After waiting for months, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is now more than halfway complete. The collection will include the much-anticipated Halo 2: Anniversary which was released on May 12, 2020. The game will include both the original Xbox version and the remastered edition (which you can switch with just a touch of a button). Currently, Halo: The Master Chief Collection costs $16.50 on Steam. The game currently includes Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, and now, Halo 2. 343 Industries – the developer of the game – promises to include Halo 3 and 4 before Holiday 2020.
If you never played Halo in your life, now is a good time to get into the action. With over thousands of players online everyday, Halo: The Master Chief Collection caters to shooter fans both old and new.
Earth will never be the same.
Halo 2: Anniversary arrives on PC as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on May 12! https://t.co/y5NHDTiQ1E pic.twitter.com/HVzgxIuY8V
— Halo (@Halo) May 5, 2020
The Legacy of Halo (The Bungie Era)
Halo originally debuted on the first Xbox in 2001 by developer Bungie. It blew players’ minds and set the course for FPS gaming on consoles right after 007 Goldeneye on the N64. It later got ported to the PC, titled Halo: Combat Evolved. The PC version received better textures, better resolutions and full mouse and keyboard support.
In 2004, gamers anticipated Halo 2: a game that made the Xbox a staple in the competitive gaming market. Halo 1 and 2 became the main reasons to own an Xbox during the decade, selling over millions of copies.
In 2007, Halo 3 got its release. The 3rd game boosted Xbox 360 sales right after Epic Games’ Gears of War. With more game modes to choose from, a closure to the Covenant arc, and engrossing music and combat, Halo 3 arguably became the best game in the franchise. The following year, Halo 3 received a standalone expansion called Halo 3: ODST.
In 2010, Bungie released the final game in their development cycle: Halo: Reach. Reach served as a prequel to all 3 games and introduced new skills to widen the gameplay including sprinting, deployable shields and jetpacking. Additionally, the story also served as a great explanation as to where the other Spartans went and how the Pillar of Autumn (the ship of the first game) managed to leave Reach with Master Chief onboard. Halo: Reach was considered as the most emotional game thanks to its iconic characters and a final mission that will leave you with gamer tears.
Halo Lives On (The 343 Industries Era)
To keep the fans in line while they waited for the 4th game, 343 Industries developed a remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2011.
In 2012, 343 Industries debuted with their first Halo game: Halo 4. It did not have the same flare as to what Bungie created, however, the brand-new story and awesome cinematics made the 4th game quite good. The multiplayer felt alright and the combat performed well, making it a decent mark on 343 Industries. It may not be the best game in the franchise but it did serve as a good reputation for the new developers.
In 2015, Microsoft made a desperate attempt to win the hearts of console players in order to make good sales for the Xbox One. 343 Industries created Halo 5: Guardians – a game that, to this day, is considered the black sheep of the series. The story felt lackluster, the new characters did not make a huge impact, and Master Chief did not show up for most of the story. As for the multiplayer, the game stirred around heavy microtransactions and lootboxes, turning off a lot of players. The game also did not provide any split-screen action too. As a result, Halo 5: Guardians became the weakest game in the franchise. The game felt so bad, even the developers at 343 Industries denied its existence.
The Master Chief Collections
As a 10th anniversary celebration, 343 Industries created Halo: The Master Chief Collection for the Xbox One in 2014. The game included the original trilogy and Halo 4. Halo 2 received a remastered edition called Halo 2 Anniversary; and Halo 3 and 4 included 60 FPS and 4K resolutions. However, to much dismay, the game had quite a lot of bugs that made the bundle somewhat unplayable.
In 2019, 343 Industries announced a new Master Chief Collection for the PC – specifically on Steam and Microsoft Store. The bundle now includes Halo: Reach and Halo: ODST. As of this writing, the bundle is not yet complete since 343 Industries release each game – starting from Halo: Reach – every 3 months until the end of 2020. Expect Halo 2 Anniversary to show up in your copy of The Master Chief Collection on PC.
