first glance little more than a gorgeous console shooter, Halo's innovation lie curled within its scores of subtle gameplay refinements. By making the player's health meter recharge, Halo eliminated the need for frustrating health pickups (though they appeared in an almost vestigial fashion in the first game). This recharging health meter has since appeared in hundreds of games and is the current model for nearly all action games. Other trend-setting developments included limiting players to carrying two weapons at a time, a design choice that highlighted strategy and realism, and putting a key focus on vehicular combat -- an unusual but defining choice for a first-person shooter.