Douglas_Wilson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Combat-Based-Flight-Simulation-Games&id=5221564