Halo’s Vivid Graphics and Lighting
To put it simply, Halo’s graphics and lighting are jaw-dropping. From the beginning of the game, you can clearly see how much effort was put into making it beautiful. Everything from the player’s character to the environment that surrounds him is full of detail. The character, the vehicles, and all of the levels are textured extremely well. Something as simple as the metal on the Warthog has an incredible bump map, making the surface very realistic.
Halo’s graphics and lighting that make up its water effects are dazzling to say the least, reflecting the sky very nicely. The sky is very well done, and Halo itself, floating in the sky, is a very striking feature. Halo draws you into a new environment and a new world. Halo’s graphics and lighting provide a quality-rich setting that completely immerses a player into a new life.
Smoke and Fog
The graphics and lighting in Halo make for excellent smoke and fog effects. Of all the uses of smoke in Halo, one of the best is from the trails left by fragmentary grenades, or rocket launcher rounds, being launched at the enemy. The use of smoke in weapons like the sniper rifle and the Covenant pistol is also very exceptional, providing added realisticity to the game.
Fog is also used well, especially in early portions of the game, to create a creepy and unusual atmosphere. During night levels, this effect enhances the game greatly. The other graphics and lighting in Halo add to this effect, making for a world unlike any other.
Lighting Effects
The lighting in Halo is simply phenomenal. Never before, have lighting effects from a flashlight been so accurately modeled in a game. The parabolic shape of the light striking a wall is very realistic. An experience in itself is found when a player hits the floor and lights floods the surrounding area. New areas and new crevices can be seen, and seemingly limited world of Halo becomes vast and limitless.
The lighting effects in Halo show even more competence when night falls. Muzzle flashes from different weapons illuminate the surrounds very realistically. Grenade explosions and other lights on vehicles and buildings also realistically light up the night, but don’t exaggerate their effect. The flight of a plasma grenade as it is tossed is lit up eerily by a very bright and bluish light. The lighting in Halo is unique in itself and is exceptional without question.
