Unarmored and totally in diapers. This is how I have faced the first installment of Halo, me first serious approach to the universe created by Bungie. As i remembered after purchasing the Xbox Series X, I had only played so far Halo 3 in local multiplayer, on a friend’s Xbox 360.
They are many years away from legendary franchises like Gears of War or the one led by the Master Chief, so I played get ready with the definitive compilation: Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Improved versions of the classics, a tuning for a more modern audience. Back in 2001 I was barely seven years old and my main concern was taking my homework to school.
Does it stand the test of time Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary? Will I feel the greatness of one of the most important sagas in the history of video games? Questions and doubts flew over my mind. The answers are on the other side of the screen.
What the heck is going on?
It is impossible not to recognize the Master Chief as the protagonist of Halo, but I confess that I did not know what his role in the plot was. It’s more, I was totally and completely unaware of the main plot of Halo. Between images and videos over the years I imagined that everything has to do with a battle between aliens and humans, although I was naked before the story.
I wasn’t expecting big script twists or fast pacing for a work from its time and I was still satisfied with the result. About eight hours of play and I still have no idea who exactly the Master Chief is. And that’s something that I love. Passing the first Halo and letting that doubt remain in the air has seemed brilliant to me for several reasons.
The first of these is that it prompts me to continue to know their vast universe, one in which the Pact and humanity are in a fierce struggle. Space Marines against aliens of all kinds in battles that seem to have dragged on for many years and with deep motives. In fact, I am surprised that the Pact does not know the location of the Earth.
During the game I have found the lore that hides the saga profound. Throughout the adventure I have come across several optional terminals, which show cinematics detailing a specific aspect. Whether it’s the 343 Guilty Spark figure or the Pillar of Autumn’s captain, Jacob Keyes, these are details that explore a bit more what’s going on. I have not been able to see all of them, but they seem essential to bring that layer of context to the whole.
Nor can I ignore the title of the game. Okay, Halo’s defense system consists of annihilating every living creature in the galaxy, but …not too drastic a measure? I mean, the system is well built enough that the effect extends to other similar space stations, but the threat it was built against at the time must be lethal. The truth, having seen what I have seen, I do not know what could be worse than the happy Flood.
The only character he previously knew, other than the Master Chief, was Cortana. An AI that lives with the protagonist, creating a relationship in which she imposes more orders than our green friend. The only survivors after the explosion of Halo, drifting in the middle of space and with a few more deliveries ahead. Are many reasons to continue to know Halo, but it does not seem to me that there is one greater than the mystery about the identity of the Master Chief.
A huge guy, with a unique armor, whose face is not seen at any time. An air of legend, a kind of space Rambo capable of destroying what is in front of him. And not a single mention of who he is and what he’s doing tucked into a suspended animation capsule. The Master Chief seems to rise as one of the last hopes of humanity in the face of danger and it seems logical to me that its origin is not explored, yet.
It is natural that no one makes explicit mention of it. Hell, it’s like talking about Lord Voldemort at Hogwarts. Everyone knows its horrors and where the fame that precedes it comes from, so explanations don’t have to come immediately. The course of events will provoke a situation in which I am given an answer. Yes indeed, the less I can care what your face is like. As if Phil Spencer is under the suit.
Empty the magazine without compassion
Every time he rounded a new corner of the Autumn, when he was approached by a Pact patrol, and every time he fired left and right. The sensations were crowding and they all brought me to the same point: Halo reminds me a lot of Half-Life. It’s actually obvious, we’re talking about two works separated in time by just three years apart And it’s clear that Gordon Freeman’s adventure defined shooters.
Valve’s game was set on PC and the real challenge was to deliver a fresh experience for the console gamer. Examples like GoldenEye Nintendo 64 were leading the way, but eThe genre still had steps to take at that time. The truth is that despite having spent 20 years the mechanics of Halo stand on their own, with their strengths and weaknesses.
The first hit I receive is not from a bullet to the head of an enemy, but from the aim assist. During the first hours it seemed to me to be exaggerated how it shows that the look has a powerful magnetic effect towards the target. Even with the reluctance and without finding an option to deactivate it in the menu, I continued on. Finally, what seemed to be a discomfort that takes the player as someone with a lack of ability, has been of help during the most demanding moments.
The final encounters with the Flood and the Pact, along with the 343 Guilty Spark Sentinels would have been much longer than they already have had it not been there. Although without a doubt, what most I have enjoyed that atmosphere of war which sometimes shows Halo.
For this he makes use of the soldiers, faithful comrades who accompany me without rest. Every time I have had a patrol in charge, I have felt that they were all essential. It really hurt when one fell, because the artificial intelligence they possess is very remarkable. Most shots don’t miss, they don’t expose themselves like headless chickens; they act with precision and are key in tipping the balance in my favor.
Sometimes your services are required and sometimes you just find a regiment fighting for their lives. They are independent, they have no name and still I have felt each of them as one. Most of the time I have fought alone, but a smile came to my face when I ran into them. Because they also help support one of the most trouble spots I’ve come across in Halo.
Wave after wave of enemies attacking voraciously. It is the main activity to carry out, since we barely press a couple of buttons throughout the game to activate a mechanism. Faced with such a situation, there is a risk of repeating sin, something that I have not finished feeling thanks to the variety of weapons and the aforementioned gunplay. Rocket launchers, snipers, assault rifles … (apologies for not remembering the specific names) each of them slightly changes the way of playing and they encourage constant turnover.
Narrow hallways? Nothing a shotgun can’t fix. Armored aliens from top to bottom? Wait I send a missile between eyebrows. Special mention to the Stinger, showing the remaining ammunition depending on how much the tips protrude at the top.
In the meantime you have to go through all kinds of scenarios that have been repetitive for me. Cloned, copied and pasted areas, returning to places already visited … I keep this aspect aside due to the difficulties of the time to create a lot of variety. Still, I have been able to see technological complexes, snow, lush forests and even swamps. Of course, the vehicles are one of the clearest hallmarks of the franchise and from the first work they have made it clear to me.
The Warthog, the Banshee … each belonging to a faction, fully recognizable from a distance and comfortable to control. Especially in the aerial sections, which have not been many, but I have been able to enjoy when it has been my turn to crew them. Like I have once again appreciated that feeling of war so present. I am not the central axis of what happens; I walk and I find Flood against humans, the Pact against the Flood … they are three independent sides who fight for what they consider theirs no matter what else.
Past times weren’t always better
Once you went to Xbox Game Pass and installed Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the fun was on. Game to Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and I think the work is remarkable considering that I am facing a remastering. I was surprised when, after several sessions killing enemies, I see a comparison with the original.
The work is no longer remarkable, it is honors for 343 Industries. The Halo: Combat Evolved from 2001 is really out of date and hasn’t stood the test of time at all. It’s easy to say two decades later, but I’d bet that even in that year it would have seemed far from leading. Therefore, it is only necessary to applaud the face wash carried out, because like good dishes, they always enter before the eyes.
A good review is not spared the dubbing. Do you fondly remember that of Medievil? Today it squeaks a lot. Halo is a victim of those first years in which the dubbing in video games appeared, with inconsequential or over-acted voices. And it is a subject that no longer only affects the sound level, but also affects the text. Possibly I have made a mistake naming the Covenant as the Pact and that is that I have been confused throughout the game, varying the subtitles regarding the sound. I will have to keep moving forward in the saga to be clear about what terms end up being imposed, if in English or the Spanish version.
I don’t want to leave here without mentioning the OST. If they wanted from Bungie that Epic and transcendent halo sonase, they have succeeded. Both Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori have given away songs that shine when they should and that appear when necessary.
What does the future hold for me? Being sincere, I want to continue knowing what Halo has to offer me. I have scratched the surface of something that promises to be great, but I want to see it with my own eyes and draw the appropriate conclusions. Now it will be my turn to play Halo 2, although I have heard something related to certain Locust that are causing problems …
