There’s no debate on the importance of Halo and its hero, Master Chief, has had in the role of the console first person shooter. While Rare’s Goldeneye for Nintendo’s N64 was the first AAA console FPS, Halo: Combat Evolved on the original XBox showed the gaming world that FPS games could work on consoles just as well as they could on PC, and the gaming world was changed forever.
Halo: Combat Evolved created a new franchise that Microsoft could use as a foundation as it began to build its gaming division. Subsequent games have defined the hardware they were played on, with Halo 2 flexing the true power of not only the original Xbox, but of an upstart service called Xbox Live, Halo 3 helped the Xbox 360 sell millions of units, and Halo 4 signified a triumphant swan song of the 360, as it is arguably the last great first party Xbox 360 game released on the system.
The “grandfather” of console FPS games is back in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Now, as Microsoft’s Xbox One works to try and catch Sony’s PS4 in units sold, 343 Industries (who took over the development of Halo 4 from Bungie) has taken all four Halo core games and amped them up with new gen graphics and polish for Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
The collection is a veritable “master”piece of all things Master Chief, and 343 Industries did a remarkable job with the transfers, including Halo 2 Anniversary. Halos 3 and 4 both look great upgraded to new gen, with Halo 4 looking the least impressive as it was already a visual marvel late in the Xbox 360 life cycle. The graphics look incredible by any standard, and it runs at 1080p, which is still a rarity for Xbox One games.
Each game in Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been visually upgraded.
What makes this collection so special is that players can choose to jump into each game at any time, and not only that, they can choose to jump into specific chapters within each game without having to unlock it by playing through the whole game. Do you have a favorite chapter? “Truth and Consequences” from the original Halo? Jump right in. Hate the “Library,” you can just skip it. This makes all four numbered games, and all 45 chapters, worth playing again, and also helps when, say, hunting for skulls or other power ups. It’s a “master”stroke from 343 Industries, and makes this collection a must-have for fans of Master Chief’s adventures.
The real issues begin to rear their ugly heads in the game oft-talked about multiplayer. As in, it doesn’t work. This week was the first time I’ve been able to play an online multiplayer game, and I’ve owned Halo: The Master Chief Collection since the day of release. That is incomprehensible in every facet. Halo is Halo because of its competitive — and fun — multiplayer, and 343 Industries released a game that was broken. A recent patch has made it playable now, but just barely. There is still a wait to match into a play group. And once you are in and playing, if a player leaves your play group, it can take seven to 10 minutes for another player to be matched into the group, so everybody waits. It’s not just annoying, it should never have happened. To say that 343 Industries has bungled (not Bungied) this launch is an understatement. Having to wait a full month to review a game because it doesn’t work at launch should never happen, and with Assassin’s Creed Unity — released the same day as Halo: The Master Chief Collection — suffering the same issues, it makes me wonder if game companies should just abandon published release dates and just wait unit the game, you know, works, before releasing it.
When it works, multiplayer is just as fun as you remembered it, now in 1080p.
As for the rest of the package, Halo: The Master Chief Collection comes with additional whistles and bells, including the forge, Halo: Nightfall, and soon, access to the Halo 5 multiplayer beta. But 343 Industries and Halo multiplayer are two things seemingly at odds, so who knows if the beta will even work when it opens later this month.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a love letter to one of the best, most important game franchises ever — as long as you don’t care to play with your friends in multiplayer. The polish and visual upgrades are very noticeable and make for almost new gaming experiences, all the while retaining that charm that made the early games must-play title to begin with. When (and if) multiplayer works consistently, over 100 maps have been included, which helps Halo: The Master Chief Collection feel fresh, game after game, but again, getting there is the biggest obstacle. My review score is derived from what is playable, and then points have been subtracted for the issues available at launch 00 and still to this day.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection was reviewed on Xbox One and purchased at retail. It is available exclusively for the Xbox One.
