'Halo: The Master Chief Collection': The Joystiq Review
Before Halo 2 launched in 2004, I must have watched the trailer a hundred times –- easily accessible from its permanent home on my college computer's desktop. Like many fans, my anticipation for the Xbox follow-up was ... let's say substantial. And, like many fans, I was a little disappointed by the campaign and its abrupt, cliffhanger ending. Thankfully, a genre-defining multiplayer suite did more than enough to salve any abrasions left behind by the rough campaign.
Now, ten years later, 343 Industries and Saber Interactive have taken another energy sword stab at Halo's most maligned moment, slathering it with pristine visuals, a fully remastered musical score and gorgeously recreated CG cutscenes for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. All of these additions go a long way toward delivering the kind of grandiosity that original developer Bungie probably intended, even if they don't quite take away the sting of the campaign's final minutes (or some of the less interesting levels, for that matter).
And this time around, you've got every single main series Halo game to soothe any lingering discontent, including Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4. That's every campaign level across all four games, every multiplayer map, player-created maps and gametype sharing, saved films, and a lovely kitchen sink, all flowing at a liquid 60 frames-per-second.
