Halo has been one of the main selling points for the Xbox since its launch on Microsoft's console more than a decade ago. Despite the departure of developer Bungie, the series looks set to continue that trend, with Halo 5: Guardians already in development for the Xbox One.
But in the meantime, you’ll need something to whet your appetite.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection brings the Halo series to the Xbox One, a dollop of nostalgia with a fresh coat of paint for the next generation console.
The Master Chief Collection is a mammoth release. Not only do you get the remastered Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary edition, Halo 2 also gets the HD treatment. Add in Halo 3 and Halo 4, plus the multiplayer modes, and there is plenty here to keep you occupied until the Halo 5: Guardians arrives.
If you have been following the Halo series from the start, you'll see little difference in content from game to game. The new collection sticks with the story of the original releases; why mess with a successful formula?
Where the Master Chief Collection's strength lies is in the sheer volume of material available. All the missions and add-ons in one place, plus the multiplayer content on one disc.
It's a little overwhelming at first. But the Master Chief Collection gives you a number of different ways to access content, from playing the individual games and their campaigns to playlists, which will offer you the chance to play missions from all Halo games grouped by theme such as boss fights, fan favourites or particular vehicles. You can play through from start to finish – no cliffhangers to deal with, no abrupt end to a story. It's Halo on demand.
The two remastered Halo titles offer a glimpse into the past too. At the touch of a button you can see the old-style graphics, proving just how far Halo has come visually from its first and second outing all those years ago. Halo 2's cut scenes have also been reworked, adding in some extra bits and bringing them up to current standards. The end result is impressive.
The Master Chief Collection isn't perfect. There are frame-rate issues at times, but they are infrequent and make little difference to play. Load times can be a little frustrating too, especially when you want to dive right in.
The multiplayer options are many, with the ability to make your own maps and game variants with the Forge, create custom games or simply dive into the multiplayer options available in the individual titles. If you don’t want to waste time on campaigns you’ve already completed, multiplayer alone is enough to justify buying the collection.
However, those fancy multiplayer modes have been marred by some bugs post-launch, something that Microsoft was working on fixing at the time of the review. Delays and oddities in matchmaking are a frustration that should (hopefully) be ironed out soon.
That’s not all you can An extras menu will give you access to the Halo Nightfall video series and the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta when it goes live in December.
A nice overhaul of an old favourite, The Master Chief Collection is worth the investment even if you've already completed the Halo games in their original form, if only to remind yourself why you liked it so much before the next instalment hits the consoles next year.
