Major props to Harry Al-Shakarchi for his translation of the recent German-language Halo article.

Editors only seldom let their jaws drop. That happened when Bungie showed off their game Halo. Forget what you heard about action games and 3D graphics, this game sets new boundaries! The times of complex intros are over. Bungie shows us that a game in real time can look as good as if it was made on a expensive Silicon Graphics machine. Halo is the name of the new 3D action game, where you battle on a ring system on some far planet either as a humanoid cyborg or a member of an Alien race. Bungie plans to send solo players into a number of campaigns and at the same time make it a real online multiplayer game, where you play as a team like in Starseige Tribes. How great that will be is shown in the amazing graphics and the realistic physics. Using a variety of landscapes, Jason Jones -on a Pentium III with 500 Mhz and a TNT 2 card-showed how organic it all looks, and how the two races differ. The cyborgs are akin to those of the Marines on Starship Troopers who own mostly projectile weapons which have perfectly animated shells flying out when shooting and roll down hills. The alien Covenants own energy weapons and amaze with their sparkling oily battlesuits, which reflect light in brilliant colours. Ground vehicles bump about on terrains and make gravel fly, boats create waves and ripples in the water, and explosions change the terrain to a big extent. The player is not forced to take tasks of being a sniper or tank driver, but can choose what tasks he should fulfill. You can choose to be pilot, sniper or lone fighter a la Quake 3. Bungie will work approximatly one more year on Halo, and until then Bungie will decide if you play from the Tomb Raider perspective or as a FPS. -- Florian Stangl Facts: Genre: 3D-Action Producer: Bungie Release date: September 2000 Comparable with: Starsiege Tribes, Half-Life

For fun, here's the Babelfish translation:

Hardsimmered editors stop only quite rarely disbelievingly the mouth openly. Cause for it offered recently Bungie, when it presented a first version of its celestial project halo. Forget everything that you have heard and seen so far about action games and 3D-Graphic - halo sets new yardsticks! The time of the complex before-calculated Intros is past. Bungie shows that a whole game can look in such a way, as if originates it from a extreme expensive silicone Graphics workstation. Halo is called the fire-new [this is a german expression, it means the very latest; comment of the translator] 3D-Actiontitle, with which you fight against each other either as human-like Cyborg or as a member of a Alien race at the ring system of a far planet. Bungie plans at present that halo sends solo players into a campaign with several missions and at the same time a washgenuine [I hope this exists in English; cott] on-line Multiplayer game is to become, with which similarly as into Starsiege Tribes the team thought in the foreground is. How magnificent that could become, the fantastic graphic and unbelievably realistic physics suggest. On the basis of several landscapes project manager Jason Jones showed on a Pentium III with 500 MHz and a TNT2 card, how organically the area works and how above all the two disliked parties differ. The Cyborgs resembles that marine from the film Starship Troopers and preferably possesses projectile weapons, with which perfectly animates the empty ammo-hulls [babelfish didn't know the exact word; cott] the hill down-roll. The extraterrestial Covenants use energy weapons and inspire by the oilily resplendent combat suits, which again-reflect the light in irising [german exp, hope it is in english, means rainbow-like; cott] colours. Soil vehicles drive over rocks and destroy thereby stones according to all rules of physics, boats turn up the water and explosions change the landscape seriously. The player is forced not as in other titles in classes such as sniper or tank driver, but may select itself its field of activity. Whether they want to along-play Quake 3 as a pilot, sniper or traditionally as single fighters à la Quake 3, depends on you. Approximately the work on halo is to still take one year; up to then Bungie will also decide wh ether you are to play in the Soloplayer mode with the Tomb Raider view or in the 'I' perspective. We will hold it up to date, as the project develops further. -- Florian Stangl Picture comments: Upper right corner: Realism purely: With each shot the soldier intercepts obviously the recoil, and the cases roll the hill down there. Lower left corner: Graphic is not everything: In halo they are to be confronted both on-line and solo with different functions in buildings and in the free one. Lower right corner: Halo strikes everything been-before with fantastic graphics so far. gameplay is to become a perfect mixture from Half-Life, Tribes and Quake 3 arena.

Ricardo Constante Rosado weighed in with this translation, and for your further reading pleasure, with this reproduction (in english) of the original scan. The wonders of Photoshop...

Its not often that tough critics let their jaws drop to the floor. Recently though, Bungie gave them a reason, as they showed a first version of their extraterrestrial project Halo. Forget everything you've heard about action games and 3D Graphics until now - Halo sets new models! The time of costly pre rendered intros is over. Bungie shows that an entire real-time game can look like it came out of a sinfully expensive Silicon Graphics Workstation. Halo is the name of this new 3D action game, where you choose between playing a humanoid Cyborg or a member of an alien race fighting each other on a far away Planet. Presently, Bungie plans for Halo's solo play to send the player in a campaign with several missions, while at the same time being a full-fledged online-multiplayergame, where, resembling Starsiege Tribes, team play is the emphasis. How wonderful this can be, hint at us the fantastic graphics and the incredibly realistic physics. On one of the many landscapes showed us project leader Jason Jones on a Pentium III with 500 MHz and a TNT2, how organic the terrain looks and , most importantly, how both races are different. The Cyborgs look like the marines from the film "Starship Troopers" and use mainly projectile weapons, from which the empty shell cases roll down the hill with a perfect animation. The extraterrestrial Covenants use energy weapons and look amazing due to their oily and shiny combat suits, which reflect light in iridescent colors. Ground vehicles race over cliffs breaking stones exactly as physics rules, ships make waves in the water and explosions alter the landscape permanently. The player won't be forced into classes like sniper or tank driver as in other games, but can choose his field of action instead. Whether you want to play as a pilot, infantry soldier or lone man ˆ la Quake3 is entirely up to you. The work on halo should go on for about a year still; until then will Bungie also decide if the solo play will use a Tomb Raider perspective or a first-person one. We will keep you informed about the development of the project. -- Florian Stangl Facts: IMG TOP - Pure Realism: With each shot the soldier feels the kickback, and the shell cases roll down the hill. IMG LEFT - Graphics aren't everything: In Halo, online and solo play will confront you with different Tasks indoors and outdoors. IMG RIGHT - Halo beats with its dream-like graphics everything that has been until now. The gameplay should be a perfect balance between Half-Life, Tribes and Quake 3.