343 Industries has recently released the culmination of all four Halo games, giving a chance for nostalgia and forgotten emotions to re-emerge in fans all over the world.
Released on November 11, this masterpiece includes the four classics, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4 as a continuous story-line. In addition, the collection provides the Halo Nightfall television series, produced by Ridley Scott, and the Halo 5 Guardians Beta, to be released on December 29th.
The first game, Halo Combat Evolved released in 2001, an already known contributor to revolutionary gameplay, takes place in the far future. Mankind is in a brutal war with the Covenant, an alien race that’s hell-bent on destroying all life they consider inferior to them. After a battle near a planet colonized by humans, only one ship survives, with Master Chief, the character you play. An amazing game to begin with, 343 has refurbished the game’s graphics, making the story seem even more life-like than before. The gaming, experience introduced ten years ago can now be experienced with up to two friends, and more content that’s hidden throughout the game. With the next generation of technology, you can instantly switch between the graphics of ten years ago and the graphics of today, whichever you prefer.
The long awaited sequel, Halo 2 released in 2004, begins with the ex-commander of a Covenant fleet on trial for failing to defend the Halo. It then transitions back to Master Chief who is being awarded for destroying the Halo ring. Due to Halo 2’s 10th anniversary 343 gave Halo 2 visual upgrades to add to players nostalgic feelings. With the graphical upgrades came audio upgrades making the ten year old game seem brand new in the eyes of veteran fans. Just like Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary allows you to switch between the games graphics as well.
After 3 long years of waiting, fans got to continue their epic adventure following the cliffhanger of an ending in Halo 2 in Halo 3 released in 2007. Master Chief crashes in an African jungle where the Covenant have found an ancient alien relic. This action packed conclusion to the Halo trilogy which clears the way for a new saga in the Halo franchise. Without any big changes Halo 3 has altered slightly. Because of the power of the next generation consoles, Halo 3’s amazing story can be played in high definition.
In 2012, Five years after the release of Halo 3, Master Chief is awoken from his cryogenic sleep by his holographic companion Cortana. The Covenant fleet has attacked your destroyed ship and is searching for you. After fighting off the fleet, Cortana notices a Metallic planet in front of the ship. Fans of the Halo franchise were ecstatic for the continuation of their beloved franchise with Halo 4. However many think the changes made to their game has modernized it too much and I agree. Halo 4 itself is an amazing game, but a low point in the series. Because of minor additions, such as incorporating the ability to sprint and create custom equipment in multiplayer, many players felt betrayed. But without a doubt Halo 4 did show some promise in the continuation of the franchise leaving many eager to see whats come with Halo 5.
Although many see the story aspect of Halo Master Chief collection as a masterpiece, one could see the multiplayer as the star of the show. The collection’s beautiful recreation of award winning Halo 2 multiplayer, allows players to see the hit game’s classic maps through the power of a next-gen console. Along with the recreation of Halo 2‘s multiplayer you can enjoy all previously made Halo games and their respective multiplayer counterparts.