Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One)

This game is a marvel, it really is. I am aware that initially, it had issues with online multiplayer and various other things, but given the task they were given, I cant say im surprised that it wasnt 100% when it came out. But that seems to be the norm these days, not just with this game, but most games in general will recieve a day one patch or have game breaking bugs out of the box, or glitches etc. These are no longer problems, and certainly at least when I purchased it, there were none. So what is this? It is all four Halo games featuring Master Chief. Halo 1: Combat Evolved Anniversary (this game is also on the 360), Halo 2 Anniversary (Halo 2 was never released on the 360. However, it was playable using Backwards Compatibility. It also has a PC port which added the ability to earn achievments, although whether this is still possible is anyones guess), Halo 3 Halo 4. Halo 3 ODST is available to download at an extremely cheap price, and it intergrates itself into the collection. Also included is every multiplayer map from every game, and the ability to cross between any of them and do any game kind you want, will make people happy, and also adds a new way to play older maps. Halo 1 is the most difficult game in the collection in my opinion. On the normal difficulty I couldnt even manage and had to draft in my partner to play it in co-op with me. Halo 1 is generally considered that hardest of them all and the fact that I couldnt get very far on my own is a testament to that, or im just not very good at FPS games, which is the case anyway, but I managed to complete 2, 3, 4 and 5 on my own, so I wouldnt say I was that bad. You have the ability in this game to switch between the original graphics and the remastered ones, which makes for some interesting comparisons at times Halo 2 was redone for this collection. I dont know if that was the plan at first, but this collection is where it has ended up. It has had remade cutscenes which look incredible including a new ones at the begining and end to integrate spartan locke into the series. The re-done visuals also look stunning and the ability to switch between the old and the new, as in Halo 1 Anniversary, remains. Some of the multiplayer maps have also been remade. Halo 3 is pretty much the Halo 3 people know and love, with a few improvements here and there, such as resolution, lighting etc. The same can be said of Halo 4 and probably ODST. With the exception of Halo 1 which was mostly a pain in the bum, playing the rest were incredibly fun, and it was nice to go through them and try to remember everything I had done the first time around, such as finding skulls, finding the terminals in Halo 3, etc. Sadly, I havnt really bothered that much with the multiplayer side of this game. Mostly because I feel like I've done all that, in fact I did it to death in Halo 3. I prefer Halo for the stories, always have done. So that is why I played them all.

Finally, Amazon actually deliver games on release day rather than the usual day after release that I'm accustomed to. Aside from the fast delivery, this as all we know is the release of all the Halo's related to the MC (1, 2, 3, 4) and excludes all halo titles that don't have the MC as the main protagonist (Reach and Halo 3: ODST). The Menu is well done and allows to seamlessly jump to any Halo campaign missions from the four games. The multiplayer playlists are pretty straight forward if a bit jumbled, you get told which version of Halo game each playlist uses via the cover icons towards the side but if you want to play say Big team slayer, you can't specifically choose which Halo multiplayer version you want to use, its just simply all the four titles cobbled up together. Its something 343 should work on in my opinion. There's a Halo 5 beta section on the menu which is greyed out for now come this December when the beta releases. Halo 2 Anniversary is the biggest highlight to the the bundle. The in-game visuals have been revamped and look stunning, the in-game sound has been completely changed, guns feel like they have extra punch, the classic halo background symphony during missions are a lot clearer as you can clearly hear the difference by toggling between the anniversary and original. Blur did a really good job with the cut scenes, very breathtakingly realistic, I mean Tartarus looks AWESOME. There's a bit of an issue with Miranda Keyes' voice not 'matching' her face but that's due to Julie Benz's sub par voice acting (who could forget??), something blur could do nothing about. Halo Nightfall is a welcoming edition to the game. It comes in episodes with the first one being around 30 minutes long and the others yet to be released. Similar to the forward unto dawn web series that was released, without putting spoilers, it puts you into the perspective of Agent Locke that we'll all be playing as in Halo 5 and takes place around after the events of Halo 3. Cant really say more for this part without ruining the story for anyone that doesn't want to be spoiled. Downsides, well aside from the small quirk i mentioned for matchmaking, the initial installation of the game is a bit of a pain, just takes too long to install (took me a whole day to install). It seems the installation tries to download the update and install the game disc at the same time. Now I have fibre optic broadband running at roughly 70+ megabits per second so I'd like to think their servers are overloaded. It's not a big problem, you get to play the game when its at least 18% done, but the resulting installation causes the game to act up by constant freezes to the campaign. That being said, the freeze continues even after the update, something a future update could fix i guess. Going back to matchmaking, i can rarely find a game no matter what playlist i pick, waiting a good 10 to 15 minutes to find a few players is just too long, it's a problem 343 seems to be aware of at least. Aside from the few temporary problems arising as of now, the bundle is as good as it gets, Halo 2 Anniversary looks absolutely gorgeous, 3 and 4 run absolutely smooth, almost surreal how the extra frames and no jaggies make a difference to the game play experience. They honestly couldn't have done better with the bundle itself.

My my my, how opinions change! When I first reviewed this game I called it “Utterly broken and unplayable.” I even sent the game back to Amazon and got a refund. Originally i got this game at launch as a present from my wife, it was a gift for our 10-year anniversary. I was so looking forward to playing it, and what Halo fan wouldn’t? All 4 main games with all of their multiplayer modes and maps intact! Halo 1 remastered, Halo 2 remastered, Halo 3 and 4 all in one package and running at 60 FPS in 1080p and with all the multiplayer maps and modes from all four games?! Sounds amazing right? Well at launch, no…it wasn’t. The multiplayer was utterly broken, at launch people would sometimes wait 30 to 60 minutes for the game to connect with a lobby (i never waited this long of course, as that's just silly) and if it did connect the lag would make the game unplayable, or you would be disconnected mid match. You couldn't party up with your friends, and if you by some miracle were able to party up the game would split you up into totally different teams or in the worst cases totally different matches! (that is of course, presuming you could connect to a match at all!) I must have searched a thousand times for a lobby but 9 times out of 10 it would fail. The matchmaking simply did not work. I stuck with this game for 4 months after launch, hoping that with each new patch the game would become playable for me. It never did, which normally would make me pretty angry, but because this was a 10-year anniversary gift from my wife, something I was supposed to love and treasure I was even more pissed off and disappointed. I think by the time i was done i must have downloaded 20 gigs worth of patches (the game itself was only 40 or so!!) with so called "fixes" to make the matchmaking work and not one single patch even helped just a tiny bit. Not one. 343 stated it had fixed the issues and that the game would be stable and playable after every patch, but that never happened, at least not for me and many MANY others. It seemed there was no hope left. And I was not the only one of course, this game has become infamous for being one of the worst releases of this generation. The single player campaigns even had issues, plagued by frame rate issues and bugs, and the campaigns were the most important part for me. At this point I gave up on the game completely, after waiting months (which no customer should have to do, you pay your money and you should get a working product at launch. Not have to wait 6 months for patches to fix things) and months. I was super angry, and begrudgingly sent the game back to Amazon for a refund. My wonderful 10-year wedding anniversary gift which had sentimental value was ruined and gone and the great brand of Halo had been tainted forever. So, I wrote a scathing review, and gave the game 1 out of 5 stars. Recently, thanks to the release of Halo 5 I felt like going through the old Halo campaigns again. To do this I had to dust off my old 360, but after getting used to the 1080p and 60 fps resolution of Halo 5, they just didn’t feel right. Then I remembered how good these old games felt when I played them back when I still had the Master Chief collection (the few times I actually managed to play the campaigns and enjoy them that is), so I went onto 343’s forums and checked to see if the game had been fixed at all since I last played it (around 5 or 6 months go now at this point). Things weren’t looking good. I was still seeing complaints about multiplayer not working etc etc, but overall the mood was much more positive than it was the last time I looked. So I figured “screw it” and re-bought the game, used for cheap. To my utter amazement, many of the game breaking issues I encountered had been sorted! Campaigns ran smoother and were less buggy, finally I could enjoy these epic campaigns how they were intended to be enjoyed! Smooth 60 fps and only minor frame rate dips on a few large levels, it worked great! What’s even more amazing is I tried the multiplayer again and to my utter amazement, out of the 10 games I played 8 worked flawlessly! One game refused to find players for a BTB match, but as soon as I restarted the search it found a full match instantly, and the other occasion I joined a match and the lag made the game unplayable, but apart from that it was all working fine! Not perfect, but it WAS working, which is infinitely better than how it was before where it wouldn’t work at all. I can’t speak for parties as I haven’t tried that yet. So, do I still think this game is an utter disaster? Hell yes. Regardless of how well a game might work a year after it was released and patched hundreds of times, no game should be released in that sort of a state, and we as gamers shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of nonsense. We pay our hard earned cash; we deserve a working product at launch. Simple as that. However, if you are coming into this game for the first time and have no previous experience with the games’ disastrous launch you are in for a real treat. Looking at the game as it is now and not how it was, it’s a pretty good game. Is it perfect? No it still has issues, but they aren’t as game breaking as they used to be. Anything that lets you play those iconic Halo campaigns at 1080p and 60 FPS is worth playing, and I’m loving every minute of reliving halo 1, 2, 3 and even 4. And since the multiplayer works (for the most part) now, experiencing all those games’ maps and modes Is an experience not to be missed. You can start up a game of BTB on Halo 4, then the next match you’ll be playing classic Halo: CE multiplayer with that oh so satisfying, infamous overpowered Magnum! Glorious. So, in short, this game has redeemed itself to me. Yes it still has issues which should not exist, and no it shouldn’t have been released in the state it was in and that will always be unforgivable. But now that it works at least 95% of the time, its easier to overlook its issues and easier to actually enjoy the game now. So, if you are a fan of Halo you should still check this game out, or if you like me returned the game its worth coming back to, especially now it is significantly reduced in price. Id give the game 3 and half stars but I cant so it gets a 4. Certainly an improvement over 1 out of 5 huh?

Halo is a game that will fill many with nostalgic moments and have them relive their childhood/teen years all over again. However, 343 have sadly let us down on this one, whilst the campaigns are full of remastered elements and some truly incredibly story writing, it's still a buggy game. This game was clearly released too early to the consumers, and therefore launched with some major issues, such as not being able to play online as you were unable to find a match for up to 3 hours. Also, some of the campaign levels are iffy on the frame rate, or have weird bugs that mean Plasma guns don't fire properly after jumping, or when "saving and quitting" your game isn't actually saved. Although 343 Industries have released several major updates, it's still not quite there yet. Players are now able to find games in less than 3 minutes, but sometimes you'll be booted from the lobby before the match starts, or teams will be uneven. This game is great, don't get me wrong, I've had hours of play from this, but if you're looking for a polished game, then this isn't one. Take it with a pinch of salt, enjoy it for what it is. Personally, I'd recommend buying this in a couple of months time, when hopefully, all the issues will have been ironed out so that we can begin to enjoy Halo for what it is and was.

Really enjoyable to play through all of the Halo games again in 1080p 60 FPS. Halo: Combat Evolved (Anniversary) was fairly decent on the 360, however due to the 360's outdated hardware it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been. The graphics look much better on the Xbox one, with the added crispiness of a higher resolution (1080p) and the smoothness of 60 FPS - this makes playing through Halo 1 again a fantastic experience. Halo 2 Anniversary looks tremendous remastered, and the new cut scenes make it feel a lot more cinematic. The only complaint I have is the low field of view, however this probably isn't an issue for someone playing on their TV and sitting further back on the couch (I am using my computer monitor and sat up to my desk). Other than that the game runs well and sounds great. Halo 3 feels more or less the same as the 360 version, the added resolution and FPS does make for a better experience though. It also suffers from a low field of view like Halo 2, but this is a minor complaint and probably isn't a problem for most players. The same can be said about Halo 4, looks and feels much better on this version, however it is more or less the same as the 360 version. All of the Halo campaigns are really enjoyable and immersive to play, this is a must buy for any fan of the Halo series or somebody who is interested in playing them. I haven't played much of the multiplayer as I do not want to pay for gold membership, but from what I played it seems fairly good, just lacking an active player base and it can sometimes take a while to find a game.

I was a little apprehensive to start of with, revisiting these games. I remember the excitement when Halo CE was announced for the Xbox 360. I rushed out and bought the game, and it just didn't live up to the enjoyment I remembered having when it was originally released on the first Xbox console. However, when this was announced I felt that this was too good a package to pass on. I spent 4-5 hours playing the first game Halo CE last night, and I have to say I'm glad I didn't pass on this. I was completely blown away by the crisp visuals and slick control. The 1080p 60fps really make this title feel brand new. And easily stands up against any AAA titles that are released today. I finished 4 of the 10 chapters last night, and had more fun with this game than I did through the entirety of Destiny. I can't wait to finish, so that I can start Halo 2 AE. The presentation is incredible, with all four games, and over 100 multiplayer maps to enjoy. Plus the forge and all of the Spartan Ops will be available for free from Halo 4 before the end of December. This is truly a great package, and a must own if you have Xbox One. If the first game which is over 10 years old now, feels this good the rest are going to be incredible also. Another addition which I was truly grateful for was the addition of other control setups, which could be altered per game or across all four as standard. The addition of a Call of Duty style control system for me was extremely welcome, as I was never very keep on using the right analogue stick to zoom. All in all, I cannot recommend this title enough to Xbox One owners, and to any looking for a reason to buy and Xbox One, that reason is right here

One cannot deny the nostalgia that this will bring. Halo: The Master Chief Collection is by far one of the best games I have bought for the Xbox one. For multiple reasons. **I will NOT be including multiplayer in this because that is not why I bought the game.** Anyway, the game comes with a mandatory update of 18GB on arrival (Has to be done to clear up patches and bugs so we won't be too harsh on it). Halo Combat Evolved (CE) was the first to install and to my delight I was able to get straight to it. I never completed all the Halo's on Legendary so I have decided to take it upon myself to do so. And wow is it hard. Waves and waves of elites coming at you in glorious redefined graphics or at the touch of a button you can go back to what it was like back in 2001 which is amazing to see the difference. Sometimes it's actually a bit easier to play on the older graphics as there is less foliage so enemies, weapons and grenades are all that bit easier to spot. Halo 2 is going to be your worst nightmare if you take on legendary. It looks amazing and will really test you and your drive to pass the game on legendary. With Halo 3 + 4 it's a small bit different as these are that bit easier to complete on Legendary but will still challenge you they are nothing compared to the difficulty of Halo CE or Halo 2. In short, if you need the nostalgia hit. Get this game. If you need a good Xbox one game. Get this game. If you are looking for a game that has a great in depth story line. Get this game. Basically what I'm saying is get this game, be the legend that is the Master Chief and pass this game on legendary. You can then die a satisfied human being.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a collection that every Halo fan should purchase. The remasters Graphics and sounds are so so much different from the original, and yet still being the same as you remember. With the ability to switch between Old Style and New Style graphics/sounds you can learn to appreciate just the sheer amount of effort that was put into the remaster. I found myself playing on the older style for nostalgia. Halo 2 has had by far the biggest change. I found myself checking every room I went into in old style graphics and new. The cinematics had an even bigger overhaul to a quality I would expect of modern games. Whilst I could sit here and praise this game for a long time, it doesnt come without its downside...FPS. The game plays great, over 30fps in new graphics with dips occasionally that you can feel, however nothing game breaking. In Old style graphics it goes very smooth, with what is clearly 60fps. However Co-op split screen is a different story. In the older style graphics it stays to what feels like 60fps, however with the newer style graphics I found myself getting very obvious FPS drops to what felt around 20fps. Whilst this is playable its not something I have come to expect with next gen consoles. The graphics are good, but not what I would have thought to bring the xbox to its knees. I cant review the Multiplayer as they are having issues with the servers, Shall update when I get a play on it. Pros: - A lot of gameplay for your money - Great remastered Music and Graphics - A very popular Multiplayer - The ability to change graphics style to suit you Cons: - Only Halo 1 and 2 are changed from their originals. - FPS issues in Co-Op split screen in new graphics at times. - 15gb Update on release day. May prove a problem for people with internet caps. Doesn't affect campaigns. Overall I would highly recommend this game.