To say the Halo franchise had a large impact on not only shooters in general, but also gaming as a whole, as well as the future success of Microsoft as a console manufacturer would be a huge understatement. Halo: Combat Evolved was the main launch title for Microsoft’s new Xbox video game console back when it faced stiff competition from Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube, and is known for driving the platform from the brink of an early death. Once released, Halo became an overnight success and went on to sell 8 million copies as well as earn critical acclaim earning extremely high marks from IGN, EGM, OXM, and Game Informer, to name a few.
What made Halo such a remarkable game at the time was its story that many considered to be good enough to be its own full-length novel that was packaged within a game that offered incredible audio and visual elements. In fact, Halo gave players the feeling of a big summer blockbuster while playing, which very few games were able to do prior to it. Many other games, especially first-person shooters, went on to release titles that offered as large, or an even larger, experience.
The original Call of Duty, Far Cry, and several Medal of Honor games all released a number of years after Halo. Who knows how those games would have evolved without Halo? For example: prior to the release of Halo, the majority of first-person shooters relied on health packs in order to replenish your character’s health. Halo introduced us to the regenerating shields and health, and shortly after its release, it seems most shooters either had their own version of shields or at least required players to take a break from the action in order to gain health. There are very few AAA games released nowadays that relies solely on a health pack system, so the next time you're near death in a shooter and need to take a break to gain your health back, remember that it's thanks to Halo that you'll soon be entering the fight yet again.
Multiplayer gaming also evolved after the release of Halo.
Prior to Halo’s release, Rare developed GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark were seen as pinnacles of multiplayer gaming, although that all changed once Halo released. Halo was the first console game to incorporate local system-link in addition to split-screen multiplayer and the release of Halo 2 introduced us to worry-free online matchmaking that many other games following its release mimicked, although few were able to offer as seamless an experience as Bungie did. The amount of multiplayer options Bungie gave Halo players was quite high as you could come up with a match with the most crazy rules you could think of. Unfortunately, like most console games, players weren’t able to modify the game beyond custom rules, although when Halo released on PC, the game took off as fans were finally able to play on custom maps as well as partake in custom gametypes.
Halo also introduced a way for console gamers to customize the world around them with the release of Forge in Halo 3. Forge gave Halo players the tools they needed to further customize their experiences in the game. The tool would not only allow us to manipulate levels, but also implement custom rules within them. We’ve seen maps that would be treated as large race tracks, volleyball courts, and arena-style close-quarters combat maps. It appears the only real limit to Forge is the user’s imagination, and with each iteration in the Halo series, Forge becomes an even stronger tool. In fact, Forge was used as a way for players to propose to one another. Not only has the lasting impact of that particular creation affected the gaming community, but Halo has also affected the lives of real-life people who are now spending their lives together as a result.
But not all of Halo’s influences would be positive. Halo has become synonymous with the practice of "teabagging." If not for introducing the move, it at least became widespread. After killing your opponent, players run over to their body prior to their respawn, and simply crouch down and stand back up over and over again. It’s a silly move, but it’s one that has probably caused countless controllers being thrown across rooms in frustration.
Similarly, trash talking has also been quite prevalent when taking part in multiplayer games and led to a somewhat negative impression of playing games on Xbox Live. While a chorus of pre-teens telling us we suck is easy to ignore, the darker side of trash-talk involves hateful speech regarding a player's gender, sexuality. While muting voice chat has become much easier to do in recent Halo games, Halo and Xbox Live are not known for being cordial experiences, which leads to some avoidance of online play even despite the T rating.
Whether the influence be positive or negative, the gaming world has changed because of Halo. Regardless of personal taste, it needs to be acknowledged that many of the games we enjoy nowadays may not be the same if Halo never entered the picture.
