 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Halo: Combat Evolved
- Windows
- Price: $25
- Genre: First Person Shooter
Common Sense Media says
This sci-fi shooter with loads of violent killing of aliens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this game is very popular, and it's likely that your child will have access to play or at least observe this game at some point. Most of the game consists of fighting in a non-stop, science-fiction-based battle against aliens. Blood and violence abound, making it best for those 16 and up.
What's it about?
HALO takes place in the future, where humans are fighting a losing battle against the technologically superior "covenant," a group of alien beings driven by radical religious beliefs to destroy all humans. To make things worse, it appears they have found a new weapon of incredible power: "HALO," a mysterious and massive ring/space station orbiting a foreign world. As the game progresses, the player discovers an enemy even worse than the covenant: It would seem that while the covenant was attempting to activate halo, they inadvertently released "the flood," a vicious alien life form that survives by taking over the body of an organic host and then spreading to the next victim. Once released, "the flood" immediately begins possessing the covenant and humans alike, and the player realizes "the flood" must be stopped to prevent the destruction of the entire galaxy.
Is it any good?
As first-person-shooter games go, HALO was inventive for its time, and even now, it's a graphically appealing game. The game has an interesting and mysterious story, and allows the player to pilot and drive cool vehicles, and be immersed in a massive battle around a foreign planet. But the game has the same pitfall as many other first-person-shooter games: Ninety-five percent of the game is simply shooting things that get in your way.
The game tells a very dark tale, and most of the game consists of one continuous battle with plenty of blood, screams of agony and explosions. HALO is a first-person, shoot-everything-that-moves type of game. The action is infectious, and the story, while somewhat typical, is well-written and interesting. Plenty of bloodshed and a storyline that will most definitely scare younger players relegates this game to the 16+ crowd of gamers.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about why this game has become one of -- if not the most -- popular action game franchises of this generation. Is the sci-fi story so much better than other games? Does the level of violence make a game like this more immersive than its competitors? Is blood necessary in a 3-D shooter or is falling down enough to confirm the enemy is dead?
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AGE
This is a great game for kids 11-12
Okay, i am a very protective father. I let my son by the first halo, and i watched him play, and it was not as bad as people say it is. I hear my friends saying "Oh, this is a terrible game never let your children play this." Please don't believe anything you hear.
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AGE
I played through the whole game and i don't understand how this games should be rated M. The language isn't bad and also your fighting aliens not humans. There is quite a bit of blood but it isn't bad because it green and blue. I believe any child over 12 can play this game. Now i'm not the video game type but i grew to enjoy playing this game.
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AGE
Innovative and appropriate, but at this point, a little outdated.
The Halo series has reinvented first-person shooters. Even though Halo: Combat Evolved was only released in 2003, it is considered a classic. It has a really good story, and great graphics and sound. However, there are some serious problems. Sometimes, when enemies drop their guns, they'll get stuck inside environmental objects, spin around slowly and emit a horrible grinding noise that can be heard quite a distance away. Plus, Master Chief (the protagonist) scarcely talks. I'm halfway through the game and he's said about 120 words.
Despite being rated M, halo isn't that inappropriate. The blood is ULTRA unrealistic, even that of humans. The thing that parents should be worried about is The Flood, a parasitic life form. The Flood starts out as cat-sized insect-shaped blobs, and when it infects someone, the effects are pretty gruesome. When The Flood infects a type of enemy called an Elite, the Elite's skin turns pale greenish brown. It's left hand is replaced by a whip-like cluster of red veins which it uses as a secondary weapon. The Elite's neck is lengthened and it's head is curled backwards, and another whiplike cluster of veins sprouts out of the chest. The really gruesome thing is, when you shoot them, it spurts out dark green blood and, if you place your shots correctly, you can shoot it's limbs off, and I've seen tiny chunks of flesh fall off, too.
There isn't much sexual content in the game, but the holographic representation of the A.I. Cortana can get to be a little much. She's completely naked except for black lines covering up her bad parts.
The only people who ever swear in the game are the Marines, and they only say mild words. However, Sgt. Avery Johnson described the space station/superweapon Halo as "God's own anti-son-of-a-b**** machine".
One more comment is that CSM got the platforms wrong. It's available for windows, PC, Xbox and Xbox 360.
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AGE
Good game for those 10 and up
Hey. Halo is a great game and a great start into a world that evolved in to so far 4 great games. The game is rated M but i feel it could have been a T. There are some D words in the game but no f bombs or anything. As far as the blood and gore goes the only gore in the game comes from the flood. When you shoot them limbs come off but nothing to graphic. you will see worse on sci fi shows.And the blood is not to bad . All the alien blood is fine it is funny how fake it looks. The worse thing about the game would be the human blood but this is not very graphic just a stain that some times makes it look like spilled juice . say five of your marines die in the same room there is blood on the ground and some on the walls but not enough to make it bad for kids. Keep in mind i like to be carful about the games i play but i think this is a good game for people ten and up
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AGE
review
this is one of the first halos so the graohics are not that good wich means that the volience is not that bad but there is blood and a little bit of swearing but not a lot if i where to let my kids play any of the halo games this one would be it because all of the other ones have more swearing and more volience
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AGE
Great
The very first Halo game is still loads of fun to play. The single player is lengthy and engaging, and the multiplayer is just plain addictive. Expect bloody sci-fi violence and some mild swearing. Wounds are not visible when you shoot an alien or a human, only spattering blue or red blood.
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AGE
Perfect for 10 year olds.
This first Halo game is AW3S0M3!!!!!
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AGE
Absolutely Horrid!
I'm a somewhat normal (I think) middle schooler: I play some violent (and some not) games, I read, play some sports, etc., and most of my friends love HALO, but I don't see any point in it! The story is kind of neat, but not very, the graphics are good, but it is very hard to play, and it has created a huge gap between my friends! Some are better then others, and so the one who's better just continually kills the others and then in real life the others are all mad at the better one! And it's VERY addicting (Once, I asked one of my friends that I bike home from school with if he wanted to come over, and he said he was to busy... and then later I came to get him for a school function and found out that he had spent the afternoon arranging all the "respawn points" in front of his gun so that he could continually shoot his enemy. I later found out from his dad that he hadn't even put down his backpack yet when he turned his xbox on. So much for busy!
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AGE
Iffy Iffy
My kid is 11 and really wants to play it. I say it's iffy to the point where he can be mature enough. Right now, he is, but I can't promise your 11 year old is. He plays it at home on his Xbox. Even though I do NOT let him play the other and newer Halo games such as Halo Reach or Halo 3, I let him play this "older one". Anyways, it is very iffy but parents make the decision. Also, you can go online (Multiplayer) and there can be some bad screen names. Such as, I was walking by in the kitchen and saw an opponent screen name's "Yellow-F**ker" And such sexual content people can use. But you dont see it much.
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AGE
LOVE THIS GAME!!!
This game is amazing w/ only occasional swearing and blue alien blood splatters on the walls. Otherwise, it is extremely fun to play. I play Halo and Halo 2, 3, and 3 ODST all the time with my cousins. It's like family bonding trying to stop the Covenant and the Flood. The Flood was pretty creepy at first tho, so if ur kids get freaked out about parasitic aliens, I would wait until they're older.
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| Platforms: | Windows |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | First Person Shooter |
| Developer: | Microsoft |
| Release date: | May 30, 2003 |
| Price: | $25 |
| ESRB rating: | M |
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