Five Reasons Why Halo: Combat Evolved is the Most Important Game of the Decade

What makes the most important game of a decade? Most many units sold? Best critical rating? Most swear words per sentence/nude pixelated women? I think we can take it one step farther. How about most consoles sold?

Individual game don't sell consoles. That's a general rule that you find for game consoles, something PC gamers don't have. If you wanted to play Doom 3, you bought a brand new videocard, and that was final. But if a game comes out on the N64 and you have a PlayStation, screw it, you'll play it at a friend's house.

And then there was Halo.

[Digitaldude]

Agreed, Xbox would be no where near what it is without Halo.
Fact.

[Saaking]

Halo literally carried the original Xbox on it's back. Halo made the Xbox not the other way around. It also helped push FPS on consoles (following the success of Goldeneye and PD) and online competitive play on consoles to new heights. While I'm not very satisfied with this gen of Halo games, there's no denying that Halo CE and Halo 2 really paved the way for this generation.

[7thNightvolley]

no matter how many may refuse to give halo credit that game single-handedly made paved a path for today's gaming psyche.. need to play FPS on console... coop-ing with friends in all sorts of matter to vehicle( damn i remember getting in a warhog in halo1 with a friend that was some freaking amazing thing when i played it on PC.. i was like omg we are playing together.. ).. then it really pushed XBOXlive and which made PSN in away more competitive and jump into online gaming ... coz frankly i remember when ps3 was out .. it was not really coined as used heavily for the online part.. it was there for the rituality but not till there are so much buzz to play over the internet with a friend..

halo1 and halo2 made me a game freak.. yes.. it got me to buy my first xbox1 and get into hardcore gaming.. as i am today..

all respect well given to this title..

hate it or love it.. BUNGIE did some big big stuff by making this game..

if there was not halo= NO XBOX = and extra 7 YEARS plus b4 online console gaming really takes off = NO COMPETITION FOR AAA TITLES from both sony and MS.= NO CONSOLE WAR :P... (cant leave the bad stuff out lool)

[Bungie]

very true

nobody can deni the power of Halo

Halo just screams Quality

[DaddyPoppa]

But i would say it was the most important game for the fps genre....Most important game of the decade has to be gta3, even if halo sold xbox's and kept ms relevant, I strongly believe that gta3 had a bigger impact on the gaming landscape than halo:ce

[Blaze929]

Halo single handily showed that FPS games can be down very well and be popular on home consoles. Not only that, they continued that innovation again folllowing up with the release of Halo 2 and Xbox LIVE. This time showing that not only can online gaming be really done on a home console, but also done really well for a FPS. Halo 3...didnt do much.

I think Halo really is the most important game, or at least, series of the decade.

[Kevin ButIer]

I still play Halo CE with some friends,

We love Chil Out map lol

[likedamaster]

"Halo 3...didnt do much."

"Halo 3 was the first console game to have not only map creation and sharing, but game recording and video uploading, to friends and to your PC."

Halo has always innovated. Can't say the same for most other games.

[ico92]

one thing that you have to give credit to Halo CE was that it was probaly the 1st game to perfectly balance and tune weapons so you never felt that you had the short end of stick,lets say if you were using a pistol and someone else was using a needler (pistol is my weapon of choice)you had just as much chance of killing that person as each weapon has its ups and downs , even to this day there arn't many games that have nailed what halo has done in weapon balancing.

Halo Combat Evolved is one of my all time favourte games which is saying alot especially seeing as im not a big fan of FPS.

[edgeofblade]

True. Halo is immensely important to Xbox.

I love Halo. It did a lot to define MY decade of gaming...

BUT I'm not about to claim it's the most important game in a DECADE. I think it did some important things and brought some important innovations to the genre, and it might be the most important if you want to look at total sales of the entire series. But I'm not about to pretend it satisfies all the potential measures of "most important", and I would never in a thousand years expect everyone to agree either way.

[evrfighter]

Most Important game of console online gaming this decade I can agree with.

I downloaded it on my pc...Played it for a total of 2 hours.

A pc gamer had cs, battlefield, call of duty, mechwarrior and many many more online games to choose from back then.

Halo was miles and miles and miles away from comparing with online gaming on the pc. Still is actually

[derseb]

It may be true that Halo was important in terms of impact on the gaming industry.

But overall I think it is sad that these games are so successful. There are so many games out there that are actually funny, aesthetically pleasing and challenge your imagination and intellect.

Nevertheless people only seem to buy shooters where the setting is only focussed on delivering a stage for special effects and blowing things up (COD:MW2). War has been degraded to a background phenomena that is accepted and not thought over (just like in the real life in the US).

[inSaneELF]

The Xbox 360 arguably wouldn't even exist without it.

[SaiyanFury]

True. HALO to the Xbox is very relevant. It also made FPS games the most popular on the family of consoles. Unfortunately, it also made the FPS genre, the single-most popular on the systems. Many FPS gamers flock to the 360 because of all the FPS games available on the system. Many gamers only get a 360 FOR the HALO games. Not a bad thing, but many of the really big games in different genres on the 360 don't do nearly as well. You can't say that RARE's games on Microsoft's platforms do nearly as well as they did on Nintendo consoles in years past.

There are far more properties on the other consoles that identify them. Nintendo does have Mario, and he's the single-most recognisable character in the family. As well as Samus Aran, Fox McCloud, Link, and the entire family of Mario characters.

Even more games identify the Sony brand. On the original PlayStation, Final Fantasy was possibly the largest brand that identified with it. Other than that, many JRPG franchises continued the tradition. If not JRPGs, many developers saw their companies come to life on the PS family. Naughty Dog had the Crash Bandicoot trilogy. Insomniac had the Spyro games. Konami and Kojima Hideo had Metal Gear Solid. Capcom continued the Breath of Fire series from the SNES on PS1. Naughty Dog had the Jak & Daxter series on PS2. Insomniac continued their greatness with the Ratchet & Clank series on PS2. Kojima continued the excellence that is the MGS series on PS2 as well. The Final Fantasy series continued on PS2 with 2 great JRPGs in FFX and FF12. They had even more games than that which proved great like Valkyria Profile 2 and much more.

On PS3, we have the new Uncharted series, the new Ratchet & Clank series, Resistance, WipeOut HD and so on and so forth. The largest and greatest diversity of games comes on the newest PS platform, as it has always been since 1995. Argue if you must, and as always, I happily invite peoples' disagreements.

[Foxgod]

By the time the 360 arrived it had plenty of franchises.
When the next gen arrives, the MS platform will be the leading platform for exclusive franchises.

[sikbeta]

Well, is M$ flagship title, is really important for M$ and its Fanbase

[SaiyanFury]

So much for intellectual diversity. I have no problem with people disagreeing with me, but I was hoping people would present their arguments openly.

[kaveti6616]

Microsoft is playing a game of chess with only one piece. Arguably, it is a strong piece, like a Queen, but Microsoft isn't going to win against all of Sony's rooks, bishops, knights, and pawns.

[gamer1269]

Tell that to Nintendo and Mario ;)

[kaveti6616]

Nintendo is an exception to the rule that proves how relevant the rule is to reality. How many times has a console which is so full of crappy shovelware and so scarce in quality games become the most successful console in the market?

[Saaking]

Mario and Halo just don't compare. Mario is leaps and bounds more popular and beloved than Halo or arguably any other video game franchise will ever be.

[7thNightvolley]

dude seriously .. u really REALLLY think halo is that generic that if something has halo slapped on it IT WONT SELL?.. are u f**king kidding me.. tell me one thing that has halo that hasnt sold.? isnt tha brand awareness ?... mario is big big big.. but halo is just coming right behind to become some pop-cultural figure.. weda u like it or not.. its happening already.. watch the sales of anything halo ... it is sure to sell..

edit: not to mention its a franchise that made.. multiplayer so freaking A MUST HAVE of everything now...
every FPS on console has taken a page off halo in some sort of way especially in the MP department...
its the reason y there is so much saturation of FPS on consoles now.. it was the reason Resistance was made to be the HALO KILLER..how many halo killers have come since halo was made.. should i start to mention? HAZE, RESISTANCE, KILLZONE.. lol come on..and u think halo didnt make an impact... lol

heck i looked at my achivements the other day.. i have played a total of 179 games to date on my 360 and 48 of them are FPS that is alot.. and i play all sorts.. not just FPSers

vvvvv reply..

dude u statement was u refered to halo and another franchise .. and i said.. mario is big big big.. but the whole halo and master chieft stuff.. is getting bigger by the second it wont be long that some ppl will grow out of mario and may want to embrace a more .. mature figure who do u think is next of kin.? with popularity in gaming ... the man in the green armour.. obviously.

[Saaking]

Oh no, Halo will sell that's for sure. I'm just saying Mario (the character) is a lot bigger than Halo or any other video game franchise could ever be. I mean think about it. Mario is associated with gaming as whole not just Nintendo consoles, but all of gaming. I'm not bashing Halo or anything, but a LOT more people around the entire world know about Mario yet don't have a clue who Master Chef is. See my point?

And where in my comment did I say it was generic or lame or that it doesn't sell? Seriously, some people read too much into my comments.

[GiantEnemyBOT]

You happen to forget to mention that Mario games span across different genres whereas Halo just covers one, the FPS. Also, Nintendo also has additional popular franchises like Pokemon, Zelda, Metroid etc.

[DelbertGrady]

Last time I checked Halo Wars wasn't a FPS.

@kaviar6616 "Microsoft is playing a game of chess with only one piece"

So, what should we call Gears of War, Forza Motorsport, Splinter Cell, Fable, Mass Effect, Alan Wake, Crackdown, Mistwalker's & Rare's games?

Are they not chess pieces? I beg to differ.

[DatNJDom81]

I know what Mario is but what's a Halo?

I'm kidding. I dont know about game of the decade but definitely an important game for the xbox brand.

[jamezrp]

Guys, it's not game of the decade. It's the most important game of the decade...has little to do with how good or bad it was. It's based on influence on the games industry.

[Eric Barrier]

He makes a valid point while Halo is undeniably Microsoft's biggest chess piece that doesn't mean they don't have lots of rooks and bishops moving around on the board. Just like Mario is Nintendo's biggest player doesn't mean Metroid, Zelda, Pikmin, etc. aren't playing as well.

[sikbeta]

Yeah, that's why you have to see Mario everywhere in every game at every time

At least M. Chief stay in Halo sequels and not in every freaking Game developed by M$

Probably Next E3 Nintendo will announce a remake of this:

http://www.neswarpzone.com/...

[likedamaster]

LOL. Saaking can't bear the thought of Halo(from Microsoft's console) could possibly be an icon like Mario. Good stuff.

[reintype]

From the story, characters, voice acting, great graphics, well thought-out gameplay, memorable boss battles, incredible production values, all wrapped up in an unforgettable cinematic experience that was unseen yet for a videogame at that time.

You might say it's the blueprint of modern videogames. Alot of videogames we have now today owes alot to MGS, and yep that includes HALO.

[inSaneELF]

You clearly didn't read the article.

[reintype]

5. This reason fails, because Golden Eye, was the one that popularizes FPS on consoles.

4. Machinima? Good grief, I've been watching machinimas long before Halo's 1st and for the most part made from Unreal and Source. Besides the only machinima I know from Halo are Blue vs Red.

3. It's called milking. Maybe you haven't heard of other dairy produce like Mario and FF? As for map creation and sharing, other FPS have done it before HALO, besides I thought this was about Halo: Combat Evolved being the most important game of the decade? Then how come you list features from other Halo game? If the first game didn't have them , then it didn't have them. No need to pull feature sets from other game in the series to somehow prove your reasoning is true, because it isn't.

4 and 5. Well they are both the same, I won't argue because it is true.

I still stand by my first argument, I think MGS is the most important game of the decade and that this article should be renamed "Halo: Combat Evolved is the most important game for XBOX and MS".

[kaveti6616]

Metal Gear Solid did not influence as much as you say. It's a great series, but if every game took a page out of MGS, then there wouldn't be as many genres as there are.

As it stands, you cannot say that every developer thinks about MGS when they think about how they're going to design video games.

You cannot even say that about Halo.

However, you could argue that most stealth game developers will look up to MGS in some way or another.

And you can also argue that most console FPS shooter developers look up to either Halo or Doom or a particular revolutionary FPS game. I don't know if that game is Halo. But I would argue that it might be Halo since a lot of games are now incorporating multiplayer modes. Games which we never thought would have online modes, like Grand Theft Auto. It might have nothing to do with Halo's style or gameplay, and more to do with the success of Halo as an online game on consoles.

[ZombieAutopsy]

ha insaself had to use all his accounts to disagree with you (and to aprove the article)

[Harlequiine]

Just FYI, Metal Gear Solid wasn't released in this decade, unless you count the crappy PC port. I agree with this article, although I've always thought and still think that Halo is rubbish compared to other shooters out there (Half-Life in particular makes it look pretty poor).

[reintype]

Dude, I wasn't talking about the genre. If you've read my comment, you will know that I did not mention it, even though MGS pioneered the stealth-espionage genre.

Its everything else about it, that we find on every videogame several years later bears the imprint of MGS and its undeniable legacy, that I'm commenting about.

Like the voice-acting, though a feature that's been done before but not on the level of MGS.

Incredibly production values, that divides the line between what is a Triple A game and what is a normal one. Truly raising our expectation and appreciation for a videogame.

Besides, MGS was the first game to really straddle the line between videogames and movies, by using story-telling techniques derived from the latter and implementing it on the former. Though alot of game tried this before, MGS was the first to really succeed, thereby delivering the first truly cinematic experience for a videogame. This legacy and many more are found on games today like Uncharted, COD and yes HALO.

[SoX FireBlade]

Can't live without Halo <3

well for this generation Halo did more impact than MGS. Sure MGS4 is one the best games on PS3 but people keep talking about Halo more than MGS.

Every FPS these days has something to do with Halo and very Halo did something new. From Halo: Evolved Combat to Halo 3 and I'm sure Halo : reach will do something new

But the problem is not everyone is noticing that and they think Halo as a generic game

[foxtheory]

When you compare Halo to other shooters on the market, it does seem generic. Although I do agree that Halo and Halo 2 were revolutionary during their time, Halo 3 and ODST are just more of the same nowadays.

And of course people are going to talk more about Halo than MGS. It's MS's flagship title and it sells like hotcakes. MGS4 isn't a title for anyone, it's for the fans. That's why you don't hear too much about it. With any of the Halos, anyone can pick up, play it, and know what's going on.

Halo is a mainstream game, MGS...not so much.

[SoX FireBlade]

Same goes to Halo it's for the fans. thats why alot of people don't enjoy it

Halo 3 = Halo 2 with tweaks in gameplay. everyone liked the multiplayer of Halo 2 and they made some changes. they added new weapons, vehicles, equipments that never been in Halo 2. they also added forge and theater mode which most of the shooters these days don't have it. 4 online co-op, host migration, File share, Bungie net and how you download things from the website and bring it to Halo such as maps and game modes, Huge customization in custom games, unlocking armors for the multiplayer character, collecting skulls in the campaign and let's not forget about the weekly updates that make the multiplayer fresh everyweek.

Are those not enough ?

Changing the gameplay could be a big risk for them. Like someone like me who plays Halo 3 from launch, adding perks might hurt the game and then we feel like we are not playing Halo we are playing something else but I think it will have a big change in Reach and Bungie said that they will do something new and might be a risk.

and what I know about MGS4 it was a more of an action game than the previous ones and Kojima didn't like it because he wanted to attract western people for it. I don't know maybe I'm wrong about it

My point is how it's for the fans if he is doing this ?

[elpresador]

Metal Gear Solid started in 1998, Goldeneye in like what, 1996 or 97, the title of this article as well as the story is that halo is the most important game of THIS decade not the most important of the 1990s. Or do you not know the definition of a decade (which is a 10 year span if you did not know)?

[foxtheory]

What you say is definitely true. Halo 3 is a definite improvement and the fans (like you) enjoy the new features that were added to it. But my point is that when you compare it to other games (Killzone 2, Call of Duty, ect.), it has a mediocre feel with a lack of depth. It's probably because I'm not a die-hard fan of Halo, but IMO there are tons more FPS's that are of higher-quality and make Halo LOOK generic. My hope is that Reach changes my opinion because the Halo franchise is something that I'd like to like, but it lacks what I want in a game.

As far as MGS4 goes, I am a fan of the series and I can say that I enjoyed the game thoroughly. I know that the game didn't turn out the way Kojima wanted it to, but that doesn't mean that he was totally disappointed. When I say "for the fans", I'm mainly talking about the story. It's the conclusion to a very complex, convoluted storyline, and for the people who have never played an MGS title, it's more than confusing. Compare that to Halo which has an easy-to-follow story. Also, the stealth gameplay is something that most people aren't used to, versus Halo which is an FPS (a genre that almost everyone is familiar with). MGS4 was definitely westernized, but it didn't take away from the experience that fans wanted. So when I say "mainstream" and "for the fans", that's what I mean.

Like I said, I'd really like to see Reach change my opinion about the Halo series, and honestly, I have faith in Bungie. They're a very talented developer and I know they're capable of making Reach an amazing title. But they better make it stick out from the crowd in order to get my attention (something Halo 3 didn't do).

[SoX FireBlade]

Well it's very hard to understand why people like Halo. Especially for those like to play alot of games. Thats why i think they feel halo is generic.

and most of the Halo players don't care about the story like 90 % of them. All they want is Multiplayer. Although it's a good story but in the end they will still want multiplayer.

About Halo reach I'm sure it will good, maybe GOTY of 2010 but will it satisfy both casual and hardcore gamers ?

thats a really hard question, let's wait for the beta :(

[The BS Police]

Halo generic? Lol are you serious?

Games like Call of Duty are as generic as you can possibly get.

[foxtheory]

Yeah, I play a lot of games from varying genres, and to tell ya the truth, FPS is one of my least favorite genres. Don't get me wrong, I do like them. But I'm more of an RPG and Adventure kind of guy. That definitely has something to do with my opinion. Also, I prefer story over multi anyday, so that's another reason why I'm not the biggest fan of Halo (and even why I'm a bigger fan of MGS). I mean, the story's there, but it needs a lot more depth, something I hope Reach will have. Hopefully Bungie goes all in with it.

[ZombieAutopsy]

EvanVolm (1) - 41m ago
Digitaldude (2) - 42m ago
harrypmgaga (1) - 42m ago
inSaneELF (2) - 43m ago

i bet theyre all the same person

[General Jewels]

This game redifined gaming history, and revolutinised the gaming world forever, Greatest game ever to be made and put on this earth.

One game that single handedly destroyed sonys empire, this was the game why i left PS2 and went Xbox fan, even though i both own both still.
PS3 and Xbox 360

It destoryed every single game, to this day no one can match its quality. All ideas and MP came from Halo.

The reason why Sony is in 3rd place, they can't beat the beast.

When Halo Reach comes....HOLY!

[-Seven-]

sad that you actually pay attention to stuff like that.

I see a future for you on the stat department.

[inSaneELF]

No, we're not the same person.

[Relientk77]

I dont think Jesus was in Halo or its coverart

[Saaking]

To some people, Master Chief IS their savior. lmao.

[sikbeta]

lol @ the picture

Probably, in this writer mind, M. Chief is like a GOD, that's not even funny, poor soul

[jamezrp]

I'm glad the joke went over so well. You know, because Jesus saved the people while Halo saved the Xbox...it's like, I couldn't have asked for a better metaphor while still keeping it humorous.

[elpresador]

..or do you not know your kevin smith movies?

[commodore64]

Halo undoubtedly has contributed to the acceptance of the xbox brand in households across the world.

The resulting market penetration of the xbox successor, the 360, was thus arguably partially enabled by Halo and has shown the industry that competition is fierce amongst manufacturing competitors.

Gamers and consumers have never had it so good, as a result.
Companies are literally falling over themselves to give value and get marketshare to consumers.
Sony is in its third year and has yet to post a single quarter of ps3 profits. This shows the extent to which competition has narrowed the margins.

If Halo did indeed 'make' the xbox, then I am utterly grateful, because the resulting competition has raised standards across the board and improved the purchasing power of gamers, of that there can be no doubt.

In this sense, maybe Halo is indeed "the Most Important Game of the Decade".

If Halo had failed,
Would MS have even released a 360?
Would there be pressure on Sony to release a slim?
Would there be pressure on Sony to drop prices by 50% since launch while still in their third year?

Any reasonable person would answer 'NO'.

I guess Halo was quite important, in so many ways!
----------------------------- ---------------------

edit:
Jesus, Saaking, that was quick... are you on here 24/7?
Anyway... what about the Halo lovers in Australia, Africa, UAE, India, Asia, New Zealand, Germany, Finland, Spain, Italy, Denmark. etc?

Aren't you simplifying just a little there, bud?

[Saaking]

To households.. in the US and UK. that's about it. Halo isn't that popular in the rest of the world.

[TheTruth2009]

And notice whenever Saaking doesn't have a rebuttal, he spews out immature garbage.

It's typical of him.

He doesn't have the skillset to make a point.

That's why he's spending 90% of his time in the Gamer Zone. He can't hang with the BIG BOYS.

Leave him be.

And anyone that denies that Halo is the BIGGEST franchise of the past 10 years is fooling themselves.

Nintendo: Mario
Microsoft: Halo
Sony: ZERO

:-)

[MajestieBeast]

Is this a joke i think wow pretty much made machinama popular. Game of the decade is wow hate it love it but it much bigger then halo and is now the bench mark for every mmo. Their are so many more important games then halo.

[Rocco Siffredi]

NO ONE CARES @ Saaking

SO accroding to your logic, games like Demons souls, Ratched&Clank, and all the other PS3 exclusive "low seller" arent poplurat AT ALL.

[Karooo]

Demon souls was released in the US because of the demand, finding copies is rare now.

It was a japan only release before. its not even released in the EU.

You are so fcking retarted.

[Anon1974]

He's 100% correct. If you look at sales of Halo 3, close to 75% sold were sold to Americans. Americans love Halo.

Contrast that to other games like Uncharted 2 or even GTA4 and both the 360 and PS3 and you'll find that it's usually closer to 50% are bought in the US, 50% are bought elsewhere.

It's pretty clear from the sales that Halo is more a US phenomenon than anything else. That's not to say that it's sold badly other countries, it's hasn't. Halo 3 still managed to move 3 million copies outside of the US which is outstanding for any game, but you can't argue that this is, first and foremost, a US dominated game.

This also shouldn't be that surprising considering 60% of the 360's sold worldwide were sold in the US. US gamers prefer the 360 while when you look at Wii and PS3 sales the majority of those consoles are sold outside of the US.

[Oner]

^^^ Not all Americans (maybe for American children I would agree). I for one and quite a few friends/family can't be bothered with it...we are more about REAL skilled FPS's for PC and Consoles~ CS, Killzone 2, Some Quake, Half Life series, AvP's, SOME CoD's (more-so for PC), MoH's, DoD, Doom, Tom Clancy's and quite a few others. Sorry but Halo is for misinformed kids who believe that is what a FPS is supposed to be like. Nope.

[Stoney22]

Are you a Halo PR man? You can't compare Halo to Mario there miles apart and not even close. Even in the USA or UK today i can walk into the street and ask who Master Chief is and most people will have no idea (especially if they aren't into gaming seriously), i can walk into the same street ask the same set of people do you know who Mario is? Most if not all will know who Mario is weather it's an old lady a young child.
Halo managed to keep the Xbox alive and has changed gaming that way but it didn't create the fps genre. The genre had been on the PC for a long time and many people were expectng console to take up on mass later down the line however it was going slow.
In this department Halo managed to speed up console acceptance of fps games.

[Ninjamonkey82]

I do agree with al the above. But really it was only a matter of time before someone brought something forward to bring the proper fps to console. Halo was an opertunist. But you can't argue with a opertunist that sold a gaming generation can you ;).

[lost2]

Halo. I remember going to my friends house and watchin him play halo on the original xbox and i thought it was so boring, i guess i just dont like futuristic FPS, not even killzone

[Foxgod]

FIXED

"I remember going to my friends house and watchin him play Killzone on the original playstation and i thought it was so boring, i guess i just dont like futuristic FPS, not even Halo"

Halo > Killzone.

[bjornbear]

wrong.

[Marceles]

Not sure if I can give it that big of an ovation, but I'd say it's the most important...hmm....most important console FPS of the decade. It's the first one to take a step up after Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, but it's hard to even give it that with how great Half-Life 2 was. It made console FPSs popular again after a drought, that's about all I can give it. That game seemed like it was alot of people's first FPS too. PC gamers and Goldeneye fans wouldn't agree with giving Halo that much praise, but everyone else would thank Halo for alot of things. They should just change the title to "Xbox's Most Important Game of the Decade" since most of the reasons have to do with MS and not the gaming industry itself. I'd throw GTA3 into the mix of most important games of the decade too since it made controversial games mainstream.

[jamezrp]

Some guys pointed out Half-Life 2 that came out on the Xbox and PS2. Obviously that's a port, and didn't do well in comparison to it's PC original. And do you think Half-Life 2 would have been ported to the Xbox had Halo never released, and nobody was buying Xbox's?

[United4Life]

Yawn*!*

Nintendo - Mario (222 Million Earned Worldwide)
Xbox - Halo (27 million earned Worldwide)
Playstation - Gran Turismo ( 50 Million Units Worldwide) , Metal Gear - 26.5 million Worldwide , Ratchet and Clank - 25 million units Worldwide.

Note - I used different Titles because Sony doesn"t have a Single FLagship Title.You"re free to assusme whichever you like.

Yawn *!* , It"s good to Pawn Punks before going to Bed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

[Pirateogta]

The article never says it is the best-selling game, and its importance has nothing to with its sales.

[ThatDud3]

Which one is the only FPS? Which title's first game was released this decade, besides one of the 9 R&C games? You clearly didn't even read the article. How old is that article in your link? I think "factual accuracy being disputed" isn't the best page to link to, own who?

[Domer25]

No doubt, for Microsoft Halo CE was their MVP.

[ReBurn]

The first Halo game was the beginning of hundreds of "me-too" console shooters. It must have been awesome because everyone was trying to out-do it.

Games like Gears, Resistance and Killzone all owe their success to the Halo effect.

[Foxgod]

And they are still trying to reach the halo level.....

[sGIBMBR]

Please stop with you're dumb comments,

We all know you're a stupid troll... !

On topic: I love Halo, from Halo: CE to Halo: ODST, with the exception of Halo Wars, that game just sucked balls!

I still play Halo3 to this date, it is my favorite multiplayer game, i've tried to stop playing and jump to other games ie: cod and Killzone, but 1 or 2 weeks later i always find myself back on Halo just playing the other games when i feel like it.

[hoo_mook]

THIS--->" Whether or not you agree that Halo was a great game, the world would be very different without it."

[Foxgod]

Without Halo, the human race would have been enslaved by aliens by now.

When the aliens arrived to terminate us, they saw a picture of Master chief, and they thought he was real, making them run off like little girls running away from an army of pedobears.

@below,
Naw, i am talking about the real world.
Real aliens wanted to invade the real world, but they saw a picture of masterchief while scouting our planet for information, and ran off like chickens because they thought that Masterchief is real.

Or are you one of these ignorant people that believes that aliens dont exist in our 17 billion stars counting galaxy, in a universe counting hundreds of billions of galaxy's?

[hoo_mook]

ok. maybe he should have said gaming world...

[ThatDud3]

I was the first person among my friends to buy a Xbox and Halo. After I had it and my friends saw it, literally 6 people bought an Xbox. The we used to have badass lan party's at my house. Man we used to get into it... nothing like CTF on original Halo. So I have to agree with the article, without the Xbox and Halo means no PS3, Killzone and so on.

[jamezrp]

That's a great point ThatDud3. I originally didn't own a PS2, and picked up an Xbox against all my friend's advice. Yet within two years, they all either wanted or owned one. Sure, I missed out by not owning a PS2, but in the end, they were missing out by not owning a 360.

[Pirateogta]

Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-but Uncharted 2!!!!!!!

[robotnik]

Halo CE is an old game...

[JonnyBigBoss]

I disagree with the writer's contention.

More FPS on consoles wasn't a good thing.

[jamezrp]

I never said it was a good thing. Just that it's an important thing. Who knows, maybe without Halo, we'd all be playing JRPG's constantly. Or something...

[Baka-akaB]

imo Halo was just there at the right time to push forward the idea of fps on console . Had it not be there , i'm sure something else in the fps world would have been acquired as exclusive by microsoft to promote its consoles .

Maybe a better game or a worse one . Hell maybe call of duty ? who knows .

Anyway there was a reason most pc gamer of the time were grumpy and defiant of the game ... here was a game that hardly added anything new to what they already enjoyed on pc and people were acting asif it was a brand new messiah .

But that's the thing , Halo was only uninspired and generic for pc players , and quite new and shiny on console .
Hell that's also why almost no one cares about the pc version of Halo , "been there , done that" .

As much as i dont enjoy halo (having seen better like many pc players) it is undeniable that it brought something new on consoles and push online gaming forward .

My only complain is that since , it has been resting , became even lazy , yet still reap the whole benefits of the first game .

[QQcrybaby]

It's the most important console game I suppose, but nothing had the impact WOW had this decade. Not even close.

[SRT4Chris401]

What's so funny, Halo isn't any different than any other unimaginative FPS that's shovelwared onto the 360. Run, shoot, melee and you have about 85% of the combat logistics of the game. Someone stated the wii was the exception to the rule with it being successful in light of the fact it has almost nothing in terms of quality games and mostly shovelware. Well Halo is the exception to rule as well, as it took a faceless hero in the future fighting against impossible odds and enemies. A story that hasn't been told before, played and beaten. Don't get me wrong the game isn't terrible, I play it and it's an enjoyable experience online most of the time. But why some people hail it to be definative is beyond me, and anyone that tries to deny the facts about the games obvious lack of originality both in gameplay and general story plot is also oblivious me as well. Not only the fact that the last 2 halo games released only look to be a upgraded halo 2 engine lays to fact that the game isn't even technologically as well. Hopefully Halo: Reach will truly live up the hype and bring something more refreshing to the series since Halo 1...

[Baka-akaB]

well again because it was there at the right time , and the first big console fps , and first big online console game .

[Figboy]

for MICROSOFT, as it single handedly legitimized their first foray into the gaming market, and paved the way for it to make the 360 the success it is today.

i think that, of all the games released in the past 10 years, Grand Theft Auto 3 is the single most important game. it literally changed the face of console gaming, and we haven't been the same since.

there would be no Saints Row, Crackdown, inFAMOUS, Prototype, Spider-Man, Just Cause, Assassin's Creed, Borderlands, etc, as the concept of creating a huge, living environment that players are free to do whatever they please within that world (to a limit, of course) wasn't fully realized until Grand Theft Auto 3.

after it hit, the gaming industry stood up and took notice, and many a developer has cited GTA3 as one of their influences for their game design. later GTA's refined the formula, and many games STILL haven't managed to produce what GTA: San Andreas has, including GTAIV.

Halo popularized FPS games on consoles, but it is hardly the most important game of the decade. games like CoD, Medal of Honor, Half Life, etc, would still exist if there was no Halo. Goldeneye 64 and Perfect Dark 64 from RARE would have more than likely took the place of Halo in terms of influencing the FPS genre, as Halo is simply a more polished version of what those two N64 games did in the 90's.

it's just my opinion, but i think GTA3 is one of the most influential games since Pacman on the Atari, Super Mario Bros on the NES, Final Fantasy 6 on the SNES, and Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation. it not only defined the Playstation 2, but the entire generation last gen (after GTA3 hit, how many games moved to open world design when before they would have been level based?).

*shrugs* i think, in the end, it's all subjective, and Halo is certainly an important franchise in the gaming landscape, but there are other games that have done more for gaming as a whole this generation, as opposed to just one genre or platform.

[Cosquae]

I agree with your view that the concept of open world, fully 3D, free choice gameplay was revolutionary.

However it wasn't GTA3 that did it first. First was a game called 'Mafia' that did ok on the PC, not sure it ever made it onto the consoles.

[Figboy]

with GTA, but i made sure in my post to specify consoles.

as for Mafia, it eventually ended up on the consoles (in 2004), but not until after GTA3 had made it's mark and set the bar(which released on the PS2 in (2001).

Mafia on the PC released in 2002, for the record.

[Theoneneo81]

No one rembers Halo was orignally a Mac Game...

[CobraKai]

I do. I remember it being a big deal for the Mac before MS scored it for the xbox.

[tawak]

is this another halo?!! jesus christ!!
kill meehhh!!!

[TwistedMetal]

PS2's Rockstar created GTa3 says hello.

[Dannycr]

5 reasons why Halo: Combat Evolved is the Most Important Xbox Game Of The Decade.

This statement is overlooking huge games on consoles and PC like Half Life 2. Again, just Halo over-hype like any other day. The article points out that it carried the original xbox towards sucess, while that is true, a whole new batch of games like GTA, God Of War, Metroid Prime, Oblivion, Twilight Princess, etc were showing up on other consoles and they did the same for their respective consoles. The Difference: Halo has sold more than them, which means just that, it just sold more.

Halo has probably sold more than even Ocarina Of Time, would you dare to say it's a better game?

[TABSF]

1. First Person Shooters are the best on PC
2. Half-life Popularized Machinima
3. Windows made the money to Kept Microsoft in the Gaming Industry

[farsided]

1. in your opinion, fps's are better on the pc.

My problem with that is a lack of multiplayer accessibility (not everyone is gonna drag their computers over to one person's house so they can play counter strike together, when they could just have a 4 way free for all on a console)

new player accessibility (do you know how tough it is for someone fresh to pc fps's...or someone who hasn't played them in a couple years...to be competitive? whereas if you can navigate a gamepad in one game, you can pick up any console fps within a day)

and monetary accessibility (I work on a laptop, but because it has a crappy graphics card, if I want to game on PC I have to go out and drop at least 500 bucks on a competitive gaming rig to run some of the newer pc fps's)

2. I didn't even know what Machinima was until everybody at school was talking about how funny RvB was (I'm sorry, what was the big Half Life Machinima? I've never heard of it)

3. Though windows did fund Microsofts first generation console, had it not been for the success of Halo: CE and Halo 2, Bill would have seen the futility of trying to make money ever in the console gaming market and probably would have cut funding for the program. There is no way the 360 would exist without a flagship title backing it.

[Redgehammer]

In 2003 I was a PC gamer who considered consoles to be for children. I thought the mouse was the end all be all for inputting my orders to kill an enemy; and HL Death match,TFC, counter-strike, and Quake were the most fun I had on my PC. Then Halo came out and it changed my PC experience and expectations levels for all FPS's that would follow in Halo's immense Spartan sized shoes. Halo CE sapped so many hours of my life that you would think I was grinding to beat Diablo. The competitive nature of Halo reminded me of being a younger person and playing organized sports. The hours I spent playing Halo on my PC are still some of the most fun matches I have had the pleasure to play.
Now, 6 years later I play the hell out of my 360 (Team fortress is my game of choice though) and if it wasn't for Halo, I, probably, would have let the entire console thing pass me by without incident. The Master Chief is an Iconic part of my gaming past, and I am in complete concordance with the author of the article and his assessment of Halo's importance to gaming in the last decade.

I do consider Half-Life 2 to be my favorite PC game of all time though( right ahead of HL 1).

[Letros]

While I have played a ton of FPS since the days of Doom, my fondest memories come from the Half-Life series.

But I agree with the article Halo CE was MS's WMD, oddly enough it was originally a Mac title, hehe.

Imagine everyone buying Macs to game on, ugh bad thoughts.

[inSaneELF]

Lol I only have one account. I Don't know where you got that silly idea.

[ChickeyCantor]

GE/PD.
And no those are not pokemon games.

[The BS Police]

1. Goldeneye was released in 1997.

2. Perfect Dark while released this decade it didn't really do anything to break the mold like Halo 1 did from a gameplay perspective.

[ChickeyCantor]

Actually PD introduced a much higher AI compared to GE, plus co-up.

Even if he is talking about a decade, i still say GE/PD.

[blahblah123]

I think if you were born in the 90s and aren't old enough to remember playing Doom or Heretic off a floppy in typing class when nobody was looking, then HALO is probably a big deal.

For a lot of the rest of us, Goldeneye is still the superior game.

[RockmanII7]

I as a 360 only owner can realize that their probably wouldn't be a 360 if it wasn't for Halo. Halo was the reason you bought a Xbox like how RE4 was the reason why you bought a GC.

[kasasensei]

Right.
I bought a 360 only for halo3. ^^

[N4BmpS]

Halo is a big figure in the Gaming industry, but I'm not completely convinced of it being proclaimed as the Most Important Game of the Decade. I'm not the biggest Halo fan, but that's not why I'm saying what I'm saying. Halo isn't the only game that had a great Decade, sure there were very few to have the success that it had on it's first launch. But what about GTA, what about Mario, the MVP of the gaming industry(all one million of his variations). I'm not gonna feed you any BS about a PS1 or 2 game that should be game of the Decade, actually I can't think of any except maybe Devil May cry, which expanded the hack-slash genre, and God of war which took it further and maybe the MGS franchise(which was pretty good this decade). What I'm trying to say is that many games deserve to be called "important game of the decade." But Halo deserves it's Kudos.

[spacetoilet]

OMFG this article = MEGA-FAIL.

Sheeit Halo!!? That sh1t was done in the 90's (and better) with DooM and Goldeneye 64. Important my 4ss.
Best launch titel of all console releases? Where from his duma 4ss did he pull that gem of a 'fact' from? IS this guy 17? Too young to realise Super Mario World, or even Super Mario 64 blow the piss out of Halo as industry changing and amazing launch games?

Here is two I can think of right now that are waaaay more important games of this decade... World Of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto III.

[farsided]

the 90's aren't exactly this decade are they?
...and it didn't start with WoW, the Warcraft universe started back in '94. WoW became popular because of the following Blizzard already had from their previous games. Same goes for the GTA series which started back in '97. And Super Mario 64 came out in '96! All these games are basically ineligible, no matter how good they are!

Halo: CE on the other hand was the first in it's series and actually began in 2001, this decade. Did WoW sell computers? no! Guess what? Everquest 1 and 2 did it first, back in '99 and '04! Did GTA III benefit either the ps2 or the xbox in a massive way? no! it just stirred up a buttload of controversy and got a bunch of moms angry at Rockstar!

BTW...have you even tried playing goldeneye 64 (hey that wasn't the first in it's series either!) recently? the last time I did was this summer and I threw down the controller in frustration because you have to have a third hand to even aim the damn gun! on the other hand, I can still enjoy the original halo in all its nostalgic glory every time I pick it up (it helps that I have one of the later smaller controllers lol...)

Recap, it may not be the best game (or best selling) this decade, but it is still the most important, and I feel that all the reasons he gave in this article were very solid.

[chrisulloa]

Don't forget it brought LAN console parties, dedicated melee buttons, online fps gameplay, the space marine, and vehicles to us. (inb4 an assload of people name a bunch of different games that only had ONE of those things)

[LUCKYXS7LEVEN]

u forgot to add it also made everyone power rangers again n cheer for the green guy

[Mr Marbles]

is a god amongst games.

[kasasensei]

Not the most important, just one of them. Which means a lot, obviously.
There is a "before halo" and an "after halo".

[farsided]

simply because every time a new big balls mmo comes out, there's always the question of whether it's gonna be the WoW killer... whereas every time a new shooter hits the PS3 or 360, there's always the question of whether it's gonna be the Halo killer. I say that because even despite the popularity of the CoD games and Uncharted 2 and everything else recently, you never hear that a game could potentially be the MW2/UC2/KZ2/etc...-killer.