During the Microsoft press conference at E3 of 2014, 343 industries took the stage to make a special announcement. “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” was a title that made many gamers rejoice at its announcement, but did it meet its expectations?
The Master Chief collection is a compilation of four Halo games, including one of the most iconic video game characters, Master Chief. Specifically, it includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary (which is the new addition as a result of Halo 2 turning 10 years old this year), Halo 3 and Halo 4.
The overall presentation is stunning, with all sorts of segments from the various Halo games running at 1080p, and playing 60 frames-per-second, which makes the gameplay, which is already an amazing experience, smooth and easy on the eyes.
The biggest deal in the collection for a lot of gamers would have to be the addition of Halo 2 Anniversary. Remastering Halo 2’s graphics, while keeping the gameplay mechanics that gamers know from the game. Also, as an addition to the game are improved sounds, a redone soundtrack and redone cutscenes done by CG studio BLUR.
Another mechanic, which only exists for Halo 1 and 2, are with the push of a button, it changes the graphics back to not just classic graphics, but also the original sounds and soundtrack, adding a layer of nostalgia.
And of course, nowadays a game isn’t complete without having some sort of competitive multiplayer . The Master Chief collection includes over 100 maps, even including the PC maps for Halo: Combat Evolved. And with the Halo 2 anniversary, some maps were remastered, including classics like “Coagulation” and “Lockout,” now named “Bloodline” and “Lockdown,” respectively.
For as great as this all seems, there is one big problem that plagued the launch of the Master Chief Collection – multiplayer matchmaking. It’s a painfully slow experience, which could take a gamer up to five minutes to find a lobby to play in.
All in all, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is truly a sight to behold, with remastered graphics, four complete video games on one disc, all for the price of $60; it’s a great deal. But with the sloppy multiplayer launch, it dampens the experience, which could be a deal-breaker for a lot of gamers.
