In Halo 2, gamers play the role of Master Chief, who is a genetically enhanced super soldier, who is the only thing preventing the alien Covenant from destroying humankind. There are plenty of evil aliens to hunt and destroy, as well as a good selection of weapons and alien vehicles to master and ride around in. As the Chief, your objective is to uncover Halo’s terrible secrets and destroy mankind's sworn enemy, the Covenant. Last update 26 Feb. 2015 Licence Free to try OS Support Mac OS X.
More than a year and a half following the game’s initial release on the Macintosh, MacSoft has finally released a demo version of Halo, the first person action game developed by Bungie Studios. The 122MB demo download is available from Macgamefiles.com.
Halo originally debuted as a first person shooter for Macs and PCs developed by then-independent game developer Bungie Software, creators of the legendary Myth and Marathon game series. Shortly after publicly introducing the title, Bungie Studios was acquired by Microsoft Corp. as a first-party developer of software for Microsoft’s then-fledgling Xbox video game console.
Long after Halo first debuted as an Xbox-exclusive game title, Gearbox Software set to work on a PC game conversion, and Macsoft licensed the Macintosh rights to the game, releasing it only a couple of months after the PC version was released in late 2003. Bungie Studios has since released Halo 2, thus far an Xbox-exclusive.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates told Time magazine earlier this year that Bungie is working on Halo 3 for the company’s next-generation Xbox 360 video game console, which will make its debut later this year. Gates said that Halo 3 is expected to be released for Xbox 360 sometime in 2006, roughly at the same time as Sony is expected to release its PlayStation 3 video game console. Neither Microsoft nor Bungie has confirmed that news, however.
The demo version gives players a taste of both single and multiplayer gameplay, with some limited vehicle combat. The single player campaign level included is called “The Silent Cartographer,” while the multiplayer map is called “Blood Gulch” and supports up to 16 human opponents. The demo version is Mac to Mac only and you can’t save your progress.
Halo Combat Evolved Development
System requirements call for a G4/1GHz or faster, Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later, 256MB RAM, and a 3D graphics card with 32MB VRAM or more.
Challenging gameplay
When talking about revolutionary games, Halo always comes to mind. The first entry in the now-iconic franchise impresses with gorgeous visuals, as well as thrilling and challenging gameplay.
Battle enemies, human or otherwise
One of the best parts of the games is battling hordes of enemies in one of four vehicle types you can drive within the wide-open maps.
Bungie’s Halo: Combat Evolved quickly became one of the most popular and best-selling video games of 6th generation consoles and PCs alike. It sold over 6.43 million copies in its lifetime across all platforms.
Fight through a challenging single-player campaign consisting of 10 action-packed levels as the iconic Master Chief. Players will have to fight against the genocidal alien race known as the Covenant, following the protagonist’s violent crash-landing on Halo, a bizarre ring-like world.
The main story takes a solid 12 hours to beat on standard difficulty settings. The dynamic nature of fights, besides well-balanced difficulty modes and a basic, yet fun multiplayer component gives players excellent replay value.
You test your skills in multiplayer modes you’d expect from a shooter: slayer (deathmatch), team slayer, king of the hill, and capture the flag.
Both human and alien units have their unique cars, hovercraft, and different weaponry. Experiment and try different combinations as each one of them has its strengths and weaknesses, making enemy encounters always exciting.
Halo: Combat Evolved was easily the best launch title for Microsoft’s original Xbox in 2001 and became the must-have title for gamers worldwide.
Where can you run this program?
You can run this game on older Windows XP PCs as well as on modern Windows systems, on the Xbox and Mac OS X+.
Is there a better alternative?
No. If you’re talking about a pure sci-fi FPS from that generation; Halo sits at the top. Following its success, more studios started producing games with similar themes and game mechanics like Half-Life 2, Call of Duty: Advanced and Future Warfare, etc.
Our take
During a time when the gaming market was flooded with WW2 shooters, the original Halo amazed gamers with its exciting sci-fi plot, revolutionary game design, and otherworldly locale.
Should you download it?
Yes. Halo: Combat Evolved is a true classic in the FPS genre and still holds up to this day with its intense story-driven campaign and fun multiplayer.
Free Halo Mac Demo Play
Highs
- Action-packed single-player campaign
- Competitive enemy AI
- Engaging storyline
- Fun vehicle mechanics
Lows
- Campaign Co-Op mode is exclusive to the Xbox version
- Few too many repeating corridor shootout locations
- Looks a little dated
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversaryfor Windows
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