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Halo: The Master Chief Collection Review: Epic Isn’t Big Enough

By Ted Schwerzler

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Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a culmination of all things right in the gaming world, only this time, it’s done even better.

Halo fans are some of the most passionate in gaming. From the birth of Halo: Combat Evolved, to the eventual Halo 5: Guardians, the series has continued to deliver and be supported by some of the largest numbers in the gaming world. Compiling the Master Chief story into one experience was going to be huge, and it needed to be done perfectly. Don’t hold your breath, it was.

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Combining all four Master Chief driven Halo games, the Halo: Master Chief Collection was always going to be an aggressive undertaking. The install size of both the game itself and the multiplayer update have both been well noted. That being said, the end result makes it more than worth it.

Upon firing the game up, you are immediately greeted with the outstanding score of the Halo world. A simple thumbstick movement from the main menu also triggers the score that has so often been noted as one of the best in gaming. With easy to navigate menus, the amount of content is all reasonably accessible.

Although I didn’t find myself getting roped in completely by Halo until the second title, I did hop into Halo: Combat Evolved to start the campaign adventure. The experience is modeled off of the recently released Anniversary Edition of the same game.

Most notably, the 60 frames per second shine wonderfully. Both Halo: CE and Halo 2 run two simultaneous graphics engines, thus allowing games to switch back and forth between the original and current graphics with the press of a button. Both games however feel like a completely new experience in the Master Chief Collection.

Thanks to the increased graphical prowess of 1080p, along with the weight added to the games, everything feels more lifelike. Master Chief’s stomping feet, the bullets flying from your battle rifle, the power behind each punch, 343 Industries has completely overhauled just how immersive the early Halo experience is.

Master Chief’s stomping feet, the bullets flying from your battle rifle, the power behind each punch, 343 Industries has completely overhauled just how immersive the early Halo experience is.

Looking at Halo 2, one of the most impressive parts of the entire collection is showcased in the game’s cutscenes. Remastered for the Master Chief Collection, Halo fans will no doubt be begging for a full length feature after laying their eyes on the beauty shown between the action.

Halo 3 and Halo 4 return as the newcomers to the series, but don’t think that makes them any less spectacular. Halo 3 remains arguably one of the most wonderfully done campaigns in video game history, and the upgrades in the Collection truly bring that to life. Playing through Halo 4, it is easy to forget that the game was launched as an Xbox 360 title. Beautifully done for the Xbox One, the experience truly feels next gen.

Each of the Halo games are presented in the Halo: Master Chief Collection in their best form. With every one of them (outside of Halo 2 which runs at 1328×1080) running at 1080p and 60 frames per second, you will never be able to go back to the original versions of the titles. This is exactly the way Halo was meant to be experienced.

This is exactly the way Halo was meant to be experienced.

This is exactly the way Halo was meant to be experienced.

As far as the multiplayer experience goes, no stone is left unturned there either. From the get go, the amount of playable maps is truly remarkable. For the first time (thanks to being left out of the Anniversary Edition), Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer can be experienced online. Every set of DLC maps are also presented in a completely updated version.

Halo 2 returns to a playable multiplayer state as well in the Master Chief Collection. With the servers having been shut down since 2010, fans will be looking to get back into favorites like Lockout, Zanzibar, and Midship.

The multiplayer experience is presented with plenty of options as well. Custom games, matchmaking, and local co-op (which is so often forgotten nowadays) are all here for gamers. This is truly an ode to everything Halo has done right over the years.

While remaining full disclosure, matchmaking has not yet gone live, and while I don’t expect any issues considering the track record, that evaluation is being left out of consideration for the purposes of the review score. The multiplayer update has been pushed out, and gamers are able to immediately download it, but the servers will not be at their full load test until launch on November 11.

All things considered, this is nowhere near a simple facelift of the Halo series as a whole. Whether you’re an experienced veteran or someone looking to get into Halo for the first time, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is where you should start and end that journey.

The Good:

  • Remarkably remastered experiences provide a whole new feel
  • Loads of content will always offer more than you have time to play
  • Remastered cutscenes are beautifully done
  • Every Halo experience ever in 1080p

The Bad:

  • Long install time for both disc and multiplayer downloads
  • Some framerate dips in campaign and local multiplayer
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