An unofficial project has made the OG Halo game playable in a web browser, including the story campaign, split-screen co-op, and even online multiplayer modes. While performance still needs some optimisation, the game requires no installation and loads directly inside your browser, with support for both mouse/keyboard and controller input.
This unofficial Halo port follows previous projects, such as GTA Vice City in a browser and a similar Half-Life 2 project, showcasing how web browsers have become more than tools for surfing the net. Developed by Mitchell Hynes, this new project brings the original Xbox version of Halo: Combat Evolved, including a playable campaign that’s fully unlocked for those who want to jump straight into the more interesting missions. The creator also indicates that this port supports online multiplayer for up to 128 players.
The latter is an impressive feat if it works correctly. The official game on Xbox only supported 16 players online, with the possibility of handling four players on one machine. Note, however, that Hynes couldn’t confirm if a game with 128 players online would work correctly, which is understandable since it would be hard to group this many players in one place without an automatic matchmaking system.
The good news is that, if you want to test it with a group of friends, the process is fairly simple; you just need to create a lobby and share a join link. The port uses WebRTC to manage online traffic, which is an open technology that lets web browsers talk to each other in real time without extra plugins.
I tested it on Firefox, and it worked surprisingly well. While I couldn’t measure my frame rate, Hynes says the game ran at 122fps on his system. Aside from some hitches when entering new sections of the map, or when a lot of explosions are going on (particularly on mobile devices), movement on PC feels smooth, and controls are as I remember them from the Xbox version.
Graphics-wise, the game runs at a very low resolution by today’s standards, which is understandable since the original Halo: Combat Evolved on Xbox had a 4:3 aspect ratio and a 640×480 (480i/480p) resolution.
The big issue, of course, is the legality of this port, as it’s very much unofficial. Considering that the GTA Vice City port was taken down by Take-Two, I wouldn’t be surprised if the same happens to this one, especially as it doesn’t require any proof of game ownership from the user’s side.
