2. Halo: Combat Evolved
Developed by: Gearbox Software
Published by: Microsoft
Release Date: Q3 2003

	What's Ahead: Just with the Xbox graphics converted to DirectX 9, Halo immediately looks great at the higher resolutions supported by the PC. The bulk of the work that Gearbox Software has left to do before the game's late-summer release has to do with the multiplayer. The co-op feature hasn't been ruled out entirely, but getting it to work with the Internet's inherent latency has been a problem. Of course, balancing the new weapons, vehicles, and maps will take some testing, and Bungie has a beta test planned for sometime this summer.

Halo is finally headed to the PC. After a detour that saw Halo become the Xbox's biggest game when it was released in late 2001, the Bungie action game is now just months away from showing up on the platform it was originally destined for. The surprise at E3 was that once we put our hands on the PC version of the game, it was obvious that the graphics have held up since the initial release (when seen at higher resolutions). It's also quite refreshing to get to control the Master Chief with the mouse and keyboard. Not only will PC gamers get to experience the impressive single-player campaign with these refinements, but there's also a decent range of new competitive multiplayer features in store, not to mention the ability to play the game online.

Halo's Xbox controls are pretty satisfying and have become the de facto standard for console first-person shooters, but nothing can compare to playing a shooter with a mouse and keyboard. The sheer speed and accuracy of the PC controls change the feel of the game, and they'd give the Master Chief an extra edge if it weren't for the fact that the game is being rebalanced with this in mind. The robust squad and enemy AI still make for some very intense battles, and the epic nature of your fight against the Covenant is underscored by the game's inspired audio, which will support full 5.1 on PCs with the requisite hardware. Who would have thought Halo would be such a competitive single-player shooter almost two years after its original release?

PC shooters live and die by their multiplayer support, and there are some cool additions to Halo's multiplayer that have us itching to take it online. Simply being able to easily find games with large numbers of players will be a welcome change, and new maps will make huge outdoor team matches possible. It's just too bad that the PC version likely won't include the ability to play through the single-player game cooperatively. But that won't keep us from enjoying what the game does have to offer.