KnockBack, Episode 207 | Halo: Combat Evolved (Patreon)

There's just no denying it: The gaming series Halo and the Xbox console are intrinsically linked, and will be forever. Indeed, Microsoft went and bought Halo mid-development to become its maiden console's killer app, and... well... it worked... because Xbox was unlikely to survive without it. Two decades-plus later, Halo remains one of the most important console franchises in the world, and yet, it all began innocuously enough with a 2001 product subtitled Combat Evolved. While far from the first FPS on console, there's no doubt that Halo -- through control, story, LAN, and more -- set the precedent for the next more-than 20 years of console-based shooting, which, as we well know, is now big, big business. We may just have the esteemed Halo to thank for that, and so, we welcome a conversation all about it here on KnockBack.