25 Years Later, Halo Still Has Something To Prove
It’s hard to believe that Xbox is 25 years old. I don’t say this because of recent years which have been challenging, the same is true for the gaming industry as a whole, but rather because there hasn’t been a big fuss with which to mark the occasion. However, we are being treated to a fully fledged remake of one of Xbox’s launch titles. Halo.
Now I’ve spent plenty of time waxing lyrical about just how genre defining the original Halo game was, it’s safe to say I’m something of a fan. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s one of the best games of all time. However, when Halo: Campaign Evolved was announced I wasn’t totally convinced it was needed over a brand new chapter in the Master Chief saga. However, it does mark a very important milestone for the series, as it heads to PlayStation for the first time.
Halo: Campaign Evolved brings back the iconic ten mission campaign, complete with local and online co-op. However, PvP is missing in action (the clue is in the name I guess) which feels like a miss, given it was present in the original. Still, to compensate there are three brand new missions bundled into this version of the game, which we will come to first.
Operation: METEORITE Adds A New Chapter
Set one year before the events of the main game, these prequel missions focus on Sgt. Johnson (the mouthy marine from the original game) and the Master Chief as they take part in Operation: METEORITE. The fight takes them on board a covenant research vessel, in search of key intel.
The missions link well enough to Halo: Reach and beyond, but are perhaps best played after the main campaign, for newcomers anyway. This is because you’re thrown straight into the fray against the full force of the Covenant, as well as some familiar faces from the sequels. That’s right, everyone’s favourite member of the Covenant, the Brutes, show up in numbers. I hope you can detect my sarcasm here.
Anyhow, the missions themselves are good fun and show off a rather resplendent setting aboard the Triumph of Tolerance vessel. They play the hits of many games in the Halo series, even giving you the opportunity to jump into a Seraph and get stuck into a big space battle. My only slight criticism is that this trio of missions doesn’t break new ground, which feels like a missed opportunity.
A Faithful Remake With Some Modern Touches
Still, think of this as the amuse-bouche (or dessert depending on the order you play) before the main campaign. Halo: Campaign Evolved describes itself as a “faithful yet modernized” remake, and that’s absolutely spot on. The similarities heavily outweigh the changes made here, and that is no bad thing.
Throughout Halo: Campaign Evolved there have been many subtle tweaks made to the environments, seemingly with the aim to make things more streamlined. Paths forward are more linear than before, with you being directed along one singular route. Don’t get me wrong, the levels weren’t exactly a sandbox before, but limiting things in this way didn’t always feel entirely necessary despite making the way forward clear, and actually highlights that the campaign in Halo is a relatively brief one.
Where the level refinement worked best, however, is in the most divisive part of the original game – The Library. This mission was a grind, with limited variety and repetitive environments. Gladly these have been overhauled in Halo: Campaign Evolved whilst remaining faithful to the source material.
New Weapons Change The Familiar Formula
What is interesting is the addition of weapons and features from later games in the series. Master Chief can now wield the Battle Rifle, SMG, Energy Sword and more, as well as being able to hijack and drive Covenant vehicles such as the fearsome Wraith. Whilst allowing for a slightly different experience, these changes do not fundamentally alter the flow of the game.
Something I did notice was that one of my favourite Covenant weapons from the original Halo, the Needler, felt nerfed as it did in the sequels. Beforehand it was absolutely devastating and probably overpowered, but as a result of the changes I rarely used it this time around. I also thought the melee attack range felt very short, lacking a lurch forward even when armed with an energy sword. I kept missing and having to get in close to land a blow, which left me vulnerable to a good whack from an Elite.
The Flood Are More Frightening Than Ever
You’ll once again get up close and personal with both the Covenant, and the parasitic superspreaders, the Flood. However, these already terrifying creatures have a new party trick. What I can only describe as a tank (that also feels like a boss character) will now spawn and take some damage before you can stop it. It will spit out smaller creatures which (as in Halo 2), resurrecting corpses with which to fight you. If you unload enough ammo into them and cause them to burst, that’s a way of guaranteeing they don’t come back. As ever, your trusty shotgun is your best friend here.
Being rather sure of myself, I played through Halo: Campaign Evolved on Heroic, as I’m something of a Halo veteran. However, there were many times where I got killed instantly, either by surprise melee attack or a kamikaze grunt with plasma grenades in hand running around the corner. Getting killed wasn’t an issue, but having no opportunity to recover (i.e. if my shield was depleted) instead of dying instantly took some getting used to. It was odd as some segments felt surprisingly challenging, where others were a breeze. There is a different difficulty balance in Halo: Campaign Evolved when compared to the original.
One factor which made Halo a groundbreaking game of its day, is how it told a story. It wasn’t overly complicated, but it was wonderfully cinematic. This time around more cutscenes have been skillfully slipped into missions, some playing out whilst using the same dialogue from the original game, just presented in a different way. For the most part, I really enjoyed these as they fleshed out key moments without it feeling like padding.
Cortana Doesn’t Quite Hit The Same Notes
However, what I was less convinced about was the re-recorded dialogue. Having played the original game about a million times, I picked up on this straight away. That being said, nearly all the characters sounded so similar I had no issue at all with this decision by Halo Studios. Nevertheless, there was one who I couldn’t quite gel with. Yes, the problem child since Halo 5: Guardians, Cortana. My first observation was that Cortana feels like a tutorial guide pretty much throughout the entire game in Halo: Campaign Evolved, and it gets a bit irritating. She will point out the bleeding obvious, and keep doing so if you don’t move your backside quickly enough.
My other gripe was a little more fundamental. Now, it might just be me getting used to it, but the re-recorded dialogue for Cortana has a totally different feeling and tone, right down to the oddly timed emotional stresses in each sentence. I know she’s an AI construct, but in Halo: Campaign Evolved she seems to have lost her emotional edge. It’s unfortunate as Cortana happens to be a key character so there’s no getting away from it.
However, one thing which sounds almost completely unchanged is the epic soundtrack. Honestly, the original score is an absolute masterpiece and despite being enhanced here, remains the emotional powerhouse it was 25 years ago.
In a way, Halo: Campaign Evolved finally brings the visuals up to the same high bar. It looks great in Unreal Engine 5. When things get hectic, or a cutscene kicks in, the frame rate can get a bit jittery, but quickly stabilises. There are so many small details to enjoy, such as improved door mechanics as they open up panel by panel, as well as huge set pieces such as the environment as it self-destructs around you in “The Maw”.
Halo: Campaign Evolved Is A Worthy Anniversary Celebration
I had a great time revisiting the captivating world of Halo once again, and the fact I remembered every beat of this game is testament to just how brilliant the original is. Halo: Campaign Evolved leans into this and as a result will please fans whilst ensuring to wow newcomers as they play it for the very first time.
Halo: Campaign Evolved celebrates 25 years by tinkering with a beloved classic, and in almost every way pulls it off. For most this will be the definitive way to experience one of the best games ever made, although purists may have something to say about that.
Important Links
Halo: Campaign Evolved Is Here As The Legend Begins Again – https://www.thexboxhub.com/halo-campaign-evolved-is-here-as-the-legend-begins-again/
Download via the Xbox Store, through Game Pass if you like – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/halo-campaign-evolved-standard-edition/9N19ZZX3B7Z2/0010
There’s a Premium Edition too – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/halo-campaign-evolved-premium-edition/9pktjh3cm38h
