Its superior graphics, interesting story and engaging gameplay made it a hit with critics and gamers alike, and it was hugely influential in bringing the concept of LAN parties, which was later expanded upon with Halo 2 being the Killer App for online gaming for the Xbox.

This First-Person Shooter developed by Bungie was the big title used to launch the Xbox console. The Halo itself has a much more malevolent purpose. Together they eventually uncover an ancient threat aboard the Halo which makes the Covenant look like a church picnic. Master Chief is the quiet type, but the AI program 'Cortana' linked into his battle suit does most of the talking and provides plenty of tech support. He is taken out of stasis during the attack on the ship, and his mission is to protect the survivors, find out what Halo is and what the Covenant want with it. The player controls the Master Chief, one of the last of a group of specially raised and trained cyborg Super Soldiers: the Spartan-IIs. The story begins In Medias Res as the human warship the Pillar of Autumn, which had just escaped Reach, comes under attack by Covenant pursuers and is forced to make a crash landing on a mysterious ring-shaped mega-structure worshipped by the Covenant, known as Halo. Humanity has been losing a war against the Covenant for the last 27 years, with the game taking place right after humanity has just suffered a devastating defeat at their most important colony, Reach. (released on Novemnote The rest of the world - that is, anywhere outside of North America - didn't get it until the spring of 2002.) introduced the Halo series from relatively Humble Beginnings. Within the original release's menu it referred to itself as just Halo. Halo: Combat Evolved note The Combat Evolved under the title was intended as a Tag Line or Publisher-Chosen Title, but later became an official retronym in rereleases so that the first game in the Halo series would have a distinct title. Staff Sergeant Avery Junior Johnson, addressing marines prior to the Battle of Installation 04

Halo 1 terminals