Halo: The Master Chief Collection

[Flawless]

This is an awesome package.


Halo: The Master Chief Collection Puts More Than a Decade of Halo on One Disc

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“Halo 5: Guardians” may not be hitting until the fall of 2015, but faithful followers of Microsoft’s flagship first-person shooter can curb their Covenant-crushing appetite this November with “Halo: The Master Chief Collection.” Landing just in time to celebrate “Halo 2’s” 10-year anniversary on November 11 of this year, this fan-pleasing package contains “Halo: Combat Evolved,” “Halo 2,” “Halo 3,” and “Halo 4” on a single disc for $59.99. More than a mere bundle of previously released games, however, “The Master Chief Collection” is a beast of an offering brimming with more bonuses, enhancements, and extras than you can shake an Energy Sword at. For starters, each title is optimized to take full advantage of the Xbox One’s power and will run at 60 frames-per-second. So, even the series’ most recent releases – “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary” and “Halo 4” – will benefit from the jump to Xbox One, sporting much higher fidelity, better shadowing, reflection, and lighting effects, as well as an overall level of detail that trumps the previous console generation. While “Halo: Combat Evolved,” “Halo 3,” and “Halo 4” will melt your eyeballs, “Halo 2” raises the bar even further... then chucks it, javelin-style, through the heart of your high expectations. Because the Master Chief’s second outing is celebrating a big anniversary, his handlers are giving it an extra coat of awesome. All of the cinematics have received a retina-searing makeover courtesy of Blur Studios; the crazy-talented team is also applying the movie-making magic to a brand-new prologue and epilogue that sheds some light on the Chief’s forthcoming journey in “Halo 5: Guardians.” Those who replay “Halo 2” will also be treated to new narrative elements via story-expanding Terminals, much like those found in “Combat Evolved Anniversary.” Also like its predecessor, “Halo 2” will see the addition of game-customizing Skulls, as well as the cool ability to swap between its original visual presentation and the optimized version at the touch of a button. Finally, “Halo 2’s” massive multiplayer following can celebrate the big 10 by diving into six map remakes, built from scratch for the Xbox One. Speaking of fragging friends online, “The Master Chief Collection” features all the multiplayer content from each of the four games, including all previously released download-only maps. While sorting through this enormous amount of solo and multiplayer content might sound like a daunting task on par with fixing a Warthog flat, 343 Industries has got your back. Thanks to what they’re calling the “Master Menu,” players won’t have to hop from menu to menu when navigating this epic offering. All campaign chapters are unlocked from the get-go, so fans can use this intuitive interface to play any mission, any time, at any skill level. Multiplayer will also benefit from the Master Menu, as a variety of user-friendly, streamlined features – such as maps being broken into gameplay types – are being implemented. The final game will also leverage this seamless UI to offer curated playlists, such as ones that, say, allow you to play through each of the four games’ final missions consecutively, or let you experience every Warthog mission in one sitting. While the prospect of piloting the Chief’s slick ride for several hours straight is exciting, it’s but just one of the reasons this collection will have you up way past the wee hours. On top of all the tweaks and enhancements to four of our all-time favorite games, “The Master Chief Collection” also features the debut of “Halo: Nightfall,” an all-new digital series executive produced by legendary director Ridley Scott and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (“Battlestar Galactica,” “Heroes”). While details on the project are protected as fiercely as UNSC secrets, we can reveal that the series – airing weekly – will tell the origin story of an all new character that is pivotal to “Halo 5: Guardians.” While “Nightfall” will offer a tease of what’s to come in “Halo 5: Guardians,” “The Master Chief Collection” will give fans an actual taste of what it’s like to play it with access to the “Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta.” Welcoming fans this December, the “Halo 5: Guardians” Multiplayer Beta offers a taste of the new multiplayer gameplay and features coming next year with the game’s full release. Whether you’re a new Xbox One owner wondering what the fuss is about, or a seasoned Spartan looking to revisit gaming’s signature sci-fi epic, “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” is a must-have that will keep you locked, loaded, and littering the landscape with Covenant corpses until “Halo 5: Guardians” lands next year.

[Flawless]

More from IGN:

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All will run in 1080p and 60 frames per second and include their full multiplayer suites in their original forms, with the added bonus of running on dedicated servers. ... All campaign levels are unlocked from the get-go, and playlists created and curated by 343 will allow you to experience moments from across all four campaigns in a variety of ways. For example: want to play all the Warthog levels in every game? Jump into that playlist and you’ll be able to do just that.

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But what’s cool is that you may be presented with three choices that span three different games. Say, Halo: CE’s “Wizard,” Halo 2’s “Lockout,” and Halo 3’s “The Pit.” Whichever gets the most votes is the game that MCC will launch, after which you’ll be taken back to the multiplayer lobby with your friends.

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Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Key points: Play campaign in original 2001 graphics or updated 1080p visuals Play original Halo: CE multiplayer online for the first time Combat Evolved’s multiplayer will be playable, online, in its original form. No more Halo: Reach map packs or excuses about CE multiplayer not “feeling” right online because it never had net code to begin with (let’s leave Gearbox’s Halo PC port out of this). This will be the OG Halo 1 three-shot death pistol, the OG “Blood Gulch,” etc. I politely brought up with 343 Franchise Director Frank O’Connor, and he didn’t shy away when presented with his own previous comments. “It was [a] peer-to-peer [networking setup],” he said of the previous games. “[Master Chief Collection’s] dedicated servers fix that,” leaving 343 comfortable with replicating the offline System Link experience in an online environment. This is what many players wanted in the 2011 Anniversary game, and we’re finally getting it. Halo 2 Anniversary Key points: Full Anniversary treatment, including terminals New prologue and epilogue cutscenes that tie into Halo 5 All original multiplayer maps – including all DLC maps (23 total) Most multiplayer tricks and glitches should still work Also includes six “reimagined” Halo 2 maps running on a native Xbox One engine Renowned CG cutscene studio Blur is handling the do-over on all of the Halo 2 cutscenes, including a brand-new non-playable prologue and epilogue that will “contextualize the Chief’s journey in [Halo] 1-4, and also set up a bit of what to expect in Halo 5,” according to 343 Executive Producer of Publishing Dan Ayoub.

[Flawless]

Blur CG remastered Halo 2 cutscenes:

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[LBzrule]

WOW, the remastered destroys the classic.

[Sandman42]

I would pay $60 just to be able to play Halo 1 multiplayer online in its original form (maybe even $100). The rest is just gravy.

Really glad to hear they kept them in their original form, so hopefully stuff like backpack reloading and blowing weapons to you with grenades will work in Halo 1, and Halo 2 will still have BxR.

[cubsfan203]

Wow, this should sell some consoles. I know a bunch of my friends (and myself) that have been holding out can't resist Halo 2 multiplayer.

[Candyman5]

Holy **** at those remaster scenes with Johnson and company.

[nmain]

Haven't been this excited about a game in awhile.