Halo: The Master Chief Collection | Review.
Developer 343 Industries.
Publisher Microsoft
Platform Xbox One
Release Date 11-11-2014
Halo’s Master Chief returns in style with the most comprehensive collection to date. All four adventures have been beautifully re-mastered with upgraded audio, gameplay and graphics in one perfect package for the Next Generation.
This collection is something 343 industries have wanted to build since taking over the Halo franchise. The task of getting Master Chief’s full saga into a single package was a mammoth one but 343 industries certainly have gone above and beyond what even the toughest Halo fan could have ever wanted. For those who never played Halo before, to summarize the story, Halo Follows an on-going war between Humans and an Alien race known as the Covenant, the Humans special weapon, The Master Chief a Spartan soldier is one of the earth’s last defense in this epic story.
The story begins with an earth ship escaping the planet “reach” of which the covenant had destroyed, the ship discovers the Halo an ancient mystical ring built by a race long since extinct, The covenant have already discovered the “Halo”, and it is a race against time to discover the secrets it holds.
So what’s included in this collection? First up we have the original classic and start to the franchise Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary edition, containing the full campaign and multiplayer (with previously PC only maps debuting on the xbox for the first time). The Anniversary edition was originally re-mastered for the Xbox 360 back in 2011, and has been further enhanced for its Xbox One debut.
Now running in 1080p at 60fps the game never looked so good, players are also given the option to switch between the original and re-mastered versions by simply pressing the back button anytime during play, a feature that is sure to trigger nostalgia with returning players, coincidently this feature also really highlights how much the franchise has come along visually since its first debut in 2001.
For returning players perhaps wanting to play it for the third time, there are additional cut scenes and Easter eggs to be discovered, along with some fine tuning of the enemy AI and gameplay mechanics it offers plenty for returning players. For new players it is essential as the starting point of the story line.
Halo 2 Anniversary Edition in many ways forms the centerpiece to the entire story. This game comes with the complete package of campaign and multiplayer and like Halo Combat Evolved it now runs in a stunning 1080p at 60fps ensuring it looks stunning, fans are also treated to enhanced audio and almost a full hour of re-imagined cinematics which adds to the depth of the story by tying all 4 games together. 343 industries have taken this opportunity to not change the story but to use the full series to add additional pieces to help tie it together into one long seamless story.
The ability for players to switch between the original and new re-mastered versions on the fly again highlights how much work had been put into re-mastering this classic. Halo 2 was always considered to be a high class shooter, however with this edition also carrying performance improvements its debut to the xbox one has only made this classic better and will not disappoint.
Next up Halo 3 and Halo 4, I’ve decided it’s best to mention these two together as both appeared on the previous gen console. The level of improvements to graphics and audio does not match the jump seen in 1 & 2 but they do boast rock solid 1080p 60fps gameplay again showing off the power of the Xbox One with significant improvements to lighting effects.
Now at this point you probably thinking “What about the multiplayer?” This is a big test, and in some ways the feature under the most scrutiny. Again 343 industries have pulled out all the stops giving the players over a hundred maps to choose from across all four games with all their downloadable map packs in a single bundle again giving the players a lot of bang for their buck.
Halo Combat Evolved includes the entire multiplayer feature set including maps that previously only appeared in the PC version which will be playable on Xbox Live for the first time. Halo 2 brings both the full suite of classic multiplayer maps in the original engine as well as six maps re-imagined with modern tech to evoke the spirit and fun of the original Halo 2 gameplay. Halo 3 and Halo 4? You guessed it, all the multiplayer maps from these two games including the downloadable maps have also been included. Delivering a multiplayer experience that’s sure to cater to any Halo fan’s needs. This is the most comprehensive collection of Halo multiplayer ever to be delivered in one package.
At this point you’re probably thinking “okay so we have all the campaigns and multiplayers from all 4 games, surely that’s all that’s contained in this collection?” hold on there’s more! 343 industries has also included a new halo channel which will be featuring Halo Nightfall, for those of you who may be unaware, Halo Nightfall is a digital feature series created in collaboration with Ridly Scott’s Free Productions, to summarize Nightfall tells the story of a group of operatives from the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), tasked with investigating and halting a nascent terrorist threat, whose deadly secret is hidden on a damaged fragment of the Halo Ring itself. In some ways Nightfall is the spiritual successor to Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. The show will feature a new character, Agent Locke, whose game debut will be in the upcoming Halo 5 Guardians. The show will run for 5 weeks and is launched from the extras menu within the Master chief Collection itself.
Players will also be given access to the Halo 5 Guardians Multiplayer Beta from the extras menu, which will debut end of December, this will begin a 3 week cycle of rotating content in which players will be given their first taste of Halo’s new “area” competitive multiplayer. The multiplayer beta will also provide 343 industries invaluable data about networking, tech, online conditions and most importantly the likes and dislikes of the players, a luxury and tool which weren’t available when developing for Halo 4.
Overall summary and thoughts on the Master Chief Collection, players are treated to the most comprehensive collection of Master Chief’s adventures all in one package, from the menu screen each game’s campaign can be selected individually. All games are now running in 1080p at 60fps which looks amazing but the graphics weren’t the only improvement, the audio has now also been re-mastered adding a more realistic sound to the game. Further subtle tweaks to the overall feel to the game such as AI, controls, user interfaces and many more also add to this package making this game a must have in all gamers collections.
New fans to the series will have a great opportunity to catch up on the story so far ahead of Halo 5 Guardians release next year, 343 industries inclusion of additional cut scenes that have been added to the campaign tie up the story in such a way that will draw in returning players once again and give new players a fresh seamless view of the story so far. Halo’s multiplayer package will contain all the original and DLC maps giving players an abundance of options that will cater to all types. The collection of extras and features is enough to keep most players busy for some time exploring Easter eggs from previous games all in one location now.
To give the game a score it would have to be 5/5, 343 industries really have delivered and the level of work that has been put in will be quite obvious to returning players, new players are treated to a game that looks and feels brand new and not just a basic attempt to release an old set of games on a new console which can be the case with certain collections, there is no doubt Halo The Master Chief Collection will provide hours of quality game play and entertainment to all players alike
SCORE 5/5
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